It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then,
and do not let yourselves be
burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galations 5:1
Fareaststreet is the creative outlet of Kristie and her husband Jason.
A Bit of Housekeeping
Since I’m completely neglecting the care of my home these days—letting dust bunnies for colonies and mold grow in my bathtub (ew!)—I figured I may as well take care of a little business here on the blog.
1. We are OK. There was a large earthquake in the south of Taiwan today. Here in Taipei we felt some tremors, but nothing major.
2. I haven’t been blogging because I’ve had the flu. The Real Flu. Not H1N1, but it was definitely The Real Flu. Here I am two weeks later and still not all the way better. I can’t remember the last time I was this sick. And I don’t think I’ve ever had The Real Flu before. Not like this.
3. Sometime very soon Jason is going to switch our blog from Moveable Type to Wordpress (right after he finishes the vacuuming…). This means things are going to look a little different. He doesn’t have time to make it look all fancy like it does now (what with his seminary studies, church internship, other website work, and housekeeping duties), but I’m hoping during summer break he’ll get around to making it pretty again.
The good news is this will fix some things that are broken around here, like the messed up comment form and some archiving issues. Just bear with us while we work out the kinks and be prepared for a whole new look to Far East Street.
4. In other news, I have decided that the Asian practice of showering at night before bed is far superior to the American habit of a morning shower. Don’t you want to get off all the funk from the day before getting into bed? Or to put it another way…do you really want to sleep in yesterday’s funk (and the day before that and the day before that….) tonight? Think about it. Let me know what you think.
5. I entered this giveaway. Need an awesome (really awesome) new diaper bag? I do. Go check it out.
A-Bobble-Bobble-Toddle
I have been meaning to post some pictures with an update about Abram for a while now, but pesky things like sicknesses and birthday parties and beach trips kept getting in the way. But no more, because my almost ONE year old is up to some BIG stuff.
Check him out (a few weeks ago) standing up on his own and stealing drinks out of his sister’s straw cup.
Some other BIG things he’s doing:
Waving “Hi” and “Bye”
Pointing to things he wants.
Talking: he’s said “ma”, “da”, “uh-oh”, “muh” for more, and “buh” for book
Signing: He does the signs for “more”, “eat”, “all done” and “diaper”
(I’m a little surprised by all the signs he’s picked up, because I haven’t been very consistent with this at all.)
Abram has several favorite books that he will pull off the shelf…..well, to be completely accurate, he pulls ALL the books off the shelf, then picks out his favorites. Sometimes he will bring one to me to read. I don’t get to read to him as much as I would like. It’s just one of those things I haven’t managed very well with two kids.
He has a real ear for music and will bop along to a tune that he likes. I’ve also noticed him experimenting with sounds by pounding on different surfaces and comparing the noises he can make. He is still into the drum, but Ellie keeps it filled with various toys and bits and pieces that he rarely gets a chance at it.
Peek-a-boo is a favorite game. Abram will giggle and giggle and giggle as we play, particularly when he initiates it. He’s so funny though, he covers his ears with his hands instead of his eyes. Then takes his hands off his ears and giggles when we say “peek-a-boo!”.
But the thing that takes up most of his time is still Search and Destroy. He roves about looking for a thing to dismantle. Once he finds something–toy bin, bureau drawer, book shelf, kitchen cupboard–he starts taking it apart one piece at a time. Although recently he did discover that he is able to put his toys INto their bins as well as taking them out.
And, finally, the BIGGEST thing is that Abram is now a toddler! As in, he started walking. He still prefers to crawl, but can bobble out a good 20+ and-then-I-lose-count steps across a large room, stop and start, and even turn corners. The only thing he can’t do yet is stand up on his own after plopping down. He’s quite confident and unafraid, so once he has that figured out he’ll be off for good. Go, go Abram! Go!
A Flower for Sunday
For we do not have a high priest who is
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are—
yet was without sin.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:15,16
One WILD (RUMPUS) Party
On Friday night, the night before Ellie’s 3rd birthday party, a forest grew in the lobby outside our room…
…and grew—and grew, until the ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around!
