We are the Webels and this is our blog

The pool

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:16:22 +0800

We all spent a lot of time in the pool... when we weren’t at the beach that is. The kids did prefer the pool for swimming sake and I am with them on that one. The problem with this pool is that it felt like a warm bathtub. The sun beating down on it heated it too much! The kids didn’t mind, but if you were looking for a refreshing swim, well you were kind of disappointed. Despite the temperature we had a blast playing with the kids. I loved seeing how my kids progressed in their confidence in the water.
I would have to say that Nate made the biggest strides in terms of his confidence and ability during this week. He has such a love for the water, he has no fear and has so much fun!

Daddy & Uncle Tim enjoyed enteraining us with their splashing abilities... the 2 4 year old girls sat back and watched their daddies.

Yes, they make quite the splash.

Meet the cousins...

Jake. He was amazing. By the end of the week he had the floaties off and could swim the width of the pool. Talk about a strong kid with so much to say and such an opinion... what a Webel! But he could be a charmer when he needed to be! What a smart kid!
Then Abi. Okay - can you say hilarious. There is a HUGE personality shoved into her little 2 year old body. She had us constantly laughing and smiling. She is adorable and charming!

I didn’t get a very good close up picture of Emily... but there she is standing next to Anna. They are 1 month apart in age, but very different little girls! Emily is also very strong in her opinion and has a touch of sass to her! :) She is such a snuggler and I LOVED being the first to greet her in the morning or in the quite of the afternoon when she just wanted to sit and get a hug.
And Zach. He is on the quiet side, but only when you compare him to his loud cousins! He is very thoughtful in both his personality and in all he does. He is sensitive, but will speak his mind when needed. He is such a cutie!
So there’s the cousins. Plus a baby boy soon to arrive.
What a great crew. These 7 kids got along so great. I was impressed and proud and thankful! Anyway - back to the pool.
Check out Nate...

He got thrown and tossed and turned and flipped every which way and always came back for more. He loved every minute of it!

This one did make my heart stop for a moment. Nate and Steve were running and jumping into the pool. But Nate slipped. And fell in face first. I was worried he had bumped some part of him on the side of the pool, but he was okay, and he got right back at it! I love the concern you can see all over Steve’s face in the second picture.

Practicing his swimming ability...

He thought going under the water was fun. He cracks me up! :)

But Nate also found another way to entertain himself. The water shooter...

He shot Grandpa

And Uncle Scott

And just an empty chair if everyone else had cleared the vicinity. I do think that every adult had their turn getting squirted by Nate.

Then there was Elizabeth. My extremely nervous girl who really didn’t want to leave the comfort of her big tube.
But sometimes was pushed and challenged and when she felt brave enough would rise up and meet the challenge, but only on her terms!

Elizabeth and Grandma!! 

Sometimes she was just chillin, and other times would feel the need to just practice her kicking.

And Anna. She was comfortable, and confident... just don’t tell her to do anything other than what she was already doing. Then you messed with her comfort and confidence level.

And for a few more pictures...

Check out the 2 2 year olds. Nate & Abi. They were adorable together! :)

One morning before heading out to swim. Isn’t it amazing how fast things can changed when you are 4 years old. Oh the emotions... 4 is so hard.

I kind of wish I could remember when the drama was about. But just as fast as it started, it ended.

And daddy and his kids. Makes my heart happy!

The beach

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:03:46 +0800

During our week on North Captiva Island, we found ourselves settling into a bit of schedule each day. It is inevitable when you have 7 kids 5 and under.
Our mornings started slowly and we eventually all trickled down to the beach. It was a short walk to get there for an adult, but with the short legs of the kids it added a bit of time, so we drove them in the golf carts that came with the house.
While it wasn’t a beach that would be added to my list of all time favorite beaches, it was still great and there was sand for the kids and fun was had by all!

Nate was a little unsure of the beach and the sand and the water... but he slowly got used to it. SLOWLY.
Anna however was born for the beach. Sand up her hiney and in her ears, no problem. Salt water in her eyes, up her nose, and in her mouth - don’t phase her in the least. She even carried a sand crab home in her swimsuit one day.
Elizabeth found middle ground between Nate and Anna.

How adorable is Anna??!!

I love this one of Grandpa and his girls. So sweet!
Then it was time for a group shot - Grandma, Grandpa and the kids - oh yea and Uncle Tim...
I stood in the water to get the shot and all was well, until...

a crazy strong wave came and knocked me over. I think I had just snapped the shot milliseconds before I got knocked over. I just threw my arm into the air in an effort to “save the camera”... once we recovered Amber the sweet dog came to check on everyone.

Everyday after the morning beach time, we headed to the pool at our house, for more time in the water! :)

The first day of our vacation

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:39:28 +0800

Our first day in America started with a trip to Wal-Mart. We were told there were no guarentees how long we would be without our missing suitcase so I had to run to the store to pick up the few items that we needed before heading to a vacation from our vacation.
I left with Grandma (Steve’s mom) and his sister Katie and then the 3 kids. The plan was for Grandma & Aunt Katie to help the kids pick out a pair of sandals (the only had the tennis shoes they had worn on the plane) and when I was finished gathering the other items we needed to replace, I would go see what they had chosen.
But that plan was foiled when Nate got out of the car and threw up. He looked awful and was so sad. We got him cleaned up and back into the car (in the middle seats instead of the very back this time) and Grandma took him home to daddy.
I had planned my best to avoid going to the store that first day because I knew myself and I knew I would be overwhelmed/excited/stressed/amazed/annoyed all at the same time. But even though I had planned well, you just can’t prepare for a whole suitcase to not show up.
So Wal-Mart. The first thing I noticed were the colors. Every item was available in bright beautiful colors that just made me want to buy them regardless of what the product was. I refrained.
Then I came to the accessories. They had TONS of cute little girl accessories. I did not refrain. I walked out of that section with a package of bracelets for the girls and a new pair of sunglasses for the kids. Pink princess ones for the girls and a Lightening McQueen pair for Nate (which he thinks are the coolest things ever). Then I passed by the ladies clothes where they had shirts for $5. Are you kidding me? I grabbed one.
Then I had to get a few electronic things and then I couldn’t find anyone to help me and then I found myself missing China where there are 15 ladies in EVERY section of the store ready to help and offer advice on what you should buy. I needed that. I did not want to make the decision myself! :) I finally collected what I needed and went to find shoes for Steve and I that were okay for beach life. Then grabbed a pair for Nate. I felt bad that he couldn’t pick them out himself, but truthfully, he doesn’t care that much. :)
The girls LOVED being in the store and getting to pick something themselves. Good times!
We hurried home and finished getting everything into the truck/van and were ready to set off.

