Puddle Jumping

Well today we had our little costume party in the park. There was going to be a great turnout until it started drizzling but we still had four moms and little ones come out to play. It seemed a bit awkward at first... I hadn't seen Mousumi or Asako in several weeks and the little ones seemed a bit hestitant to play with each other but it didn't take to long for things to return to normal. The 15 minutes of pouring rain helped too.... Soda (Asako's boy) started running around jumping in puddles, followed by Hunter (Jill's son). And when Izzy realized it was okay to be in the rain she went nuts an Saytaki followed her. They all were soaked but they had a blast. I'm sure we'll be the talk amongst the Chinese... 'those foreigners... not only are their kids getting dirty... they're getting wet too... they'll be sick for sure.' LOL I could just imagine the thoughts of the ladies watching the kids jump/lie in the puddles. And tonight was an Alpha night so I had to buy Izzy a new outfit but that's okay.. I found this new little shop and got a pair of pants and long sleeve shirt (yes.. it was actually cold enough to wear them) for Izzy for a great price and she looked adorable as usual.

Well.. I have some pictures and videos to post but it's late so I'll do it tomorrow as I wait at home for our Tennis Master's Cup tickets to arrive. Wohoo!!!!

Oh yeah.. just a cute Izzy saying. She can now officially say her name but she calls herself... 'Izzybella' too cute.

Mommy... I broke it

Izzy: Mommy, Mommy
Me: What Isabella?
Izzy: I broke it
Me: You broke what?
Izzy: (with all seriousness and holding onto it) I broke my arm.
Me: What?
Izzy: (rubbing her arm) I broke my arm.

So I have her come over to see what she's talking about. I thought maybe she was talking about her shirt that was torn but she kept saying, 'No I broke my arm.' I moved her arm all around... it was okay. And then I realized she was pointing to the virus (wart like thingy) on her shoulder. She had scratched it and thought she popped it.

It was so stinkin cute! I thought at first that she was being funny because sometimes Mike teases her when she wants me to 'carryo' her and tells her my arm is broken... but no she was serious.

And now... it's 10:50 and she is still up, reading her Mickey Book and eating cheerios.

Sweet Izzy stories.

Boring Update...

So much has gone on and I've just been lazy about writing. So many sweet Izzy memories, fun surprises, decions to be made... and hopefully I won't forget those but if I try and go back to write about them I'll just get discouraged so alas...


Yesterday, we took a family run and it was awesome! We went a little over 13 miles and Izzy even ran a bit. We took a different route and even found some new places to explore which was fun too. But needless to say, I'm tired and very unmotivated to run again this week. LOL And I have all my speed workouts yet to do. A cute Izzy moment was when we got home... she was stretching with me. I don't know why it was adorable to me but it was. :)

Today I had yet another interview and I surprisingly enjoyed it. I don't normally enjoy interviews at all but this was at an English Center in fanling which is just two stops away from China. The owner was awesome, very sweet, a believer, friendly, etc... She is buildling her center and has offered for me to basically do whatever I wanted with just a few guidelines. Which sounds exciting to me. She's also totally willing to work around when I am available and Izzy can come to work with me if necessary. She's also willing to do some Cantonese/English swapping where she'll teach Izzy and I and I'll teach her. The whole time I was with her this morning, she was teaching Izzy. I loved it!

Anyway... there is one major thing that I need to find out before I can make a final decision so I'm praying that God will just give me wisdom on what to do.

So that's the past few days in a nut shell.

So exciting!

Well this week has been full of some exciting things and it's only Wednesday! Due to a lot of people missing, I was able to be at a different table at Alpha this week... one where almost everyone at the table is truly seeking the Lord and to hear their excitement about reading the Bible, having God speak to them, even just buying a Bible. It was humbling to be a part of that. It can be too easy to slack off in our spiritual lives because we've been following the Lord for even what seems like a long time or because we've grown up in the church and we feel we know everything. But answering some of the questions just reminded me of all the awesome things God has done for me and how exciting it truly is to develop our relationship with him and it was really a fun night.

And after I got home, I made a decision. Since we moved to HK, I've prayed for the opportunity to start a moms group. I prayed that God would build close relationships within these moms and I prayed that in time... God would open an opportunity to do a book or Bible study. And with pure JOY, I get to share that we will begin a book study on Biblical parenting within the next month!!!!! I am so simply stoked! After some prayer, I decided to talk to them all and see if they were interested in doing something like this and all have showed interest! What's absolutely great is that at least 2 attending are not believers but are willing to come for different reasons. So please pray for these ladies, this group and these two women that God would draw them unto Him during this time.

