Our Feet Are On US Soil!

Just wanted to post that we have arrived safe and sound in the US! The plane left EARLY and we arrived a bit EARLY - we couldn't believe it!! For the first few hours on the plane I kept looking at my children and thinking I needed to write a book on how to take international flights with kids. They were watching movies, playing games, doing mazes, and eating the plane food (I ordered kids' meals when I booked the reservations)! Then I gave El and Eens a little Benadryl and off to dreamland they went. I had to give Coop his prescription medication which had the opposite effect! He was giggling and popping up out of his seat every few moments. At first it was funny and then it got a bit annoying because I wanted to sleep! He finally fell into a very fitful sleep and would wake up and kick Eens every hour or so. I finally gave up on sleep after about 3 hours of this! So much for my book deal, but it really wasn't too bad! We're off to sleep and breath in fresh air!!

Tomorrow is full of haircuts, shopping, and driving to my parents' house!!

How to Survive a Chinese Massage

I had to post quickly about my most recent massage...I know, I know...manicures, pedicures, facials, massages. I'm not bragging, this is just how I spend some quiet time reflecting on my new surroundings (yeah right!!!). I'm enjoying the spoiling, but I don't feel very guilty because it is extremely cheap. I think today's 1 hour massage cost me $10.

Anyway, today I went with my neighbor to get a massage. This was a dry massage so all clothing was left on - I don't know my neighbor that well!! They started with my feet - about half of the massage was spent on my feet, which is so different than the US. They work on all of the pressure points in the feet which took a little longer on me than my friend because my feet are so big!!! After the feet she moved to my back. She was about half my size, but it hurt like crazy. At the time I wondered if this was really worth it! She was pushing and I would tense up so she would push harder - ouch!! Then I noticed that she is no longer standing on the floor, she is on the table, straddling over me and putting all of her weight into this massage! I had to stifle my laughter as I was laying there! She finally finished with a little chopping on my back!!

I have to admit that my sinuses have loosened up and I am feeling very relaxed (just in time for the flight tomorrow!) since I had this massage! Maybe I should have gotten a massage instead of going to the SOS yesterday!!!

Off to finish packing!!

Welcome Baby Gillian Tyra!!

I am very happy to announce that my niece was born on Monday at 6:03 pm!! She weighed in at 7 pounds 15 1/2 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long!! Congratulations T and Chris!! She arrived just in time for our arrival back in the states and to go to my brother's wedding!! We are very blessed to be able to go home to meet Gillian and celebrate Rob and Steph's wedding! We can't wait!!

Two out of five of our bags are packed and already loaded!! I filled some of those suitcases with more suitcases so I have plenty of room to bring back the things that we desperately miss. Unfortunately family and friends won't fit!! We plan on leaving our house tomorrow morning at 10:00 - that gives us 6 hours to get to Beijing, check in, eat lunch, find our gate, and let the kids run!!! Please pray for a safe and healthy trip!! We'll update as soon as we can!!

A Trip to the SOS

I finally gave in to my dear husband and went to the SOS this afternoon for a nasty sinus infection I have been battling for about 5 days now. I made an appointment for Cooper also because he has a cough and a low grade fever. Ellie and Ethan begged to go with us, so I gave them the warning that they better behave. The first five minutes went great and then it all went downhill. Eens started hitting El with his snuggle blanket and El hit Eens with a book (this is all when the doctor is explaining the 5 medications he is putting me on and the 2 he is giving Coop!), so I gave them the best mom glare I could muster in my sick state and sat them on chairs. They pushed and shoved each other the rest of time we were in the room. As we are leaving, they both couldn't wait to get a piece of candy from the jar - I stopped them short and explained that the kind of behavior they displayed did not deserve candy. I cannot believe my 6 and 4 year old can still react so crazy when they are told they don't get something. Ellie is drama crying and Eens is yelling how terrible I am (yes, me the mother who is trying to use consistent discipline!). I finally, a little forcefully, sit them on stools in the playroom while I get our prescriptions filled. The entire time Coop is totally unaware that this madness is going on because he is enjoying his candy!!

