Burl Said...

Burl said "ho(t)" !!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday at *bux - about his waffle...

He's said it since then a few times.

Hee hee hee.

Pics from yesterday.

I have sooo much more to write about yesterday and today - but no time now, so so so sleepy:)

A little argument...

Ivo Says

Tonight after work, a very very happy Ivo told me that he didn't eat his snack at school today and "Lao Shr was soooo angry a me, I didn't eat my noo (noodles)." I asked if she had been angry at anyone else, "No" or if anyone else had not eaten snack, "Yes." Later in the bath Ivo brought it up again, I asked him if he cried when Lao Shr was angry and he said, wait for it, "No. I was angry too."

YAY YAY YAY YAY!

YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can still be made to cry by someone looking at me cross-eyed. If a teacher or anyone in a position of power yelled at me 0r expressed disatisfaction or disgust with me - today - I'd still be weeping now at 9:15pm. I would give my right arm for my boys not o be as scared, shy, and sad as I was as a kid. I didn't get angry at a teacher until senior year in high school and that was the day my brothe's lung had collapsed, so I wasa bit out of sorts. Senora Pianca had also been having a bad day. She yelled at me and said belittling things about ungrateful people like me who were griping about the sudden appearance of 6 new verb tenses during the 2nd semester of the 4th year of our Spanish study...

Anyway, I'd prefer Ivo and Burl to be naughty with self-esteem strong enough to stick up for themselves as opposed to mealy and hiding their faces.

Now a little Ivo Overheard:

• "My belly button is a volcano!"


• (To me) "Um, you need a job." I need a job? "Yep." What could my job be? "Helping me."


• "Is it Tuesday or Wednesday?" Tuesday. "Tuesday? ...no school for me!"


• (Talking in his sleep 5am Tuesday morning) "I don't wanna sleep!!!!"

Burl is 14 months old Today!

Little Burl just fell asleep - here are a couple posts from this day last year when Burl was just 2 months old!

We love him so much...

Pics from tonight after bath, watching dogs on tv and playing with the bus.

This face is Burl strenuosly saying "Daw-ag."

Ryan says Burl sounds likr a baby condor - he squeaks at the end of the word cuz he uptones so drastically:)

Burl has several different sounds. BA for ball and book. Da for Ivo and Papa. DAA for dog and other, lesser animals. Deh for most other things. eh, um...

3+ min of bedtime Burly watching and commenting (more action near end)

Burl & Ivo Dancing at da Wedding

Burl & Ivo Dancing - kinda!

Ivo was doing a crab walk-run and Burl was doing his lope-y side-to-side dance-walk.

From Sat 26 April at Laurent & Dale's wedding.

More from the Wedding

Cute kids n peeps

Ladies filming Ivo

Lovelies

Pics with Dale in them

Aftermath, after midnight

Ivo & Burl at Dale & Laurent's Wedding

Ivo and Burl had a wonderful time out in the country Saturday night at the "surprise" wedding party Laurent threw for Dale.

"Surprise! My entire extended family is coming from France -tomorrow!" (not really)

It was beautiful - lights, tiki torches, balloons, fresh air, great and plentiful buffet, nice music and excellent people. The boys went nuts. It was one of the first times we've been anywhere that Ivo wanted to and could leave us, running around in and play outside. Burl danced - he's a kid who starts moving when he hears music -which I LOVE!

Ivo had fun playing with kids older and younger than he. Burl had fun pretending not to know that the ball he just threw was under one of the chair skirts. Come to think of it, Burl really was taken by the chair skirts... and the disco lights... and Ning Ning:)

Donna drove out with us which was fun and we all hung out with Bob and Nicola, AJ & Sian, Elsa & Ning Ning, Jerry & Wang-jing, our friends from my school (Dale, Bob & I work together). Just so nice.

Mary brought shirts she silk-screened mostly with bugs for the boys. They are great - the red plaid that Ivo's wearing in the pics is a Mary:)

More pics tomorrow - I keep getting wirelessly kicked off-line.

Ivo on his Scooter

Video of Ivo riding his scooter the first day he got it - Friday, 11 April 2008.

Burl MMR Finally

A very sporty Mayor Hu and his lovely wife in the stairwell of the Taichung Public Health Department encouraging the people of Taichung to STOP SMOKING. I've met and spoken with the Mayor 3x and his wife once.














Burl got his MMR vaccination today! It was quite an adventure. He had been meant to get the shot a month ago when the dr dignosed acute otitis media. The nurse had already prepared the needle but Burl couldn't have it and - due to medical-supply-insurance-Taiwan things I don't understand exactly, that was Burl's one shot at the MMR - we now had to go to the Health Department for a replacement.





The Health Department could be in a less convenient neighborhood, but it would be a close call. Across from Xi Tun Elementary School and on the outskirts of the formidable Xi Tun Morning Market, the Health Department has no parking and all the streets shrink and snake around through deeper confusion. There is no simple circling around the block, I went down roads that all of a sudden ended and worse.





We parked illegally and went in. Everything went smoothly, someone helped us fill out our forms and after awhile, a yellow-vested volunteer let Burl into a classroom-y area to play. Yay! But, it was crowded and half the people were crying or screaming. Lots of old people and young people, a disturbing amount of skin-diseased people. We waited for at least an hour but I guess that's really not so bad. It just felt longer. There were fancy images of germs artistically decorating the walls...not soothing.
















Burl is wearing socks on his hands cuz...

1. It's cold
2. To keep his hands clean(er) since he's started crawling again
3. To dissuade him from pulling Ivo's hair
4. To dissuade him from biting his nails