Uncle Ralfie comes to play!

This January, in honor of Uncle Grant's second trip to Asia, we decided after two long weeks of working in China he could use some fun in the sun! We booked a last minute holiday to Cebu in the Philippines, a short two and half hour flight from Hong Kong.

swim time...

making new friends...
the beautiful Hotel Shangri-La...
lunch al fresco...
the boys unwinding after a long day at the pool...
crystal clear waters...
dinner with the boys...
boys night out...
dinner on the pier...
testing out the water...
back in Hong Kong...view from the Peak
Central, Hong Kong

Christmas in Hong Kong!!!

As you've probably noticed by now, most of my blogs start out with a flimsy excuse as to why it has taken me so long to update this page...fear not, this post will be no exception! Between chasing after a crazy one-year old all day long and recovering from a month-and-a-half long bout of walking pneumonia, my productivity level is quite low. Tyler is 17 months old now, attends "school" twice a week at PIPS pre-school, and has a very busy social calendar.

We are always super excited when guest come to town, and hosting Christmas this year made having visitors all the more special! Much thanks to Danielle, Greg & Hadley for making the long and arduous journey from Atlanta. As much fun as traveling with a 21 month old can be, Danielle gets the super-trooper award for enduring the trip 6 months pregnant! Here are a few photos of our holiday fun...

A rare moment...Tyler sharing his car!

Crazy 1 and Crazy 2:
Swings aren't just for kids!
Hadley, Danielle and Greg on the Peak
Hadley enjoying a stroll with Dada and Uncle Steve
The Frey family in Stanley
Merry Christmas from the Bolhuis family!
Our beautiful tree (which traveled all the way from Oregon!)
A boy and his choo-choo...could life get any better?
The two crazies in their Christmas frills!
On board the Aqua Luna...Stanley to Central
Relaxing on the boat!
Quality dada and daughter bonding!
The Hong Kong skyline
Visiting the Big Buddha!
The temple at Po Lin...a Buddhist monastery

home for the holidays...

Due to our second computer crash of 2009 as well as a busy couple months of traveling and hosting visitors, my blog updates have become quite infrequent! Here are some of the adventures we've experienced lately...

We flew back to the States in November to celebrate Thanksgiving with both the Horvath and Bolhuis families. First stop was Atlanta, to visit Danielle, Greg and Hadley.
Steve and I celebrated our first child-free weekend in Sonoma for a friend's wedding while Tyler enjoyed a weekend of spoiling at Grandma and Grandpa Horvath's.
The Boot-n-Rally girls...celebrating Mr. and Mrs. Billy Inglis! Congrats Em!
Back in Cincy, Tyler's cousin Aidan shared some of his toys with him, as well as taught him a few new tricks!
Grandma Horvath bonding with Tyler, Addison and Aidan.
Precious baby Addi!
All bundled up in Michigan!

A day at the beach...

Showing off our "touchdown" in Grandpa Normie's old truck...
Cheering on the Spartans at the MSU game...
Tailgate time!
Enjoying a crisp fall day!

Happy Halloween!!!

Halloween 2008:

Halloween 2009:

As you can see...a lot has changed in a year! Most importantly, our adorable little pumpkin has turned into a super scary dragon! We have officially achieved sophomore status in Hong Kong, and are still shocked by how fast our first year abroad has flown by. Fortunately, Halloween is a big tadoo in HK, so Tyler has been able to experience all the very exciting festivities surrounding the event. He didn't quite grasp the trick-or-treating concept, and kept trying to give away all of his candy except for these big marshmallow puffs which were an instantaneous hit with the little dragon!

Tyler and his monkey friend, Harrison...
Candy time!
The dragon tames the wild dog...

The after party...karaoke style!

Junk Time!

A few weeks ago we rented a junk (the Chinese term for a boat, not really sure where that stems from), with a couple of friends and embarked on a expedition to explore some of Hong Kong's fabulous beaches. We stocked the junk with enough food and beer to sail the Pacific, and were blessed with an absolute perfect day for fun in the sun!

Leaving Central Hong Kong at 10 am...destination unknown...but always time for a margarita!

The ridiculously tall building on the right side of the pic is the ICC building in Kowloon. Upon completion in 2010 it will be the 3rd tallest building in the world...

Breathtaking views on our journey...

The girls in front of our beautiful and completely secluded beach!

Our cabana boys...

A ridiculous yacht tied up right next to us...