We had a 2.5 hour drive ahead of us, but with Grandma’s DVD player in the van, there were no complaints. We stopped part way in and had a meal at Chick-fil-a. Oh goodness, it was melt-in-my-mouth deliciousness. And that was just the salad. Why does everything from Chick-fil-a taste so good? I got my tea half and half (half sweet half not) and I was just so happy.
We had just sat down to eat. And Nate threw up again. Right there in Chick-fil-a. We got him cleaned up and the sweet chick-fil-a lady did the rest. Then we held him while we enjoyed the rest of our meal. He was only throwing up water, so it wasn’t that gross.

Is it weird that his throwing up didn’t affect how fabulous our meal was?

We finished our trip and got to the boat dock. The place we were staying (North Captiva Island) requires a boat ride to get there. Half of the family had already gone out with all our groceries earlier in the day, and we had all the dry stuff with us. There is not a good grocery store on the island (it is small), so we had to bring ALL the food we wanted for the week. And because 2 of the families just returned from overseas, we all wanted to eat good meals! So there was A LOT of food.

We took a 30 minute boat ride and finally made it to the house we all rented for the week. It was beautiful and we had a great time seeing everyone again. We had hoped that the whole family would be together, but we were short one person, Steve’s sister Katie’s husband is still deployed in Afghanistan. He was truly missed.

We had sandwiches for dinner and just watched the kids begin to interact with each other. It was fun to see! All 7 cousins had met each other, but only a few at a time. This was the first time all 7 were together and it was great!

I won’t be talking about each day of our week together, but I will talk about certain activities that we did together in an effort to share the thousands of pictures that were taken (not all by me), so stayed tuned - there is lots to come!

The journey to America, all in the name of vacationing.

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:16:47 +0800

It all started at 2:30pm on Sunday afternoon. Actually for me, it started way before then. I knew that because of our schedule I need to be very smart with my packing. I had 4 suitcases - 3 were full of gifts, and items that I wanted to save in America, and 1 had our clothes and every personal item we wanted for our trip. I also had a carry-on suitcase which had a change of clothes for everyone in the family, as well as the stuff we would need for the night we had to spend in the hotel... gotta be prepared in case kids threw up all over me.
I got everything packed just the way I wanted and also made A LOT of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cut up about 10 apples, and had muffins and snacks for the trip.
I really liked not having to rush off early in the morning. I had a nice leisurely shower and took my time getting ready because I had everything done 2 days before we left! I love when I can successfully plan ahead!!

Our van ride to the airport was uneventful... checking in for the flight was also uneventful. Our plane was only delayed 30 minutes, and that too is uneventful in my book. We overnighted in Hong Kong and got less sleep than I had wanted, but that too, was not problem.
We paid quite a bit for our hotel in Hong Kong so that we could get to sleep quickly and not have to get up as early for our 9:30am flight.
But with the hefty price, also came some fun amenities that we aren’t used to (and really, had very little need for).

I did not wake up early enough to use the coffee press. But we did enjoy the iPod speakers - to fall asleep to a little P&W music!

Scale? Yea, no thanks. But I did notice and appreciate the nice terry cloth cover on it.
And yea, my kids got to try the blue bath crystals in the tub while they had their before bed bath.

Our view - looking straight into the airport, and the beautiful city outside the airport.
This was Nate’s bed. Poor kid.
We aren’t fans of the fact that Asian hotels don’t let you put a family of 5 into 1 room. So we play the “their just little kids card” and sneak them in. Only one of us will check in while the other watches the kids. We had 2 twin beds in our room. It was either that or 1 queen and I know from experience 2 twins means more sleep for mom. We pushed the beds together and Nate got to sleep on a chair covered with a thick blanket. He was thrilled with his bed... and slept surprisingly well. I however was kicked all night by Elizabeth. There is a squirmy sleeper in every family I guess.

After a not-long-enough night sleep we got up showered again (gotta have that last shower before a long plane ride), and headed back in to the airport to wait for our next flight. This time we headed to Japan.
While in Hong Kong Anna got a drink. It had the Starbucks symbol so she was happy.

Yes, the kids were adorable with their suitcases. They did great with them and rolled/dragged/pulled them around the entire trip. No complaints.

We had a nice flight to Japan... nothing major to report. My only issue was when the girls kept asking ‘how much longer’... and I would think ‘oh brother, we haven’t even gotten on the long flight’. But they did great on the 4 hour flight and we were all happy to arrive in Japan.

We had a small bite to eat... hot dogs for the kids and fried noodles for me. I also got a Japanese Coke Zero. Yes, they taste good in any country.

(The pictures end here (until we touched down in Tampa). There are no pictures of the next two flights. I was busy. And tired. Busy & tired.)

Then it was time. Time to get on board the 12 hour flight with my husband and 3 children for the first time in 2 years. I was ready. I was mentally psyched up and was fearless. Or mostly fearless as I reminded myself that the trash bags and wipes were on the front pocket of my bag.
We all got into our daddy assigned seats and settled in. Shoes off, bags mostly stored, and toys ready for playing.
By the time we boarded the kids were exhausted, so before we even took off Nate had crashed. Anna was close behind. Elizabeth however felt up for a chat. She talked about the plane, she talked about the lack of Chinese being spoken, she talked about everything. So while Steve snoozed with the younger two. I listened to my oldest who had clearly inherited my ability/need/gift to process out-loud everything in her brain. I know I made that sound positive, but truthfully I was just a tad bit jealous of the other 3 sleeping members of my family.
Then Elizabeth fell asleep as the others woke up and it went back and forth like this for a long time. I remember very little other details.
I do remember that some of the flight attendants were VERY sweet to my kids, while they were frustrated with some of the noisier kids on the flight. I also know that Becky - one of the before mentioned kind flight attendants really spent some time talking to my girls and asking them questions and I was touched. (I haven’t had a non-Asian, random stranger, do this in a long time).

But finally, just when the kids were nearing the end of their patience abilities we touched down in Dallas. Nothing could have sounded better to me than to hear ‘folks, we have landed at DFW’. Fabulous. We got off the plane, and did all the entering America stuff... then we took 2 of our 4 bags and went out of the baggage area and handed them off to my mom who was waiting to take them home with her. (Texas gifts and stuff). It worked out beautifully. The kids got a quick hug in and it was refreshing to see her even though I felt grimy. (So sorry i didn’t take pictures)...
Then we went back in and got ready for the last flight. We were all tired and were worried if we closed our eyes for even a moment we would be gone. But the kids managed to muster up some suppressed energy and started doing laps in the DFW airport.

We got into our last flight and I was just shocked. The jaw-dropping kind of shock... that it appeared we would not have any major delays or issues this whole trip. I had fully expected the worst. A canceled flight or at least one delayed so long we would miss the connecting flights. Or a child getting sick on the flight resulting in us having to miss a flight or two.
The only problem we had was the girls saying in their drama-filled voices, “we don’t want to get on anymore airplanes... this is going on and on and on and we want it to stop”.

We finally made it to Florida. Look at our welcome committee...

We made quite the scene there on the floor of Tampa International Airport with hugs being given to every member of the family repeatedly. It was sweet and precious all rolled into one.

