The Global Nomads

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-28T16:08:00.002+08:00

The year of the dragon has come and gone, and it was probably our most fun year yet. We bypassed the sweaty outdoor extravaganza downtown and opted for our own Chinese New Year party at home, complete with red jello and hong baos filled the small coins left around the house.

Sojo's Chinese New Year present from us was a very special Chinese treasure chest. I have been searching for some time now for a unique piece in which to put Sojo's adoption clothes and special keepsakes. I love it.

In the Swing of Things

2012-01-15T11:29:00.002+08:00

We said goodbye to Nie Nie this week after a fantastic visit. The week after family leaves is always so strange--extra quiet with a tinge of melancholy as we get back into the swing of our own rhythm.

And somehow it's the weekend again. Really, is there anything better than hanging out on the kitchen counter reading Gerald and Piggie while mama makes pancakes? I think not.

Beach Time

2012-01-06T17:59:00.003+08:00

Dale's mom is here visiting us, and while she and Dale took off to see Angkor Wat for a few days last week, that left us with more time to play during our last week of vacation. We headed to a nearby beach called Rayong and stayed in a glorious condo for three nights. This is our new thing to do when we travel with more than just us--it provides so much more quality time than two separate hotel rooms.

We frolicked in the absolutely perfect ocean and pool temperature, we soaked up the ocean breeze, drank wine as the sun went down and were pretty darned relaxed. It was the perfect way to end the vacation.

Or it was the perfect start to the year 2012, depending how you look at it.

The Wide World

2011-12-31T19:29:00.002+08:00

It's no secret that I love teaching internationally. I truly, truly love the experiences for myself and now for Sojo. Having been abroad for 19 years now, I've bee-bopped around the world enough to have met lovely people on many continents. And although our lives are more transient than most, there are so many people who have made an impact on our lives. This little girl was a friend of ours in Shanghai, and she and Sojo look so much alike (seriously--this is like a power punch of cuteness!) and they both talk incessantly and are both such spunky little beings. Her family was in town this weekend, so we met up with them to lounge by their hotel pool and catch up on the last two years of life and such.

And, then, just as I am talking to Kimbra, I look up to see a woman staring at me in disbelief. It was another friend from ten years ago when we worked in Cameroon together. Her mom was my director and a good, good woman who nurtured many of us in that challenging place.

Maybe it is the transient lifestyle that brings those of us with the vagabond lifestyle together so tightly. Either way, I am always grateful for the three degrees of separation we say we have overseas.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T17:22:00.002+08:00

This photo sums up Christmas 2011 in our household--Sojo got lots more stuff to hang off or strap to her body. In looking at this photo, I realize that she has now switched from holding random things in her hand to hanging random things off her body. Perhaps she realized she needs to use her hands more as she gets older? Such a funny child.

Family Reunion, 21st Century

2011-12-25T09:53:00.002+08:00

We had a lovely chat with the whole family on Skype this morning. I can barely remember life before the joys of Skype, travelling in South America and searching for a public phone to pay gobs of money on Christmas day only to have a bad connection to chat with the family for a few minutes.

I love how much joy shows in this photo. We are so blessed.

Beautiful Bali

2011-12-24T22:10:00.003+08:00

We headed off to Bali for five days at the start of our holiday break. I had been to Bali about 11 years ago (note: the perfect place to visit as a woman travelling alone) and loved it. Bali has such a wonderful feel to it: the smells of clove cigarettes and sandalwood incense, coupled with amazingly friendly people and tiny offerings littering the streets make it a beautifully peaceful country. Even their way to say hello, Om Swastiastu, means wishing someone peace. We lounged by the pool, caught up with old friends and visited the artsy city of Ubud.

Ubud has a sacred monkey forest that is filled with very hungry and somewhat cheeky monkeys. I had told Sojo stories of when I went there and the monkeys freaked me out enough that I just threw the whole lot of bananas at them and ran the other way. Well, that part didn't change one bit in all this time--the monkeys were still on the slightly ferocious side and freaked us all out.

Back in Bangkok now for Christmas and some down time before Dale's mom arrives on the 27th. Lots of lounging in our future...

Jingle Bells, Sojo Style

2011-12-17T12:33:00.003+08:00

Enjoy!

Sunset Serendipity

2011-12-16T20:13:00.004+08:00

It was one of those nights where both Dale and I had left something at school AND we needed to get to the grocery store before it closed AND Sojo was close to falling asleep. We jumped in the golf cart to take care of things and came upon this amazing sunset in our neighborhood. Normally, we are inside at that time getting ready for bed and tidying up. Who knew we were missing such gorgeousness?

I heart serendipity.

Gather 'Round

2011-12-14T18:21:00.004+08:00

Guess who got her own red ukelele? It's the perfect size, the perfect color, and oh, how gorgeous it looks hung on the turquoise wall. She's been plucking away on it, and Dale is teaching her some songs.

The other night, she was downstairs and called up to us, "Come on guys, gather round the Christmas tree!" We turned the corner to find that she had placed three stools around the tree. If that wasn't adorable enough, she then proceeded to serenade us with Jingle Bells on the ukelele. Oh, it was cute. So very cute. This girl has such spunk. No worries, mom. Video is next.

One more Christmas story to never forget...Last night in bed, she called out, "Is Santa friends with God?" I know exactly her thought process--she's been puzzled about these important people who can see her when she doesn't see them. I get that. It is a little bit freaky.

Blast Off!

2011-12-03T20:16:00.003+08:00

Today's rocket building extravaganza was a huge hit! Dale had a vision of all sorts of rocket extras (very Dale to think this way), but Sojo opted for only the shell of a rocket. For the time being, he had to shelve his ideas of wings and boosters, but it was worth it watching her spend hours decorating the inside and outside of the rocket with markers and stickers. Friends came over later, and they all sat in it and decorated some more. Rolled-up placemats became maps of outer space, and the brilliant idea arose that she could sleep in the rocket tonight.

She is settling into the rocket bed as I write this, a bit giddier than usual but in her words, "This is going to be a blast. Like camping!"

Hard, Hard Worker

2011-11-30T21:40:00.007+08:00

We've been singing this song lately in our house. It's catchy and fits the bill for this hard, hard worker. Take this book she worked on for nearly an hour tonight after dinner. Dale and Sojo were talking about building a rocket out of a cardboard box, and Dale suggested that Sojo make a blueprint of what she wanted it to look like.

That lead to pages and pages filled with ideas of how to make rockets with all sorts of cool things like wings and boosters. Those pages turned into Sojo's Rocket Blueprint Book, also known as the activity that made our kid beam (made me wonder how often we truly see beaming...) with pride.

Getting into bed tonight and looking at her book for the umpteenth time, she smiled and sang, "I'm a hard, hard worker everyday."

A Lifetime of Sundays

2011-11-20T21:36:00.002+08:00

There are days when I wish for a lifetime of Sundays.

Thinking Ahead

2011-11-16T21:10:00.002+08:00

Our girl is getting bigger by the day. And while it is gorgeous to watch, there are moments where life feels fleeting.

A few weeks ago, we were snuggling on the couch when I said, "You know, there will come a day that you won't do this anymore. You'll be too big. Isn't that weird?" This led us to talk about some of the other precious things she does in this moment of time. Like when she covers her mouth when she giggles (so very Asian) and when she sleeps with her two hands folded as in prayer and tucks them under her cheek. Oh, that one I just love to the depths.

Per her suggestion, we have begun photographing these beautiful habits of hers so we can remember. I will always look at this photo and know that we staged it, that we were feeling silly and that there was so much love between us.

In the Olden Days...

2011-11-12T11:33:00.006+08:00

Lately, our eternally curious child is starting many of her sentences with, "In the olden days, how did they ________?" The blank is filled in with random things like "how did they have sinks? did they have toilets? how did people have mosquito repellant?"

The funny part is that these so-called "olden days" are what she views as Dale and my childhood. Case in point was the other day when we were all walking together. We saw a water hose on the ground and one of us said, "You know, when mama and baba were kids, we used to drink water from hoses like that." *

Sojo turned and said, "Why? In the olden days, did they not have cups?"

Ouch!

*I'm sure they still do drink from hoses in North America, but this is a CRAZY thought for the overseas kids.

