roten

Phoenix’s first Oreo

This is old news but I finally got the video! When we first got here we went to a restaurant and while we were eating the owners watched Phoenix.  It was great until they showed us Oreos all over Phoenix’s mouth! Typically I would have had a cow about Phoenix eating a cookie (especially because at this time he was about 10 months!) but it was so funny we just laughed along!

First Elephant Ride

Phoenix’s elephant noises are pretty cute, what better way to hone in on the authenticity by taking an elephant ride?

This is Phoenix’s first reaction to seeing the elephants – it was the visual part to, “what do elephants say?!” He was very excited.

We thought he was really excited, until we saw true excited when he fed the elephants unpeeled bananas and sugar cane. He kept asking for more and more and squealed as the elephants took the food. They also left some sort of remains behind on his hand, a snack for later for Phoenix.

This is where we saw the elephants take a bath.

The elephants also put on a show for us! Phoenix’s favorite part was when he walked in he saw balloons.  He then sobbed when the elephants vs. human threw darts at the balloons and popped them!  He wasn’t crying because of the noise, he was just sad the balloons were all gone! By the way, the elephant beat the human in the contest.

To be honest, I was a little nervous getting on the elephant.  I mean, Thomas is a big guy. Our elephant driver let us know that “Mei Me” was a young girl! She was 27 and elephants usually live until they are 100.  This photo is a little deceiving because it looks like we rode by ourselves, our driver sat on her head the whole way up and down the mountain.

Phoenix update

Nothing new just a silly video of Phoenix.

Phoenix enjoys:
Talking
Running
Eating fruit and rice
Playing hide and seek behind the curtains
Yelling “GIRL!” out our window at women…and men
Reading books – especially if they have ball shaped things, ballerinas, umbrellas, or clocks
Bringing us his slippers when they fall off
Hiding everything in cabinet drawers (today we found a bowl of strawberries!)

Celebration or warzone?

Happy New Year! Have you ever wonder why new years is actually celebrated nearly a month after January 1? It’s because they celebrate the new year according to the lunisolar calendar, verses the solar calendar which deems January 1 as the first day of the new year.  Another little information is when you ask someone their birthday they tell you their birthday according to the lunisolar calendar – so it actually changes EVERY year – it was hard enough for me to keep up with birthdays based on the solar calendar I’m not even attempting this!

I ventured out downtown with a friend to take some photos of the crazy fireworks.  It’s not like America where the government deems one spot for fireworks.  EVERYWHERE had fireworks! A local said that the average family spends about $150 on fireworks each year.  Our city just renovated the main square downtown and it was so beautiful! The colored lights along the water added a nice touch to the fireworks.

Those fireworks were so close to the tall apartment buildings you see!

This is right outside our kitchen window!

There were fireworks throughout the night (even before it was dark!) but there was nothing like 11:50pm-12:30am. For that entire period it seemed that every family in our city was letting off their entire stash. Guess what? Phoenix slept through all the explosions – I guess we can stop whispering when he’s sleeping now!

Here is a video that I took from our porch during the big spectacle.  It starts off with the sky lighting up and then the building across from ours in our courtyard lefts off some big ones.

Guess what we saw yesterday?!

Phoenix and I have been sick for a couple of days but that didn’t stop me from squealing with delight when I saw this! As soon as I could I rushed outside to experience this beautiful creation. Any ideas why I was so happy? Here is a photo clue…

I saw this too and thought it was cute – it doesn’t have anything to do with the riddle:

Any ideas what we saw that made us so happy?!

Snow and silly hair

I do remember reading before we arrived here that it hardly snows.  Well it happened! Not very much but enough that the next day public transportation was late.  It was very beautiful, especially because the thing that I hate about snow in the states is having to drive in it!

People keep saying that Phoenix’s hair is getting pretty long. I did trim the bangs and we even taught our tutor what “party in the back business in the front” meant. I think he is over the mullet stage and it’s starting to look cute! Except for here…



Thomas says that his clothes are being stretched out by this baby – I think it also might have to go with the fact we don’t have a dryer. Thomas’ hair is also getting long, I can only hope for the wedding hair to come back!

http://katiestoops.com/wedding/

Phoenix loves this cabinet that has been moved into our bedroom. It has our stash of 5 pounds of chocolate chips – know any fun recipes with minimal ingredients? He likes to take all of his balls and close them in here and then take them out hide them somewhere else and do it all over again. The most common conversation in our house is trying to collect all of his toys from his hiding places.  I find them in my boots ALL the time, along with food!

