What!?!?!?

Joey was chowing down on some chicken nuggets the other day. I figured I should be a good mom and give him his vegies, too. I pulled out the handy mixed vegies from the freezer, steamed them in the microwave, and added a little bit of chicken bullion granules to them. Simple, right? I figured he would eat a few, and the rest of the vegies would end up on the floor. Instead, the crazy kid threw his chicken nuggets on the floor and gobbled up the vegies.

Nummy!!!

To the park.....again!

Sunday night we headed off to the kid's favorite park again. They had lots of energy to burn off!

This time we got some pictures of Joey getting in on the action.

Ike had his pins taken out on Saturday and was already back in action on Sunday!

Elle and Joey sharing a moment....ok, she was actually just smashing her face into his. He didn't really appreciate it.

6 years and counting!

June 22nd was our 6th anniversary! A lot has changed in the past 6 years. Here's a summary:

4 cars, 1 scooter, 3 kids, 4 homes, 2 countries, 2 languages, lots more chaos, lots more joy! Happy Anniversary, Andy!

(Ike was our photographer for the day. Not too bad for a 4 year old!)

Hmmm....

Don't I have stylish kids?!?!?!? What is with Ike wearing 2 hats??

A third hand??

This is pretty much how Joey eats every meal. One of his feet HAS to be on his tray. Today he was having trouble getting his left foot up there and actually started to cry. It is pretty funny to watch!

Her first trim

At just over 2 years, Elle finally had enough bangs that she needed them trimmed. She has tons of hair, but it took forever for her bangs to come in! So, here is the result of her trim.

And out they came!

Today was the big day! Ike had his pins pulled this morning. He was once again a super brave kid and didn't shed a tear or flinch when the surgeon pulled out the pins. His arm is free for the first time in 6 weeks, and he is already putting it to use (actually, he used it a lot even while the pins were in).

His last picture with his sling! He was playing with his cars while we were waiting for his turn to see the Dr.

What his splint looked like.

The splint is gone and the pins are about to be pulled out (that's iodine, not blood).

Ike and his doctor/surgeon

And they are gone!!

Time to save money

We've now joined the ranks of many families on the island and purchased a scooter. It'll be a while before the kids really ride on it (if ever), but they like to pretend!

Outdoor fun

We've had LOTS of rain lately, but we were able to get outside the other night and enjoy the sun. Here are a few shots from the evening.

I know what I want!

Joey was playing in the nursery and must have REALLY wanted some toy from the box. He just climbed right in, sat down, and started playing! I guess he is one determined boy.

Oops!

Andy was getting Ike dressed for school Friday and this is what Ike ended up wearing. It doesn't really look that bad (except for not matching), but it's a little small. They are actually Joey's 18 month shorts. Oops!

Fun shots of Joe

An Evening at the Park

Wednesday night we ventured to the kids favorite park. The daytime had been SO HOT, but as soon as the sun set it was nice and cool (low 80's). Ike didn't let his arm stop him from playing (don't worry grandpas and grandmas, Andy kept a close watch on him), and Elle got really brave on the big kids stuff. Joe even got to play on the slides.

All tuckered out

Last Saturday we were without power for a few hours so we took the kids to McDonald's for breakfast and then went on an "adventure". After McD's we went to Emei to buy green coffee beans because Andy was out. Emei is in the hills, so we drove around for awhile. The excitement of the day was seeing two snakes slithering across the road. The kids were so tired after the morning that they fell asleep in the car.

Boy's Birthday Party

We had a birthday party for the boys the other night. They had lots of fun! As you can see, Joey enjoyed his turtle cake very much. Ike put in a request for ice cream cake because he doesn't eat cake (not even when it is in the shape of a baseball). Ike and Joe even had matching outfits that they got from Uncle Kyle and Aunt Ellen for their birthdays...GO TWINS!!! It just so happens that the day after they wore their TWINS outfits, the Twins beat the Yankees and we got to watch it happen!! We loved ESPN that day. Every other day of baseball season we only get to watch the Yankees play. They are on ESPN all the time here because one of the players is Taiwanese.

Nummy Mud Pie!

"Do I really get to eat this all by myself?"

"Hmm, this is pretty good"

"Hey, do I have something on my nose?"

Joey's 1st Birthday

Today Joey turned "1". In some ways the year went fast, in other ways it was VERY long! We are so thankful that the Lord gave us this little guy! Here are some shots from his birthday.

Joey's personalized Batman book! He gets to help Batman fight the bad guys!

These great cars are definitely a new favorite...for all three kids!

Homemade Pizza...yummy! Our friend Samuel and his family joined us for dinner to help celebrate.

Joey's birthday "cake". We did Mud Pie in a dump truck (thanks for the great idea of putting it in the truck, B's).

Attempted family shot

Writing on the walls?!?!?!

On our visit south, the kids got the rare opportunity to write on A's walls. Her house is being torn down in a couple weeks, so she's been doing a lot of "wall art". The kids had so much fun! I'm sure many of you think that we are crazy for letting them do this, thinking that they will do it to any wall they want. Maybe we are, but so far none of the walls in our house have been drawn on.

Good-bye Annalise! We'll miss you!