Act 1: Hoop Diving

An unsuccessful attempt of pushing Justin in the pool, 

ended with a fun night swimming with our clothes on for the 6 of us.

The girls have discovered the fun of a hula hoop in the pool....... 

(We have also tied weights to them and they swim through them under the water.)

Before too long, we will have a whole circus ready to take on the road starring our 4 clowns!

The girls loved swimming without suits so much that Justin, Whitney and I were able to sit and eat dinner while they swam..............It was a nice quiet meal of Kung Pao Chicken!!!

Life is Good!

Teacher Gifts

I can't believe it will be May on Wednesday!!!

  May for us means Hannah's birthday, preparing for the end of the school year, and our trip back to the US.

I figured the next few weeks may be pretty busy with those 3 things so I got started on end of the year teacher gifts this weekend.  For the last few years, I have made purses and decided to stick with that idea.  In October, I made a purse I really liked and it is pretty neutral for anyone's tastes.

I used the same gray and white chevron fabric for the purse.....

 ....and the girls picked out the colors for the sash.

Now the girls just need to write their thank you notes and we can deliver to their teacher's.  

Glad to be able to check Teacher Gifts off my To Do list!

Life is Good when you can appreciate someone with a homemade gift.

Our Little Asian Coon

This little Asian Coon found Hannah's left over noodles after breakfast today........

When she was done, there were noodles everywhere...

.on the table, on the floor and all over her shirt and body.

  I stripped her down while I cleaned up the mess. 

 Before I could get a diaper on her, she left another little wet mess!!!!!

Life is Good....and Messy!!!

Girl Scout Horse Camp

Thursday, was my day with Kaylee and Friday I got to go to horse camp with Hannah!  

We left at 7:15 am on Friday(the girls had the day off of school) and headed south for about 3 hours to get to the Riders Lodge.

 Before all the other Girl Scouts showed up, Hannah and her buddy walked to the stables to meet each of the horses.

 Balancing and learning how to grab the reins.

 At this point, she told me she wants to take horseback riding lessons!

 After a cooking activity, the got on different horses.

 No camping experience is complete without S'mores.

 Then, it was off to bed.  

It may have been "camp", but we had a room in the lodge....2 twin beds, bathroom and TV!

We didn't get much sleep that night because Hannah was having an earache....Thankfully, it seemed to work itself out and she was 100% in the morning.

After breakfast and a horseshoe craft project, they went back to the horses.

 A quick little refresher.......

 .....and then out on the trail ride.

A certificate and 2 badges for her vest was a great way to end a fun overnight trip.

Life is Good with out of the ordinary, one on one trips with the girls.

Field Trip to FRIM

Today, I went on a field trip with Kay to FRIM (Forest Research Institute of Malaysia).

They have been practicing to be scientists by making observations in the classroom, and it

was a great field trip to go along with Earth Day next week.

We started with a hike. 

 Last week, I went to FRIM with a few friends for a hike. 

 I am so glad there was more than one trail, because little ones on the trail we went on would have been difficult.....It was pretty steep both up and down....This trail was more level, but still had a few more difficult areas that the kids enjoyed climbing.

The Elephant Tree

The view looking up was amazing.

 Water and Snack Break!!!!!

The last stop was the water.  The kids used buckets, magnifying classes and small nets to catch what they could....mostly rocks.  

 Kay and her buddy opted to check out the nature on dry land.

Life is Good with Fun Field Trips!!!!

Ruffle and Bow

Made something for Whit Whit today....

.Same fun fabrics, but a little more girly design than the skirt I made yesterday.

Love the ruffle detail on the front bodice.....

 ......and the big bow in the back----a few little twists to the typical knot style dress.

This style is also available for purchase, and can be shipped the second week of June when we reach the US.....If needed before than, I can do some investigating on shipping charges to the US from Malaysia!

6-12 month and 12-18 month--$28

18-24 month and 2T--$30

3T to 7/8--$32

Life is Good with a little added ruffles and bows!

Made in Malaysia

Last night, I made my first item of girls' clothing in Malaysia.

..May need to get labels that say, "Made in Malaysia"!!!!!

I love these colors and it is my favorite skirt pattern.

 My model was being a bit sassy this morning!

 She loves that she can twirl really well in this piece.

I see 4 of these skirts in the Chesnut Girls futures.

  I am planning on letting each girl pick out one fabric to make their initial out of,

 and putting it on a white tank top.

I am taking orders for this skirt now............

Size 6-12 months and 12-18 months $28

18-24 months to 3T $30

4T to size 8 $32

If interested just let me know....I will be heading back to the US the second week of June and can ship it as soon as I get there.  I could ship from here, but not sure on timing and reliability.

Life is Good when you enjoy your hobby!

Well Child Check Up Complete

"Doozer" had her 18 month appt. today....

...Yes, she will be 20 months in a few days, but it took a LONG time to get her US records. 

.......different time zones, secure websites and fax lines not working were a big problem.

Third time scheduling an appt. here was a charm....canceled the 2 previous ones since I couldn't get the paperwork.  Wasn't sure if they would give her immunizations without knowing for sure when she had others.

She entertained herself for a long time with the cards in my purse.  However, when she was done it was similar to what she does with her food tray.........Cards went everywhere!

 She did find a J.Crew gift card and Starbucks cards with US $ so that was a bonus!!!

We watched the 3 newborn babies for a bit....I was a little jealous that they were just waiting quietly in their mother's arms....until they needed to get weighed and then I was so happy not to be doing that!!!!

When the wait hit 30 minutes I had to bribe her with ,"If you get in the stroller, you can have raisins!!!!"

She now eats raisins on just about every outing and every time we are in the car!

The well check went really well.  The doctor was nice and checked everything they do in the US.  She got a shot and we are going back next month for another one.  She didn't cry, but later when she pointed to the band-aid she said "Ouch."

She was 9.28 kg...just over 20 pounds 

80 cm tall

Life is Good and I am very thankful for a healthy 18(20) month old.

A Few Days with Macy

On Sunday, we went to Macy's end of the term school get together.  Her preschool is on a year round schedule so with the end of the term she has 2 and a half weeks off now.

 She has been very excited about her program and has been singing some of the songs at home.  When her group got up the first time, she was being a little shy.

But once they had the costumes on and got to dance, she was getting into it!

 Yesterday, we went to meet Daddy for lunch.  

There were a few co workers gone for the day, but Elanco Malaysia is a lot smaller than Greenfield!!!  

Soon they will be moving to a new office near a new mall....I think we will be meeting Daddy a little more once that happens!!!