Can't wait for Sojo one day to look back on this precious school photo of her in the olden days.

Adventure, Part Deux

2011-11-03T15:36:00.006+08:00

Having left the watercolor skies of Krabi and bypassing our original plan to fly back to Bangkok, we booked another hotel online and headed about 2 hours to the beach of Phuket. Mind you, after being spoiled rotten in the huge villa, it was a wee bit hard to go back to a small hotel room. However, it did have a fabulous water park right next door, so we couldn't complain for too long.

Sojo had a blast, but she had actually been coughing for the past few days and was getting sicker and sicker by the minute. A trip into town turned into a trip to the hospital with a diagnosis of bronchitis. Yikes! Poor thing.

We had to say goodbye to mom and dad as they were due to head back to the US. Even though we were trapped in our house a lot of the time, we had such a wonderful visit. Definitely stories to tell in the future about the flood visit. We'll remember the oodles of beach time and lots of smiles and love. It means the world to us that they know and love Thailand like we do.

Adventure, Part One

2011-11-02T20:48:00.004+08:00

Whew! Finally a bit of time to chronicle the fabulous adventures we had with Popo and Gong Gong. We headed out to Krabi, a stunning area of Thailand that is filled with limestone karsts. Thankfully, Sojo had drawn an elaborate map of our route that included a plane, a taxi and a boat to get to the hotel.

For some random reason that we did not question, the hotel upgraded us to a humongous 2 bedroom villa, which was perfect for us all to hang out together and yet still have some space. We lounged, visited nearby Chicken island, took Sojo on her first kayaking trip, and spent hours in the pool.

Admittedly, it was a bit difficult to leave the luxury of Krabi. With all the flooding in Thailand, we were concerned about returning to Bangkok during the high tide, so we made the decision to hire a van from Krabi to take us to Phuket, another beach town.

Adventure, part two coming tomorrow!

When I Grow Up...

2011-11-01T21:14:00.003+08:00

I adore hearing what little kids want to be when they grow up. There is a sureness to it that eludes many adults. Dale remembers that he wanted to be a farmer, and I wanted to be a zookeeper.

This adorable kid really wants to be a pizza maker when she grows up. Funny enough, she can't even eat pizza with her allergies. Her desire to be a pizza maker stems from the fact that she is sure she will be able to eat it when she grows up. Hence, she will eat lots of pizza while making pizza.

Here's hoping there are lots of pizzas in your future, kid.

p.s. I love that she set up this photo with all her sock animals. Although, sock squirrel looks a bit creepy with this effect.

Wheel-less

2011-10-23T20:58:00.003+08:00

A few of our small friends have started taking off their training wheels, so we decided to give it a go as well. It was tricky the first time, but I loved watching her and Dale together. Funny how the whole riding-a-bike thing is so dad-like.

Until we get the hang of it, borrowing a friend's big girl bike is a good idea.

And poor, poor Thailand. Suffering so with all the flooding, even our neighborhood has taken somewhat drastic measures to avoid potential disaster. This is our way out of teacher housing--yikes! Thankfully, we are still dry, albeit with furniture lifted off the floor just in case. We are all headed to the gorgeous beach of Krabi tomorrow...

Chiang Mai Chill Time

2011-10-18T21:33:00.004+08:00

Sojo and I headed up to Chiang Mai this past weekend to spend some time with Popo and Gong Gong. Our favorite baba opted to stay home to ensure that our house did not flood due to the water issues currently in Thailand. (thankfully, nothing happened in our neighborhood).

The weekend was misty, green, and filled with secret paths and watermelon shakes. One night at dinner, we told stories about when Sojo was a baby and nearly fell out of our chairs as we laughed so hard at the silliness of her throughout the years.

One of my favorite parts was spending a bit of time in the meditation cave on the hotel grounds. It makes me so proud that Sojo loves yoga and has her own mantra she says when meditating. Three generations of peace in this photo.

I'm Five!

2011-10-11T23:36:00.005+08:00

"I'm five." Sojo said this spontaneously so many times on Sunday, and each time it was with genuine awe at being five. It was a big deal. And so much fun. The day was filled with pink cupcakes (thanks to my mom for the Martha Stewart-esque decorating), a magic show with her new outfit and tricks, a gaggle of friends, and a science experiment where we all made our own volcanoes.

She crashed hard at dinner and then was wide awake during our Sunday night massage. Her final birthday request was to have her own foot massage (is it weird that her saying that brings us such joy? we have these visions of family foot massages). We obliged by sharing ten minutes of my massage, and she was nearly catatonic in her relaxing state.
We also celebrated her special day at school. We'd been hearing about the birthday song (Oh, do you know the birthday girl, the birthday girl, the birthday girl?) for quite a while, but it was adorable watching her soak up all the birthday love with her classmates.
Even brushing her teeth that night, she stopped and said, "I'm five now." This was a biggie, it seems.

Dancing in the Street

2011-10-09T09:41:00.001+08:00

Blog-worthy for sure. This is Sojo dancing in the streets with the headlights in the distance...

Grandparent Glee

2011-10-08T21:17:00.002+08:00

I love when things happen in life that I know I will remember them always. Sojo on Thursday night, outside our house in the dark, binoculars in hand, searching for the headlights of the taxi that carried Popo and Gong Gong is what I will remember. And the dancing and jumping that ensued when they finally arrived. It was pure joy and love and so gorgeous.

We're already having a great time. Birthday preparations, massages, leisurely lunches and lots of time hanging out. Plus I got a kick out of calling my parents and asking them to pick me up from school. Felt a bit nostalgic.

What's Up??

2011-10-06T08:26:00.005+08:00

We are fully into a new janitor phase of carrying a lot of stuff on your utility belt. And I mean a lot. Belt courtesy of her handy baba.

Preparing for her birthday this weekend. We are having a science experiment party, per her request! I could watch her write her letters all day.
My dishwashing friend, but this is really just an excuse to show the cutest hand-me-down cat skirt that makes her look so grown-up.
And her new work area. She put this together and loves to spend time cutting and working.
Whew! Grandparents on arriving in one hour, so we will have lots to blog about this month! Can't wait!

The Three of Us

2011-10-02T08:44:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since we have done an adoption update...

Back in June, after 18 months of waiting, our time finally came to have our interview with the Thai social worker for the adoption. The two ladies who came to our house were very nice, but, unfortunately, we were told that we would have to wait another three years, and that my age then (45) would make us ineligible for a child younger than four years old. For us, that is too much crucial bonding time spent in an institution. We were even open to a number of special needs, but anything correctable by surgery is not considered a special need in Thailand, so this would not make the process any quicker.

We took the summer to process all this and came to the difficult decision to stop the adoption process. Telling Sojo was a bit hard as she has been waiting for him and asking about him and saving toys for him, but she took it in stride. We said that he will always live in our hearts instead of with us.
Sad, yes. We wanted to share our love with another cutie pie in the world. That being said, it's hard to be sad for too long when our days are spent with this joy.

Illness Inspiration

2011-09-21T10:55:00.007+08:00

I have the perfect kind of cold today. Too sick to go to work, but not so sick that I am stuck in bed and totally miserable. So, it seemed like the perfect day to create a heart collage above our bed like the one I saw online that was so inspiring.
I've noticed since starting a blog years ago, we don't have many photos around our house. (Note to self: remedy that). I gathered a bunch from various drawers and albums and love how it turned out. These brought back such great memories: seeing the lowland gorillas in Cameroon, chilling in India with Dale, the family trip to Thailand a few years ago, my grandma at her kitchen table, and Dale's sweet pine cabin when he lived in Chile. My next step is to print out some more recent ones and fill in the middle with more love and memories.
An added bonus is that it detracts just a bit from the hideous a/c tube that was surprisingly installed over the summer, right above our bed! Yes, the cutie stayed home today as well. She is only mildly sick, but I always think that no teacher wants to be seeing a kid sneeze and having grody snot all over the place! She's downstairs with Momo making 'research' books while I recuperate lazily in bed.

Highs and Lows

2011-09-19T21:30:00.003+08:00

Sojo's yoga teacher asks the students to share their highs and lows of the day when they come together in a circle, and I love listening to their tiny voices, and how they know almost immediately what was the high and the low of the day. We have carried on the custom at our dinner table, and it always feels grounding to share both the good and the bad from the minutes of our respective days.

