Play Ball

Mike had promised the boys all week to ride bikes to the school and hit some balls and play catch. Jay has a strong arm, and he was worried about the windows in our neighborhood:-) The boys were beyond excited. Jay had planned out what he, Eli, and Mike were going to wear, down to the caps. The boys came in at 6:20am, ready to go! They were disappointed to have to wait. Well, I thought that Mike would want to take the boys himself, but I was mistaken. I was quite honored to be included in this male ritual, that is until I learned why I was invited. Mike was to be the pitcher (obviously, he doesn't remember I played pitcher on the 53rd ward women's softball team 15 years ago...Or maybe he does) Eli the catcher, and Jay up to bat. I, was apparently brought along to be the outfielder. Yes, the outfielder on a full size pitch. And, did I mention that Jay hits hard? Well, I certainly got my exercise for the day!!!! We started our playing, when the guard came over to ask us to move our bikes. You need to know, that there were no cars in the parking lot. He wanted us to take them all the way over to the back of the school to the bike park. We made a compromise and parked them in a parking stall. This way, he didn't lose face, and we didn't walk our bikes all the way over there for nothing. We had a great time playing. You know, everyone got a turn to hit, except me. I wonder if I'll be lucky enough to be invited again??!

** I think it should be noted that Mike and I saw a bike with three huge TV's strapped on the back. I realize that the record is 4 TV's on a scooter, but points need to be given for a man-powered machine, so a special category should be made.

Jay, Caitlin, Nicole, and Rachel were all asked to speak in church today about how they grew spiritually over the summer. All of the girls wrote their own talks, and all of them did a great job. Some of the BYU group came this week, so there was a larger crowd than expected. Instead of the 15 of us that had been coming, there were about 20. Anyway, their talks were full of experiences they had with all of our family back home this summer. Thank you for being such wonderful examples, friends, and mentors to all of us. We love you!

The first week of school...

This has been a very eventful week for us. We started it with Jay’s seventh birthday last Sunday. He is very happy to be seven. He had some great celebrations in Utah with Grandparents, and we had a cake and some presents for his birthday, here. On Saturday, Mike and I had taken him for a pizza lunch, which was fun. Jay is growing up so fast. He is such a sweet kid. We all love him.

On Monday, school started. On Sunday, Michael had given each of the children the traditional Father’s Blessing, and everyone felt ready. Every one of my children is in school all day now! This is one of those days you don’t really see coming so soon. Eli was so happy to go to the same school as his brothers and sisters. He has loved every day so far. The first day, I had to insist I take him. He was sure Jay could just drop him off! I don’t think so! I had shed my tears Sunday night before I went to sleep, so I didn’t make a scene and embarrass him on his first day. I was worried about being lonely. I was so busy this week, there was no time for loneliness!

The children all had a great week. I think they are all looking forward to the many activities they have coming up. They all signed up for their after-school activities for the first quarter. Eli is doing a group game class, and a cooking class. Jay is doing Student Council, and a basketball class. Caitlin is doing scrap booking and computer club. Nicole is doing Student Council, volleyball, rugby, and yearbook. Rachel is doing Student Council, volleyball, and rugby. They will all stay busy! Rachel, Nicole and I started our running training this week. We get up Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and go at 5:45 for 45 minutes. To start we are running one minute, and walking the next. We will keep building on that.

The first while after we got back, I was struggling to adjust to the China scene, again. I didn’t expect this, as I had been doing just fine before the summer. But this week, I really have overcome my first initial culture shock. I think it really did the trick when I went running on Tuesday morning, after the kids went to school. It was already really quite hot, and so humid, but I really thought I could do it anyway. I ran my favorite route, to the cemetery. First I ran past the little cottages, usually so full of life. They were all rubble. I was saddened by this, and realized how blessed I am to be in a large beautiful house. They are filled with transient people from the country, and when the construction is finished, they move on. I ran past an old man who just looked right at me and laughed (crazy lady). I ran past the dump baking in the humid heat. Wow! That was potent. I had to move out of the way of a man and his water-buffalo, walking down the street. There was a woman pulling her greens for sale in her handcart, and a man pulling an old beat up window AC in his. By the time I got to the cemetery, the old me was back! I was happy to be here in China. The place where every sense is awakened, and something to learn around every corner. Of course, I had to walk home, because I don’t think I had an ounce of liquid left in my body with that heat!

