Boxing Day & Super Husband

As I mentioned earlier, we were too lazy on Christmas Day to make a big dinner so we decided that "Boxing Day," typically not celebrated by Americans, would be a good time to make a proper dinner. Travis did some research online and made the best turkey in the world. Seriously. It was amazing. The white meat was so tender and the whole dinner was delicious. It was all gluten free, so Gabby could try everything. Notice that I wrote "try" because she didn't really eat it all. However, I was pleased she loved the turkey. We made pumpkin pie, broccoli casserole, and a sweet potatoto dish with brown sugar and walnuts on top. We're quite proud of our dinner! The best part was that Travis cleaned-up. Yay!

I married Travis for several reasons but I didn't realize how handy he would be around the house... He's been doing little repairs around the place that have needed to be done, which has been great. He's also been taking Gabby swimming and out to play dates so I can get a massage or get my scrapbooking done. Not to mention, he makes a damn good turkey and homemade chicken noodle soup. I think this guy is a keeper. :)

Christmas Card and Letter 2010

January 2, 2011

Ni hao friends and family,

2010 has been a busy year for the Tebos of the Far East. We are in the middle of our 6th year in Beijing, and are planning on several more. I am still teaching 7th grade math and science and Cara is still a High School counselor. Gabby started school this year in our school’s Early Childhood 3 classroom. She spends half a day engaged in active learning with songs, games, stories, crafts, etc. We are able to stop in her classroom from time to time to visit which completely makes my day when I can get down there. Gabby has grown quickly in the last year and is now 107cm (42in) tall making her taller than many kids a year older than her. Her speech is improving and is a bit of a chatterbox at times, asking questions about everything. One of my favorite things she said a couple weeks ago was about the moon. We were walking to the swimming pool at night and she looked up at the moon and said, “Mr. Moon is following us, but he has no feet!” It took Cara and I back to when we were kids and first noticed that no matter where you went in the car the moon seemed to follow us. Gabby is also getting very excited about her soon-to-be arriving sibling. Cara is due January 10th so we have been spending our Winter Break in Beijing preparing for the birth. My Honey-Do list has been quite long but I am nearly done with all of them. Tomorrow I put the crib together and we pack a bag so we are completely ready for the newest Tebo.

It really is wonderful how much can change in a year. We started last year off by visiting my brother Toby and his family Debbie, Stuart, and Wesley in Dubai during our Chinese New Year break. It was a welcome change to the bitter cold of the winter. We spent our time going for walks to the nearby park, going to the beach, and hanging out with family. The adults were able to get away one afternoon for a 4 wheel drive “Dune Bashing” trip into the desert. Several times it felt like we were going to roll over but the Toyota Prado would then slide sideways down the hill and regain traction. It was far better than any roller coaster I have ever been on. Gabby and Stuart enjoyed hanging out and dressing up in costumes, swimming, and generally being buddies. Other highlights from Dubai included the amazing fountains at the Dubai mall coordinated to music, the incredible site of the Burj Khalifa – the world's tallest building, and the Burj al arab - a 7 star hotel that looks like a sail boat on the beach, the mouth watering food, and of course all the times we spent as one big Tebo family.

In March we went to the Philippines for a teacher's conference in Manila. Before the conference we were able to spend a few days on a beach on the island of Boracay at the Blue Mango Resort. We were lucky enough to get an double room with a balcony facing the water just 30 seconds from the water's edge. We spent our evenings watching the sun set with the sail boats going by. It was a really nice family run resort with decent food, the most amazing thing to eat were the mangoes which were beyond description. The kitchen was even able to make Gabby's meals gluten free which was a tremendous thing to have on vacation. We went on a harrowing sail boat ride one day that I still have nightmares about. If you want the full details check out my re-telling on our blog. Manila itself was a nice enough city but we didn't get the chance to properly see it. We spent most of our time at the conference, which was hosted at the International School of Manila. The Philippines are definitely a place we want to visit again and possibly work in the future.

We went back to Bremerton, Washington for the summer of 2010, which was busy travelling over several states. We spent the first part on an extended road trip by flying to Los Angeles and visiting Disneyland, which coincided with Gabby's 3rd birthday. Staying within walking distance of the front gates to Disney allowed us to go home for a much needed break from time to time. Gabby absolutely loved the atmosphere of Disneyland and California Adventure. On her birthday she had a princess makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. She was able to choose any of the princess dresses, accessories, hairstyle and makeup. She chose to be Snow White and spent the whole day being treated like a princess everywhere we went. Cara and I also had a great time at Disney; we took turns riding the big rides while the other one watched Gabby. After our Disney magic was through we headed to Oregon.