I did get an antibiotic for my sinuses, plus 4 other medications that I'm not sure I'll use!! Coop got an antibiotic also because his throat is so swollen it is causing him to gag on food and he was prescribed a little cough medicine for bedtime! I hope it makes him a little drowsy because that would sure help with the jet lag that will set in come Thursday! The doctor has also recommended that we have Coop's tonsils removed when he turns 3. Danny and I both think we will try and have that done over the summer in the states instead of here. From what I understand, the surgery is not that bad, but the recovery is pretty difficult, especially when they are young. We were hoping to wait until he was at least 4, but we're not sure that is a good idea!

That was basically the excitement in my day. I did also squeeze in a mani and pedi in the afternoon - my nails have to look good for the wedding! Now I am off to dreamland!!

T we can't wait to hear the news!!! Good luck today and I am so excited to be an aunt for the 4th time!!

One more update...I talked to the doctor today about the whole milk issue here since my children were drinking milk up until Friday when they found melamine in liquid milk. He reassured me that this chemical metabolizes very quickly and that they would show signs typically within 48 hours of kidney problems. He also gave me two brands that are safe to drink. Danny was very upset today when he found out that his favorite candy, White Rabbits, has tested positive for traces of melamine. I guess this is life in China!!

The bags are almost packed and we plan on leaving our house at 10:00 am Wednesday morning to drive to Beijing to catch our flight to Chicago! Yippee - I just hope I feel better!! Now I am really off to dreamland!!

New Look

I can't say that I'm bored, because I have 101 things that need to be done, but I've been wanting to mess with my blog for awhile now, so there was no better time than today. Plus, my friend Julie, changed her blog recently and I really liked her design! Thanks Julie for getting my act in gear!!

It is a rainy Sunday here in Tianjin. We went to church this morning and finally met a family that I had been wanting to meet. Last May when we were on our "look see" trip, we sat with a couple at the Beijing airport. I learned from chatting with them that their son and daughter-in-law and 2 granddaughters had recently moved to Tianjin. The other day on a trip to Beijing with friends, we were talking about a lady they know and they said her name. We figured out that this woman was the daughter-in-law of the couple we met!! Today I finally got to meet her - it is a small world even in China!! After church we went with Kevin and Jen to an authentic Chinese restaurant that is famous for their "ribs"! It was delicious, but of course, the boys decided they were not going to behave so our lunch was a little stressful! And so is the life with little ones!! I just hope they get their naughty behavior out of their system before we board our 13 hour plane ride!!!

Hope you are all having a relaxing Sunday!!

It Really is a Different World

Most of you by now have heard of the milk scandal that has broken out over this past week here in China. We, actually, I should say the kids, have stopped drinking milk even though we think the brand they drink might be okay! We try to buy the fresh milk at the store that is only good for a week, like home. A lot of the milk here lasts for months - I won't go near it, but the kids have had it on occassion and seem to like it! It is no wonder that we are willing to pay double the price for imported food here - it is hard to trust things that are made in China, especially after this past year. I just hope the government can straighten this mess up before we return back from our trip to the US - Eens is so sad not to have his morning milk!

This past week I was in a taxi and was watching out the window as I always do, and noticed some window washers on a 16 story (yes, I counted) building. I went to get my camera, but didn't have it with me. These 3 window washers were dangling from single ropes to clean the windows. I am always in awe of how differently things are done here. It seems dangerous to me, but to most people here, they do not know any different. This is just the way it is done!

