Keely's 4th Birthday..."Princess Style"

Our youngest daughter, Keely, celebrated her 4th birthday on August 23. All she wanted (and repeatedly asked for) was a "princess dress" that she had seen in the market one day and a "princess umbrella" so that she had her own protection from the two weather elements...pouring rain or beating down sun. Well, I knew where the dress was in the market and that was a simple enough purchase and we were more than happy to give it to her. However, it took me a little more effort and a couple different markets to find the princess umbrella. And as most children do, I thought she would enjoy opening just a couple additional gifts as well... While in the market searching for the umbrella I came across a 3-wheeled scooter (princess, of course) and knew she would love it as she had seen some in Target over the summer and I informed her we couldn't buy one then because we wouldn't be able to take it back to Hong Kong with us. After receiving her princess dress and umbrella, she said "this is the most exciting birthday ever" although I'm pretty sure she doesn't remember any other birthdays up to this point. So I told Keely we had one more surprise for her and upon opening it she replied (with dramatic flair) "Oh...this is just too much!" Yet, she readily accepted her additional gift! :)

Congratulations to Tyson!

So, we now have three members of the Hong Kong Island Stingrays Swim Team in the family. We are so very proud to say that Tyson tried out for the team this past weekend and was issued an invitation letter to join the squad. He is very excited and we are VERY proud. Trey and Kyra were so fortunate to participate in an international swim meet in Taiwan last year. It looks like the team will be heading to Singapore this year. What an amazing experience that will be for a 7-year-old! ... not to mention the 9 and 11-year old as well!! :)

"It's a Small World" ...Prairie Pete in Hong Kong

I felt the need to share an "It's a Small World" moment (although I'll warn you I'm a little longwinded getting to the point)...this has been a common thought/phrase for me since moving to Hong Kong...ever since one of the first women I met when we moved here happened to be from Edina, Minnesota...I mean really, what are the chances?

This past week has been filled with some highs and lows that made it feel like I was on an emotional roller coaster. Most of these events would have occurred even if we were still living back in our home in Eden Prairie...new teachers, dealing with changing friendships and making new ones, making choices, dealing with some health issues, entering a new phase/grade in school, etc. but the one thing that has made it a little extra difficult is that one of the kids is having what I refer to as a "Hong Kong moment"...the longing for home. Although these moments have thankfully been few and far between for our family, they have happened to all of us at various times. Honestly, it isn't usually missing home that starts the feelings, but any reason that makes us sad, which then makes us think that maybe it wouldn't have happened if we were back home.

We do what we have to to get through that particularly bad day and the next day is usually "back to normal." We are still trying to get ourselves back into our "usual routine" back here in Hong Kong after being the "on the move" version of the Sandness family back in the U.S. for the summer. So, the kids started school, we are lining up the activities that they are going to be involved in this year and we are back to church.

Unfortunately, being out of the routine of attending church over the summer left our dear children less than eager to go this morning so by the time we all got there (after debates about what clothing was appropriate, the fact that we were actually WALKING to church, including the 150 or so steps to get there, who was sitting next to who, and on and on...) I'm pretty sure there wasn't a smile on anyone's face and dad said to all the kids that there was a "family meeting" after church.

So, between the week's lows and the stressful morning leading into church, I needed to hear God's voice...to feel reassured about so many things in our lives right now...The scripture readings in church today came from Hebrews, Chapter 12 and focused on Hebrews 12:2 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." I was suddenly thinking of our home church in Eden Prairie, Minnesota...Prairie Lutheran...a few years back, I believe that was our church "theme" for the year. I don't remember the specifics, but that verse became ingrained in my memory. God gave me what I needed to hear this morning...he always does when I am available to hear it!

So, we have been blessed with attending a church that is very similar to our Eden Prairie church that we love...we sing many, many of the same songs we used to sing and it has a very familiar feel to the service. As a side note, I am a person that gets just as much out of the music we sing during the service as the words that we speak. We soon come to our closing song and though continually distracted by my children, it feels more than familiar. Craig and I look up at the screen and read at the bottom of the slide "Words and Music by Paul Murakami"...the music director from Prairie Lutheran! It gave the Sandness family a smile to think "hey, we know that guy" Thanks for sharing your gift of music with us, Paul, all the way over in Hong Kong...bet you didn't necessarily plan on that!!

