I picked D up from school today and she announced, "My tooth came out!"

Sure enough, that wiggly tooth was in a plastic bag, ready for placement under her pillow. She is excited and proud and ready for that Tooth Fairy to visit!



Father Daughter Dance 2011

Last night was a great celebration of the fathers and the daughters. It is a much anticipated fundraising event here and was a smash hit with daddies and daughters alike.
 I took D into the salon for hair and nails. It was a busy place. And this was 6 hours before the ball!

A lady curling her hair, and one painting her nails to match her dress.

Hair down and curled for this event. And for just 200 Baht (about $6)!

 Yes, I did go beyond this point. But the boss-lady said it was okay.

  I was a lucky mom who got to help out on Saturday night. Big responsibilities- candid photographs and pointing the way to the restrooms! Below is the hall before the guests arrived. Beautiful!

 Daddy and daughter arrive.

 Lots of photos of girlfriends. They were SOOO sweet and looked very beautiful.

 Stop dancing just long enough to find dessert. 

 I was informed D did not know how to do the "YMCA." She knows now thanks to daddy!

 D was on the dance floor most of the night, taking more frequent breaks from 9pm as she slowly ran out of gas. (She's usually in bed at 6:30) But T and D did a lot of dancing together. Both had a great night and made some awesome memories.

Princess Par-tay!

Just a few photos from D's party last Saturday. She got to wear her ball gown and have her hair done at the salon. Below, waiting for the guests to arrive.

 Her friends all came looking fantastic and everyone was ready to party like royalty!

  Let the games begin!

 I took a chance with a new game I called a "Cinderella Relay." They all made great Cinderellas as they raced to do all the household chores and dress for the ball. Such a fun bunch of kids!
The 2 teams had to: sweep the floor, sort the laundry, dust the tables, slice the veggies, make a sandwich, string a necklace, kiss the mice, and dress for the ball. Awesome teamwork!

 Sergio and Ethan were good at eating the sandwiches!

  Musical Statues time! We had some great dancers!

 Lunch and cake.

 So glad our guests had fun and D felt loved and celebrated! Gotta love birthdays!

Oh the Celebrations!

So much fun around here this past week. D turned 6 on Thursday of last week. We celebrated on the day and the following Saturday. For the last week we've been enjoying the fun new gifts and goodies(and chasing a bunny around the house).

Thursdays are busy days around here but we still managed to squeeze in some birthday fun. We let D open her gift that morning because there wouldn't be any other time during the day!

 Believe it or not, of the 17 kids in D's kindergarten class, 3 have the same birthday! So we 3 moms got together and planned a fun celebration at the end of the day. Cupcakes, popcorn, fruit kabobs, juice boxes, candy, goodies, you name it! Happy day to D, Diego, and Talha!

 For something special after school I allowed D to choose 1 friend to bring along to Build-A-Bear. She chose her pal Sergio. So she, Sergio, C, and I went off to the shopping center near us. Below they are pictured placing hearts inside their new plush friends.

 D created "Princess Cat,"

Sergio named his colorful bear "Fluff,"

and C's creature is a monkey named, "Chunk."

 What a hilarious adventure!

 D has gymnastics at The Little Gym in the late afternoon so Sergio joined her for that. Then T met up with us and we all went to dinner. Lucky us, D's friend Yaya and her parents joined too! Such a fun night!

 We poked the 6 candles into a variety of ice cream scoops and let the kids make a sampler platter out of it. It was a riot to watch them all reaching and tasting from all sides of the table. Nothing went to waste!

 Then big princess party fun would come on Saturday morning...



New Member of the Family

A warm welcome to our newest family member... Thumper!

Thumper is a birthday gift for D. She and C are both enjoying him very much. Though I think Thumper is happiest once the kids are in bed and we let him run around the house without being chased or over-cuddled.
Thumper came to us from a family moving back to the US. And, I explained to D that one day when it is our turn to leave Thailand, Thumper will again have to find a new family. She seems to get it. We'll see.

Birthday Brain

D's 6th birthday is fast approaching. I think it might be all she thinks about.
She wakes early each morning, thinking and talking about it. Each time we see a toy she likes, she asks me to put it on her wish list. I brace myself each time I hear, "Mom! I have a great idea!"
This morning she was concerned because she hadn't received any packages in the mail yet. And she reasoned that the gifts couldn't ALL arrive on the same day and surely the postman couldn't carry them ALL at the same time! (He rides a motorbike)
Just now, I asked her if she had any ideas for games to play at her party on Saturday. Her response, "How do you feel about kissing games?"
WHAT!?!?

Happy Mothers Day!

It was a lovely Mother's Day here! After church the whole family went out for a fabulous "Sunday Jazzy Brunch" downtown at the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. Delightful!

D and her raspberry sorbet

 C and his chocolate ice cream facial.

 3 hours of live jazz was SO nice!

 Want to know what else was nice? Children's entertainment once they've finished eating. A room just for kids with a DVD, clown, balloon creations (we brought home at least 6), and toys.

 Since the kids were occupied, I got to enjoy my dessert. In peace and quiet. With no interruptions. And didn't have share any of it. It was all mine.

And whoever thought of putting chocolate on strawberries deserves a special day of their own!