tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630185606577805352012-01-31T20:13:39.487-05:00toddler activites, food, photos, and other orbital occurrencesrtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.comBlogger2241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-70502459422349921392012-01-31T20:13:00.000-05:002012-01-31T20:13:39.635-05:00

Luckily I saw it coming and I was able to move up about 10 ft.  Luckily I drive a very heavy, safe car, and luckily I still have my 5yr old in a 5pt harness.  Maybe we would have all still been ok with a booster seat in a Prius, but I don't really want to find out. I am sitting here with this: around my neck.  It was given to me by a good friend when I was pregnant with Amber.  It is probably

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-8097624516284375402012-01-25T22:50:00.000-05:002012-01-25T22:50:52.849-05:00

Every year about this time I wonder if there is some unspoken rule in New England that says you must leave your wreath on your door or windows until the Pats are done for the season.  Then Valentine's day passes and I realize I am wrong, that the rule must be that its good luck to leave them up until the first sign of spring.    Last year I was able to accept it since we had so much snow.... but

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-86126290944979840522012-01-24T17:01:00.000-05:002012-01-24T17:01:56.101-05:00

Sweets table Amber's 5th birthday was last month.  At first she wanted to have a ballet themed party, but as we approached her birthday she was in love with the Nutcracker and decided that she wanted to have a "Sugar Plum Fairy Ballerina Nutcracker Party".  I limited her to only inviting 7 friends (we had 24 last year and it was insane).  I kinda went a little bit over the top with everything,

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-59576164842916714932012-01-19T22:11:00.002-05:002012-01-21T17:52:52.249-05:00

 I have always fallen into the camp of believing that leggings, jeggings, tights, etc are NOT pants.  This was until I received some jeggings for Christmas from my mother in law.  At first I laughed.... But then something made me try them on.  OMG! The most comfortable pants I have ever put on!  They are by no means skin tight, so not really jeggings but more like skinny leg pajama jeans.  So the

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-46503429868769087232009-07-04T23:38:00.001-04:002009-07-04T23:38:51.202-04:00

Scallop Stuffed Mushrooms Fresh scallops, garlic, ginger, scallions, salt, soy, bread crumbs and parma inside a portabello Dave's lamb kebobs (getting better every time) Garden radishes (just about the only thing coming from our garden this year) 

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-15227994324036953552009-06-27T22:54:00.001-04:002009-06-27T22:55:38.514-04:00

Amber's response.... "I want more" ... To bad we have a light crop this year and this is the only one for a few more days.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-75580430699290527712009-06-25T20:11:00.001-04:002009-06-25T20:11:49.024-04:00

With the sad news of MJ I decided we needed to watch some YouTube so I first went for thriller, not having watched it in like 20 years, I forgot that it was scary..... Six min. Into it I had to stop, Amber didn't like it,.,,,, same with Beat It , so much violence. We are the world, on the other hand, pure family entertainment. If WATW was being recorded today, I wonder who the lead voices

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-80853840236482818892009-06-22T23:34:00.004-04:002009-06-22T23:44:15.212-04:00

Today was a very rainy Monday, made worse by the fact that we have had non-stop rain (aside from like 3hrs on Saturday) for as long as anyone can remember. By late afternoon I somehow mustered up enough motivation to paint the wall that has been waiting to be painted for 2 years. I started by letting Amber have her turn at painting...It actually ended up not being very messy at all, but it sure

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-46901010596634570252009-06-21T23:24:00.001-04:002009-06-21T23:26:19.665-04:00

This morning while we were eating breakfast, Amber exclaims: "Look Mommy, there's a Chicken Monkey eating the birdseed!!" It took me a second, but then I realized that a Chicken Monkey is a chipmunk :-)

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-86485246283970176432009-06-21T22:01:00.003-04:002009-06-21T22:16:25.077-04:00

Recently bedtime has been a breeze.... as long as I follow the routine, carefully laid out by Amber. Around two weeks have passed since our last crying episode which resulted in a new step in the routine. Today I was just thinking how nice it was to just be able to get her to bed without all the stress and tears (starting the whole process each night is another story). Tonight as I am walking

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-46521915914865103042009-06-06T21:35:00.003-04:002009-06-06T21:48:20.621-04:00

so not only is Amber an actual world traveler, but her play is beginning to globe trot. Multiple times today Amber mentioned something about having to go away to Beijing tomorrow.... often for (insert number) of weeks. One time, I decided to ask some questions, and this is how it went:Amber: "I have to go away really quick... to Beijing tomorrow"Me: Oh really... how are you going to get there?