Then we went to get our 2 suitcases. Only to find that 1 of them did not make it. These 2 suitcases were the ones that we were taking to the beach with us the next day and I was tired and bummed out. I immediately began to make a mental list of all that was in that suitcase and what we would lose if it was not found. But I had to stop my list because my brain was way too tired for that nonsense. We gave our report and would work on the rest of the details in the morning.

We finally left the airport and made it back to Grandma & Grandpa Webels house. By that time the kids were wired and we put them into the hot tub where they swam and played at 11:30pm (Florida time) for about 30 minutes. Mid-night found them taking a quick bath and 12:30 found them still talking it up with Grandma & Grandpa and Aunt Katie. Around 1am we decided there must be sleep and around 1:30am I was done getting kids settled and we also went to bed. The kids slept all night long until about 7:30am. But I couldn’t ask for more than that!

All it all it was a great trip and I am SO thankful that we made it to America safe and sound and are with our dear family!

And we’re off

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:06:57 +0800

Today our family leaves for vacation. A MUCH needed vacation. We have had 3 vacation days this year, spread over 2 trips! So yea, our vacation time has been low. When we are home things are going at a fast pace and we keep very busy! We are so excited to be stuck on a airplane row for 14 hours with nowhere to go. That’s family bonding at it’s best.
It has been over 2 years since we last made this trip. Back them Elizabeth was 3, Anna 2, and Nate, just a tiny TINY 7 month old. He slept most of the trip and the girls sat on the floor by our feet and played. It was very un-dramatic and pleasantly uneventful! I am hopeful, very hopeful that our trip this time will also be uneventful.
The girls play well together and we hope to let them sit together and keep each other occupied until they either get to loud that they are disturbing others or they start fighting. Nate will just get bored quickly with not being able to run around.
We overnight in Hong Kong tonight, then fly to Japan, and onto Dallas, and connect onto Tampa. (While not the most direct route, our tickets are thanks to American Airlines Frequent Flyer miles, and my parents and some dear friends... no complaining about that!! My heart is so very thankful).
We will be spending 10 days in Florida, 7 of which will be spent at an undisclosed location! :) I love that we are hiding out with the family! Let’s just say there is a beach. And a big giant house to hold the 9 adults, and the 7 kids. This is the first time all the grandkids have been together. It promises to be lively. Elizabeth is the oldest of the 7. Her 2 boy cousins are just a month younger... but I am pretty sure they are bigger and much stronger. I wonder if she will still try to boss them around!
We are missing one family member, Andrew - who is deployed overseas. He will be truly missed.
Then after getting lots of sun we will hang out at Steve’s parents house for a few days before we head to Texas. We will then spend 10 days visiting with family and friends and doing some shopping. We will also take a weekend getaway trip with my parents and brothers and sister-in-love.
I am SO excited about the getaway times. I LOVE how being ‘away-from-it-all’ creates great bonding times and leaves nothing to do but play!

So as time allows the stories and pictures will come out. I will also be doing some back blogging about the dates that I have skipped, but don’t hold your breath! :)

Be praying for our family, that everyone will be cheerful, kind to each other, and patient though we will be tired and weary after the journey.
Pray that there won’t be delays or anything that would make our trip even longer than it already is. And pray that our batteries hold out on the laptops so the kids can watch movies! :)
Thanks!

Bye!

You know - (yea, I wasn’t done talking), as I was looking at my photos from 2 years ago, I noticed that there was a serious lack of pictures from our journey. Perhaps it wasn’t as easy as I remembered it!
I hope to take lots of pictures this time! That will be determined by how my kids obey!

Preschool days

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:00:22 +0800

Today was the last day of preschool for the girls... and I thought when I woke up this morning, that it was Elizabeth’s last day ever. September 1st kindergarden starts in our home, and after much thought and prayer I had decided that we would be doing homeschool in the mornings and not sending Elizabeth to preschool. There are a lot of reasons and I will share those later.
So this morning I was sad. The fact that my baby was finished with the preschool stage of her life was sad. I know people say it is a ‘bitter-sweet’ thing, but I don’t do well with multiple emotions at one time. So today sad, tomorrow sweet.
Elizabeth was also a bit sad, which I was thankful for. I am thankful that even though going to preschool in China had its rough moments, she has grown and flourished so well through it. I am thankful that she made good friends and loves her teachers, and that she has completely changed the way she views Chinese people because of this experience. I am thankful that she was sad because she totally grew to love preschool!
The goal this morning, was to get out the door with a few spare moments to get some last day of school pictures. But we only had about 1.3 minutes before the bus pulled up. And Elizabeth decided to do some creative hand styling.

After the bus pulled away, Nate and I headed off to the grocery store.
Then after a long shopping event (not by choice), we dropped off groceries and set off to pick up the girls.
The teachers/administration had heard the ‘rumor’ that Elizabeth would not be returning in the fall. They were shocked. And bummed. They ALL love Elizabeth and were so sad to see her go.
They asked me to reconsider. I told them she wasn’t returning for 2 reasons.
1. I can’t afford to send 3 kids to their preschool. It isn’t super cheap. And Elizabeth has had her turn and now Nate gets his.
2. Elizabeth’s best time of day is the morning. I need that time of day for her homeschool.
The administration people said “but can’t we work something out?” I said “sure! If you keep the tuition the same, but let Elizabeth go 3 afternoon’s a week, then yes!” They said they would get back to me.

After my unplanned, unexpected negotiations, the girls were ready to show me their classrooms. I was shocked. Floored, and slightly embarrassed when I walked into Elizabeth’s classroom.
Apparently Elizabeth had taken some photos from home and convinced her teacher to hang them up on the wall. Her teacher told me that Elizabeth wanted them hanging on the front window for EVERYONE to see, but they compromised and she got to hang them up behind the piano.

Yea - it was big.

Elizabeth & her water cup. And Elizabeth and her teacher, Ren Laoshi.

Elizabeth and one of her bestest friends.
Then Ren Laoshi gave Elizabeth all her artwork... from the last 2 months. It was quite the stack.

Then we went onto Anna’s classroom. Lo and behold, she has pictures too.
Every other kid has 1 picture. I really wonder what the other parents think when they come to the classroom. And where did my girls GET all these pictures?

Then Anna got her books, and the girls posed for a picture.

The teachers walked us out and stood waving and telling the girls how much they would miss them.

Thanks for another great year Melody Preschool!
Now if I only I could figure out our fall schedule!

July 4th 2010, the pictures

Sat, 3 Jul 2010 19:32:26 +0800

This year we headed outside for our 4th of July pictures. Next year, I can tell you right now, we will be back to taking the pictures inside.
We headed out at 9am. And it was hot. And bright. And we were sweaty and nasty within mere minutes of arriving outside. This did nothing to help the picture taking attitudes.
But enough of my complaining. Here are the pictures... enjoy!
 

Shopping, meat sticks, and dress up

Thu, 1 Jul 2010 20:38:23 +0800

**disclaimer**
All of these events happened sometime over the last while. I don’t remember specific dates because my memory is really bad these days. So let’s just say they all happened on or around July 1st. Thank you.

