Crunch

When a school nurse calls you and tells you first off, that everything is okay, the first thing you think is, "What's wrong?!!"  It always has the opposite effect.  He called and said I needed to pick Mads up.  He smashed his finger and it needed to be x-rayed.  He was in the theater and he had his finger in the folding chair next to him when his friend sat down.  We didn't go to the doctor that day, but we went the next.  He didn't get an x-ray, but the doctor drained it.  He poked a needle straight through the top and squeezed a bunch of gunk out.  Mads said it made it feel lots better.  The nail fell off.  His finger looks pretty wacky, but it's getting better.  He wins for the worst smashed finger so far!

No High Sticking

There is an outdoor ice skating place near our house.  They also do chair skating.  Wasn't really sure what that even was until we got there and saw.  It was a lovely day!  We feel very grateful here in Beijing when there are blue skies.  

Aw.  Love.

That's more like a bike style.

For the chairs, they give you these screw drivers with a long metal spike welded it it.  You use them to push yourself around.  It always makes me laugh when I think about this kind of stuff never being allowed in America.

Yeah, he's hot.

Race!

Chair storage.  I love the animals.

Mads was sliding all over the place.  On the chairs, bikes, his feet, his knees, his butt.  Anything!

G gets cold way too easy.  I think he's a tropical island kind of kid.  I had to hold him because the coldness of the ice was creeping through his shoes.  I was okay with it.

Love.  He stayed on my lap like this for over an hour.  That probably won't happen ever again.

All of us.

As we were leaving we saw a Santa, who scared the poop out of the kids because he started dancing and playing his saxophone when they got close.  And this snowman...

Now that's just wrong.

Creepy, too skinny, floppy Santa.

Party Like It's 1999

We had a New Year's Eve party.  Oontz oontz oontz...

Just Dance for the kids.

Oh wait, for the guys too.  I love how they're all doing something different.

We had a Rock Band sesh too.

And the big finale of banging pots and pans.  Nate wanted to protect our pans by giving some of the kids wooden spoons.  They broke the spoons.  All of them.  We were without wooden spoons for a while.  It was funny.

I'm pretty sure we were the only ones making noise outside in our whole neighborhood.

All We Need Is Snow

We had a real fire in a real fireplace!

We even roasted our homemade marshies in it.  The best.

Holly Jolly

Christmas!

Stockings.

The kids always have a gift exchange amongst themselves.  G was happy to give BA her gift.

The girls got lots of beanies.  Cold weather is fun!

Opening presents with boxing gloves on.

Art stuff.

Skateboard.

Mads got one too.

Nate fell asleep looking at his new toy.

Don't Shoot Me

Christmas Eve...

For a while, Dare was always on the Ripstik.  Always.  She's slowed down a bit recently, but it is always close by.  Anyway, I liked this picture.

Cheese fondue.  Love Christmas Eve.

And chocolate.  Christmas Eve is the best.

Check out Rhon's face.  Hahah!  I guess she thought the chocolate was getting too far away from her.

I think we finally deserve a fondue pot.  Next year.

What could these be?!!

Matching pjs of course!  My favorite NEW Christmas Eve tradition.

After they got dressed in them, they had a slide fest.  I guess the pants are very slidy.  And our floor is very slippy.

As pretty as a Christmas card. :)

In honor of being in Asia.

After Nate and I got all the presents under the tree, we realized that Hades was behind all of them.

Here's Nate looking exasperated, trying to get him out.

Santa came, but he didn't fix the lights on our tree.  Bummer.

Adult Guardianship Approach

During winter break, the kids and I went shopping.  We went to Decathlon, and B&Q, and Auchan.  Here are some funny signs we saw.  Enjoy!

That says it all.

Almost.

So close!

Laser Pointers

I went to a Christmas market to find some cheap ornaments...

This is what it looked like.  Very sparkly.  Blingy if you will.

Everything (just about!) we can buy in America is made here.  Why can't I find that stuff?  It will be a shopping struggle for me for the next year and a half.

*******

Later that day, I went to Mads' holiday performance.

He is dressed for Kwanzaa.  Each winter holiday was celebrated.  Even Christmas!  They even had a picture of the nativity, and sang a song about baby Jesus.  In fact, they had a religious Christmas song, and a Santa Christmas song.  They covered all grounds.  It makes me so happy being in a international school where no one is offended about any of the holidays anyone celebrates.

Cold Weather

Taking the kids home from the bus stop on the tuk tuk.

This was taken December 6th.

It's unusual that all 5 come home at the same time these days.

This is Hades' favorite time of day.  Even though he still loves me the most.

I hate pajama day.