Tainan I

Last week, Kalan had his summer vacation--a whole week off of work!  We headed down south to explore Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan.  We did a lot of walking, checking out historical sites as we went.

Chikhan Towers

I loved all these colorful fish.

Old stone inscriptions...if you look closely at one tablet, you can see where the scribe made a mistake and turned it around instead of starting over.

Tainan is famous for its food.  Unfortunately, most of the food isn't gluten-free, but we did get to try this traditional melon tea...

Good, but a bit too sweet for our taste!

There were temples of all sizes on almost every street or tucked into alleys.  Outside this temple, a man was creating an idol out of wood.  Reminded me of Isaiah 44.

Tainan has a much more local feel than Taipei.  I would compare Taipei to Chicago, and Tainan to Green Bay.

I loved all the small winding alleyways with hanging flowers.  Beautiful.

We took frequent air-conditioned breaks from all that walking (mostly for my sake, being quite pregnant!)  We sipped cool drinks and read our books.  So relaxing.

In the evenings, we stayed at a wonderful backpacker's hostel.  We enjoyed hanging out with fellow travelers from around the world.  Our rooms was clean and the bed was soft like an American bed!  But the part of our room that really made me laugh was the toilet..."Mission Success!"

Kindergarten Graduation

Another semester is finished.  Kalan's kindergarten class had an elaborate graduation ceremony and summer performance for all the parents.  

Kalan with his class and co-teacher.

He did a great job.  :)  

The kids performed "Ali Baba," a musical that Kalan wrote himself.  I was pretty impressed with this group of 5-6 year olds!

Kalan and his coworkers

Beach Bums

Shorter summer teaching hours + hot temperatures = three trips to the beach in the past three weeks.

Our first time at the beach this summer-- just Kalan and I

Baby Zhen Zhu's first beach trip

Our second trip to the beach--"Team Spoyce!"  We love these guys.

We cooled off at a cafe as the sun was setting

And enjoyed cold drinks while playing "Bang!"

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Kayt's Trip to Wisconsin

I recently returned from a ten-day trip to America...my first Stateside journey after two years in Taiwan.  Spending time with family and catching up with old friends was wonderful.  Here are a few photo highlights:

First meal in America after getting home from the airport: cheese curds, cheese slices, cheese spread, and a glass of real Wisconsin milk (can you guess what food I missed most?!)

Catching up with dear old friends, Liz and Matt Kee

We spent a week at my parents' place in northern Wisconsin with the whole family.  Here Dad took me for a ride in Rusty.

We did a lot of boating.  My favorite boat rides included stops at the Dairy Queen dock for blizzards.

Dan and Uncle Rick did some fishing...nice catch, guys!

Grandpa Jim made us delicious breakfasts on the outdoor griddle that included pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, and potato pancakes.  Yum!

Another favorite spot on the lake is rope swing island.  Go Dan!

Watching my siblings waterski and wakeboard from the Badger-themed pontoon boat.

Back in Green Bay, I enjoyed visiting places that serve gluten-free food.  This is Cheesecake Heaven, where I had GF chocolate chip zucchini bread.

It was great to see Grandpa Kaiser.  :)

Pedicures with Mom and my sisters.

Visiting Grandma, Nanu, Aunt Amy, and Aunt Renee in Milwaukee

Last Day of Teaching

Yesterday was my last day as a teacher at Bambini English School.  I have so many wonderful memories from the past year...

Farmer Week: planting our own vegetables

Nerf gun fun!

Vocabulary review games

The best co-teacher ever...I miss you!

Chocolate-making for Valentine's Day

"You better watch out, you better not cry..." Christmas singing and dancing

Listening to the Christmas story

Wonderful bosses and co-workers

Kindergarten class

Level A Class

Level D Class

Summer Program Class

Level F Class

Halloween Party

I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a teacher at this school.  I will miss my students and co-workers greatly.  Thank you for helping me grow.  

Saturday Mornings

Since we started fostering Micah, our Saturday mornings have become longer.  Here are a few pictures that chronicle a few of our favorite pre-10:00 am activities on the weekend...

1. Washing the dishes.  If we give Micah some plastic measuring cups and turn the faucet on low, he plays happily at the sink for nearly an hour.

2. Going out for breakfast at Yummy Kitchen, a local Taiwanese joint.  We love the 20-minute stroll to get there...especially in the early morning before traffic picks up.  

Kalan usually gets a breakfast sandwich with coffee; I have scrambled eggs with corn and a cabbage/egg rice wrap with fresh soymilk.  Micah has a bit of everything.  Added bonus: this complete breakfast is less than $5 US.  

3. Taking a mid-morning nap.  I never was a lover of naps until I got pregnant; now I thoroughly enjoy them.  Kalan usually studies for the GRE while we sleep (which he claims is enjoyable, too...)

While washing dishes, going out for breakfast, and taking naps aren't all that exciting...I've really enjoyed these relaxing weekend rituals the past few weeks.  

Our Growing Baby

This post is for our friends and family across the ocean...

6 Weeks

15 Weeks

17 Weeks

21 Weeks

24 Weeks