Hong Kong Disneyland - Oct 27-29 DAY 2

 Day 2 started with banana bread for breakfast with coffee and juice in the room and then off to Disneyland!  It wasn’t far from the Hotel so we hopped on the free bus and got there as early as we could.  Not very busy as its not a holiday anywhere so it was nice.  The weather was perfect for a day at a theme park.  Jevin was only too short for 2 or 3 rides so it was all nice to see.  We first took the train to get our bearings and then started walking around.  Lots to see and do.  There was a LONG LONG lineup to get photos with Mickey but Jevin was pretty leery about that still. 7 foot tall mice are pretty rare.   We did the rides, and ate lunch saw a 3D movie with smells, water bursts and forced air.  It was pretty cool.  So cool we did it twice.  Jevin was trying to grab the 3D stuff floating around.  It was very neat.  His favorite ride by far was the Buzz Lightyear ride.  Neon green, guns and aliens were everywhere, and there were no lineups.  We must have ridden on it 10 times.  When we walked out one time, the real life Buzz was hanging out so we got a photo op!  We did other rides and then found a seat to watch the parade.  It was pretty neat and Jevin was still tired from the travel and all the walking that day.  When he saw the parade, he got his second wind and even danced with some princess who I can’t name.  we walked around a bit more caught a couple rides and then waited for the fireworks.  And they were AWESOME! The park closes after the fireworks so we headed back to the hotel where we bought some food for breakfast the next morning and then were going to have a swim in the tub and then sleep.
We walked out and low and behold it was Donald duck!  Jevin wasn’t so shy by this point and got a hug and gave him a kiss.  We then went up to relax and sleep.  

 

here we are ..
Hong Kong Disneyland!

 

so high dad!
perfect weather!

 and a 'dolphin' too daddy!

 the Mickey Garden. Behind the garden is the train station

aaahhhh daddy! the pumpkin is eating my arm!

 entrance to the park. I thought it was neat

 on his first ride other than the train

 dad, there are pumpkins everywhere!

 this was our ticket

 dumbo ride

 our boat driver. Jevin was his assistant

 Tarzan's house

 Tarzan's old boat wheel

 here comes the parade!

 the tinkerbell princess stuff..

 Jevin got to dance with the princess

 and got a hug!

 loved this guy..

hint hint for Christmas anyone!

 and the cars! we didnt go on the first day.. 40 min wait.

 when we left the ride, there was Buzz! Jevin was a bit scared but it wore off quick!

 

 then more waiting for the fireworks

 

 before the fireworks there was an anniversary show with tinkerbell colors.

evening whale shot.

 

And Donald was waiting for us at the hotel.

Hong Kong Disneyland - Oct 27-29 DAY 1

 Jason and Jevin made a quick trip to Hong Kong last week.  It was unplanned, but necessary.  The details are in the update for those of you who get that.  Basically an unforeseen complication arose forcing the boys to make a visa run.... BUT they ended up at Disneyland, so it's all good.

I will clip and paste parts of the update as I wasn't there.  So below you will read Jason's comments.

We left REALLY early on Tuesday morning.. Like 3 am, so when we got to the hotel at 11 am we were both a bit tired.  However, check in was at 3 pm.  I went to the front desk and checked in and asked if we could get a room early as I wasn’t going to go anywhere as tired as I was.  They mentioned that check in was at 3 but I begged as Jevin and I were beat.. They agreed but I had to pay a bit more for a different room.  We promptly got to the room, Jevin was so happy that there was a swimming pool in our room (big tub) so he asked to go for a swim. Which I obliged.   We then took a 4 hour nap and went for a walk around the hotel. Not really all that Disneyish, but there were some things to do for him.  He got to make a handprint and color, and then we ate dinner.  By the time we looked at the clock it was 730 PM and time for fireworks out our room window.  We watched them for 30 minutes and they were fantastic!  We then watched a bit of tv.. of course Disney, then Jevin requested another bath and then went to bed.  Long day for both of us.

 

  5 am.. in the airport to quickly.. .wait..

 ahhh.. daddy.. this is so white! and soft..

 making take home hand prints.. cool.

we chose green

and they put spiders in our room..

