Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, the turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie have been eaten and now Danny and I are laying on the couch too stuffed to move! Sounds just like home, except, I didn't really lift a finger! We went to the Sheraton for their Thanksgiving feast to celebrate! It was actually a yummy turkey and the pumpkin pie was delicious. I was surprised and very thankful!! We asked the kids at dinner what they were thankful for...here are some of the responses we got!! Ellie is thankful for her mommy, daddy, brothers, and her whole family and for mashed potatoes! Eens is thankful for mama, dada, his sister, and brother. And Coop is thankful for....guns!!! I have honestly done my best to raise my children the right way, but obviously I have failed in some major way - my 2 year old is thankful for guns. We don't even have play guns in the house, we don't watch shows with guns - I just don't get it!

We are very blessed and thankful for the friends and family all over the world who have opened their hearts to our family and who we have shared so many wonderful memories with. During this season there are so many things we are missing...being with our families, picking out our tree at Wallaces, shopping at 5 am with Jenny the day after Thanksgiving, the ugly ornament dinner, Christmas programs, A Christmas Story being played over and over on cable, and driving around to see who has the most lights up. It will be different, but the most important thing is that we have each other here and I have faith that the memories and traditions we start here will make memories to last a lifetime. God bless everyone!!

Happy 7 Birthday Ellie Bean!!

I cannot believe that my little El is seven years old. I've watched her grow before my eyes, but am still shocked to say that she is now 7. She brings so much joy and a little drama into our lives! I can remember the day she was born - it was right after midnight and right on her due date. That should have been a warning sign for what was to come. She wants to please (thankfully she did not arrive past her due date!), she is a perfectionist in many ways, and she is a wonderful daughter, sister, and friend!! El is and always will be a free spirit - many times she beats to a different drum, but that's what makes the journey with her so much fun! She loves her family and I have witnessed the way she protects her brothers. Daily she makes sure Eens finds his way to his class and she is always asking Coop how his day was. She has made the transition of moving to China much easier because I watch her open her heart to new people and new ideas and I want to follow in her footsteps. She is amazing in every way and I am so proud that she is my daughter!

We had to celebrate a little differently this year, but I think El may have gotten more spoiled than usual! We had a skype breakfast party this morning with my mom, great grandma and grandpa, Aunt Steph, and Jeff! They got to sing and watch El open presents! Ellie has been receiving a package almost every other day from friends and family filled with goodies that we cannot find here - thank you so much everyone!!! She took some cupcakes to school to share with her friends. Later in the day ayi celebrated with her and then Grace from Rego brought a cake to her (it's still in the fridge - treat overload has occurred!!). After that we went to the Sheraton to celebrate Thanksgiving! El is having a few friends over on Sunday for a Barbie birthday party - I'll post more on that later!

Happy 7th Birthday El!!!

El's Watercolor Fish

Ellie had another art lesson this past Saturday. She seems to really enjoy the lesson, although she is very quiet! She is catching on quickly and listens intently to what the teachers say. This time, one of her teachers sketched a fish for both of them and taught her the watercolor painting technique. She would paint her fish first and then have Ellie paint her own fish the same way! I even learned something while I watched! I am so happy Ellie is still getting to pursue some of her interests while we are living in China!!

She is always so proud after she completes a project - she takes it up to her room and hangs it up!

Update on Potty Training

I posted a few weeks ago about beginning to potty train Coop. He is very anal (I wonder who he gets that from?!!) and I thought he would be pretty easy, but, I had no idea he would be as easy as he was! We are almost 4 weeks in and we have only had about 5 accidents total - none in the past 2 weeks! This included us going away to Sanya, so we even have the travelling covered!! I'm not trying to brag, but Eens took forever to train, so I am delighted that Coop has been so easy!

Of course, in St. Martin style we always have to have at least one story that diverts anything from being completely easy! After talking to our friend here who has children Eens and Coop's age, she suggested that we always travel with a potty in the van because you never know where you will find a restroom here, and if you do find one, you may not want to enter! So we brought a potty along for the ride on our way to and from the airport in Beijing (this is about a 1 1/2 hour trip!). Thankfully we did, here's why...

My friend was sweet enough to bring me back this fantastic "car" potty from Edinburgh this week. It is really quite interesting and I am excited to go on our next rode trip just to see if it works - it is so compact!! Obviously we are both very excited about potty training our two year olds!!!

Last day on the beach!

We spent our final day on the beach taking a long walk down past the other hotels! Along the way Danny caught crabs and scared the boys to crying, Ellie found "sand rocks" as she called them, and Eens whined for water (I think they were still a little dehydrated from being sick!)! It was so fun to walk along the beach and observe the Chinese people enjoying a vacation! Danny and I talked about it, and we don't think the Chinese really vacation like we do. My idea of a vacation is to go somewhere do a little sightseeing, relax, and eat yummy food that I don't have to cook!! It seemed to me that the Chinese vacationers had no idea what to do on the beach. They did not have sand toys for the kids, they could not sit still for more than 1 minute, instead they took lots of pictures and walked up and down the beach. Some did swim in the ocean, even when the red flags were out because the surf was rough. I think they were having a good time, but it was interesting to me to see how different we must perceive vacations. I plan on having a chat with my Chinese teacher today about it to see if my observations are correct! Also, Sanya must cater to many Russians. Most menus were written in Chinese, English, and Russian. Jeannie - have you ever heard of Russians vacationing in China?? Danny thought it may not be a terrible flight from St. Petersburg, but I'm sure it is a long flight from Moscow...here is a picture of a massage stand on the beach with both Chinese and Russian!! This is just for you Jeannie...I know you are probably in need of your Russian fix!!

I had to post this picture because it is no wonder things here go bad and break so quickly. Apparently they have never heard of a dock, instead they just drive these boats directly onto the sand!! Once again, very interesting!!

We were happy to arrive back in Tianjin to the comfort of our own beds and ayi's cooking! Now we have to be cold for a few weeks until we head to Hong Kong for our Chrsitmas vacation!!

Trouble in Paradise

Yes, we made it to Sanya, China without too many gliches!! We ended up flying out of a different terminal than we usually do, so there was some initial disappointment that we wouldn't be having Burger King (I never thought I would say I'm disappointed about not having BK!!) for lunch, but we got over that quickly! Thank goodness for drivers who know where they are going, we would have had no clue which terminal to go to! We didn't even realize there was more than one terminal!! The four hour flight was actually uneventful - it seemed so quick compared to our 13 hour flights to the US! At the end of the flight, Eens announced to everyone on the plane, "I'm not puking!!!". We were proud parents!

We made it to the hotel and were pleasantly surprised! We are staying at a 5 star (Chinese standards!) Holiday Inn. We got a kids suite so we have 2 bedrooms and 2 baths - it is actually quite spacious. Our balcony and windows overlook the ocean so I have made Danny keep the windows open at night so I can listen to the waves - it is so peaceful! The only thing that is not great are the beds - it is like sleeping on a board! I'm not sure why they even bother paying for a mattress, but what do I know about hard matresses and my health!

This is the view from our balcony! I forget I'm in China!

Yesterday we spent 7 hours on the beach and in the pool! We all had a ball! This is the first time Coop has ever experienced a "beach" vacation - he loves to dig and kick the waves with his big brother! Danny caught three little fish and two crabs (which are all currently living in our room!!) - he was very happy! I got to enjoy a foot massage on the beach - it doesn't get much better than that! She wanted to put the table under a tree, but I was like, move that so I am in direct sunlight! Not a good move - I'm pretty burnt, apparently the spray sunscreen needs to be rubbed in a bit!! We all had a great day and then headed to another hotel for dinner (prices for food here at this hotel are very high, and the food is not that great!). We found a pizza place and ate outside! We realized this morning that this was not a good move because here is where our trouble begins...

Great Kung Fu, Eens!!

Last night I orderd the kids a 4 cheese pizza and Danny and I got my new favorite the Hawaiian. I thought that the cheese pizza was a little stinky, and Coop was even like, "Someting stinky". I let the kids eat it, they ate the whole thing and I didn't think anything about it, until 5:00am. Coop was the first one up vomitting every 20 minutes or so. Then El came into our room saying her stomach hurt. We didn't believe her until 1 hour later when she was having her moment. Eens seemed fine, so Danny and I thought maybe he just had a tough stomach...not so fast, right before breakfast he threw up! I couldn't believe they were all sick! We decided that Danny and I needed to eat and we had already paid for our breakfast, so we drag the sick children downstairs. Bad idea, El walks in and takes one whiff of the food and she ALMOST makes it to the bathroom! I gulped down a cup of coffee with Coop asleep on my lap and then we decided to get some fresh air. We took the kids to the beach to lay on chairs and listen to the water - Eens perked up immediately and so did Coop! They played and one would never know they were sick. El stayed on the chair all curled up - she was so cute! After the beach we came upstairs for a little rest and watched movies. Everyone appeared to be doing better and Eens and Coop wanted to go down the little waterslides at the pool so we played in the pool for a bit! Danny had to get ready for a dinner so I took the kids to the playroom (most of the hotels in China have the greatest playrooms - ball pits, riding cars, art activities, basketball hoops, lots of toys...). Eens started to look green so I was on my way to the bathroom, but didn't quite make it. Poor Eens ate the most and I think got the worst of it. They are sleeping prettily right now - I hope they all wake up feeling great!