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-26696296175272423622009-05-26T22:24:00.003-04:002009-05-26T22:40:25.598-04:00

This week my friend Jen and her son Nathan who is a couple months older than Amber are visiting us at the cape. Tonight is the first night Amber has slept in the same bed for more than 5 nights in a month. Most of the nights and sometimes lunches in this month have been out at restaurants. Amber has been in heaven having Nathan here to play with her all day, BUT after not playing with kids

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-23162362112395589892009-03-01T20:15:00.003-05:002009-03-01T20:21:52.483-05:00

The last several nights, Amber has been waking up not too long after going to bed.... she has also been begging me not to close her door all the way. Up until now, she would wake up around midnight if we had not come to get her and bring her to bed with us (which usually happens between 12-2, we stay up late). When she wakes, she would just lie in bed crying and either we would come to her, or

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-64060532364260592122009-02-14T09:13:00.003-05:002009-02-14T09:24:14.738-05:00

Last week a friend of ours gave Amber the Dr. Seuss book "Green Eggs and Ham" and it has become and ongoing dialog in our house. It of course started with Amber asking to have the book read again and again. Then she started reading it, (or turning the pages and saying "sam I am", "i am sam", etc.) Then one morning I made her some eggs and put some pepper in them (b/c i was having some too) and

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-20127310886497214602009-02-14T08:59:00.003-05:002009-02-14T09:13:30.940-05:00

Amber and I made Valentine's cookies today. I am not posting a picture b/c the cookies that come out of betty crocker bag of mix and powder sugar and milk icing are just not that attractive regardless if made by a 2yr old or adult. We also didn't have anything to decorate on top of the icing and we only had a snowman and a tiny flower cookie cutter.... i ended up using a cup to make some

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-26118838695423112232009-01-26T12:23:00.003-05:002009-01-26T12:29:56.997-05:00

There are fireworks stands everywhere! Today we went and bought some medium sized ones and shot some off tonight. (we had already bought sparklers, which are not really sparklers but more like a 'fountain' that you hold, not for kids in my opinion.. box of 200 was less than $3). For around $3 we got one that shot about 20 nice little flowers up about 10 stories in the air (fireworks are sold

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-16458875681885517432009-01-26T11:41:00.004-05:002009-01-26T12:21:44.678-05:00

None of these photos were zoomed in, these fireworks were happening right outside and right at eye level. Also, the fireworks went on like this for at least an hour and then slowed down in pace but are still going on now over 24hrs later.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-85904323079649110072009-01-25T09:51:00.004-05:002009-01-26T05:41:42.255-05:00

you don't want to open your windows!

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-45651425829294933132009-01-25T05:17:00.003-05:002009-01-25T05:25:23.668-05:00

A couple weeks ago we went for a walk around our neighborhood and saw lots and lots of eel, duck and duck parts hanging out everywhere drying. I have heard/read that since Shanghai has such a dry winter and all of the markets are closed for the week of Chinese new year, everyone stocks up on dried fish and duck products to eat throughout the week. It is now 2 weeks later (CNY is just now

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-31029344579336325942009-01-25T04:14:00.004-05:002009-01-25T05:15:11.853-05:00

We have been making lots of martinis lately. Dave got on a Lychee martini kick but I wanted variety, so every time we have them he creates a new one for me. Golden Eye -- Vodka, triple sec, OJDave's Jade -- Vodka, blue curacao, triple sec, peach juiceTiffany -- Vodka, blue curacao, coconut milk, peach juiceThe Watson -- Vodka, triple sec, blue curacao and peach juice (named after Watson's

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-39093007915661694552009-01-25T03:26:00.006-05:002009-01-25T04:13:51.061-05:00

Recently I have been buying interesting looking snacks in the supermarket just to see what they are. Here are a few:These sausages are not at all weird, they are actually imported, but what is weird or crazy is the price, they cost nearly $20! ($115rmb)These cheerios might look normal at first glance, but if you look closely you will first see that in addition to the chinese characters on the

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-72763177931894164222009-01-21T03:02:00.003-05:002009-01-21T03:17:50.436-05:00

Today Amber and I went out to lunch with another mama and her two kids who are 5 and 3. These were the first kids that Amber has spent this long with who talk and speak English since she has been a full out talker herself. It was so cute to watch or really listen to her playing with them and the things they talked about. She told them how her daddy takes a taxi to work, to the bank! And that

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-43253614695242123692008-12-22T02:07:00.003-05:002008-12-22T02:13:28.580-05:00

here are some quick picks from a little stroll we did a couple weeks ago. Usually I am alone and it is really hard to stop the stroller and get out the camera. The first is just a nice street scene. Typical outdoor kitchens making and selling lunch and people going past on bikes and mopeds. The second is one of my favorite streets, where there area always people out eating and just in a good

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-50269549397898503722008-12-22T02:04:00.003-05:002008-12-22T02:07:10.568-05:00

Sometimes you see what seems to be a guy selling Shawarma... but if you take a closer look you see that like most things in China, it is fake. It's pork on a stick in a way that looks like Shawarma (the stick does not even spin).