...it truly is a small world we live in.

The Return to Hong Kong

Well, our summer in the states has come to an end once again. It has been a very busy and fun-filled summer, but never long enough! We start our journey back to Hong Kong tomorrow morning with our 12+ bags in tow...hmmm...I think that is how many bags we packed the day we originally moved to Hong Kong...Craig doesn't quite understand how we have so much going back...hmmmm...oh well...perhaps we try and fill our bags with things from home as part of our attempt to get that feeling of home while we are in Hong Kong.

Anyway, we have had some great family and friends time over the summer and tried to pack in as much as we could. We always seem to run out of time to get everyone in our schedule, but we do our best. The kids start school on August 16th so we must return and get acclimated to the time zone and the heat and humidity!

See you all soon!! As always, stay tuned to our blog for some more interesting adventures in Hong Kong over the next year...hoping to explore some new areas this year.

The Unattainable "Trophy"

Kyra chose to do two triathlons this summer, the first one being the Miracles of Mitch triathlon that she completed on July 14. The second one, the Chisago Lakes Kids Triathlon, is one that she's competed in for the last several years. This year she invited her best friend, Grace, to do it also. It was Grace's first triathlon and she did great!

Kyra has a bit of history with this race, which Craig and I find a bit amusing. The first year the kids did this race we really didn't know what to expect and signed them up on the morning of the race...no training, just decided to give it a try. Much to their surprise, Trey and Kyra placed fourth in their respective age categories. We were so proud of them and had a great time cheering them on. They decided they wanted to stay and watch the "awards" handed out, not really knowing what that meant. They watched in awe as the top three finishers in each age category were awarded large trophies. Right then and there, they both decided that they were going to really give it their best and maybe even do a little training before the race the next year...

Well, they were true to their word and gave it their all the next year...they were so supportive of each other and once again we had a great time cheering them on. They worked so hard and both ended up placing in the top three in their respective age categories. They were so excited and could hardly stand the anticipation of receiving their first "real trophies". The awards ceremony soon began and with a bit of disappointment in their hearts, they went up and received their paper certificates...alas...no trophies this year!

Well, despite their disappointment they both chose to participate again in the triathlon the following year, but without as much spring in their step or drive in their race. I wouldn't say they didn't try their best, but perhaps didn't feel the need to push beyond what they thought their "best" was...really...who needed another paper certificate that they know their mom could create at home? So, they did great again and we, again, loved cheering them on...and once again placed just out of the top three in their age categories. Their choosing to stay for the awards ceremony was almost like they wanted to feel like they weren't the only ones who didn't get trophies, like they can relate in their disappointment. But, no, it wasn't meant to be. They magically started pulling out fancy crystal statues as the awards this year. What? No paper certificates? Once again...left the triathlon a little more disappointed...

Oh no, you think the story ends there, but it doesn't!

This brings us up to this summer. Kyra was very excited to do a couple triathlons as she has come a long way in swimming this year being on the swim team in Hong Kong. One of the great things about the Miracles of Mitch actual triathlon is that they HIGHLY encourage the kids to SWIM the swim portion of the race. This is where the Chisago Lakes Kids Triathlon struggles. They generally have the kids swimming at such a shallow level of water that 95% of the kids run in the water instead of making any attempt to swim...because it is faster. I watched in a bit of dismay as the kids who are trying to "swim" get trampled by those who are "running the swim". For that reason, Trey opted out of participating this year...it was just too frustrating. Kyra, however, decided to do it despite that aspect. Coming into this summer she is probably the most fit she has ever been and so she was pretty determined to do her best in an attempt to FINALLY get whatever "trophy" they were giving out this year.

Once again, we loved cheering her on and had the whole family there to support her and her friend Grace. We could see that she was really pushing herself. Much to her pleasure, she placed third in her age category and graciously went up to receive her new backpack at the awards ceremony...huh?...backpack? oh well...she still had a great time...maybe next year???

Now for those of you who are saying she shouldn't be focused on the trophy, I will only say this...there were no expectations of such a thing until the moment they were given out the first year of the triathlon...and I say a little reward to encourage the kids to strive for their best is not a bad thing. Lots of life lessons being learned through these triathlon experiences... :)