I started a very challenging exercise class this week, joined a great charity organization, started on the school parent committee I’ve agreed to be on, and had lots of fun with my kids after school. I also found a great Italian Ice-cream shop, and while Mike and I were on our date, were lucky enough to run into the Nanjing Police Talent night at the park. At least, that is what we think it must have been. We saw about 20 policemen marching and doing fancy drills with their whistles. Wow! It was really hard not to laugh. Later, some of them sang, and then there was a brass band. We wondered if there was an unusual jump in the theft- rate that night.

We are all ready for this next year, and look forward to the adventures it will bring...

Summer 2006 Photos

Like I said, I didn't use my camera near enough this summer, but here are some fun shots we did get...

Rachel and Nicole's young women project they did this summer. Special thanks to Becky, Catherine, and Grandpa Russon!
Snug as 3 bugs.
Give me 2 thumbs up buddy! (We actually saw someone say that on an episode of Maguiver we watched today!)
Hanging out at the Pineview Campsite

Happy Birthday Chad! Hi Karly!
Look Dad, I'm driving a Ford!
We love cousins!

Summer Photos

Here is a great photo of our attempt to "swim" in the Great Salt Lake!
Here are some fun pics of the alpine slide. Nicole!
Rachel!
Erin (Nicole's friend from Michigan)
Jay, Anna, and Amy
Lonnie and Jay
The ride up the mountain was great!

We had an amazing summer!

We just got back two days ago, from visiting family in Utah. It was such a wonderful trip. Six weeks of fun and playing! Michael needed to stay and work, so the first four weeks, we stayed at my Mom and Dad's house, and split the time between my family and Mike's. We stayed with his parents for a while when he came. We did so many fun things...to name a few, there were trips to St. George, the Alpine Slide, swimming, Cherry Hill, Lagoon, shopping (this should be in italics...there was a lot of shopping), birthday parties, yummy food, waterskiing and camping, girls camp, the big young women's project, family reunions, parades, a 5k and 10k, training for the runs, did I mention shopping, or eating? The list could go on and on. Obviously, we had an incredible summer. The best part was just spending time with our family. It is always my favorite thing to spend time with our brothers, sisters, and parents. And the children sure do love their grandparents, and cousins. It is so much fun to see them all growing up. We feel so blessed to have been able to spend a large period of time just getting to know everyone more. We also had a visit from Nicole's friend Erin, from Michigan for 10 days. That was so much fun. We kept her very busy, and it meant so much to Nicole.

Well, I know I have some pictures. Not near as many as I would like. I was so terrible at remembering to bring my camera on all of these fun things. Anyway, I still haven't found it in my unpacking. So, pictures will have to come soon. We had a long, long, trip home. The children were very good, and it was wonderful to have Mike along to help. There is just no way of getting around the journey, but it was definately worth it. We came home to our new house. Poor Mike had to go to work the next day, so he was off, and we got busy with the boxes, and suitcases. The children have been such good sports about all of the work. We've made good progress with a lot of the boxes, and the 14, yes 14, 50 lb. suitcases. We used up every pound! Luckily, Mike has elite statis, so the couple of bags we went over, weren't charged to us! I'm hoping to finish up the house this week before school starts.

It took me a little bit to get back into the Chinese speaking again. Luckily, it's coming back pretty quickly. Mike and I went to the store yesterday to get some food and stuff for the house. I think I had gotten used to the smells after being here for a year. Wow, were they potent yesterday! And the crouds! It's impossible to even describe them. We're back!

We had a terrific summer, enjoying our family, friends, and the ease of America. Just the break we needed. I feel like we are ready for another year of China. Is China ready for another year of us????

The Year Has Flown By...

This photo was taken today, after church.

This one's for my Dad! A Chinese Hearse! Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Amanda and Tyler's wedding lunch. Our driver was invited in to eat with us.



