Disney

Yes it is another Disney post, but this time there are new photos due to the opening of Toy Story Land.

I loved the design and thought it must have been fun to come up with different ways to make giant toys. Andy's foot print can also be found as you walk along the pavement.

There are three main rides.
The slinky dog ride, parachute and the RC racer.

The RC ride has a height requirement of 120 CM. Elliot was relieved he wasn't tall enough, however Jane rode it 9 times and declared it was her favorite.
Jane and dad on the back end of the coaster.

Elliot finally rode the parachute and decided that was his favorite.

It was a low number day, we didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes for most rides.

The kids have been saving up allowance and gift money to spend on our final trip to Disney.
They both settled on purchasing stuffed toys for their souvenir.

I was thankful for this one last visit to Disney, before our move back.

last hk disney from outypants on Vimeo.

Modeling

I have posted about the kids modeling before, Elliot recently went to a place outside of Shenzhen called "Bride's Beach". A massive complex located along a beach, with permanent props and settings for photos. The fake church was quite popular with the brides and no one seem to mind that that letter H had fallen from the front of it so it read "OlY Cross Church." Horses and carriages, boats, Pillars columns, and whatever you could imagine. I didn't have my good camera so the photos aren't that great.

I am not sure they got good photos this day, as Elliot seemed determined to smile a big goofy grin.

In China they seek out anglo kids and because Hong Kong is an international city depending on the brand and market they can be sought after as well.
Our friends the Harveys and Udys have kids who model too. It is a unique experience for us that has been positive for the kids.

Here are some pictures from the actual catalogs.

A typical day of modeling for us inside China begins with us crossing the border and riding in a car an hour out of Shenzhen. The kids get paid starting from make-up time. It is usually 4hours for the shooting. It is a full day for us.

Favorites

This is our countdown chain. Each link represents how many days we have left in Hong Kong.
I thought it would be a good idea to write down on each link something we look forward to when we return to the States. Such as..
Taco Bell
Blue skies, clean air
Celebrating the Holidays in America
grocery stores with big aisles and a lot less people
The kids each listed some favorite toys and stuffed animals they will have in their possession once again.
we of course added family members.

I asked the kids what are their favorite things about Hong Kong. The first thing both kids said was friends. It is interesting how their thoughts mirror my own, it is the people in our lives that share our experiences with us that matter the most.


Sarah's Top 10:
-Star Ferry and the Harbor view

-The Lion Rock Hike
-History Museum
-Disneyland
-Kam Tin
Jin Ju nai Cha (pearl bubble Tea)

-Ma on Shan Park
-Tai Mei Tuk
-The ride out to Stanley( and the shopping there)
Favorite family trip- Australia

Janes Top 10
-Ferry
-Peak - I think she likes going here to have the chance to eat at Bubba Gump.
-School

-The Chinese designs
-Ocean Park

Lavender Gardens
Favorite family trip- Cambodia

Favorite memories
Brookelyn's Birthday at Ocean Park.


Elliot
-Villages

Our apartment- This made me laugh, there is nothing spectacular about our place, he just likes staying home. He started crying when we told him we were going to visit 3 countries over the Christmas break.
-Pizza Hut
-Disneyland

-Ocean Park
-Friends
-Chinese food

Favorite Family trip- Singapore

Chinese New Year 2012

The year of the Dragon has arrived.
Last year we had a warm day for CNY and made a trip to Lai Chi Wo
This year it was cold with rain. Lucky for the Chinese in their tradition but not so much fun for us who want to get outdoors and enjoy the holiday.

The Norwegian International School had a fair. The kids could play traditional games and buy snacks and other items.

The kids with their teachers- Jane- Ms. Chan
Elliot's Mrs. Nadia
Chinese teacher Song Laoshi (laoshi- is teacher in Mandarin and the proper form address for teachers in China)

Song Laoshi invited some girls from her class to come to her house and make traditional Jiaozi (dumplings) siblings and parents were invited to join in the fun.
She handmade the dough and filling and showed us how to make the wrapper and boil dumplings. The correct technique is to bring water to boil add dumplings,bring water to boil again then add just a little cold water you do this two times then the dumplings are done.
Angela is from the province of Liaoning- near Korea.
Elliot and Gabriel probably ate the most dumplings and kept asking for more.

Elliot took a turn at spinning the cloth. A traditional game from Song laoshi's hometown. The idea is to spin it and get it flat, he did quite well with it.

It was a great time and the dumplings were delicious! We are thankful for the kind teaching staff at NIS.

Buying flowers is also a traditional Chinese custom. Last year Nathan went out at midnight, like a lot of locals do and bought the flowers at half price. This year we attended the Tai Po fair and walked around with kids, let them spend some of their money and came home well before midnight.