The Adventures of Kevin, Lori & Caleb

This blog has moved

2010-04-21T22:46:00.003+07:00

This blog is now located at http://kevinandlori.jeffmarvin.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://kevinandlori.jeffmarvin.com/feeds/posts/default.

This blog has moved

2010-04-21T22:46:00.001+07:00

Blog Changes...

2010-04-21T22:31:00.004+07:00

So it looks like blogger is no longer supporting FTP sites... of course, this means little to me except that we use an FTP site. I have to run some migration tool and am not sure exactly what the outcome will be.Stay tuned... hopefully, we will be back...

Visit From Gramma

2010-04-10T20:23:00.005+07:00

Welcome back to HCMC, Gramma! We are so excited to have you visiting. Caleb has loved spending time with Gramma. I think Gramma has read at least one hundred stories and sang as many songs over the past week. The first of many story times with Gramma.Sunday brunch at the Mekong Merchant.Caleb enjoyed playing in the sand with Gramma - more sand to come this weekend!Happy 16th Month, Caleb! We

Easter Weekend

2010-04-03T15:23:00.004+07:00

Happy Easter to everyone! While we do not get any extra holidays in Vietnam over Easter, it was still a festive weekend. We went to a bowling birthday party downtown on Saturday, then over to our compound's Kids Easter Party. Later we enjoyed Easter dinner at the Haase families' new house and made it through another very hot (no air conditioning in the cathedral) Easter Sunday mass followed by

What Does a Lion Say?

2010-04-02T22:37:00.002+07:00

Canadian Beef, Oh How I Have Missed You

2010-04-02T22:19:00.007+07:00

Our freezer is stocked with Canadian tenderloin! Now, importing beef is not illegal in Vietnam but you would think so based on the ordering process. Our 'supplier' - a woman I only know by her first name - will drop off our requested amount at a determined time following my text message request. I have never met Cecila as she always sends a delivery man... it all sounds a bit suspicious but what

Weekend Photos

2010-03-27T11:50:00.007+07:00

We have spent the last couple of weekends around home. It has been rather relaxing. We get into the city Saturday morning and check out somewhere new and get home in time to put Caleb down for a nap and get some relaxing time in. Today, I thought it was about time I updated the blog while watching Inglourious Basterds with Kevin. Long movie - hopefully, that means some new pictures!Over the past

Gymboree

2010-03-17T17:22:00.002+07:00

While Caleb has a busy social schedule around the compound, we thought it would still be good for him (and Trang) to get out a bit more. So today, I signed Caleb up for Gymboree. The setup is pretty impressive for Ho Chi Minh City. Caleb is attending Play & Learn classes and can use the Play Gym. My friend, Bel, was at Gymboree class with her son and snapped these photos of Caleb this afternoon

Going Local

2010-03-07T10:57:00.010+07:00

Paradise in VN

2010-03-07T10:57:00.008+07:00

We have visited a number of beach resorts in Vietnam and while many have been lovely, none have matched the quiet escape of Quy Nhon’s Life Resort. After a very busy work week (I was in Australia and Kevin was managing work and Caleb’s lack of sleeping through the night), we have found relaxation in Quy Nhon. Located north of Nha Trang and southe of Hoi An/Danang, the more popular beach resort

Ginny Visits

2010-03-07T10:55:00.002+07:00

Our wonderful doula and friend from Singapore, Ginny, spent a few days with us. It was Ginny’s first visit to Vietnam where she was investigating the options of birth support with the local clinics and hospitals. After her visit, she was even more understanding about why we decided to have Caleb in Singapore. While lots of foreigners do stay in Vietnam to have their babies,

Mango Madness

2010-03-04T23:20:00.004+07:00

Let me tell you how excited I was to find out that we have not one, but two mango trees in our yard. I love mangos. Of course, since this discovery, we have also found out that the fruit bats and birds love mangos too. Oh well – considering they are just as easy to pick up at the local market, I have not decided to wage war against our neighbourhood pets.Find the mangosBats/Birds - 1, Meyers -

Oh Canada

2010-03-01T23:12:00.007+07:00

How appropriate that on the same day as Canada's 3-2 win over the USA in the men's hockey gold medal game, Caleb's citizenship arrived (finally!). I am pleased to introduce you to our newest Canadian. We are feeling rather patriotic today! Way to go Canada... men's hockey gold, the most gold medals by one nation in an Olympic Games and getting that citizenship card out to our son.Yippee! I'm a

Meghan Jean

2010-03-01T23:10:00.004+07:00

We are thrilled about the arrival of our new niece - Meghan Jean was born on February 24th. Way to go, Kim and Mike! What a cutie. Congrats to proud big bro Matthew too! We miss you guys and cannot wait until we get to meet Meghan in person.Matthew with his new baby sister, Meghan.Check out Matthew and Meghan's World for more adorable pictures of Baby Meghan.

