Grandpa and Grandma’s Visit!

Posted on April 5, 2015 by HALEY MILES

We enjoyed a fun visit from David parents recently! The kids loved their time here, and they were really good sports just taking in life and the culture! We enjoyed lots of late night Rook games (girls vs. boys). . . the girls won just for the record 🙂 Today, April 5th, is Mama T’s bday! Happy Bday to you! Thankful for wonderful parents, in-laws, and grandparents for our kids! Love you both very much! Thanks for making the trip!

Daddy D was brave enough to ride around on the back on David’s scooter 🙂

Eating at food street – a narrow street lined with several small food shops. We ate hand pulled noodles that day!

They took each child to get ice cream at different times. This was Kylie’s turn. She fell asleep after playing hard and eating ice cream 🙂

Relaxing with Caden 🙂

Surprised Colt at his school with ice cream 🙂

David and Daddy D exploring the panda park!

Walking to lunch with the kiddos and Colt’s friend Lyric!

Foot massages for the girls 🙂 Lots of walking here!

Before our hair wash. We treated ourselves again 🙂 They will wash your hair, massage your head and style it – 1 hour treatment – for about $4.

Riding the bus to the park one afternoon. More ice cream 🙂

That park had beautiful flowers and landscaping!

Seeing the Global Center (the world’s largest building)!

They ate lots of yummy lunches that our Ayi cooked for us!

We made some Chinese dumplings. Mama T caught right on!

Eating hot pot with our Ayi’s family. You pick all the raw meat and veggies that you want to eat and then cook them in a pot of boiling broth. It’s a long, slow meal that is enjoyed with friends 🙂

Interesting?

Posted on April 4, 2015 by HALEY MILES

A new method of drying your lettuce leaves?

Packing. .

Posted on April 3, 2015 by HALEY MILES

Caden likes packing. . . that makes one of us 🙂 He does make it look fun though, huh?

Taste of Malaysia. . .

Posted on March 30, 2015 by HALEY MILES

This neat little Malaysian restaurant was having a “Taste of Malaysia – Culture and Cuisine” event. I invited my friend Tracy to go with me. . . because I really wanted to go! 🙂 And to spend time with her of course! Most of our time together is spent with kids in tow. . . so thank you David for keeping our 3 kids plus her 1 kid while we enjoyed a fun lunch/cooking class.

The restaurant was decorated so fun – with lots of Malaysian flare! We tried on some traditional dresses, sampled some different little foods, then enjoyed lots of food! They started us with an appetizer that was like fried strips of tortilla, then we had another small appetizer that was both sweet and sour. It was some cold veggies with something like a tortilla chip. That was interesting. Then some super tasty and tender meat skewers – both chicken and steak (which I haven’t had in A LOOOONG TIME – so good!), with coconut milk rice balls (also so good!). Then for the main meal – curry chicken. Side note: My maiden name is Curry.

He asked for volunteers to come cook for the crowd, and Tracy volunteered us. She’s funny like that. It was onions and garlic sautéed in oil, spicy pepper paste, chicken, coconut milk, salt, curry, sugar. . and I’m probably forgetting some things. But I made a video so I wouldn’t 🙂 Very yummy! It was a fun day, and a special time with Tracy as we wrap up our time here in CD and prepare to move.

This was our dessert – some kind of pearl rice or something in coconut milk. Soooo yummy! I wish I had some right now. . .

This is a not so great picture of our meal. It was come yummy, spicy curry chicken on rice. We ate off of that leaf, and used our hands (part of experiencing the Malay culture). It was really really good! I really love Thai and Malay food – all of the yummy spices and coconut milk!

My sweet friend Tracy and I. I’m really going to miss her 🙁

We got to be the “cookers” of everyone’s food! The real chef led us step by step of course. . .

This is the chef/store owner. He speak 5 languages! Pretty amazing. He was telling us about different parts of Malaysian culture and cuisine.

The display of “Taste of Malaysia.”

Our cooking area. . .

We even got to try on some traditional Malaysian dresses!

Thankful for my friend. . . and now my sister in Him!

A Day at Colt’s School

Posted on March 29, 2015 by HALEY MILES

So proud of this little boy and his courageous spirit! He has done great jumping into local school here this past year and a half!

Last week, Colt’s class had a special event for all the moms. We were supposed to bring pajamas and a basin for feet washing. . . interesting indeed! It was actually really sweet. The teachers talked to the kids about all their moms do for them and how thankful they should be 🙂 Then they gave us a flower, and the kids washed our feet! I talked to Colt about how Jsus washed the disc*ples feet, and how it is an act of service. He did a great job – even gave me a foot massage 🙂 He was also VERY thankful. Love that kid!