Driving up I-5 to San Francisco, we stopped and visited our friends Cliff and Rachael Funkhouser. Although we only stayed one night with them it was so much fun we wish we could have stayed longer. We spent one morning exploring San Francisco using an itinerary suggested by Rachael and Cliff. We saw so much in one morning, thanks to our GPS we only got lost a couple times. After San Francisco we made our way up the coast to the Redwoods only having enough time to pull over and go for a walk in one of the immense groves. It was well worth the detour to see the trees and Gabby’s amazement by everything since she hadn't had the chance to be in any real forests much less one with giant trees.

The goal of our road trip was to get to Bend Oregon. Our friends and colleagues Kirsten and Mark McGarigal who are from Bend but work with us in Beijing helped arrange for us to house sit with one of their friends. Our buddies, Beth and Josh Zarling and their daughter Harper from Tacoma, met us in Bend and we all stayed together for a week in the amazing house. Bend is a great city with so many things to do outdoors. We went for a couple hikes together, one of them into a lava tube that was almost freezing inside. Cara and Beth floated down the river running through town and Josh and I were able to go fly fishing with my friend Tom Lence who also lives in Bend. We spent some time with Tom and Tami Lence and their daughters, Hannah and Halle, who we hadn't seen for a long time. Our visit was so nice in Bend we hope to make it back there every other year or so. I am looking forward to our next road trip with the Zarlings, maybe the southwest in 2011?

Of the time in the States this summer we only spent about three weeks in Bremerton. We tried to fill that time with family activities as much as we could. We stayed with my parents and had several gatherings with my sister Tahnee and her husband Geoff and kids Emerson and Langston, and Toby's family as well. It made for a full house but it was nice to have everyone together in one place. We were also able to have a family BBQ and “camp out” one night at Kitsap Memorial Park in a cabin that Tahnee arranged to rent. We hope to make that a summer tradition for years to come.

At the end of our summer we flew to Boston in order to see Cara's brother Todd and his family Annarita and their new baby, Mikayla. She was about two weeks old and so incredibly cute. In Boston, we stayed about a 15 minute drive away from Todd’s house so we were able to visit nearly every day we were there. One evening we were fortunate enough to have a wonderful BBQ dinner at my cousin Don’s house just outside of Worcester, MA. It was great to have the chance to visit with Don and his wife Loan and their two girls who helped to entertain Gabby with their Barbie’s. The biggest reason to be in Boston was to celebrate Cara's parents 50th Anniversary. We threw an intimate party at a wonderful Italian restaurant in the North End. Friends and family that hadn't seen Francine and Charlie for a long time were in attendance making it a very special anniversary celebration.

In our limited time on the East Coast we were able to cram in a short stay with our friends, Hayes and Carlie, and their son Kai in Long Island, New York. Hayes and Carlie worked in Beijing with us but are now teaching near where Carlie grew up. We made our way into New York City a couple times and were able to have lunch and dinner with Kamara, who we worked with in Beijing as well. Having time to catch up with everyone in a place like New York was magical. We walked through Central Park and Times Square. Considering the short time we had we did about as much as you could do with a three year old and eight hours. Our final week in the states was spent packing and doing last minute restaurant runs to all our favorite places. It was so action packed trip. We truly needed a vacation from our vacation.

Since the summer, we have settled back into the groove of work and life in Beijing. Things have gotten easier and easier here over the past six years. Getting Gluten free food for Gabby is not a problem at all and there are more and more choices every time we go to the store. We have been fortunate enough to be a part of a new Celiac Disease support group that is sponsored by Beijing United Hospital. We have met several times to share stories, challenges, and tips on living gluten free. Cara and I hosted what may have been China’s first Gluten Free Thanksgiving. We provided a turkey and everyone else brought side-dishes. About 30 people were in attendance between kids and adults. It was one of the most memorable Thanksgiving feasts I have had. I have been taking Gabby swimming a lot in the last three months. She can swim more than 10 yards by herself and loves to swim on my back underwater on “dolphin rides”. She has a little learning breakthrough nearly every time we go. It has been fun watching her progress from tentative to completely confident in the water. I hope to have a proper snorkeling buddy in a couple years.

I’m still in the teacher band “Take the Highway.” I play saxophone with is still going strong. We are currently working on some new songs during our weekly practice session to liven up our sets. The last couple years playing with this group has been great. Just before Christmas I went down to a music market in Beijing and bought a soprano sax. I have wanted one for about 20 years so I figured it was finally time to get myself one. It sounds fantastic, I can’t wait to try it out with my band in the coming weeks.

Cara is the official historian for our family. She has done a wonderful job keeping an up to date blog for us over the past couple years. In addition, over the past three months she has been a scrapbooking machine. She had several years of past-due scrapbooks to put together and has been steadily getting them done. Her goal was to be completely caught up before baby #2 arrives and I think she just made it this week.

There is so much more that happened over 2010, if you want to see it all you can go to our blog. www.tebo-family.blogspot.com. It is also a good way to check up on our lives here in Beijing when you have the chance. Cara includes stories as well as pictures of our family and activities. We wish you a wonderful new year in 2011.

