Making Cupcakes

On Friday we baked chocolate cupcakes for Ansel's birthday party. Ansel really enjoys spending time in the kitchen. Here's our boy mixing the cupcake batter:

Today's Conversation

Ansel: "Momma, where are the bananas?"

Me: "In the refrigerator."

Ansel: "Really? Which aisle?"

Me: "They are on the top shelf."

Ansel: "Oh, I couldn't see! Siena wants a banana too! (To Siena) Say please, baby!"

Siena: (To Ansel) "Peas!"

Ansel: (talking to Siena, pointing to me) "No, baby! The please is over there!"

A Quote from Ansel

While a carpenter, the caretaker for our building, and our housekeeper were discussing how to fix an unsafe piece of metal under our dining room sink, I asked Ansel what he wanted to play. He said, "I don't want to play with you. You're not Indian!" He loves seeing the different people that come to our door everyday. In fact, he becomes hysterical if he doesn't get to have some part in answering the door or the phone. These characters add to our story here in India.

The other day we went to pick Travis up from work. Ansel was so excited to see that our friends' driver, Shankar, was there. He started to scream, "Can I go see Mr. Shane-car now?!?" He sat in the parking lot and waited for his daddy with Shankar and our driver, Durai. The three of them sat together with their arms around each other. It is so sweet to see the light-hearted interaction of these grown men with Ansel. He was definitely thrilled to have their attention.

Pony Ride Part 2

On Good Friday we returned to the Embassy International Riding School for another pony ride. Ansel had none of the hesitation of his last visit, he jumped right on and was ready to go.

The peaceful countryside is such a nice change from the noise of Bangalore, even Ansel seems to zone out and quiet down when we are there.

"Muffin" wasn't available today, so Ansel had to be content with a ride on "Valantine."

And by the end of the ride he was trying his hands at the reins!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

Ansel was a pretty lucky kid this past weekend. Not only did he get a brand new bike, but we went go-karting as well! (Dad *might* have enjoyed this as much or more than Ansel :) Unfortunately Michelle was a bit under the weather, but we made the most of the situation. It seems that she has been sick almost half of the time that we have been here :(

Pony Ride

We went on an outing to Embassy Riding School. What a beautiful location! Ansel had his reservations about the pony ride. After spending some time watching another child ride, he was willing. At first Travis had stand close by, but after a few minutes he was riding on his own. At the end of the ride, he was disappointed that it had to come to an end. The pony was called, "Muffin," and has been a prime topic of conversation ever since. The next morning the first words out of Ansel's mouth were, "Am I going to ride Muffin again?" Definitely a hit with our boy. He made his daddy proud.

Finger Painting with Watercolors

Yesterday, Ansel kept asking for something to do, so we tried something new. I painted the kids' hands and let them make hand prints with watercolors. Ansel was thrilled to do something messy. We had a great time playing with the colors and it was neat to see how excited this little activity made him. He thought splattering the paint was pretty fun too! :)

What was even more precious was the look on Travis' face when he came home to Ansel & Siena's artwork, potato leek soup, and biscuits that Ansel and I made in the microwave (not having an oven is definitely an adventure!) I love that man.

Today's post brought to you by the letter "F"

Michelle is sick, so I stayed home to help out.

It was my turn to do school, so we worked on the letter "F". It is very cool to see how excited Ansel is to learn.

-Travis

Having a housekeeper isn't so bad...

I think I am adjusting to having a housekeeper. I started feeling really sick this evening and was disappointed when she left. She is great with our kids. Our son follows her all around the house watching her clean. He tells her, "Ms. Jack-ween, kween (clean) everything all up, okay?" Is that what I sound like? I hope not. From the mouths of babes! It is truly eye-opening to hear.

Peek-A-Boo

Yesterday Ansel played with a 3 year old boy named Will at a play space called Peek-A-Boo. It has a dress up box, a rock-like structure for climbing, a huge sandpit, and soft-play toys perfect for Siena. Will is from Australia and it is incredibly cool to listen to him talk with his sweet Aussie accent. They have been in Bangalore twice as long as we have. I had a great time chatting with Will's mom, while the kids played at the cleanest, most delightful play space I could possibly imagine in Bangalore.

Little Armenian friends for my kids

I met a lady with a son a year younger than Ansel and a daughter six weeks younger than Siena, just like Siena's little friend Galilee back home :) Upon meeting her, she said her daughter was napping but we could meet her when she woke up from her morning nap. We stood at the front step and talked a bit. She said that her son looks more like her husband who is German and her daughter looks more like her father who is Armenian! I was caught off guard. I can't believe I met an Armenian who lives practically around the corner from us! It is nice to have found someone who has a son and a daughter to play with Ansel and Siena, and she holds a playgroup every week!

Yay for new friends!

Today we spent time with our new friends, Agnes and Geoffrey. It was great to talk with them and see what life is like in an Indian home.

While we were there, Siena fell onto their marble floor and ended up with a bloody nose. Thankfully, it wasn't serious. I took her to see the pediatrician. He told me to give her acetimenophen for the next 3 days for pain. Agnes made delicious chicken, lady fingers (a vegetable I had never seen before), jeera rice (which has a great flavor with all the cumin seeds), hot chappatis, raita, and by far the best chai I have had so far in India. I baked some cookies. She said I will have to teach her to bake and she will teach me how to make Indian food. Sounds like a great trade off to me! It was refreshing to spend time with this Indian family. I am so thankful to have met them and I'm happy they live close by, only 9 minutes from our flat.

Family Haircut

Monday night we were driving home from visiting doctors and we stopped to get a haircut for me. Ansel chimed in, "I want a haircut too." Michelle didn't want to feel left out, so she joined in the fun. All four of us were crammed into a small room with the hairdresser you see pictured below and 2-4 other 'helpers'. The helpers seemed to be about 12 years old and had a blast chasing Ansel around the room and pinching Siena's cheeks. Total bill? 750 Rupees, or $16...

Fun in the Fountain

This photo is from Sunday, Ansel had a blast playing in the fountain at UB City. UB City is an enormous mall that would put many US malls to shame.