Let me start with the shopping...
This isn’t your normal shopping. This is a little shop on the other side of town that caters to the bakeries and large restaurants here in our city. This little shop was discovered about 1.5 years ago. I was excited. Life was good. I found things like large cans of baking powder for a great price, and sprinkles for cookies, and some random baking items. Most of the baking sheets were for large ovens so have to have them cut to fit my oven... but that’s not a big deal! :)
Then came the big discovery. This lovely little shop, also has a freezer. A big deep freezer. The kind that if you got locked in you would freeze to death. That is gruesome isn’t it. Let’s change the subject.
I discovered the large large block of mozzarella cheese that we used to drive 2 hours each way to buy. I discovered bacon that doesn’t taste like it was from a working animal. I found hamburger buns that I don’t have to make myself. The list goes on. And on.
It is fabulous.
I had to go several times to take friends with me. Sure I could have just given them the address, drew a map and then given them a step by step guide how to find this rather obscure place. But then I would have missed the look on their faces as they saw for themselves what could be found in our little city.

Here’s a few items from my last shopping trip.

I think Nate felt a picture without him would be seriously boring. So we tried again. This time adding Nate!

And here is one of my other favorite purchases. A super large container of margarine. And once again, Nate felt he could make the butter better.

But I am sure you are wondering what I did with a large amount of butter...

This is the butter I usually use. It is expensive, but is good. On the right side is half of the container of butter that I got. (That’s key - find someone to share one with... :)

Ewww - so much butter!!

I got out my scale, and weighed the butter into 115gram sticks (just like in America...) and then froze them all (just like in America).
It has been so fun having cheap, easy to use butter.

Oh, and while we are on the topic of food. Check out this pizza. This is before I baked it. But it is a California BBQ Chicken Pizza. Oh yum.

And while we are still talking about food... while our summer friends were here, the guys headed off to the favorite Muslim meat stick restaurant for a little competition.
A meat stick - AKA kabobs kind of competition.
The girls were NOT going to stand back and let the guys be the only ones to compete, so we all had our own little contest. We changed the rules just a bit. We were not required to eat the meat sticks super spicy. Nor did we also require everyone to eat a bowl full of noodles. (We considered it our handicap).
I knew I could hold my own with the meat sticks. But I was wrong. I was a weakling when it came to meat sticks. These girls were incredibly impressive. I started off strong, but in the end I did not win. Or even come close.

But I sure had a great time trying!
The meat sticks are either beef or lamb, we always order both. I like the variety.

You might notice all the water on the table. I drank 2.5 bottles in one meal. Maybe next time I should slow down on the drinking.
See our meat sticks? Oh yumm. We are currently researching the exact blend of seasonings used on these sticks. One day we will perfect them.

The average # of sticks eaten was 50
The loser ate 39.
The winner ate 65
.
We took our sticks outside to take pictures.

Love this girl.
Then the owners wanted to take a picture of us. With my camera. This top shot is supposed to be a group of 7. Hmm.
The 14th attempt was better. We are all there.

Then I got a picture of the gals and the workers. So FUN!

Now on to dress up...
The kids have been spending a lot of time in costumes lately. The problem, although only a problem in my mind, is that all the possible boy costumes are too small for Nate. He doesn’t mind. He just borrows from his sisters.

We started off okay...
First he was on a swim team. Then grew into a pumpkin.

Then a dog. Still okay.
Then a swimming fairy. Hmmm

That’s when it got iffy.
He wanted to be tinkerbell...

I love how his boy belly hangs out of this outfit!

Here Nate was so proud of his dress that he pranced around, waving his magic want. Mom however, was calling for all available young boys to give Nate something to do other than play dress-up with his sisters.

Lots of fun times!!!
Sweet memories.
Horray for summer time!

Making grandparents happy

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:12:39 +0800

The grandparents were requesting a few pictures of the kids... Sometimes that is easier said than done.
There are times my kids ask me to take their pictures. Then there are times that no amount of pleading will convince them to quickly look at the camera and share a quick smile.
So I as thought about taking pictures for the grandparents... I decided I needed to step up my bribery. We usually offer a few jelly beans, but my kids are kind of over jelly beans. So I went to the store and purchased an item to bribe them with... something I had been planning on getting for them anyway.

They were so excited about the unknown item. They knew that mom had three of this particular item which meant no sharing. That sounded just fabulous to them. What’s so wrong with sharing anyway?! =)

Okay - too bright to lay down and stare at the sun... I will let that one go.

Anna just loved that she could see mom in her eyes. I just love her!

And after some cheesy photos with Nate, it was time to give the reward bribe gift.

A long time was spent exploring. Or if you ask Nate he was ‘plorin’. He leaves off all letters that aren’t completely necessary - and even some that are.

And here are the kids leaving the grassy area. Hmm. I wonder if those bushes were meant to keep us off the grass. Oops.
I love how this sweet little boy had to come and look at what the girls were looking at. Too bad it wasn’t anything interesting.

Ohh look... that’s how old daddy is going to be.

See... he really does love his sisters.

Hiding behind trees. Please work with me and tell the girls that they were really well hidden. They didn’t want to be seen at all. Use your imagination and pretend you can’t see them in the first picture.

I told them that laying down on the dirty concrete maybe wasn’t the best idea. But it did solidify in my mind that there would be a quick bath when we got home.

YEAH!!!!! for coming outside and not being too hot and taking good pictures and getting a cool new present and having fun!

The Wall

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:23:05 +0800

We have a wall.
I love our wall.
It is right outside our apartment. It separates our building from another complex.
This wall has character...

And for that reason it has provided a backdrop for MANY pictures of my kids.

But the crack in the wall was growing. They decided to knock it down.

And fix it.

Before it fell unexpectedly. Like when I am taking pictures of my kids in front of it.

But while the construction is going on, my kids were most entertained. There were rocks. And tools.

The workers were not in a hurry to finish. So there were many days for my kids to enjoy the dirt pile.

On this particular morning, a Friday, we went down for the bus early just so the kids could hang out with the workers. You see, Friday is dress day at our house. But so is Saturday, and Sunday. And sometimes Wednesdays.
But that’s not the point. The point was the workers were finally making progress and the kids were super impressed. They were glad to have our wall back.

Here is how to mix cement. The kids all wanted a turn... but we decided that before school was not a good time.

Then the school bus arrived and the girls were off. But Nate thought there was still adventure to be had.

Nate loves our gate guards and they love him. He calls them all ‘uncle’ (in Chinese) and thinks they all rock.

He yelled in the walkie-talkie for a bit and then we were off to see what progress has been made, on the wall.

When we finally got back home it was time to fix broken things around the house.

I am not sure why Nate wanted to keep his tools in his shirt instead of the tool belt, but it is cute and I loved it!

Anna is ‘masuring’ Nate. I have taken a break from correcting words that they say slightly incorrectly. I love hearing their own version of words!

