It's coming to an end!

Thankfully, at least when it comes to our sleep, the end of Chinese New Year is in sight! On Sunday, February 28, the Lantern Festival will be celebrated, which will mark the end of the celebrations. The Lantern Festival is always celebrated 15 days after the start of the New Year. There are several different reasons for this, all relating to different religions. Many parks will be lit with beautiful lanterns, children will try to solve riddles that are on the lanterns, and families will gather to eat glutinous rice balls (sounds yummy, right?!). There will also be another full round of fireworks going off for much of the night!

I found these two articles a bit entertaining (and a little sad at the same time) about Chinese New Year...

Top Chinese New Year Gift - Cigarettes

35 Killed in 7,480 Accidental Fires

These are two of our neighbors houses that are all decked out for the New Year Celebration.

I love looking at all the red hanging in all the windows. The red helps to keep out the Nian (the monster) and most of the characters shown on the banners signify fortune, happiness, or luck! May the year of the tiger bring you much love and happiness!!

Mommy and Daddy Time

Since we were at Club Med, it meant that Danny and I got to spend some much needed time together during the day!! We played tennis, golfed, shopped, did water aerobics (I never thought I would get Danny to do this!!), laid by the pool, had lazy lunches, and went snorkeling. I love to snorkel and it had been so long since we had the opportunity to do this together! We took a boat around the island (pictures are below of the scenery) and then we jumped off the boat! We saw tons of fish, along with a few lovely jellyfish - they are not my friend!! We were very close to the coast, so there was quite a bit of coral within arms reach! It was a wonderful way to spend the morning!!

We had to take this "mini" boat to the "big" boat - I thought we might tip at any moment!!
The view of "our" beach from the sea!This is the spot where we snorkeled. The water was a beautiful turquoise blue and crystal clear!

Just an interesting rock formation!!

I am so grateful for all of the time I got to spend with the love of my life!!!!!

Beach Babes

One of my favorite parts of the trip was spending time at the beach. It was a public beach, so it was very busy, which I really enjoyed! I love people watching and I was very entertained! I also loved watching the kids let their imaginations run wild with their sand creations and their water charades! Eens and Coop were convinced that the water would “get them”, so every time a wave would crash in, they would run so the water couldn’t touch them! Of course, Coop ran into a few people while doing this, but no harm was done! The girls were content making “stew and cakes” in the sand and having mommy and daddy taste them!!

On to Club Med

I believe I have an addiction, and unfortunately for Danny, it starts with a C!! On Tuesday we left the JW Marriott to go to Club Med Phuket. We would have loved to stay there the entire trip, but when I booked the trip, they were full for the first two nights! Club Med is located on Kata Beach in Phuket. As we got closer to the hotel, the scenery looked a lot like a Carribean Island...there were shacks set up everywhere selling local specialties and most of the restaurants were open air. This was the largest Club Med we have stayed at thus far and it was fantastic once again!!

One reason this trip was extra special for all of us was because our dear friends were vacationing with us!! They were able to get rooms the first two nights through the British website, so they were there to greet us straight away!! We were all absolutely thrilled to be there with them!! They are truly like a part of our family and we couldn’t wait to make tons of beach memories with them away from China!!

Unfortunately we couldn’t entirely escape China!! Many of the mainland Chinese families have begun traveling over holidays and Thailand is a destination spot for them. We caught one father pulling down his little boys’ swim trunks right beside the pool and letting him go potty right there - even though the toilet was less than 10 yards away. Then, the grandma from this same family moved Danny’s beach towel from his chair and proceeded to cut her toenails right beside the pool on his chair. It was a bit much for me, but thankfully Karen was there to laugh with me!! Seriously, some social graces when one is at a resort would be highly appreciated!!

The kids spent hours on end in the swimming pool. It was a perfect depth for them to swim in and by the end of the week, Eens was swimming underwater!! Well done my sweet boy!! Coop recovered quickly once he was reunited with his Lucy and he was jumping off the side and swimming with his life jacket! El learned a new trick and that was to swim with snorkel gear! I’m hoping on our next beach holiday we can take her snorkeling - she loved staying underwater indefinitely!! She’s much braver than I was at 8!

