happy halloween!

Celebrating Halloween with a two-year-old is a lot of fun.

I collect holiday books and stash them away most of the year; we pulled out our Halloween books a week or so ago. Mabel asks to read a "Haddoween book!" every day, usually more than one. One of her favourites is If You're Spooky and You Know It, probably because she loves to sing and dance.

We don't have many Halloween decorations, but she loves the ones we do have and points to them, "Haddoween!"

Mabel was a hamburger (like last year) and Clarke was a hot dog.

We practiced saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" all last week, but when we went trick or treating in our apartment building on the weekend, Mabel was pretty shy and wouldn't say either at first. Half the time, she'd put her bucket in front of the person and then hide behind me. About halfway through, she started whispering, "Thank you." The only person she said "trick or treat" to was Auntie Jo. Mabel also gave her a spontaneous hug, which was so sweet.

Clarke only made it through two floors before Tony had to take him home.

I talked to Mabel before we went trick or treating about the fact that she might not be able to eat all of the candy because some might hurt her (I meant choking, but didn't say that). She understood because we've talked about it before. At the apartments that had multiple candy choices, Mabel would give me a look that seemed to say, "Mama, what can I have?" and I'd help her choose a safe treat. At the apartments that only had "unsafe" treats, sometimes we would skip it or she would take one and say, "Mama, Baba eat!"

As we walked through the hallways, several times Mabel held up her pumpkin and asked, "Go home, eat, right?" I'd confirm, "Right!" and she would give me a big smile. She also held the pumpkin up a few times and said, "Mabel, Mama, Baba eat. No Dìdì." (She wasn't being mean; we've drilled into her that he only eats Mama's milk, lest she try to give him food.)

When we got home, Mabel pulled all of the treats out of her bucket one by one, separating them into two piles, "Mama, Baba eat; Mabel eat." The ones she wasn't sure about, she'd ask me, "Mabel's?" She never got upset when I said she couldn't eat something. A couple of times, she pulled a treat out and said, "Wow!"

I let her eat as much as she wanted then (which ended up being a couple small chocolate bars and some popping candy) and she's eaten one candy a day since then when she gets home from school.

I already can't wait until next year. (And Christmas! I can't wait for Christmas!)

christmas 2015.

Brie—yum!

So much laughing.

So much.

Christmas Eve dumplings, broccoli, beans, and lotus root!

Eventually I want to change that red ribbon to a white one.

I haven't felt very Christmas-y this year. I mean, I've been happy and cozy, but not CHRISTMAS!, you know?

Instead of watching Christmas movies, we've been racing through Friends episodes. Instead of listening to Christmas music, I've been singing along to Kitchen Karaoke. I didn't go to any Christmas markets. I haven't even taken a photo of our fully decorated tree.

I've felt twinges of guilt. Should I be trying harder? Should we watch A Christmas Story? Should I be belting "Jingle Bells?" But as we made plans for Christmas (which we celebrated this past weekend because we leave for Bali on Saturday!), I said to T, We don't have to do anything. Let's just do what we feel like. 

So on "Christmas Eve" I got a haircut and a mani-pedi, we both got massages, and we ate our traditional Christmas Eve dumplings. On "Christmas Day" I read blogs and drank coffee, we opened presents, ate a bacon and egg breakfast, watched The Ref and then, you guessed it, Friends. Instead of a turkey dinner, we ate Indian. It was perfect. 

Other highlights from this season: 

+ Helping Melissa decorate her tree and watching Christmas Vacation.

+ My advent calendar!

+ Playing in the snow with my kiddos. 

+ A Christmas party with friends, mulled wine, Yankee Swap, Pass the Present, and Christmas song charades.

+ Hot chocolate with candy canes. 

+ Hot chocolate with Baileys. 

+ A pollution day—the closest thing we'll get to a snow day. 

+ Winter concert performances at school. 

+ Sending our first Christmas cards as a married couple.

+ Watching Elf with Sali and Melissa. 

(Headphones are from Urbanears. Ornament is from Tiny Prints.)

thanksgiving 2015.

We used 3 ovens and 2 hot plates. 

Oh the noises and faces this guy makes—so funny. 

Mmmm!

Carving like a boss.

Our spread.

The Zhangs ;)

Our first Thanksgiving as a married couple and I was so excited to host!

"How do you feel about me wearing your shoes?"

