Monday, October 31, 2011

Tony Kaulins wears a Halloween Mask

Tony Kaulins at bedtime

Tony lately

  • Tony went to Dad's school Halloween party on Saturday evening.  He put on a mask and seemed quite comfortable with it.  He then stole the microphone from the evening's m.c.'s, and cried when it was taken away from him.  He could only be placated by an I-phone that let him play Angry Birds.
  • Tony is currently enamored with Ultraman or Ultramon, a Japanese t.v. show, where men, dressed in latex tight suits with boots and helmets, fight monsters.  At Nanchang Temple market, he found three Ultraman figures, and has been playing with them ever since.
  • Tony and his Dad still have arguments about diesel and steam trains.
  • Monday evening, Dad took Tony for a bike ride.  Tony was impressed by the Moon in the sky.  Look Daddy!  Look Daddy!  The Moon!  The Moon!

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Monday, October 24, 2011

Ingratitude

One just doesn't know with Tony.  You try to make him happy but he will instead act miserably and abominably.

Dad found this old bit of software that he thought Tony would enjoy: the Microsoft Train Simulator.  He loaded it on his laptop and when Tony came home, he showed it to him.

Tony was interested, but became quickly became annoying.  He immediately wanted to control the computer and the program even though he didn't know how to operate it.  He wouldn't let his father try to figure out how to get the steam trains running.  His father would have rather have used the Diesel engines which were easy to use, but Tony peevishly wanted to only watch the steam engines, which aren't easy to operate.  He also had this strange desire to view the trains from close-up.  Dad was interested in a wider view to see the setting the train was in, and tried to set up the wider view but Tony got angry.  

And when it was time for supper, Tony had a twenty minute fit when Dad turned off the program.

Dad found himself begging Tony to act reasonably and calmly without success.  He thought to spank the boy, but didn't see the point.  Hitting a child to shut him up is counter-productive.

Will Tony listen to reason when he can better understand what is Dad is telling him?

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Monday Morning Grumpiness

It was a given that Tony was not going to happy Monday morning.  He went to bed late Sunday night, and it was raining outside making staying in bed a wonderful prospect.

He was up far too late last night looking at Thomas & Friends websites.

He was like a limp doll as his parents dressed him in the morning.

When it was time to be taken to the van that was to take him to kindergarten, Tony clung to his Dad, his head on Dad's shoulders, and tried to get even more sleep.

But he did give his Dad a goodbye kiss without being asked to do so.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Yue Yue R.I.P.


This photo of Yue Yue is as heartbreaking as the video of the accident that lead to her death. That's her being held by her mother as her older brother stands in the foreground.

Tony and his parents have posed for similar types of portraits. But, Yue Yue looks very angelic in this portrait.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Tony holds Daddy's hand

  • Recently, Dad's favorite moments with Tony have been when they have walked up and down the stairs to their third floor apartment.  Dad and Tony hold each other's hand and walk side-by-side as they ascend and descent, giving Dad a warm glowing feeling all over.
  • Tony has picked up the expression "cool!" from his Dad.
  • Tony is made, by his mother, to color things in his coloring book every evening.  It teaches the boy some discipline, and he has become very dexterous with a crayon.
  • Tony speaks much more Chinese than English these days, and already his Chinese has exceeded that of his Dad's.  Not that that was going to be hard to do!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Tony! Go to sleep!

Tony wouldn't go to sleep last night.

His parents lay in bed, but he didn't.  He couldn't sit still.  He strutted about.  He flopped about.  

One time, he lay on a chest at the end of bed, and put on a second pair of pajama bottoms.  He then took off the bottoms and then the other pair of bottoms.  He smiled as he gave his parents the moon.

After this, he decided to fight Dad, jumping all over him, annoying him to no end.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Tony and the Crayons



Tony sits on Dad's lap.

Sunday evening, Tony was sitting on the couch and playing Angry Birds on his mother's mobile phone.  His father seeing this decided that Tony should go outside.  "A four year old playing video games!  That just won't do!" reasoned Tony's father.

Hearing from his father that they were to go outside, Tony initially was very upset.  He cried like a youngster would who was thinking he was being deprived of something.  "No go outside!  No go outside!" he screamed and pleaded at his father.  But he quickly changed his mind when his mother told him that he could ride his bicycle.  And he was out of the apartment before his father.

Tony lead his father to a public square near their apartment.  He told his father to sit down while he rode the square's wide spaces.

All of sudden, Tony came to where his father was sitting, saying "pa le!" and sat on his father's lap which was very uncharacteristic of him.  Tony's father then noticed that Tony had his ears plugged with his fingers.  Dad then understood that Tony had been saying he was scared  (pa le means I'm scared in Chinese), and that he wanted his father to protect him.  Tony had been scared by loud noises that were coming from a nearby construction site.  Dad knew that Tony was scared of Fireworks, of which there are lots in China, and told Tony that were no fireworks being let off.  Saying this satisfied Tony and he went back to his bicycle.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

October Holiday Video Number Three

Seven consecutive days of Kindergarten for Tony!

Tony went to Kindergarten today (Saturday).  There really isn't such a thing as a holiday in China.  What happens is you a day off for a holiday, but then you have to make up for later.  

So Kids are going to school on Saturday and Sunday to make up for the holidays they had during the week.

Tony in a trenchcoat

Tony and his mother in Beixin, China

Tony and his father in Beixin, China

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Photos of Tony in Beixin

Tony was in Beixin from October 2 to October 5.

You can see photos of him there here.  I have linked to one of the photos.  You can explore the other site to see the rest.