As we sat at the table this evening, I was apprehended by the beauty of the white orchids on the table (thank you, flower lady who comes near our house on Mondays!), the turquoise wall that I love dearly, my favorite afternoon light and the new addition of one of the teeny, tiny chalkboards I found at a market this past weekend. I am grateful that I notice the smaller things in life, and that those snippets of beauty bring me joy.

Tuckered Out

2011-09-16T09:55:00.003+08:00

This is what we found the other day when we arrived home from school. All ready for taekwondo class, but too tuckered out to get there.

What's New?

2011-09-15T21:34:00.003+08:00

1. Dale has been making some more sock animals to join our friend Sock Monkey. Soctopus is officially the favorite at the moment. In a moment of total teacherness, we made a graph last weekend of all 3 sock animals and visited all our friends to have them fill in the graph. The cuteness of watching Sojo pile them all in the stroller, along with the graph and a marker, was so much fun!
2. Only the most adorable backpack ever! We are using our Cars backpack for travel and this one for school now. Sojo also tells us that the dog's nose carries all the love she needs during the day at school when she is away from us and Socktopus.
3.This overly-patterned girl (she's missing the cheetah print jacket that is in her backpack for the movies) spent her pocket money on rides and games at the mall. Being American, I just love that she calls allowance 'pocket money' like the British kids do.
4. Not new, but totally fabulous is how Sojo's skin is all but cleared up and has been for the last month. We went back to topical steroids, and it seems to have done the trick more than anything else in the last year. She feels great, is able to go through her days relatively itch-free, and there is a good chance that Dale and I are experiencing reverse aging due to all the sleep we are catching up on. Yippee!

Open House

2011-09-04T18:50:00.004+08:00

A sneak peek inside Sojo's day in Pre-K. This one is a keeper. I love that my dad still has these types of things for my brothers and me in the filing cabinet right off our kitchen. It seems every time we visit them in Arizona, he inevitably pulls something out to show us from way back when. He's a keeper, too.

Glee

2011-09-01T19:28:00.003+08:00

New sport sheets, new bed and some serious glee!

She looks so tiny in this bed!

Movin' On Up

2011-08-31T22:54:00.003+08:00

The crib that Sojo slept in when we first became a family turned into a toddler bed with the quick removal of the sides, but her growing body simply will not fit in a toddler bed any longer. She's an active sleeper, and we often hear her bang into the wall with her legs or find her legs hanging off the edge in the middle of the night.

Time for a true big girl bed. We bought a mattress the other day but have yet to find a frame or bedroom set that speaks to us, so handy Dale put together a platform for the new mattress.

However, until tomorrow evening, when the new mattress will be here, the platform is the most perfect stage for our drama queen. Last night, she ran downstairs to grab her silver sparkle shoes to do a tap-dance show.

Already thinking that Dale's next project is a real stage, not a temporary one. We are a family who loves a stage.

Big Arms

2011-08-29T21:38:00.002+08:00

I love this season in Thailand.* It's hot, but not crazy hot like in April when even the simple act of breathing makes you sweat. It's hot, but the kind of hot where you get home from school, change right into a swimsuit and hit the pool. And it's soooo refreshing.
Sojo is swimming on her own now, even in the deep end. Most of the time, she bobs along and swims like a frog, but we have been encouraging her to use those 'big arms' her swim teacher taught her to use. What do you know? One swim with the big girls at housing and those big arms appeared. Well, they might be called 'flailing arms,' but she is getting the hang of it.

* I love just about every season in Thailand. I'm more of a 2-season girl than a 4-season girl. Rainy and dry seasons do me just fine.

Saturday Night Checkers

2011-08-27T22:09:00.003+08:00

Tara had a night out with the girls for wine and foot massages, so I stayed home with Sojo. And after an evening swim, I wondered, “Is almost-five too young for checkers?” But, a couple of crayons, a scrap piece of butcher paper and a ziploc bag of poker chips (for boys’ night poker games that never happened) later, Voila! Baba and Sojo’s first real game of checkers – with rules, strategy and everything. The best part was watching Sojo’s brain work until she realized that she could jump one of my pieces and take it for her ‘treasure chest’ (always a hint of pirate in her games). She’d work her eyebrows up and down and tentatively say, “hmm … I think I’ll jump this one!” And, yes, for anyone out there in the family who’s keeping count: Sojo won two games. Baba: none.

A wonderful evening: the swim, the checkers, a couple of bedtime books, a back scratch and a beautiful little girl sleeping peacefully. I hope this is the first of many, many games of checkers together.

Ninja Taekwondo Girl

2011-08-25T17:49:00.004+08:00

Activities have started, and I now see how hard it is not to overschedule your child. There are so many cool options for the little ones! However, we are keeping it to two choices this semester, and our newest sport is taekwondo. Sojo has been keen on taekwondo for a while now as she sees it as a sport where she can somehow be a ninja. Either that, or it's the awesome outfit she gets to wear. She was positively glowing when she put it on and did her best ninja move.

The teacher was great--incredibly strict, but I like that he is honoring the discipline of the sport, even at a young age. Sojo listened so well and tried her best at every task. I sat back and watched those two black braids jump right into it.
With yoga as her second activity, she will be the yin and yang of sports.

Dream Job

2011-08-24T21:52:00.002+08:00

As if my library job wasn't dreamy enough, now I have this super cute kid who comes to see me once a week. Besides refusing to call me Miss Tara (we got as far as Miss Mama, but she actually never called me anything at all), she was good to go. One of my plans was to practice fighting over a book and have the wee ones think of how to solve the problem. Sojo was my helper, and we went over how to do it the previous night. She was totally in character and a hoot! When I asked the kids to think of what to do, she immediately shouted out, "CHECK IT OUT THE NEXT DAY!!" So much for teacher wait time...
Having Sojo so close is simply wonderful. Both Dale and I try and control ourselves by not spying too often, but every now and then I run into her as I am walking the halls. The joy it brings me is bigger than I thought joy could be.

Whew--Day 2!

2011-08-20T07:46:00.002+08:00

Confession time. I was the tiniest bit freaked out that Sojo became so serious in her uniform photo yesterday. My just-barely-under-the-surface fears of conformity and uniforms and traditional schooling peeked out that morning, and I had a vision of her losing her funkiness.
Day 2, she had PE and dressed herself. Complete with Hello Kitty necklace and a request for 3 braids, not 2.

Whew. Funkiness prevails.

Milestone

2011-08-18T21:43:00.002+08:00

Today was one of the coolest days ever for us.
Here is what I will remember:

1. Sojo remembering all the steps her teacher had told her during the orientation meeting. Everything in our house the last month for her has been "step one...step two...," so this was great practice to remember what to do when entering the classroom.

2. Watching Sojo choose her favorite robot book and sit down in the Hub to read quietly while I worked a bit.

3. Popping in at lunchtime to help her with food choices b/c of the allergies. Finding it incredibly bizarre that I did not even recognize my own kid in line. They all were wearing red, were basically the same height and there were tons of Asian kids. It kind of freaked me out for a minute, but then I saw her cute face!

4. Every other first day picture is her being her silly self. This year, maybe because of the uniform, she was more serious. She didn't even want to have a necklace or any splash of color at all.

5. She loves her teacher tons and was so happy to spend the day with her. When we asked who her new friend was, she said Teacher Jennifer.

Can't beat riding in style to your first day of school. The golf cart got a sprucing up and a paint job over the summer. It's like driving a big ball of sunshine. Love it!

I'm Old Now

2011-08-16T21:38:00.004+08:00

It is the night before Sojo's first day of school at ISB. She is so excited and so ready. We are so excited and so ready. Most of all, she is so big. Those legs just keep growing!
Proof positive that she is big. She asked to help me wash the dishes the other night, and we stood side by side, her washing and me rinsing. It was profoundly beautiful and felt so important and real to me. She turned and said to me, "Mama, I'm getting older now. I need some pocket money." Classic. We are officially doing chores.

Sneak preview of the first day of school. It has not yet arrived, but that has not stopped her from wearing the school uniform for the last week. Cute overload!

