The Tooth Fairy and Kempinski

I seem to still be having trouble sitting down to write my blog in the evenings, but now it's Saturday night and since we didn't do much all day I have a chance to write.

Wednesday was a beautiful day here.  The air was clear and the temperatures were warm enough for a bike ride to the park.  The boys and I grabbed some water, snacks and basketballs and were out the door before Ayi got here.  We hopped on our bikes and headed out of Eastern Venice.  This was Ryan's first time driving on the road and he did quite well.  Luckily in the hour and a half we were actually in the park we only saw two cars.  Some days it's much busier.  We played basketball at the courts for a while then rode down to the bridge where the boys could throw rocks.  We had a nice time there and afterward rode back to Eastern Venice and the playgrounds for a snack and more riding around.  It was a great morning.

Wednesday afternoons some of the other expats hold a Sports Day at a field beside New World Garden.  I knew about it back in the fall but this was the first time we've had a chance to get there.  Jessica and her boys came along and there were a lot of kids and parents there.  The game that day was kickball, very much like baseball except that instead of bats, gloves and little balls you use a big bouncy ball.  It's nice since very little equipment is needed and even the younger kids can kick a ball.  Nicholas, much to my surprise, joined right in and even volunteered (with a little coaxing) to be the first pitcher.  Before he would always shy away from organized games so I was quite happy.  It appears he's coming out of his shell.  I hope this is a good sign for him starting school (again) in August.  Ryan wasn't shy but didn't want any part of playing kickball.  I think he's still a bit young to grasp the rules and was a little grumpy.  Perhaps his bike ride in the morning tired him out.  He found ways to amuse himself though and I think we will go back again next week.  The field that they use is actually in the center of an old horse racing track.  There are still lots of horses in the stables and it was nice to see them being ridden and running around.  It was another great outing.

Thursday Samuel was over for a visit then he, Nicholas, Ryan, Elijah, Jessica and I went out to do some shopping.  It was only going to be for a few groceries but we ended up roaming around for quite some time. We had lunch at a restaurant next to YooHoo and it was really good.  There are several places to order food here but we picked one where you sit at a counter and can watch the chef prepare your meal.  I decided to treat myself to a steak and picked one off the menu, pointing to it.  The chef said something in Chinese then turned the page and pointed to something else.  I turned back and pointed to the other one again.  This went back and forth for a minute then Jessica suggested that perhaps he was trying to ask how I wanted it cooked.  I looked up 'well' in my dictionary and showed him but still he insisted on turning the page and saying something I couldn't understand.  Finally he chose charades and pretended to gnaw on a piece of invisible meat with great difficulty.  "Ahhh", Jessica and I both responded.  The steak was too tough, what he was showing was a better cut.  Gotcha!  And of course, he was right.  The meat I had was so good I ended up getting a second order.  The fried rice he made was excellent, too.  I was grateful to Jessica for showing me this place and will definitely return.  Next time though, I will remember to ask for no msg on my food.  I had a terrible headache for most of Friday and I think that may have had a lot to do with it.

Due to the headache I didn't do a whole lot on Friday morning aside from drinking a lot of water, trying some yoga stretches to help with my head and neck issues and monitoring Nick's very first loose tooth.  It had been wiggly for some time but in the last few days it had gotten very close to coming out.  Every five minutes he would show me and ask lots of questions.  At one point I saw a little bit of blood and when I told him he looked like he might freak out.  He didn't though and kept playing with it.  Finally, while I was making lunch he hollered, "Mom!  It's out, it's out!".  He was so excited!  He ran around dancing and smiling and even said to Ryan, "Can you believe my tooth fell out?  This is the best day of my life!".  It's nice to know that even with birthdays and Christmases filled with toys, and trips to see some cool stuff, the happiest day in my five-year-old's life so far was the one when he lost his first tooth.  He does have some other teeth missing, but those didn't fall out voluntarily.  The tooth fairy paid a visit last night and left, according to him $20, but it was actually 20 yuan or about $3.  I guess that's the going rate for a tooth these days.

Earlier this week we went out to supper with Sonny, Sue, Glen and Tyler at Green Mile.  As you may remember my boys took right to Glen and Tyler and I jokingly asked if they wanted to babysit sometime.  They said sure and last night we took them up on it, finally getting a chance to go out with Jessica and Chris with no kids in tow.  We decided to go to the Kempinski Hotel, a German place that is quite popular with expats.  It was our first time here and I must say, it was fantastic.  Tim and I had steak that was the best we've had here so far and the rice I had with it was also very tasty.  Around eight o'clock a band played and they were awesome, playing all Western music and doing it very well.  We had some drinks, danced a little and had some laughs.  It wasn't supposed to be a really late night but we didn't get home until about 1:30am.    It was a great time with wonderful company.  The kids had fun with Tyler and Glen, asking if they could come back today to play more Wii with them.  Too bad they are leaving soon but they will be back next year with their families so we will see lots more of them.

Today was pretty low key.  I had hoped to get out biking with Nicholas but the air quality wasn't great so we didn't go.  Hopefully it will be better tomorrow.  I guess that's about it for now.  I hope everyone is enjoying their spring!