The Prince William County Fair

The Prince William County Fair is held within earshot of April's parents' home- or at least the demolition derby is in within earshot. Of the four of us, April is the only one who has been to a county fair, so this was a novel experience for Rob and the kids.

The most exciting aspect for Cosi was the petting zoo. Cosi wants to explore her world through touch, and some very gentle animals got to be a part of the Cosi experience. The funniest moment was probably when Cosi would squat down next to each goat, put her face up to theirs and say, "Hi!" This led to the second funniest moment, when Cosi bothered a goat while he was eating and he gave her a gentle head butt!



















Watch Cosi greet the goats and try to experience as much of the cow as possible...


Cosi tried a few rides. The carousel freaked her out. Thank goodness it was a short ride! She refused to try the horse and ended up on the sleds. Then, mid-ride, she desperately wanted on a horse. Of course her mama disregarded any 'no standing up' rules and obliged Cosi's request. The difficulty then was that Cosi got nervous and April couldn't figure out whether to hold her flailing daughter on the horse or pull her off....kids!?!


















The roller coaster, however, was a different story. She was excited before the ride, thrilled during the ride, and eager to try again after the ride. Cosi and April are in the very front of this one:


















Another ride that got a Cosi thumbs up was the high slide. Cosi and Rob are at the top:























And here they are, all smiles at the bottom:























The fun house slide, however, did not get quite the same reaction:


















In case you can't see Cosi's reaction clear enough:



















Trey, being too young to enjoy the finer aspects of the fair, instead kept himself entertained by gripping his toes, an activity that keeps him busy for disturbingly long periods of time:


















And of course, we made time for one of those great American culinary traditions- the deep-fried Twinkie, topped with strawberry sauce. We've heard these being ridiculed for years, so April had to finally try one. Verdict = tastes like strawberry shortcake, but not worth $3. Meanwhile, Rob was enjoying his first deep-fried Snickers. Verdict = ok, but you'd be surprised how long that snickers holds heat, don't burn your mouth! Mmmm...


















So what did we think of the fair? Well, it was tasty, fun, and very American. The petting zoo was the best part! And we enjoyed spending a few hours with Nana, Pawpaw, Tasha, and Jadyn. We had some good new experiences, and we learned never to interrupt a goat while it's eating!

Earthquakes and Door Frames

We just experienced an earthquake in Virginia- 5.9 magnitude or something like that.

Rob's reaction:
"What is that rumbling? Why is the house shaking?"
Hurries over to a door frame, just in case.
Wonders if it is a low-flying airplane or a big construction truck rolling past.
Realizes that the entire house is shaking.
Still in the door frame, tells everyone else to get under a door frame.
Moves to a different door frame so that April and Tasha (with the kids) can use the nearest door frame.
Door frame!
Runs to the computer to find out what happened- considers taking the computer back to the door frame...

April's reaction:
"What's going on?"
"Is this an earthquake?"
(In a happy, excited voice) "Is this an earthquake?"
Runs to the stairs to make sure everyone upstairs knows there's an earthquake.
Finally realizes that Rob wants his family under door frames, so she stands under the safety of a doorframe- for a second. Then, too excited to stay still, she runs back out into the basement and announces "It's an earthquake!"
Wonders why Rob keeps talking about door frames since the house wasn't crumbling yet.

Cosi's reaction:
Sees mommy laughing and excited.
"Wheeeeeeee!!!!!!!!"

Summer in the 'Burbs- in Pictures

It's a summer of firsts- Trey's first time in the US, Cosi's first time in a pool, first trip to the beach, etc. And like all good parents, we've got our cameras handy for all those moments, as well as the mundane ones. Here's a few snapshots of life in the States this summer (as always, remember that you can click on a picture to enlarge it).

Cosi's day almost always includes a walk through the neighborhood. One in the morning and one in the evening, whenever possible:


















Cosi really likes it when the whole family goes on a walk. She either pushes a baby doll stroller or tries to "help" Mommy push Trey's stroller.
















Cosi really likes to 'help'. Laundry, vacuuming, carrying groceries- yesterday at the mall she offered to help an employee push a cart of merchandise. She was politely refused.

An almost daily part of Cosi's routine is helping Mommy or Nana water the flowers. (Truth be told, Cosi usually ends up as wet as the flowers...)























Trey got a nice big gift from Mommy and Daddy (OK, who are we kidding, the gift was for ourselves as well!)- a bouncy seat! At first he wasn't too sold on the idea:
















But he warmed up to it:
















And now he plays in it so much, we're worried about it getting water damage from all his drool!
















An essential part of every sunny day is a dip in the pool. For weeks before arriving in the US, we were trying to prepare Cosi for the swimming pool, but how do you explain that in terms she can understand? We opted for telling her about the "big bath outside," since baths and being outside are two of her favorite things. She took to the pool like, well, like a fish in water. The challenge is that she will try to jump in the water even when she doesn't have floaties on. After a few trips to the deep end (Rob, April, and Pawpaw have all taken turns jumping in to pull her out), we now have a "floaties on before you leave the house and until you get back inside" policy.


















However, our little extrovert does not like to be the only one swimming. If you even think about sitting poolside, she'll insist "Mommy jump? Please? Daddy Jump! Push Daddy!" (She likes to 'push' Daddy in the pool, a fun activity we probably shouldn't encourage.)


















For Cosi, no day is complete without a bath, and last week she got a particularly special bath- she got to share one with Trey! guess which of the kids was more excited about that idea:
















A number of people have asked how Cosi is dealing with having a baby brother. The short answer is that she's doing very well. She loves him and is fascinated by him. She likes to bring him toys, pretend to feed him (mimicking how Mommy feeds him), she tries to make him laugh, and she always wants to hold him. She still has moments of jealousy, but overall she's becoming a great big sister. Trey, overall, really likes his sister. He is fascinated by her, and yet he also has a healthy fear of her (she's quite unpredictable and is prone to sudden ear-piercing squeals).























Shortly after arriving in the US, we were treated to a beach vacation. On the way down to the beach, we spent some time with family in Newport News, and Trey got to hang out with his "twin cousin":
















The beach was exciting, and Cosi certainly turned a few heads:


















Trey, too, got to spend some time on the shore and seemed to enjoy it:


















While at the beach, Cosi really, REALLY enjoyed riding on and driving the golf cart around the resort (more on that another time- a true cross-cultural experience). The problem is that ever since then, Cosi has wanted to drive every vehicle she sees. I thought I had at least 10 more years before she started bugging me to give her the keys to the car!


















And what is more suburban American than running through a sprinkler in the summer?









































In our next post, we'll share about our recent trip to that great American summer tradition- the County Fair! (Cosi + Roller Coaster + Deep Fried Twinkie = ?)

Laughing Baby

Yes, we realize it has been a while, and we promise many more pictures, videos and updates in the near future. But until then, please entertain yourself by watching this video of an out-of-shape Rob trying to keep an adorable little boy happy. You have to watch the second half to see why he's laughing...

shushu or ai-yi???

We're teaching Cosi to be able to identify men and women. We've decided to use the terms shushu (uncle) and ai-yi (aunt). That way when she incorrectly identifies the man with long hair as a woman, only Rob and I are left laughing.

Also, for your entertainment...
-When Cosi saw a picture of Mother Teresa, she firmly stated "shushu."
-When Cosi saw a commercial with the Geico Gecko, she pointed and said "shushu."
-When Cosi saw a person at Walmart who was difficult to identify, she hesitantly asked me "shushu? ai-yi?" I said "maybe ai-yi."