The day I watched the window washers, I was on my way to tour an orphanage. Don't get any ideas here, 3 children is plenty for me, but in order to volunteer at the orphanage, you have to go on a tour. I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived. The orphanage is located down an alley, but the cab driver had no trouble finding it. We met with our "tour guide" and she explained how the ICCO organization is able to raise about $100,000 US dollars a year to provide for this particular orphanage. The money goes towards equipment, doctors, and ayis. I was pleasantly surprised to see the bright, very clean (for China standards!), orange buildings that are home to 100's of disabled babies and children. This particular orphanage is where the babies that are left (in the middle of the night, mom walks out before the birth certificate is issued so this "disabled" child is not her one and only) at hospitals come. The children here range in age from 2 days to 14 years old. If they are still here at 14, they are transferred to an adult home where conditions, according to our guide, are very poor. The Chinese government is starting to dabble in the foster care system which is saving many of these children and also gives families that are only allowed 1 child the opportunity to have more for a period of time. There are many disabilities that these children have, but the moment you see them, your heart melts. I just wanted to scoop them up and cuddle each and every one. I only got tears in my eyes a couple of times, once when I saw a baby on oxygen that reminded me of Coop when he was a baby and then again when a little 1 year old that could only see through squinted eyes wouldn't let go of our guide. I just can't imagine leaving my baby alone in a hospital...again, things are done differently here and the one child policy has had a huge impact on these children who are born "different".

Aside from food scandals, watching people doing dangerous and tedious work by hand, and worrying about little babies, we continue to enjoy and embrace our surroundings! Today we went back to Ancient Culture Street to pick up a few last minute things to bring home. The kids insisted on masks again (as you can see below) and Ellie finally got a Chinese dress! Danny is into dragons right now so he bought a bottle with inside art (they paint inside using a tiny brush - it is very impressive!). I bought some pictures for the playroom! It was fun and we all took a nap after the power shopping!!

We have also been staying "fit" with the new Wii Fit that Danny brought home from the US! Ellie's friends come over daily to play and even Coop gets in on the action! His favorite is the skiing! I guess this is better than sitting and watching tv after school!! Below is Danny very seriously coaching Cooper on his skiing moves!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and are able to enjoy family and friends! Also, if you could please pray for my sister "T" who will be having her third baby any day now and also for my dear friend Megan, her daughter was diagnosed with SMA a few months ago and tonight is a benefit to raise money to help cover medical equipment for Madi!! Thanks so much!

Countdown until we land in the states...4 days and about 6 hours (is that better Jeannie?!!).

On the Top of the World, Looking Down on Tianjin!!

Today as a reward for Ellie and Ethan's great behavior last week when daddy was gone we got to go to the Tianjin TV Tower. The tower is the 6th tallest tower in the world and it is located about 3 blocks from our house. In a previous post I explained how I use it to figure out where I am in the city!! Although it is not far from our house, if we are having a "bad" pollution day, you can barely make it out! Today was a beautiful, hot, clear day, so we took ayi along for the fun!!

The kids are patiently waiting for the elevator to take them to the top!!

Once we arrived at the top, all three kids ran right over to the windows and started picking out all of the familiar sights down below! I, of course, was a little nervous that they were so close to the window, but they didn't have a care in the world! We went up to the rotating floor level and they all tried to figure out which part of the floor was moving while they sipped freshly squeezed apple juice! After we finished searching for places down below, we headed back downstairs! Here are some of the sights we saw...

Even though it was a clear day, you can still see from above how dirty the air is! I think it's time to invest in those air purifiers for the house!

Happy Birthday Mom!! I hope you have a great day - we wish we could be there to help you celebrate!

Our countdown until we land in the states...approximately 172 hours! I'm not excited or anything!!!

Our First Houseguest

We welcomed our first houseguest into our home this weekend. His name is Maestro, he stands on four legs, and he is very sweet and cuddly. Our friends went out of town for the night, so we were the lucky recipients of their wonderful dog! The kids were so happy and loving. I'm pretty sure Maestro got plenty of lovin while he was with us! Ellie even let him sleep in her bed - how sweet! Ethan kept telling me that it was okay for the night that Jenni wasn't with us - they all still miss her and talk about her constantly, but were grateful for the opportunity to take care of another dog!

Sunday in the Sun!

Okay, so today is supposed to be the start of Autumn, but yet it is still a balmy 90 degree day! We have been enjoying some beautiful clear days, but the temperatures are still pretty high! I'm sure I will be wishing for warm days in a few months - that's how it goes!!