Spinning and Stalking

2011-08-11T07:09:00.004+08:00

Although it's hard to pick my favorite thing about living in Port Townsend, I think I'd have to say it's the weekend farmer's market. From the cheese breadsticks at our favorite bakery to the fresh flowers and the raw key lime pie I ate every Saturday morning, it's packed with goodness.
This summer, we met Rebecca, the weaver who spins her own wool as she sits at the market. Sojo was absolutely fascinated with her. Seriously, it was to the point that it was borderline stalking. We'd go find Rebecca on Saturday, watch her spin and Sojo would ask her a gazillion questions: "Do you love spinning?" "When you wake up in the morning, do you think about spinning?" "Do you have chickens?" (Yes, yes, and yes to those questions.)

There will be some serious farmer's market withdrawals for the next few Saturdays as we settle back into life here in Bangkok.

Going, Going, Gone

2011-08-10T21:51:00.004+08:00

We have one of those decks at our house that have somewhat dangerous, rotted boards here and there--the ones where you recommend family and guests NOT to step on when walking. So, when we made the decision to rent our sweet house for a few years*, we had a choice: either fix a whole lot of rotted boards or just tear the whole thing down. We opted for tearing it down. Superman Dale had it down in about 24 hours, which really opened up the yard and leaves us with some great possibilities in the future. Plus, we won't spend any time worrying about tenants falling through the deck.

Once we planted a few bushes and put down some grass seed, Sojo pitched in by making some warning signs. The signs went something like this: No Throwing Food and No Deer on one side, and then No Walking and No Wild Animals on the other side. Needless to say, she was very proud of her work. Her only confusion was when the deer ignored the sign and walked right through.

*Post to come on how much I miss our house already. Sniff. Sniff.

Hangin' at the Skate Park

2011-08-06T06:18:00.004+08:00

Early in the summer, we discovered these awesome rollerblades at Target--they have wheels in a triangle shape for younger kids that then change to inline skates as they grow older. Brilliant concept. Sojo started out in Tucson on the back patio and then graduated to the skate park in Port Townsend. I must say it was a bit funny to be hanging at the park amidst the angst-ridden teens of the town, but Sojo simply loves skating.

"Jumping" with lots of help was her favorite trick by the end of the summer, and she was really getting the hang of skating overall. And I promise we do make her wear a helmet--we just forgot it that day and so provided extra hands to ensure there were no falls.

Another of my favorite summer memories was Sojo wearing her Batman cape everywhere. I couldn't resist snapping a photo of her helping me with the laundry one day. Sounds simple, but I love having a washer and dryer that she can reach to help out a bit.

Duality

2011-07-29T05:10:00.005+08:00

Our anti-princess decided that a gifted tutu also looks a lot like a hula skirt and deemed it worth wearing. Super cute hula dance included.

What I love best in this photo is what I love best about Sojo herself. The monster truck in her hand and the tutu come together to make a very unique child. She is definitely that.

And six years with my sweet man. We stole away for a breakfast at a nearby French cafe. There is some dreaming of an anniversary in Paris one year.

Warrior

2011-07-19T04:33:00.002+08:00

Crazy fun weekend here as I joined 29,999 other people to do the Warrior Dash. More pics to follow!

Road Trip

2011-07-15T06:26:00.003+08:00

There's nothing like a spontaneous road trip to make it feel like summertime. Dale's sister called last Friday with the idea to head to Ocean Shores, and we jumped in the car the next morning and all met there. It was the perfect kite-flying beach, and the ride over was nothing short of spectacular. We Arizona folks are in awe of so many trees. The icing on the cake--extra cousin time!

Enjoying PT

2011-07-12T04:57:00.003+08:00

Our town is a deer-friendly place, and you can't walk more than a block without coming across deer relaxing in someone's yard or eating off their trees. Each summer, the speckled fawns are out, and one has been chilling in our yard almost every day. They have no fear of humans at all, which makes it rather fun to have deer so close. This buck sauntered through the other day. Come to think of it, they act like they own the city a bit. Maybe if we lived her year-round, we'd be annoyed that they eat our flowers. But for a few weeks a year, we would love a whole herd of them in our yard.

Mostly sunny weather has been on our side so far, but we welcome chilly days. It does equate more coffee. Plus, when else can I wear my fabulous pair of boots without sweating in them?

Cooler Temps and Copious Coffee

2011-07-08T02:48:00.003+08:00

It seems that July is the magic month in Washington--having looked at the weather forecast the past few months, there has been nothing but rain and more rain. Then, suddenly, the sun comes out in July (hence the reason I love Washington so much, having only been here in July) and it's glorious. Laundry on the line, perfect crisp mornings for coffee and lots of outdoor time for Sojo.

Of course, she is still calling Popo and Gong Gong to check up on Matthew. Her new dog is actually her wagon. I found myself feeding a wagon the other night (cranberry juice and Gorilla Munch cereal) and we even got up early yesterday to take him to the bakery on his leash. He does make less of a mess than Matthew, the Arizona dog, but he definitely can't jump up on the couch with us.
So far, it's been one more lovely wedding (our niece this time), lots of walking around the town, perfect views of the snow-covered mountains and so much cousin love. Even last night, she asked to go in the 'cousin car' to dinner. Very cute. Plus, it's always nice to have others with whom to share the yumminess of an Otter pop.
There is something so beautiful about coming back to a space each year. Airing out quilts, unpacking toys, the gong of the clock tower and settling back into a familiar routine. The light that streams through our bedroom window makes me want to do nothing but nap all day.

Sojo's main objective this summer is to walk to the bakery every single day to get some danish bites. Better yet, she skips.

Goodbye, Arizona

2011-07-04T22:52:00.002+08:00

We left family and scorching temps in Arizona and are now much cooler in Washington. Before we left this time, we made a special jar of memories for Popo and Gong Gong. I modified the idea from Soulemama's blog, and we wrote down things we love about them and about being in their space on pieces of paper. The jar now sits on their kitchen windowsill for whenever they need to feel her love. Sojo told me all of the ideas. Here are a few of them:

1. Bacon!
2. Gong Gong is an early bird-I like that.
3. Playing with Popo
4. BACAW!! (random, loud chicken sound Sojo makes in the morning)

Camping Reunion

2011-06-29T22:03:00.002+08:00

My freshman year of college was tons of fun and more than a little bit on the crazy side. A large part of the fun was the great group of people I met in my dorm, and there are so many memories attached to that window of time when we all were stretching our wings for the first time. One such memory was a group camping trip, of which I can only remember blasting the Cure on someone's car radio (that would be so annoying in my 40's!) and being incredibly envious of our friends Jay and Gretchen who had enough foresight to bring real food like pancakes instead of the beer and bagels many of us brought.
20+ years later, thanks to the connections of facebook, we gathered as many of us as are in Arizona still and went camping again. With eight kids in tow, we have changed a lot over the years, but we quickly settled into a groove that told me we didn't really change that much--we are more mellow but such interesting people all grown up now.

The gaggle of older girls took Sojo under their wing in a way that made my heart ache with gratitude. She felt so loved and so happy. The icing on her cake was the discovery of Otter Pops. Blue ones, to be specific. Lots of them.Topping off the fun was a stop in the town of Prescott for some microbrewed beer in a growler, along with some impromptu hooping. Perfect ending.

Digging on Dinosaurs

2011-06-29T12:05:00.003+08:00

A random advertisement in a local parent magazine led us to the Dinosaur Discovery Center, a family-run interactive center for all things dinosaur. As our kid is a lover of all things dinosaur, it was a big hit. It's a pretty small place, but that actually made it perfect--not overwhelming, not crowded, and just right for lots of turns on all the activities. We practically had to drag her away from the small dinosaur play area, and the petrified poop was simply fascinating.

Obviously, it's all the rage in Tucson this summer to wear your swimming goggles during the day. Sojo's reasons are to avoid dust and see the world in blue. Hard to argue with that.

Groovin' With Anthony

2011-06-25T12:03:00.004+08:00

Although I am in love with the international lifestyle, there are many, many things I adore and miss about the US. People being the first and food being the second. In the cool friend arena is Anthony, a beautiful tattooed spirit who truly embodies the essence of being free. He runs a music hour at our favorite used bookstore, and Sojo had a great time hanging out with him and making music.

