It's workout time!

A semi-regular (wish it were more often) event: starring Mom, Emma, Olivia, and baby Livy Doll, working out to baby Pilates/Yoga, all on the same mat. My abs get the most exercise due to continual laughing. Love my workout partners!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our family thankful tree...todays last thankful leaves say:
Thankful for...
Good food
God loves us
Family and friends
Sister Olivia and my purse.

Can you guess which one was Emma's? :)

Lookin forward to a little bit of this...







And a little bit of that...






 Ok, maybe A LOT of this and that. :)


Later.





P.S. Olivia took her first real steps this week!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Yeah! A "hoo-tell", Mom!

Some times living in a culture that's not our own, we enjoy little breaks away from our context to rest from the stresses of everyday life. Often times that means we go to a hotel that has nice grounds or a swimming pool for Emma. So for Emma, she knows when we go to a "hoo-tell" as she calls it, that means fun!

Enjoy the snapshots of our 48-hour vacation at a "hoo-tell" acually not too far from our house! It's hard to describe, but living in this city, there's not a lot of nature to enjoy. This is our little plot of grass which we are making the most of by planting a few trees. Growing up with a lot more green, this is one of the challenges for us as a family-- not having a big yard to run around in or a park to go to to play with the kids.

But at the hotel 20 minutes away, there's a beautiful campus of lush tropical vegetation. Ahhh, the fresh air, the birds chirping...no bustling city noises and away from all i-technology and texting. We loved every minute!

Yes, there is a mini amusment park in front of the hotel. Random but perfect for our family! This train went a little fast around corners. I was a little concerned I might tip it over! Thankfully, it remained stable.

Pool time!

Enough space to play and roll around!

Thanks Gardenia "hoo-tell"! Until next time.

More photos here.

"It's my happy birthday!"

Emma's 3rd birthday was a blast as she smiled from ear to ear the entire day. Old enough now to understand what the special day was about, Emma twirled, played, swam, danced, sang, played with friends and ate cake. She loved singing the Happy Birthday Song. Her little party with a "sweetheart" theme was too much fun to plan! She said she wanted everything pink and that's what she got!

We can't believe our sweeheart is 3! We wish friends and family in the States could've have celebrated with us!

Check out more birthday PHOTOS and our comments.