I cannot believe our luck, the first bout with food illness while living in China had to happen on our mini vacation! Oh well, I'm just enjoying being with my family(in sickness and in health!!) and the warm sunshine!!

And We're Off!!

We are flying out tomorrow morning for Sanya, China for a little beach vacation! Actually, Danny has to go to meetings the majority of the time, so the kids and I will be enjoying the sun and sand! Sanya is on an island at the southern most tip of China. Danny has heard people call it the "Hawaii of China". I'll let you know if that is the case! There is one tiny little problem we learned of today on the island, there is a taxi strike! Here's what Danny got in an e-mail...Taxi drivers in Sanya, China, strike for third consecutive day Nov. 12.Expect crowded public transportation and travel delays. It looks like we'll be doing a little walking!

We have hit the wall here as they say (wondering what in the world made you decide it was a good idea to pack up and move to China away from your friends and family!), so a little getaway could not have come at a better time!

I'm not sure what sparked my sudden negative attitude towards being here...maybe it was the fact that we have had to call and complain about lack of hot water once a week since we got here, or maybe it was the sink that has now leaked 5 times, or maybe it is because I feel like I can never get anything accomplished even with full time help, or maybe, most probably, it is because I miss my family and friends a ton. From Thanksgiving until New Years is my favorite time of year! I love all of the excitement in the air, the decorations, the picking out of gifts, making sweets, and most of all being with the people I love. I am truly going to miss that this year!

Enough of my complaining!! I'm off to finish packing!! Have a great weekend and I'll try to post from Sanya if we have an internet connection!! One never knows in China!!!

Our Talented Children!!

I must share some of the exciting things the kids have been up to over the past couple of weeks.

Eens has become obsessed with writing books. It is a very cute process, he draws pictures, then he decides what each page should say, Ellie or I tell him how to spell the words, and then he writes them down! He loves to take his books to school to read to his classmates! His teacher encourages this writing and told us tonight that he is currently working on a book at school with his friend about princesses and frankenstein! I can't wait to see that one! He even won an award for his Haunted House book. This certificate was presented to him in front of all of the PreK - 5th graders at their Friday morning assembly! He was so proud and so are we!!

Ellie just started taking art lessons this past Sunday. My Chinese teacher found two graduate art students who are willing to come to our house on Sunday afternoons for 2 hours and work with her!! She was very quiet this week, but I am assuming she will open up as she gets to know them better! This was from her first lesson. The teacher sketched the vases and helped pick the colors.

What's for Dinner?

I have had many, many people ask me, "What does your ayi cook for you?". I must start out by saying that Danny and I have always wanted a cook - I don't mind cooking, but it always disrupts my time with the kids and it usually needs to be done when everyone is crabby. Now that we have our ayi cook for us Monday through Friday, I am able to help El with her homework, read with all of the munchkins, play a little rough with the boys, and get everything ready for bed. It is definitely a treat and I do feel spoiled pretty much everyday! She enjoys cooking for us and makes delicious meals. Most nights there will be two different meat dishes (we prefer chicken or pork, the beef is not all that good here), rice, and a plate of freshly cut fruit! Dinner at our house is truly a family event because we can all sit down together and talk, which is such a blessing and a wonderful way to find out about what the kids did in school! After we finish we give ayi all of our leftovers to take home to her dog, "Bebe"!!

I know once we come back to the states, there is no way we can afford this luxury, so I will enjoy and be thankful for every dinner I don't have to cook!!!! Here is a picture of some typical dishes...

And here is what we eat when I have to make dinner (which thankfully isn't very often!!)!

Halloween at IST

This year we celebrated Halloween at school a week late due to United Nations day. I am somehow "head" roomparent for El's room, so I was busy trying to organize the party. Most countries that are represented at our school do not understand the concept of room parent so my job was a little more difficult than in the states. I requested food and drinks and only heard back from 2 parents. We ended up with plenty, but I was stressed running around trying to buy stuff to make sure there would be enough food!! The parents did not realize they should let me know what they were bringing! We also organized the game where the kids touch food "body" parts and try to figure out what it is! The kids had a ton of fun and I enjoyed spending the afternoon with El!

We also had a pumpkin carving contest. We carved a vampire Mickey (thanks Aunt T!) and didn't win. Eens insisted that if we had carved the Goofy frankenstein we would have won for sure! Next year, maybe!!