Wow. None of us can believe that we've been here in China that long! We actually arrived July 13th of last year, but we leave this Wednesday to make the journey home to see our family, for 6 weeks. This year has brought so much to our family. I can only feel gratitude and amazement as I look back and see the blessings we have received while adjusting to such a different way of life. I can honestly say, there has not been one boring day! We have developed such a love for these amazing people. We have learned to accept the challenging, along with all of the good. The children have adjusted so well, I am happy, and Mike enjoys his job. We all love the little church group we have here. We have learned to a larger extent, that following the gospel is a way of life, and we can do that anywhere we go. We have learned to eat some crazy things. Mike and I were talking about how glad we are that he made the kids eat whatever I made, ever since they were little. We didn't really cater to their individual taste buds. We have been to a couple of Chinese restaurant lately, and are amazed at what the kids will eat! We have been learning a new language (and will continue to try to learn!) Our eyes have been opened up to a world beyond the USA. It has been such a pleasure to learn about people and other cultures. We have seen some beautiful places, and many amazing things of the Chinese culture. We will never be the same, and for this we are glad. We look forward to this next year, and the challenges, and opportunities it will bring.

And now, this week...We get to go to Utah, to visit family! We are all so excited. We just hope that they will still love us if we smell, um, a little...Chinese(??), not that Chinese smell bad, just different:-)

Some things that have happened this last couple of weeks:

The move is on. It has been on, then off, then on. This has been a huge learning experience for me. I realized, afterward, that it was just like buying souvenirs at Confucius temple. Barter, barter, barter. They will push as much as they can, we will push back, and then, in the end, you have to just be willing to walk away (which I was this week, when they wanted to put the dishwasher in the garage because they didn't want to put it in right. When I laughed at that, they wanted us to just not use the door in the kitchen and they would put the dishwasher in front of it). Well, funny how they changed their minds, and decided to do it right when I told them I didn't want the house that bad. Suddenly, what was absolutely impossible, is possible. Amazing!

We went to a good-bye dinner for a friend. It was a Chinese meal, with a Chinese fellow. One of the dishes was duck tongue! We managed to not eat the duck tongue, but had to eat several other questionable dishes. Nicole was given the high compliment of being like Mao. At least, he thought it was a compliment. He also mentioned that he noticed I treat my girls as equals to the boys. He said that in China, the boys are much more special, and would receive more food, and special things. I knew all of this, but was surprised to here someone actually say it!

The children all finished school! I spent a lot of time at the school for different things, mostly end of the year parties. Jay had a water party, Caitlin an exhibition on nuclear energy, and Rachel and Nicole a special award ceremony for the secondary school. They were surprised, but not nearly as surprised as Michael and I, to receive the award for being the top student in their grade in a couple of subjects: Rachel for Art and Performing Arts, and Nicole for Performing Arts. I should explain that the reason Mike and I were so surprised, is that we feel we didn't pass these talents down! All of the kids worked very hard in school, and we are proud of them. Eli is especially excited to go to kindergarten next year at the same school as his brother and sisters!

We drove to Chongzhou yesterday for the luncheon for Amanda and Tyler. They are the couple getting married this summer, in Utah. This was at a Chinese restaurant in Chongzhou. They had 28 dishes! A huge production. Luckily, Tyler asked them not to bring the pig's head, platter of livers, and a couple of other scary dishes to our table. Because we don't drink, they just kept filling our glasses with sprite, as Amanda's family would come in and toast us. You are supposed to empty your glass, and show them it's gone. The family members were drinking alcohol, and us sprite. Amanda, and Tyler were also drinking sprite. We were so sick by the end, and weren't surprised to here that most grooms pass out during their celebrations, and the best man then fills in and finishes the toasting rounds for him.

Today is Father's Day. The kids made a fun movie for Mike, and Rachel is in making cinnamon rolls. Mike is just happy to lounge around. It is very difficult to find a gift for him here in China, so I hope he likes the label-maker we got him:-) We are both so grateful for our fathers, and hope they have a wonderful Father's Day, too!