A day at a nong jia le (happy country) :)

Posted on March 9, 2015 by HALEY MILES

Saturday, we went to the “countryside” here outside of our city with David’s friend QL and his entire family (we are talking Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, friends, wife and kids). It was a 12 hour day, but thankfully the weather was perfect. We enjoyed the whole day outside! The kids liked running around, fishing, picking strawberries, and eating lots of yummy foods!

Fishing buddies. . .

Beautiful!

The 90 year old grandma helping take care of Caden! She walked miles with us. . . amazing health! And so cute!!!!

Their garden and where we picked strawberries. It was really pretty!

Caden liked all the dogs and chickens roaming around 🙂

Fresh strawberries that they grew! They gave us as many as we could pick 🙂

Colt was serious about this picking! He picked the most!

We ate quite a few in the process of picking too!

This is the strawberry monster. . .

David and QL. Their friendship started playing soccer, and he took us to his wife’s home here outside of the city.

Colt caught the little minnows, but Caden and MeiMei liked watching them!

We ate huge meals like this for both lunch and dinner! Lots of food!

Um. . . adorable?!

Homeschool Conference 2015

Posted on March 4, 2015 by HALEY MILES

Colt goes to the local school here full-time. He loves it. His Chinese is great, and he has lots of little buddies. Those are the 2 reasons we wanted him to attend local school (language and socialization). I don’t trust for a minute that he understands all that they are teaching him. Plus, even if he is learning all of the subjects in Chinese. . . he needs to know how to talk about in English right? 🙂

So, I go to his school around noon during their nap time. Yes the 6-7 year old class still has nap time. It’s built into the culture here – 12-2:30 is rest time. It would be great if I learned how to take a nap everyday too probably 🙂 Colt doesn’t like that part of the day though. He dreads laying still for 2.5 hours!! So I use that time to do his HS. It helps break up the long rest time for him, AND gives us one-on-one teaching without distractions.

This kid LOVES to learn. He’s so eager and teachable. I think the Father gifted Colt in learning because he would be Mommy’s first to homeschool, and Mommy doesn’t know what she’s doing 🙂 ha!! Well, I didn’t at first. The homeschool world is overwhelming!! And as a Mom, the responsibility seems so BIG!

Thankfully, our company provided a week for the homeschooling parent and kid to attend a conference. The kids had standardized testing from the States, learned, and played with friends. The parents went to sessions all day and soaked up LOTS of helpful and encouraging information. It was a great week. We came home thankful and renewed. Plus it was a fun Mommy & Colt week. That’s a once in a lifetime trip! David was amazing at home with the 2 littles – no problems. So thankful for him too!

Traveling with a 6 year old is a breeze!!

All of the kids dressed as the historical figure they researched. Colt was George Washington 🙂

The place we stayed at had a little petting zoo. Of course, Colt LOVED that!

My little boy is growing up fast!

I love that he LOVES to learn! He’s so easy to teach.

I could go on about homeschooling. . . though I’ve only been doing it for a little over a year 🙂 I like it. I love the curriculums we have settled on. They work great for us! Plus, we can be flexible with travels related to our visa. Now when we start teaching multiple children at the same time. . . I’ll have to get back to you on that one 🙂

Du Fu’s Thatched Cottage

Posted on March 3, 2015 by HALEY MILES

This place was very very busy over the Chinese New Year (as you can see)! Dufu’s Thatched Cottage is a museum and memorial for Dufu (712-770 AD). He is one of China’s most famous poets, and he lived during the Tang Dynasty. The memorial is located in a 24 acre!!park in Chengdu’s western suburb. Dufu lived in a thatched cottage here where he took refuge in Chengdu during a war and was inspired to write over 200 poems! The memorial originated as a temple dedicated to Dufu that was built about a thousand years ago during the Song Dynasty. Part of the culture here is to build “temples” to w*rship great men/men with great accomplishments. Oh, that they may find the only One worthy of w*rship!

Just gotta be real. . .

Posted on March 2, 2015 by HALEY MILES

This is the Chinese toilet, which most people affectionately refer to as the “squatty.” Maybe you can figure out why? ACTUALLY, if you read about. . . the way you use this toilet (as opposed to western toilets) is supposed to be better suited for your “anatomy.” This is just awkward. . . so I’m moving on.

Last week, while we were traveling, I took Kylie to the restroom in a busy airport. “Squatties” aren’t known for being clean (but the picture below is super clean – that’s why I took it for you – I know you are so thankful). So, the toilet area was really wet. . . and the stall was very tight. I knew she was going to slip, and she did! She slipped right in while it was flushing, soaking her boot and pant leg. I cringed and screamed. Ha! Not a great mommy moment.

The next week. Different airport. Colt went in to go to the bathroom and yelled out, “Mom! I need some toilet paper!” Yea – most of the time it’s B.Y.O.T.P. (bring your own TP). He was hilarious. It was crowded, and when he came out to get some TP from me he said, “sometimes you guys gotta be real Mom.” He shrugged his shoulders, smiled, and went back in. He’s so funny.