Larsen Clan

Andy's Birthday!!

2012-01-24T22:50:00.002+08:00

Happy Birthday to a wonderful dad and husband!!! We love you!!!

Chinese New Year

2012-01-24T22:48:00.001+08:00

We had a VERY FUN and full Chinese New Year's Eve and Day! What a fun time here!

We started the Lunar New Year's Eve day off at Victory Church where Andy had the privilege of baptizing Little H.

Spent the afternoon with our good friends and neighbors, the Zhaps! The kids had a BLAST playing games with their kids (who are always so patient and good to them), and we of course had good food and good coffee!


Lots of fun with fireworks thanks to A-Ba! Don't worry, the kids are watched very closely!

In the evening we went to the home of one of Andy's language helpers and had so much fun with her family (who we met for the first time)! Here's a picture of the kids lining up to get red envelopes from her. The kids catch on fast here!


New Year's Day we had a "quiet" dinner at home (it was loud outside from all the fireworks, but quiet inside).

Green onion pancakes...yummy!

And Chinese dumplings...also yummy!

This is just a fun picture! Ike loves his sparklers!

Merry Christmas Y'all!

2011-12-27T17:40:00.001+08:00

Kid's Christmas Choir

2011-12-27T17:20:00.002+08:00

Some of the kids at church have been working VERY hard for the past few months to get ready for Christmas services at church. Our kids were part of the choir and had so much fun preparing for it! All the kid's did a GREAT job of sharing the message of Jesus coming as a child to save us through the songs they sang and danced to!

Mini-Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-27T17:16:00.002+08:00

The other week we bought some "gingerbread" house kits and the kids had fun putting them together (they were really some sort of tasteless cracker according to the kids)! Believe it or not I actually let them do it all and only helped when they asked (this is unusual because I HATE messes)!

A Wedding Celebration!

2011-12-01T21:17:00.006+08:00

This past Sunday our neighbors son was married. Ellie and Isaak had the privilege of being part of the days festivities! It was so fun to watch this couple and their families celebrate!

The beautiful couple
The kids after getting ready for the wedding feast
Ike and Elle looking all snazzy
Grandpa and Ike at the feast
Grandma and Elle checking out her rose petals
The kids with our neighbor (A-Ba)

2 weeks with Grandma and Grandpa K!!

2011-12-01T19:51:00.003+08:00

We just spent 2 GREAT weeks with Grandma and Grandpa! We wish it could have been longer, but we'll take what we can get! The kids had so much fun with them (and so did Andy and I) and can't wait until our next visitors arrive (though we don't know when that will be)! Here's a little review of the past 2 weeks.....

There was Christmas baking with Grandma
There were games to play and puzzles to make with Grandpa
We took a day trip up to Yeliou where we saw some cool rock formations "carved" by the wind and the waves
We took Father/Daughter pics with the North China Sea in the background
We took a picture of the 3 generations of girls also with the North China Sea in the background (or Pacific Ocean if you like that better)
We went to the Ocean Park where Ike and Grandpa got up close and personal with the dolphins
Ferb got LOTS of attention from G & G (probably because they were missing Kramer)
We went to a wedding feast where Grandpa got his first taste of sashimi (and liked it)...
And Grandma got to figure out how to eat these massive prawns
But most of all we just enjoyed spending time together as a family!

Grandma and Grandpa K are here!!!

2011-11-20T23:29:00.001+08:00

We are currently enjoying having G & G with us for a couple of weeks! The kids are soaking in the time with them (so is Ferb)! More pics to come.....

The Kids Love Their Ferb!

2011-10-31T23:45:00.000+08:00

Joe loves Ferb

Ike loves Ferb

Amazingly enough, even Elle loves Ferb

Halloween Fun

2011-10-31T23:39:00.003+08:00

We celebrated Halloween a day early this year (since there really isn't trick-or-treating here, anyways). The kids had fun, as usual, dressing up and being with some of their friends!

Cinderella

Our Race Car Driver

Mr. Skeleton

Group shot with their friend N. Do you like all the sandals? It's still in the 70's to 80's here!

Even the parents dressed up somewhat...

I think these two look like they belong at the Mad Hatter tea party!

Decorating Pumpkins

2011-10-31T23:20:00.003+08:00

I was so thankful that Ike said, "Mom, I want to paint pumpkins this year because I don't want to touch that disgusting stuff inside!" Now I get to enjoy LOTS of pumpkin/squash starting November 1st (I figure I can chop up their pumpkins then)!!

Joey once again layering the paint on his pumpkin!

Definitely having fun!

