A Very Pieria Halloween!

Teddy went to school today dressed as Buzz Lightyear. Here are the other kids in his class all dressed up for fun games and a little trick-or-treating. Tonight we take him up the mountain for some real house-to-house trick-or-treating. More fun to come!

Halloween: Part I of III

Another fun year of trick-or-treating in Tien Mu park! Organized by a member of the TAS faculty, this is fast becoming one of our favorite events in Taiwan.

Here we are waiting for the festivities to begin!


The kids getting together for a picture before trick-or-treating. How did they all sit there so nicely?


Teddy is dressed like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. He looks a little sullen in all of these photos but I promise that he had a great time. I think he was tired from being in the sun all day and a little overwhelmed by all the kids.

Food Fair 2011

We enjoyed the annual TAS International Food Fair on Saturday. In addition to supervising several booths and Shana getting pies thrown at her to raise money for one of the student clubs (picture to come soon), Teddy loved playing games, bouncing in the bouncy castle, and going down the huge slide. He also got his face painted.

I Dressed Myself Today!

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Pumpkin Carving

We will take more photos of our pumpkin soon, but we were totally psyched when our local grocery store carried big pumpkins this year. Ours has been carved and we even toasted the pumpkin seeds. It's beginning to feel a little more like home around here

Sunday in the Park

We decided to visit be a tourist in our own hometown on Sunday by visiting the Zhishan Ecological Park near our house. At the top of this little mountain we found a huge temple overlooking the city.

Teddy really wanted to light some incense like he saw other people doing. We didn't think it was a terrible idea as long as he took some time to tell the Gods what he was thankful for. He was very sweet and prayed for everyone in the family...and for a Matchbox car.
As we left, the boys posed for a quick picture before making their way down the mountain.

On the way down, Teddy and Daddy decided that they were going to make a dragon face. Too cute!
We finished the day by having pizza and beer at Faust Pizza near the park. It was the perfect day!

Yilan Cultural Center

This past Saturday we traveled with TAS to the Yilan Cultural Center. To get there we went through the Hsuehshan Tunnel which, at almost 13km is the fifth longest road tunnel in the world. We were impressed!

When we first arrived at the cultural center, we got to see a great children's dance performance that was Little Mermaid-esque.

Here is Teddy watching the dance on Daddy's shoulders with his yummy Hello Kitty lollipop. You can't go anywhere in Asia without Hello Kitty!

Here is part of the underwater dance performance which, of course, must feature a scary dragon.

Teddy really loved feeding the Koi fish in the many ponds.

He also enjoyed pretending to drive the rickshaw!

There were many DIY stations around the Cultural Center so Teddy and I decided to make something for Grammy and Pop. They are coming to Taiwan in a few weeks! Don't worry, Nanny and Papa. We will make something wonderful for you too!

On our way back to the bus, Teddy and I discovered this fun little side street. A woman in a beautiful gown was modeling and it was fun to walk past her and see all the action.

Teddy the Cover Boy!

Michael was at the mall today and saw the new Elle catalogue with our little cover boy! He looks like such a little man.

Our poor sofa!

Teddy decided to draw a picture for Daddy...on the sofa! I'm so glad I left that permanent marker lying around.

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Another adorable photo!

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Teddy modeling for Why and Half!

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Phuket: Day Three

We spent our last day in Phuket at the Beach Club. We started the day at the pool where Teddy had a wonderful time scooting around the kiddie pool.

We then went down to the beach to play in the sand and to watch Daddy frolic in the surf. Mommy and Teddy were too afraid to venture into the big ocean waves.


After a while an elephant and his trainer came out to wow the crowd by playing in the water together. It was quite a sight! We didn't now that elephants loved the ocean so much. Both Michael and I got to touch the elephant but Teddy was too shy to get too close.


We finished the day where we started - at the pool! It was a wonderful end to a truly wonderful vacation. I hope that we can return to Phuket soon.

Phuket: Night Two

Another spectacular night in Phuket! We enjoyed a casual meal by the pool at the Phuket Beach Club and got to see the sunset from our table. Here are a few fun pictures from the night.


Teddy was so cute eating his hotdog and enjoying his tropical drink at dinner.


Can you believe this sunset?

Phuket: Day Two

We spent another lazy morning at the pool. The rain has totally disappeared and it's been nothing but sun, sun, sun for the whole day. We played in the big pool until it got too crowded and then moved to the kiddy pool with the fun water slide. Only Michael and I have ventured onto the slide. Teddy is far too scared to go by himself. Maybe tomorrow!


We then went down to the beach and found a wonderful hut selling traditional Thai food. We enjoyed a lunch of prawns with pineapple rice, Pad Thai, and beer. We then went down to the beach to enjoy the sand and surf, and to take another family photo.

Phuket: Night One

We had a totally amazing first night in Phuket. We walked out to the beach to watch the sunset. It had been overcast all day but the clouds cleared just in time for a truly spectacular sunset.



This is my absolute all-time favorite photo. It will be my computer desktop at work so that I can periodically zone out and return to the beach in Phuket. Nothing beats the backdrop of a spectacular sunset and the two loves of my life.


We then went to a fire show put on by our hotel. Teddy was less enamored with this show, especially when they came close to the audience. I don't blame him! We saw one of the dancers by the pool the next morning, nursing his burn from the night before. I think I will stick to college counseling!

Phuket: Day One

It was decided that the Russell family deserved a vacation after a less than terrific start to the school year. Destination? Phuket, Thailand. Thanks to our teacher friends who own a timeshare at the Marriott in Phuket, we will be enjoying the next four days by relaxing at the pool and playing on the sand.

We thought we would start off our wonderful journey with a fun family photo.


Next, we moved to the picturesque pool where Teddy got the chance to try out his new "water shoot."


When I told him to look at me for picture, in true Asian style, he put his two fingers up and said "cheese!" I wonder who taught him that. Pieria Day Care, I'm looking in your direction!


Overall, it has been a fantastic start to the long weekend. I hope to do more relaxing by the pool while the boys play.

More to come...

Away We Go!

It's a four day weekend in Taiwan, so we are headed to Phuket, Thailand. We can't wait to sit on the beach!

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Rainy Day

It has been raining nonstop for almost a week and Teddy has been enjoying splashing in the puddles on his way home from school.

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Teddy watching the AFL Grand Final

We are starting him young!

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