Monday: Back to school blessings from Todd for FHE along with birthday card making for both of our missionaries. We worked on school ( I did not sign up to be a home school teacher, but I AM, I AM. ) Third grade wore me out today. We made cauliflower crust pizza from pinterest and Todd said it's a keeper. The gym was all torn up today, ladders, dry wall dust, tarps over the equipment and machines all moved around. The bike was uncovered and plugged in so I went riding amidst the mess.
Tuesday: Brynn and I ferried to Hong Kong and mailed birthday packages to Ally and Chase. Hoping they get there on time. We had fun picking out a few things from Hong Kong to add to our homemade cards. {Brynn here: hong kong date with mom:) we shopped and mailed birthday packages to our siblings and also ate a really good lunch at pret a manger!! so good! we got really good macaroons at the last mall. got a fanta freeze before the ferry! i napped the whole way back and accidentally left my spicy cheese garrets popcorn on the ferry:/ should've gone back and got it. really long taxi line. i love hong kong so much!!} It rained off and on but we didn't see much while going from underground and popping into shopping centers and then going back under ground to the ferry building and back home. Todd was working from home after noon ( he even did the laundry, Thanks!), Brooke was doing school, Sophie was trying to navigate with my handwritten lesson plan for the day. Brigham... We brought back bagel bites, cheese sticks, gnocchi, pie crusts, croissants, French butter, doritos, Garrett's popcorn and olive crackers from Marks & Spencer.
Wednesday: Brigham is over watching the three Ho boys for the morning. He left at 7:45am to catch the subway. It's been raining all morning. Todd went running with Jeff early and was out the door by 7am. Girls are still asleep, it's 10am and I keep going down to wake them, but the room is dark and the rain is their sound machine and I just can't. The house is peacefully quiet and they look too comfortable and cozy. School finally started here around noon. Not as productive when starting that late. Kids all went to Tovars for games/snacks/movie so Todd and I had a bonus dinner date. [brooke: that morning was the best. I love waking up to rain! At the Tovars, we played monopoly and ate cheetos. and they weren't stale! We later watched a movie but it took us about half an hour to agree on one. Lone Ranger was the compromise.] We walked home in the rain and planned a bit more for our trip to pick up Ally. Just need a rental car or two and we should be good to go. Five flights, 4 hotels in one week. We will be pooped when we get home.
It's nearly 11PM but I'm trying to stay up to watch a seminary & institute social media broadcast that starts at 9AM Utah time.
Thursday: Sophie and I went to the pool. She was doing flips off the side and having a fun time but I couldn't sit there one more minute. I was being eaten alive by the tiniest of gnats. I could barely even see them on my skin. The bites last for over two weeks and when one bite starts itching, it activates all the others; it's awful! So, I told her it was time to go. She bought an ice cream cone with her own money and had the wrapper in one hand and the cone in the other when I told her to hold on for the scooter ride home. I ended up with ice cream in my right ear and on my left shoulder. Awesome.
My friend Anna moved out today, sad day. We will have to visit them in Hong Kong now, and I hope they come back once in a while too.
Friday: Brigham took another final today. Brooke and I took some photos of the Ho family at Shenzhen Bay Park. Milani is headed to BYU Hawaii on Monday (sniff, sniff). She will be greatly missed. We are still mourning over Carina also. Gabe is also here on his last weekend before heading back to the US. We went to pizza hut with Ernesto Jr. too, and ordered big...three pepperoni pizzas (Gabe calls them deep fried pizzas) and four orders of waffle fries. Breaking the calorie bank tonight! We topped it off with baskin robbins ice cream and Brooke spotted a new shop called "Coffee Restaurant Mr. Pork" (?) that was selling dippin' dots (but calling them Mini Melts). They found a new show to watch...Master Chef Jr. [Brooke: Brynn woke up and told me that she had a dream that she was in the Master Chef Jr. competition, and they had to make dippin' dots. Sophie woke up a few minutes later and mentioned that her dream included dippin' dots and Master Chef Jr. as well!]
Saturday: David, our cross border driver, was here at 7AM for our day trip to Hong Kong. We also had a visit from the Youses who are back in town. The kids had fun catching up with Shannon. We had a lot of time since the border took over an hour and a half. We met the Hong Kong Mission President, President Hawkes, and he offered to take a few pictures for us at the temple. After the temple, Todd and I met the kids and shopped at Taste-an international grocery store, lunched at Simply Life. Joyce and I went to CN Square, the four story art store, while everyone else went to the movies. Sanfords came to stay (love that!) and More Master Chef Junior, a little baking and lunch prep for Sunday and off to bed. We received bad news about my nephew, Harry, who was in an accident, hoping for successful surgeries and a speedy, uncomplicated recovery. Hard to be away when family is rallying around one of their own.
Sunday: Ernesto Jr. gave a great talk on service and we had a bishopric change today. Colby Sanford and Jeff Jackson (just his 3rd Sunday here in China) are the new counselors and both will be great! Thanks to John Warr for all the time and effort he spent in service to the branch. Todd will head to Guangzhou next week with President Cox to make some YM visits. We had some jet lagged, gone too long, friends for lunch along with Holly (the cute red head from Canada here as a nanny) and Kimberly ( an attorney from UT). Have a great vacation Ho family! Donna and Carrie and Cherie, are you ever coming back?
Rhoda and I are starting the Nanshan Mountain hike tomorrow morning with the Shenzhen International Women's Club hiking group and the mosquitos. Joyce, are you in?
Time for some family weekly planning...girls are climbing up the doorway, doing front walkovers and hand standing next to the wall and walking sideways down the length of the wall. Brig called Sophie away for a card game and Brooke is working on another video. Todd is working on Ally's invitation letter to China for her visa. All is well.
Take care, keep in touch, come visit!
Love from China,
Taylor Family
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