This year Ellie’s birthday fell on Valentine’s Day (as usual) AND Chinese New Year, but we felt like turning three was worth celebrating the MOST, so we threw her a Wild Rumpus party. Because at her best Ellie truly is a Wild Thing.
The party started with a reading of “Where the Wild Things Are”.
The kids all seemed really into it, and sat for the entire story. I guess there is something to being three.
Then we made a Wild Thing masks. I got the idea for the masks here.
I had envisioned all the kids donning their masks after which we would “let the Wild Rumpus begin”. Buuuut, only two of the kids would wear their mask (I think the eye-holes were too small). And despite the fact that (judging from my own child) Wild Rumpus is a multiple-times-daily occurence for the preschool set, it seems that putting a label on it and turning it into an organized activity makes it, er….not wild and not rumpus. Ah well. Making the mask was still fun. The journey is the destination, right?
Sooo….We scratched the “official” Wild Rumpus and brought out the cake!!
Ellie requested chocolate cake with strawberries. The girl knows her desserts!
That’s better.
Of course, the best thing about any party is the people at it. We had a GREAT crowd!
Thanks to all our friends who came out and made Ellie’s party a super fun one!
A Flower for Sunday
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
A Real Conversation
Ellie is the recipient of a lot of cookies and crackers and candy. For some reason, whenever Chinese people see a child they feel compelled to give them junk food. Lately, if Ellie happens to be given two goodies at once she will eat one and save the other for “tomorrow” which really means “later”. I’m so proud! Here’s a little conversation we had over one of these saved pieces.
Ellie: (finds the piece of chocolate she had put in her bike basket to save for later)
Kristie: Do you want to eat your chocolate now?
Ellie: Yes.
Kristie: Okay.
Ellie: Because we already ate lunch. And because after lunch we ate strawberries. And because after strawberries I want to eat chocolate.
Preach it, Ellie!
Cilantro, Onions and a Birthday
Take a look at what I got for FREE at the market today…
A nice big bunch of cilantro and some green onions.
I suppose, to be completely honest, I should mention that I get this for free every time I go to the market. Sometimes I get a hunk of ginger too. Why? Because that’s the way things work here in Taiwan. Stores are small, shopping is personal, and when you are a regular customer they give you free stuff. I love it! A lot.
What do I do with all this cilantro and onions? I buy a couple of tomatoes and a lime to make salsa, of course! What else is there to do?? (Particularly since there is a significant lack of Mexican fare here.)
Yummy!
On a completely different note, today is my birthday! Hooray, 29! My incredibly wonderful husband got me a pass to our gym and has offered to make it easy for me to get over there to exercise. That means agreeing to watch the kids or doing after dinner clean up so I am free to get out. See? I told you he was incredibly wonderful.
I started last week, taking yoga classes and swimming. They also have spa facilities, like hot tubs and saunas. This is good, because after a couple of yoga classes I have more sore muscles than I even knew I had muscles. (It’s been awhile since I’ve worked out consistently.)
Jason also took me out on a date last night! Our first in awhile, but I think we’ll make it a habit. Ellie did fine with a baby-sitter, although she ended up staying awake until 11pm. Abram? Not so good. He was in bed “for the night” before we left. But he woke up (as he tends to do) and I think he cried for quite a while until we came home. I guess he’ll just have to get over it.
Speaking of Abram, he’ll be 11 MONTHS OLD tomorrow (and a full year in just 4 weeks). I’ll try to get ready an update on him soon. Someone else has a birthday coming up in just over a week, she’ll be 3 years old. My kids are growing. 
And to wrap up this random paragraph, tomorrow we’re leaving for 4 days in the south of the island (read: tropical beaches, an aquarium and yummy food). Be on the lookout for a post about our travels too. Then again, you might not want to hold your breath…I’ve been spending a bit of time at the gym lately.
And to wrap up this random paragraph, tomorrow we’re leaving for 4 days in the south of the island (read: tropical beaches, an aquarium and yummy food). Be on the lookout for a post about our travels too. Then again, you might not want to hold your breath…I’ve been spending a bit of time at the gym lately.Old Tricks
It seems…
…Ellie is….
…up to her old tricks!
Recent Comments