WHOOO-EEE!!!! My favorite time of the year is back and so is the Weinachtskalender! This is it in the making…

and this is it done, and ready to go…

Here is us in full Christmas crafting mode!…I *heart* my new art room!

My wish came true! The perfect space to rent opened opened up and I was able to move my little pilates studio out of our home and into it’s own designated space just one floor above our apartment! It’s perfect!

For those of you that are interested in pilates classes, please email me at kat.azanza@gmail.com, or call 136.009.242.95 for more information.

Many thanks to this amazingly motivated family that has rounded everyone up, and organized this all…Xiamen now has a nice group of about 20 kids (and counting) that get together every Saturday afternoon to play baseball. As you know, us Azanza’s are lazy and like to do NOTHING on the weekends, but somehow we magically motivated ourselves to find our way towards the convention center along the beach, where they had a lovely huge field for flying kites, model airplanes, and doing whatever else… The kids were far from excited to get going on this new baseball thing, (didn’t want to leave in the end) and they’re now looking forward to next Saturday! Even Dave, who volunteered to be “Coach Dave” (hee hee) is looking forward to this new activity of us Xiamenites!

’nuff said!

Sad but true…it’s a big deal that Burger King is now available on the island. As you can see…we go nuts for it!

The S-BOARD has taken our house by storm! It’s a miracle! now all the boys want to do is be outside and skate away…I’m thrilled! *coz it’s really loads of fun and I get to S-BOARD too when they let me.*

This Is Nick with Jason - his new friend from XIS who he’s been spending a lot if time with. Good kid!

Haiwan Park now has some additional attraction that are awesome for the kids, but bad for the parents wallets as well as ears…Roller coasters and bumper cars etc…there goes all the peace and quiet we used to enjoy while we were out there. But yes, loads of fun though - our personal little “Enchanted Kingdom” (amusement park in the Phils.) - Plus, it’s only a 15 minute walk from the house!

Just a quick note to say NIHAO FROM CHINA again! The Summer is over and we’re back from our wonderful vacation in Manila where life was like being at a country club. But I think that after living in China every thing is like being in a country club. I had no idea how physically and mentally exhausting it was to live here until I removed myself from the situation and allowed myself to slip back into my former life….now the difficulty is to switch back INTO China mode.

China mode being…

• You will not be able to understand anything: ACCEPT IT!
• You will not be able to reason with people, explain yourself, question anything: ACCEPT IT!
• SHIT (poo-poo, tae, feces, scheisse, crap, ka-ka) landed on the patio the other day: refer back up to #2 and ACCEPT IT!
• Taxi drivers believe they are Michael Schumacher: ACCEPT IT!
• The Locals never fail to gawk at you like you have 3 eyes: ACCEPT IT!
• Non-Chinese food is verry expensive: ACCEPT IT!
  
• The you-know-who confuse their brains for their asses: ACCEPT IT!
• You will order ketchup, and be given yoghurt (true story!): ACCEPT IT!
• Crossing the street is like being in a real live video game: ACCEPT IT!
• Going to the local Walmart is so harrowing that they should make it a part of the reality TV show “SURVIVOR” or “AMAZING RACE”, but such is life here: ACCEPT IT!
• Spitting (loudly please!) and whipping out the air-hankie are normal: ACCEPT IT!
• Common sense is not so common: ACCEPT IT!
• Our Apartment building smells like Binondo: ACCEPT IT!
• Local women have kili-kili hair: ACCEPT IT! (Matteo struggles with this one - he can’t get over that the teachers assistant in his class has hairy pits.)
• There is no such thing as personal space and people will come up as close to to as they possibly can while standing in line. (Note: most have bad breath, sticky skin, long dirty fingernails, and will eventually start spitting): ACCEPT IT!
• Driving vehicles on the sidewalk is always an option: ACCEPT IT PEDESTRIANS!
• more more more to come…
  

But yes…once you get past all this life is great! =)

I had to crack up! It’s just too funny! Matteo was having a sleepover with some of his old friends and as the little boys had more and more fun, Nicolas’ frustration levels were rising by the minute as he watched his things get rearranged! To restore control to the rising chaos, he created this list of rules that he proudly posted on their bedroom door. I’m now suggesting that my young tween moves out into his own room….let’s see if this happens…i’m doubting it.

*By the way, these pictures are when the room was tidy.*

This is what my studio looks like normally…

This is the “weekend version”…(no clients, just children chillin’ out doing HW…)

Matteo was totally beside himself all week anticipating the slumber party he was having yesterday with just HIS friends. You see, we are actually a veteran household for holding massive sleepovers (9 boys is the current record we hold) but…they were always Nick’s buddies. So finally, it was his turn and he was wound up like never before!!