Ike's been listening to Brad Paisley's "Camouflage" a little too much, I think, and painted his pumpkin camouflage!

And an attempt at a picture of the kids.....

Buddies!!!

2011-10-04T22:09:00.002+08:00

Ferb

2011-09-15T23:26:00.003+08:00

Today (despite still being in shock that my husband wanted a dog), Andy, Elle, and Joe picked up our little puppy from the train station (Ike and I were in class still). After not so much discussion we decided to call him "Ferb" (from the Disney show "Phineas and Ferb"). We are having too much fun playing with him and TRYING to train him (I should cut him some slack since he's been with us less than 12 hours)!

First Day of School

2011-09-07T08:43:00.002+08:00

I was so thankful that the kids were so excited to go back to school!!! They were actually bummed that their first day was canceled because of a typhoon!

Ike was off to his first day of 2nd grade at 7:30am (now he leaves at 6:50am so he can play tennis before school)!
Elle off to her first day as a kindergartner!!
Joey all ready for his 2nd year of preschool!!

Astromnomical Museum

2011-08-29T19:23:00.001+08:00

Friday we ventured up to Taipei to visit a kid friendly (though for adults very boring) museum. The kids had a blast and even got to enjoy their first 3D movie!

Hualien

2011-08-28T17:13:00.004+08:00

Last week we spent a few days in Hualien County with some of our Chinese pastors and their families. It was a "go, go, go" kind of a trip (ie ride the bus, get off and hike, get back on, ride somewhere else, etc), but lots of fun! We came back tired but so thankful for the time to get to know the pastors and evangelists in our synod and thankful for the new relationships that were formed with them!

Beautiful Taroko Gorge!! My favorite spot on the island (that I've been to, at least)!
A shrine in the gorge.
Most of the group that went on the trip.
Our kids were pretty much glued to these wonderful girls! They are the daughters of our mission's administrative assistant and our kids just loved being with them!
Don't worry, these tracks aren't in use anymore!
Some of our coworkers (our pastor and his wife are the ones directly behind Ike and Ellie, the other couples pastor churches in Taipei, Yangmei, and Hsinchu).

Fun with Paint

2011-08-05T11:24:00.002+08:00

Since it's summer break I decided to take the kids to do something fun. Friends told us about this place where they could pick out a wood object and paint it. It was fun to watch the kids work on their projects.

Joey's definitely had the most colors on it!
Ellie worked hard on hers!
Ike was the most careful about where his paint went and getting the colors just right (for a 7 year old, at least)!
The finished products.

Sunday Drive

2011-07-31T22:58:00.006+08:00

After Andy preached this morning we rushed home to change and grab a simple picnic lunch, then headed into the nearby mountains! What an adventure we had as we headed into the nearly 2000 meter peaks! The biggest adventure was probably the driving since the roads were narrow, sometimes only allowing for 1 car. We made it, though, and while we didn't end up where we planned, we made it to a great hiking trail and had a blast!

The view from our picnic spot
Enjoying our picnic
The waterfall we hiked LOTS of stairs to get to!
The rest of it (or what we could see, at least)

A Park to Ourselves

2011-07-31T22:55:00.002+08:00

I took the kids to the park yesterday afternoon and to my surprise we were the only ones there!! I couldn't believe it, especially when it was an overcast day so it wasn't scorching hot! The kids had a blast and I had an extremely easy time keeping track of them!!

Swimming Time

2011-07-31T19:39:00.004+08:00

Ike has been enjoying swimming lessons these past 2 weeks! I'm pretty sure he would live at Jhubei pool if I let him....he's a big fish!!

LOTS of kids!!

Practicing the back float

VBS

2011-07-31T19:26:00.002+08:00

Ike attended VBS for the first time at our church. He loved it!

Here's a picture of all the kids and teachers for the week! A great group, especially when you consider where we live. I was so happy to see kids from the community who I know have no church background attending VBS!!

Ike and his class singing a song they learned and sharing some Bible verses that they memorized.

Tai-Da Program

2011-07-31T19:06:00.002+08:00

Ellie and Joey's school had their end of the year program a couple of weeks ago (yes, I am very behind). While it was VERY long (3 hours), it was fun to watch the kids perform for their families! We were amazed that Joey actually danced up there!

Joey and his class singing and dancing to "The Wheels on the Bus"

Ellie in the costume she wore for one of her dances. Andy's camera battery died just as she was performing....thankfully we have it on video, though....lesson learned!
The kids with Ellie's teacher, Judy (Ike had her for kindergarten also)
Joey with one of his teachers, Wendy....
....and the other teacher, Peggy

Happy 7-11 Day (or Slurpee Day??)