Today was the last day having church in our house. There will be a very small group meeting in an apartment for the summer, and then we will go back to the hotel for the fall. The plan is to come back to our house after Christmas, when the group shrinks a bit. It has been great having church at our house. It will, however, be nice to not have to worry about keeping the house ready for a while...

Pictures of Laura and Jonas

Laura has a cleft palate, but her lips are fine.


This is handsome Jonas. The babies were bitten by fleas the first night they were here, at the hotel next to the hospital.

Jonas and Laura

This has been such an eventful week for our family. I mentioned in last week's blog about Amanda and her two orphan babies coming for cleft palate and lip operations. It was such a blessing for our family to be able to help. Rachel and Nicole each spent hours this week helping to watch the two little children. Because of snags and tons of Chinese paperwork, the doctors who came from Columbia University, were not able to start any operations until Wednesday afternoon. On Sunday and Monday, Amanda stayed at the Rusts' apartment (one of the BYU Teacher couples). On Monday, Rachel went in right after school, and stayed until 9:00. Laura, the little girl had been sick with a fever, and told that she wouldn't be able to have the surgery. On Tuesday morning, they were called into the hospital, and told to stay there until the surgeries. They were given a bed (no cribs)in a room with 3 other men. The room was meant for six people. Luckily, someone from our group found a small portable crib (not common here in China) for them so they wouldn't roll off of the bed. On Tuesday evening, Rachel and Nicole helped with dinner and the babies for a young women activity. They made some posters to cover the disgusting hospital walls. It was my turn to help out on Wednesday morning. After a miserable (and un-needed, according to the U.S. doctors) EKG, and a Lung X-ray, we found out the surgeries wouldn't happen until Thursday. They came out with me to lunch, and then to our house for showers, baths, and some relaxation. While we were still at the hospital on Wednesday morning, we saw some older children, between 4 and, maybe 8, waiting to be diagnosed to see if they could have surgery to fix some deformities they had been born with. They had the sweetest smiles. I couldn't hold back my tears as I walked away from them.

On Thursday, Jonas and Laura, had their surgeries. It turned out to be a blessing that the surgeries were delayed. Laura's fever was gone, and she got the OK for her surgery. I had been with my friend Ginnelle,all day, unpacking boxes, but was to be at the hospital to bring dinner and help until the children went to bed. Nicole went in at 3:30, and I met them at 6:00. Nicole stayed until 9:00. The babies were miserable, of course. I decided to stay the night and help with the children, because we could see that it was impossible for one person to take care of both of them at once. I pray that I never have to stay in a Chinese hospital for my own medical care...

The hospitals look like they are about 60 years old. All of the equipment in the rooms are old, and the walls are dirty and falling apart. There are six gurnney-type beds per room. They share a small bathroom, with no shower, no soap, and you have to bring your own T.P. The air conditioning is poor. The rooms are filled with mosquitoes. The nurses in China, are not like the nurses in the U.S. They do not "care" for the patients. They do some things like change I.V's etc. You must provide your own food. The worst part is how disgustingly dirty it is. There were children who had major reconstructive surgery, and the Chinese doctors refused to give them pain medication because the medication is addictive. In our room, there were three other men. One man had cut off his fingers with a saw. He layed there in quiet pain all night. Laura was especially miserable Thursday night, and I spent a lot of time pushing her in her stroller,up and down the halls. On these walks, I saw so many miserable people, just laying there in pain. Some had a family member there to take care of them, but many had no help. As I walked past the restroom, a horrible stench was present. The medicine room was left unattended, with the door wide open. There was a baby from an orphanage in the room next door. The woman taking care of her did the bare minimum. The baby was miserable, and when Amanda went in to try to help, the lady said, "She's just an orphan." Which is the exact attitude that is present at the orphanages here. Amanda's babies are so blessed!

On Friday, the babies were feeling much better. All of the members of our group spent so much time helping Amanda with the babies. It was a great opportunity for all of us. On Saturday, we had our last enrichment activity before everyone leaves for the summer. Amy will be married this summer, so we had a shower for her. A couple of the brethren from the group watched the babies at the hospital so Amanda could attend. We had crepes. Yummy! This morning, the children were released from the hospital. Amanda came here with the babies, and they showered and bathed. Rachel, Nicole, and Caitlin were so wonderful with the babies. They all stayed for church, and Sister Mooth had prepared some food for them (she had invited them to her house, but there wasn't enough time, so they stayed here). They ate, and then grabbed a taxi to the airport. Marney, a member of our group, is flying back to Xian with Amanda. It would be so difficult without some help.

