Up , Up and Away!!

This is quite embarrassing to admit, but in the past three years, we have not joined the locals in kite flying. Nearly every day I see a few kites sailing in the wind, but I have never had the desireto join in this activity!!

While we were in Sanya, we finally had our chance to fly kites on the beach. It was one of the kids club activities, so for over an hour we flew kites. It was amazing when the kite got going and soared high into the sky. El was a little pro and the boys enjoyed it, but bored easily and needed help keeping our kites away from everyone else’s!! We were really beginning to think we were expert kite flyers when Danny’s kite completely came off the spool and headed straight for some trees located down the beach!! Then El and I got ours tangled up with another family’s!!

We did call it a day after these two mishaps, but it was great fun while it lasted!!

Fun in the Sun!!

During the first week of April we escaped for five days to Sanya, China. Sanya is located on a small island in southwest China. We spent some time there during our first year and had mixed opinions about it, however we only had a few days and flying to another country seemed to be too much mafan (trouble) for us!!

This trip was much more enjoyable than our first trip!! We stayed at the “other” end of the beach and were not bothered at all by locals taking pictures of the children on the beach. We were not the only expats there, so we did not draw much attention! There were many other expat families at our resort and the kids all ended up making friends with other children!

We spent our days on the beach, in the pool, and eating!! We did no exploring and Danny even got used to paying about $7 for a can of soda because we couldn’t be bothered to leave the resort and find cheaper options! The Marriott had a wonderful kids club with some activities that the kids enjoyed! There favorite was probably the treasure hunt on the beach. It was simple enough with bracelets buried under the sand in a little circle, but the kids couldn’t stop digging!! They also had a game room, where we were able to practice ping pong and air hockey - Eens loved the air hockey!

Ellie and I spoiled ourselves at the spa. They had a special menu just for kids, so she picked a mermaid massage and mani/pedi. I was a bit jealous because Ellie definitely got pampered more than mommy and mine cost about double the price!!

It was a wonderful little getaway until we arrived at the airport to go home, then things got a little bit messy!! The ride from the resort to the airport was a bit rough with a lot of stop and go driving. El complained about not feeling well, but I kept telling her to smell the lovely scented washcloths provided by the resort! That seemed to help her. By the time we got to the airport, El was feeling better and I truly thought we had escaped disaster! No sooner had we gotten into the check in line when I see projectile vomit flying in front of me right into El and Coop’s hair. I turn around and see Eens holding his hands in front of him trying to catch everything. I just stared in disbelief - Eens hadn’t complained at all about not feeling well!! Instead of people helping us, they all just stared. Danny was thankfully better about thinking on his feet and rushed Eens to the toilet. I was stuck with the mess, so I laid out my pashmina (which was a bit soiled) and neck pillow over it and just proceeded in the line. Of course, I was also gagging and trying to not do the same thing as Eens (morning sickness was still lingering!)! We finally made it to the front of the line and were trying to secure our seat assignments. The airline had given away three of our front of the plane seats and refused to help us - I threw a bit of a tai tai fit, but it had no effect as the customer service rep did not speak English!! In the end, the airline won and the boys and I sat in the very last row of the plane, while Danny and Ellie sat in the very front row!!

We have learned over the past three years that flexibility is the key to surviving and not going completely mad here, so for a few hours there was rough sailing, but the rest of the trip was full of wonderful family memories!!

Signs of Spring!!

We have officially entered the spring season, although I think it may be short this year. We have pretty much skipped the 60 degree weather and jumped to the 70's and 80's. I'm definitely not complaining, but I wasn't quite ready to bath the kids every day after they come in from outside due to the dust that has accumulated outside! We are experiencing a drought, which does not help our little dust problem!

I've noticed over the past three years that the signs of spring are a bit different here than they are in Bettendorf!!

The first sign of spring is the turning off of heat on March 15. The government has decided that after that point they will not provide heat, even though last year it was still quite cold! We are fortunate and we do not rely solely on the government supplied heat, we have a heating system that we can turn on whenever needed, but most locals are not that fortunate.

The next sign of spring is the removal of the "blankets" (as Karen calls them) from all of the trees and shrubs! I love it when they take down the terrible tarp that covers everything through the winter! This usually coincides with the heat going off!!

Another sign that tells us spring is eminent is the removal of layers of clothing. I always know that it is getting warmer out when my ayi begins to only wear one layer of clothing in the house. This year it has gotten warm rather quickly so I had to tell her to stop wearing so many layers of clothes to work because she kept wanting to turn on the air conditioner very low!!