I took the kids to a family picnic at the school today. The picnic was organized by the 10th grade to earn money for the earthquake victims. There was a run that I did not participate in because I had all three kids with me. A friend told me after the run that her lungs burned from the air quality. I was surprised because she lived in LA before coming here so I thought maybe her lungs had built up some resistance to poor air quality, but apparently I was wrong or else the air quality is just really bad here! They also had tons of food, bounce houses, water games, and face painting. The kids had a great time and I struggled getting them to leave, but I'm on day 9 of single parenting and I need nap time!!! The picnic today made me realize that in the short time we have been here, we have really made quite a few friends. We owe a lot of our friends to our neighbors who have been extremely gracious in introducing us to everyone and always making us feel welcome!!

Here are some pictures from the picnic today...

This is Eens and his new little buddy Benny. I have been informed we are having a playdate this week!! Benny's sister is in first grade with Ellie so maybe I can make it a double playdate! We'll see!

For those of you wandering (Jeannie you understand!!) I am going crazy because we have yet to receive our sea shipment. I have been told for the past 2 weeks that it would be getting delivered any day - it's been packed for 3 months now!! I believe it has made it to Tianjin and it is currently sitting "in line" (I'm not sure what that means because the Chinese people do not believe in lines!!!) to go through customs, duty, and tax. I was really hoping to get it before we leave for the states so I know what to fill my suitcases with!! Oh well, I'll try to continue being patient - but I'm still going crazy!!

We're off for a little swimming at the Sheraton!! Have a great Sunday!

Happy Moon Festival

Tomorrow the Chinese will be celebrating the Moon Festival or Mid Autumn Festival. This holiday is the second most important holiday behind Chinese New Year for the people here. The Moon Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, so it is different every year. There are many stories that go along with the Moon Festival, one is about the "moon lady" who lives on the moon. Another story I found interesting surrounds the mooncakes that are eaten during Moon Festival (by the way, Danny really likes these little cakes, but I'm not a big fan!!). The legend says that during the Yuan Dynasty (AD1280-1368) the Chinese were ruled by the Mongols. They wanted to overthrow the government so, knowing the Mid Autumn festival was coming, they made little cakes and put instructions for the attacks in the cakes. On the night of the Moon Festival the government was overthrown and the Ming Dynasty was born. Even today, people eat these cakes during the moon festival with their families and watch the moon. It is also noted that if you are away from your loved ones on the Moon Festival you can all celebrate knowing you are looking at the same moon!!!!

We celebrated Moon Festival a day early with a party at our compound. It was a wonderful night, the only thing missing was my husband!! There were lanterns hung all over, a band playing, performances by some of the children in our compound, food from all around the world, and new friends to get to know better!! I decided tonight that my kids have adjusted amazingly. They were running around dancing and playing with balloons like they had lived here their entire lives!! They especially love all of the attention that they are given by the staff at our compound and the Sheraton. Since we spend a lot of time eating and playing at the Sheraton, everyone knows the kids names and they are especially drawn to Cooper. I was watching the servers tonight take his balloon just so he would come and talk to them!!!! Coop loves to ham it up, so they were thrilled!! Some days (like when water is dripping from my ceiling for the third time) I question if we made the right choice living in this particular compound, but when I see how welcomed we have been and how happy my kids are, I forget about the water and am completely thankful we are here!

I celebrated something else today, I turned on my oven for the first time! Yes, I have been living here for almost 7 weeks, but I haven't needed the oven. Anyway, I made some brownies (from a bag - thanks mom!). They were interesting...rock hard all around the edge and had a little nut flavor since I had to use sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil! Thankfully my father in law had mentioned that the temp may be in celsius, or else they would have been as hard as cement!! Regardless of their little issues, the kids thought their mommy was the best because she made them brownies. It really is the little things....

I hope you all have a great weekend! We are eagerly awaiting Dan's arrival tomorrow night!! We miss him so much!! Only 11 days until we land in Chicago!!

We Have Definitely Made a First Impression!!