This week, everyone in our family was able to help. Even the boys had to be patient, as I was helping out. Everyone had a great attitude, and it was a blessing for us to be able to serve these sweet little babies.

A couple of other happenings for the week:

Rachel, Nicole, Caitlin, and Jay, all participated in a track and field day at school. They had a great time, and suprisingly enough (suprising because they are my children), did pretty well.

I had a conversation in the park with two old women, with very thick Nanjinghua (Nanjing, and every city, has their own special dialect). It took me saying hello to them 3 times before they acknowledged me( and yes,they had heard me), but after that they were very friendly. They were shocked by my age and number of children. One lady kept her face about 4 inches from mine, just staring at me and smiling with her pearly black teeth.

We decided to negotiate moving across the street this summer. Pretty crazy, but the other house seems to fit our family better, and besides, it will give Mike something to do while we are gone:-) We'll see how it works out...

And, for all of you who are following my special freebie tape-ons...I got a new hand-towel taped to my milk carton yesterday!

A field trip with Eli

I wanted to write about the field trip I went on this morning with Eli. His school class decided to collect toys and clothing to give to a less fortunate school, here in Nanjing. Eli had a difficult time parting with his toys, so I was happy he was going to get to see where the toys were going, and feel good about it. We rode over in the bus. This school has many children that come from transient workers. They are lucky, as there are so many children here in Nanjing that don't get to go to school at all. The parents here in China, have to pay for their children to be in school, and of course, the quality of the school depends on what you can afford. We are so blessed in America. The children can get a good education no matter what the income of their parents is. It is a sad cycle. Most of the parents of those children who can't go to school, didn't get to go to school themselves, and therefore can't get jobs to pay for their child's education.

We arrived at the school, that looked more like old warehouses, than school-rooms. We went back to the kindergarten. It was so humble. We had to be careful not to trip over the outdoor carpeting that was laying on the cement with lumps everywhere. The children were all dressed in their best clothes. They were so sweet an sang for our children, and shared some poems. The children then went out and played some games together. Each of the kids from our school gave a stuffed animal to the children from their school, and we left our boxes with them. I could tell that this was a special day for Eli. I feel like he caught the good feeling of it all. Today, he and I were the only westerners, but I could see that Eli has really learned to fit into his class. These are special experiences that are priceless.

May 28, 2006

Me and Mike before the ball


A closer view of the dragon boats


Can you see that little white dot on the water? That's the Ford team:-)









Today, we had such a wonderful experience, in church. A woman named Amanda De Lange came to church today with two beautiful little Chinese children from her orphanage. Yes, her orphanage! Amanda is from South Africa. About a year ago, she was in Xian, getting ready to go to Korea for a great job. She had been volunteering in an orphanage, and she was deeply saddened by the state of so many of the children. She prayed to be able to help in some way, and wanted to care for a few of the children from the orphanage. She told the orphanage her idea, and though it is normally, such a difficult thing to get clearance, she was given six children immediately. All of the children had medical problems. She has twelve children now. She is here in Nanjing with two of the children for cleft palate surgery. Our group just ate up those cute little children! One boy, and one girl. We get to help Amanda take care of the children this week at the hospital. She has gone through all of her savings, and spends 24 hours a day with hardly any sleep (as many of the children are infants). It is such a blessing to get to help. She shared her experiences with us today, and it was so touching.

The end of the school year is coming. The children are so excited to go to Utah for a visit with family. Eli is so excited to be in the same school as the older kids next year. Rachel went to Shanghai this week for her last CISSA tournament for the year. This was a basketball tournament. Though our school didn't have a real strong team this year, Rachel had a good time. She got to see a friend she met in Beijing and the youth conference.

