Answering Grandma's Questions

I will type this exactly the way she answered each question.

Question #1: So, Michenna, did only the Green Apple People get to make applesauce or did everyone get to make applesauce?

Michenna: (Giggles) Everybody got to make applesauce.

Question #2: Did you make it out of green apples?

Michenna: We used red and green apples - mostly red.

Question #3: What does green apple applesauce taste like?

Michenna: What? Mommy, I said it was made from red AND green apples. It tasted okay, I guess.

Question #4: How do you earn reading points?

Michenna: You read a book and then take a quiz. To pass the quiz you have to get 7 out of ten, 8 out of ten, 9 out of ten, or 10 out of ten questions right. (Mommy: Can I just say at least 7 out of ten? Michenna: No.) Then you get how many points the books is worth. The more points it is, the harder it is to read. My goal is 250 Reading Counts points by the end of March.

Denver Bronco Cheerleaders

We just got back from watching the Denver Bronco Cheerleader performance at the Fitness Center. It was 2 hours of dancing, cheering, and lots of good laughs. Michenna got to participate - she was in "Boot Camp" doing push-ups and trying to do the splits. She was also having lots of fun dancing in the bleachers. (Michenna note: My favorite part of the show was when we had to shimmy while we were cheering.)

We were able to meet the cheerleaders earlier this afternoon at the Exchange. We got a few pictures of Michenna with the cheerleaders. We also got squad pictures autographed by all the girls! (Michenna note: Don't worry, Daddy, we got one for you.) (Mommy note: A picture, NOT a cheerleader. :) )





(Michenna's nose is not bleeding. She had a pretty bad sore under there, but it is finally healing.)

It was a great way to spend a school-free Friday!

Our MLK Holiday

After reading the "sibling blogs", I have to say our MLK holiday was quite boring. Michenna played outside, we read books, and then we watched High School Musical 2 (recorded for the time being on our DVR).




In these pictures, Michenna is wearing her "workout clothes". She also has pink "workout" shorts, but they were in the hamper. Don't you love the green grass, the palm trees, and the flat houses? It was actually a very pleasant day, weather-wise; it was only about 82 degrees all day.

First Half of First Grade

There's a Veggie Tales song on one of our videos that has a song about the "first part of first grade" or something like that . . . (Michenna note: It's the "first day of first grade" and it's in the Jonah movie.)

Anyway, here are some pics that Michenna's teacher sent out in the monthly newsletter.

Michenna note: This is our apple pictograph. I like green apples. The green apple people won. We got to make applesauce. (Tricia note: That sounds like a great children's book - The Green Apple People)

Michenna note: This was a leaf. It was part of our plant unit. It is a very tall leaf! I am the second tallest person in my class. One boy is taller than me.

Michenna note: One of the moms helped us with the life cycle of a pumpkin.

Michenna note: This is the first Reading Counts charm I won for getting 10 points. The lady on the left in the back is my teacher. The other lady is the principal. I have 96 Reading Counts points now.

Michenna note: This is the day we learned about Native Americans. We made a necklace, wove a dream catcher and wrote a story on pretend animal skin. We used pictures to tell the story.

Fifth and Sixth Day in Hong Kong

It occurred to me tonight that I need to finish this up so I can write about other things!


We didn't do much on Saturday or Sunday (in Hong Kong).


Saturday we went to the Hong Kong temple. We didn't know exactly where it was, so we mapped MTR stations on Google Earth - where the temple was already mapped - and then made an educated guess. As we were walking through the station we were very happy to see an older gentleman in a suit and tie, wearing a missionary tag. We flagged him down and talked to him for a while. (He was from Gilbert, Arizona.) He was able to direct us to the temple. We never did figure out why he was traveling alone. Spencer figured he must be a Seventy or something . . .


The temple is gorgeous. Michenna got so excited when she saw the Angel Moroni over the tress. We were walking past a senior missionary couple when she exclaimed, "Look, I can see the angel!" They smiled at us. I wonder why . . . :)








After we walked around the tiny temple grounds - and found out where an English branch was meeting on Sunday - we went to Times Square, one of Hong Kong's many shopping areas. We ate lunch at Hunan Gardens (another Chinese restaurant, just for Spencer).


We finished the day at Fa Yuen Market Street. It was crowded, bright, colorful, cheap, and loud. One pass down the street was enough for us, and we went back to the hotel.



On Sunday we went to church, ate lunch at a revolving restaurant, and then went back to the hotel. We didn't even take the camera with us, so no pictures. :(

Fourth Day in Hong Kong

In the morning, we took the Star Ferry over from Pier 7 to Tsim Sha Tsui. Our only "set in stone" plans for the day were exploring the Hong Kong Space Museum and watching the Symphony of Lights in Vicotria Harbor.

The museum didn't open until 1:00 p.m., so we spent about 2 hours just wandering around. We ate lunch at a little Chinese place (you can hear Spencer sighing, "Finally!") called Hang Fa Lau. I never received my food - we're blaming it on the language barrier - but I ate Spencer's noodle soup and thought it was pretty tasty. Thankfully the restaurant had rice, otherwise Michenna was ready to go without lunch!

The Space Museum was fairly small. We liked the exhibits, but it didn't have the WOW factor of the Science Museum, or even the Coastal Defense Museum. Spencer went on a moon walk simulator - which Michenna was too short for, and I was TOO TALL for. I was devastated. Two centimeters too tall! (But I'm not bitter or anything.) Michenna and I were able to do the hang-gliding simulation. We also watched an Omnimax presentation called "Exploring the Black Holes". Michenna thought it was fascinating, I fought sleep, and Spencer snored throughout. (The Omnimax was also showing a movie about dinosaurs - hence the picture with the dinosuar.)

We left the museum and wandered through Tsim Sha Tsui. We found another of the ever-present playgrounds and let Michenna loose. It was an unusual experience for her; all the other kids were Indian (from India) and boys. They didn't have much use for her - and Miss Michenna is not accustomed to being dismissed.

The map indicated a "themed shopping street" near the playground, so we headed there next. There were lots of stores, but we never figured out the theme (unless it was tourist trap). At the end of the street we came to Kowloon Park.

Kowloon Park was incredible. It had a sculpture garden, hedge maze, bird and fish pond, aviary, playground, and a fitness trail. And those are just the things we saw! Apparently there is also a swimming pool in there somewhere. We ate ice cream, from a convenient McDonalds ice cream stand, and wandered slowly through the park.

It was getting close to dinner time, so we headed for a shopping mall on the map. We couldn't find it, or so we thought. As it turns out, the "hotels" we thought we were passing were actually Hong Kong's longest shopping center. We listened to an orchestra play Christmas songs and then ate dinner at Crystal Jade - more real Chinese food for Spencer. :)

After dinner we made our way, along with all the other tourists, to the Tsim Sha Tsui Public Pier so we could watch the Symphony of Lights - the largest permanent light and sound show in the world. We weren't able to get a clear picture, but it was incredible. Several buildings around Victoria Harbor participate in the Symphony every single night.

We walked back to the MTR station and took a tired little girl back to the hotel so she could go to bed. Our main plan for Saturday was to sleep in!