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-27147225231494128402008-12-22T02:02:00.001-05:002008-12-22T02:04:36.692-05:00

I saw this in a market the other day and was so amazed I almost bought it.... but then I started thinking... if it really is so great, why have I never seen one out on the streets in New York, or even out in the streets here. Must look great, but when you actually use it, the folding mechanism is probably horrible.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-1155530523019799352008-12-17T09:29:00.004-05:002008-12-17T09:39:12.722-05:00

For things like recycling and delivering water, the chinese use bicycles rather than trucks. Even for things like moving a couch.I have been trying to grab a great picture of this for a while, but for some reason I either do not have my camera, or by the time I get it out and on, the shot is gone. So here you go, several shots of several different styrofoam collector bikes (Unfortunately these

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-45714249541011781572008-12-17T08:44:00.002-05:002008-12-17T08:50:08.770-05:00

Amber and I were talking about Santa and Christmas in the tub tonight....me: What do you want for christmas?Amber: Pinecone! (this comes from her deciding that the "magic word" is 'pinecone' and not 'please' a long time ago, so whenever I ask her something she always says pinecone to be annoying)me: no silly not pinecones for christmas, what do you want Santa to bring to you?Amber: presents!

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-27530813424745677682008-12-11T09:11:00.004-05:002008-12-11T09:54:45.294-05:00

Early last week Amber had a photo shoot to be put into the model book for a local children's photographer/talent agency. I signed her up to do it mostly because I just needed something to do, but also on the off chance she might get a job. I put off the appointment until Amber's Nainai was here because the studio is located in the middle of nowhere and I didnt like the idea of getting in a taxi

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-47001804468987362632008-12-10T10:03:00.004-05:002008-12-10T10:51:47.842-05:00

takes longer than eating....When you go to a restaurant in china, it is quite a different experience than in the US or most places in Europe. First off, most of the time the service is amazing. Maybe not the best in the world, but often you are assigned your own server, or several servers, or if yours is busy, anyone will happily help you. The other thing is that if you are 5 or more people,

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-35043201573103864882008-12-09T11:08:00.005-05:002008-12-09T11:28:08.974-05:00

Getting older, still single and too busy to find a mate?Got plenty of dates, but your parents think you can do better?Here in China parents are often the ones who find potential mates for their children. This is not as you might guess by an arranged marriage to a close family friend. No, No, not at all that easy. In China the parents work very hard. They have to be good at sales, marketing,

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-14217612433921354082008-12-09T11:01:00.002-05:002008-12-09T11:05:13.211-05:00

no no, not a lobster boat out moving on the water... a lobster cut up as sashimi and the rest of it still moving, served in a boat! (I have blogged about this before, but these are nice pictures).

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-84011754126956465652008-12-09T10:07:00.002-05:002008-12-09T10:12:02.175-05:00

Since Amber's Ayi (nanny) does not speak english, we have to find creative ways to communicate. One day she made us some food and wanted to leave instructions for Dave on how to best cook/heat it, so she left him a note on Amber's chalkboard. Since Amber likes to erase the chalkboard whenever someone writes on it, I took a picture and showed it to Dave when he got home.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-70058102382005929352008-12-09T09:47:00.006-05:002008-12-09T10:07:07.489-05:00

There is a restaurant, Ding Tai Feng in the mall complex across the street from us that was at one time voted the number one restaurant by NYT. They claim to have (and I totally agree) the best Xiao Long Bao (little basket buns or soup dumplings) in the city. Here is an article about xiaolongbao. If you have never had one, it is a little bun shaped dumpling that is filled with pork or crab and

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-41547795461340410772008-12-09T08:43:00.003-05:002008-12-09T09:47:20.318-05:00

but if your foot is so big they don't even sell boots in your size, you will get laughed out of the store!I have been wanting to buy a pair of tall black boots since i didnt bring mine and because they are everywhere from 399rmb to 1888rmb. I have been looking around a little from time to time when i pass a shop, but I could not really try any one since 1) I did not know what my size would be in

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-33878216028107315852008-12-08T10:28:00.001-05:002008-12-08T10:30:23.337-05:00

A little contest that will become a semi-regular feature. Leave a comment with your guess. Answer will be left as a comment in a few days to a week.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-52272782451773113332008-12-08T10:21:00.003-05:002008-12-08T10:27:31.332-05:00

all the buildings around here are nuts, in the architecture sense.... but these really stand out.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-67682707291405308262008-12-08T10:06:00.004-05:002008-12-08T10:19:56.389-05:00

We went Christmas tree shopping on Saturday. Around here its either a very plastic fake tree (think bright colors, silver or white) or a live tree in a pot, or an insane amount of money for a dried up tree imported from Denmark. We opted to go with the tree in the pot. To purchase one, we needed to go to a flower market. There are several around, but only one that was less than a 30 min cab

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-74293901929223511202008-12-08T09:57:00.005-05:002008-12-08T10:05:41.233-05:00

