We're Moving

We've had it with Blogger.

That's not fair - we've had it with Blogger in China.

Too unpredictable, too hit and miss.

So we're moving.

Check us out at http://www.hossacksthree.com/

We hope to see you there.

#*?&#*! China

We are experiencing lots of technical difficulty here in China with the blog.

WHY is blogger banned here? I have no idea!

We can get to our blog, but it is tricky, and quite honestly a pain in the butt.

Here's hoping things will be resolved quickly and I can start posting pictures again.



16 school days to go.

Blowing Bubbles in the Bath

Blake loves the bath. It is a sweet, laughy, splashy time of day!

This weekend Blake added something new to our bathtime fun. Scott held up water in his hands and blew bubbles in it. Then he held up two hands full of water for Blake to blow bubbles into. Blake pushed his hands aside, leaned over and put his whole face into the bath water and blew bubbles in the water.

We can't wait to get to Canada and play in Grandma and Grandpa's pool!!

My Fairy Princess

Last weekend Blake and I went to a baby shower. It was super fun. There was lots of food and lots of people to play with Blake. Everything was wonderful for a while.

And then it wasn't. Blake started getting bored and fussy right when Glynis was opening her presents. I wanted to see all the lovely gifts so my friend Sharon offered to look after Blake.

Thank you Shaz!

She took him to the neighbour's apartment where two wonderful little girls with many wonderful toys live. They played on the piano, in the toy kitchen, on Abigail's bed, AND Sharon found a fairy dress to dress him up in.

It didn't slow him down at all, but he sure looked funny.



Thanks to Todd and Joy for the photos.

Rituals

When I was about seven or eight months pregnant my friend Sharon and I went to Hong Kong on a shopping trip. When we were there we found a store that sold some really lovely stuffed animals and she picked out a soft, fuzzy bear for Blake. He showed no interest in this bear for months and months.

But that has all changed.

When we take Blake into bed at night he reaches for his bear and gives him a big cuddle, before he settles down for the night.

And each morning when we go into get him, he gives a big smile and then he passes up bear to us. We give bear a cuddle and then pass him back. Blake gives one last snuggle and then he is ready to start the day.

This is the reason we started this blog. These are the things I never want to forget.



We tried to stage a photo this afternoon, but instead of bear cuddles we had a fun game of peek a boo.

Bubbles

Blake LOVES bubbles - not the bath kind, those get in his way when he's playing with toys, but the bubble wand kind.

A couple times a day, Blake will lift the bubble bottle down from the shelf and hand it to you. Then he will watch in complete awe as the bubbles float around him.

After several moments of watching he will try to grab them and pop them. Then it's back to whatever he was doing before.

In other bubble related news - last night in the bath he blew bubbles in the water!! Scott showed him how and then held up a pail of water and Blake blew bubbles in it! Clever, clever baby!

Another Glorious Weekend in Shanghai

The weather has been fabulous in this part of the world! Weeks and weeks of sunshine, warmth and no humidity. I get nervous about checking the weather report, because this is really too good to be true and I'm sure it will all pack in before we leave.

We even turned our air conditioning on for a little while this afternoon after a certain baby woke up from his nap drenched in sweat! But mostly it been windows and doors open and fresh air!

We had another terrific weekend filled with walks, bike rides and play grounds. We also went to a baby shower, and skyped with Grandma, Grampa (Happy birthday Larry!!!!), Aunt Peggy and Uncle John. We ate lots, played lots and slept lots.

Here's Blake getting ready for a day outside - hat on and sunscreen in hand ready to slip, slop, slap.

Our compound has drained all their ponds and streams again, so no boots necessary.

Hope your Mother's Day was as happy as mine was.

Somebody call Aunt Reta...

...and tell her how cute Blake looks in the hungry croc outfit she gave him!
But you'll have to look quick because he's off again to slide down another slide!

One more reason to love Ling Ling

Yesterday afternoon we got off the school bus - no Blake.

We walked home expecting to see him inside the apartment - no Blake.

This is pretty unusual so I called Ling Ling to find out where they were - no service.

I kept thinking I could hear Blake in the foyer, but every time I checked - no Blake.

Finally I went outside to talk to our neighbour & was sure I was going crazy because I thought I could hear Blake again!

Then I really did hear Ling Ling calling my name. From inside the elevator!

Blake and Ling Ling were trapped inside the elevator just below our floor and had been there for awhile.

Ling Ling was awesome - calm, cool and collected. She and Blake had a pretty good time in there. One more reason to get down on my knees and thank heaven for Ling Ling.

Water Play

One of things Blake likes to do inside is play with water. He enjoys splashing around in the bath tub and sink and, I'm sorry to say, the toilet.

We often throw out some towels and some buckets of water and cups and spoons and let him make a big, wet mess.

It's awesome to watch how hard he concentrates moving the water from one container to another.

He was having a play on Monday night and I remembered my sister's desperate plea for some new video. Look how wet he is already!

This is for you Pegasus.