Saturday morning were the annual Dragon Boat Races. We were invited to a friend's home who lives in a high-rise apartment building on the edge of Mochu Lake, where the races were held. Companies from Nanjing put together teams of 16 to compete in a rowing competition. It was lots of fun to watch. Unfortunately for the rowers, it was one of the most windy days I've seen here in Nanjing! Ford had three different teams. Some teams are really serious about practicing. Teams have been out on the lake constantly the last two months all day long. Unfortunately, Ford didn't win their races, but Mike's office came in first out of the three Ford teams, and that's all he cared about. :-) Sadly, or luckily, for Mike, his size isn't a great benefit for a rowing race, so he wasn't on the team. There was a joke made about forming a Ford wives' team next year, and some of the ladies seemed pretty serious about it. We'll see...

Last night, Mike and I went to the Spring Ball. It was lots of fun. The theme was Arabian Nights, and there was some great Mediterranean food served. They even had a dancer who would come out periodically. I was happy to see that Mike was embarrassed and wouldn't watch her! Good Boy! There was a Philippino band, who was really good. They played lots of 80's music, so that kept us all happy. Mike was a good sport and danced with me. Unfortunately, there were technical difficulties, and we spent much of the night without a sound system. To make up for this, the hotel offered drinks on the house. Mike and I didn't stay long after this. It's interesting to see how, hmmmm, uninhibited,people become with unlimited free drinks. All I can say is WOW!

Pics of SuZhou, Etc.

Jay and Eli at the Slide Park

A Traditional Chinese Wedding on the SuZhou Canal


Mom and Dad at the Slide Park

The SuZhou Canal

A trip to Suzhou

This last week was really great. I think I've kept my Mom and Dad busier than they could have imagined. They have been great sports about it all. We went to the silk factory on Monday, and on a bike ride Tuesday to see a cemetery I found a while ago. I think that Dad really enjoyed seeing a Chinese Cemetery. It looked like it was a government official and military cemetery. There were only a couple of plots that were made for a whole casket. The rest were small boxes for cremains. We even got to see some people burning money for their family to have on the other side, and some fireworks. They scare away the evil spirits with fireworks. The ride to the cemetery is also quite interesting, with many small farms along the way.

Wednesday, we rode the train to Suzhou. That was great. We saw some beautiful gardens, and went to Zhouzhuang the next morning. It is a small canal town. We were able to see some huge old houses. That afternoon we went back to Suzhou and saw a silk factory, and rode on a boat down the Suzhou canal. It was so beautiful, and interesting. The houses backed right up to the river. We even got to see a traditional Chinese wedding. They were all dressed in their traditional costumes and got onto a decorated boat. They went down the river and continued their procession on another street. It was fantastic! We got back to Nanjing on Thursday night. On Friday morning we went to the Nanjing massacre museum, which was very disturbing. It is a memorial for the Japanese invasion of Nanjing. It was hard to see. There were so many horrible things that were done to the people of Nanjing. Friday night we made pizza and watched a movie. On Saturday, Mike had to work , which we were all sad about. We took Mom and Dad to the slide park on Purple Mountain. Dad kept an eye on the boys, but Mom did the obstacle courses and did a great job! Mike and Dad took Mom and I to dinner that night to a Thai restraaunt as a special Mother's Day treat. We had a foot massage, and Hagen Das ice cream!

On Sunday, was what everyone joked as the Wadley Family Primary hour. It was the primary program. The kids did great. Eli gave a scripture, and Nicole, Jay and Caitlin each gave talks. Nicole and Caitlin wrote their own talks and did a much better job than if I had helped them. They sang some songs they had been working on with their awesome teachers. Eli had a hard time sitting still. First his tie came off, then his shoes, and socks. I think he would have been naked by the end if I'd let him. He was supposed to give the closing prayer. When I went up to help him after their last primary song, he said very loudly,"Mom, my P___s hurts!" Yea, that was fun. He got through the prayer, though, after tipping over a chair. He was the comic relief for the program.

Mom and Dad will leave for Shanghai tomorrow. We will be so sad to have them leave. It has been a wonderful time with them here. And I'm proud to say, that I've worn them out so much, that Mom has slept almost every night! It will be so hard to say good-bye, but we will see them in just over a month when we visit Utah. Hurray!