My girl know how to wear a tool belt... :)

Here are some pictures with our house helper. I know - these weren’t taken in front of the wall, which is what this post is about, but we will get back to the wall (maybe).
We were headed outside the same time she was going home for the day. We truly love her SO much. We had a little scare last week where we thought she might have to move to another city for a long while, but after we all prayed and prayed, it is looking like she will be able to continue working for us. She is a gift to our family.

Then because of all the hard work my kiddos had done, fixing things around the house, (and because dad is out of town and we like to do crazy things when he is gone), we all headed to McDonalds for ice cream.
The kids were SO excited. We usually save ice cream at McDonalds for super special treats. Like once a year with mom and their respective birthdays after we have our professional pictures taken. Or some major family event. Stuff like that. So yea, they were thrilled.

I did come to realize that after I helped Anna & Nate with their cones repeatedly, my kids are completely unknowledgeable on how to eat an ice cream cone. Good thing it is summer time - a perfect time to practice.

Oh and for those who care about a construction project... the wall is just about finished. They are waiting for it to thoroughly dry, then it will be painted white and I will proceed to take my kids pictures in front of it again... minus the giant crack.

Dragon Boat Festival

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:03:37 +0800

The Dragon Boat Festival is a big holiday celebrated all over Asia. Although different countries celebrate it in different ways.
The Festival actually originated in a city called Miluo, which is part of Yueyang county. That’s cool - right? Here’s the story for your reading pleasure..
The best-known traditional story holds that the festival commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan (c. 340 BCE – 278 BCE) of the ancient state of Chu, in the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty. A descendant of the Chu royal house, Qu served in high offices. However, when the king decided to ally with the increasingly powerful state of Qin. Qu was banished for opposing the alliance. Qu Yuan was accused of treason. During his exile, Qu Yuan wrote a great deal of poetry, for which he is now remembered. Twenty-eight years later, Qin conquered the capital of Chu. In despair, Qu Yuan committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
It is said that the local people, who admired him, threw food into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of zongzi. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing.
And let’s just thank wikipedia for sharing all that history with us!
So every year across the street from our apartment they have some sort of Dragon Boat display or races. Some years it is a bigger deal than other years. We always try to ask around to find out what is happening and when, and we never seem to get any answers.
Anyway - our ‘celebration’ started with making the food famous for this holiday - zong zi. That’s the real name. But in our part of China people pronounce it zhong zi.
My house helper LOVES to make them so she was quick to agree to make them with me.
Just like I have memories of making chocolate chip cookies with my mom, she has memories of making zong zi with her mom!

You start with a special kind of rice... a glutenous, super sticky rice. You play with it...

And then wash it...

And then clean up all the pieces that you dropped on the floor from your play time.

Then enter the leaves...

These are bamboo leaves. They give off a great taste. If you like that kind of thing. Which I do.
These also must be played with.
And washed.

Then you need a pot.

And then you can start working.

There are MANY ways to make zong zi. You just make it how your mother taught you... and if for some reason your mother never made this (like mine), then you pick a precious friend and learn from her the way her mother taught her.
Zong zi come in many shapes and forms and with different fillings. The typical fillings are things like meat, or bean (beans of all color) and occasionally fruit. I would say that hands down, fruit ones are my favorite. They are fantastic. So when we eat zong zi in my house, we eat fruit zong zi.
We did some with raisins and some with peaches. Delicious!
You can either mix the fruit right into the rice, or you can just add it in as you go. We opted for the later.

So you start by twisting the leave to create a cone shape. Then you shove the rice in. And you have to shove hard. Really pack it in good.

And once they are full and tight, you fold the top over and proceed to wrap string around the top, holding the leaf in place. This is hard stuff people, I couldn’t make it up if I tried.

When I wasn’t taking pictures, I was working to unravel the string that came unraveled, but that Elizabeth decided to play with and tangled up in a matter of seconds.

And there it is - all our hard work hanging on the back of a kitchen chair.

And then they go into the pot where you boil or steam them for a long time. For hours. Like 3 or 4 hours. But it is worth the wait. Here is a finished one - sorry about the blurry picture. I was near shaking with anticipation. (haha)... This one pictured has pieces of peach in it. I wish I had added more peach, but it was still delicious.
And if you aren’t convinced - try pouring sweetened condensed milk over it. That will change your mind.

The next day was the actual day of the Dragon Boat Festival, and so we headed out to the square as a family. That is where all the action takes place... but it was HOT.

But meeting up with friends makes it all okay!!!

Nate always finds people to entertain him. He will go to anyone - as long as they are Asian. Sometimes I have to remind him I am his mother and only I can truly make him happy! haha

And here you have - 3 best friends. I have at times been concerned about their relationship! Anna is certain she is going to marry Josiah...
but 2 weeks ago Josiah proposed to Elizabeth. This could get interesting.

Do you see in the 2nd picture that Elizabeth is ever so subtly removing Anna’s hand from Josiah’s shoulder?

We played for a long time... watched the boats that weren’t doing anything and had a lot of fun.
But then it wasn’t long before we KNEW it was time to go. Here’s the proof...

Home for cold baths and a simple lunch... and more zong zi.

Father’s Day 2010

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 09:31:03 +0800

Our Father’s Day was more simple this year... the kids had colored some pictures for Steve and I made his favorite meal and we just had fun together. That’s my kind of day! Never mind that I made Steve run to the store to buy 2 of the main ingredients for his meal!
Before we left to go fellowship with our friends, we got some pictures of Steve with the kids. His Father’s Day pictures turned out MUCH better than my Mother’s Day pictures (where Elizabeth wouldn’t smile and couldn’t stop crying because of the length of her dress (she likes LONG dresses).
I am so glad they were all so agreeable!

After church we took a short rest, then I got started on the meal... Steve’s meal of choice is meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggies & apple pie... (he had to go to the store to buy the potatoes and the apples (oops).

There’s the meatloaf in the oven... enough for leftovers, and a jelly roll - not a real jelly roll - the kind of jelly roll that you use leftover pie crust dough, spread strawberry jam, roll it up and bake. The kids like it...

And then the pie... before and after. Sorry I used one camera for one picture and a different camera for the 2nd picture. The pie wasn’t that yellow.

We are so thankful for Steve and the WONDERFUL father he is. He is so good at meeting the needs of the kids and really understanding where they are at and what they need from him.
Through our parenting I can see even more examples of how we complement each other.

Here are some reasons why we love Steve (DAD):
1. Because he always comes home
2. Because he is THE best dad
3. Because he is really good at turning the TV on so we can watch a movie
4. Because he will always share his iPod
5. Because he can fix our toys with his tools and his batteries when they are broken
6. Because he thinks of fun things to do - like having an adventure
7. Because he loves us
8. Because he does good work
9. Because he is really cool
10. Because he likes my pictures and will laminate them to keep them forever
11. Because he is fun to play with and makes good things with the tinkertoys and he lets us play with any toys we want, even if mom doesn’t want us to
12. Because he takes good pictures of us
13. Because he really likes apple pie and coffee
14. Because he is so fun

So there you have it - Steve, according to Elizabeth.
 We love you and are SO very thankful for you! And the AMAZING father you are!

