Summer vacation this year is in Dallas, TX and we are now one week into our visit. I traveled with them solo this year and thankfully, it was a much better trip than I had dreaded. Packing began one week previous to departure and I borrowed a camping backpack to bring in the cabin. I only packed one suitcase for the 3 of us because I didn't want too much bulk when claiming baggage and that caused an overweight suitcase that had to be repacked at check-in. It was only down to an acceptable weight when I gave up my jeans and cosmetics.
The shorter flight to Tokyo was peaceful and uneventful. Jerry got to play Bejeweled on the inflight entertainment system and Aaron was thankfully more or less entertained with the videos and books that we brought along.
While re-checking in at Narita airport, I had a slight shock when I found out that I should have made an online registration to take advantage of the visa waiver for British passport holders. This is a new requirement that I was not aware of and luckily for us, there was enough time to do it at the airport's Internet cafe. Even more lucky was that American Airlines Japanese ground crew were extremely helpful and had someone escort us to the Internet cafe and wait until our registration was complete. She served as a precious babysitter for those 20 minutes.
Even after having eaten lunch on the plane, Jerry was hungry already, so we stopped by the foodstop next to our gate and had tempura and cold udon and soup soba. (pictures later)
The longer leg of the trip was more taxing on me (I had no room to sleep because collectively, they took up all three seats), but no effect on the boys as they managed to eat and sleep a fair amount. We even brushed our teeth in the tiny bathroom to go through our routine. Aaron also put on pj's to get comfy.
Finally, after 20 hours of combined traveling and waiting, we arrived in Dallas.
We are now 1 week into our trip and we have had the following Dallas favorites:
Shui Wah, Chick-fil-a, Pizza by Marco, Taco Bell, Macaroni Grill, menoodle, Sonics, Papa John's, Yoghurtland, mom's cooking, and more Shui Wah tonight.
The boys have enjoyed swimming at the Yips' and the Lins' (especially at the Lins') and Aaron has grown attached to Lucas' playroom. It's literally the first place he thinks of going to when he wakes up in the morning. We went to the Tom Mullenbeck Swimming Pool today complete with waterslides, water fountains and a lot of fun. Jerry has already decided that when he moves to Dallas (not "if") he will want to live close to the swimming pool, just like how Sai BewYee is so close by. All in all, we are enjoying this trip and Jerry is more convinced than ever that he'd like to live in Dallas....
Kelvin joins us in another week and we look forward to reuniting!
Friday, July 23, 2010
blogger's block
So, I know I haven't blogged about the boys in almost 10 months...but the long delay was not intentional...honest.
Obviously, a lot has occurred within these 9.5 months and it would not make a very interesting post if I attempted to fit everything in today.
Jerry turned six in March and Aaron turned three in April. In Aaron, the transformation was most obvious and luckily, all for the good. No longer did he feel the urge to throw temper tantrums neither did he scream unnecessarily in the middle of the night. Attending nursery also helped him develop a milder temperament and improved his manners altogether.
Jerry's school searching ended in January with acceptance in 2 schools. Luckily, one of them was our first choice, so we didn't have any problems deciding which one to pick. This coming September 1, Jerry will be a Grade 1 student at St. Stephen's College Preparatory School. We already bought the books and uniform...so, we are all ready, I hope.
Aaron interviewed for Jerry's kindergarten in February and was accepted. Aaron has always been in the habit of speaking English more than Chinese, so, during his interview, when the interviewer asked him his name and age in Cantonese, he replied in English. When he was presented with pictures to identify, he continued replying in English whilst the interviewer was still using Cantonese. We believe that but for Jerry having attended there, Aaron's chances of getting in would have been slimmer (because according to some of Kelvin's friends, there were over 1000 applicants for a mere 120 spots.
Jerry graduated from kindergarten and Aaron left nursery. Jerry was chosen to play a part in his school's annual graduation performance and was dressed as a pearly clam. Coincidentally, Aaron was chosen to perform at his school's graduation too. I'm proud to say that they both performed excellently. To our surprise, Aaron received an award for Most Improved! That was a very proud moment too. To Jerry's credit, he received awards in K1 and K2 for Achievement in Academics and Conduct.
Obviously, a lot has occurred within these 9.5 months and it would not make a very interesting post if I attempted to fit everything in today.
Jerry turned six in March and Aaron turned three in April. In Aaron, the transformation was most obvious and luckily, all for the good. No longer did he feel the urge to throw temper tantrums neither did he scream unnecessarily in the middle of the night. Attending nursery also helped him develop a milder temperament and improved his manners altogether.
Jerry's school searching ended in January with acceptance in 2 schools. Luckily, one of them was our first choice, so we didn't have any problems deciding which one to pick. This coming September 1, Jerry will be a Grade 1 student at St. Stephen's College Preparatory School. We already bought the books and uniform...so, we are all ready, I hope.
Aaron interviewed for Jerry's kindergarten in February and was accepted. Aaron has always been in the habit of speaking English more than Chinese, so, during his interview, when the interviewer asked him his name and age in Cantonese, he replied in English. When he was presented with pictures to identify, he continued replying in English whilst the interviewer was still using Cantonese. We believe that but for Jerry having attended there, Aaron's chances of getting in would have been slimmer (because according to some of Kelvin's friends, there were over 1000 applicants for a mere 120 spots.
Jerry graduated from kindergarten and Aaron left nursery. Jerry was chosen to play a part in his school's annual graduation performance and was dressed as a pearly clam. Coincidentally, Aaron was chosen to perform at his school's graduation too. I'm proud to say that they both performed excellently. To our surprise, Aaron received an award for Most Improved! That was a very proud moment too. To Jerry's credit, he received awards in K1 and K2 for Achievement in Academics and Conduct.
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