Curious and other fun stuff

A few weeks ago I took the kids to Barnes and Noble for storytime with....

Curious George! He was a hit. Mariah was so happy to see him, and very proud of herself that she is not afraid of him. We are still working on Chucky (Chucky Cheese's), but at least a giant monkey doesn't scare her!

Logan, Harrison and I had fun celebrating the Chinese New Year with our adopted kids. (Mariah was home sick with Daddy). We even sat around the table and ate on the floor. As fun as it was, we didn't do it because it is a Malaysian tradition. It's just that they are college students and didn't have enough chairs for everyone. But we still felt very cultured. And in case you are dying to know, it's only the Japanese that sit on the floor to eat.

Shie Meng made us some yummy shrimp, rice, chicken, bean sprouts and you see that big pot in front of us? Boiled duck eggs. Yes I tried them. They were pretty good. I think the weird part about them is that the yolks are black. It just kinda wigs you out.

I was pleased that Logan was polite and didn't make all sorts of choking and gagging noises during the dinner like he usually does when I cook. He stuck with the chicken and rice and was a happy camper. We had a lot of fun learning about their culture and traditions. Logan asked a ton of questions. Mostly about religion because, well, that's just what Logan always asks about. In December he had been learning about all different religions at school. So when we went to take gifts and go caroling to our "kids", as soon as we finished singing he said, "So do you guys celebrate Kwanza?" In case you are wondering too, Kenneth is Buddhist and Shie Meng is a "free thinker".

These kids. They LOVE animals. They will play with their stuffed animals for hours together. Hey, I don't mind. It's just funny because I had like 2 stuffed animals my whole life and never paid them any attention. Anyway, like I said they love their animals. They bathe them, feed them, train them and sell them. You name it.

I just had to take a picture of this. I bought Mariah a little piggy bank the other day. I guess since I'm so practical I didn't think she'd bring it home as a pet. I don't know, I guess I was expecting it would sit on her dresser and collect coins.

No. She came home and wrapped it in a blanket, pet it, and carried her around the entire day. It didn't take long for her to see her piggy was hungry for almonds. I love how she had it eating with its hinde legs sticking up! Oh, and she does put money in it every once in a while too.

Not only do they love their stuffed animals, and piggy banks, but they want a pet so badly! Tyler and I are not pet people at all. So Petland opened here and it is so fun to go see the animals there. I took Mariah and Harrison one morning and spent a good hour playing with the puppies, kitties, bunnies, everything. Even though I talked to her before going that we would not be bringing a pet home, of course that is all she could talk about the rest of the day. Thankfully this girl just goes with the flow, so I cut up some colored paper and put it in a jar with water and there ya go. A new fish tank. She was happy as can be and so thankful for her new pet.

Then Dad came home and as we reported about our day, her desire for a kitty burned once again and she was begging. Being the dramatic father he is, Tyler assured her that she could have a kitty when he dies. Thus, she is very much looking forward to her daddy dying someday so she can have her kitty.

Every night when I tuck her in we have the most tender conversation: "Mommy?" Yes sweetie. "I can't wait for daddy to die so I can get my new kitty."

Not to worry friends. We are already saving for a good therapist.

Last Saturday we had a spontaneous outing of fun. My friend Lynette and her beau Scott had purchased a sleigh ride through Jester Park. The sleigh has room for 4, so she called us to come along. It was such a treat! It actually was a nice day. For 45 minutes we enjoyed a delightful tour of the woods along the lake. Sounds so romantic huh? Well..

at the end Mrs. Claus here decided to give us the ride of our lives and got those horses goin' fast. It was all fun and games until I got clobbered with an icy snow chunk right between the eyes. It came at me fast and furious. I was so pleased to provide the entertainment portion of this outing. The

headache only lasted about 3 hours. Then I was good to go!