Every Sunday (well, really every day just not in the same numbers) people come to one area of the old town to sell their goods in what is called the Sunday Ghost Market (named b/c people show up so early on Sunday that the locals believe only ghosts are awake at that hour). They may not have ghosts for sale, but you can find just about everything else... This guy will fix our shoes right on the

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-34428280544914891092008-12-07T10:14:00.003-05:002008-12-07T10:16:15.638-05:00

This guy was selling rubber gloves. He made me laugh. I love how my picture captured the other guy with his hand to his head.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-85480979947654569292008-12-07T09:59:00.004-05:002008-12-08T10:21:42.493-05:00

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-90006722537458727352008-12-07T09:39:00.002-05:002008-12-07T09:58:53.674-05:00

I keep running into buddha heads...

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-31722364433488169292008-12-07T09:32:00.004-05:002008-12-07T09:39:39.652-05:00

For some reason the Shanghainese like to wear their brightly colored fleece pajamas out and about. Some people wear them with the big cheap slippers you can buy on any corner, other choose to complement them with a nice pair of pumps or heels. The first few times I witnessed this, I just assumed it was some lazy people. After the several 100th person, I now know that it is a strange phenomenon

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-66468751918738157142008-12-07T09:26:00.003-05:002008-12-07T09:31:50.470-05:00

There are so many kinds of oranges here. None of them are the same as those from CA of FL or even clementines. Most are very very sweet and you can easily eat dozens in one sitting. Some are as small as cherries and you can eat the skin and others are larger than grapefruit. You can find them everywhere... supermarkets, corner markets, on blankets, bicycles, and by the truckload.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-22487437943860211702008-12-06T10:04:00.002-05:002008-12-06T10:06:40.539-05:00

Its been a week and I have not posted anything... sorry. I have been crazy busy getting ready for Amber's birthday and now christmas that I have been too tired at night to write anything, and I am once again having hard drive space issues, so all of the pictures from the last week are still on the camera cards.Stay tuned for lots and lots from this week.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-70170413523957710562008-12-05T03:38:00.007-05:002008-12-07T04:13:54.413-05:00

Amber turned 2 today! She woke up to find a new kitchen (new b/c we have one back in Wellfleet, so this is actually her second kitchen). Comparing this kitchen to the other is like wal-mart sheets to egyptian cotton. The sad thing is that this one is an exact replica (well not even a replica, it is the same thing) as the little green and wood one sold at many stores in the US for between $99-

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-31647039235470715542008-11-29T08:14:00.003-05:002008-11-29T08:20:40.525-05:00

After the night of Cry-it-out when Amber fell asleep on the doll bed, Daddy refused to let it happen again. So I decided it was his turn to deal with getting her to sleep. The new routine is bath, jammies, brush teeth, mommy turns off the lights and rocks and sings for a while, then tucks into Amber bed and gets Daddy. Daddy comes in and lays in bed and tells her a story and convinces her its

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-10168637871349215822008-11-29T07:36:00.004-05:002008-11-29T08:09:54.226-05:00

Article of clothing: pumpkin hat -- I do not have a recent picture, but for some reason this week Amber has taken quite a liking to her pumpkin hat.... so much that she sometimes will not take it off! Last weekend we were out and about and she was all of the sudden very upset going on and on about the pumpkin hat... "where's pumpkin hat", "amber lost pumpkin hat" it was so sad, her voice was the

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-61974246826359210952008-11-29T01:48:00.000-05:002008-12-22T02:00:37.930-05:00

Daddy had to work all day, so we decided to go to the JW Marriott for their Thanksgiving buffet. Amber has several thanksgiving day outfits, (notice that the red dress was worn on last year's thanksgiving):I had called ahead to make a reservation but for some reason they could not find it when we arrived (and we were an hour late), so we got to sit at a special table that was actually outside

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-50077119023920597102008-11-28T09:27:00.004-05:002008-11-28T09:59:04.090-05:00

Yesterday we made and stuffed a turkey... ok so it was not an edible turkey, but far cuter. We got the idea from The Crafty Crow, with instructions on this blog. We started by tracing Amber's hand on felt. I cut out 2 at once. Next I hand stitched them together.Stuffing it was a little more challenging than stuffing a real turkey, but only b/c Amber has such tiny long fingers.Next I cut out

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-43934842480160952622008-11-28T08:54:00.002-05:002008-11-28T09:27:11.006-05:00

Amber begged and begged to do rubber stamping earlier this week. It was a short, sweet, messy activity but it made her smile.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-43400756533018046642008-11-27T01:49:00.004-05:002008-11-27T10:40:39.166-05:00

Its been 4 weeks since we arrived, and today is thanksgiving. So I thought I would take sometime out from regular posts about Amber or with pictures of silly things around Shanghai and spend some time focusing on describing in words what it's like here...I thought I knew what to expect, and what I would learn about. Much of those expectations have been on the right track, but the shocking