Dogsitting Glee

2011-06-22T22:05:00.010+08:00

Most of her life, Sojo's pets have been imaginary due to her allergies (minus the pet fish which seriously is the most B-O-R-I-N-G pet on the planet). Well, there was the time we had two cats in the house in Shanghai and didn't know she was allergic, but they mostly ran away from her in sheer terror, so I'm not sure that counts.

Recently, she said to me, "Mama, I'm ready for a real pet, not an imaginary one." So, we went through the list of pets that won't cause an allergic reaction, and I suggested a turtle. With the most hilarious deadpan look, she turned to me and said, "Mama, a turtle won't be able to keep up with me." Very true, oh wise and speedy child, very true.

Much to our delight, the pets gods appear to be on our side because my brother and his wife are headed to Thailand for their honeymoon, and we are dogsitting their Maltese named Matthew. This dog has hair and not fur, so it's hypoallergenic. You cannot imagine the glee this is bringing Sojo to have an actual pet in the house. It is also teaching her the elusive skill of being still and quiet so as not to freak out the dog. An added bonus.

We took Matthew for an early morning walk, and I followed behind chuckling and smiling the whole way. She is taking her job so seriously, even carrying around a big square piece of Lego that is her checklist of things to do. (Step 1, feed the dog. Step 2, Let him go poop, etc.)

So far, her very favorite morning job in Tucson has been to go out and get the newspaper (hmmmm...very dog-like behavior). Combining the dog walk with picking up the newspaper was just golden for her.

Holy smokes! Would someone comb that child's hair!?!

Love

2011-06-21T07:55:00.004+08:00

My brother, Sean, got married to his love, Katherine, this past weekend. It was a stunning wedding, and watching my sweet brother look so happy was beyond beautiful. Making it extra special was the fact that Dale and I, along with my brother Matt and his wife Cathy, stood up for him. Unfortunately, being on the groom's side meant I only got pictures of the groomspeople and not of the bride! We'll have to wait for the professionals to see those beauties.

And this one--her inner princess was officially unleashed for the wedding. She was a star being the flower girl, and I even saw her working it a bit at the photo shoot. She never ceases to surprise us.

Settling Into Summer

2011-06-14T23:59:00.002+08:00

We do summer so well in this family. The seemingly eternal flight over is getting easier and easier, and we are showered with love the moment we arrive. Summer so far involves an insane amount of bacon, a fabulous hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and perfect desert evenings. An added bonus is that we are finding the desert is helping Sojo's skin tremendously. Dry for sure, but big improvements from the tropics.

Love & Golf Carts

2011-06-06T22:28:00.003+08:00

Our dear friends Pierre and Sharon flew over from Hong Kong this weekend for a quick visit. It was perfect timing as we finished our school year on Friday, and we did nothing but relax, chat and toodle around in the golf cart. We gave them a nice preview of their upcoming summer vacation.

Sharon likened Sojo to a Great Dane puppy--she always was leaning on one of them throughout the weekend. It was subtle, but there was always a slight lean on the shoulder or a hand placed on one of their legs. I swear she can sense the people we love fiercely.
Off to the Arizona desert on Wednesday. Can't wait to sit on the back patio at night and watch Scorpio sit in the night sky. I love that constant nature of coming home every summer to that beauty.

New Wheels

2011-06-01T17:50:00.005+08:00

Blame it on the hot season. In the last few weeks, it has been harder and harder to jump on the bike and sweat to the grocery store and then lug everything back in the baskets. As much as we love being eco-warriors with our bikes, we have a kid going to school next year--a kid who barely fits those long legs in her kid seat on the back of my bike anymore.

In Sojo's words, "It's the coolest golf cart I've ever seen." What it really is is an old golf cart that a friend's high school son rode around for years and is selling for a steal of a deal. With a new paint job and some seat covers, we'll be riding in style!

**Yes, that is a bucket on her head. However, to Sojo, it's a racing helmet that she insisted on wearing for the inaugural drive.

Last Getaway of the Year

2011-05-24T16:48:00.004+08:00

Last weekend, we jetted off for a quick trip up to the beach that is only a few hours away. The beach was a bit gross with garbage floating around, but the family time and the simple act of getting away was totally worth it.

Sojo noticed a magic show advertisement at the hotel we ate at and was determined we should go. Sadly, we were the only ones in attendance, and the magician could not perform the show. Expecting a huge, 4-year-old-sized disappointed kid, we asked/begged if he would come out and do one trick especially for her.
Thankfully, he obliged and made a rose appear from a match flame (she later thought this was truly a magic rose that would never die). She has held on to the pamphlet all this week and has shown it to everyone who comes near her, so the one trick did the trick.

We are coming up on our 4th anniversary as a family, so we took a family beach photo to remember this window of time. I think we look so much cooler with the 1960's effect. Dale is also wondering why the 60's effect put those lines on his face. Ha!

Roller Derby Queen

2011-05-20T22:51:00.002+08:00

When it's as hot as it is now, we have to get creative about our weekend activities. Other than being in the pool or in the air-conditioned house, there isn't much else to do but walk around the mall. Good thing our mall has a makeshift rollerblading area in the basement, complete with random hay bales.

Being that Sojo has a freakishly good sense of balance, we went to give it a try. She was actually too young to do it, but they bent the rules a bit and let her skate around the waiting area that had astroturf on it. Suffice it to say she loved it and went around and around in circles for about an hour. Dale and I felt like we were back in the beginning walking stage, being all hunched over and keeping her from falling.

We've also found out that there is an indoor ice rink nearby--now that sounds like the perfect Saturday activity for the hot season. Next on the list!

Skype Love

2011-05-15T22:06:00.004+08:00

I cannot imagine life without Skype. What seemed like something only the Jetsons would have when I was growing up, Sojo knows only this way of talking to those far away.

This afternoon, we skyped while I was in Turkey. I snapped this photo of us laughing hysterically. I couldn't resist. All because of this:

Sojo: Mama, why did the chicken cross the playground?

Me: Why?

Sojo: To get to the other SLIDE!

Sojo: Get it? (insert adorable laughter)

Repeat 3 more times. Same joke. Same, "Get it?"

Turkey was fabulous, but these two are everything. Can't wait to get home.

Istanbul

2011-05-14T01:00:00.003+08:00

Every three years, there is a library and technology conference sponsored by the European council of schools. Lucky for me, this year's conference is being hosted in Istanbul, a perfectly magical city that has me completely smitten. Between all the great library learning, I've had some time to explore the city a bit. Wandering around the old city made me wish for a taste of European living for our family in the future, and the conference sponsored a cruise on the Bosphorus river that took place on the sunniest of afternoons. So beautiful.
My prediction is that I'll be driving Dale crazy with talk of Istanbul for the next few weeks.

My Family

2011-05-12T19:56:00.000+08:00

I'm currently in the charming, gorgeous city of Istanbul for a library & technology conference. Of course, meandering about in such an historic place is just as fabulous as it sounds, but I do miss the heck out of these two cuties.

Good thing I have lots of freshly baked bread, loads of cheese and pistachio nougat to keep me company.

'Tis the Season

2011-05-05T10:29:00.001+08:00

It's the hottest season here in Bangkok. Hot and humid and sweaty and sticky. Not so fun during the day, but we are loving the night swims. Right after dinner, just as the sun is starting to go down, the water is perfectly refreshing.Just the right temperature for some daredevil moves!

Overreacting

2011-05-04T15:54:00.004+08:00

After about 9 weeks of a very restricted diet, we've begun adding foods back in. We have enough of a baseline for her skin to be able to see the difference easily. Eggs were consumed with extreme gusto but caused hives twice--darn the luck! It was fun while it lasted, and we'll be on the hunt for duck eggs and quail eggs while home in the U.S. as we hear those are tolerable.
Just the other day, we brought back tom kha gai, her all-time favorite food. What a huge bummer that hives appeared almost immediately, so we have to find a way to make it without the package bought at the store. Our hypothesis right now is that any sort of processing or preservative seems to set her off. For example, my pita bread--no reaction. Store-bought pita break--big reaction.