So, I decide that I will venture to the first PFO (parent faculty organization) meeting this morning at the school. Of course, I want to be involved in the school and be informed of what is going on since I do not physically go to the school everyday! I realize that I am going to have to bring Cooper because our ayi does not get here before 8:00. No problem, he basically follows me around everywhere I go anyway. I pack my purse full of different foods and books to keep him busy for the 1 1/2 hour meeting. I am feeling like for once, I am truly prepared!! We get to the meeting and mingle with neighbors and some other mom's and then we find a seat close to the door, just in case! Coop does marvelously through the first 45 minutes. He looks at books, colors, and eats. I'm enjoying listening to the directors and teachers when all of a sudden Coop screams, "It hurts" and points to his nose. I didn't think too much about it at first, because he always says, "it hurts" when the air is stinky. Then I looked at him and realize that this time it truly did hurt. Coop had managed to shove granola all the way up his nose!!!! He's screaming, so I take him into the library where I try to get it out, but there is a lot. I decide that I should take him to the nurse because I do not want it to go up any further than it has. The lovely nurse giggles for a minute and explains that her son stuck something in his ear that had to be surgically removed - I at least felt a little better. Then she very carefully removed all of the granola out of his nose!! I think I will forever be know as the mom who lets her kid stick granola up his nose at the PFO meeting!!

I'm off to Chinese lessons...wish me luck, I failed my quiz on Monday!!! Have a great Wednesday!

It's Beginning to Feel Like Summer!

We are finally beginning to have some 80 degree days in a row. It feels more like summer here than a sauna! According to the Lunar Calendar, we are in the White Dew mini season which will last until September 23rd and then we will enter the Autumn Equinox. Apparently, come the end of September we should have, on average, 70 degree days! I'm not so sure I believe the accuracy of this, but it is very nice to think of the possibility of spending more time outside!

Danny made it safely to the United States on Saturday! He spent his time on Sunday finding a Target (probably the store I miss the most!!) and filling up a suitcase with essentials like Wii Fit, Wii games, new Leapsters for the kids, children's tylenol and ibuprofen, swim diapers (you can't find them anywhere here!), razors for our friend here, and who knows what else!! I would have had a more extensive list, but I am waiting for our sea shipment to arrive to see what I packed 3 months ago!! He will be spending the rest of the week in meetings and I'm sure enjoying some American food!

The kids and I have been keeping busy since Danny left. Saturday Ellie went to her first birthday party here! She had a ball and I was completely impressed with my friend Jen's creativity. You can't rely on Party City or Factory Card Outlet to plan a party here so you have to create everything yourself. Rachel had a puppy party and they played all sorts of puppy games, had a fashion show with their stuffed dogs, and barked Happy Birthday to Rachel! How cute!! The boys and I went to a restaurant that serves Western food and has toys and games to play with! When we got home we browsed at my neighbor's yard sale! That is correct, our neighbor had a yard sale - I never thought I would see that here! Don't worry Jenny, it was not nearly as big as ours! It was more of a social gathering than a yard sale so it was fun to meet some new people! I was able to meet quite a few mom's from the kids' school!! After the exciting garage sale, we settled in to a nice night at home with pizza and a movie!

Sunday we went for our Sheraton breakfast - yummy! It's a treat we all look forward to during the week! After breakfast I took all three kids to church. The kids did great and I even got Coop to go to the nursery without too many tears! At the end of every service, they always ask people new to the congregation to stand up and introduce themselves. This week there were about 30 students who just arrived in Tianjin from all over the world, primarily Africa - it has been a wonderful experience to worship with people from such diverse backgrounds! You truly never know what to expect each week because all of the different components (music, sermon, Sunday school, etc.) are organized by different people. It is very unique!! After church, Jen (her husband is away also) and I took all of the kids downtown for lunch and ice cream! Of course we had our usual ordeal while trying to order...on this day, we ordered 5 children's meals and they didn't have enough food to make all of these - remember the one child policy here!! We finally ate and had ice cream and then went home to wait for our cable to get hooked up. Right now I am watching Wheel of Fortune - yea!!