While out on our weekly date last Wednesday night, Melissa and I decided we would have a Thanksgiving dinner this year. We even ordered a turkey! (I've had some kind of Thanksgiving dinner every year since I've been in Beijing, but none of them have felt fully authentic or traditional and only one included turkey.) 

We decided to keep it really small and family-like, so it was just me, Tony, Melissa, and Ken. On Saturday afternoon (the only day we were all free), we went grocery shopping and that evening, Melissa and I cooked while the boys played the Wii and drank beer. 

Along with our 600RMB ($123 CAD!!!) turkey—now you know why I've only had one Thanksgiving dinner that included turkey—we had dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, squash, green beans, and dill pickles. For dessert, apple pie with ice cream! Well, three of us had apple pie; Tony had chicken feet :) #crossculturalcouple

Melissa and I enjoyed kicking back afterwards and watching the boys do dishes. And then I kicked their butts at Mario Kart. And then I kicked their butts at Monopoly ;) 

Maybe the best part... hot turkey sandwiches a couple days later! It was Tony's first; he asked, "Do I toast the bread?"

China is really starting to feel like home. 

happy canada day!

“I think this is the greatest and best country in all the world, with its great sunlit spaces and its long, long roads, and best of all the roads that are not made yet, and the stories that no one has told because they are too busy living them.” — Nellie McClung

super simple valentine's day craft.

Valentine's Day is only a couple days away, but that doesn't mean there isn't still time to do heart-and-love-themed crafts with your kiddos.

I did this super simple craft with my preschoolers yesterday and they loved it! (Although after I showed them what we were going to do and said, "I love you to PIECES, get it?!" only two of them laughed. They're four years old though; hopefully the recipients of the valentine appreciated it ;) 

I quickly created the template in Photoshop, cut up red and pink paper (you could have your kids cut the paper themselves; we were on a time-crunch), gathered glue sticks, and we were set!

I've added a link below for you to download the template!

"I love you to pieces!" valentine template

christmas 2014.

We celebrated Christmas this past weekend because we'll be in Cambodia(!) for the actual holiday. So our "Christmas Eve" was Saturday, the 13th, and "Christmas Day" was Sunday, the 14th.

Last year, for some reason I don't remember, we decided to make dumplings on "Christmas Eve." (We celebrated early last year too, because I went to Vietnam for the holiday.) I remember saying to Tony, "Hey! If we stay together, this could become a tradition! Making our own dumplings every Christmas Eve, maybe someday with our kids!" That was the plan this year, because if we did it two years in a row, that would make it a tradition, right?

Well, we didn't make dumplings because we were really lazy Saturday morning... and Saturday afternoon... and by the time we were ready to go grocery shopping, we decided it would make more sense to just go to our favourite dumpling restaurant and well, eat dumplings. (So maybe our Christmas Eve tradition will just be to eat dumplings?? But really, I hope it will become a tradition that we make them and then eat them.)

After eating so many dumplings—and broccoli, and beans, and some tofu/lotus root/bamboo/noodle dish—we came home to drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies. (Correction: I drank hot chocolate; Tony ate chicken feet. Hashtag cross-cultural couple.)

The movies we watched? It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. The former, I had never seen; the latter, I've seen a million times, mostly because TBS used to play it on repeat for 24 hours on Christmas Day. Ah, memories. (Confession: I fell asleep during both.)

Sunday morning, "Christmas Day," I woke Tony up at 8:30 so we could open presents. My favourite gifts were probably new pajamas from my mom (a Christmas tradition) and a Beats Pill speaker from Tony. I considered Christmas morning a success when Tony opened Jenga and asked, "Can we play!?" (We played and laughed and he'd probably like you to know that I was the one who knocked it over.)

After presents, we cooked Tony cooked breakfast. (I made the toast!) And after we devoured our eggs and bacon, we watched Jingle All the Way. (Other movies we watched this holiday season: Christmas with the Kranks, Ernest Saves Christmas, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.)

Unfortunately, Tony had to work most of Sunday, but he was able to come home for a bit late in the afternoon for "Christmas dinner." We had planned on chicken, potatoes, etc., but decided we'd rather have Indian food. We ordered from our favourite Indian restaurant, Ganges. Untraditional, but delicious. I wouldn't mind if it became a tradition, too.

Later in the evening, we had friends over for Häagen-Dazs ice cream cake, hot chocolate, and mulled wine. We lit candles, played Christmas music, and it felt Christmas-y. No small thing here in China.

Christmas 2014, you were a good one.