2011-07-11T22:28:00.002+08:00

The kids got to enjoy a slurpee today at one of the million 7-11's on the island (ok, exaggerating a bit, but they really are on every other corner)!

Ike had his in honor of his godfather who even has his own slurpee making machine!

BBQ Near the Cold Springs

2011-07-11T19:33:00.002+08:00

Dr. Boe is here teaching a course at China Lutheran Seminary, so what better reason could there be to get a bunch of us together for a BBQ? :) Sunday we went up near some cold springs, parked the cars on a nearly never traveled road (we didn't see any cars that didn't belong to us....kind of strange on this very crowded island), and set up the grills! We had a great time hiking, BBQ-ing, and talking!

4 goofy Taiwan MK's!
The view from our site. I think they are orange trees, but I can't say for sure...I grew up in the city after all :)
The not-so-safe bridge that we crossed on our hike. Ethan went across first to check it out AFTER he pulled Ike back (apparently my oldest son has no fear)! Notice how excited the group on the other side is to cross it (note the sarcasm)!
The rock behind our hikers was the goal of our hike. It is a memorial of sorts to 5 kids that were killed during the Japanese occupation (though I didn't catch all the details of how they died).

No BBQ is complete without a marshmallow roast!

Dance Reciatl 2011

2011-07-04T00:46:00.004+08:00

Elle is the happiest when she is dancing on a stage! So funny because she is shy everywhere but there! Here are some pics of a very happy little girl on the day of her 2nd dance recital.

Hair done and make-up on!
Posing!
Action shot!

Last day of 1st grade!!!

2011-06-30T13:54:00.003+08:00

He did it!!! He survived 1st grade AND his first year of Chinese Elementary School!! Sounds dramatic, huh? It was actually a great year! Here are some of pictures from school....

Ike and his class at the flower show in Taipei
Reading a book that he wrote about his family
Ike and his best friend LiMo
Dancing at their end of the year program
With his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Zhong! We were so blessed to have her as his teacher! She was so incredibly patient with us as we struggled through all of the Chinese that we didn't know! Big bonus is that she'll be his teacher next year, too (which is why we decided to keep him in Chinese school for another year)!!

Just us!

2011-06-11T17:17:00.003+08:00

Joey turns 4!!

2011-06-01T23:39:00.002+08:00

Tuesday we celebrated Joey's 4th birthday! It's hard to believe that our baby is already 4! He had a fun first day as a 4 year old!

Smiling with his birthday cupcakes that he was taking to school for his friends.
Listening to his new music!
Lining up his new cars (like every good Larsen would do)!
Sharing his HUGE birthday dessert that he got free because it was his birthday!!

Birthday Boys!

2011-05-29T23:21:00.002+08:00

The boy's birthdays are exactly a week apart so we had a little birthday party for them today. It worked out well that one wanted an ice cream cake and one wanted a "rocket ship" cake! Happy Birthday boys!

Brothers
Ike with his "Spiderman" cake (nice cheating on my part, thankfully he didn't care as long as the candle was there)
Joey and his "Buzz Lightyear" cake (cheating again....rocket ship cake with Buzz candle)

Fun with Chalk

2011-05-25T22:45:00.003+08:00

Finding old chalk means having LOTS of quiet playtime for 3 kids! Who knew something so cheap could be so fun!

Happy 7th Birthday Ike!!

2011-05-25T22:30:00.003+08:00

Ike turned 7 on Tuesday! Our "little boy" is turning into a big boy quickly! He had a great birthday and is looking forward to having ice cream cake this weekend with friends! Thanks everyone who called or sent cards or gifts! He felt very loved!

Birthday cupcakes to bring to school!
His choice for his birthday dinner was good old McDonald's! He wanted a McFlurry for his birthday treat!
All grown up!!

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T10:30:00.001+08:00

Lost Another One

2011-05-11T09:58:00.004+08:00

Here today....

Gone tomorrow....

Elle

2011-05-11T09:54:00.002+08:00

Sweet Elle....

Tough Elle....

One Proud Little Boy

2011-05-11T09:49:00.003+08:00

Joey got to go on his first scooter ride with Daddy! He was one happy kid! Don't worry Grandmas and Grandpas, Daddy just took him down the little road behind our house. No busy streets for Joey yet, but I don't think that he cared!!

Egg Day and Easter

2011-04-25T21:35:00.005+08:00

We had a super fun Easter Weekend! Saturday is normally our "egg day", but this year it started on Friday night because we had a busy Saturday morning! Egg bake for dinner Friday, decorated eggs after the zoo Saturday, and then egg shaped pizzas for dinner. The best part was Sunday, though, as we remembered the whole reason for the holiday! Thank you Jesus for giving Your life for us!