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-63683109281815686432008-11-27T01:40:00.000-05:002008-11-27T01:44:51.324-05:00

Today, the first day in exactly 4 weeks of being here, my blog is on the otherside of the great fire wall! How am I posting this? I can access via www.proxy4china.com but I can only add text. So the first thing that I am thankful for this thanksgiving is proxy4china! yay!Hopefully it will be back on this side again soon, b/c i have a lot of time and a lot of pics I want to post.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-65611109008460526422008-11-22T10:52:00.003-05:002008-11-22T11:09:54.869-05:00

I think I now know the answer to this question... parents like me. It all started in the middle of the summer when we were on vacation in Europe. We went to dinner when Amber was sleeping in the stroller. When she woke up there was a full suit of Armour staring at her (from behind Dave). She was scared of it at first but then became curious... That night she would not go to sleep. It was

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-11991915092467877442008-11-22T10:28:00.004-05:002008-11-22T11:14:21.755-05:00

I should have learned a couple weeks ago when reading a friend's blog to steer Amber away from balloons if I wanted to keep the peace for the afternoon, because although parents think balloons make kids smile, in the end something always goes wrong. Today we were walking down the street and there was a guy on a bike with a big bouquet of balloons. They were very bright and colorful and I wanted

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-56484761988278596532008-11-22T08:32:00.003-05:002008-11-22T08:44:07.367-05:00

So these pictures are really not as exciting as the title makes them sound... (i didn't take any pics of the food!)Here is Amber who was starving after being dragged through floors and floors of isles of booths at the fabric market. The poor girl kept asking when we were going to Lunch with Daddy (b/c thats what I told her when we left this morning, 3 hrs before we actually ate).Since we were

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-2340561083145794332008-11-21T11:19:00.003-05:002008-11-22T11:40:22.767-05:00

Food: Sushi -- we went out for sushi one night this week and Amber had her first real sushi! (it was slightly seared tuna belly). Dave cute it up and reformed the rice to make her little toddler bites. She LOVED it! We were of course drinking cold sake and she had some crazy juice that was cloudy white just like the pearl sake. Sadly I didnt bring the camera.Game: color matching -- (this is

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-16431709922775908572008-11-21T03:29:00.003-05:002008-11-21T05:20:13.880-05:00

They make soup out of just about everything here.... whole chickens, fish heads, turtles, shark's fin, bird's nests, etc. Luckily they really don't make toddler soup.There was a funny Campbell's chicken broth marketing thing going on today. We waited in line and went in the little building where there were 3 chefs making soup. You got a taste if you waited for it. At the end you gave your

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-22831198711503444182008-11-20T09:04:00.003-05:002008-11-20T09:15:56.768-05:00

For some reason Amber calls all older chinese women NaiNai (grandma). She calls all young girls (waitresses, our realtor, teachers, girls we meet out and about) Lisa. The reason for this is that the main older Chinese woman that Amber is familiar with is her NaiNai. Dave's cousin is named Theresa and she is really nice to Amber, but Amber cannot say Theresa, she just calls her Lisa.Here is a

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-59899051736056993912008-11-20T08:29:00.005-05:002008-11-20T08:56:31.970-05:00

Just when I thought being in China was alone enough to claim I was living in the world's largest dollar store (because stuff is so cheap and everywhere from shops to little markets to backs of bikes to blankets on the sidewalk), I actually found a building, or really about half a dozen buildings all seeming to fight for the title of largest junk store. These markets make Canal Street or the

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-24988386366488550062008-11-20T08:14:00.003-05:002008-11-20T08:27:25.064-05:00

yes folks, these are the Christmas decorations I get to buy this year...I'll have a gaudy, gaudy Christmas;It'll be the cheesiest time of the yearI don't know if there'll be snow,but I'll have a cup of beer.We'll have a gaudy, gaudy Christmas;And when we walk down the streetwe'll Say Ni Hao to friends we knowand everyone we meet.Oh, ho, the plastic mistletoehung where all can see;Somebody sold it

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-26412219380924969012008-11-19T09:48:00.002-05:002008-11-19T10:09:25.073-05:00

Today was day 3 of Amber's Ayi. (Ayi is nanny/maid in mandarin). We currently have 2 Ayis, one who comes to clean and the other comes to play with Amber and teach her mandarin. I was originally intending to stay home most of the time with them, but it didnt go very well the first day... Amber just wanted me to hold her or cling to my leg. So day 2 I went downstairs to the gym. Today I went

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-66514690744629109192008-11-19T09:18:00.005-05:002008-11-19T09:40:25.646-05:00

Food shopping is not as easy as it was in NYC or even Wellfleet. There are 5 main methods of getting food. 1. Street markets/wet markets -- I cannot believe I do not have a picture to post here, I will go take one tomorrow. In all of the local areas there are either street markets, where most of the street is just people selling some type of food, maybe from a shop or a bike, or a blanket on

