Kate on March 4th, 2010

Another exciting day in India today.  Remember what it feels like to be bored?  I don’t.
I woke up around 2 AM this morning with severe abdominal pain.  I didn’t think too much of it, as I have recently been sick.  Until it got worse.  And I couldn’t sleep.  And all of my weird half awake/ [...]

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Kate on February 27th, 2010

Because we moved to Chennai when Lauren was 2, she remembers little about life before India.  This was apparent when she started a conversation today with this question: “Mom, am I Indian?”
Hmmm…  The question was sincere, so I asked, “What do you think?”
She pondered for a moment, then decided, “I think I am Indian.”
“Why do [...]

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Kate on February 27th, 2010

The school has been entertaining us again with some great festivities.  We enjoyed India week in early February and Sports Day a week after that.  This is our second time attending both events and the first time for Ella.  I can’t say enough good things about AISC, it has been such a blessing for us [...]

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Kate on February 12th, 2010

Of all the interesting shopping opportunities in Chennai, Cotton Street has to be my favorite.  It’s a dusty dead-end street with tables lining the side.  Every afternoon, men pull up on bikes with attached wagons (sort of like rickshaws) laden with cotton fabrics and for-export clothing made in near by factories.  They proceed to unload [...]

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Kate on January 23rd, 2010

So we’ve officially reached the one year mark in India.  We have seen Chennai in all three of it’s famous seasons: hot, hotter, and hottest.  (Can’t even COUNT the times that a local has used that joke, then laughed like crazy.)  And I believe we are pretty well acclimated here (which, of course, means that [...]

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Kate on December 27th, 2009

We have tried every year to teach the kids that Christmas is, first and foremost, a celebration of Christ’s birth.  Giving gifts, decorating trees, Santa Claus, and snow storms are all fun traditions, but come second.  Well, this year we really had to put that to the test.  We had to find our own Christmas spirit in a [...]

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Gavin on December 3rd, 2009

It has been raining a lot here for the last few weeks, and has been a few degrees cooler as well.  We have even managed to turn off the AC units on a couple of occasions, even during the day time.  Kate and the kids had a great Thanksgiving with friends from the branch (Thanks [...]

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Kate on November 23rd, 2009

For all you wannabe copy-crafters out there, here’s the info I used to make my projects.
Tutus:  I kind of pieced together from different blogs to figure out the best way to cut tulle, tie the knots, and wrap the ribbon.
Shirt dresses:  There are lots of different ideas for this (just google “men’s shirt girls dress”).  [...]

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Kate on November 22nd, 2009

I recently discovered a whole new world on the internet.  This world consists of people (mostly women) who are extremely creative and have really clever ideas.  They make stuff, take pictures along the way, post it on their blog with detailed instructions, and call it a TUTORIAL.  Then slackers like me, who have no interest [...]

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Kate on November 1st, 2009

Well, it wasn’t the usual Halloween for us here in Chennai.  No ward party, no trick or treating.  But we were able to make some of our own fun, thanks to the school and the Robertsons.
On friday, the kids dressed up in the afternoon and did a costume parade around the school.  I brought Lauren [...]

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Kate on October 18th, 2009

We had lots of fun celebrating Diwali this past week.  As far as I can tell, it takes all the best festivities from other holidays and puts them together.  Fireworks?  Check.  Gift-giving?  Check.  Tons of candy?  Check.  Plus, add to that getting to dress up in pretty clothes and have your hands decorated (Mehindi).  Needless [...]

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Kate on October 1st, 2009

Well, as Lauren turned three we finally came to a crossroads.  It was either teach her how to change her own diapers (I’m pretty sure she could do it!) or teach her how to use the toilet.  For some reason Gavin wasn’t even willing to give the first option a chance, so we opted for [...]

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