The reading party

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:44:14 +0800

I received inspiration from a friend to celebrate certain scholastic achievements... and I LOVED the idea! Her daughter also went through the same reading book as Elizabeth and after lesson 100 was complete they had a party.
So Elizabeth was told that when her book was finished she would also have a party. This served as great motivation for her and well, I also love a good party!!
As she neared completion of her book, we set the date for the party and she ended up finishing her reading book even before we had planned as she was doing 2-3 lessons a day. Yes. Cake motives my girl.
The day of the party I got her cake baked in the morning while she was at preschool. Then after nap when the other 2 kiddos were sleeping, we decorated. The cake is a book. But please tell me you could see that just by looking at the picture of it... :)
I already had colors mixed (trying to keep it simple) and I did one side and she did the other (with just a little help).
I told Elizabeth that she was going to write some words that she loved to read, and together we came up with a list.  Here is what is on the cake: girl, 100, book, sister, love, room, little, good, Anna, eagle, talk, and five.
I did explain to her that 100 was a number and not a word, but she looked at me and said “mom, I know that... but it is a special number so I have to put it on my cake”. I couldn’t argue with that.
She let me help her just a little bit, but she did most of the writing on her side.

Then we started decorating for the party. I didn’t have any big plans... I hung up her sticker chart that she used to record her progress (after it was laminated by Steve so we can keep it for forever). And I got out her presents from Grandma & Grandpa. They were so thoughtful to send a stack of books to be ready for this day. Lots and lots of early readers that Elizabeth is really enjoying.

Shortly before the party started the girls looked around and sadly announced that it looked nothing like a pre-party house should look. So Steve stepped in and saved the party by blowing up balloons. A lot of balloons.

The kids were so excited! It’s like they have never had balloons in their house before...

Can you find Anna? She thought she was completely covered.

Then our friends started to arrive. I was expecting a few people to stop by, but a lot of friends came!
We didn’t invite too many Chinese friends because well, 2 reasons. 1) it was to be a super simple, short party, and 2) it wasn’t super easy to truly explain the reason behind the party...

We also had a sign for everyone to tell Elizabeth their favorite things to read.

Truly, my intention was not for all the adults to spend the next hour reading to the kids... I thought the kids would play and the adults would talk. But that’s not what happened at our reading party.
There was some serious reading going on! It made my heart happy!

Here is Elizabeth reading her, at present, most favorite book EVER. Mercer Meyer, Just Me In The Tub. Not sure why this is her favorite. But she will read it to anyone who comes to our house!

The party was a huge success and Elizabeth really felt so proud of herself and is even more motivated to keep up with her reading.
Way to go my big girl!!!

Hair cut time again

Wed, 9 Jun 2010 14:34:28 +0800

This hair cutting appointment was seriously long overdue. Nate had a crazy mop of hair on his head. It was long and tickling his ears. Which daddy disliked more than Nate.
Elizabeth’s hair was starting to bug her... she says she wants long hair, but when it is time for the cut, she is ready to get it short again. While I really love her hair short (it suits her face), she is getting older (sigh) and I will let her make the decision as to the length of her hair.
Anna once again made Mrs. Lee (our hair dresser) promise over and over that she would only trim the tiniest bit.
I also just needed less hair on my head to prepare for the hot summer that is arriving.

Here is Mrs. Lee on a play date. She is such a sweet lady. Her and her husband and daughter moved to our city (from Korea) about the same time Steve moved here back in 2000. They used to take the poor single guy yummy Korean food... Then I was able to meet them, and I got to eat the yummy Korean food too! When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, they treated me like I was a princess. It was super special. They LOVED her and had pictures of her all over the house. Then when I was sick with Anna, (although not as bad as with Elizabeth), they would come over and hold Elizabeth and play with her 4 month self!
When Nate was born they were so sad we were in the states, but when they met him they were crazy about him too!
All 3 of my kids have so much love for their auntie! (They call her imo 이모 which means aunt in Korean)
We are so thankful for all she does for us! Especially the hair cuts... (that was my way of getting the post back to the topic of hair. Sly right?)

So here are the kids playing with blocks... and Nate hurt his toe. It looks more serious than it is.

Anna, well, she is still learning about sharing...

Anna & Imo’s creation.
And ELizabeth gets started with a hair cut.

She has been known to fall asleep while getting her hair done. Wonder where she got that from (it’s me it’s me).

The finished product. She was very proud. My girl loves to look good! :)

Anna however, well, she had just woken up from a nap, and sometimes (99% of the time) she wakes up a little grouchy. Today was no exception.

And I am sorry to say, the grouchies continued even after the tiny trim was done, so there are no after pictures of Anna. We have to work on that post-nap attitude.

And now for Nate...

There were lots of people involved in the cutting of Nate’s hair. I don’t know what I would do without their help! I supposed cut my own child’s hair... but it sure would’t look as good!

The girls played nicely on the porch. Fresh hair cuts and doll houses out they are perfectly content.

My adorable, handsome boy!!

Check out the difference in Nate!

Whew - summer we are NOW ready...

100 Lessons

Mon, 7 Jun 2010 09:13:07 +0800

I am SO thrilled to report... Elizabeth has completed her 100 lessons in her learning to read book. It was a long process. but we persevered and we did it. I mean, she did it. But it really was a team effort!!
We started almost a year ago, and flew through the first half of the book. But then it started to challenge her more and she resisted. Considering how young she was I was not concerned and just slowed down and waited for her to initiate. We would do little bits at a time and then there were periods of time (while we were traveling) that we just stopped for awhile. We gradually made it to lesson 83, all the while learning that challenging yourself is good and needed. Finally something clicked and she flew through the last 17 lessons in just a short while.
I was amazed at her reading ability once she challenged herself! It was a night and day difference. I am thankful that I was able to learn so much more about Elizabeth and her learning style and her personality through this book. It will help me a lot as we begin homeschooling in the fall!
She is SO proud of herself and it is all she can talk about. Well, that and the fact that mom promised her a party!!

These posed photos were her idea. I will gladly go along with her suggestions!

She felt she also needed a serious pose because ‘sometimes reading can be a serious thing’.

She made quite the ceremonious production of giving this book to Anna and informing her that she now must study hard so she could have a party also learn how to read.

Giving mom a high five. I love how she now knows the feeling of working hard to complete something.

Much much more to come!

School Production June 2010

Fri, 4 Jun 2010 13:24:55 +0800

It’s that time again... another performance at the girls school! I love their programs (yes, even the mega-long ones) and I was super excited about this one because I had not seen any sneak previews. Usually we would have the school give us the music the girls would be using so we could let them practice at home... but this year we didn’t do that.
We arrived on time as usual. And as usual the program started 30 minutes late.
We were really thrilled with the normalcy of this program. We had normal people seats - not the usual front-row foreigner seats (we are not VIPs!!), the girls didn’t have the biggest roles or special songs, they had the normal roles in the school production.
It felt good to be normal!

