Week 214 and Week 126.5 - Mother's Day

Last week was Mother's Day.  And we returned back to Hard Rock!  We are fans of their brunch.  It is a perfect storm of kiddie delights - pre-portioned arts and crafts with the backdrop of music for our dancing fool kids.  The girls' unfettered enthusiasm for coloring is quite adorable.  Plus the food is good and reliable (on a side note, I once had a consultant from NYC bash Hard Rock in Singapore after I suggested he go there for a burger - perhaps it was too pedestrian for his hipster tastes.  I will always love Hard Rock - ever since my sister got me a T-Shirt from London 25 years ago - the programming is complete).  The girls made me Mother's Day cards at Hard Rock.  It was a great Mother's Day as it was relaxed and the kids were happy and I squeezed a nap in. :)

Matt is in Prague at the moment, soaking in the beautiful city under the guise of a 'work' meeting.

Sophia is at a point where she needs someone to sleep with her all night (Yaya or I).  But she also is pretty good at the overnight potty training - perhaps exceeding Charlotte!  Sophia will cry and tell us she has to go - even if it is at 2 in the morning.  Even Charlotte does not do that yet.  We are happy to see dry diapers on both accounts.

Sophia likes fancy gold cars:

And popcorn:

And coloring - the girls like coloring!

Sophia wanted to dance:

I love this shot - coloring in front of a row of (paper) guitars:

More glitter tattoos!

A more age appropriate daschund for Char:

Sophia wanted to get hers with an apricot in her mouth:

All busy:

Mother's Day photos!

Sophia enjoys the stage this go around:

Sophia protects her guitar:

Happy girls!

Week 213 and Week 125.5 - National Day and Liam's birthday

CS and Erica were in town and we went to eat dim sum with them on the holiday.  We then of course took pictures with the characters and I took the girls to the Venetian for the first time (we usually just stroll through the shops on the way to a dim sum restaurant).  The girls had a great time throwing coins into the canals.  A great rainy day activity.

Later in the day we met Yaya and went to a barbeque in a beautiful park by the China border.  The girls ran around in their dresses and then played in probably the nicest playground I have seen in Macau.  It was fun.

Last week we went to a new friend Liam's first birthday party.  He is quite a strapping and sturdy young man, this Liam.  On his birthday he had his first sweet - a chocolate cupcake.  Kudos to Ardyth for not giving sweets for one whole year!

It has been a busy work week for me and the last 2 days there has been torrential rain.  Rain so heavy that they cancelled school today (and I went jogging in it this morning).  Not sure what the girls are up to today (so rainy it is hard to even leave the house) but I am sure it will involve making cupcakes.

A funny thing happened recently - Sophia is in a parroting mood these days - and Charlotte was being naughty at dinner and I was threatening the ominous timeout.  So Sophia starts to also threaten the ominous timeout - and Charlotte gets bent out of shape.  I ask her what is wrong.  She says that Sophia is giving her a timeout.  And I tell her Sophia cannot give you a timeout - she is your baby sister.  Just tell her to hush.  But it is funny like that - Charlotte will let her baby sister put her in timeout.  You think Char would be the bossy one but it is actually the reverse.

I know -we have 100 versions of these photos:

CS and Daddy:

Erica and Sophia:

CS and Erica:

The Venetian!

Barbeque!

Eating on the run:

Friends and family:

Peering into the pool:

The girls discovers Badminton:

Turtles:

Park:

I forgot to post a picture of what I thought were Peppa Pigs that were really Percy Pigs for Charlotte's birthday:

Liam's party:

First cake!

Ardyth, Chris, and Liam:

Oh, and I got the girls haircuts this week!  These are the best $7 haircuts ever!  Here are the after shots: