Harry Potter Birthday Party

S choose a Harry Potter Birthday Party this year. We had a lot of fun planning it and the kids had a great time. Some kids came dressed up as wizards and witches, one girls was in uniform and one boy had the official Quiditch cape! They all started the party by making magic wands with real feathers inside.

The Sorting Hat came alive again and sorted kids into the two Hogwarts houses represented: Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. You guessed correctly that S ended up in Gryffindor.

The two houses played each other in a game of Quiditch on real brooms with lots of "flying" balls and a golden snitch. Unfortunately it was almost 40C outside so after 10 minutes we had some Butterbeer and popcorn at the airconditioned Leaky Cauldron.

Creating Lava Lamps during science class with Professor Snape.

Decorating goblets with gems during art class.

After writing class with quills and a dragon egg hunt in the forbidden forest with Hagrid, it was time for the traditional party highlight: the birthday cake and Happy Birthday sung in two languages.

Presents made the day complete. While the parents lingered at pick up time with a cold drink and appetizer the kids got comfortable inside and watched the first Harry Potter movie. We had let S watch it once on a long plane ride before and she was impressed I had actually bought her the movie at the Russian Market. So far she has only read the first and second book. I guess she's a real fan now and is probably old enough to move on to book three...

Birthday Girl

S turned nine years old this month. Could it really be true? Nine already? Was I walking around the streets of Maadi with a big pregnant belly nine years ago? It really feels like yesterday. Happy Birthday oldest daughter!

Giving is as much fun as receiving. E picked out a white fluffy stuffed dog for her big sister.

The traditional cupcakes to bring to school and treat the class. Decorating them is half the fun.

S in her third grade classroom
(which is really a 2/3 combination class.)

S and Ms. Andrea, her wonderful teacher who is from Canada.

Koninginnedag / Queen Beatrix's Birthday

(Meester Willem giving kids instructions)

Every year the Dutch celebrate Queen Beatrix's birthday. It is actually her mother's birthday on April 30 but Bea has kept this date in her honor.

The Dutch abroad tend to go a little crazy for all things Dutch and orange. The Queen's birthday has quite a budget from the Dutch school and embassy in Bangkok. The day for Dutchies in Phnom Penh was spend at Gasolina, a local restaurant that rents out its large garden for events.

Kids and grown ups alike spend the day at traditional games like tug of war and walking on stilts.

There was a bike decorating contest.

And poffertjes (mini pancakes) to eat!

The queen's birthday is also the only day in the Netherlands when you are allowed to sell your junk on the streets without having to pay taxes. It's called a vrijmarkt. E helped me sell of some of our old toys but mostly kept shopping at other people's stands. I think we left with more than we came.

My Tooth is Loose!

I find that losing teeth are a real indication of my kids growing. With 3 1/2 years between them they have been teething/loosing teeth at the same time for years it seems. Just three weeks ago S informed me her bottom left incisor was loose. Sure enough, after a week or so of wriggling, the tooth came out while she brushed her teeth at bedtime.
As if on cue, E announced her tooth was loose the next day. Bottom left front tooth. E took a different approach than S ever took--she kept working the tooth, wanting it to come out so badly. She even carried a box to school one day, to put the tooth in, in case it happened at school. But it didn't, it came out eating soft tacos at dinner the next day.
I told the girls they were both quite old getting their first teeth--about ten months. They were also both very quick to lose their first tooth, 5 1/2. In fact E is the first one in her class. The girls conclusion: our mouths don't like those baby teeth! They sure do look cute with those gaps though.

Knai Bang Chatt - Oasis of peace

Sunset as viewed from the pool. Staying at Knai Bang Chatt always guarantees a peaceful and relaxing stay. We really were ready for it the weekend of International Women's Day which we spent at a guest house in very Khmer style with all of E's staff from Gecko & Garden. Two nights at KBC to celebrate J's bday was our treat.

It's not a vacation without a good book and a hammock!

Family photo opportunities. Happy Birthday J.

Cambodia Country Club

S had been taking riding lessons at CCC about a year ago. After the club moved to a new facility she stopped riding for a while (high fees, no shade), but we recently decided to try it again. There is still virtually no shade but the fees are down and S really loves it. Her favorite horse is May.

Riding on Georgette. Lessons are Sunday morning at 9:00. The earlier the better to avoid the most intense heat, but it means leaving home at 8:15 on mom and dad's day off.... not always easy.
E's turn on May. E tried one lesson and enjoyed walking but thought it was too bouncy overall. She did enjoy the accessories: riding cap, riding pants (ones outgrown by S), and a horse t-shirt. E is going to try again in a year or so.

Beijing Trip Part Two

Here are a few more pictures of our trip to Bejing. This photo was taken at the Summer Palace. It was a magical place to visit--spacious, mystical, and very large. We could all imagine the emperors escaping the confines of the Forbidden City.


Here's another shot of the Great Wall. It was so amazing to walk on this structure. As great as the pyramids and Angkor Watt. It was my favorite site we visited this trip.

We hiked up to the wall and are planning our route here. We took the tobagen down to the bottom which was so much fun!

Trip to Beijing, China

It is very quiet outside as I write this post. Every Cambodian is visiting their home province for Khmer New Year this week. Normally scooters are whizzing by our house but today all is calm. We are happy to be home, unpacking, after a great five day trip to Beijing. We have always wanted to visit China, S just studied structures at school and learned a lot about the Great Wall and E just started a unit about journeys. All good reasons for a trip. We stayed with our Dutch friend Mike and his girlfriend Vivienne. Mike teaches in Beijing and we know him from Cairo.
It was very cold while we were in Beijing--we were prepared though with hats and jackets. One day the high was 9C. Of course Phnom Penh was baking in its steady 35C so our bodies were in a bit of a shock. The cool temperatures reminded the girls of Holland.

We took a rickshaw ride through the traditional Hutong alleys of Beijing near Hohai Lake. E is wearing a panda hat that we bought her on Tiannaman Square the first day and that she wore every minute we were outside after that. S favored a french barret that she wore even inside.