The Kids – The Searchlight of Insight

What a weekend and it’s not over!

October 1, 2013 2 Comments

I've had the busiest weekend I could imagine. Tess is off in the Philippines with ICM and I'm coming to the end of a four day long weekend with Sebastian and the triplets, which started Friday night with Union Church Youth Group. One of our church members put on an Oktoberfest feast that included an opportunity for some of the youth to arrive early and help cook. The result was an amazing buffet of delicious German food that was the best of its kind I had ever eaten. Thank you, Stefanie, from Union.

Following Youth Group myself and a group of the Youth stopped off at McDonald's: a Friday post-Youth Group tradition. On arriving home the triplets were all asleep. Sebastian and I spent time planning out our Simulated Business Class after which I trolled You Tube for possible take-off and landing videos. I spent too much time on that project ending up in bed too late.

Saturday morning Sebastian and I headed out for the weekly shop that included stocking up for our Simulated Business Class. I dropped off Sebastian then headed out for a 2.5 hour ICM meeting with a consultant. Somewhere in there I noticed on Facebook that Planetshakers were playing at The Vine Church that night. Post ICM meeting I was down coaching rugby for two hours until just shy of 6 pm. I'd left the flat with a question for the kids: do you want to go to Planetshakers? Carys spent the next hour listening to their music on YouTube only to realise we already had, and listened to, many of their songs. At 5:30 PM at rugby a text message came in from Sebastian: "Yes, we want to go!"

Just as rugby was ending I dashed home, ate dinner with the kids, then off we went to The Vine. Driving to the The Vine we discussed the various meanings of "spontaneous." Planetshakers was an amazing event. We unexpectedly met lots of people including some kids and adults near and dear to our hearts: a truly special evening. But of course, the kids heavily lobbied at 9:30 PM as we drove home, "no Youthy event like that is complete without the obligatory trip to McDonalds, DAD!" I lost that battle resulting in the kids rolling into bed at 11 PM. I worked more on the take-off and landing videos.

Sunday morning we were up and out the door to church where I taught Youth Group Sunday School at 9:30 AM. This was followed by the usual service at 11 AM. Noon the kids had junior choir practise during which I hurried off to unsuccessfully find some Simulated Business Class supplies. Back at 12:45 PM I picked up the kids, searching for more supplies on the way home with some luck. Then things really got complicated.

There was one project between 1:45 PM when we arrived home and the Simulated Business Class 4:45 PM departure: moving the boys' bunk beds. At 2 PM I had (1) Gary arriving to dis-mantle, help move and re-assemble the bunk beds and (2) a man with a van to handle transportation. I also had the fourth triplet in tow (Danielle) who'd requested Stand-By for the Simulated Business Class. Stomachs were empty. At 1:55 PM a text message from the man with a van informed me he wasn't coming AT ALL! Argh, it had all been arranged days earlier. I was displeased but quickly moved to Plan B: using my own vehicle.

I phoned fourth triplets' mom who agreed to take the four of them for 2.5 hours at which time I confirmed a place for fourth triplet in Simulated Business Class. Sela and the girls made lunch for the five kids. Gary and I took apart the bed. Jasper and Sebastian carried small pieces of the bed downstairs where it had started raining. Shortly fourth triplets' mom arrives to pick-up the four triplets. Seb stays to help with the bed and set-up the flight. Gary and I carry big pieces downstairs and load up the Honda. We drive five minutes away to the bunk beds' new home and unload. I drive back and re-load the remaining pieces, quickly turning around to drop off the second load.

On the way home I stop in at the grocery store to ensure we have enough food to accommodate the fourth passenger. By now I know how the airlines feel when they say, "I'm happy to inform you Mr. Caldwell that you've been upgraded to Business Class but we're unable to guarantee you will receive the meal of your first choice."

Arriving back home Sebastian has everything ready so we test the videos: take-off is working but not landing. "What will we do," Seb asks, "How will we land?"

"We'll figure that out after we take-off," I reply. By this point time is running out. It's 4:30 PM and the Boarding Passes instruct the passengers not to be at the boarding gate any later than 4:45 PM. "You've got to go get them," Seb blurts out and so I do. Down to Sandy Bay I drive to pick-up the four passengers who'd been watching a rugby tournament. They pile into the car with great drama yelling, "Oh no, we're going to miss our flight. We've been praying and praying that you'd get here quickly!" We drive back up to our flat while I remind them that Business Class is typically a calm and quiet experience. The four triplets bail out of the car and run up to our flat screaming, laughing, pushing, shoving and generally displaying airport behaviour that would have them arrested.

"You're late," Sebastian exclaims pointing to the clock. I look down at my watch showing 4:43 PM and think to myself the battery is running out. "We're the pilots, we're going by MY watch," I retort.

Seb says matter of factly, "Oh okay, let's go then."

Simulated Business Class pulls back from the gate on time. We land 17.5 hours later and that's a whole other blog.

Ground crew (me) cleans up the mess and clutter and prepares for my afternoon meeting. 1:15 PM I go into ICM for more ICM meetings and 6:30 PM I finish. Rush home and have an amazing roast chicken dinner with Sebastian and the girls. Jasper, at a friends house for a sleepover, calls during the evening suffering from cat allergies, mild asthma and probably jet lag from the night before. I speak with him to get him sorted out. JJ has his puffer so I know he'll be okay. Soon after we are all in bed.

Tomorrow morning we have to do the final clear out for the new bunk beds (both girls and boys) that arrive between 1 – 3 PM. Then begins the process of putting their rooms back together. Currently I'm on a mattress next to Seb, on the floor of his bedroom. He was asleep long ago but I'm still circling the airport. If I could find the landing video I'd be able to get some shut-eye. I need it.

Below, the Planetshakers deliver a message in both English and Cantonese at The Vine Church.

Tess and the kids have left the building…

July 6, 2012 3 Comments

Tess and the kids have gone to Canada. With the exception of Liza and our new fish Dobby, the house is empty, clean and quiet. Tess and the kids are gone for six weeks until mid-August so the flat is in for a long haul without them. I remember last year it was turbo-charge mode after they left, with all sorts of projects kicking into high gear moments after watching them pass through Immigration. Today it felt different – there are twice as many projects but the turbo hasn’t yet kicked in. Maybe I just need a good night’s sleep. Union Church is hosting an evening for summer bachelors, “Cigars Under The Stars” on the church’s rooftop. This will be my first port of call but meanwhile, I have way too much to do before a hit-and-run, seven day visit to Toronto and the Okanagan later this month.

Tess was a master packer, too. She managed to get an entire summer’s worth of clothes into two suitcases. (I am highly suspicious the “summer collection” will expand once Tess finds herself at outlet malls.) Each one of them also had an appropriately sized carry-on and Tess had her laptop in a backpack. The triplets legally need to sit in booster seats while in Canada. When we dragged the luggage out of the car each one of them dutifully carried their booster seat in one hand while pulling their “wheelies” in the other hand. Sebastian is delighted that he has now graduated from needing a booster seat.

Tess and I had mixed views on technology this year. For a while we contemplated a technology free summer but finally surrendered albeit Sebastian agreed to leave his iTouch in Hong Kong. Sela took my Kindle, loaded with The Bobbsey Twins, Enid Blyton and more. We have four Android tablets, the equivalent to iPads, but much less expensive. The kids call them T-pads. Carys’ t-pad is in the shop for repairs, which is partly why I surrendered my Kindle. The T-pads were also loaded up with books and some of the kids’ favourite movies.

The beauty of technology is that we can communicate back and forth so easily. The kids love to play “DrawSome” and leave endearing messages whenever they send or receive a drawing. Sela wrote me the above message after being unable to send me a text message a few days ago. As I drove home from the airport I somewhat kicked myself for not installing Skype on the T-Pads and realised Seb wouldn’t be able to Skype without his iTouch. But technology is remarkable. Upon arriving home I remotely accessed the kids’ T-pads via Market Android to install Skype. Next time they connect to a wireless Internet connection, Skype will be automatically installed.

Alas, sceptics, nothing replaces the tactile feel of a paper book – that’s the story I’m sticking to for sending my Kindle to Canada – so the kids still had a few paper books in tow. I, too, will appreciate the palpable feel of a paper book this summer. My hope is to finally get to read “Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” by Immaculee Ilibagiza and hopefully get caught-up on some blogging, too. After all, there is the remarkable story of Dobby.

For what are you grateful?

April 1, 2012 No Comments

The month of April is upon us and I just finished my "Gratefully." This is an expression the kids throw around easily and have done so since 1 January, 2012. This year we rolled out a new project with our family. During the Christmas holidays the kids and I went to a small shopping centre (Chi Fu) to purchase 2012 planners. We bought the very small ones for Tess and I, while the kids got the next size up to make it easier for them to write. No, we have not abandoned the calendars in our iPhone and Blackberry. We use the planners for our "Gratefully Project."

