I still haven't met Audrey Noel. She's 5 days old and we haven't even met. The girls are finishing up a project for her, so I guess it's just as well that we haven't gone over to see them. But she sure is cute, if her pictures are at all true to life.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
On the catwalk
This morning I didn't wake up until almost 7 and didn't crawl out of bed until almost 8. We've had a late couple of nights.
One night I blame "Fahrenheit 9/11" for keeping us up. Last night, Ian and I both were finishing our books so I blame those. He finished _Dark Star Rising_ by Paul Theroux. I finished _Memoirs of a Geisha_ by Arthur Golden. Did I mention that Katherine has finished all the Harry Potter books? She did that a while ago. I'm not sure what series to suggest to her next. We have the Narnia series but she doesn't seem interested in those yet. She has been reading a lot of shorter chapter books so I'm trying to keep the shelves stocked, but while I thought there were still plenty to choose from, I recently learned she's read almost all of them. Any ideas for a good, thicker series that she can sink her teeth into?
On deck I have _Schindler's Ark_, _The Village of Waiting_, _The Killing Fields_, and I still haven't finished _Glitter and Greed_. _Memoirs of a Geisha_ was OK but didn't touch me the way I expected it to. Yet another example of hearing too much about something before finding out myself. I've been disappointed by too many movies and books that others have said were not to be missed. I trust Ian's impressions but it's not like I can have everything go through him first.
I'm ready to pick up a new book. Usually I like to let a book sink in for a while so I can ponder it. I did that with _The DaVinci Code_ and with _The Poisonwood Bible_. I don't feel the need after _Geisha_. Hmm, what next?
We went to the DVD and music store today and bought a stack of new VCDs and some new music CDs. I think we're getting into Togo mode and are stocking up on home activities for the family. Like I mentioned before, group gifts are the way this Christmas. The Scholastic book order came in so there's a big box of books for under the tree too.
What else did we do today. I'm tired, this entry is obviously disjointed. OK, we went up to Quezon City (just another suburb of Manila) to do a clothing rehearsal for a fashion show the girls are doing tomorrow. That should be fun if the girls get over their nervousness. I've told them to let the music guide them in how they move and to feel like they're dancing as they walk. I can't help but think that if they do those, they'll feel happy and look happy. We'll see if it works. We tried to see "The Incredibles" today but it just opened at all the shows were sold out. Maybe Ian and the boys can go see it tomorrow while the girls do their rehearsal at Robinson's Galleria. We just won't tell the girls... shhhh.
I'll let you know how it all goes.
One night I blame "Fahrenheit 9/11" for keeping us up. Last night, Ian and I both were finishing our books so I blame those. He finished _Dark Star Rising_ by Paul Theroux. I finished _Memoirs of a Geisha_ by Arthur Golden. Did I mention that Katherine has finished all the Harry Potter books? She did that a while ago. I'm not sure what series to suggest to her next. We have the Narnia series but she doesn't seem interested in those yet. She has been reading a lot of shorter chapter books so I'm trying to keep the shelves stocked, but while I thought there were still plenty to choose from, I recently learned she's read almost all of them. Any ideas for a good, thicker series that she can sink her teeth into?
On deck I have _Schindler's Ark_, _The Village of Waiting_, _The Killing Fields_, and I still haven't finished _Glitter and Greed_. _Memoirs of a Geisha_ was OK but didn't touch me the way I expected it to. Yet another example of hearing too much about something before finding out myself. I've been disappointed by too many movies and books that others have said were not to be missed. I trust Ian's impressions but it's not like I can have everything go through him first.
I'm ready to pick up a new book. Usually I like to let a book sink in for a while so I can ponder it. I did that with _The DaVinci Code_ and with _The Poisonwood Bible_. I don't feel the need after _Geisha_. Hmm, what next?
We went to the DVD and music store today and bought a stack of new VCDs and some new music CDs. I think we're getting into Togo mode and are stocking up on home activities for the family. Like I mentioned before, group gifts are the way this Christmas. The Scholastic book order came in so there's a big box of books for under the tree too.