Decorating eggs....
....and more eggs!
Decorating egg shaped pizzas to look like eggs...
Searching for the eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny....
Sorting through her Easter candy...
Attempting to get a good Easter picture of the kids with little success. Oh well, at least no one was crying :)

E-Zoo

2011-04-23T23:25:00.004+08:00

Today we went with friends to this great zoo about an hour south of us! Talk about a petting zoo! The kids were handling snakes, lizards, hedgehogs, chicks, and so many other animals! They were also riding ponies, turtles, and even an OSTRICH! Fun times!!

Photo Shoot

2011-03-27T21:45:00.002+08:00

Birthday Party

2011-03-27T21:39:00.004+08:00

Today we had some friends over to help Ellie celebrate her birthday! Lots of fun!

Elle and Dora
E, H, and Dora! E and H have birthdays just one day (and 8 years or so) apart!

Nice Weather!

2011-03-26T00:12:00.002+08:00

After what seemed like weeks of rain, it finally cleared up last week (though just for a couple days)! We took advantage of the day and ate outside....almost like a picnic, but with Burger King and Subway instead of making our own :)

My Little Helpers

2011-03-25T23:51:00.004+08:00

It's strawberry season here and my kids are VERY willing to help get the stems off so the strawberries can be washed and eaten!!

Yummy!

Happy 5th Birthday Ellie!!

2011-03-25T23:36:00.003+08:00

Our little girl turned 5 on Wednesday! The first thing she said when I woke her up for her school was, "Am I 5 now, Mom?" Yep, she was excited!

Getting cupcakes ready to take to school
This year she chose to go to Friday's for her birthday dinner because she wanted them to sing to her and she wanted us to wear the crazy hats!
And of course there were presents to be opened!

Happy Birthday Ellie! We love you!

No "Luck of the Irish", or was there??

2011-03-21T22:03:00.005+08:00

A few days before St. Patrick's Day our Irish luck ran out...probably because we aren't Irish, right?!?!

This empty spot at the back of our house is where our fridge was until it stopped working properly and had to be taken in for repairs.
The cooler became our "fridge" for the week, and 7-11 became our favorite "restaurant" (cheap)!
My spices had a temporary new home on my counter...messy, I know (they're normally in the fridge to keep them from clumping up from the high humidity here)!
While I wasn't a fan of no fridge, the kids thought they were very lucky, especially when they got food from 7-11 AND McDonald's on the same day!!
Alas, our Irish luck returned on St. Patrick's Day when our fridge was returned. We celebrated with green Kool-Aid and green grapes...
....and big smiles!

Birthday Party for Dr. Seuss

2011-03-06T08:31:00.001+08:00

Thanks to my sister's yearly reminder (which I love), we threw a little birthday party for Dr. Seuss last Wednesday! "One fish, Two fish" cupcakes in honor of my favorite Dr. Seuss book!

Lantern Festival

2011-02-25T11:51:00.002+08:00

Last night we went to the Lantern Festival in Maoli. Beautiful and fun! There were so many lanterns!!

Happy to be toothless!!

2011-02-14T22:24:00.001+08:00

Layover in Chicago

2011-02-12T12:37:00.003+08:00

We spent a few hours in Chicago on our way home (the day the airport shut down just AFTER we left) and were so thankful for their little Children's Museum they have set up there! It was great fun for the kids before they boarded the 12 hour flight to Japan!

Joe and Elle flying the cargo plane
Ike manning the tower
Lots of cargo to move!
Then time to rest!

Family

2011-02-12T12:21:00.002+08:00

Great Grandma and Elle

4 generations

Grandma and her girls

Grandpa and his boys (thanks for the pic, Kaare)

Last of the fun in the snow!

2011-02-12T12:15:00.003+08:00

Playing catch-up again! These are from the night before we left to return to Taiwan! The kids were VERY HAPPY to have a fresh batch of snow to play in!

Getting ready to go down the "huge" hill!
And they're off!
4 happy kids!
And the fifth happy one was busy working on a hole or something!

Time with Great Grandma

2011-01-29T14:49:00.001+08:00

We've been spending lots of time with Great Grandma while we've been home!

Cousins

2011-01-29T14:46:00.002+08:00

Noelle has been LOVING spending time with all her baby cousins! She's grown pretty attached to baby Stella since Stella comes to Grandma and Grandpa's house a few times a week. I'm not sure what she's going to do when we head back to Taiwan next week and have to leave all the babies behind.....