Another favorite thing to do is for his to hide behind the curtains.

Just in case you haven’t heard Phoenix FINALLY said Mama! It is so great! I can’t believe the words that came out of him before mama – like pineapple and belly button!

Big Explosions Dress Rehearsal

Sorry for the bag photo quality! It was raining and I was holding Phoenix in our pjs!

So we have heard starting in two weeks it can be crazy around here! Everything shuts down for a week so you have to buy all your groceries and plan ahead.  Supposedly fireworks go off non stop and after a while they become white noise.  A friend last year said that he stood on his balcony and screamed and he couldn’t hear himself! This morning there was a commotion in our courtyard.  Phoenix and I (Thomas was at a fancy international breakfast without me!) found Superman, Jerry the Mouse, a King, and a long red carpet.  They had drawn a large crowd and were speaking on a loudspeaker.  They were saying something about how the King looked like a kid – my language skills don’t exact include interpreting from a loud speaker.  Anyways, everyone was laughing and kids from the surrounding apartments were looking out their window.  They retreated inside and then a minute of fireworks started! In the video I’m talking to Phoenix – but you can’t hear me! I was inside when I took this video too! I guess this is a dress rehearsal!

Phoenix turns 1!

So Phoenix is one!
Thomas was gracious enough to help with a mini photo shoot for Phoenix.  It was N-U-T-S! I was hoping to get better shots when we got his “I’m 1!” shirt in the mail and do some cake smashing photos outside but long story short there is no shirt and it is WAY to cold for me to entertain the idea of an outside photo shoot.  So these will do or I’ll figure out something else.  Enjoy these ones and then read on…

I love his red long hair! It is so long now it flips out.  It actually fits with his new Asian name.  It is “Phoenix” but phoenix is actually the bridal symbol.  We didn’t really think it was that big of a deal until we were thinking that it’s like if a little Asian baby was names “Isabella” in the states – would you laugh at him? I probably would.  So we are welcoming the laughs when we tell the locals his name.  I want to work on the phrase, “In English Phoenix is a very proud, respected, honorable name” maybe that will change the girl connotations here?
We’re hoping the gap between his teeth doesn’t stay there forever.

Love the hat, love it.  
From a month old to a year! These ceramic balls are cemented to the ground and Phoenix tries to pick them up – while screaming “BALLLLL!!!” He hasn’t gotten the clue that they don’t budge.  

We had a little party for Phoenix. Complete with the chocolately chocolate adult cake and his wheat germ carrot cupcake.  It had really yummy icing on it though.
He wasn’t really into it.  In fact for Thanksgiving I made an epic Key Lime Pie and I really wanted him to try some.  I practically had to hold him down and shove it down his throat – so I don’t think he’s really into desserts, he’ll just stick with his mandarin oranges.

He even had a birthday hat! But he ripped it off just like the other hat.

He got some cars – which he loves to show you the wheels and race them across our floors.  He likes to see if you will put them in your mouth. 
His favorite toys was the ball! I saved it for last because I knew there would be an explosion of yelling “BALLLLLLLLLL!!!!” He also tries to see if the ball will go in his or your mouth.
He really likes his corn on the cob, complete with a kid friendly stick handle.

Thomas almost blew someone’s face off:
Thomas and I had full intention of wrapping Phoenix’s presents.  We went to this gigantic market to find some wrapping paper.  At the very end we stopped in this one store and picked up something that looked like it.  Thomas asked them how much and it was a little more pricey than we thought it should be.  It was weighted at one end and so he was asking them how big it was and all sorts of questions.  Thomas noticed there were arrows on the outside so he turned his hands around the arrows and BANGGGGG the “wrapper paper” exploded – nearly missing an employees face.  Turns out it was NOT wrapping paper but a popper firework thingy.

Phoenix eats a new delicacy:
Lately Phoenix has had his days where he won’t eat anything.  He was having one of those days when I looked over while I was studying language and our house helper was FEEDING him a crayon!!! Really – helping him put a crayon to his mouth and he was biting and sucking on it! And you know what? He was eating it and LOVED it.  He also had red all over his face.  Now he doesn’t understand why I won’t let him eat them.