So exciting!!! And one little thing... I have another interview tomorrow for a Sat morning position. It's with the same school that was M-S but just Sat's and I'm excited yet really nervous as I have to do a 15 min phonics demonstration. Please continue to pray with me that God would just make it clear what He wants me to do. Then we have a fun staff party in the evening and the friday begins family camp!

And to top it all off... it's starting to cool off! Wohoo!

This week just ranks up there as one of the best!!!

Insanity

I feel like I'm going insane. I've been offered one job... have a second interview for another job... and have a 3rd interview in which we are working out the details of where to meet. This is what I wanted right?... or so I thought. But when I got the email in which I was offered the job, my heart sank... like I wanted to get the job... just didn't want to actually take it.

I dunno... I feel like I'm going crazy. I'd like something... but I want it to be on my terms. Simply because I don't need the job and I don't want it to take me away from my family. Am I being selfish? Does God want me to do this? Some would say that maybe He would as He's opened all these doors but could He just be giving me the option since this is something I was interested in? It's times like these where I wish God would audibly speak to me and tell me what to do. Because I want to do His will but with the feelings I have in regards to 2 of these positions... it just doesn't seem right.

And then this brings up another whole set of questions.... aiya

23 degrees

One huge adjustment for me living here continues to be the weather. Like it's Oct and it should be cold, or at least cool... I shouldn't be able to swim, shouldn't sweat the minute I step outside, shouldn't have to turn on my air con, you get the idea. I miss my long sleeves, sweaters, sweatshirts... pants.

But today... I'm just so excited that I have to post.... it's only 23 (or 77 depending on where I look) outside right now!!!!!! I can't even remember the last time I saw that number. I'm sure it will go up a bit throughout the day but wohoo!!!! Must take advantage of this.

Job Interview

Well today was an interesting day... I had a job interview for a NET (Native English Teacher) position at a Kindergarten. It all happened so quickly... I've been looking for something very part-time in hopes to make some extra income so that we could adopt. Word apparantly got aroudn that I was looking for something and I got an email last week about this position. I made the phone call and they wanted me to interview today. After talking with them, I was hesitant about the job but I thought it would be worth it to go to the interview which led to an interesting day for me and Izzy.

We hopped on the shuttle at 10 and due to a few mishaps... I was late to my interview. Thankfully they were late as well. :) But I also had Izzy with me, which they were fabulous about. They acutually offered for her to join a class but once she saw the little cars that's all she wanted so one of the ladies sat with her while I had my interview... it was really interesting... some interesting questions. But I quickly realized that it's not the right time. I think I would absolutely LOVE the job... but the communte, having to work on Sat, etc... it's just not a good idea right now. Though I think I will keep my eyes open for a similar position closer to home. So while I kinda feel like I wasted a bit of my day... I know I didn't at the same time. I actually got to see a part of HK that I'd never been too, I got to explore the mall our shuttle drops us off at and realized they have some great children's stores (Izzy is obsessed with Cinderella right now and I found a store that has TONS of princess things/toys, etc... and even a bunch of Dora stuff.. who she also adores... which is rare in HK) and I feel more prepared for future interviews. I also know as far as a job goes... what I want.

So anyway... tomorrow I actually have another interview for a job on Thursdays but I just got the notice so unless they allow Izzy to come... I'll have to wait. And I have another, I'm not exactly sure if it's an interview or a you've go the job let's discuss the details, meeting sometime this week for a friday night position which actually might work out really well. So we'll see what the Lord has in store. I'm looking for something that will give me an opportunity to reach out and minister but at the same time... doesn't take me away from my famiy or ministry with our church.

On a cute side note.... as I already mentioned Izzy's love for Cinderella... well today she was watching it while I was getting ready and I heard her singing along. It was too cute.

Cinderella

Sorry about the sideways shot... forgot to fix it first but need to get to bed so this will have to do for today. This pic shows what I wish Isabella didn't know how to do... use the DVD player. Does your baby book ask this question? Well mine does and it made me laugh that at 2 I could write that Izzy knows how to work the DVD player.