For the month of January the project started off with the kids and ourselves, each day, writing three things for which we were grateful. Each day the sentence starts off with, "I am grateful to God for…" The kids stuck with the project with no prompting. Remarkable.

In February the project shifted slightly – the daily Gratefully consisted of two things for which we were each grateful and one person we each thought we needed to forgive. Forgiveness can be difficult for anyone. The kids know what it means and with some trepidation typically hand out forgiveness when they upset each other. At the end of each day we often hear stories of little tit for tats at school, which is why we added forgiveness onto the Gratefully Project. Now each day we write, "I am grateful to God for _______ (two things) and I forgive ______." Even if the kids feel they cannot forgive someone at that moment, they will still write someone that they know they need to forgive in their heart.

What I find most remarkable about the Gratefully Project, is how willing the kids have been to partake. Now we are into April, everyone is up to date, and the kids rarely need to be reminded. In fact we don't prompt them at all.

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32

Gingerbread Time!

December 21, 2008 8 Comments

Recent pictures…

December 7, 2008 4 Comments

Here are some recent pictures from the last few months. First, we have the kids on Tess and my bed about to watch a movie… excited because this would mean watching a movie on "THE BIG TV!" This picture was taken in August. Next we have a picture of the kids in their rugby kit. They all have rugby practise late Saturday afternoon. It is a fun community of players and parents. The Saturday group formed as an offshoot of the Sunday group who couldn't easily attend Sundays due to church commitments. Sebastian attends the Sunday practise, though – starts at 8 AM, yikes – then afterwards we go to church.

Next we have four random pictures of the kids that were taken around the house that look much like close-up portraits.

Next we have two pictures of Sebastian. First, a sweet picture of him hanging out on one of the living room sofas. Second, a picture of Sebastian learning to type on Tess' laptop. As part of Sebastian's homework that weekend he had to use an online typing tool available on his school's web site. He made a good start but don't expect him to start blogging anytime soon!

Here we have two pictures of Carys and Sela. The first one is another portrait-like picture. The second one is from the girls making "silly faces" while taking a bubble bath. I took some video while snapping the bubble bath pics and one of these days I might get around to posting here. Finally, last but certainly not least, is a picture of lovely Tess just before we headed out to the ICM banquet.

Weekend Ritual After Breakfast

September 15, 2008 3 Comments

End of the weekend…

May 4, 2008 1 Comment

It’s the end of a gorgeous Hong Kong weekend. The weather was terrible on Friday, but surprised us on Saturday by clearing up – the partly cloudy and breezy day presented a wonderful opportunity for the junk trip that Tess wrote about here (includes pictures). I was amazed that this morning the kids didn’t sleep later. Regardless, after church we met a friend of a friend of Tess, Harmony, and had a somewhat relaxing – as relaxing as it could be with four kids equal to our less than six years old. At the end of the weekend we had a fun moment, so entertaining that Sebastian insisted I tell him the story THREE times.

As we approached Sunday evening, Sebastian and Tess headed to a neighbour’s flat to drop off a birthday present for a friend whose party Seb missed because he was on The Junk yesterday. While they were gone I started dinner for the triplets… vegetable fried rice LOADED with veggies that Jasper would never eat but so good that ultimately all kids wolfed down. (Veggies disguised as very small bits.)

Sela and Carys finished first, because naturally, seems that JJ’s bodily functions always call him to the toilet during dinner thus delaying the consumption of his meal. Carys was the first to polish off her yoghurt and other after dinner treats. I whisked her off to the bathroom where she wee’d, changed, brushed her teeth, nappied and got into bed. Next it was Sela’s turn, but Sela needed quite a bit of prompting. Sela was messing around in the kids’ bedroom with Carys, much to my changrin. Flash to Jasper, now eating his yoghurt, drinking his milk etc. Before I know it JJ is at my feet, "FINISHED!" he exclaimed upon which JJ – who normally takes forever – quickly wee’d, changed and brushed his teeth. As I was putting on Jasper’s nappy, Sela pranced before JJ and I with a "tah-dah" to announce she’d finally changed. However…

I had meanwhile been saying to Jasper, "JJ, you are going to beat Sela."

"HO, HO," he laughs, chuffed at his little impending victory, "Why?" he asked.

"Because Sela hasn’t brushed her teeth!" I replied.