Thankfully, Sojo can eat gluten and wheat without any reaction, so I am still baking pita bread almost daily (with brie melted on top is so yummy for me!), as well as homemade tortillas. Time-consuming, yes, but so delicious that it's worth every knead!

Fish is ok for her, too, and summer plans of devouring salmon are in the works!

Broccoli Beauty

2011-05-01T09:13:00.002+08:00

If there is one vegetable this kid has always loved, it's broccoli. And I just can't get enough of the light coming into our house in the late afternoon. Hence, the broccoli photo shoot.

Bangkok Bikers

2011-04-30T19:40:00.003+08:00

Dale and I had a blast today--we headed out on a half-day bike tour that was partly through the Bangkok streets but mostly on this island that was so close to the city, yet so far from the feel of the city. We toodled around elevated pathways over canals, visited a floating market, and felt like travellers again!
This huge dead python greeted us when we started our ride and was there when we returned. As we went to take a photo, two local boys rushed over and showed us that someone had tied a string to its head. It went downhill from there as they took off running, dragging the dead python behind them. Yikes!

Dale decided we should do the typical "I'm a cool cyclist" move on our way back to the city. I could barely lift my bike, which must mean that I'm not as cool as I think. Bangkok in the background is fabulous, though.
After the three-hour ride, we wound our way back through the somewhat insane Bangkok streets. Since this is the hottest time of the year, we were more than happy to finish up the day with a cold Singha beer.

Ninjas & Other Characters

2011-04-29T17:48:00.003+08:00

Lately, we've been watching a Backyardigans show called Samurai Pie that is all about samurais stealing pie. In our house, the samurai concept has morphed into ninjas, and Sojo became one today and asked for a ninja photo shoot. This is her being stealth-like.

This is her spaceship, complete with a special place to store her boosters when she is licking the cupcake bowl.
Dale set up a random game of pool last weekend. Just to get her prepped for college one day.
And you can't beat a game of pirate fishing.
Sometimes I wish I could send her to imagination school.

Plan B

2011-04-18T20:16:00.005+08:00

Plan A involved a spring break of snorkeling in Krabi, a gorgeous area of Thailand.
Plan B involved a somewhat urgent dental issue that required a tooth extraction, and so we made the difficult choice to put her under for the procedure. It was the best decision all around, even though I can't remember ever being so scared in all my life (and I've kinda done some scary things).

Of course, prior to any sort of surgery, one must have a bit of bling applied to the toes. Sojo's newest acquisition, a Chinese newspaper, is her latest go-to reading material. I swear I don't make these things up--the kid walks around with a Chinese newspaper folded under her arm lately.

Snorkeling in Krabi has been postponed until October! Definitely something to look forward to.

Sojo's Singing

2011-04-09T17:40:00.001+08:00

After Sojo's bath the other night, she broke into impromtu song!

Life Books

2011-04-06T20:40:00.004+08:00

This space for writing about Sojo's life means the world to us. Each time I post, I linger and re-read past posts and find myself so darn happy that those amazing moments are written down. It has truly become Sojo's life story. And because it is her only baby book, we wanted to make sure we had hard copies of the photos and words to treasure at home.

We recently took the entire blog and turned it into softcover books--lots of them! We are doing them in six-month chunks so they are not the size of encyclopedias, and they are so adorable. I used Blog2Print because it was easy and intuitive, and now we have a whole set of what Sojo calls her "life books."

Nothing sweeter than seeing your kid reading about her own amazing life.

Golden

2011-04-05T21:07:00.005+08:00

After a very strange week of having 65 degree days and rainy weather during what is supposed to be the driest and hottest time of the year, we are back to our normal, sweaty lives. The sun came streaming in the other evening, bouncing off Sojo's golden hat and making the entire room awash in gold.

It seems we keep visiting the very tall sparkly-hat pile at our local grocery store. We add to the collection every now and then--guess you can't have enough sparkly magician hats.

Showing Off the Skin Trophy

2011-04-04T14:08:00.002+08:00

Last weekend, we headed back to the allergist to go over our progress thus far. Mind you, we had to lug the skin trophy all around the hospital because Sojo insisted that Dr. Karl get a chance to see it (so he could tell her, "Keep up the hard work!").

We are cautiously optimistic at the moment, which is so strange to write because I am the eternal optimist. This journey has tempered my optimism a bit, but we are seeing some results with some new detergent and a whole lot of continual dusting. It seems more and more that this is dust-related, so we have reintroduced bread. Talk about a happy kid. At this point, she is only eating bread that I make, which is actually a really yummy thing. We devoured a batch of homemade pita bread and a round of tortillas on Sunday, only to make a new batch Sunday night.

And, as if I need another reason to love our hospital--they had a balloon-making clown in the lobby. No, not Sojo, she is simply dressing like a clown with that sparkly hat.

Family Art Time

2011-04-03T22:18:00.004+08:00

We've hit a real groove with art in our house of late. Sojo is so keen to draw, and we have taken our beloved yellow Chinese cabinet and turned it into a space for art supplies. During family art time, there is a peaceful and creative vibe, with stops every now and then to share a bit of your work. Downright magical.
As Sojo's robot love is still a big part of her life, we've been reading lots of Ricky Ricotta books. Imagine our delight when we found a drawing tutorial in the back of the book. I was stunned watching Sojo take such time with each and every detail of the robot, all the while referring back to the directions in the book. It was a pretty solid robot drawing at the end. I love thinking of family art time evolving over the years in our family.

Goofballs

2011-03-31T12:06:00.003+08:00

More photos from Sojo's new, old camera. Now she's got her friend Stella taking pictures of her. Hard to believe this kid hated posing for pictures a while ago.

I love this one. Those eyes of hers are so beautiful, and the guy is pretty easy on the eyes as well. We recently bought her a hand mirror, and when she looks in it, I ask her to tell me what she sees that is beautiful. She always says her eyes are so brown like chocolate.

Speaking of finding random photos, my sweet brother sent me this one from our last trip to Arizona in December. We cannot wait to be home with family in a few short months.

Visions of Summer

2011-03-26T13:51:00.002+08:00

Last weekend felt a bit like summer was on the horizon. Still 2.5 months away, there are plans being made, trips being booked and naps being taken. So much fun stuff this summer--my brother's wedding, a camping trip with college friends, and hopefully a hike into the Grand Canyon with my dad and Dale.

Summer vacations are not why I became a teacher, but they are certainly a lovely perk to the job.

Behind the Lens

2011-03-20T09:38:00.005+08:00

Sojo has wanted a camera of her own for a while now. So, from the back of a drawer, we resurrected an old one that was missing a battery charger and had been dropped way too many times, and it's all hers. She loves having a camera and is now documenting life from her perspective. We went for a big photo walk the other day, and it was so cool to see what is photo-worthy in her mind. These were her picks of the favorite three photos--the other 87 were either crazy self-portraits, Dale and I making silly faces, or the floor. the favorite disco ball
gorgeous tropical flower
and robot creations.

Dressing for Exercise

2011-03-13T20:38:00.004+08:00

Lately, we are spending lots of time concealing our chuckles when Sojo thinks an outfit is simply fabulous. This one started with sparkly pants and then took off on its own to become an 'exercise' outfit for our walk to the grocery store.

All I see is Richard Simmons when I look at this.

Bodhi

2011-03-12T08:44:00.003+08:00

Noticeably absent from the blog has been an update about the little guy we are trying to adopt here in Thailand. That is because we are stuck in adoption limbo, a common woe of those who choose this path. Our timeline of 6 months from start to finish has long come and gone, and we have just now been granted an interview with the Thai government social worker. This will take place in May, and we will hopefully have a bit more information then.
In the meantime, we purchased a painting of the bodhi tree, made of little sheets of gold-leaf paper used to cover buddhas. At first, I was a little freaked out that we had bought something that was basically gold lame to put in the dining room, but now I just can't take eyes off it. With the way the sun changes all day, the painting looks different from every angle, and with the sun going down, it's stunning.
Sojo said she'll wait 10 years for Bodhi. Help me, Rhonda--a teenager AND a toddler! Not sure we can wait that long.