Isabella is in love with Cinderella and today she found this dress in her closet... (she now carries her stool whever she needs it... in the bathroom to brush her teeth, in her bedroom to turn on her light or get into her closet, the kitchen to get into the fridge) and insisted on wearing it and spinning in it. We actually have Cinderella on VCD (cheaper.. not as good quality dvd) so it comes in two disks and Izzy's prefers the 2nd disc where the mice are making her dress, the ball and so forth. She gets so sad when Cinderella gets locked into her room. So cute.

So anyway... once again I'm not leaving myself much time to write but I just have to share how excited I am that by putting the scriptures around the house and just reading them throughout the day.... I've memorized about 4 new verses in just a short time. This is huge for me... for some reason, I can memorize any music (for piano, sax, etc...) with relative ease but scripture has always been very difficult for me so I'm just stoked!

Have a blessed day!

Paci Update #2

She's doing great! No paci and she only asked where it was once today. Horray! What a star my baby is and even whe she's sick. Yup she's coughing again. Looks like to the Dr we go. Aiya....

Paci Update

Well... I thought 'Gamma' might like an update on how Izzy is doing without her paci so here's a quickie. She survived her first night with a short lived cry. I was quickly able to distract her and she was fine though now I think she's just adjusting to what to do when she's in bed. With her paci's she could lay down and still play with the one... now she has nothing to play with. She was up rather late last night... I headed to bed after 11 and she was still awake. This morning she asked for it and I reminded her that she wanted to send it to Papa and that was it. At nap time she took a bit to fall asleep but napped well without a cry. This evening she was great... just not tired. She asked for it once but I reminded her that it was gone and again she was just fine. I know there must be lots of people praying for her and me (lol) and we're both doing great. I just continue to pray that she will forget about it and that Sunday (a day when she tends to ask for it most) will go well and that she won't even think about it.

On a side note....

I've found it difficult to get in a regular, studying habit with Izzy around even though I have her nap time... that's when I'm most successful in getting housework done, etc... so I decided to take a different approach temporarily anyway... I have short devotional books in almost every room, plus scriptures and prayers plastered all over the place as well... so whenever I have even just a minute, I stop and read, pray, etc... It has absolutely been amazing for me. I have another blog entry about this but I haven't completed it yet but simply... I bought this book while I was visiting the states and it has been just been wonderful and included with this book is a website that will take you through 21 days (see I was right... it takes 21 days to make/break a habit) of different things to make you a better mom. I'm currently doing 21 days of scripture memorization and yesterday I was to choose a verse that was meaningful to me at that time and today I was to write it down in places that I would see it so I can read it often. So my verse(s) is:

Hebrews 12:1 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith."

James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up."

There are just some things that are going on that are not to be written on a public blog but I have to say... these two verses have touched my heart deeply these past two days. They were exactly what I needed to hear... I'm SO thankful to have a God that knows me, listens to me, speaks to me, loves me...

Have a blessed day!

Bye, bye paci

Well today... the paci fairy came and took Izzy's paci's away. Actually we were talking about being a big girl and when I told her that she wasn't going to have them tonight she asked if we could mail them to Papa. :) I know some would say I'm a bad parent for letting her have it this long but when you take public transportation as much as we do and often with a very tired and cranky child who has incredible will power well... it's nice to have something just to throw in her mouth that will calm her down. But alas.... her virus on her chin is spreading and it's just time. So if you think about us... pray that the next few days will go well and that Izzy will adjust well. I actually chose tonight because Mike comes home late on Wednesdays and he'll be gone late friday in preparation for the Trailwalker so I figured if she screamed... he'd only have 1 night to deal with it. However, it's 10pm and Izzy is still up playing in her bed. I wish I could go on as little sleep as she does.

I'm in week 4 of my training and it's going well. I'm actually following the plan which means only one real long run each week and I must say it's nice. Until July, I tended to run as long as I could as many days of the week as I could and while it really got me into shape... I burned out a bit. According to my Nike+ system, I've got approx 240miles (haven't updated it in the past few days) until I reach my 500 mile mark so I've made it a goal to run 500 miles by Jan 1st. That shouldn't be too big of challenge... about 20miles a week... I'll just need to be consistent in my training and not give up after the race.

I had other things to write about but now I can't remember so I think I'll go enjoy a few minutes with my hubby before hitting the hay.

