Spreading Holiday Cheer

This weekend we enjoyed a lot of relaxing family time, along with spending time with friends and beginning to celebrate the holidays before everyone goes off to different destinations!

On Friday night Danny went out with some friends. They started out having drinks and ended up getting a foot massage - I couldn't stop giggling when Danny told me about his first "massage"!! They had went to get a foot massage, but Danny didn't realize that even just a foot massage usually means the whole body (with clothes on of course!!!). I'm not so sure I'll talk him into any more massages, but he was happy he only had to pay $7!

Saturday we went grocery shopping, which is surprisingly getting easier and easier. Danny and I were talking as we waited to check out that, had this been even 2 months ago, a trip to get a few items would have taken all day, this time it only took 1 1/2 hours and that included eating at KFC! After shopping, El had her art lesson. At her last session she had told her teachers that she wanted to work on a cat. They brought a sketched cat and she had to paint it with watercolors. It was a pretty difficult project, but it turned out great - I think I might even have this one framed!! After art it was off to Friday's. My sister had talked about Friday's appetizers so I was craving them - they are not quite as good as in the US (the cheese is a bit different, and they don't have ranch) but I still ate a ton!!

On Sunday morning we had our usual breakfast at the Sheraton. Almost all of the staff knows us by now so we get our coffee quickly and the kids needs are taken care of at every moment. Apparently some of the staff thinks Danny is a movie star here!! It is too funny - he has told them numerous times that he is not a movie star and he is not in commercials, but I guess they don't believe him because they talk about it all of the time!!! We just giggle!! As Danny says, what in the world would we be doing in Tianjin if he was some big movie star!!!!

After breakfast we headed to church. The kids are very comfortable going to Sunday School and they have all made some special friends that they look forward to seeing on Sunday. The majority of the children that attend fellowship go to another international school in town. After church, and weeks of waiting, we finally got to have lunch with Jen and her kids (Kevin is out of town so he wasn't able to join us!). It is always so comfortable being with them - I feel like we have known them forever! Ellie and Rachel were planning a sleepover for Christmas break. I'm pretty sure they have everything they want to accomplish pinned down to the minute! Jen helped me with our trip to Hong Kong because she just returned from there and knows where the shopping is!!! And Danny got to sit at the "boy" table!! It was fun and as usual the time went too fast!!

This is a bright pink tree outside of the shopping complex where we went to eat!!! El thought it was pretty cool!!

After lunch we had to rush to Ellie's Christmas party at a friend's house. One of the mom's organized this entire party which included singing Christmas carols, making Christmas cards, a visit from Santa and eating Christmas goodies. She started putting it together on Wednesday and she did a fine job!! We had a lot of fun! El loved singing with our friend Sarah on the piano! Eens ran around with his friend Tilly singing Mama Mia songs...Honey, honey how he "kills" me uh huh!! I keep telling him it is, how he "thrills" me. He says I'm wrong, either way it is probably not too appropriate for a 4 year old!!! Coop was scared of a very real looking Santa - but he was brave enough to grab his present out of Santa's hand!!

When we got back home, Ellie and I decided to pass out all of the cookies we have been baking to our neighbors so we bundled up and delivered cookies! Meanwhile, my wonderful mother had sent us a huge box full of goodies for Christmas, including her delicious homemade fudge and A Christmas Story!! Coop was excited to watch A Christmas Story. Thanks mom - you can see Coop watching the movie intently (I guess I was wrong in a previous post about not letting him watch movies with guns in them!!)!!

This morning I went to the orphanage where I try to volunteer a couple of times a month. Honestly, trying to organize the ayi to come early and the driver when I go is not that easy, but once I get there and have one of those sweet little babies in my arms, I'm so glad I went through the trouble. The smiles I get are incredible. I was able to feed one of the little ones today - she was so sweet!! The ayis are always very thankful to have extra hands to help!

Please continue to pray for my grandma and my family. She continues to eat very little, however, my mom has said that hospice will start and they will do everything they can to keep her pain free.