History Museum

2011-01-29T14:39:00.003+08:00

Who knew the History Museum could be so fun??? Not me! We took a fun trip there the other week with the T's and the K's (for free thanks to the wonderful library museum passes) and had a great time!

Cute

2011-01-29T14:36:00.002+08:00

This was what I saw when I went to check on my way too quiet kiddos the other night....3 kids and the dog all watching tv together! Even Kramer was looking at the tv until I pulled my camera out!

Time in Watertown

2011-01-29T14:27:00.003+08:00

On our way home from Arkansas we stopped in Watertown to spend some more time with Andy's brothers and their families. The kids all had fun swimming and just being together!

Dakota, Rylan, and Elle
Super happy baby!
Fun with Uncle Greg
Looking at Aunt Heidi's photos from Disney World so they can try to convince their dad to go someday!
Ike made friends with yet another "puppy", Emma!! I swear she thought she was a lap dog!!

Ice Fishing

2011-01-21T21:42:00.003+08:00

This post is REALLY late!! Uncle Kyle and Aunt Ellen took Ike fishing on Christmas Eve. He LOVED it!!!

Working hard!
Still waiting!
I guess they got bored and started sledding instead!

Thanks K and E! He had a blast!

More Arkansas

2011-01-19T08:40:00.004+08:00

We just got home this weekend from Arkansas, and what fun we had!! We played in parks, had tractor rides with Grandpa, played in the snow that followed us there, and lots of other activities with Grandma and Grandpa! Thanks again, G&G, for a GREAT time!!!

A project Grandma B has all her grandkids do at one time or another
The snow followed Ike to Arkansas and he was HAPPY that he finally had the right snow to make snowmen with!
Tractor rides nearly everyday (until the snow came, of course)
New shirts from Grandpa
"Junk boxes" (as Grandpa called them) made by Grandma and Grandpa
One attempt at a family shot.....

Finally in Arkansas!!!

2011-01-06T12:12:00.002+08:00

Tuesday night we finally made it to Grandma and Grandpa Larsen's house!!

Ellie wasted no time getting Grandma to play the piano and sing with her!

Then it was time to give them their Christmas gifts

Check out the beautiful boxes that Grandpa and Grandma made for the kids (and with their names on them)!! Andy and I each got one, too, and LOVE them (mine's a jewelry box and I can't wait to put it to use)!!

Visiting Friends

2011-01-06T12:01:00.003+08:00

On New Year's Day we began our journey to Arkansas via Wisconsin where we first spent a couple days with our good friends, and then met up with a friend from Taiwan (which thoroughly confused our kids). We were thankful for the wonderful weather we had for traveling....not too cold and no snowstorms to trudge through!!!

The kids and Tiffany (the daughter of our pastor back in Taiwan)

Andy and I with our godson, J

Ellie with her godparents, A & A

Duluth Getaway

2011-01-06T11:51:00.002+08:00

Thanks to my wonderful parents offering to watch our kids for a couple days (and Kim and Tom for helping out), Andy and I were able to go to Duluth childless!! Who would have thought that we would be able to see this ship come into the harbor in late December?? It was pretty neat to watch!

We had a blast snowshoeing at Hartley Nature Center!

Thanks again, Mom and Dad!!! I'm pretty sure the kids had as much fun as we did!

Hats and more hats!

2011-01-06T11:37:00.003+08:00

Grandma put in overtime this year making these adorable hats for all her grandkids!

Christmas Morning

2011-01-06T06:58:00.002+08:00

Christmas morning Santa delivered the kids gifts in little felt baskets because their stockings were back in the ROC. The kids didn't mind at all!!Joey with his new Toy Story socks (isn't Santa practical)

Elle and Ike "digging in"

Andy with his new stove top espresso maker (looks like he already had a cup of it)

Christmas Eve

2011-01-06T06:13:00.003+08:00

A few of the VERY few pictures taken on Christmas Eve!!

Our "angry" shot
Our "normal" (haha) shot
An attempt at a shot of the kids

Baking Cookies with Grandma

2011-01-06T06:09:00.002+08:00

The kids know that I STRONGLY DISLIKE making sugar cookies because they only turn out 1 in 3 times for me, so thankfully Grandma doesn't mind making them!!

Gingerbread Houses...kind-of

2010-12-23T13:53:00.001+08:00

Really they were made of grahm crackers, but whatever works, right?!?!?