Josie and the Kittens

 Auntie Joan has a bunch of kittens... Four to be exact.  Josie knows all their names.  After school everyday, she goes out an plays with her "friends."

 And her "friends" love her so much that they have figured out how to climb very high in the tree...

I think Josie actually put this on in the tree.

Josie's New Grade 2 Class

 Wow, talk about feeling welcomed into a class.  Auntie Joan took us to meet the teacher.  Josie will be in a grade 2-3 class.  This is what we found on a desk. 

She also has her own bin and a communication book.

 Two of the kids in her group were absent today, but Madison was very friendly and kind.  We met one of the two missing boys in town later when we were picking up school supplies. 

 In seconds Josie was playing with the other kids.  When they finish their work, they have center time.  It was so nice to see that everyone was so friendly.  It really put my mind at ease.  I really think she will like this new life.

 Here is another corner in the room.

 And another.

 And her closet (also with her name already in it).

 And another corner.

Now, scroll back to Josie's first day of grade one.
(Right side of the page --> 2010 --> August)
And compare... What a difference!

Big Changes

 As you all know, we have made a big life move.  I accepted a job in Canada.  Josie and I are here first.  Jevin and Jason will follow after all the things in the house are dealt with.  We had three flights to make it over to Canada.  I wanted to avoid any possible delays due to Air Canada's potential strike, so I chose to fly with Delta which also was half the price of Air Canada.

Here's Josie on the first flight.  She was so bright and chipper... 

We made it to Tokyo and it was all fine and dandy.  We had a two hour layover and made it to our gate with 30 minutes to spare.

When we got to Minneapolis, the delay was much longer. The only flight they had to Saskatoon was at 10 at night.  We arrived at noon, only three hours after we left.  Funny how that works.  We always gain a day flying to Canada.  

Nonetheless, we had a long layover which is a pretty good thing.  The customs line was sooooooo slow.  Then we had to re-check our luggage and re-issue our boarding passes.  It took a good two hours.  Most of that was just standing in lines.  Though comparing LA, Seattle and Minneapolis, I would have to say that Minneapolis was by far the most friendly.  Even the officer with the dog smelling our bags was friendly and chatty.  It certainly eased the boredom of standing so long. 

And I just thought that this police "scooter" was pretty cool.  It went rather fast as well.  Josie saw it moving and told me.  Before I could turn around it was gone.  I just caught the slight flash of white disappearing in the background.
At the airport there were so many information desks... They took one look at Josie and said go to the park.  It was so nice.  They had made a special play area for the kids.  Josie just went wild.  She was such a great girl.  She made friends and they played and I was able to lie down and catch a few winks. 
When we boarded our flight to Saskatoon, Josie passed out on the plane.  She was out the whole two hours.

Crossing Guard - Huatan Elementary

It's nice to know that Josie is protected when she is crossing the street.  At the main gates, there are two volunteers and a police officer helping the masses to cross.

At the south gate there is only one volunteer.

But our favourite entrance was the west gate... Not everyone can say that a vigilante helps them cross the street.

Seriously though, I think they just got the word volunteer and vigilante mixed up. 
It was really cute.  The man thought that I thought he was a police officer and that's why I wanted to take a picture. "No police.  I no police."  I told him that I just wanted to take a picture of his back. :P

Gary Bee's 9/25

 We decided one afternoon that we should try out that new restaurant in town.  It's a Chili's copycat, but since we didn't have to go all the way to Taichung we decided to give it a shot.  Good thing we went at 4 because at 5 there were no tables left.

Jason just had to give the special a try.

 It was HUGE. 

 We were shocked when it arrived.

And yes, he did finish it!

Cinnamon Buns 9/24

Jason tried his hand at cinnamon buns.  He used the bread machine to make the dough and then rolled them out himself.  I must say they were very tasty.  Jevin was all over these things.  He couldn't get enough.  And as proof of their splendor, James, our co-worker, even ordered some for his family.  Jason was soooooo flattered.  For the recipe, email Jason.  They were truly scrumptious.