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-5962759451130083242008-11-17T02:52:00.007-05:002008-11-17T03:28:39.667-05:00

Here are some recent pictures of Amber, mostly playing at home:Putting baby and carebear to sleep in the "little bed".Reading in the "reading circle"Happy on the couch!Making play-dough porcupinesCarrying a big leaf with daddyplay dough funCutting her new food!Little people on the farm"Little people going potty" (she lined them all up like that and notice how she separated out the little figures

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-17668304838366046492008-11-17T02:13:00.003-05:002008-11-17T02:19:06.113-05:00

There is lots and lots of street food or fast food here. From time to time I will post pictures or tell stories about our experiences in this new section "fast food in china".This guy was making some type of rice and veggie mixture. Not sure of the exact price (we didnt buy any) but from the sign it looks like you get a serving for 0.8rmb which is about 11cents, which makes sense given that dvds

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-89569398054128305062008-11-17T02:05:00.005-05:002008-11-17T02:49:40.895-05:00

Today we went out and about and we bought a few things:Cute reusable bags that fold up into little strawberries: 10rmb (~$1.25 each)Roll of little trash bags: 2rmb (~25cents)Roll of tape: 2rmbScissors: 5rmb1 meter of red satin for inside the christmas stocking I am making for Amber: 10rmbWe also added a few more dvds to our ever growing collection: (the picture is of the whole collection as of

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-2003684136918841832008-11-17T01:53:00.003-05:002008-11-17T02:49:53.925-05:00

In recent years people have started having dogs (mostly little dogs) as pets. When we are out walking around we see a few and Amber always gets very excited.... but never as many as in NYC.... and rarely do we see them in parks. The older chinese (usually men) go to the park for a while during the day and rather than bringing their dog out for some excersise and socialization, they bring their

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-79168731610888207692008-11-17T01:34:00.002-05:002008-11-17T01:53:36.789-05:00

Remember that pile of bamboo that was blocking my sidewalk last week?Here is what happened to it: (notice that it is still blocking my sidewalk)

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-83006145403296228112008-11-16T03:30:00.000-05:002008-11-17T03:49:55.643-05:00

We have 52 light switches in this apartment! They are very complicated and all labeled in chinese. Here is just one bank of switches (each white thing can have 2-4 functions b/c you can push either the whole thing or the left of the right side).

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-339128384461878962008-11-15T02:26:00.005-05:002008-11-17T02:50:53.260-05:00

Nature item to look for: "Circle Moon" -- Any time the moon is full Amber calls it circle moon and loves looking for the moon in the sky. She gets very sad when we are out walking and a building gets in the way, she calls out "can't see it, can't see it" with a very sad and disappointed tone.Activity: counting -- for the past few months Amber has been working on counting. It really started last

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-39494027023184843782008-11-13T09:52:00.004-05:002008-11-13T10:06:08.502-05:00

Today we went for a long stroll b/c it was such a nice day. We wandered over to the area with the little markets that I had tried to find last weekend. I found it and found the sticker stall and wood toy stall far too fast. So fast that I spent most of the cash that I brought with me for the day. In wandering over to the umbrellas, I past a woman selling mittens and gloves that she claimed

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-29284510617945706612008-11-12T10:22:00.003-05:002008-11-12T10:27:07.163-05:00

Things you just dont see in NYC:Giant pile of giant bamboo on blocking the sidewalk (this was blocking the sidewalk right outside our building this morning)Man carrying giant frozen fish across an intersection and down the street (i waited far too long to take a picture of this one. I was standing right next to this guy at a stoplight. He was holding the frozen fish by the head and taping the

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-23954600448237913322008-11-12T10:15:00.002-05:002008-11-12T10:19:06.025-05:00

Around here you just don't drink the water. Many people don't even bathe in the water without a filtration system. Bottled water luckily, is cheap.... but not as cheap as this beer. I paid 28cents for this bottle! (an equivalent of water is 35cents).

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-57138753178294964892008-11-12T10:11:00.003-05:002008-11-12T10:15:47.913-05:00

Its been almost 2 weeks since we arrived and no chicken nuggets for Amber. I searched in at least 8 stores and not one had any type of frozen nugget :-( Luckily, Amber truly is chinese and has a great love of dumplings and buns both frozen and in restaurants. We might actually be able to survive!