Today, Coop and I went to IST to attend a coffee for the new parents. Once again, I am in awe of the different nationalities I am surrounded by daily. There are very few American expats in Tianjin so this is truly a learning experience for me! Today I met parents from Korea, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, France, and New Zealand. We are all bonded immediately by the expat experience so there is rarely a lull in conversation! One funny story that came out of this morning was when I was talking to my neighbor about the upcoming school picnic. She was telling me about it and completely serious she said, "There is no alcohol permitted this year." I thought she was joking, so I said, "Well then I guess I won't be going!" She looked at me for a minute and I could tell she was thinking, "Maybe I shouldn't go either!" Like I was serious, I mean it is a school function on a Sunday at the school. I guess they do things a little differently in Brazil!!!

We are in the midst of a construction zone here in our compound. Not only is there a hole beside our house, but there are holes all over - they are installig new water pipes (thank goodness) and doing it with pure manual labor. It may be completed by Christmas, but I'm not counting on it!!
These pictures are of what remains of our "back" yard and the playground (thank goodness the Sheraton has a park!)!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic Monday!! We're counting down for our trip back! Only 15 days...

It's Too Quiet Here!!

This house is way too quiet without my El and Eens here! Coop and I pretty much just sit and look at each other and try to decide what to do next!! Coop has never had to play by himself, so it is almost like he is a first child and I am trying to entertain him! I'm pretty sure he is not overly impressed with my attempts!! Today we did go on a nice long walk along one of the 9 rivers here in Tianjin! It was very peaceful. There were quite a few gentlemen fishing (I'm not sure I would recommend eating anything they caught - the water looks a bit green!), women doing tai chi, a man practicing the flute, and lots of pretty flowers. I forgot my camera today, but I'm sure this walk may become part of our routine so next time I'll take some pictures! Coop also started his Gymboree classes today - he did great!! He will be doing a gym class and a music class there! I'm almost positive he will enjoy the music class after listening to him sing at the top of his lungs into his "microphone", aka straw, this morning at breakfast!! We both enjoyed ourselves and were also impressed that the teachers spoke both Mandarin and English throughout the entire class!!

I wrote a while back on some quality issues that have come up while we have been here in China. I just wanted to update you that we now have a huge hole beside our house covered by old doors. The problem was that we would only occassionally have hot showers! I absolutely love a nice long hot, hot shower so this has been difficult for me to deal with. At first I kept reminding myself that Jeannie had lukewarm water in Russia and she made it almost 3 years, but last Saturday I was going to wash a few dishes (I don't have enough to wait for ayi to come on Monday!) and the water was freezing. I called Grace at home and she sent an "engineer" over. Well, as they have done 8 times before, he turned on the water and waited for 30 MINUTES until it was a little bit warmer and claimed it was fixed!!! He did nothing!!!! Dan had had it also by this point, so he called Grace and had a heart to heart that went something like, if it isn't fixed in a week, we're moving. (I'm not sure where we were moving, but somewhere apparently!) So Monday morning, we hear banging outside. I go outside to find the "engineers" digging a hole to put in a temporary water heater!! So that is how we ended up with a huge hole on the side of our house! The good news is, my showers have been hotter!

On a different note, I have to say that watching Sarah Palin give her speech yesterday made me proud to be an American. I think she is a fantastic speaker and she handled herself with such dignity in the midst of being criticized so heavily by the media. I believe that John McCain made the race to the White House a little more of a contest by choosing her! Regardless of the outcome, I keep telling myself over and over how fortunate we are to live in a free country that is run as a democracy! A far cry from what the citizens here are accustomed too. As I cast my absentee ballot this November (or whenever I'm allowed to), I will be thankful that I have a voice in our great country!!

Coop and I are off to wait for El and Eens at the bus stop! If you could please pray for safe travels for Danny as he travels back to the US tomorrow we would appreciate it. He will be in Atlanta for a week of meetings. A prayer for my sanity while he is away would also be greatly appreciated!! Love to you all!!

A Diversion Trip to Beijing

In order to keep my mind off of the fact that 2 out of my 3 children are now in school full days, I immediately jumped at an offer by my friend Jaramee to go shopping in Beijing today!! It was the most interesting shopping trip I think I have ever been on.

