Home of the Giant Pandas (and red pandas too!)

We recently came back from a short trip to Chengdu, China in the Sichuan province.  It is famous for being the home of giant pandas, Sichuan food (yes, even the non-spicy items felt spicy to me), and 变脸 Biàn Liǎn.

With all things nature, it can be quite unpredictable with animals.  We were lucky with good panda weather (raining and cool) and delighted to see a lot of activity at the Chengdu Research Base. 

Warren and I were reflecting that we both enjoy animal experiences and have had a chance to see such a wide range: gorillas in Uganda, elephants in Thailand, wombats in Tasmania, and safaris in Tanzania.  The pandas are right up there for uniqueness.  So even through the girls prefer stuffed animals over the real ones, we thought it was a wonderful visit. 

After seeing the pandas, the kids really enjoyed the 变脸 performance.  There was music, dance, and comedy.  

A few things I appreciate about being back in Taiwan are: 1) clean bathrooms wherever you go - for anyone with a recently potty-trained toddler, you will understand this!  2) lines 3) more gentle sales techniques.  I think living in China for a year would have been very difficult for me with culture shock. 

We've now finalized our excursion trips for the year.  W got started on the calendar Tetris so the kids do not miss school.  Lexi doesn't want to miss out on "perfect attendance".  Ellie requested scheduling our trips to miss school on Thursday's as that is her weekly Chinese test.  The sibling differentiation is real.  

• Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)
• Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms (Mar 2025)
• Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons. 
• Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels.  She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)
• Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm already jealous of my kids' international travel at such a young age.  My hope is that these experiences expand their worldview, but I also have a fear of entitlement.  As we grow as a family, I want to expose them to how big the world is and to grow in gratitude and generosity.  I definitely welcome ideas from folks who have thought about that juxtaposition of privilege and avoiding entitlement.  In the meantime, we're working on having grateful hearts for all that we're experiencing this year - the good and the hard. 

Wave of Light 2024

Dear friends and family, 

It’s that time of year again. The Wave of Light is a tradition for our family to remember Louie and other little ones who are no longer with us. October 15 is infant & pregnancy loss remembrance day and observed through the international wave of light. We invite you to light a candle tomorrow (or send "light" thoughts/prayers) from 7pm-8pm in your local time zone. 

This year I’m writing from the other side of the world in Taipei.  After moving here over the summer, we’ve recently celebrated our compressed season of birthdays (3 in 30 days!).  In lieu of birthday parties, each one of us got to design an entire day for our celebration. Lexi chose Din Tai Fung, DIY music boxes, gaming at the arcade, and finished off with Kura Sushi. I got to see the secret escape slide at the Grand Palace Hotel and picked a chocolate panda cake.  Ellie started with her favorite waffle spot, picked a movie (Wild Robot - highly recommend), visited a meerkat cafe, and ate at Kura Sushi (again). It’s been lovely getting to experience each kid’s individuality and interests emerge. The small details, the specific preferences, the fleeting favorites - I cherish (most of) those moments as our family here. 

And one day… maybe I’ll get to experience just one day designed by my son - a day that I got to remember instead of imagine. 

Until then, we will honor Louie with our light. I do like to imagine that wave of light dancing across the world connecting all of us who have loved and lost… and learned to love again.   

Sending you all love and peace.

Made in Taiwan

One unique aspect of Taiwan culture for kids (and adults) is the world of DIY crafts.  It's reminded me of my high school scrapbooking and young adult crafting days....something I completely forgot about once the kids came along.

We've done some clay modeling (overpriced)

Tufting (you use a tufting gun to make custom carpets)

Music box creation

And there's so much more (e.g. felting, slime-making, sewing, grid art).  Crafting has been one of the best indoor activities we’ve found to beat the heat. Ellie, in particular, has taken a strong interest in all things art-related which is fun to see. 

Now that the weather is starting to cool down…meaning mid-80s, I’m looking forward to exploring anything outside.  I’ve been feeling some “cabin fever” from staying mostly indoors since we moved here.  I definitely miss bike rides, hikes, and generally being outdoors.  

Our next family adventure year travel excursion is planned to visit Chengdu, China to see the home of giant pandas (Lexi's pick).  Stay tuned and hopefully we will have some cute photos to show.  🐼