we have had a great weekend. i love being in hong kong for chinese new year. everyone is dressed in colourful traditional costume, the streets are filled with families together, walking to another relatives home. children skipping along in reds, pinks, blues and yellows, carrying lai see packets and looking back at their laughing parents enjoying the opportunity to laugh with their spouses and families.
the triumverate are no longer napping in the mornings, we have that up this week. so yesterday we packed up and left the house around 9.30am and drove to a nearby mall, the international finance centre. the ifc is one of hong kong's newest malls, home to upscale shops, and home to several thousand offices. but it is surprisingly deserted on the weekends, particularly chinese new year when many hk'ers are out of town.
we had a great time walking around ifc, the children were thrilled with the views and decorations and admired the shop windows greatly. at around 11am jasper decided that he had had enough of this walking business, and slumped down beside abercrombie and fitch or timberland. wearing his osh kosh jacket and grey corderoys, he could have been in a vogue print ad fo rthe shop, with the tag line: not much longer now.
we then took the troops for lunch, which they really enjoyed. magnificent and i aren't foolish enough to believe we have the world's best behaved kids, but we do know that while they are still contained in high chairs, dining out is a relative pleasure for us. and it was true, it was another excellent meal.
after naps, we went to park and shop for a huge shop up, and afterwards, since the rain was still pelting down, for a family drive. it is so nice to be at this stage, where we can be out of the house for the majority of the day.
today, the weather was fantastic, and after church we came home and had lunch, and after naps we got the four seater tricycle on to the tot yacht (the seven seater van), and headed off to walk bowen road. the sky was brilliant, the sun was shining, despite the mosquitoes, it was fantastic. our friend angela and her daughter kaila joined us, and seb had fun either running or pedalling the trike. we finished off the day at the playground, then loaded up and headed home.
after bath time i noticed that sebastian had quite a few mossie bites on his torso. or wait....
are
those
red
marks
chicken pox?
i think so. they're red bumps right now, and if they are indeed the pox, they should blister in a few hours. i can let you know then. in the meantime....argh. the babies will get it as well, i suppose that is inevitable...but better all in one lot.
the other day, a child i know was sent home from school with headlice. throughout the next couple of days it seemed my scalp was always itchy. and since spotting the possible pox on sebbie, i am now scratching all over the place. argh.
I wish that I were in Hong Kong so that Noah and Keighley could come over and play and then get the Pox too.... as awful as it will be for the next few weeks... I am glad that they are getting it when they are this young... either way you feel about it... you are in my thoughts with four itchy ones... 2 more sleeps until #3 arrives... thinking of your wonderful breakfast to me w/ Keighley... miss you lots..xo lyns
Posted by: lyns | January 29, 2006 at 08:31 PM
Hi! I am a rather new reader!! Sounds like a fun Chinese New Year!! Too bad about your kids coming down with chicken pox, but probably good to get all done and over with now... right??
Posted by: karina | January 30, 2006 at 01:21 AM
Chicken Pox - on four kids at once? I hope you and Charles have had it at least.
Posted by: joeinvegas | January 30, 2006 at 01:38 PM
My oldest is 13 and has yet to have the pox. I am so upset. Various friends over the years have called me up when their kids became exposed and I rushed over with my kids and spent hours with them.
Nothing. Their's would always end up with it, and mine with nothing.
My oldest has excema and all kinds of health issues. We REALLY wanted him to get the pox and get it over with. Now my youngest is 5 and still...NOTHING.
Envy you, but I don't envy you, if you know what I mean!
Posted by: laura | January 31, 2006 at 01:12 AM
sounds like a fabulous weekend! Until the pox that is.... :(
Posted by: karen | February 01, 2006 at 04:50 AM