Here’s Steve & Nate waiting for things to start. The room we were in was HUGE. There was no A/C, but it had big windows which were open and a fantastic breeze was flowing through the building.
But then when these ladies got up to speak, and begin the program, the heavy drapes that covered the windows were drawn and our nice flow of air was cut off, and the sweating began. Eww it was hot!
When we walked in, Nate was giving this clapping hand toy (it is loud) and some glowing light sticks. He was completely entertained the whole evening.

As things were beginning some men shot off some confetti rockets. It was fun. I was impressed...

Then this lady did some Opera style singing.

About 15 minutes into the show, the stage lighting fell down. The whole thing just went smashing to the stage. Thankfully it slowed as it neared the kids so they were able to move out of the way, but oh it was scary. I found myself getting a little angry that this happened... I needed to just be thankful that nobody was hurt and that my kids weren’t on the stage at that time!!
The kids who were dancing, just kept right on going - I am sure they were told to keep going no matter what - and they did!
After a very short pause in the program, things continued on...

Then Anna’s class came out! I had seen her outfit, so I knew she would be showing her tummy, but I decided I was okay with that.
Let me just apologize how pitiful these pictures are. Sorry.

After their Beijing Opera-ish routine (movie coming to a blog near you (one of these days)), Anna was back in her own clothes for another dance I didn’t fully understand. But she looked cute doing it!

Overall I was completely in awe and impressed with Anna. She is not a huge fan of people telling her what to do - but we have been working on that and these dances showed evidence of that. She had spent the last 2 months preparing and learning the routine and she did fantastic. She stayed with her classmates and I was just SO impressed and crazy proud.

Then more classes did their dances. Some people talked a lot about how it is the schools 3rd Anniversary... or “Three Anniversary”

And FINALLY, at 9:00pm it was time for the older kids to do their thing. Elizabeth came out wearing green paper cut in the shape of leaves.
Her class was doing a fashion show of sorts and Elizabeth was a tree? or going green? or just showing that paper can be fashionable too? She just says she was green.

Elizabeth did a great job, and she LOVES this kind of thing. Her one problem is one that is always true at these late night programs. The kids go to bed at 8pm. She is usually asleep at 8:05. So not going on stage to dance until 9:15 was hard for her. She was TIRED. (Anna is a night-owl and does not have that problem).

After everyone was finished with their performances, all the kids came out carrying stuff they had made. They all sang a short song and then the program was over. And it finished a good 15 minutes earlier than I had guessed... I anticipated it would be finished at 10, but at 9:45 I had just finished giving the girls giant hugs and praising their fantastic dancing.

Then it was home, quick bath (to remove hairspray and makeup) and to bed. I was exhausted when it was all finished - and the girls even more so!
I think I really enjoyed seeing the pride on their faces afterwards as they knew they had done a good job. They had done all that was asked of them to the best of their ability and that feels good even at age 4 & 5.
Can’t wait for the next program!!

Potty training the boy

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 08:27:18 +0800

So this is one of those posts that some of you might just want to skip. I will spare no details. I will hide/conceal nothing. This will be a step by step record of my sweet boy learning how to pee in a toilet. If that sounds exciting to you, then by all means, keep reading!

This is to be my 3rd time potty training a child and I have picked up a few things along the way. There were a few knowns that I would be sticking to.
1. Wait until the child is 2.5. I started too early with Elizabeth and it was a LONG process. Yes she was completely finished with potty training by her 2nd birthday, but the months leading up to that birthday were long.
2. Wait until the child can fully communicate their toilet needs. I have done this with each child and can’t imagine trying to potty train a child who can’t talk to me!
3. Get THESE. The Gerber training pants are fantastic. They are not plastic-y or anything. They simply have extra fabric that absorbs some/lots of the pee to avoid a puddle on the floor.
4. Block off a week of your schedule to focus on the training. It takes time and energy, but if you give it the proper attention at the beginning it will go much faster. Try to avoid going out.
5. Move all rugs off the floor. Who wants to scrub pee off of a rug? If you have carpet in your home, too bad so sad.
6. Stop diapers. And tell the kids they are done with diapers. We use pull-ups, but rename them... ‘sleep underwear’, ‘going-out-underwear’. Then once the kids are trained (save nighttime trained), we use diapers again at night to avoid mom changing sheets multiple times a week. I don’t like pee in the bed. (We switch back to diapers at night because they are THAT much cheaper - and shh- I will often (always) reuse them if they are dry (but only 1 or 2 times - then it just gets gross)
7. Have plenty of stickers, rewards, tiny snacks ready to go. Have lots of salty snacks, and favorite drinks available to make them pee more. If they aren’t peeing, you can’t potty train.
8. Praise them for the success in the toilet as well as being dry in the britches. Be FIRM when you tell them they can no longer pee in their diaper.
9. Don’t measure success by the # of pee’s in the toilet or by the # of accidents.
1. Find the fun in the situation.

Okay - now that I got my 10 tips out of the way... :)

We started potty training Nate on Monday May 24th. I was able to mostly block off that week and avoided going out with him as much as possible.

We had everything in place. The training pants, the mini-skittles (the girls preferred M&M’s, but nate is more like his dad and would rather have something fruity). Let me just go on the record and say I don’t understand that kind of thinking. But to each his own. We had smiley face stickers and a chart that I quickly printed off the computer. (And now that the chart is finished we will send it to Uncle Mike, because he likes hearing about kids bodily functions. In fact I am sure that he is reading this very blog - haha (NOT)).

I love boys. They don’t care if their chart looks ‘pretty’ or not. And yes, the girls did tell me I didn’t make Nate’s potty chart very beautiful. Oops.

We spent the Saturday & Sunday talking it up and getting the girls exited too. Then I spent Sunday evening cleaning the rugs and putting them away. We have like 3 big rugs and I just stacked them on top of the girls bunk beds. (It is my catch all space).

Monday morning after Nate & Steve took the girls down to the bus for school, it was time to start. We made a big production about taking the diaper off and putting his big boy underwear on. We started off with sitting on the toilet every 10 minutes, and when we weren’t on the toilet, he was being fed peanuts, popcorn, pretzels. Poor kid was full, but he was also drinking a lot!
He stayed entertained with Steve’s iPod. (Nate truly deep down believes it is HIS iPod and dad is only borrowing it).

