The kids went to their first local birthday party this week. I'm sure you recognize this game. There were about 15 kids in this apartment all with balloons tied to their ankles. Everything is tile and concrete here, so when the balloons started popping, it was loud. Lauren was so scared that she was shaking. I had to leave for a bit and take her home. For the most part, the party was much like a American party. The kids played all kinds of games inside and outside. They ate a small piece of cake and snacks whenever they wanted and the gifts were opened near the end of the party.
So, I'm sure you are wondering why "chop" for the title. Well, because our visas only allow us to stay in country for 90 days at a time. They call the stamp in our passport a "chop" (Jonathan knew this, but it was new to me) So, our entire family went to Hong Kong for the weekend for our Visa Chop. The kids were very excited and a little confused. They thought we were moving there and I think a little disappointed when we didn't stay :)
This was the view from our room that we stayed in. It is wall to wall buildings! It's still amazing to think how many people fit into such a small space.
The mass transit is no different. If there is 1/2 an inch between you and the next person, there is room to sqeeze one more in. And yes, we sqeezed with the best of them (see picture below) If you look closely, you can see Regan, Benjamin, and Katherine all in the bottom of the picture. Even in such close quarters, people still found room to text and talk on the phone...not us, though. I was too preoccuppied with making sure I got all 4 kids out before the doors closed :) 
Just in case the tall wall wasn't enough....don't try to break into this Kindergarten!!!
This was the kids' favorite. They finally got to ride on the top of the double decker bus. 
Katherine kept trying to figure out who was driving the bus. 
Since we were in Hong Kong, we took advantage of the toy store. We let the kids get one thing each. The two younger ones picked legos. 
Regan bought a fuzzy pink phone.
And Benjamin bought a nerf gun. It was a lot of fun watching him and his daddy shoot each other :) He couldn't stop laughing. 
We wanted to visit a place on the other side of the water called Stanley Market. We had heard it had good clothes for a good price. Between the choppy water and the winding roads up the mountain on a two story bus on the side of a cliff, Benjamin felt a little queezy once we got there. So, the first thing we did was get a bite to eat and then looked around. 
Once we got there, it had a fun place for the kids to climb on rocks and be right by the ocean. 
I really love pictures like this :) So, after a week of school, a trip to Hong Kong (including a doctor's visit for the kids' immunizations) and a trip back home, we are a bit tired. I will try not to be late on the next entry! :)
