HKG206: Peking Garden

today was a pretty easy and fun day. q had lego class this morning, which he thoroughly enjoyed. since i dragged him all over causeway bay and wanchai yesterday and wanted to give him the choice on whether to be dragged all over again today, i gave him the choice of running an errand to see kitties after class or going home for lunch. he chose to go home for lunch. we stopped at a favorite bakery to get some yummy treats, and then headed home. i didn't bother putting q down for nap b/c we were having miss sally come in this afternoon to keep the kids while josh and i attended a work dinner. the last time miss sally stayed with the kids in the evening, q REFUSED to go to sleep until very, very late, so i figured keeping him from napping might help with that.

q managed his non-napping day just fine, and the three of us had a fun, quiet afternoon after we collected sissy from the bus. livie asked to play on starfall.com on my computer, and q asked to play with my nook, so i was getting some chores done while they were occupied. i walked by the kitchen table and registered that i heard livie talking, but it wasn't until i was a few steps from the table that i realized she was reading to herself out loud. livie has an amazing memory, and a lot of times when she appears to be reading a book, she is actually reciting it from memory. today, she read a whole book to herself...a book she'd never seen before. she took the time to sound out words she didn't know by sight and read the ones she did know by sight with lots of expression and inflection. i am so excited about this new found skill...i love to read and am enjoying watching my girl develop the same interest.

q and i discovered an interactive feature on one of his favorite read-to-me books on the nook...there are some pages that are interactive. once we figured out that neat trick, q spent quite a bit of time playing with the features on our favorite splat the cat book. eventually, he moved over to the computer to see what sissy was doing, and she set him up with an alphabet game that he really enjoyed.

the work dinner was at peking garden at pacific place mall. the food was OUTSTANDING, and the company was interesting and fun to talk to . i got to participate in a beggar chicken ritual, which was fun and a bit informative.

it was a great day, and we are looking forward to a great weekend.

this is the chicken that was in the clay pot. it was delicious and very tender.

olivia reading a new book to herself

q enjoying the interactive features on a splat the cat book on the nook