Yesterday we were finally able to sit down and have the annual birthday interview. We typically try to interview the birthday child on the day of their birthday or at least the day after, but since our video camera (point & shoot with video) went missing, it was impossible.
Funny story, though, how the camera happened to disappear. When I couldn't locate my camera after about 24 hours, I had convinced myself that it had been nicked. After all there had been an increase in petty theft in our area, Spring Festival is coming up and it is known that people need money for their journey home.
That weekend we only left the house twice and both times were to go to an uncrowded restaurant. So the only culprit could be the waitress! Why and when and how she had managed this, I had no idea. I concluded that the pick pockets in Beijing were nothing short of magicians. I had a deep purse and the camera would have been at the bottom. How else would the person have nicked it?
I started shopping around for my new camera. I was feeling incredibly irresponsible and was vowing to leave my new camera at the house at all times except special occasions. How could a person be more careful than I had been with that camera and still lose it? Depressing.
All boys had already been questioned - perhaps they had wandered off with it or picked it up to take a few photos. When the newly turned five-year-old was first questioned, his response was, 'Let me get my map!' He had made a treasure map the day before. This gave me hope. Maybe he had hidden it as part of a game. But, no, later he said he didn't take it.
Then on Tuesday night, after a series of events too laborious to mention here, our oldest child found it in a storage box in our bedroom! He became my new favorite child! My husband blurted out that he would be getting a new video game. (No joke!) When hearing this, however, our middle child burst into tears. He was imagining his older brother getting a new video game console with new game all to himself. And that wasn't fair. After he was consoled and reassured that it would only be a new Wii game (what was my husband thinking?) and they would all share it, we celebrated with champagne. Not really, but I felt like it.
Nobody has admitted to placing the camera in that obscure location but we deduce that sometime on Saturday afternoon while our littlest child was playing in our room, he placed it in there pretending it was a treasure box. It does have a lid, that, with a little imagination, could look like a treasure box. The map, I think, is a pretty good give away to who did it.
Important thing though, is that I have my camera back and we can get on with one of our family's favorite birthday traditions, the birthday interview. But first reminisce with me as we look through a few favorite photos from my baby's first five years.
Isn't he the sweetest thing?
His first Christmas - 11 months old
This one reminds me of his beautiful blond curls that I knew would never come back. It took us a very long time to get his first haircut because we wanted to keep them as long as possible.
Playing that Cranium game where you have to draw the picture with your eyes closed while your teammate guesses. And he still loves to draw. Now he does it with his eyes open!
With his souvenir sword in Nara, Japan.
West Lake, Hangzhou, China
FIVE! YEARS! AMAZING!
THE INTERVIEW
What's your favorite color? black, green, red, orange, blue
Whats your favorite drink? milk, no apple juice
What's your favorite food? cereal, Coco Puffs
Whats your favorite game? Rumble in the Jungle (a Chinese game similar idea to Mouse Trap but much cooler)
Whats your favorite treat? ice cream - chocolate
What's your favorite snack? Fiber One Bar or smoothie
What's your favorite restaurant in China? Yoshinoya (Japanese fast food)
What's your favorite restaurant in America? Elephant Bar
What's your favorite place? The Place (the mall right next door to our house is called 'The Place')
What's your favorite toy? Legos, my new Clone set
Wha'ts your favorite book? Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
What's your favorite sport? soccer to play & watch
What's your favorite movie? Garfield: Funfest
What's your favorite TV show? American Idol (it comes on at 6 pm here)
What's your favorite thing to do? go outside and play at the park in the courtyard
What's your favorite place in Beijing? The Great Wall - walking on top of it and all that stuff
What's your favorite Super Hero? Super Man actually Wonder Woman and Oct Girl
What's your favorite thing to wear? My Jedi costume = silver alien helmet with antennae, shiny red cape & red light saber
Whose your friend? Geordie, Ollie, Satvir, William (from school) & Persi, oh and Victoria
Whose your favorite person? You!
What's your favorite place in America? Home, no Grandma's (we don't ahve our home ot go to any more)
If you could go any where in the world on vacation, where would you go? India (we are going in October and there are tons of commercials for it here)
What do you want to be when you grow up? A Pterodactyl, no, a dragon
WHat is your favorite son? Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
Then the interviewee asked if the interview could be over.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
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