Happy Birthday Tian Ye!

I had this post written once already and the damn VPN stopped working before everything was saved.  I wrote it in the afternoon when I was more alert so this one might not be as good.  I guess you'll never know.

Yesterday was a busy day with Ayi coming in the morning and me trying to straighten up and get the kids outside.  Mom ended up washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen.  I think she has a difficult time watching someone else working while she isn't.  Another two weeks here should fix that.

I took the boys out and when Mom joined us we went over to Sue and Sonny's to borrow a bicycle.  Mom wants to explore the park around us and it takes too long to walk it so Sue was kind enough to let us use her bike.  Once we got it Mom headed up to Carrefour to get more cat food while I brought the kids inside so Ryan could have a nap and Nicholas and I could bake a cake for Tian Ye's birthday.  Before we got to that Sue called looking for a bathroom scale.  We don't have one but I asked her if it happened to be to weigh luggage.  It was and luckily we do have a luggage scale so I enlisted Nicholas to take it to her.  He went down our elevator, out of our building and over to Sue's, entered the code to get in then took the elevator up to her place on the eleventh floor.  He showed her how to turn it on then came back home.  I watched from the window but I thought that was pretty good for a kid who's not yet five.  I'm a little biased though.

By the time all this was done and we had started the cake it was noon and time for Sue the Seamstress to be here.  By 12:30 she still hadn't shown up and Nicholas and Mom had the cake in the oven.  I sent a text message to Sue's sister (and partner) and she said that they would have to reschedule for Thursday.  She apologized and said that Sue isn't so great at time management.  Since she wasn't coming Mom headed out for her bike ride in the park and Nicholas and I waited for Ryan to get up from his nap.  All this time Nick was asking about his bike and why he couldn't ride it.  It has two very flat tires that I tried to pump up but they just won't last.  It's not a very good bike anyway, more about frills than efficiency.  I knew when we bought it we were wasting our money but the boys won out on that decision.  I hate to say it, but I was right.  No, that's not true.  I don't mind saying it at all. 

Since he didn't have anything to ride and his Nanny has never actually seen him riding a two-wheeler in person, I decided we would go up to Carrefour and get him a new bike.  I loaded the two boys into the wagon and we made our way to the mall.  It didn't take us long to pick out a nice, practical bicycle and while Nick was trying it out, Ryan decided to attempt sitting on a bike that was way too big for him.  Unfortunately, it was in the middle of a long row of bikes and when he got on it tipped and, like dominoes, the rest of the bikes went with it.  There was a man and woman standing nearby and they help me dig Ry out of the middle of the pile and stand the bikes up again.  He wasn't hurt and actually started to do it again but I caught him before he could do anymore damage.  In the meantime, the man pointed to the wagon and asked me a question.  I only understood one word, "buy", and knew that he wanted to know where I bought it.  I told him "Mei guo" which is America.  Since we've had that wagon here I think I could have sold it a dozen times for twice as much as we paid for it.

We paid for the bicycle and Nicholas proudly drove it through the store and part of the way home.  We got back just in time to meet up with Nanny who was returning from her ride in the park.  She had a wonderful time and saw some interesting sites.

Apparently this was a prop for a photo shoot.

Mom said that they stapled all this lavender to the staging and today were using it for taking photos.

When couples here intend to marry they have elaborate photos taken, many of them looking like our traditional wedding photos.  At some point after these photos are done there will be an engagement ring and eventually a wedding.

Nick with his new ride and me with Sue's bike.

Ryan finally got back on his bike.

We could only stay outside for a little while since it was time to get ready for a Tian Ye's birthday supper at our favorite Japanese restaurant.  When Nicholas came out of his room he looked smashing and has followed in his father's footsteps, spending a good fifteen minutes primping himself.

Ryan looked good too but doesn't care yet.

Ryan asked for Nick to put his shoes on, how cute is that?

For everyone except Tim and I, the Japanese restaurant was a new experience.  We love it for the atmosphere as much as the food which is delicious.  We were shown to our private room on the second floor of the restaurant.

Tim and I did the ordering for everyone.  In the end, we had way too much food!

Trying the food they give you while you wait...

Nicholas isn't a fan...

Tim and Nanny aren't too sure either.

Nicholas was a proper gentleman all evening.  He tried almost every dish and used his chopsticks very well.  Ryan had to be bribed with the iPod to behave.  I guess that's the difference between almost three and almost five.

Mom trying the Caesar salad that, although delicious, tasted nothing like a Caesar.

This is a traditional Chinese dish that is served on a person's birthday.  It's supposed to bring good luck and ensure longevity.

Holy crap that's a lot of food!  It was so good, my mouth is still watering.

Nicholas was very excited to give Tian Ye his gift.

What a goofball!

This lady tried to talk to Ryan and he tried to crawl under the table.

Getting the candles on the cake.

Tian Ye was very appreciative.  He said "Thank you" about twenty times.

28th Birthday on the 28th of Septmeber

He had lots of help cutting the cake.

I love this one.  Too cute!

Mom bravely eats ice cream with chopsticks.

Trying to pay with debit, which they don't accept.  Don't worry though, we had some cash on hand.  No one had to do dishes.

These cats wave their paws and are gold so Nanny really liked them.

This tower has a revolving restaurant that we hope to get to someday soon.

Our Japanese Restaurant

We went to Bei Ling Park trying to find someone selling kites with lights on them but no luck.  We did get to see some great sites on our drive though.

We had a fabulous supper and a very nice evening.  This morning we went out early so Nick could ride his new bike and he is doing really well on it.  The strange thing though, was how cold it was today.  Since Mom got here it's been really warm and someone told her not to bring any shorts or capri pants because the weather had turned cold already.  Oops!  Well, no worrying about that today.  My hands were freezing as I rode around with Nick.

At ten this morning Sue showed up and we explained to her what we wanted made.  Mom is getting two jackets, a blouse, and since they were so inexpensive, two pairs of pants as well.  I'm getting a traditional Chinese blouse.  Mom's stuff should be ready in ten days and mine in two weeks.  I hope so since she leaves two weeks from tomorrow.  When I mentioned that to Nicholas today he said he will probably cry when she leaves.  I think we all will.

For the rest of the day Mom and I took turns riding around Eastern Venice on the bikes with Nick.  Tonight he and I drove down to the gate to wait for Tim then spent another hour riding around in the cold.  I can't believe how much he loves it and how well he's doing on the pathways.  It's a great way for him to improve his balance and driving skills.

So, I guess that's it for now.  I must say, I was right again.  This blog wasn't as good as the one I wrote this afternoon.  I tried to remember everything but I'm getting too sleepy and my bum hurts from bike riding.  That has a big impact on how well my brain works.