The kids also loved our daily cocktail hour at 4:00! This trip, raspberry blue slushies were a big hit. Also a favorite was Milo with ice!! As for the adults, we enjoyed our beach drinks and just spending time together!!

After the sun went down, we manned the dinner table taking turns, and trying, but not always succeeding, in leaving at least one adult at the table at all times!! I'm not sure if we ever had a conversation longer than 5 minutes due to all the getting up and down, but the kids sure had fun!! After dinner we sometimes watched the show or played games with the Mini Club, but it was really hot, so I was in bed by 10:30 every night!!

Coop still recovering...what a sweet little boy when he is sleeping!!

Of course, the favorite part of the meal was the ice cream for the kids!!

We have never had the pleasure of vacationing with another family before and I can honestly say it was the best. Club Med was a great place to go because we all got family time, adult time, and the kids got their friend time. It was also nice because all we had to do was make our reservations and show up. No one had to plan where to eat or how to entertain the kids because it was all done for us!!

A bit of paradise in Southeast Asia

Although our arrival in Phuket, Thailand was not exactly as I had pictured it because Coop was so sick, it was still breathtaking. The air was so clean, the sky was a beautiful blue, it was warm (actually piping hot would be a better adjective), and we were on holiday in a place I had only ever dreamed of visiting!! One would probably think that we would become ungrateful of the beautiful places we have had the opportunity to visit, but trust me, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t realize how truly blessed we are. When we decided to make our move to China, Danny and I both agreed that we would make the most of all the traveling we could do. For me, when we go to different countries, I become fascinated with the different ways of life, the different modes of transportation, and the many structures that are vastly different than what we see in the US. I am thrilled that my children have the opportunity to see that people live differently because I can sense their level of acceptance and tolerance is remarkably higher than mine. This is definitely one of the perks of going on an expat assignment!!

For the first two days of our holiday we stayed at the JW Marriott in Phuket. We spent most of our time at the pool because it was perfect for the wee little ones!! We did venture to the beach for a bit, but how do I put it...(sorry friends and family freezing at home), it was too hot!! The temperature was 95 every day with rarely a cloud to be seen, so we were applying sunscreen like mad!! Eens also had a run in with a crab on the beach which sent him climbing up Danny’s leg, so that forced us back to the pool!! I was perfectly happy being lazy and trying to nurse Coop back to health!!

On the second day, after the doctor came, I took El and Eens for a little swim because Eens decided to brave the little slide. I was so proud of him when he finally (after many, many catches by mommy) decided to go down by himself. Of course after that, I couldn’t get him off of it!!

House Call!

Or really I should say, hotel call!!

On Sunday morning when we woke up to begin our journey to Thailand I noticed that Coop felt a bit warm. He had a bit of a cough, but other than that, he was acting fine and ate great, so I thought we were probably okay. I gave him some Tylenol and we went to the airport. He was fine and actually he did great on the planes, which we were on for a total of 7 hours! We arrived at the hotel late and we all went to bed.

On Monday we played in the pool and at the beach all morning and into the afternoon. Then everyone took a much needed nap and we went off to find a shopping mall. At the mall Coop was very grumpy, but perked up after a bit of Tylenol. He kept itching his ear, but I assumed he had gotten water in it at the pool. Thankfully I was sleeping with Coop that night because in the middle of the night his temperature shot up and wouldn’t come down with Tylenol. I put cool towels on his head for over an hour and he drank a whole bottle of water, but he still had a high temp. Of course, I couldn’t sleep because I was so worried about him, so early in the morning I called the front desk and asked for a nurse. It took awhile, but she finally made it to our room at 9:00. She could tell straight away that Coop was not well and when she took his temp and saw how high it was on Tylenol she immediately called the doctor. The doctor talked to me on the phone and asked me what I thought and I told him I was nervous it could be pneumonia because by this time his cough was very bad and had caused him to throw up. The sweet doctor said not to worry and he would be at the hotel in 1 hour.