What else did we do today. I'm tired, this entry is obviously disjointed. OK, we went up to Quezon City (just another suburb of Manila) to do a clothing rehearsal for a fashion show the girls are doing tomorrow. That should be fun if the girls get over their nervousness. I've told them to let the music guide them in how they move and to feel like they're dancing as they walk. I can't help but think that if they do those, they'll feel happy and look happy. We'll see if it works. We tried to see "The Incredibles" today but it just opened at all the shows were sold out. Maybe Ian and the boys can go see it tomorrow while the girls do their rehearsal at Robinson's Galleria. We just won't tell the girls... shhhh.
I'll let you know how it all goes.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Things that Make you Go Hmm
Last night we watched Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"
The majority of the American population elected and then re-elected this man.
I already had my opinions of him before seeing the film. There's nothing more to say.
The majority of the American population elected and then re-elected this man.
I already had my opinions of him before seeing the film. There's nothing more to say.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Katherine and boys
During Filipinia Week, they held a barrio fiesta and one stop Katherine made was at the fortune teller.
Our exchange:
Katherine: That fortune teller wasn’t very good.
Me: Why? What did she say?
Katherine: Well, when I asked if I was going to be in a Harry Potter movie, she said No! And that’s not true.
Imagine me stifling loads of giggles.
See, we’ve been talking to her about Daniel Radcliffe and she has it in her head that all she has to do is ask him and she’ll be awarded a part in the last Harry Potter movie (for by then she will be 11, and finally old enough to be a First Year at Hogwarts). Of course, she has yet to actually write and ask such a thing, but for her it’s a done deal. We’ve told her she’d fit perfectly at Draco’s little sister Draconia. Never mind that so far Draco doesn’t have any siblings, nor is there a good likelihood she would be called Draconia. She’s sold.
In real life though, AJ (remember him? They arrived a couple months ago and we tried to break into their house) is 10 and when the two of them are together they are inseparable. We’ve seen the family at the pool on Sundays recently, and AJ and Katherine cross paths at school. One time when I was picking up the girls Rebecca and I were standing at the bottom of the stairwell waiting for Katherine to come down. AJ came by and I waved. He went around the corner then returned so I inquired if everything was OK. He said he was fine, just that he wanted to say hello and when I saw Katherine if I could tell her hello for him as well.
Have I mentioned what a nice kid he is and how he has a slight resemblance to Harry Potter?
Our exchange:
Katherine: That fortune teller wasn’t very good.
Me: Why? What did she say?
Katherine: Well, when I asked if I was going to be in a Harry Potter movie, she said No! And that’s not true.
Imagine me stifling loads of giggles.
See, we’ve been talking to her about Daniel Radcliffe and she has it in her head that all she has to do is ask him and she’ll be awarded a part in the last Harry Potter movie (for by then she will be 11, and finally old enough to be a First Year at Hogwarts). Of course, she has yet to actually write and ask such a thing, but for her it’s a done deal. We’ve told her she’d fit perfectly at Draco’s little sister Draconia. Never mind that so far Draco doesn’t have any siblings, nor is there a good likelihood she would be called Draconia. She’s sold.
In real life though, AJ (remember him? They arrived a couple months ago and we tried to break into their house) is 10 and when the two of them are together they are inseparable. We’ve seen the family at the pool on Sundays recently, and AJ and Katherine cross paths at school. One time when I was picking up the girls Rebecca and I were standing at the bottom of the stairwell waiting for Katherine to come down. AJ came by and I waved. He went around the corner then returned so I inquired if everything was OK. He said he was fine, just that he wanted to say hello and when I saw Katherine if I could tell her hello for him as well.
Have I mentioned what a nice kid he is and how he has a slight resemblance to Harry Potter?
Christmas is right around the corner!
There's only 45 days left! Rush to your nearest store!
We took stock of what we have for the kids this year. Several years ago, I'd envisioned birthdays with personal gifts and Christmas with sharing gifts. This year it seems to have worked. Each kids is getting an individual gift aside from stocking stuffers on December 6th, but the rest are group gifts. A box of books. A box of movies. A box of board games. A box of dress-up. I hope they enjoy it all.
We have Harry Potter items for Katherine. Ian bought an autographed photo of the cast off ebay, so that is framed. I also framed her photo from her fan letter and she's getting a Gringotts money bank. Nicholas is getting a remote controlled car. A big honkin' thing that daddy picked out. Rebecca is getting a box full of art supplies from paper to paints to pastels. Jonathon is getting... I don't know. I have totally drawn a blank for the kid.
Thank goodness there's 45 days left.
