Happy Thanksgiving 2009!

It was a crazy but fun filled Thanksgiving Day for us in China! Toby, Debbie, and their beautiful boys flew from Dubai to Beijing... We haven't had family (besides our overseas family) for Thanksgiving in five years so this was an extra special treat. I can't express how great it is to see them! Wesley is walking now and when I picked him up, he just cuddled me and laid his head down... melted my heart! Stuart is becoming such a big boy and is so sweet with Gabby... they are like two peas in a pod. It was a bit of a rough night, though... Gabby's room is pretty big, so it can easily fit her crib and big girl bed, which is what Stuart is sleeping on. We don't have a lot of space so this seemed like a practical solution... Gabby was being really naughty and kept climbing out of her crib. Travis overheard Stuart tell Gabby to go to bed... one time I opened the door and Gabby was completely naked and they were both taking things out of her closet. This went back and forth for awhile. We also caught Gabby in Stuart's bed a couple of times... Poor Stu just wanted to sleep! FINALLY, they fell asleep... but geez- that was work.

Although there were lots of other special people missing, we had a fabulous Thanksgiving... The kids ate macaroni and cheese and the adults ate... what else? Chinese food.

What I am Thankful for this Year:
1. My friends and family are in good health
2. Gabby is becoming such a wonderful little girl and is healthy and happy
3. Job security
4. Having the best husband in the world
5. My best friend, Beth (and Gabby's guidemama) is rad. She has an awesome sense of humor and has an uncanny way of picking me up (via email) when I am down... She does cool things that make me feel special (care packages, birthday cards, etc.) and I'm really grateful that our friendship has blossomed, even though we live so far away and don't see each other that much. 

End of an Era

Gabby figured out how to crawl out of her crib. I was hoping we could do the "big girl bed" thing after winter break when she's 2 1/2 but we may need to do this sooner. Last night, she got out about five times, including twice in the middle of the night. That sucked! The first time she got it it was 1o minutes after we laid her down, she just opened our bedroom door and said "Hi!" It scared the hell out of me! I was just laying there watching TV... Our bedroom is on the top floor, so she just walked up the stairs like the little girl she is becoming... I couldn't believe it. She is really growing up! I put her back to bed and then listened at the door... I caught her in the act! She just puts her legs over and jumps off. Not a big deal to her, I suppose. Needless to say, I'm really tired today. It would be so easy just to have her sleep with us but we are being strong! Toby, Debbie, and their boys will be visiting us this week (on Thanksgiving!) so Stuart will sleep in Gabby's big bed, and after he leaves, we'll do the whole "big girl bed" thing... not too excited about it. I guess I like the confinement of the crib too much.

Gabby's School Newsletter 11/16-11/20

Gabby was the Star of the Week!
* Listening to your teachers
* Helping out in tidying up toys and other school materials
* Playing well and safely with your friend
* Sharing and taking turns
* Being kind to your friends

Group Activity

Last Thursday the Kangaroo class enjoyed building Hh for HOUSE made out of cereal boxes, milk cartons and tissue rolls.

Build Myself a House

Am gonna get me a Hammer

(Tap,Tap,Tap)
Am gonna get me a Hammer
(Tap,Tap,Tap)
Am gonna get me a Hammer
(Tap, Tap,Tap)
And build myself a House

The kids are picking who they will be a secret santa to.

Gabby is on the left!

Happy Birthday Cara!

From the left- Emily, Steve, Velora, Tina, Alex, Cara,

Gabby, Travis, Bella, Jason, and Stephen

It was a fun and low-key birthday for me this year... good food and friends... can't ask for much more... We had a small dinner party at our house and had Chef Song cook us some of his yummy food... fried prawns, deviled eggs, and soybeans (hard to explain but they are awesome) for appetizers. For dinner, we had beef tenderloin in pesto and red wine sauce, spinach lasagna, garlic bread, and seasoned carrots. For dessert, we had apple crumble and vanilla ice cream.