Oh yeah... another cute Izzy story:

I put Izzy to bed and decided to run. I figured if she cried, I wouldn't be able to hear too much of it between the tv and my treadmill. So anyway... I finished my run and walked back to our room to put my shoes away when I noticed Izzy's light on. At first I thought ... oh I can't believe I forgot to turn her light off... no wonder she's awake. Then I remembered that I did turn her light off and wondered how she got it back on. There were no chairs in site. She came out of her room saying, 'up.. baby up. play?' So I told her she could have 5 minutes to play but she had to show me how she turned the light on. So she disappears and comes back with the stool we have in the kitchen. It made me laugh that she thought of that but also that she was kind enough to put the chair away when she was done.

Sweet Prayers

Prayer is a vital part of the rose family. We believe it's powerful, we've seen it change lives, we've experienced the closeness to Jesus that it brings. And it's very important to us that Izzy can experience these same things so we take every opportunity we can to pray together, to teach her how to pray, to talk about how God has answered prayer, etc... A few months ago, Izzy began praying at dinner and this was her first guided prayer.

Me: Dear Jesus Izzy: Jesus
Me: Thank you for foood. Izzy: food
Me: Thank you for drinks. Izzy: apple juice
Me: Thank you for friends. Izzy: friends
Me: Amen Izzy: AMEN!

Tonight... these were her sweet words.

Jesus, love you
Thank you (for) Kayla, Uncle Nick and Auntie Adelina (we spent the day together)
Mama joy
Sleep well
Heart, mind, soul, stank (aka strength)
Love friends, me (aka love my friends more than myself)
AMEN

Deep and Wide, Deep and wide


I love and am so blessed that she enjoys praying, she enjoys praying for others.. she often goes through the list of all family members. When I pick her up from Sunday School and ask her what she did... the first thing she always says is 'pray'. When we put her to sleep either at night or at nap time, she asks to pray.

Sweet, sweet prayers that I will always cherish.

Love Actually, 2007

Gotta love the fact that it is September 28th and we're still going strong with our swimming. :) Actually, I would prefer cooler weather but I won't complain about a tan that lasts pretty much all year round. LOL Anyway... you are not supposed to have cameras at pools here... I understand but it's always disappointing when I don't have proof of the one major way we spend our days or all the cute things Izzy does at the pool. But today we were the only ones there and everybody just adores Izzy so I thought they wouldn't yell at me for pulling out the camera but of course the only shot I got of her she looks goofy.

We leave this evening for our big purity retreat, Love Actually. I always enjoy these because it's so interesting to hear such differing perspectives on this topic between the boys, girls, different cultures, ages, etc... Last year was awesome because some of the girls really opened up and I'm praying the same for this year. We are breaking into smaller groups so hopefully they will feel more confident/comfortable to share. We're also doing the speaking differently this year so I'm praying Izzy will be okay tomorrow.

Mike's sharing the closing session on hurts, healing, etc... with another leader sharing a powerful testimony so I pray that God will use them mightily and that the whole weekend will be a good opportunity to look at purity in a godly and realistic way. I find at least for girls it's sometimes easy to blow off the things we're taught on purity because we want to dress a certain way, date a certain guy, and we can be unwilling to admit that what adults say is right, etc... but I pray the girls will be realistic in what the world says, what they really believe and what God's word says and that they would chose to be pure before God. So if you think of us this weekend, please pray that God will move.

Well... I'm off to get one more run in before we head out. Blessings!

And the race is on

I think I may have lost my mind. LOL I just registered for my next race and I registered for the 1/2 marathon! I can't believe how far I've come in enjoying this sport and actually being able to do it. I've always dreamed of running a marathon but I guess I never really believed I could/would do it. Now the marathon is still a ways away but I'm definitely getting closer.

So the half is at Disneyland. Mike and I had hoped to run in either Macau or Singapore this year but with Mike's vacation time starting each year in Oct we didn't want to use a lot of time so early in the year and we didn't want to just go overnight to run. The race is on Dec 2nd and I'm actually really excited about running and the training. I completed my half training back in June but then with the trip to the states and adjusting back to life here... well let's just say I need to do it again. I was just going to start marathon training but the miles for the long run were too high to begin with after a good 6+ weeks of very little running. But anyway.... I decided to do the 'improve your half' training schedule so it's a bit different and if I find myself back to where I was in early July I'll just jump over to the marathon training.