There is a bakery close to our apartment.  All of the foreigners go there to get sliced bread, they even have whole wheat! The other day I was walking with Phoenix and he was getting hungry so I stopped in to pick up something.  They immediately thought I wanted sliced wheat bread, because why else would a foreigner be in there? Well actually that’s usually true because all of there other breads they have do not look very good – loaded with the unknown toppings and insides.  But I gave it a shot and bought a bun looking thing.  I was expecting there to be meat inside honestly, not that that sounds good, but just typical.  Well it was actually whipped cream! Phoenix loved it and it got everywhere, especially because I was wearing him in our carrier.  We were walking down the street laughing together because of the whipped cream.

Nothing about making dinner is easy here.  It is getting better though! I made these homemade buns to be enjoyed with hamburgers I made.  I know, I made hamburgers! Our house helper thinks that all we eat is bread.  She told her husband that Phoenix says “bread” (not in English) all the time! I didn’t tell her that he is actually saying “ball” but it sounds like “bread” in her language.  She also told her husband that we make bread every night, which they think is disgusting.

Thomas’ new look? 

Details of Language Trip

Like I shared before, after our phase 1 of language we are required to take a language trip using no English for a two days.  So we ventured out of our city to sightsee more of the countryside.  We took a train and an hour later we were in a different place.  It felt like a far aways land because we didn’t know anyone or anything.  We went through lots of countryside to get to this other city so it felt like even further away! Once we arrived we took a 30 minute plus taxi ride to our hotel in the countryside.  The hotel was SO very nice! We did not, but you could, get a room with a view of a magnificent waterfall.  Our view from our room was the road.

When we first arrived we had to exit the taxi to buy tickets to the park.  People immediately came up to Phoenix and I.  This woman was selling handmade crafts and was trying to get Phoenix to hold them so that I would buy them! It was crazy. All I could say was, “No thank you. Bye bye.” We drove through a very small downtown area and I guessed that there had been a sizable earthquake from all of the rubble.  Turns out there was a 7.9 earthquake three years ago, although they’ve had some 4.0 earthquakes several times since.  The next night I awoke to thinking there was an earthquake only to realize it was just Thomas moving in the bed!

On our first day we went to the Grand Waterfall spot.   It is quite a hike, although you can buy escalator tickets.  It was late in the afternoon so we didn’t hike all the way but I took decent photos of our view.  Here are some photos of inside the park.

Love Phoenix’s face here.

Even though it is quite the hike, women were still wearing their high heels (and mini skirts with leggings)! I felt kind of frumpy in my Keens and Anne Taylor Loft Jeans.

After the grand water fall spot we went to a smaller park and there were peacocks! They are so gorgeous! You could walk straight up to them!

Where did your head go?!

So turns out the park’s tickets while they say the tickets are good for two days they are not good for re-entering the places you have already visited.  We found this out the next day when we wanted to walk all the way to the waterfall.  So because of the earthquake the government has set taxi rides to be so expensive and since we were staying at a hotel in the park we had no where to go but to pay the taxi ride (ten times what we usually pay!) or stay in our room. If it sounds a little confusing, it is.  So we packed up our things and headed back to the “real” city, the city we took the train to. I was trying the best I could to explain to the ladies at the front desk we wanted our money back for our second night because we wanted to leave and after all of that she just said, “Where is your husband we talk to him”, my language skills need some work!

When we arrived it was apparent this city had not seen foreigners in a while! We do get this in our city but here it was extreme here.  I’m talking about gaping and conversations ceasing type of thing.  We hiked up to a Buddhist temple (we think) and got a great view of the city.  We walked around the city a little more.  I tried on the largest coat size in a clothing store and it was very snug! Thomas saw a sign for a “ZHuge Barbecue House” so we tried it out.  Their main dining area was under construction so lucky us they gave us a private dinning room! It was great with a baby who loves to terrorize places.

Our second hotel room, we loved it!

Temple we hiked to

View of the city from the temple. The building on the far right corner is our hotel, our room is probably just above the tree line.

This little boy wanted to go up to the temple on his flower decorated car.

Ducks for sale at the market.
 Some sort of cool looking eggs

Spicy! We have learned to say a little of this stuff.

A game that we see men playing all the time.

As opposed to the game we see the women playing.

Our Language Trip

We made it back from our language trip!  I took lots of photos and am done editing down the photos that I am going to edit. I will be back to write a lot about our trip very soon.

This is the view from our first hotel, so beautiful!

This is the view from our second hotel, just a little more urban than the first hotel!

At the first place we got to see beautiful waterfalls and peacocks (photos to come).  At the second place we walked up to that tower on top of that tiny mountain and had our own private room at a barbecue restaurant.