Sure enough, at 10:00 he arrived with a nurse in tow. I knew Coop really didn’t feel well because the whole time we were waiting he kept begging for a doctor - not typical for a 3 year old!! After the doctor listened very carefully to him, he ruled out pneumonia because his lungs were perfectly clear (yippee!!), however he said he had bronchitis and then he looked in his ear and found the culprit of the temp - a lovely ear infection. I was one relieved mommy - it is really hard being far away from home with a sick child. We were extremely grateful for the doctor and the nurse that helped treat Coop! The whole bill, including doctor, car, nurse, and 4 different meds cost less than $150 - quite cheap for a “hotel” call!! But the most important thing was that within 24 hours Coop was back to his mischievous self!!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happy Chinese New Year a bit delayed, but here in China, it is still going strong!! We began celebrating the Spring Festival in Beijing last Saturday before we flew to Thailand. I had only heard stories about the noise levels in Tianjin at the beginning of the festival, so I begged Danny to start our holiday one day early! He agreed and off we went...

We stayed at the Ascott, as usual, and were shocked to find that yes, even the Starbucks was closed when we arrived. It is just like our Christmas, so nearly everything is shut down. I was quite giddy with excitement for the festivities to begin, so we ordered pizza and pasta with our dear friends and then we took the kids downstairs to eat some dumplings (very traditional food for New Year’s eve!). After that we came back to our room and the practice round of fireworks began.

Sophie and Eens were the big jaozi eaters!! The rest of us just let them eat our part!!

Coop watching the fireworks down below!!

As you can see below - I'm not sure how illegal fireworks are in Beijing as they were being sold right beside a police station!!

Although I only slept a few hours that night, I was so happy to witness the beginning of the lunar year here in China. It is a wonderful tradition and I can’t wait to continue celebrating even when we are back in the states!! I just have to learn how to make dumplings now!!!

Making our contribution

Danny could not help himself today on his way home from work!! He had to stop at one of the fireworks booths that have temporarily been set up all over the city. He bought all kinds of goodies to "blow up" tonight with the kids. I am thankful they are not nearly as interested as he is in these explosives. They huddled on the porch with me and screamed at their daddy to "run"!

Temple Fair

Today the children participated in a Temple Fair at school to celebrate the culmination of China Week. The Chinese teachers worked extremely hard to put together a great afternoon for the students and parents. The kids were able to do typical games and activities that they would do at a fair during the upcoming Chinese New Year festival. We did a ring toss, dragon dance, paper cut outs, Chinese characters in calligraphy, dancing, fishing for red envelopes, and Chinese yo yo (not sure the exact name of it!)! It was really neat to see the Chinese staff at our school interacting with all of the children. After the activities we all went outside and watched a bit of dragon dancing and a whole load of fireworks being let off!! It was a great way to end the week before our holiday!

Those red things are all firecrackers and they covered about 100 meters on the track! I just don't get the whole firecracker thing, except that it definitely scares me!!
Coop was a little scared of the dragons, but I really enjoy watching them!
Although we are escaping the madness of Chinese New Year once again, I think this year I appreciate and understand what a big deal it is to the people here. So, at the strike of midnight on Sunday we will welcome the year of the tiger!! Xin nian kuai le (Happy New Year!)! I wish you could hear the "practice" round of fireworks going off right now - I think it's going to be a good year!

Raising a bilingual pup!!

I'm beginning to wonder if Mei mei is bilingual. It is quite entertaining watching her listen to ayi speaking Chinese and then to me speaking English. Now of course, she only knows a few phrases, such as go home (hui jia), eat (cher fan), and outside (waimian), but I think she is pretty bright!! Danny says I am losing my mind, and that may be the case, but if my children are not going to go back to the US speaking Chinese, at least our dog will understand it!!

Raising a puppy in China certainly has other advantages besides just her ability to understand two languages! We have our ayi here all day and she adores Mei mei. She helps me when I am out, so Mei mei always gets a nice long walk in the afternoon. She will also keep Mei mei for us when we go away for the weekends, except for our upcoming trip because I feel more comfortable with her being in a kennel with a veterinarian. Another added bonus is that the gardeners pick up the doo doo for you. Of course, they only do this if she goes on the concrete, but that is a given because there is very little grass for her to go on.

We love having a puppy here with us. I thought I could last until we get back to the US and have Jenni back, but I couldn't do it. I am very much looking forward to the day when Jenni and Mei mei will be together, I think they will get along famously!!

Maybe some more lessons wouldn't hurt!