Puppy Eyes

2010-12-23T13:49:00.001+08:00

Larsen Christmas

2010-12-23T13:18:00.007+08:00

Wow! Definitely playing catch-up when it comes to our blog! I feel lost without my computer (but it's kind 0f nice at the same time)! Last weekend we went up north to have Christmas with the Larsen side of the family, then headed a little further north/west to visit a church, then back to Fergus to visit family, and FINALLY home!! The kids did great despite all the time they spent in the car and all the different places that we stayed! Here's a bunch of pics from our time away!

Having fun with my niece and daughter!
Ellie cuddling with her cousins
A very happy kid being held by a very happy Grandpa!!
The cousins all braved the cold and wind and spent some time outside together!
Joey loved not being the youngest in this group, though I think he wanted to boss little C around too much!
Snuggling to stay warm

A pic of all the cousins!
And another one just for Grandma and Grandpa L!
Playing on a very cool snow fort at our 2nd stop...

...then sliding down the other side!
All four on one sled!
The last stop was to visit my beautiful cousins! We braved the snowstorm and went out for coffee and shopping...JUST the girls!!!

Pure Joy!!

2010-12-04T13:29:00.001+08:00

Jet Lag

2010-12-04T13:19:00.002+08:00

It's great to go through jet lag with a friend!!

The Journey Home!

2010-12-04T12:49:00.005+08:00

Monday afternoon we began our journey home by heading to a hotel near the airport.

We checked in and then hopped on a shuttle to the airport so we could get some dinner and the kids could burn off some energy.

The kids enjoyed their BK...

...while Andy and I enjoyed the best beef noodle soup we've had...EVER!!!

Then they had fun at a little play area in the airport, and even got to see just how far we were about to travel!
The next morning we headed back to the airport for the long journey home! Joey LOVED that he got to put on headphones and watch "Toy Story 3" during our first flight!
By the middle of the 9 hour flight Ike was out!
So was Elle!
After the 3rd flight we hurried down to the baggage claim area to meet up with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kim, Kathryn and Emily!! What a great ending to an incredibly long day!!! It's great to be home!!

Meetings, Meetings.....

2010-11-15T09:45:00.004+08:00

Last weekend our mission went away for a time of meetings with our director who was here from the States. Overall we had a good and productive time (aside from one of my kids puking in the middle of the night....guesses???...yep, Joey the Puker Larsen). We even had a little time for fun!!

Our whole crew plus our director
The kids enjoyed baseball with Matt as their pitcher!
Elle trying to hit the ball (she picked out her outfit that day...polka dots and stripes...hmmm)
Then she got a little help from Hannah! Check out Joey in the background and you'll get a picture of what he did all weekend...EXPLORE everything on the ground...grass, weeds, bugs, etc!
Ike getting ready to swing and Ethan staying as far back as possible!

And the hit...
An attempt at a fun Christmas picture of the kids in the tree, but as you can see we didn't get Ellie to go up, so it was a no go! Oh well!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T15:05:00.005+08:00

I love the fun festivities that come with Halloween....dressing up, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, and everything pumpkin! We don't really have trick-or-treating in this part of the world (though Ike's school actually did it this year), so instead we invited some friends over to do the other fun stuff!

We had firemen, cheerleaders, cowboys, farm girls, and even Secret Service agents show up!
We painted some pumpkins...
Colored some Halloween pictures...
Made some pumpkin, ghost, and Frankenstein pizzas

Carved some pumpkins..
And watched them glow...
The artists and their pumpkins!

Ellie's turn!

2010-10-24T22:07:00.004+08:00

Poor Ellie is fighting some sort of virus that has given her a sore throat and a super cute hoarse voice (can I say "hoarse voice?). For a girl who doesn't like to take naps, she sure fell asleep pretty quickly after lunch, and without being told to!

To keep the boys entertained, I had them trying on all of the bargains I found in Taipei yesterday. Here they are in their fireman coats that they may use on Halloween (or at least I think that is what they are).

Sleepy Boys

2010-10-22T13:53:00.003+08:00

I've been way out of the blogging loop lately. Truth be told, I haven't even taken too many pictures lately! This one made me smile, though! The kids get done with school around noon, and then Ike and I do some home schooling in the afternoon. I had gone upstairs to get ready for his classes and it got REALLY quiet downstairs. This is what I found when I went to get Ike for class....I guess they were pretty tuckered out from school that day!

Retreat time!

2010-10-03T13:08:00.005+08:00

We were just blessed by a wonderful time with the Wiles! They spend half of the year traveling all over the world encouraging missionaries, and we were blessed to have them visit us again! Here are some pictures of our weekend retreat with them...