The Skin Trophy

2011-03-09T21:03:00.004+08:00

With all the skin drama and the diet changes and doctor visits, this kid still manages to be one of the grooviest spirits around. Part of me thinks that walking through this world in a relative state of discomfort is creating this amazing character in her. And even though her skin is showing great signs of improvement (darn well better with the amount of steroids the kid is on at the moment!), we wanted to give her some sort of reward to acknowledge just how hard she is working.

Hence the skin trophy. She has wanted a trophy for a while (golden obsession), and so we thought that a skin trophy would be the coolest thing ever. We talked about it for a few weeks, building it up a bit and getting her excited that when she wasn't scratching as much, we'd celebrate with a skin trophy.
This is literally the expression when she opened her eyes to find it on her lap. Her words-- "it's so golden" with sheer awe in her voice.

Mind you, we've basically ruined her because of the size of the trophy, but this is the one Dale was given, dragged out of the back of a school closet from years past. I can picture now when she comes home with her first tiny soccer trophy, a bit disappointed. "Yea, it's nice, but it's nothing like my skin trophy!"

No Lie

2011-03-07T21:11:00.004+08:00

Proof positive that the accessories are insanely fabulous at this moment in time. The first picture is hanging out at home, and the second is what she chose to wear later that day at the International Food Fest at school. According to her, she was the queen of China, and that is indeed a scepter in her hand.

And one more priceless memory...we rode over to the school with a family we know from Bangladesh, the ladies decked out in the full gorgeousness of that country. When they commented on how nice the queen looked, Sojo announced to us all the she is like a pizza--half Chinese, half United States. I love that kind of pizza.

Stylish Scootering

2011-03-06T13:54:00.004+08:00

These days, Sojo seems to always add some sparkle before leaving the house. I myself am a firm believer in the fashion mantra of 'a splash of color,' but Sojo has taken to calling me boring lately with my clothes. Forgive me if I don't dress like I'm heading to a Mardi Gras party, kid. Or a matador, for that matter.

The scooter queen has mastered the brake and the hill. Woo hoo!

Chores

2011-03-05T13:34:00.004+08:00

Figured we might as well put the kid to work on the weekends. Just so she doesn't get too spoiled having a housekeeper who takes really good care of us.

A Dragonfly Named Puppy

2011-02-24T23:25:00.002+08:00

A random dragonfly appearing in Sojo's room tonight caused the cutest chain reaction. I mentioned that we had lots of dragonflies when we lived in China, so she then decided that this particular dragonfly had flown all the way from China to be with her because it was looking for a Chinese friend. We hung out with our new friend, Puppy (textbook psychology shows that the kid just wants a real pet!), all night long, and Sojo simply could not be convinced to open the window and let it go back outside.
There were promises made that she would go outside tomorrow to find food for it, giddy delight every time she climbed off the bed to take a peek at it, and panic when it flew somewhere in the room where she couldn't find it. She's actually sleeping with her door closed for the first time in her life tonight, just so Puppy doesn't fly out her door.

On the bright side, dragonflies are super low-maintenance pets. Just the kind we like.

Maka Bucha & Super Sojo

2011-02-19T20:46:00.003+08:00

We are on a long weekend for the Thai holiday of Maka Bucha, and we stayed here in town to take advantage of the newly arrived hot season with some pool time, nap time and family time.

Super Sojo showed up this weekend, and Super Mama somehow pulled off the incredibly daunting task of creating a cinnamon raisin bread with NO wheat, NO cow milk, and NO egg. Usually when I try this, the final product is horrible, but I found a great recipe online, tweaked it a bit with using flax seed instead of eggs, and it worked! Well, almost worked as it's a bit flat, but Sojo didn't care, and it even passed the Dale test--a very hard test to pass. We are on doctor #857, a pediatric allergist, and we've got Sojo on a full elimination diet (no egg, wheat, milk, seafood, nuts, chocolate and soy) as he believes strongly that most eczema is food-related. We just need to find out which food is causing the ruckus.Until then, Dale has made some awesome snack charts for Sojo with lots of different choices and stickers next to her favorites. And even though she does miss croissants "so much," at least we have found a way to fill the bread void. Whew!

Life in Short Sleeves

2011-02-12T21:25:00.003+08:00

We are loving life in short sleeves around here! And just in time because our super-extended cool season has just finished and the sweat is starting to roll again.
It's been a fun week with an International Day at Sojo's school, some flashy new hair ribbons from the salon and a fingerpainting Saturday. Life is good.

And a bit of unexpected beauty this week. Unbeknownst to me, someone had grafted an orchid onto the trunk of a large potted plant we bought. Just yesterday, I spotted a beautiful bundle of teeny, dime-sized blooms. Instant joy that fed my love of all things tiny.

Relief

2011-02-09T19:59:00.003+08:00

It has been a rough few weeks in our household. Actually, a rough few months. We truly tried to be open to homeopathic medicine, but her condition just worsened at the weeks went on. Last weekend, we made the hard decision to abandon that route and head back to the dermatologist. Thankfully, Bangkok is about the most convenient city ever, and there was a pediatric dermatologist who had office hours on Sunday night. No joke--healthcare is that convenient here.
We discovered she had secondary bacterial infections all over her wrists and ankles. Making the decision to go back to steroids temporarily to get her skin back to something resembling normal was a tough one. However, the relief she felt (and we felt--watching your child suffer is horrible) made it worth it, and once it's back on track, we'll continue finding ways to help her, hopefully without steroids.
Sojo missed over a week of school, and her class made her this poster for her welcome back today. She loved it so much and wound up calling it her newspaper. During family reading time, she decided we should take a 'reading walk' around the complex. So much fun, and we even sought out a few friends who we know love reading and went to visit them on our walk. Lucky for us, our reading friend Chrissy had marshmallows out when we popped in!

*Proof that things are getting better...not a single night of complete sleep for any of us in three months. Last night, she slept through the night. Sweet relief.

10 Things From This Moment in Time

2011-02-07T15:59:00.005+08:00

1. Long legs that keep on growing
2. Fierce concentration to be on the swings by herself
3. A new interest in joining a soccer team (b/c she wants a trophy)
4. Sparklymania--she sees sparkly things everywhere!
5. Her latest medicine made her lose her taste for tom kha gai, which was downright tragic to her. She informed us today that it now tastes like it used to. whew!
6. All water must be drunk with 2 ice cubes
7. Every 'extra time' in doing something must be 4 minutes because she is four. This is funny because sometimes we offer her more minutes but she always negotiates for 4.
8. She still loves being Chinese and claims to speak the language.
9. Whenever she meets anyone new around her age, she will not speak English to them because she is afraid they can't speak English. Mainly, she does this grunt-and-point thing that is just plain strange.
10. The kid is dangerously good at the iPad app called Cut the Rope. Like, freaky good.

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-04T21:46:00.003+08:00

New year and back to blogging!

Nothing like a new set of Chinese New Year clothes to put a smile on your face. Sojo's been under the weather this week, and even though she didn't go to school today, she spent all day in her shiny Chinese clothes. As we left for school this morning, there were promises of a yummy Chinese dinner along with a gift for CNY 2011. Momo, our nanny/housekeeper/cook/wonderwoman, made one of Sojo's favorite recipes from when we lived in China--lo mi (fried rice with cilantro and pork-yum!), and we had some steamed buns to go along with the rice. But all focus was really on the present, so we opened it midway through. These lucky cats are found everywhere in China as they mean that more money will come your way, and when Sojo was really little, we had to stop by this one shop window every time we passed just to look at the lucky cat. She was almost as enthralled with our new golden cat as she was all those years ago. A little red envelope hong bao will be waiting for her tomorrow with a bit of spending money in it. I know our girl has had her eye on a small, glittery disco ball at a nearby shop. She's a bit of a magpie lately with the love of all things shiny.

Spontaneity

2011-01-23T14:14:00.002+08:00

This stage of development and its fierce creativity is so fun for all of us. Sojo decided the other night to put on a spontaneous cello concert on the back porch for all her stuffed animals. It was quite a production as lots of friends came, and she belted out her rendition of Rudolph while strumming the 'cello.' The next afternoon, I overheard her playing with friends and asking them, "Who wants to play the cello now?" Suddenly, I had this vision of Sojo lugging around a cello twice her size in a few years. Made me smile to see more proof that this kid is so completely her own person at such a wee age.