"HA HA HA," he laughs, "Sela, I am going to beat you!"

"NO NO NO," Sela yells, turning to race into the kids’ bedroom with Jasper in hot pursuit. Sela landed first on her bed with JJ landing a close second on his bed. Sela spun around to face JJ in his bed, arms raised to the heavens, yelling, "Jasper, I beat you, I beat you!"

"NO YOU DIDN’T SELA, YOU HAVEN’T BRUSHED YOUR TEETH!" replied JJ with certainty… trusting that Dad spoke the truth.

With screaming, laughing and yelling erupting from all three triplets a small moment of silence registered in Sela’s mind when she realised she was completely and totally BUSTED. That moment could have resulted in a major pout, but instead she was a very good sport, laughing hysterically that she lost the race due to her unbrushed teeth. I whisked her away for a quick clean after which the three of them made absolutely no effort to go to sleep.

By this time Sebastian returned. I sat with him as he ate his veggie-rich rice, recounting the story of JJ’s 2nd place victory that brought him so much joy he insisted the story be told three times. Why do you suppose this story brought him such delight? A great weekend had by all. (Above, two adults – Arnaud & Richard – on yesterday’s junk trip trying to stay on the tubes while moving at top speed.)

New pics of the kids…

March 28, 2008 4 Comments

Okay, I confess… it was a Shrek Birthday Cake. We’ve created a new photo album of the kids out and about from February & March. Click here to access the photo album at Tess’ blog.

Pictures from Christmas 2007

January 20, 2008 5 Comments

I haven’t been blogging much lately and there is a definite reason why that I will share in due course. For now I wanted to post some photos from Christmas 2007. Sebastian got the big picture probably as far back as 2005 – in other words the excitement of Christmas morning – but this was the first time it really sank in with the trips. Tess already shared about Christmas Eve at church. After the kids were in bed we placed presents beneath the tree and stockings on the sofa. I must admit, this year I was very organised with almost not last minute shopping or wrapping. Tess and I were in bed in good time and this was the scene. The little elf has been in my family for decades. I think he and his fellow companions, still in Toronto with my dad’s Christmas ornaments, first debuted when we were in The Bahamas for Christmas when I was six years old. My sisters and I were forewarned by our parents not to expect much when we woke up Christmas morning because we were all packed aboard a very small sailboat. But wow… I’ll never forget waking up to find my parents had decorated the inside of the boat with ornaments and all sorts of little presents and stockings waiting for us! Meanwhile, here are some pics of Christmas morning. At left the kids sit on the sofa just prior to opening their stockings.

Here the girls enjoy drawing in some new books and also try their hand at putting make-up on… I think that’s Cinderella underneath all the layers. Poor thing looked a mess by the end of the effort. Tess and the girls ended up "giving her a bath." A fun way to clean=up (read diversion), of course!

Jasper sports his new Buzz Lightyear costume – I think he’ll need six months to grow into the outfit but in the interim was willing to share with Sebastian – while Sela and Carys show-off their new pink tutus. The girls were thrilled with this present since they have a book called "Pink Tutus" that they absolutely love. It was as if the book had suddenly come to life for them.

The girls continue to show-off their pink tutus, accessorised by some gifts from Aunty Penny in Toronto: fairy wings, tiaras and magic wands. They were absolutely thrilled and also play "back-up" to Jasper after he received his new guitar. JJ will definitely turn out gifted in the musical area. He loves to sing and this present – inspired by Tantalising Tess – was probably the most favoured present he has ever received ins hi life. He likes to sleep with it!

Finally, last but not least, Tess admires a gift from Sebastian that he proudly made at school. For the remainder of the day Tess and I prepared for some friends to come for dinner: four adults and eight kids. Great time was had by all! I know these are from a month ago but was it worth the wait?

IFC Christmas Party

December 30, 2007 3 Comments

Just before Christmas I took the kids to the IFC Christmas Party, held on the top floor/roof/podium of the IFC complex where I work… don’t get too excited, that’s about the 4th floor – the office buildings tower up on either side. The building behind Santa is where I work, overlooking the harbour. At the party we were joined by Terri, who we know from Union Church, and her daughter Olivia, who was a classmate of Sebastian’s at Small World last year. The party consisted of many inflatable rides, inflatable obstacles courses and gigantic cartoon characters. Horrendous food line-ups meant we topped off the afternoon at Ben & Jerry’s for ice cream. Below are some of the pictures from that afternoon. Enjoy!