Taking time for a hike in a beautiful forest!
Joey found a pine cone to play with.
By the end of the first full day I had 3 very tuckered out kids!!!
Uncle Mike and I took Elle and Joe for a walk thru town while the others played games. We found this foot pool to soak our feet in (the town we were in is known for their hot springs).....
....I didn't know until after our feet were in the water that there were little fish in there to eat the dead skin off your feet....ewwww (Joey thought it was GREAT though)!!!!
Brother sister love!
A final meal together (well, 3/4 of us were there) before we all headed to our own homes.

All tuckered out!

2010-09-18T23:53:00.004+08:00

When I left to take Ellie to ballet on Friday I could tell Joey was pretty tired, and this proves it! He NEVER falls asleep while watching tv, but he did Friday (sadly it was 4:30pm which means he was up until 11pm). This afternoon we realized he is getting a cold (and pink eye), so I guess his body was just trying to get him to rest awhile.

Isn't that just precious?

I love this close up because you can see the sweat on his forehead (it's still in the 90's here)!

And we're back in school......

2010-09-18T23:44:00.003+08:00

This week Andy and I started school....AGAIN! After nearly 5 years in Taiwan we decided it was time to start learning Mandarin Chinese (we learned Hakka Chinese first). We are already enjoying our classes and can't wait for our Mandarin to catch up with our kid's Mandarin (I'm sure it will be awhile)! Oh to be a kid again and learn as quickly as they do!!

Wishing Dad good luck before he leaves for his first day of class.

Heading out for my first day of class. The kids were in school, but thankfully Andy was available to walk me to my class!

We have a 1st grader!!!

2010-08-30T21:55:00.003+08:00

And he's off....to elementary school, that is! Elementary school starts in 1st grade here, so today was Isaak's first day! What a day it was! The school had a big program planned with traditional Hakka activities for the kids to participate in. We had no idea what we were in for today! Lots of fun! Ike came home saying, "Mommy, that was FUN!" Should I tell him that not everyday of school will be like that? Nah!

Time to go....bright and early!
Ike's class getting ready to be pulled by an ox (or water buffalo...I'm not sure)!
He even got to ride on it!
Ike's class with his teacher (left) and principal (right). There are only 10 kids in his class...LOVE IT!!

Swimming Lessons

2010-08-30T21:53:00.002+08:00

Ike and I have spent the last 2 weeks at the Jubei pool! It was his first time in swimming lessons and he LOVED every minute of them (and after them when he got to go on the water slide over and over and over....)!

An Unexpected Package!

2010-08-30T21:45:00.002+08:00

The kid's got a fun package in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa K! Inside were lots of fun clothes (like Twins t-shirts and princess jammies) and some other "treats" for the kids!

Look close and you'll see that Joey has 3 shirts on (you can only see 2 of them). He decided that was the best way to try on his new clothes!
Check out this excited girl! Is it over her new princess backpack or jammies or fun clothes? NO!!! It's over her new band-aids (though she does love the other stuff, too)!
Ike's pretty happy about his band-aids and clothes, too!
What do you know? All 3 kids love the band-aids, and they've sure had lots of owies ever since they got them!!

Joey's First Day of School!

2010-08-30T21:36:00.003+08:00

I am way behind on this, but nearly 3 weeks ago now, Joey started his first year at Chinese Kindergarten! Hard to believe he is ready for school already! It's been a rough start because he's been sick off and on and has had to miss a few days, but overall he loves it!!

Ellie showing him the way to school (and apparently carrying his school supplies for him). It was Ellie's first day back to school after a WHOLE WEEK of summer vacation!
Trying out his new backpack!
And one more pic, this time in his "chicken clothes" (ie school uniform)!

While Daddy's away.....

2010-08-23T21:41:00.002+08:00

The other week Andy was gone for a couple of days so I the kids and I decided to put up a "tent" in the boy's room. The kids LOVED it! We laid Joey's quilt over some of their chairs (making for a really LOW ceiling), then brought books and games in the tent to read and play with. We'll definitely have to do this again!

Family Vacation

2010-08-01T20:41:00.003+08:00

Last week we went on our first ever, "just the 5 of us", family vacation. We didn't want to go too far away, so we headed a couple hours south, and into the mountains just a bit, to a cooler part of the island. We had a nice couple of days, despite the nearly constant rain, courtesy of a hotel with a pool!!!

First stop, Museum of Entomology.....butterflies, bugs, and more!

Elle next to some ishy bugs!

A Taiwan beetle (well, one of many of them)

Next stop, Sun Moon Lake. We were there in Dec and it rained, too. Oh well! We took a shuttle boat to the different tourist stops around the lake.