Wedding Shoes

2011-01-21T11:40:00.002+08:00

It is fair to say that our sweet girl is very in touch with the traditional boy stuff of robots and dinosaurs. Normally, dolls and princesses fall in the 'blech!' category for her. I'll refrain from going on about how this can be quite embarrassing in public when someone decides to call her a princess. Let's just say she is honest and 'blech!' is often her response.

So when she does tap into the girly-girl side, we try and support it the best we can to give her some balance. And sparkles are definitely on the radar for her; she can spot them from across the room of late. Take these fabulous golden princess shoes that she simply had to have at the mall. Since she will be one of the flower girls in my brother's wedding this upcoming summer, they have become her fancy tiny-heeled wedding shoes. What cracked me up was when we were on the playground the other day, and she wanted to show the shoes to her friend Stella, who loves princess stuff. Stella literally gasped when she saw the shoes Sojo bought. Guess all of us were a bit shocked with the purchase.

Rock-n-Roll Painting

2011-01-16T11:09:00.002+08:00

A friend went to Sojo's school the other day and snapped this photo of her adding to the class mural. I love, love, love getting a small peek into her day, almost as much as I love that she is choosing to wear her snazzy rock-n-roll hat to school.

Arizona Beauty

2011-01-12T20:53:00.005+08:00

In light of the recent tragedy in Arizona, I thought it would be appropriate to share the stunningly beautiful side of this gorgeous state. A trip to Sabino Canyon on our last day was the perfect way to end a great trip. Dale and I decided to run the route while Sojo and my parents took the tram. We met at the top and soaked up the beauty while sipping hot cocoa before heading back down.

The trip was full of family and love and scootering and bacon--all good stuff and truly what's all about (bacon included on that statement). Worth every second of the way-too-long airplane ride.
And this one--it is all about the sequins after the Arizona trip. Love it!

Tea Party

2010-12-31T22:14:00.002+08:00

My mom is all about tea parties, and for some time now, she has wanted to have all the girls in the family go to high tea together. It was definitely a sequined event for Sojo as most everything is during this vacation, even if she did remove all sequins after entering the building. We drank the most delicious tea and had a great time chatting and eating.
Sojo helped everyone pick out their special tea cups and got her own pot of pink lemonade. We decided this should be a tradition every summer when we come home, which is the perfect excuse to continue buying sequined accessories!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T10:24:00.003+08:00

Christmas was a blast this year, surrounded by family and an incredibly mild and gorgeous Arizona winter. Sojo cracked us all up on Christmas morning when she opened almost every present and exclaimed, "It's exactly what I wanted!!" One time, she didn't even know what it was she was opening, and she still said it!
The ever-observant Sojo noticed that Santa had a really big tummy and wondered why. We had a conversation about how lots of kid leave him cookies and maybe that's why. Her suggestion was that Santa should eat some healthier food like fruits and vegetables, so we left him some carrots and clementines instead. Couldn't help but be incredibly happy that the healthy eating message is sinking in.
It truly is gorgeous here in Arizona. I've been running outside in the freshest of air in shorts and a t-shirt.

And this stunning girl just about knocked my socks off on Christmas eve with this outfit. She chose it herself (actually RAN to the shiny clothes in the store), which I must say was a brilliant way to get a kid who doesn't love fancy stuff to choose something that made her feel fancy and fabulous. Again, I can see glimpses in her face of how she will look when she is older. Such beauty.

The Magic Hat

2010-12-19T07:57:00.001+08:00

Lately, this sparkly hat has been often seen on the head of one cute little Sojo. From making Christmas cookies to doing magic tricks to even using it as an accessory at swim class, it's a funky accessory.
Even when sitting in a colander??
On the plane to Arizona tomorrow! Sojo loves when we leave super early for the airport because we scoop her up out of bed. It's a scoop morning with a 4:30 a.m. van pickup. Can't wait to be in my parents' house tomorrow afternoon.

I Love...by Sojo

2010-12-18T11:50:00.006+08:00

Every time we sit down to create a story with the ready-made books, I say I'm going to do it more often. She has so much to say that giving her the chance to put it on paper is priceless, plus I love documenting her writing process.

Here is the latest creation called I Love, by Sojo

Things worth noticing

*Um, we don't have a unicycle, nor does she ride one.
*The whole 'don't throw it in the garbage' idea is something she is mentioning lately. I think it comes from the last Toy Story movie where the toys get thrown in the garbage. She just told me this morning that she loves me very much but doesn't want me to go into the garbage can.
*Most of the riding pictures are done from the side perspective. Cool to see that.
*The green bench makes the coolest background for just about everything.
*I Love...books are tons of fun and easy to do with kids.

Show #3

2010-12-16T08:48:00.004+08:00

This was our last holiday show at Sojo's preschool, and it's our favorite time of the school year. This time around, she was a reindeer, which probably explains why that has been her character of choice the last few weeks at home. The only bummer this year was that she wasn't as bubbly as she normally is on stage. Most of the time, she looked a bit sad and serious when she is normally jumping all over the place. Seems the itchies are ruling her life lately, which kinda breaks this mama's heart.

No tears with Santa this year, and she was in heaven after the show because there were mini hot dogs. Not a normal fare at our house, (yuck!) but she could eat piles of them.

There's the girl we know and love. The ham in her came out only after the show was over!

Namaste

2010-12-14T22:41:00.003+08:00

Parents were allowed to watch the yoga class today. What a gift to see this braided beauty in action. Namaste.

Books & Cookies

2010-12-12T09:36:00.003+08:00

Sojo always comes to the library on Tuesdays before yoga, and she usually finds a book or two to take home. Last week, she found a book on robots called Ricky Ricotta by Dav Pilkey--a book kids go a bit nuts over. She wanted to have some extra time in bed one night just to look at the pictures, and it made me think of me when I was a kid. Doing anything I could for a few extra minutes of reading.
And this picture makes me smile every time. I love those braids so much, and it is still her daily hairstyle of choice. Our teacher housing had a cookie decorating party this week, and we partook in the fun. Yum.
One week until Arizona!

Bonus

2010-12-06T12:00:00.005+08:00

Thanks to the King's birthday, we have an extra day off this week. Just perfect for a family who is ready for the long upcoming holiday--we practiced by doing a whole lot of nothing. Well, almost nothing--we did make popcorn balls and had a first viewing of The Grunt Who Stole Christmas. Sojo can't seem to remember the word Grinch, and she is fixated on the fact that his heart was two sizes too small.

Best practice for the upcoming holiday--nap time. Sojo made this cool floor nap area while I just crashed on the bed.

Girls' Day at the Doctor

2010-12-05T08:27:00.005+08:00

For some time now, we've had Sojo on a big dose of steroid cream for her eczema. Unfortunately, it's taken a toll on her pigmentation, and so the doctor told us to take her off it completely. Only problem then is that it appears that all the eczema that has been suppressed by the steroids is now on the surface, and the poor thing is just covered with red, itchy, leathery skin. Worse than ever before. Blah. So, I took a day off work this week, and we bounced from doctor to doctor in search of a solution. First stop was our pediatrician who really had no solutions other than telling me that she will learn to scratch less when she is older. She's also been complaining of blurry vision, so we dropped in the eye section of the hospital and had an eye check. Just to give you an idea of how efficient this hospital is, I had no appointment and the assistant was still apologizing to me that I would have to wait 10 minutes to see the doctor. Sojo LOVED having her eyes checked, and although she has a slight vision problem with one eye, it's not enough that they want to get her glasses at this point.
The hospital is always like a miniature United Nations with people from everywhere. Sojo met a lovely woman from India and was fascinated with her bindi. The lady wound up giving her a handful from her purse and she wore it all day.
Our last stop of the day was at a wellness center in a different part of town. We met with a homeopath, and it was hopeful and validating and unlike any other doctor experience I've ever had. We talked for 90 minutes about Sojo--her personality, her food cravings, everything. We've put her on a new homeopathic medicine and are feeling positive. Within an hour, she was scratching less and seemed to be feeling a bit better. Fingers are crossed. Our time at the various appointments had us waiting and waiting for about 7 hours, which makes a long day for us both. At one point, over pastries and a latte, she turned to me and said, "It's a good day, mama." Indeed, sweet girl, indeed.