So anyway... Mike found this race for me and it turns out that it's raising money for children with HIV/Aids so I'm pretty excited that it's helping others too. Makes it more meaningful to me. And hopefully this will be a good prep run for the Hong Kong Standard Charter run that I did last year. Maybe I could push myself to run the full for that. LOL

It's supposed to be a gorgeous run too which will be awesome if the weather decides to cooperate too.

Mid-Autumn

People arriving as we were leaving.
A family self-portrait.
Izzy running with her lantern.


Well it took 3yrs but I finally remembered the exact night for Mid-Autumn (aka Moon festival... check out this site for more history and a picture of a mooncake

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival

and remembered before putting Izzy to bed. In fact, just so I wouldn't forget, I told Mike over and over what the plan was for Tues night so that something was set in stone and I wouldn't forget.

So we met Mike about 7pm at Ma On Shan park for some dinner under the moon (we just had dessert) and walking around with our lanterns. We were actually pretty early (most people didn't show up until 8:30ish and later when we headed home) but it was so neat to see families gathering with their dinners and lanterns sitting under the moon.

We bought Izzy a Minnie lantern this year and she had fun walking around watching all the other children.

It was a lovely evening weather wise so I'm glad we remembered. We had a great time walking around, playing at the park just being together and being a part of the culture. It was interesting to see so many people lighting red candles making offerings to spirits of the moon. I sometimes don't believe things until I see them and this was just another reminder to me of how many people really don't know Jesus and how many people believe in spirits, statues, etc..

We didn't participate in eating of Mooncakes... I personally won't spend the money on them (they're not very tasty) and we didn't receive any as gifts either but that was totally okay in our books... so I guess carrying the lantern was about as close as we'll get to celebrating this holiday Chinese style. LOL

Though I'm glad I finally experienced this. It was something and my pictures and video just don't do it justice.

There's not a whole lot to the video... just trying to show you what people do.. but it's dark and a bit hard to see. Though you do get a glimpse of a lantern catching on fire. :)

Bedtime needs...

Motherhood brings me so much joy, so many funny stories, so many things to smile about and here's just the latest. Izzy insisted on sleeping this way. We'll see how long it lasts but for now it's sweet, it's cute, and it's definitely picture worthy!

What a night...

Tonight was the greatest!!!! I'm just giddy because of how fun and exciting it was. We had friends over and I saw God at work in the hearts of two of the sweetest people I know. Amazing... God is so totally awesome and after a 'down' couple of days (nothing major just I think the down after a high of tons of fun and family time) it was so great to be reminded of His awesome power.

I had the opportunity to share how God can change us, how we have to be teachable/willing to change, how we have to be sensitive to God and His leading, how we need to seek God to know in what ways we need to become more like Him, etc... I was able to share a personal situation/struggle (Mom you'll never believe it!) and how scripture has helped me in that, and I was able to smile with my eyes at the fact that the person I was talking to, who is new to faith in Jesus... is already sharing the gospel with others! My prayer as I go to bed tonight is that I would have the zeal that she does to share Christ's love with others... that all Christians would. How many people out there are just waiting for someone to love them enough to share Christ with them?

Disney Pics

Well... I had great intentions of writing out a nice long blog but then I realized what time it was and decided it's time to go to bed. It's been a rough two weeks for the rose family... well mainly for Mike and Izzy. That darn pollution got the best of them again. Mike's got a serious sinus infection and Izzy's been put back on her meds in hopes to prevent asthma. Breaks my heart to hear her coughing so badly. She slept (if you can call it that) for about 2.5 hrs today but coughed almost the entire time. :(

If you think of them, please pray for them.

Well that's all for tonight. Here are two pics from Disney... we had a great time despite the sickness.

Isabella---Up in the Sky

'Elmo's World'

I'm not sure why this ended up so dark but the voice is all you really need to hear. I absolutely love that she's starting to sing along with me. Her favorite song right now is 'My God is so Big' and of course 'Elmo's World.' She's also become a big fan of the Wonder Pets. Not sure why but I have my cleaning time in the morning where she's allowed to watch Blues Clues and Dora but they are only on Mon-Wed so today was Wonder Pets and that's all she was interested in when we were printing out some coloring pages. Oh well....

Hope this makes you smile as much as it does me!