We had to purchase cheap slickers for the kids. Much easier than umbrellas, and it left their hands free so they could use the binoculars they bought with their very own money!

The perfect use for a slicker....a GIANT bib for the ice cream cone they got before heading back to our hotel!

We almost made it to the top of HeHuan Mountain before the kids woke up. All they wanted to do was go back and swim. So....

.....we happily obliged...

...and they spent the next couple of hours in the pool!

Then it was back to our comfy room for dinner, showers, and bedtime!

Last stop was to visit friends who took us to a park with fun rocks to climb on!

...and make Mom nervous!

My Little Helper

2010-08-01T20:39:00.001+08:00

It's peach season, so I decided to make a peach crisp (I've never made one before). Ellie was right there to help me and she made a GREAT crisp!!!

Joey's last day home alone with Mom!

2010-08-01T20:33:00.002+08:00

Joey's off to school on Monday, so on his last day home alone with me we went out for a "treat." He LOVES food from 7-11, which is a bonus for me....nice and cheap! We headed to the one at the train station and he got to pick out his lunch. Then we went to the Starbucks next door so Mommy could get her treat as well. I'm going to miss my little guy, but I am so excited for him to meet new friends and learn lots!!!

2010-07-21T19:40:00.001+08:00

Our Graduate

2010-07-17T00:01:00.003+08:00

Isaak graduated from Chinese Kindergarten tonight! It was a very cute ceremony that included performances from all the classes. Those pics will come later, but here are some that the school took. Congratulations, Ike!!!

Riding on His Own!

2010-07-11T00:09:00.001+08:00

Last weekend Isaak came back from horse back riding with A Ba and was oh so proud because he got to ride the horse all by himself!! Way to go, Ike!

Taking after Uncle Kyle

2010-07-11T00:07:00.001+08:00

The other day Joey helped himself to a cold hot dog. I had to take a picture because it reminded me of my brother when he was about this size (maybe a little older).

Recital Pictures

2010-07-10T23:55:00.004+08:00

Today was Ellie's recital! She did a great job!

Getting ready...hair and make-up

Waiting with her friends

Show time!!

Ellie's First Ballet Recital!

2010-07-07T22:26:00.001+08:00

A Week Away

2010-07-07T14:15:00.003+08:00

Last week we headed a little south for the annual Taiwan Missionary Fellowship conference. We had a great time learning, being in the Word, seeing old friends, & meeting new friends! The kids had a blast attending their classes (kind of like VBS) and swimming every afternoon!

Our little fish (well, not so little anymore)!

Ellie wanted to be in the big pool but needed a little help because she's too short!

Riding his surfboard (ok, it was a kick board, but he had fun)

A pretty worn out little boy! It was a BUSY week for him!!

Random Shots

2010-06-26T21:39:00.003+08:00

These are all shots that were taken on Father's Day (I know...really late!).

Joey's version of a "thumb's up"....He's going to have to work on that!
Ike was so tired at dinner that he started falling asleep while eating!
Lucky for him he has a great dad who carried him up to his bed!
Just to prove that Ellie really was there to help her dad celebrate Father's Day (the better pics are on Andy's camera, sorry).....

Donut Face

2010-06-26T21:38:00.003+08:00

This is the face of a happy boy eating a chocolate donut (thus the chipmunk cheeks)!

"Speed! I am Speed!"

2010-06-11T23:18:00.002+08:00

3,4, and 6

2010-06-11T23:00:00.004+08:00

3

4

6

3, 4, and 6!

Joey turns 3!!

2010-06-01T23:10:00.004+08:00

Joey turned 3 on Monday! I had to steal his cars in order to make his race track cake. He didn't seem to mind, though! Happy birthday little guy! We love you!

Ike turns 6!!!!

2010-05-25T22:23:00.004+08:00

Ike turned 6 on Monday! This boy is in love with super heros, so requested a Batman cake for his birthday, complete with Batman napkins from Grandma! Happy Birthday Ike! We love you!!

Brothers

2010-05-23T23:23:00.002+08:00

Looking so innocent like they ALWAYS get along this well!

Ike reading one of his school books to Joey

Little Mommy!

2010-05-23T23:21:00.001+08:00

I wonder where Elle learned to hold her babies like that?

Our new neighbor

2010-05-07T20:36:00.003+08:00

Our friends a couple houses over just got a new kitten. The kids absolutely adore it and are constantly asking to go see the "meow-mi"! I'm thankful I'm allergic to the kitten or it would be pretty hard to tell the kids that, "no, we can't get a meow-mi"!

I love this picture of all the boys squatting down!