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-25654043301721105672008-11-12T10:07:00.003-05:002008-11-12T10:11:11.872-05:00

The other day we were out exploring and wandered into a little bakery. I saw some green bread which I thought might be pistachio flavored (had little nut looking pieces in it). I bought the bread and strolling along we went. A little bit later Amber is going on and on about something. I realize she is saying "Green Toast mommy, green toast" and trying to get the bread out of the basket under

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-80756214065352831322008-11-11T09:31:00.003-05:002008-11-11T09:41:05.672-05:00

Since I have so many NYC readers, I wanted to write a really big post comparing and contrasting Shanghai and NYC, but it might take me too long to gather all the photos that I need. Instead, I will just create little posts from time to time.Shanghai has more green space than NYC. Although there are more highrise buildings in Shanghai, they are more spread out, which allows for random greenery

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-83256757943607630512008-11-11T09:20:00.003-05:002008-11-17T02:50:12.768-05:00

Today we went to the fake market to get me a coat. I got a North Face windbreaker/fleece for $13, a Healy Hansen down vest for $7, and a LeSportSac bag for our new stroller (should be here soon) for $8.50!!! We then went to Dim Sum where Amber would just not stop eating! She ate about 5 shrimp (from inside dumplings) and then ate 2 small dumplings and 2 HUGE dumplings, and drank a big glass of

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-2709867461440074132008-11-10T09:34:00.008-05:002008-11-10T21:07:27.454-05:00

I like to post about one or two specific things and just have many posts in one day if needed... however I am way behind, so in order to just get everything posted here is a big one.Saturday we headed out early to a big furniture mall to check out some beds that were hopefully a little softer than the floor. Through my research I learned that there are at least 4 of these big malls. Same idea

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-43204592026859419322008-11-07T10:19:00.004-05:002008-11-17T02:51:11.894-05:00

song/dance: Hokey Pokey - Amber will start singing random parts of the song at various times throughout the day. Some times she says "Hokey Pokey" just perfectly, other times its a total consonant mess. She spins round and round saying "thats what its all about"toy: baby bed from ikea - she can actually carry the bed around and she brings it all around the apartment. I turn my head for a second

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-71689551902104460472008-11-07T09:38:00.004-05:002008-11-10T21:07:52.581-05:00

So as I mentioned yesterday, the cheap umbrellas are not made to last long. Today was my second use of the umbrella and I think it made it about 25min.It was pouring today. The Ayi (maid), was here from 9:30-12:30 and Amber hates the vacuum so I decided we needed to be out of the apartment... and I had really wanted to venture down the street to the diaper market. Shanghai, much like New York

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-79560023151563204822008-11-06T08:13:00.005-05:002008-11-10T21:08:11.291-05:00

Today was a really dark, gloomy, overcast, rainy day. We went out only to attend our first Gymboree class, (which was a dissapointment), and later to look for dark beer. So, I didnt get any more pictures taken. Since we spent so much time inside today, I remembered to write about the lack of paper towels in china.China is very 'green' when it comes to paper and plastic. There are not any

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-84556034439417112772008-11-05T08:42:00.006-05:002008-11-10T21:08:22.752-05:00

We arrived on 10/30. Just in time to find out about the trick or treating that was happening in our building. We all met in the lobby and then crammed in the elevators and entry ways. (in our building, there are 4 elevator banks, and about 30 floors, well not really 30, b/c there is no floor 2,4,13,14,24 and probably at least one other number is omitted for some superstitious reason). There

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-65269821408122819282008-11-03T09:13:00.004-05:002008-11-10T21:08:35.703-05:00

Today was Dave's first day back at work since our big move to China. So, that means it was Amber and I's first day on our own. Unfortunately we spent the morning waiting for our Ayi (maid) to arrive and attempt to explain to her using charades what we wanted done and that we didnt have any cleaning supplies, here is some money and do what you can and then go shopping. Next we had a few hours to

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-67221002901626287792008-11-03T09:11:00.004-05:002008-11-17T02:51:37.423-05:00

We arrived a few days ago. Took a while to get adjusted to the time difference (still not fully there yet), and had several hiccups to deal with, one being that we didnt have internet! It is now fully operational and I can once again blog about our daily events.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-11564342592171717232008-10-29T09:02:00.001-04:002008-11-10T21:08:56.231-05:00

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-77044116420302756052008-10-25T21:58:00.004-04:002008-10-25T22:50:35.378-04:00

I have been making myself go out and enjoy nature as much as possible before we take off for the big city. Here are a bunch of photos of walks we went on in the last few days

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-87629579526394442392008-10-25T21:32:00.002-04:002008-10-25T21:49:32.754-04:00

Today we marched in the Wellfleet Halloween Parade! All the kids walked down main street to the playground near the pier. At the playground there were refreshments and candy and decorations, it was fun. Amber is a natural in parades, she waved at everyone, all 20 people watching (b/c everyone else was in the parade).