We took stock of what we have for the kids this year. Several years ago, I'd envisioned birthdays with personal gifts and Christmas with sharing gifts. This year it seems to have worked. Each kids is getting an individual gift aside from stocking stuffers on December 6th, but the rest are group gifts. A box of books. A box of movies. A box of board games. A box of dress-up. I hope they enjoy it all.
We have Harry Potter items for Katherine. Ian bought an autographed photo of the cast off ebay, so that is framed. I also framed her photo from her fan letter and she's getting a Gringotts money bank. Nicholas is getting a remote controlled car. A big honkin' thing that daddy picked out. Rebecca is getting a box full of art supplies from paper to paints to pastels. Jonathon is getting... I don't know. I have totally drawn a blank for the kid.
Thank goodness there's 45 days left.
And the award goes to...
Congratulations to Laura and Ryan, as they and the rest of the Embassy community welcome...
Audrey Noel, born 8 November 2004, right on Seafront in a successful homebirth.
Kudos to the new parents for making and bringing into the world a beautiful little girl. I can't wait to meet her. If you've been reading the previous entry, you know why I haven't. While I am not sick (yet) I'm sure that my houseful of germs is clinging to me like glue. Goodness knows I don't want to be the cause of Audrey's first illness. Hopefully I'll get to meet her and see how Laura is doing on Friday. Ryan is an amazing husband who can do anything (he cooks, he quilts, and he cleans too) and I've seen him with Katherine and Weston's little girl, Liesl, so I know he's being the perfect dad.
Congrats to the new family! Love you guys.
Audrey Noel, born 8 November 2004, right on Seafront in a successful homebirth.
Kudos to the new parents for making and bringing into the world a beautiful little girl. I can't wait to meet her. If you've been reading the previous entry, you know why I haven't. While I am not sick (yet) I'm sure that my houseful of germs is clinging to me like glue. Goodness knows I don't want to be the cause of Audrey's first illness. Hopefully I'll get to meet her and see how Laura is doing on Friday. Ryan is an amazing husband who can do anything (he cooks, he quilts, and he cleans too) and I've seen him with Katherine and Weston's little girl, Liesl, so I know he's being the perfect dad.
Congrats to the new family! Love you guys.
The 12 Hour Bug
It’s come to my attention that I haven’t journaled recently. That’s hardly my fault! We were in Thailand for a week and the computer/internet has been having issues making it difficult for even me to reach our site to post. Bear with me, OK? We’re all doing fine. Well, maybe that’s not the whole truth.
Monday morning about 1 a.m. Katherine got extremely ill. She was sick the rest of the morning until about 11 a.m. All night she was up and about, moving from room to room trying to sleep but all that accomplished was her leaving a trail behind her as she ran to this bathroom or that one. Honestly, at one point I asked her just to stay in her room so come sunlight we'd only have her bedroom and bathroom to clean. No such luck. I ended up steam cleaning her rug and my rug, dropping her quilt at the dry cleaner to be laundered (it won't fit in our machine), wiping up too many spots of bodily fluids from the floor, doing load after load of towels and sheets and having the housekeeper deep clean the bathroom. It wasn't pretty and I think the rug in her room will need to be cleaned again because there is a lingering smell that's not all that pleasant.
But even though it’s Wednesday now, she has still barely eaten, has lost weight and is worn out. I’ve cut her from this weekend’s swim meet, something she wasn’t at all pleased with but considering she hasn’t swum in 2 weeks and hasn’t eaten in 2 days, I can’t see how she or her team would benefit from her participation. About 9:30, AmeriKids called and Jonathon had thrown up. So that morning I had two sick in bed. Katherine was worse off, but Jonathon took two naps that day and still went to bed at his normal time. As far as I can tell, the illness is not from food poisoning or anything we did or ate in Thailand. Within 12 hours, they are recovering.
Tuesday was an OK day. Everyone went to school though I did write a note asking for Katherine to be excused from P.E.
This morning Nicholas mentioned he wasn’t feeling well and that his tummy hurt. Ian woke up and said the same thing. Well, I packed up everyone and sent them off their respective directions only to be called again at 9:30 from AmeriKids to pick up Nicholas. He’d thrown up at school. I called to warn Ian. He’s already having some issues. So now Nicholas is in his bed and I’m trying to get him to nap.
