Goldfish, Flower and Bird Markets

I took the boys to the Bird, Goldfish and Flower markets in Mong Kok today!  It is an area just north of where we live (3 train stops from us!) that has a lot of outdoor markets.  I thought that the boys would appreciate seeing the animals (although I would have rather done some shopping - amazing stuff up there if you know where to look!).

The Flower market was at least an entire block of shops that almost all sold plants and fresh cut flowers.  While still busy, it was a nice change of scenery!

The Goldfish market was really cool.  A whole street with many fish stores.  The fish are out in big aquariums and tanks that you can look at.  There was a wide variety in all shapes, sizes and colors, including a whole store that did salt water tanks.  Unfortunately, they won't let you take pictures.  Will really enjoyed seeing the fish!

The bird market and garden was interesting.  Lots of older men sitting around talking, smoking and looking at their birds.  And of course birds for sale too.

Here are some photos of our adventures:

The extreme close up of the plant was actually taken by Will...I thought it was a pretty cool picture! :)  I also love the picture of Will watching the train go by...he is still enthralled with trains.  We have to wait to watch them go by or he will throw a fit!  After I took that picture he asked if we could go ride on that train.

Next we have to hit the Jade market...think I will do that on on my own so I can enjoy it in peace! :)  hahaha....

Becca

Big Wave Bay Beach

So I took the boys to the beach today!  We had a great time.  It was the first time the boys have really gotten to play in the sand and surf so it was fun to see them explore.  Of course as we were leaving, I heard an announcement that the beach was "officially" closed because the shark nets had sustained damage in the recent typhoon.  Nice.  Apparently the beaches here drop very deep very close to shore so they use shark nets to prevent the shark from coming up to the swimming area.  Daddy David refers to the boys as "chum" for the sharks and is adamant that they are not to go in the water! :)

We had a nice trip and enjoyed playing in the sea!

Becca

David Paxton is walking!!!

Well...he finally decided that he really need to keep up with his big brother, so little D-Pax is now walking.  And really pretty well too!  Here is a little video proof!

Now I am really in trouble when the boys each run in a different direction! :)

Happy Friday!  Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Becca

Mid-Autumn Festival

Last night was the Mid-Autumn festival here in Hong Kong.  It is a big event and everyone carries decorated lanterns in all shapes and sizes out in the streets and parks.  We went to the park first and watched a "dragon dance" at the Kung Fu Corner (they practice Kung Fu in the park every Sunday for everyone to watch) then took the kids down to see a big display of lanterns on the Harbor promenade just around the corner of our building.

We had dinner out at a small local restaurant.  The food was awesome!  We did get a chuckle out of this menu item:

???????  Hmmmmm....

Love to all!

Becca

AFV has nothing on Will...

Sit back and enjoy this classic moment captured on video...

Finally! Some pictures!

Hello!  Well...we've been busy exploring all that Hong Kong has to offer so I have not posted much yet, but I wanted to add some pictures from our first full week in Hong Kong.  We have had a great time and are enjoying our new home!  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Our Arrival/Apartment/Local Park:

Streets of HK (near our apartment building):

Our trip to the Big Budda on Lantau Island:

Our local park - Kowloon Park (a 5 min walk from our door):

At the Pacific Club Playroom (also a 5 min walk from our door):

Our trip to Lamma Island (one of HKs outlying islands):

Sorry to overwhelm you with photos, but wanted to catch up on a weeks worth of events! :)  We are doing great.  It took the boys about a week to adjust to the time difference.  They seem to be back on a good schedule, although they are getting up earlier than they were in VA (6am!).  It works well for us though, so no complaints.

David started his job this past week and has been enjoying getting to know his colleagues and such.  They seem like a very nice group of people and have been very welcoming to us.

D-Pax is *almost* walking!  He takes 5-6 steps at a time now, so we know it won't be long.  And he is really trying to say some words (other than mama and dada).

Will is so excited that the Pacific Club playroom has a Thomas the Tank Engine train table complete with all the trains!  He asks to go there everyday.  And I have met several other expat moms and their kids there (they all live in our building).  The Pacific Club is a gym/club facility that we have a membership to (comes with the apartment).  The Club is in a pier attached to our building and has an amazing play area for the kids.  It has the train table, an inside playground (slides...etc), a reading area with tons of books, a ball pit, a small fenced area where they can ride bikes, an air hockey table (Will is really good at it!) and a small computer room (mostly for older kids).  It also has a pool and gym facility...etc.  Really nice place!

Kowloon Park has also been a big hit with the kids.  Not only does it have an awesome outdoor playground and pool, it also has gardens, fountains, an aviary (birds), a maze and a ton of other things to do.  I am sure we will enjoy it even more when the weather cools down a bit!  It is usually in the upper 80s to low 90s with VERY high humidity (75-90%!!!).  It should cool down soon though.

The Big Budda trip was amazing!  The cable cars were so high up...I have to admit, it was a little scary.  The kids didn't seem to mind though.  Will was looking out the window the whole time!  We had lunch at the monastery there (they serve a vegetarian lunch, family style).

We went to Lamma island yesterday.  We took the ferry (30 min ride from HK island) over and had lunch there and went to the beach.  We hadn't planned on swimming, so we didn't have suits!  Will got his feet (and clothes) wet...his first time in the ocean.  It is on the South China Sea.  There are no cars allowed on Lamma island, just bicycles.  It seemed very remote...a big change from HK island itself and a nice getaway!

David's mom is still here with us (you'll see her in the photos) until Tuesday.  It has been nice to have the extra help and we will be sad to see her go.  I will have to re-adjust to taking care of the kids by myself during the day! :)

All in all...we are having a fabulous time!

More soon-

Becca