Winding Down in the Winnebago - NZ Part IV

2010-02-28T22:50:00.005+07:00

What we thought would be a rather long drive to Dunedin turned out to be not too bad at all. The kids were great while Brenda and I kept everyone entertained with 'shows' - it is amazing what a couple puppets and a bit of imagination can do on a long road trip. After managing the RV up and over the hilly terrain of Dunedin, we found our Top 10 campsite. The famous Top 10 campsites are common in

The Big Jump -NZ Part III

2010-02-24T21:45:00.012+07:00

Since arriving in Queenstown, there has been one adventure after another. Queenstown is lovely – a beautiful little tourist town on a huge lake surrounded by mountains (a common description of NZ towns we are discovering). Our first evening in Queenstown, we walked along the waterfront where Caleb could not get enough of all the ducks. The next day we headed to the Kiwi and Bird Park for the bird

The West Coast - NZ Part II

2010-02-18T21:22:00.003+07:00

Traveling south from Kaiteriteri, we joined the scenic Highway 6 along the West Coast. It was a long driving day but we made it to Punakaiki where we spent a rather rainy night. In the morning, we braved the rain and walked out to see the Punakaiki ‘pancake’ rocks – limestone formations that have eroded into what looks like stacks of pancakes. We were soaked by the time we returned to the RV. We

Celebrating Tet in New Zealand

2010-02-17T02:52:00.007+07:00

Happy Tet!Along with the Brenda, Kevin and Adelina, we departed for New Zealand for our Tet holiday. We arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand on Friday after a long but rather uneventful flight. We had the bulkhead seats and a bassinet for Caleb. Luckily, the Singapore Airlines bassinets are of the large size so Caleb still fit in (tightly). He was terrific though and slept for the entire flight.

The Year of the Tiger

2010-02-06T15:12:00.002+07:00

The Tet decorations are out in preparation for New Year celebrations which begin next week. We spent the morning showing Shirley around District 1. Caleb must have woken up too early because within about a half hour, he was hunched over and fast asleep. On Dong KhoiKevin, Shirley and Uncle HoA coffee stop at Highlands at Saigon Centre where we introduced Shirley to cafe sua da (iced Vietnamese

Welcome Gramma Shirley

2010-02-05T21:20:00.000+07:00

After touring Thailand for the past month, Gramma Shirley has arrived in HCMC. We gave her a full welcome by taking her to a neighbourhood Tet (Vietnamese New Year) party. It is wonderful getting to catch up with Shirley and having Caleb get the opportunity to spend time with his Gramma. All dressed up in a traditional Vietnamese ao dai and enjoying chocolate chip cookies at the Tet Party with

Adventures of Erin & Cam

2010-02-03T20:30:00.000+07:00

It was so much fun to reconnect and spend time with Erin and Cam in Vietnam and Cambodia. We were thrilled to be one of their stops on their year long adventure around the world. Perhaps, our paths will cross again in a few weeks if the stars align and we are in Central Vietnam at the same time. We have already booked our flights and accommodation in the hopes that it works out! Enjoy the rest of

Tabitha Cambodia

2010-02-03T19:56:00.005+07:00

Janne Riske, a Canadian and now Cambodian citizen, started the Tabitha organization to help the poorest of the poor in Cambodia. Tabitha Cambodia trains and hires women who produce amazing bedding, bags, ornaments and numerous other items made from Cambodian silk. These products are all available in the Tabitha shop in Phnom Penh. Tabitha also organizes house builds, where volunteers can raise

Phnom Penh

2010-01-31T20:40:00.000+07:00

We arrived in Phnom Penh on Thursday evening and had an interesting weekend learning more about Cambodia’s sad history, visiting the sights and spending time with Erin and Cam. We also met some new friends, who I would get to spend the week with while we all went out to build houses in rural Cambodia (more on this later). Erin and I traveled through PP ten years ago and out

Where Did the Week Go??

2010-01-28T21:35:00.005+07:00

Erin and Cam have come and gone to Ho Chi Minh City and I still have not updated the blog. We were having way too much fun catching up. Erin's visit was very special to me. It is almost exactly ten years ago that Erin and I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, travelling overland from Cambodia. Sharing Vietnam all over again with Erin has brought my experience here full circle. Our life here now is a