My favorite sign of spring, which is the exact same as it was in Bettendorf, is the fragrant flowering trees!! I'm sure that my neighbors think I am crazy as I walk around our compound sniffing all of the trees (remember my sense of smell is very strong right now!!)!!

I hope you are all enjoying spring wherever you may be! I like to think of spring as a new beginning...

Trendy or tacky??

Last week after an exhausting day, I could not wait to go to sleep!! During the day I had watched the neighbors attempting to move some incredibly crazy looking light fixture. I assumed they were putting it into the house, and of course, I was not surprised at all! However, as I lay down in my comfy bed, I was absolutely horrified to look out the window and see the light fixture lit up in yellow and white in all it's glory in front of their house!! The next day I couldn't help but gawk at this piece of "art"(??) and was not entirely surprised when they put in a second, matching one later that day!!

Made in China!!

When we left the States three years ago many of our friends predicted that we would bring home another baby (I think they were thinking that we would adopt!)! At the time, I absolutely thought they were out of their minds. I was not even ready to get another puppy, let alone another baby!! Well, last year we brought our sweet Mei Mei home and this August, we will be welcoming our newest little addition - a precious baby boy!! He is due to arrive on August 15!

When we flew back for the holidays, I suffered the worst jet lag that I had ever known. One night as I lay awake contemplating life, I realized that our life could possibly be changing dramatically and I had missed all of the signs!! When I told Danny that I thought we may be welcoming another baby he was a bit shocked!! After I confirmed my suspicions, Danny called us the Duggars for a few days and threatened to buy an RV to haul us all around the US! Once the fact that we were going to be parents for a fourth time sunk in, I can honestly say we were both over the moon!! I feel completely blessed that we are adding to our family!!

I can’t say that having another baby has been easy on me physically. This little one and I spent more time hugging the wonderful throne than I have with any of the other ones. I also got to endure two rounds of jet lag, which was extremely difficult - and took me almost 3 weeks to get over. I could not blog, let alone do anything else for the first 16 weeks due to feeling yucky! Thankfully my three sweet chidlren were so understanding and helpful. When I didn’t answer them, they began to assume I was emptying all contents of my stomach. I think Eens even rubbed my back once - too sweet!! Danny has also been an amazing husband (like usual), making me laugh when all I really wanted to do was cry!

I am now feeling better and most of my energy has returned!! I’ve started exercising and playing tennis again, which is a great sign! I’ve also returned to having a little bit of coffee in the morning which previously made me so sick I couldn’t even stand the smell! Little by little, life is returning to “normal” for me except for the belly sticking out!! I do love the belly and I love all of his little kicks. I feel like I can now truly enjoy this pregnancy and our little “made in China” miracle!!

Watch me grow....below are some of the ultrasound pictures of our little man! (sorry they are a bit blurry!!)

He's so tiny at 11 weeks!!

His little face at 15 weeks!!

And here he is at 20 weeks - his face and his little hand!!

Time for Spring in Beijing!!

At the very end of March Danny took his "boys" trip to Hong Kong to watch the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament! Instead of staying at home alone for 4 days with the kids, we decided to go up to Beijing with our friends for a little getaway!! It was like deja vu since we did the exact same thing last year!!

We first did some shopping and attempted to buy sunglasses! This was very interesting with 7 children and 3 mommies trying on pair after pair! In the end, we made a purchase and the kids were all satisfied!

After a total of 20 minutes in the market - we decided to go to Ritan park. The little ones needed to run loose for a bit and get some fresh air! We were lucky that it was a beautiful spring day! In the midst of all of the construction and modernization going on in Beijing right now, it is nice to escape to the peacefulness of a park. There are actually quite a few of them within the city limits, some bigger than others, but they all provide a break from city life! One of the things I enjoy most at the parks is people watching - especially in China! It is never boring!

The kids enjoyed their time running free and testing out their new shades!! I loved all of the trees in bloom. The weeping willows always intrigue me and this year the cherry blossoms are especially pretty!

At one point we did interrupt some sort of bird watching. This was about the time in which Paul had called me to ask where Danny was. My reply was, "you are there with him, you should know where he is"! This is the difference between men and women. If I lost Ginny while on a girls weekend, I would definitely not call her husband until I had found her!!! So, while Karen and I are both yelling into our phones trying to hear the boys over the ruckus of the rugby game, we probably ruined these people's opportunity to view and capture this bird!!

After our playtime we headed back to the Ascott for some delivery Italian food, movies, and massages!! It was a great weekend and made the 4 days without Danny go much faster!!

A Time for Praise!!