Day 1 we only had 1 accident. But that was because I was taking him to the toilet every 60 seconds so he could have lots of success and get lots of skittles and stickers.
Day 2 I backed off a tad and we had a few more accidents.
Day 3 we had a LOT of accidents. I was not phased. I would push forward.
Day 4 maybe slightly better, but just a tad, then day 3
Day 5, um - can it be? Perhaps this is starting to work? The day started off rough but ended WELL.
I began to see that Nate was truly getting it. He was showing physical signs of being able to control his bladder! I would actually see a lightbulb go off over his head as he realized that he had the power to stop the pee. He could do it. And then he would walk, almost shaking from trying to ‘hold it’ and get to the bathroom. It was such a breakthrough. Way to go dude.
Day 6 - no accidents. Yes, you read that right, no accidents. I did not ask Nate if he needed to go, I just took him before we went out, and before bed - and then the rest of the time let him tell me. And he did so great. Did I mention there were no accidents.
Day 7+ - 93% perfect. :) He had one morning that he was just off, but other than that he has done wonderful. A few peeps here and there, but otherwise great. Oh and FYI - ‘peeps’ is a term that Elizabeth made famous in our house. It means that she peed, but not a full out pee. Say your dad is tickling you like crazy and you have to pee, and a tiny bit escapes before you get to the bathroom... that’s not peeing in your pants, it is just peeps. Get it?

The only problem we have had to date with Nate is the poop. This kid was REGULAR back in the diaper days. Every.single.morning. Now he has been waiting 2-3+ days. We finally intervened and got him going again, but it has been the biggest challenge for him. Thankfully that too seems to have improved and he is starting to master that part of the training as well.

A present from dad after his first poop.

Update:
I am so thankful it was such an easy transition and he really loves being a big kid now with the undies. He has been try at night and nap for almost 2 weeks and he can go into the bathroom, get his pants off and climb up himself.

(my friend who has 3 boys taught me to sit them like this to help with the aiming of the pee. We never have pee on the floor! And when he is tall enough to stand and pee, he will be facing the same direction.)
How adorable is he?!! And when did my baby grow up enough to be out of diapers. No kids in diapers anymore is hard to accept than I thought!
 Way to go Nate!!

The whole class is coming

Sat, 15 May 2010 07:26:30 +0800

When Steve told me he wanted his Saturday class to come over to the house, I understood what he meant. I knew that the Saturday class only has 12 people and that is not too overwhelming for our home. But when the girls heard that his students were coming over, they got really nervous. They didn’t remember the time when we met his 12 students he teaches on Saturday mornings. They only remembered going to see his Tuesday/Wednesday class which together totals about 220. I can understand why they were stressing about where everyone would sit.
His Saturday class is a special class for students who want to pay extra money to the school and learn more about going to America to study. It is an elite few who actually get to America, but these are the ones who truly have that desire and will do everything they can to get there. Steve enjoys teaching this class because they want to be there and really care about the material.
Anyway, when he asked if they could come over to our home, I had no problems with that! 12 students isn’t that many - especially when you compare it to his other class!
The girls were so excited to help me get everything ready... which just meant baking LOTS of banana bread to serve (can’t go wrong with banana bread in China), and getting fruit prepared.

Once everyone arrived, Anna played shy while Elizabeth showed off some of her latest artwork and Nate found multiple guys who would play ball with him. These students are so kind and patient with my kids.

We were also able to introduce good coffee to even more of China’s young people. you are welcome.

Then we played games like Taboo, Jenga and a few card games. The girls had so much fun watching the students enjoying themselves! We spent some time talking with the students and before long our morning together was finished. I know now that the students have been over to our home, we can expect them to drop by ‘any time’. :)

If these 12 students were so much fun, wouldn’t his 220 students be even more fun?!!!

Mother’s Day 2010

Sun, 9 May 2010 22:12:26 +0800

Happy Mother’s Day to me, Happy Mother’s Day to me, Happy Mother’s day to meeeeeeee, Happy Mother’s Day to me.
Mother’s Day came at a bad time this year. It completely threw me off. It snuck up on me and I was not prepared! So to my dear mom and sweet mother-in-law, sorry that I didn’t plan well this year... I barely remembered!
But regardless of how the day played out, the fact remains that I am a mom, and I am so thankful that I get to HAVE a day to be thankful for being a mom. Did you follow that?
I am just am overwhelmed sometimes at how much God has blessed me with my kids. They are amazing. They are beautiful/adorable, smart, funny, and I am so crazy about them! I love getting to learn more and more about them as they grow and I love how they challenge me in more ways than I could have ever imagined.
Motherhood means so much more than I thought when I first found out I was pregnant with Elizabeth. Back then I thought I would love my girl, change her diaper, feed her, teach her how to sleep nice and long, and then teach her age appropriate lessons. But now I know a bit more how much I personally would be stretched. I know now, at least a little more, what it is like to do those things when I am tired, or when my patience has long disappeared, or when the age appropriate lesson I am wanting to teach isn’t taking. I have learned that the love that I thought I would have for my kids is nothing compared to what I experience when I am with them. I have learned that everything I say and do is a learning moment for them and that overwhelms me sometimes.
But thankfully I have learned that God cares even more than I do for my kids and their growth and that gives me such peace even during stressful mothering days!
I am also so thankful that at 5, 4 & 2.5 my kids can in part understand forgiveness and continue to love me even when I make mistakes (which happens far more often than I would like).
Have I mentioned I have really great kids?!!!!
I am SO blessed!!!!!

I asked if we could have a few quick pictures taken before church of me and my kids. But that simple request was not simple. Elizabeth was upset - something clothing related... (I mean, what else would it possibly be at age 5?), so she wasn’t willing to SMILE for a picture. Then Nate got upset after being restrained on my lap while we were waiting for Elizabeth to ‘change her attitude’.

Anna however, was most agreeable... and quite proud of the herself considering she was the only child not in tears. Way to go Anna!

We ended the day with chocolate pudding. Everyone was happy!

Happy Mother’s Day everyone!!

Adding more best friends

Thu, 6 May 2010 20:36:10 +0800

Some may say you can only have one best friend. But I know that to be untrue... and my girls are also learning that it is entirely possible to have more than one best friend.
We took a trip to a nearby city (3 hour drive), where the girls were introduced to some other kids. These other kids were the same age as my girls, and in a 2 day period, went from a first time meeting, to best friend status. It doesn’t take long when you are 4 & 5.
Elizabeth’s newest 5 year old best friend’s name is Carlie, and is quite a bit taller than Elizabeth, which just makes her seem a lot more than 6 months older than Elizabeth. She has a take charge personality and it is the first time Elizabeth wasn’t ‘in charge’. It was SO good for her.
Anna’s newest 4 year old best friend’s name is... get this... Anna Grace. Yep. Can you imagine having a best friend with the same name as you? That just seems really fun to me! They had a great time playing and look like they could be sisters with their small build and white blond hair.
Carlie and Anna Grace also have sister who is about 6 months younger than Nate (and yes, they would look adorable together), and then a baby baby brother named Seth who is completely precious.

The girls had SO much fun together... playing dress up, coloring pictures, going to play grounds, dancing, cooking in the pretend kitchen.

It was a great 2 days, and we were all not ready to leave!
Oh - and how cute is this little boy, Antheney! I LOVED getting to meet him! He has been with his mom & dad for 6 months now (adoption) and is just a precious little boy with a huge personality.

The girls have NOT stopped asking when we can go back, and when their newest best friends can come to their home to play! I hope it will be soon!