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-45651707125072808502008-10-24T22:09:00.004-04:002008-10-24T22:18:57.518-04:00

song: great big starsbaby doll activity: nursing the baby (on either side of her belly button and while walking around)iPhone game: iBowl (she beats me every time)Letter: M & W (she likes to take the foam one we have and turn it over calling it 'm' then 'w')Toy: Magna doodleNature item: mushrooms (she can spot them on the trail faster than I)Stuffed Animal: PandaFood: Lamb chops (daddy made some

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-71223933699399929232008-10-23T16:43:00.003-04:002008-10-23T16:50:41.094-04:00

--What not to do with your grand cherokee--And we thought we were going digging for clams--I guess pick your own oysters CAN be more expensive than at the store--We needed one more adventure before we left for China--Working from home--How to end a toddler nap abruptly

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-19430017779497829662008-10-17T20:26:00.002-04:002008-10-17T20:30:33.897-04:00

All of the following were self-inspired and achieved by Amber alone:- Zipped her vest- put her shoes on the correct feet twice!- closed and locked the kitchen door- broke a rice bowl by throwing it across the room- went to bed 30 min early! (ok so she didnt achieve this all alone, but she insisted on getting started with the bedtime routine 30 min early)

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-90284489990704016492008-10-15T09:10:00.004-04:002008-10-15T09:30:01.281-04:00

The other day while we were cooking dinner and Amber was entertaining herself all around us, I found her working on a giant sudoku puzzle :-)Actually what happened is one day I had some puzzle from someplace and I didnt have paper so I used some of her easel paper and just made it really big. She was standing there looking at the numbers with a crayon in her hand tracing over them and saying the

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-59109193508601046762008-10-15T00:43:00.000-04:002008-10-15T09:10:20.194-04:00

this fun activity buys me about 10 min in the morning to get coffee and breakfast made :-) Amber enjoys telling me which is the big banana and which is the new little piece she just cut.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-38755292217010647012008-10-15T00:32:00.004-04:002008-10-15T00:42:58.983-04:00

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-90087310962355830422008-10-11T23:22:00.006-04:002008-10-15T00:32:29.536-04:00

Thanks to Amber's new love of big and little, we have reached another practically overnight, sleeping milestone! For the past 11 months, Amber has gone to bed relatively easily in her own bed but when wakes up a few hours later and finds herself in our bed. Lately the reason is that she does not have her own room (again). She used to wait around 4hrs, about the time I was coming to bed... this

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-43461385480050121562008-10-09T20:10:00.004-04:002008-10-09T20:53:20.119-04:00

This week Amber has done several things that I feel should be captured here, I wish I could do a post about each of them, but I dont think I have it in my tonight, so instead here are bullets of each cute thing:- Amber has been obsessed recently with big and little. She labels just about everything and it is fascinating to me that she understands that a big mushroom (we look for mushrooms on our

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-65968737798738349842008-10-09T20:04:00.002-04:002008-10-09T20:09:18.976-04:00

.. oh wait what happened to the rest of september and first half of Oct? My computer died AGAIN! and we were doing more traveling, this time to oklahoma and back to nyc for a few days. I am sure I will never have time to blog about the gaps, oh well. But its now mid October and Pumpkin food is in full swing. I currently have 3 types of pumpkin ale in the fridge, I have Pumpkin Spice creamer

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-1986601616423059892008-09-12T23:40:00.003-04:002008-09-12T23:49:09.298-04:00

Song -- Hello Buddy (Hello Everybody)Toy -- My old cabbage patch kidWord -- lighthouse (we went to see a couple of lighthouses out here on the cape this week)Game -- Finding China, Wellfleet and France on our little globeActivity -- Tea Parties and changing the babies diaperFood -- Cottage Cheese (back to her old favorite)Obsession -- watching videos of Cleo and Nathan on the computer

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-81519893582500557802008-09-12T13:15:00.004-04:002008-09-12T13:31:33.354-04:00

There are things Amber has learned the past year that I totally understand.... "pone! Pone! Pone!" what she used to call the phone. Obviously this would be one of the first things she called by name and obsessed about, how could she not... Daddy is on his 97% of the day! ~Oct 07"In this. In this." "Oh, you want to get in the car seat?" "yeah". ... ... "ok, lets get you out of your seat and you

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-56411011319603416962008-09-12T09:04:00.004-04:002008-09-12T09:13:40.897-04:00

I dont know how I managed to capture this, but i love it. Dueling tongue sticking out.

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-21041578428106561702008-09-10T21:57:00.003-04:002008-09-10T22:47:58.551-04:00

or you might end up like me.... carring you kid over your shoulder passed out for nearly 1.5 miles.It was a beautiful 65 degree afternoon, so i decided to take amber on a walk around a pond. It was a trail I had never been on before, but from the road it looked like a nice path around a pond that you could even take a stroller on.... so I decided to just let her walk and explore nature. one

rtsbeaconhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043561460832564618noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-563018560657780535.post-80732702491617320142008-09-10T11:46:00.004-04:002008-09-10T16:31:13.912-04:00

Amber likes to sing her own version of one of the songs from music class, its called Hello Everybody, and in the song you sing people's names or when i sing it, the name of anything.... but when Amber sings it, its just Hello Buddy. (in the beginning of this video she is singing part of another song). This was in our hotel room in Paris, Amber has already learned (on her own) that first

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