obama day

Rob arrived home from Shanghai just before midnight Monday night. Tuesday, November 17, we kept the kids home from school. It was a nice stress relief to skip the morning rush. We had to get everyone bathed and dressed-up, and ready to go to the Obama meet and greet by eleven. We gave Bri Smith, of Miss Bri's preschool, and her sons a ride. Everyone was very excited.

The event was well-organized, with families with children gathered in the embassy gymnasium, waiting for a short speech and group photo, and adults without small children waiting in the atrium for a more formal speech. The kids snacked on cookies and ran about with their friends for a couple of hours while we waited for Barack Obama to arrive. It was fun to be with friends.

Kid commotion and secret service men are an inherently humorous combination.

Grant knew what he needed to pass the time.

When President Obama arrived, he talked with the children for about five to ten minutes, mostly about reading, then took pictures and took the time to shake hands with all of the parents. I felt grateful that our family had the opportunity to be a part of the President's visit.

Grant's good spirits gave way a few minutes too soon.

Can you spot the oldest seven?

Caitlin looks more interested in the headband.

William was there too, though he had napping on his mind.

The kids were happy with "Obama day." We hadn't eaten since breakfast but they were miraculously cheerful. Sam suggested that we eat somewhere American to continue with the theme of the day. Of course that meant McDonald's. The Smiths joined us.

so happy about three

My thoughts about a great weekend on a crazy monday morning...

Caitlin's birthday was a Saturday-morning-with-nothing-to-do, a Tootie Frooties Marshmallow Stars breakfast, Barbies and baby dolls, warm and sunny weather, the first day of the outdoor pool, freezing and fun, the playground and two kuai icecream, neighborhood friends, McDonald's for dinner, chocolate cupcakes.

The girls wanted to 'make soup' with leaves and sticks and neighborhood friends. As the mosquitoes came out and the sky was getting a little dark, William and I, no time for shoes, followed Grant out to the playground too.

Grant's toddle does not disappoint. Its all about big eyes, bright smile, waving arms and wiggling behind.

Grant pointed to the moon and asked, "Is bee-ball?"

For Grant, all good things in the world, and now solar system, fall into three categories 'car-car','kuh-kie', or 'bee-ball'.

Sunday made five months for William and his first rice cereal face.

Everyone was anxious for Sam to be back. In the evening, Kyle stood out on his balcony on the look out. Sam said he knew he was home when he saw an only-in-a-diaper Grant running down the street, Mom and a dangling William trying to catch up.

Sam was returning from youth conference. He flew to Shenzhen last Thursday with thirty-five Mormon twelve to eighteens, mostly all from River Garden compound, and a few leaders. They took a train to Hong Kong on Saturday for a temple visit, a trip to Victoria's Peak (which now has a Burger King!!) and his favorite part, he said, splits with the Hong Kong Elders. So who would of thought...three years ago when I was on Victoria's Peak at Matilda Hospital having Caitlin, that three years later Sam would be back for Youth conference....you just never know. What a blessing.

And as for a crazy Monday morning. Rob dashed off to the embassy early in a good natured panic. He had a Beijing to Washington D.C. video simulcasty kind of thing. I forgot what he called it. Good news, he was twenty-four hours early, and not at all late. It turned out to be on Washington's May fourth, not ours...darn that International date line.

Bethany came in reporting that Cindy (our dog) made a poo on her carpet, half hard, half squishy, that looked like a giant broccoli. While I cleaned that up, a no-diapered Grant went down to breakfast and pooed (how do you spell the past tense of poo?) on one of the benches at the breakfast table. The good news, the smell of the dog poo got Bethany out of bed early and Kyle didn't have a fit about sitting on the Grant poo before he noticed it. Everyone made it to the bus on time, with only some G-rated violence.

Caitlin, Grant, dangling William, and I played in the clubhouse playroom for while, as we like to do in the mornings, then came home. There's a kind of an aftermath feeling to Monday mornings. So here I am, kind of writing about it and trying to catch up with it at the same time. Caitlin was last seen with a bottle of chocolate syrup, so chances are, it will catch up with me.