Week 184 and Week 96.5 - Jazz Festival and Larry's Birthday

I am so dreadful at getting this blog out on Wednesday - I mean dismal.  Char is not in school this week - something about a fall break - sigh - this caught us off guard.  We tried very hard for her break not to consist of potato chips and re-runs of Curious George (I am not sure how many times I have seen the Vietnamese market one and the psgeti one).  On Tuesday I stayed home and we played some outside as I was getting killed by mosquitoes.  Yesterday we went to the allergy doctor in Hong Kong where she was having an excruciating itch (for 15 painstaking minutes) during her skin prick test and... we found she is allergic to nothing.  But sneezing.  Seriously.  We are more confused now then before we went to the doctor.  No better way to spend your day off (of school!  of work!) than screaming bloody murder for all of Central Hong Kong to hear.

This past weekend we celebrated Larry's birthday at Fogo Samba - my new place.  The meat at its lunch special is nothing spectacular, but their salad bar is great (they even have a soup that tastes like KFC's mashed potatoes and gravy).

Sunday we went to breakfast - which I always think is a great idea in theory but always a disappointment in reality.  Sophia ate ketchup for breakfast.  Ketchup!  I think we eventually coaxed her to eat a bite of bread and egg with her ketchup.  In the evening we went to the Cotai Jazz Festival - a fun family outing indeed - and Sophia again just ate ketchup (there was a mid day snack - of almond butter).  Later this week she only ate congee... with the Sweet and Sour sauce package from McDonald's.  Clever bugger.

Charlotte is in the new phase of going to the bathroom by herself.... this is a welcome change as even last week she needs help putting her underwear back on.  Just think - in only another twenty months we could have two independent potty trained kiddos!  A mom can dream... :)

I am trying to learn flash photography again - just when you think you know something there is more to learn!
Some examples are in the post this week.

Sophia in her own reverie as she is getting her nails did:

Sophia is an image in yellow - from head to toe.  Obviously I had nothing to do with it:

DJ Sophia:

Girly Sophia:

Char's good luck rub on Larry's head:

See - rubs make me strong!

Naked eating:

Girls out on a stroll:

I can't think of a caption here:

Sweet ogling:

Happy birthday Uncle Larry!

Sophia feels good (well, sort of):

Not so good here (potty throwing):

Almond butter!

Cotai Jazz Festival - everyone loved Charlotte's glowing crown!

The tall Birkwoods!

The shorter Drakes:

Charlotte eats.  I attempted to make a 'relax' bottle - but need clear (not cloudy) glue - now it looks like an inedible strawberry milk bottle:

Kye girl TV faces!