A little bit of this...

The last few days have been filled with a lot of little adventures...we spent some down time in our apartment, had some friends over for dinner and play time, spent a typhoon filled afternoon at a cool place called Art Jam, went to a botanical and zoological park, swam in the pool, and Todd and I got out for some adult time.

We experienced our first typhoon warning while here in Hong Kong and it brought with it some nasty weather. After a morning at home playing with dolls, cars, and watching movies, the girls and I were looking for something fun to do. A friend of Todd's recommended a place called Art Jam and it was just what we needed. It was a child friendly (not Cole friendly) art studio filled with tons of paint and blank canvases...we could create anything we wanted and the staff was so helpful as we were searching for inspiration.  The girls love art and get to have that creative outlet on a regular basis at school and home.  My creative outlet has been limited to my photography, which I love doing, but this was different. I had the biggest smile on my face and had such a good time painting with my girls.  I love seeing their wheels turn as they decide what colors to try and mix next. With music piped in and absolutely no limit to what we could create, the afternoon was ours! At Art Jam, you could choose just about any size canvas to paint or you could choose to paint two canvas inserts that fit on the outside of a tote or duffel bag. Seeing as we have to get these home somehow, we each chose a different canvas bag to paint. They're still drying in their boxes, but we can't wait to put them together and use our creations!

That night, Noelle and I got out for some alone time and went to a great pub in the SoHo area of Hong Kong. We had perfect seats to people watch - there really is nothing like the fashions here. There isn't a flat road in sight - huge slopes up hill and down - and the women are in high heels, wedges, and stilettos...crazy! There are so many beautiful women here...some are stunning.  The fashion doesn't make sense to my practical side, but it must be working for them. The men, on the other hand, have a fashion sense unlike the men in the States. For example, the majority of men here carry purses - some are more messenger-bag like and some, well, they're purses. I've seen men with Louis Vuittons, purple leather bags, bags of all shapes and sizes.  Not that there's anything wrong with a man bag, it's just something that has really stood out as a cultural difference. They also like their pastel colored clothing and neon colored shoes, some which appear to be a vinyl like material - remember, it always feels like 100 degrees with maximum humidity - which is not a combination my feet would tolerate.  We had a great time studying the fashions and the culture while enjoying great conversation and American style food.

After 24 hours of straight rain and high winds, the next day was beautiful. It was still cloudy and breezy, which was a nice welcome from the hot sun and humidity. We traveled about 5 minutes from our apartment to a botanical and zoological park. We saw all sorts of monkeys, turtles, flamingos, lemurs, beautiful birds, and lush grounds. There was also an amazing children's park here where the kids played and we had a picnic. We were, again, the only ones there as children here are still in school.

The girls posed their "kids" to take photos of them. The bears are the newest addition to the family and came from Disneyland.

Getting ready to paint! It was a messy process.

With so many colors to choose from, it took awhile to pick just the right shade. We even got to create our own colors.

A blank canvas...so exciting!

They had the option of blowing glitter onto the wet canvas. There was no way they were  passing up this opportunity!

Skye's first painting.

This is one of my paintings.

This is why it wasn't "Cole Proof." In fact, i have yet to find one thing in Hong Kong that can pass the Cole test.

Syd got paint on her shoes within minutes of being there. The artists there  told her to go barefoot! Luckily, it's all water based...she was proud of her messy feet!

Skye's masterpieces...she was really in her element here.

Syd's masterpieces...the top one is upside down.

Cole running for a Bubbles hug! He is very into undressing these days. This was just before he went "Au Natural". The booty shots are inappropriate for the blog, but great for teenage blackmail...

On our way to the park.

Love the Turtles!

I love all of the patterns found in nature.

Cole was thrilled to finally get the park...he only asked to go about 1,052 times.

A quick break for lunch before we played some more.

My professional "smiler"

Round and round they go...

Cole pushing Noelle...he did it!

This was the first park we found with swings...the girls loved them!

My big girl.

A precious moment caught on camera...Cole went over there to feed them some fruit snacks.

Honestly, This isn't posed...

The paparazzi is caught!

Yesterday, we had a play date with our Texas/Hong Kong friends. We all swam in the pool for a few hours, had lunch, and came back to the apartment for some quiet time. All of the kids seemed to really have a good time. That night, Todd and I went on a date. We took a ferry to Macau, a country about an hour away. Macau is the gambling mecca of Asia. It has the largest casino in the world, The Venetian, and was packed with people both in and out of the many casinos. Macau generates three times the gambling revenue of Vegas. And honestly, before planning this trip, I had never heard of it.  We went to a show called "The House of the Dancing Water," which claims to be the best water show in the world. Words can't describe how amazing it was. It was similar to "O" in Vegas, but it was kicked up a notch. It was 90 minutes of non stop action, amazing music and choreography, and stunts that took my breath away.

Just getting the toes wet.

The girls and their friend!

If I take a picture of anyone else, Cole looks up and says "Me!" and then gives me his cheesy smile.

A sundae break

Skye learned how to do an underwater somersault.

Macau

One small part of The House of the Dancing Water.

It is the middle of the day here as everyone back home is sleeping. It's still hard to get used to being a day ahead of everyone. I'm at the apartment, which is feeling more like home, and finally have a quiet moment to update the blog while Cole sleeps and Todd and the girls are back at the pool doing what they love. Noelle is resting and we are hoping to get out to the Ladies' Market tonight or tomorrow to do some real Hong Kong shopping. We can't wait to see what it is all about!

Each day here starts out a blank canvas for us. We get to create the kind of day we want to have. I love seeing the excitement in the girls' eyes as we all decide what direction our day will take. I hope this enthusiasm for creating and for exploration continues in them...it's making me want to make more out of our days at home...there is so much in and around our city that we have yet to discover.  Carpe Diem, one of Todd's favorite sayings, is what pops into my mind as I type this.  It's time to go out there and Seize the Day!