My favorite time of the school year is in March when the children have their student led conferences. I love spending one on one time with each of my little ones to see what they have been learning and get a feel for what they really love. I want to be able to foster their love of learning as much as I can! They have all had such a positive start to their schooling. We truly couldn’t be more thankful for the school they are at and the amazing teachers who have supported them over the past three years as individuals. The teachers are amazing at really “knowing” the students in their classes. We will definitely miss the small class sizes next year!!

Cooper is having an amazing year in pre-k! He is already reading which completely blows my mind!! I thought I would challenge him with Biscuit books, but he read through them all before I could even do a picture walk through with him. I worried that he wasn’t comprehending, but I know he is because he can answer all of my questions. He also loves to write stories and draw pictures to go along with the stories. They are very interesting most of the time!! He also is a whiz at technology. He was showing me how to use the smartboard during our time together!! We are very proud of his progress and cannot wait to see what he will accomplish next!!

Eensie is also quite the reader and I do realize how lucky I am that he loves to read. With his help we have been able to find quite a few series of books that he enjoys and can read independently. He only wishes he had more time at night to read before bed, but his little brother makes that a bit impossible! Eens is also quite the math superstar!! He is through all of his mad minutes except super challenge. He must get this from his daddy because I was never fast in math! I think he enjoys math because he is a very logical thinker! The most entertaining part of my conference with Eens is always when he shares his writing with me. He is starting to add details in his writing, but sometimes it is not necessary because his pictures are so detailed!! Ethan is an amazing student and I have to say I would love to have him in my class!!!

I've never seen PePere wear a skull shirt, but apparently Eens has!!!
The bigger one is Cooper with his private parts out...I'm not sure what to say or think!

Ellie continues to be a model student! She works extremely hard and always gives 110%. Her teacher this year recognizes all of her work and does a wonderful job praising her, which makes Ellie want to excel even more!! She continues to love reading and we now have to watch the content in books because of the more mature content at her level. She also really enjoys to write which I am so thankful for! She wrote the cutest story about how the earth became round. She then turned the story into a play! El continues to love art and is very particular about all of her designs! She loves to learn and I love to watch her discover all of her potential!

I loved spending time with each of my very unique children! I am so proud of each of them and their accomplishments!

A very special birthday!!

Our sweet Coopie turned five years old two weeks ago!! Where did the time go? I still see his baby face and he assures me that he is still my little baby, but truth be told, he is a big boy now!! He loves the fact that he is five and has told me many times that if he weren’t five he would probably cry about certain things, but now he is too big for that!!

Although the memories of his first five weeks of life grow more and more distant as time goes by, I still can’t help but treasure every birthday he has!! We are so thankful that he is full of life, happiness, and health!!

To celebrate his birthday this year he had chosen a Toy Story theme all the way back in the summer. When I reminded him that he was having a Toy Story party, he was a bit upset, but then we came up with some ideas and games and he slowly warmed to the idea. I don’t have the luxury of waiting to figure out what theme the kids will be into close to their birthdays so I try to have them pick things that are not too trendy!!

Coopie and I found several games all relating to the Toy Story theme on the internet. When the children all came in, they decorated Mr. Potato Heads (which Danny and I had cut out all the parts for late into the night, the night before!). Then, I made a big alien missing one eye and we played pin the eye on the alien. After that we headed over to Woody’s shoot out where we used Nerf guns to knock down paper cups (even some of the moms were eager to give this game a go!)! Next we went to the “claw” which basically consisted of a bowl with lots of plastic Toy Story toys in it. The children had to use chopsticks (I’m not sure I have a party where chopsticks are not used in some capacity!) to pick up as many as they could in 30 seconds! The kids all really enjoyed themselves and were cheering each other on! After that the children went to the Pizza Planet to decorate their own pizzas. While those were cooking the kids played a little Toy Story bowling - once again using those little plastic toys, which Danny always claimed were a waste of money!! We also played pass the parcel to You’ve Got a Friend in Me!! And our final activity before eating and digging into the delicious cake that Danny had made of the evil Dr. Porkchop, was a moon rock hunt!! Ellie helped me wrap little toys and candies up in foil to look like moon rocks. She then hid them all over the second floor where the kids found them! I think they loved this because they got to unwrap them all and discover goodies inside!! I’m pretty sure all the kids had a good time and this mommy was definitely exhausted when the party was over!! Coopie loved having all of his friends over and I think he could quite easily get used to all of the attention!!

On his actual birthday, he celebrated with his school friends during the day! He wanted a doggy cupcake cake to take to school. Thank goodness for the internet because we were able to find a fun and easy cake that he loved!! Danny was away for business, so when he saw my creative design he was quite impressed!

Coop requested breakfast for dinner that night and we all had a great time playing with all of his new toys!!

Happy birthday sweet Coop!! We love you to infinity and beyond!!