Photos

Mom and Dad are here!

Wow, it's been a great couple of weeks. Well, actually, the week before my Mom and Dad came seemed like the longest week ever! On Friday, Nicole, Eli, and I left a little after 1:00pm to drive to Shanghai to pick them up. Nicole got to come, because it was her birthday. I can't believe our second daughter is 12 years old! She has grown up so much. It was so exciting to meet Mom and Dad at the airport! They had to be so tired, and our drive home took so long. They had listened to us, and stayed awake for most of the flight over to "trick" their system into the time change. I think it worked pretty well, because they slept well that night, even though it was day-time in Utah. They have done really well with their sleep!

On Saturday, we let them relax a bit, and then we took them to the kite park in the afternoon. We had a terrific time. We were actually able to fly our kite! I haven't had much luck with this in the past. There were lots of kites flying. Then we crossed the street to another old park where the "Yo Yo People" (lots of old men join in the park to do the Chinese Yoyo, which is VERY difficult) were having a great time. One man spent time giving each of the kids help trying it out! It was terrific! Later we went to a Japanese Tympanyaki (I'm sure I spelled this wrong, but remember I'm studying Chinese, not Japanese) that Nicole had picked out for her birthday dinner. It was delicious! I'm sure you are wondering why we took them to Japanese, but I was certain they would get enough Chinese on our trip to Beijing to last a lifetime! It was fun to have them here on Sunday, and we had a relaxing afternoon. We had a great time listening to stories about Grandma and Grandpa when they were young. On Monday, I took Mom and Dad to the Bu Bu Bu (fabric market) where Dad ordered a couple of suits and Mom even ordered a suit. We'll see how they are coming tomorrow. Dad really got the hang of the bargaining, and bargained for the second suit fabric all by himself! That night, we went with all of the children to Fuzi Miao, and both Mike and I forgot our cell phones! It was so packed, because it was the start of the Chinese Holiday. We waited and waited, and finally tried to get a taxi to go home in, but none were to be found. It was quite the adventure. Finally we got one for some of us, and then our driver, wondering why we hadn't called in so long, drove by and saw Mike and Dad. Just one of those things that happen. Mom and Dad were great sports about it all!

Rachel had left on Friday night to go to Youth Conference in Beijing. We flew to Beijing on Tuesday morning, and picked her up. She had a great time. They had a missionary theme, and actually got to go in companionship to teach a discussion to a family from the Beijing branch and have dinner with them. They had a wonderful service project in an orphanage for children with health problems. She shared in testimony meeting today what a special experience it was for her, and that she felt uplifted meeting with the sixty youth from all around China.

We started right away on our big adventure. We first went to Tienanmen Square, where we had lunch at the National Museum, and Mom and Dad got an inkling of how people everywhere like to take photos of our children! We had people coming up from all over asking to have photos with us, and then we would be stuck there for a long time because people would be in a line. The city was packed. I honestly think that if you didn't see it, you can't imagine what I mean by packed. It was the Chinese holiday, and SO MANY people were touring! The Forbidden City was an amazing thing to see. We were all amazed at the size of it all. We went through gate after gate to get to the actual city, and the city itself was huge! The only movie that has ever been made actually inside the city, is the Last emperor. So, if you've seen that, it's the real thing. That evening we went to the Chinese Acrobat show. That was lots of fun! They did some amazing things. The kids especially enjoyed it. Afterward, we wanted to try the famous Peking (the former name of Beijing) Duck. When I got the menu, I just stared and stared at it, because the only things to order were strange duck parts. I just said we would take 2 dishes of the Peking Duck, and some rice and a vegetable. I didn't realize I had ordered 2 whole ducks! They brought them out and cut them up right in front of us, and left us the most treasured part, the head. Dad actually tried some duck brain!