Let’s hope I don’t get a call from ISM today.
3 p.m.: Ian is home and in bed. He was sick at work and then recently threw up at home. Nicholas is sore from his toilet visits and finally layed in his bed and is fast asleep.
Four down, two to go.
7 p.m.: Nicholas couldn't eat dinner so he munched on ice chips after throwing up the water and crackers he'd eaten a short while before. Jonathon barely touched his dinner. Katherine barely touched her dinner and didn't eat her lunch at school today. Rebecca barely touched her dinner and was complaining of a choking sensation in her neck. She threw up in the bathroom sink. Currently, the kids toilet doesn't flush as the chain broke. The kids sink doesn't drain because of Rebecca's visit. Our toilet doesn't flush because it's clogged. Thank goodness we have a third bathroom downstairs, though no one would make it to that one anyway.
The boys went to bed, Nicholas looks like death warmed over with heavy bags under his eyes. Jonathon was over tired. Rebecca has a trash can next to her bed while Katherine reads her stories. Ian hasn't left his bed all day but to use the toilet and to throw up. He looks pretty miserable too.
I'm experiencing that same choking feeling Rebecca mentioned. But you all know about moms, right? We aren't allowed to get sick and certainly not when others are ill. Wish me luck.
Monday morning about 1 a.m. Katherine got extremely ill. She was sick the rest of the morning until about 11 a.m. All night she was up and about, moving from room to room trying to sleep but all that accomplished was her leaving a trail behind her as she ran to this bathroom or that one. Honestly, at one point I asked her just to stay in her room so come sunlight we'd only have her bedroom and bathroom to clean. No such luck. I ended up steam cleaning her rug and my rug, dropping her quilt at the dry cleaner to be laundered (it won't fit in our machine), wiping up too many spots of bodily fluids from the floor, doing load after load of towels and sheets and having the housekeeper deep clean the bathroom. It wasn't pretty and I think the rug in her room will need to be cleaned again because there is a lingering smell that's not all that pleasant.
But even though it’s Wednesday now, she has still barely eaten, has lost weight and is worn out. I’ve cut her from this weekend’s swim meet, something she wasn’t at all pleased with but considering she hasn’t swum in 2 weeks and hasn’t eaten in 2 days, I can’t see how she or her team would benefit from her participation. About 9:30, AmeriKids called and Jonathon had thrown up. So that morning I had two sick in bed. Katherine was worse off, but Jonathon took two naps that day and still went to bed at his normal time. As far as I can tell, the illness is not from food poisoning or anything we did or ate in Thailand. Within 12 hours, they are recovering.
Tuesday was an OK day. Everyone went to school though I did write a note asking for Katherine to be excused from P.E.
This morning Nicholas mentioned he wasn’t feeling well and that his tummy hurt. Ian woke up and said the same thing. Well, I packed up everyone and sent them off their respective directions only to be called again at 9:30 from AmeriKids to pick up Nicholas. He’d thrown up at school. I called to warn Ian. He’s already having some issues. So now Nicholas is in his bed and I’m trying to get him to nap.
Let’s hope I don’t get a call from ISM today.
3 p.m.: Ian is home and in bed. He was sick at work and then recently threw up at home. Nicholas is sore from his toilet visits and finally layed in his bed and is fast asleep.
Four down, two to go.
7 p.m.: Nicholas couldn't eat dinner so he munched on ice chips after throwing up the water and crackers he'd eaten a short while before. Jonathon barely touched his dinner. Katherine barely touched her dinner and didn't eat her lunch at school today. Rebecca barely touched her dinner and was complaining of a choking sensation in her neck. She threw up in the bathroom sink. Currently, the kids toilet doesn't flush as the chain broke. The kids sink doesn't drain because of Rebecca's visit. Our toilet doesn't flush because it's clogged. Thank goodness we have a third bathroom downstairs, though no one would make it to that one anyway.
The boys went to bed, Nicholas looks like death warmed over with heavy bags under his eyes. Jonathon was over tired. Rebecca has a trash can next to her bed while Katherine reads her stories. Ian hasn't left his bed all day but to use the toilet and to throw up. He looks pretty miserable too.
I'm experiencing that same choking feeling Rebecca mentioned. But you all know about moms, right? We aren't allowed to get sick and certainly not when others are ill. Wish me luck.
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