On Friday I decided to take the kids to Beijing to meet Danny after the company Chinese New Year party! He was going to have to spend the night up there, and I figured I could get the boys hair cut, have a nice dinner, enjoy a foot massage, and then we could do our puppy search the next morning!

My woes with Mandarin started on Thursday when I was trying to tell my driver which hotel we were staying at. I like to give him at least a days notice so he can find out where he is going. Karen was in the car when I was having this conversation and since we always stay at the same hotel, she told him the name of it in Chinese and he seemed quite pleased and appeared to understand. On Friday we got into Beijing and my driver started saying that we were close to Avic and I just assumed that was the name of the hotel in Chinese, so I was nodding away. About 10 minutes later we pull up in front of some Chinese hotel - I couldn't stop laughing. I had to get out of the car with my driver and point up at the correct hotel's sign, which wasn't really too far away! Apparently Avic is the name of an actual Chinese hotel!!

We checked into our room and then headed out straight away to get the hair cuts. Eensie went first with the same guy that we always go to. He doesn't speak English, but he has always done an okay job! I told him to cut off just a little (later found out from Danny I said the wrong word in Chinese)! I literally turned my head away for 1 minute to check on El and Coop and the next thing I know, Eens has no hair. He is all spiky on top. He is very happy, but mommy and daddy need a little time to get used to it!!

After the haircuts and a bit of shopping, we were off to find a taxi to go and eat. We waited over 20 minutes outside for a taxi and then finally one pulled over. (For some reason, taxi drivers in Beijing do not like foreigners and they really don't like a foreigner with three children who may dirty up the white(grey!) seats in the car!) I begged the driver to drive us to the hotel. He finally agreed and off we went. He knew I could speak a little bit of Chinese, so the questions started coming. I was very proud of myself until we were getting out of the car. At this point, apparently I had told him that my husband built big, green BMW cars. What I had really tried to say was that my husband was working for John Deere, who builds big, green tractors, and their Beijing office is in the BMW building. After this he gave me his daughter's name and number and asked if my husband could get her a job!!

I should have given up entirely speaking Chinese for the night, but no, I kept going with the lady doing my foot massage. We somehow muddled through an hour of half communicating and half giggling. Towards the end of the massage she told me I have beautiful feet - at this point I almost fell off the couch. I'm not sure if it was my laughter or if I may have asked her in Chinese, but the next thing I know, she is taking off her shoes and socks and asking me what I think of her feet!!!

Maybe, I should start up those Mandarin lessons!! Then again, it is much more entertaining communicating this way!!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Last weekend when El and I were gone, Eens and his daddy worked extremely hard to build one of his newest Lego sets from grandma and grandpa. The box listed that this set was for children 8 - 12, but Danny said that Eens finished the whole thing primarily by himself! It even lights up - it is one of my favorite sets he has built!

This is the front view of the Christmas toy shop and tree. It even has carolers - how sweet!
Here is the inside of the toy shop! There are so many details and little pieces, I was really impressed that he could get it done!

Welcome Baby Mei Mei (little sister!)

I bet some of you were thinking that maybe we were going to have another baby, however at this point we decided that getting a puppy would be the best thing for our family!! I posted last month that we went looking for a pup here in Tianjin at "poop mountain" and were quite disappointed in the state of affairs there. Yesterday we decided to try our luck in Beijing. We were fully prepared to be disappointed, but found the puppy market to be much cleaner and the dogs looked much healthier than they did in Tianjin. We were extremely shocked when we walked into one store and found 4 King Charles Spaniel 3 month old puppies. We had looked at this type of dog over Christmas because it is small and it is supposed to be excellent with children.

Danny did all of the bargaining and in the end we brought home a beautiful white and light brown little baby!! Here is Danny paying the woman on the side of the road. When bargaining in China, Danny tends to use the excuse that he has no money and all the bank will let him get out is a certain sum of money. Therefore, yesterday we had to play the game and go to the ATM to get the cash, except this time, the store owner came for a jolly ride with us to the ATM! She guided our driver to an ATM and then we made the exchange right there. Things are so strange in China!! Even buying a dog is not "normal"!

Here is Mei Mei on the ride home with Ellie (her primary caretaker - yeah right!!)!

Here she is sitting still for a split second!! She was so happy to run and play last night - we are all completely smittened!!