The Alessi Family: 1 Year in Hong Kong!

September, 2013

Yep, it's already been a year here. Crazy, right!?! My baby is 9 months and can take a few steps by himself. Patrick is riding a school bus to school. Where did the time go? I feel like I just stepped off the plane - pregnant and scared about what we were getting into! Either time is going faster because I'm old OR time goes faster in Asia. I think it must be faster in Asia, because I refuse to believe I am old or will ever get old.

Summer was fantastic! We spent about 5 weeks in the US and had the best summer vacation. One lesson learned was not to fly into O'Hare on July 3rd and expect to get to Elkhart, Indiana within 2.5 hours. The traffic was horrible. To break up the trip we stopped at my grandmother's on the way to Elkhart. Evan got to put his feet down for the first time on American soil and meet his great-grandmother (my mother's mom). My grandmother is 95 years old and we were thrilled we all got to see her. My Aunt Andrea & Uncle Greg also stopped by to see us and the kids. That evening we made it to Elkhart and enjoyed a catered meal from Hacienda. The chips and salsa - fab! My two sisters' families and Tom's father & Trish came in town for the 4th of July and Evan's baptism that weekend. It was a memorable weekend. Patrick running around in circles in large, open, grassy spaces was so fun to see. The boys had some great cousin time as well.

Evan's baptism @ St. Thomas the Apostle Church

sisters with kids (Evan missing)

Catching lightning bugs

The next week Tom went to Arkansas for work and it was just me and the boys touring the mid-west. We stayed in Indiana with my parents and I did my fair share of shopping. I was also able to catch up with some friends from high school (Dory, Sarah, Pat, Anne, Kyle, Carrie, Amanda, & Jake). Always fun catching up! My Aunt Rita, Uncle John & their family came over for pizza one night too!

Our next stop was in Davenport, Iowa where my younger sister, Susan, and her family lives. The highlight of that trip was the John Deere Museum. Basically, Patrick and cousin Madeleine climbed every tractor they could. We also enjoyed an afternoon swimming on the deck :)

Madeleine & Patrick playing on deck

Driving tractor at John Deere Museum

Evan - driving at 7 months

Our next stop was Oswego, Illinois to see my friend, Erin, from college. One of my top 10 moments of summer was driving to Oswego in my rental car with my two boys strapped in their carseats in the back. I was listening to the radio and admiring the midwest (flat fields) and it was such a gorgeous summer sky. The boys were accustomed to carseats by this part of our trip and they were behaving so I just had time to listen to B96 and appreciate the open space! Anyways... got to see my girl Erin - It was the first time our children were old enough to actually 'play' together. She had some 'Chicago' Saint Mary's ladies over one afternoon for a large playdate. Thanks to Julie, Heather, Betsy for making the trip out! The kids outnumbered the moms and definitely won that day... hands down. Whenever us SMC girls get together, it's just like old times :)

This pic looks like we have it under control :)

Next stop was Chicago, Illinois where my older sister, Christina, and her family resides. She has two boys that are older than Patrick/Evan so mine were pretty much in awe of all the 'big boy' toys at her house. I was also able to sneak out during nap time to see two great friends from my early teaching days: Ashley & Laura - and it was so good to catch up with them even if it was a short visit. There was so many more people in Chicago that I didn't make it to see - Ugh, 4 days went way too fast. My sister and I took the boys to the Children's Museum and the Lincoln Park Zoo. We also hit up my favorite pizza by the slice spot (New York Slice - not a fan of the deep dish). And we went to the annual St. Ben's Festival. My parents also drove out to say goodbye to us before we continued on our journey- - - -

Chicago Children's Museum

Jonathan assisting Fireman Patrick

Oldest Cousin Andrew holding baby Evan

Grammie & Papa come and say bye-bye

After our mid-west tour, the boys and I boarded a plane for PA to visit Tom's father and Trish (Grandpa & Grandma) at the farm. Summer accomplishment was the flight I did with my boys…we even had a connection in Philly, (almost missed the connection due to limited timing and a slight tantrum by my eldest) – but overall smooth! Tom (who had been in AR, Chicago, Hong Kong, Shanghai, & Japan) flew back to be with us for the rest of our summer. Tom's sister, Renee, and her family joined us also for the rest of our adventure on the east coast. The boys (including Renee's two boys) - all loved the farm. Between our family and Renee's family - there were 4 boys; 2 years old and under. We were quite busy. The pond, tractor rides, 4-wheeling, visiting Great-Grandma, and driving the jeep were amongst the favorite activities.

Evan, Patrick, Dean, Andrew

First fish with Grandpa

This is about as opposite as to Hong Kong that you can get!

Family four-wheel ride

Summer is awesome on a really big swing!

Evan and Dean floating and talking

The next week we drove to New London, Connecticut to see Tom’s mom (also known as Mo-Ma to the boys). Spent the week at the beach house – the boys enjoyed playing in the sand and water. The grown-ups enjoyed the daily morning work-outs on the beach, followed by a day of relaxation in the sun, happy hour after bed-time and dinner with family. Mo-ma even watched all four boys one afternoon while Renee, Colin, Tom, and myself went sailing. All of Tom's aunts and uncles (John/Pam, Andy/Gail, and Randy/Bonnie) all made it to New London as well as many of his cousins and their families (Erin, Wendy, Bea & Anna). There were kids everywhere. Unfortunately, we did not see Tom's brother, Adam this summer. He was in Ranger school over the summer. A HUGE Congratulations to him, he just graduated this past weekend and is officially an Army Ranger! Looking forward to catching up with him on our next trip home. I'm hoping to take the boys again for a state-tour next July. Summer definitely went way too fast!!!

Little brothers napping - big boy hangout time!

Dad & Patrick/Evan

Mo-ma is so happy with all the grand-kids around :)

I miss summer!

Heading back in from our sailing trip!

Only way to drive safely is with your sunglasses

Once home we quickly got back into our HK lifestyle. Patrick started his first year of preschool. He attends the same school that he attended Playgroup and Stepping Stones. He loves it. He rides a bus all by himself each morning and he loves that! The school actually moved into a new campus and it is gorgeous. Patrick has show-and-tell weekly and brings home a library book. When did he get so grown-up??

Evan is our little monkey – he is curious about everything, crawls everywhere, eats everything, loves to tease Patrick, and loves constant adoration. He is a social butterfly and fearless. He enjoys the swing and swimming pool and making new friends. He does not enjoy getting new teeth or getting pulled away from something he wants.

My boys: Patrick & Evan

Tom and I are well. We've had some nice nights out since we've been back. Last weekend was the Mid-Autumn Festival so it was a 3-day weekend. We took advantage and did the Dragon Back hike on Friday and ended up at Big Wave Bay Beach... we both went for a swim than took a nap on the beach. Nothing beats a nap on the beach after a long hike and swim. We are going to Singapore this weekend and meeting our friend Val there. In addition, we are hoping to meet up with Norlie's daughter Kathy who lives there.