Taipei Tuesday

Tuesday we thought it would be fun to go to Taipei on the High Speed Train, and it was! It was about a 30min, smooth ride.

Getting ready to quickly hop on the train!

Watch out below

There they go

Would you believe that Taipei now has a Coldstone Creamery?!?! We all shared a scoop of their delicious ice cream. This was the first time any of us had been there, so it was kind of funny that our first Coldstone treat was in Taiwan.

Heading home after a long, hot day in the big, busy city

LeoFoo Village

We have vacation this week, but instead of going and staying somewhere, we decided to do some day trips (Andy likes to sleep in his own bed). Monday we went to LeoFoo Village. It's like a scaled down Disney Land. There were different sections to the park....lots of rides and lots of animals.

We started in the African Village on the Nairobi Express....so fun! Later we took a bus ride through the carnivore section where there were LOTS of lions, tigers, and bears...."oh my"!

Joey enjoying his train ride

This fellow walked right up to the train...I guess he's used to the visitors

Ike's first ride on a Merry-Go-Round

Elle's first ride on one, too

They had so many rides that the kids could go on, though one parent usually needed to go, too. Ike even went on a roller coaster...SIX TIMES! He LOVED it and laughed the entire time!

Here are the kids enjoying the Wild West section of the park.

Sunny and 82F

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day!! The sun finally decided to come out. We took the doctor's advice and spent much of the day outside. We're praying the sun will help the kids get over the last leg of the virus they're fighting.

Check out the pasty white skin on these two!

Ike enjoyed the day with his friends!

Elle was enjoying the sun, too!

Joey's new face

This week Joey discovered that it is fun to stick out his tongue.

Joey time

Joey's still fighting a virus (yep, almost a month later), so his sleeping schedule has been a little off. He seems to be awake when the other two are sleeping, so I've had a lot of fun one on one time with him (otherwise a rare thing).

Enjoying the toys without having to share them.

"Does this phone work to call America?"

"What am I doing in this cage?"

"Wait, this is kind of fun!"

Whose kid is this?

A strange thing happened the other day. I had cooked broccoli (mainly for me because no one else really likes it) and Ike started to eat it. Very strange because the only other vegies he likes are carrots and lettuce. He even went after the pan to find any pieces that I may have missed!

"Hey Elle, lets go for a ride"

Ike and Elle got to try out our friend's motorcycle the other day...I think that Ike was having fun! Don't worry it's most likely not a Decepticon.

Spring is here!

Yea! Spring weather has come to Taiwan! Daytime temps are in the upper 70's, while the nights are still cool. The kids enjoyed some time outside eating popsicles.

Ike loves being outside!

Elle had to put her popsicle down to find something in her new purse. I went to the traditional market the other day and found this purse for VERY cheap! I got it for her because she was always in mine. I've been having fun putting her in the clothes she got for her birthday. This outfit she got from Grandma Kathy and the shoes were from Aunt Ellen and Uncle Kyle. Thanks guys!

The Shark

Thanks to a recommendation on the R's blog, I decided purchase a Shark sweeper for our hardwood floors. I thought I would buy one when we were on home assignment. On the last trip to Costco Ike wanted to go down the vacuum cleaner isle, and low and behold, there was a Shark. Thanks R's!

Ike and Mom

Ike wanted to take pictures the other day. Here's one he took.

Noelle turns 2

This year Elle's birthday fell on Easter (supposedly the only time in her life time). Grandma Barbara sent her the dress and Aunt Kim sent her the shoes. They were adorable!

She had fun opening presents with "help" from Ike (in other words he did a lot of the opening)

Blowing out her candles

Her new doll bed that she seems to think is big enough for her, too!

Elle had a special treat...Grandma and Grandpa Larsen called just in time for birthday cake. This is a picture of them joining us for the party via Skype webcams. Thanks for celebrating with us, sorry you couldn't share the cake!

Thanks to all of Elle's family that sent her the gifts! She loved them!

Happy Easter

We hope that you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday!

This picture is so adorable because I didn't ask them to hold hands, I just said to smile and then Ike grabbed Elle's hand.

Ike checking out the toy in the middle of his chocolate egg.

Joey's first Easter!

Elle ready for the Easter egg hunt

The only picture of all three together.

Decorating Eggs

This is the first year that we decorated Easter eggs....afterwards I remembered why I hadn't done it. That was a stressful adventure for me.

Joey

Here's a look at Joey's first taste of spaghetti, his bronchitis, and his "dancing".

Thanks Aunt Kim

Elle got the shirt and the shoes from Aunt Kim last fall. It was in the 70's the other day, so Elle finally got to try them out. I think it will take some getting used to the flip flops, but she is trying!

Good-bye pumpkin

On Sunday Andy and I decided it was time for Elle's "pumpkin" (her plug) to go bye-bye. So, we cut it off and she would have nothing to do with it..."It's broken"

Pink-eye round #3

Joey's turn....hopefully this is the end of this junk. Now all three kids have had it. Let's hope that it's not the parent's turn now. Joey also has bronchitis, but he still has a smile for us.

The Best of Buds

Recently the weather has been beautiful here! It's nice to get the kids out in the sun. Joey likes to get in on the action outside, so we brought his walker out. He LOVES it! Not only does he scoot around in it, but Ike gives him FAST rides.

Check out the hair!

Joey woke up from his morning nap with this CRAZY hair!

Of course he doesn't need to worry because he can cover it up with a hat!

I love this box!

Recently we had another battle with colds in this family. All of us had it at one time or another. At one point I wanted to clean out Joey's nose, but couldn't find the "tool" anywhere! I still think Joey somehow hid it from me! Anyways, I went and bought one, and just had to take a picture of the box. Andy and I got a good laugh out of the English!

Photo shoot

In just a matter of weeks, Noelle will turn 2. Time flies by so quickly!! On Sunday I took her outside to try and get some cute 2 year shots. Here's a couple of the cute ones.

I just LOVE her rosy cheeks in these pictures (she had just woken up from a nap)!

This is Noelle's attempt at Uncle Tom's "famous pose"!

Cut me Mick

Ike came home from school on Monday with a bad case of pink eye. We couldn't help but think he somewhat resembled Rocky.