Snow Day! No School!

We made history today at ISB... for the first time ever, school was cancelled due to snow. We had our friends over for brunch and the boys (Travis and Steven) took Gabby and Emily out in the snow while the women stayed home and talked. It was so nice having a break!

Gabby's School Newsletter 11/2-11/6

Creative Movement

Fisherman fishing Ff Ff Ff, Fisherman fishing Ff Ff Ff, Fisherman fishing Ff Ff Ff, Ff is the sound of Ff

Class of 2005 Progressiver Dinner

In the international school world, there's some sort of special bond or connection you have with the people you come in with... many of our good friends left last year but there are some of us still around. We enjoyed a fabulous night of great food and people with a progressive dinner. If you've never heard of this, it's when different people host part of the meal (appetizers, main course, etc.) so you hop around from place to place. It's really fun and convenient since we all live in the same compound. We were the last stop- dessert. I made magic cookie bars, pumpkin pie, and chocolate chip cookie bars. My friend, Andy, made a chocolate espresso cheesecake that was awesome. It was a great night and I'm going to miss these people when they leave (or us, whoever leaves first!)... I'm sure we'll do this again in the spring.

It Snowed!

We woke up this morning with snow! We got about four inches, which is quite a surprise this time of year. Our school has never had a day off for snow, so I'm not holding my breath for that one... The Wu-Kurtzigs came over for brunch and it was fun to see the girls hang-out. We met this couple when we were in child-birth class before we had Gabby and have become good friends... We also put the Christmas tree up. Yup, that's right. The Tebo tradition is to put the tree up the day after Halloween. When you have a family, you get to make-up your own traditions... I love this time of year so I want to enjoy it as long as I can... :) Pictures will come later...

Halloween Night

Capital Paradise is the place to go for trick-or-treating... our compound is full of expats and people who love to celebrate western customs, so we made the most of this and got together with some friends and enjoyed the night. Gabby had the choice of being a bumblebee, ladybug, or kitty cat this year, and she chose the kitty cat and did a great job (meow!). She really hates people in masks or anyone dressed-up (especially Santa Claus), so she did have a mini freak-out when she saw a girl dressed as a ghost (see picture above). We stopped-off at some friends who were having a party and warmed-up with some hot apple cider, then headed over to Alex and Stephen's house (a couple we hang-out w/ a lot) who had another family over... we ordered pizza and talked while the kids played until about 9 pm. All in all, a successful Halloween!

United Nation's Day

Whoa! Busy weekend. On Friday, Travis and I had Parent-Teacher conferences until 5:00. That night, we celebrated our birthdays, with some other friends, at King's Bar. We decided to have an "80's Party" theme. Travis turned his collar up and rolled-up his jeans. I couldn't find anything to wear so I didn't dress up. I know, totally lame, but I've been so busy lately... it's insane. We had so much fun, though! We didn't get home until 1 am. Trav's band also played that night. I'll be sure to get some video of that and post it on our blog. On Saturday morning, Gabby had a birthday party. Afterwards, her school hosted a "United Nation's Day," where all the kids dress-up in their national costume and bring a dish from their country. I had no idea what to put Gabby in... there really is no national costume of America. I could only think of a cowboy hat and boots, but that's not the American culture we relate too... Thank goodness my awesome friend Beth made Gabby a red, white, and blue dress for the Fourth of July this summer. She saved me! It's super cute and says "Democrat" all over it (my mom is rolling her eyes now). I put it over a white shirt and blue jeans (that's pretty American, right?) and placed a red, white, and blue garland over her head. I had it left over from when we went to the Olympics. The school set-up some arts and crafts activities, jack-o-latern cutting, and other things. We also participated in the "Wrapping your Mummy" game- which we won! Gabby got her face painted and we enjoyed some yummy international food. I made pumpkin pie to represent the U.S.