This was Danny's favorite costume!! Pretty creative and a little disturbing!!

The Next Challenge

I'm not sure why, but on Sunday, I decided it was time for Coop to potty train! I know it was spur of the moment, but the time just felt right! This week is a quiet one for us and then we start travelling off and on until the end of January so why not?! Sunday he had a couple of accidents, and then Monday and Tuesday he was completely dry! I say he was dry, but of course, he is having trouble with the other. He can pee, no problem, but it seems that doing the other is a completely different ball game for him! He is now getting to the bathroom before he does it, but sitting on the potty is another story! I had so much trouble with Eens, so I am praying that Coop will not follow the same path! He loves the fact that he is a big boy and doesn't wear a diaper so I don't think I'm pressuring him, but who knows!

Here is the end of my diaper supply...only time will tell if I have another diaper purchase in my future! The sad thing is, my baby is getting big!!!!

Where has the time gone?

I think this is the longest I have been away from blogging and I do apologize!! Last week was fun with Dan's parents, but I was exhausted by the end of the day! I'm not sure that is different than any other week actually!!!

Last week we really wanted Dan's parents to get a sense of what it is like living here! We spent most of the week doing normal, daily activities like visiting the grocery stores, finding ingredients at the different import stores (this is really an entire afternoon activity!), playing with the kids, doing homework, having Chinese lessons, watching ayi cook, massages, manicures, etc... It was fun to show someone how different our lives are now, but also, that different is not always bad. It is just different here!

My favorite part of the week was going to our favorite restaurants! Food is very important to the Chinese - I must be adapting quite well to this part of the culture!! We usually eat out several times during the weekend, but to get to go to our favorites all in one week was a real treat! We took our ayi with us on Friday night because she was so sad she didn't get to cook dinner! We try to spoil her a little because she has become such a big part of our family life here! The kids love this restaraunt because there are seals and we had our own private room (restroom and all!) so they do not have to have proper restaurant behavior!!
On Sunday we went the the Shi Family Mansion which is located a little ways outside of Tianjin. This was my first time visiting this place and I thought it was well worth the trip! It was a mansion built in 1875. We were able to view the sleeping quarters, the theater, offices, and living spaces where most of the original furniture was still there. I found it quite fascinating! The furniture is, of course, hand made and exquisite!


On Sunday night we celebrated El's birthday a little early so she could have some family here! She loved blowing out the candles and eating cake - especially since she knows we get to do it again in a couple of weeks!! Nai Nai and Pepere also took us to Din Tai Fung (2 times in 1 week, life is good!!) since El loves the noodles there and the fact that some of her friends are usually there in the playroom!! I'm pretty sure she had a great early birthday!!

On Monday we had to say good-bye which is never easy! Especially when you know that it will be months, not weeks, until you will see each other again. As I've said before, this is one of the not so fun parts of expat life. Until we meet again is a phrase used often here!

The Boys First Haircuts Here

I knew the day would come when I would have to deal with haircuts while we are living in China! I made it almost 4 months and finally gave in to trusting someone with the boys hair. I found a place called MelonHeads in a magazine for Beijing. Since we were going to Beijing to meet up with Danny's parents, I decided that we would also get haircuts. I did pull the kids out of school on Friday so I needed to make our trip worth our while before their plane arrived!

First we checked into our hotel and then jumped in a cab with my magazine in hand ready to find the place! It ended up not being too far away from our hotel - nice short cab ride. After asking a couple people, I was lead in the general direction of our target location. I've found that the more confident I am when I am alone with the kids here, the better behaved they are! They know I can't speak the language, but they also know that they can trust me and I will get them where we need to be!

We found the haircut place on the 7th floor of the "mall". It was very cute and reminded me of Cookie Cutters in Bettendorf! Eens was thrilled that there was a huge pirate ship in the middle with slides that he could play on! I was thrilled because right when they saw us coming they called in their hairdresser who could speak English!! The boys were fascinated by their new surroundings, so they sat nicely and got their haircut! El just played around with everything they had to offer! After we were done, Eric (the English speaker) gave me his card with his personal cell phone number on it. He was so sweet, he told me if I ever needed any help in Beijing that I could call him and he could translate for me!! This happens quite often and it is a win-win situation! I get the help I need and the other person gets to practice speaking English!!

Here are some pictures of our haircutting adventure...

Since the kids did such a great job getting haircuts, I decided they could play in the indoor play area that was on the same floor. This place was extremely clean and there were not very many children there. It was pretty expensive for China standards, but more and more parents are able to afford these luxuries since they have more wealth and also, they typically only have one child. The kids had a great time running around and playing - I enjoyed watching their faces light up!!