First of all, being the wonderful daddy that Dan is, he wanted to go to school to drop Eens off for his first day. Great!!! On the way back from school we start discussing how we were going to get to where we needed to go. We first needed to get Cooper home so he could spend a lovely day with ayi, then Danny needed to go to work, and then I needed to go and meet my friends. We only had an hour to accomplish all of this and in a city of 10 million people, traffic is not moving too fast in the morning! After talking to Danny's assistant we realized that there was no way we could make it work, so Danny graciously allowed me to have the driver (which I have been reminded about several times today!) and he had a hotel car take him to work. I successfully got Cooper into the house and playing with ayi. She was thrilled to have Coop to herself!!! (I have no idea what she fed him, but he had 3 dirty diapers today!!!) Next our driver took me to my drop off point - the highway. Yes, my friends live about 45 minutes from me, so they picked a place on the highway that was 30 minutes from each of our houses and we met! The scary thing is, this must be common practice in China because we were not the only ones doing this!!

On our way to Beijing (by the way we were in an even numbered car because only even numbered cars can drive on Tuesdays in Beijing!) we had to stop and have a guard check all of our passports and check the car. Once we finally arrived in Tianjin, Jaramee had to call this "purse" shop we were going to to find out what floor they were located on today. Apparently, they have to keep moving to different floors every couple of months so they don't get busted by the government for selling their "designer" purses!! It was all very interesting and I definitely would never have found it without Robin and Jaramee!! Our next stop was the silk market which I had been to in May. It is a crazy place that is maybe 5 floors of "designer" clothes, watches, purses, jewelry, you name it and they probably have it there!! We even saw a sign on one floor where you could get a bikini wax in a stall with no door!! We had fun bargaining and finding more deals on clothes and purses. As you are walking down the aisles, the sales people are yelling "hey lady you want....." and occassionally they get a little aggressive and try to pull you into their stall. I had one lady almost pull me over!! All in all it was quite fun, but a Starbucks run was definitely in order!! It was in Starbucks that I realized how different expat life would be if we were living in Beijing (which is where Deere's China headquarters are) and not Tianjin. In Beijing you feel like you are in New York City - there is a lot of diversity and the majority of the people we spoke with knew some degree of English. Whereas in Tianjin, we are living in China, not a modern, somewhat westernized city!! So, if you decide to visit us, we will slowly ease you into life in China with a short stay in Beijing and then we'll show you how we live!!!!

It was a fun escape for the day and I am looking forward to going back soon!! I also was able to pick up a lot of fun stuff to bring back to the states in 2 WEEKS!!!

Make sure to read the next post - it's about Eensie's first day!!

My Spectacular Son

My sweetie pie Eensie started PreK today at IST!! He was so sure of himself, I couldn't believe he was the same little mommy's boy who typically doesn't let me out of his sight! He showed his daddy his cubby area, put away his things, and then grabbed the big box of legos and set out to build! After school I was informed that he LOVES school!!! He only had one minor issue, according to his account, a little boy was "annoying" him so he threw a little sand in his eye - oops. The teachers had Eens walk the little boy to the nurse so she could wash out his eyes. I'm pretty sure he won't be throwing any more sand, he was very embarassed! He also somehow managed to talk his teachers into allowing him to eat only his cheesecake for lunch. I can just see him with his big eyes and long eyelashes telling his teachers that mommy doesn't make him eat anything he doesn't want to!! He even took the bus home after school because I was in Beijing (I'll post on that later!)! What a spectacular son I have - I am so proud to be his mommy!! I sure will miss him during the day though!!

My Dazzling Daughter!!

I cannot believe my sweet "Bean" is in first grade! I'm not sure where the time has gone, but she now is a toothless little wonder ready to conquer the world, or at least IST!! I got tears in my eyes initially as we stood in the gym with her teacher and waited to walk her to class, but the chaos got the better of me and I pulled myself together. Ellie, on the other hand, could not wait to meet her new friends and start her day! With a quick kiss good-bye, she was off!

We couldn't be more proud of Ellie and now we are anxiously awaiting Eensie's first day tomorrow!!