Warm Wishes,

Travis, Cara, Gabriella and Baby #2

Christmas Day 2010

Tea-set for Two

M&Ms!

Gabby asked for Candy from Santa

Barbie Magical Castle

Barbie Disney Princesses

Her Favorite Gift!

Barbie Mermaid Outfit

Gabriella and her Chrismas Loot

It was a fun and relaxing Christmas Day at the Tebo house... I made oatmeal-blueberry-banana pancakes and eggs for breakfast. After I made a pumpkin pie and cleaned-up the mess, I was pooped... We were too lazy to deal with the turkey so we'll make that tomorrow. We played games, Gabby went nuts with her new Barbies, we skyped with family, and we watched Christmas movies. I also ate about a pound of fudge too. Oops. Good thing I'm pregnant and it's the holidays- I have an excuse! All in all, a lovely low-key event.

Christmas Eve

It was a great Christmas Eve for us... During the day, Travis took Gabby to a water park with some friends while I went to lunch with some of my girlfriends here. We were at the restaurant for 4 hours just gabbing away about life... time really flew by. We all ate Indian food for dinner and Gabby opened-up her gift from Mrs. Claus (pajamas and a deer headband that lights up). We left santa some fudge and carrots for the reindeer, and a thank you note. Love these traditions! Christmas is so awesome with little kids! After Gabby went to bed, we had soem massage therapists come over and give us a 90 minute foot massage on our sofa. I don't know why it took us so long to do this but it was heaven!

Getting Ready for Baby #2

37 Weeks Pregnant

Getting Bigger!

This is the face.. tilted to the side...

You can see two black holes for eyes and the mouth

Profile View

I had my appointment today and everything is going "perfect," according to the doctor we saw (Dr. Li Xiaohui). The head is still down and the baby looks like a good size for my build. It's already 3 kgs (6.6 lbs.)! All the foreign doctor's are gone for the holidays so there are only Chinese ones. I really like her, she seems nice and is quite supportive of our birth plan, so that's good.

New Addition to the Family

Travis and I went to instrument street yesterday to get his alto saxophone fixed, but came home with a new baby to the family... a soprano saxophone. It took going back and forth to the guy's store three or four times to amke it happen. We played the "laosher" card, which means teacher. The guy FINALLY went down a little bit after he heard that but still wouldn't budge much. We literally didn't have the amount of money he was asking, but Travis went back with what we had and he broke down. Victory! The saxophone sounds great and Travis is happy with his new toy. :)

Gabriella and the Moon

Gabby just LOVES the moon... This weekend she got out of bed and opened the curtains, sat on the windowsill and looked up at "Mr. Moon" for about five minutes... Last week, we were walking to the clubhouse, Travis took her swimming and I got a mani/pedi. She looked-up at the moon and said, "The moon is following us but it doesn't have any feet."

Winter Ball 2010

Cara, Alex, and Nikki

36 Weeks

ISB hosts a Winter Ball every year at a fancy hotel, which is basically like prom. As always, we had a blast. I wore some sparkly flip-flops for shoes... no way I was going to wear heels.

Santa Claus Pictures

Have you ever seen a Chinese Santa Claus?

Now you have!

Nothing is ever really easy in China... since we're not going to the States for winter break I had to hunt down where to get Santa pictures. On Sunday, we went to two different places but no such luck. At one of the places, we heard Santa was there on weekdays only from 4-6 pm. Why not weekends, you ask? Because that would make sense and be convenient. Anyhoo, we headed downtown right after school on Tuesday and got the pictures. Mission accomplished.

Best Mo' and Sista' Combo Winners!

Billy Bob and Bubba

Holding our Beloved MO'scar

The Other Rednecks of Movember

Greg, Riley, Matt, Me, and Mark

We celebrated "Movember" for the first time at ISB this year... If you don't know, below is a little bit about the fundraising event that started in Australia. If you're a woman and want to support men's health then you're called a "mo sista'" and can wear a fake moustache, or be like me and juat a wear a button to support it.

To celebrate the craziness, our school celebrated the MO'scars. There were several categories but Travis and I went for best Mo' and Sista' Combo as rednecks- and we won! It was hilarious. Seriously. I need to find the video and post it. We had a blast and totally hammed it up on the catwalk. We couldn't see a thing on stage but the amount of applause was insane. For some people, seeing a bare pregnant belly caused some mixed reactions... From fellow mom's and dads- they thought it rocked. However, I think I shocked some of the more "conservative" staff... and you know I loved doing that. He-he. Afterwards, we all went to the staff lounge and had MO-garitas and snacks. That's right, our school has proper parties where alcohol is served. I obviously didn't partake but appreciated all the work people did to decorate and make it happen. I love working at this school. Yes, it's demanding and exhausting but we do know how to have fun!

The Mo, slang for moustache, and November come together each year for "Movember". Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st clean-shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.