The next day we went to the Simmatai part of the Great Wall. We had heard it was the best place to go, and that it was 2 1/2 to 3 hours away. Because of traffic it took 5 hours to get there. I feel that everyone thought it was worth it! First we had a Chinese meal outside with a beautiful view of the wall up on the mountain. It was amazing and breathtaking! We rode a tram up part of the mountain, which was very scary for Mom. Then we had a big climb to the wall, and walked across the top, from tower to tower. There were these local women who tried to be helpful and make friends with you, and then would try to get you to buy souvenirs from them at the end. They wouldn't leave poor Mom alone! She had one lady holding each arm. And Mom is so nice! We had to help her out and stick right next to her to keep them away. We did end up buying a couple of books from them, but nobody is ever glad to find out I live in Nanjing, and know how much I should pay for things. After the big hike, we got to ride a zip-line down the mountain and over a river. It was so much fun! Mom even did it! Dad just walked down, I think because he wanted to get photos. The long drive was definitely worth it. It wasn't even busy, because it was so far from town.

On Thursday, we went on a trip to the Cloisone factory, and saw how it was made. It was very interesting, and amazing to see all of the work that goes into it. We did some good shopping:-) Then we went to the Summer Palace, a beautiful, but very crowded palace where the emperor would live 6 months out of the year. We had a little extra time before flying to Xi'an, so we stopped at a Tibetan Medicine Clinic and had an overview of Chinese Medicine, and were diagnosed with several ailments and recommended cures (available for purchase) while receiving a foot massage.

On Friday, we went to see the Terracotta Warriors. This is another thing that is almost too amazing to comprehend. We even got a photo with the man who discovered them in 1974. He is old now, but signs books and has photos. He was given 30 yuan for his discovery, by the government. This is equivalent to less than 5.00 US dollars. It is really hard to grasp the magnitude of the terracotta warriors without seeing them. It was truly incredible. That night we went to a dumpling dinner and Tang Dynasty show. You know, the dinner wasn't really great, but the show was wonderful. Everyone's favorite were the young Yo Yo girls.

On Saturday, we were privileged to visit the cave of our tourguide's grandparents. They actually live in a cave along with over 100,000,000 other Chinese people that live in caves. It was such a humbling experience. His grandfather is 95 years old! The cave was so sparse, and had just been wired with electricity (meaning, a couple of simple lights) five years ago. They got a phone 2 years ago. Taking up a good portion of the room, was a huge coffin. Apparently, thirty years ago the grandfather was very ill, and expected to die. They had a coffin made for him, and then he got well. People from all over the village come to touch the coffin for luck! Eighty percent of the people in China live as poor farmers. It is hard to get a true picture when you see the big cities. It was such a blessing to see a part of China that is so closed to the foreign population. On our way to the airport, we stopped at the Han Dynasty emperor's tomb. He did the same thing, building an underground palace, with all of the clay people and soldiers, but his were all done in 1/3 scale. This was a time of peace, and he didn't feel the need for large warriors to protect him.

We had such a wonderful trip. It is all so surreal to think about the things we were able to see and do, and to have Mom and Dad there with us, it was that much more special. I think that Mom and Dad got their share of Chinese food, in case you were worried. And they still have plenty of time. I think they are still in shock about the over 100 photos people took of our kids (this is an under-exaguration). Even though there are tourists here in China, not many are children, so they are amazed to see foreign children. Wow, this was a long one! It's been a good week!

Birthday and Easter Photos

Here's the Party

Happy Birthday Nicole

Making S'mores



Easter Morning

April 22, 2006

When the Relief Society decided they wanted to meet at the Carioka Brazilian BBQ for Enrichment, I was pretty excited. I remembered Chad, my brother, telling me how wonderful Brazilian BBQ is. I have never had a chance to try it out. Well, it was looking good. There was a big Fiberglas pig as we walked in...A pretty good sign. The walls were covered in Bathing Brazilian Beauties. The restaurant was full! When I looked over at the buffet, I was a little disappointed, all I could see was Chinese Food. But, I thought, it must just be the side-dishes, cause they are going to come around with all of that meat! Well, soon they started to come by. First, they offered BBQ tofu, And then some Tofu meat balls. After that, they came by with some chicken hearts. The next round was actually some roast beef (that was so rare, I didn't dare try it). There were a couple of sausage sort of things, and some hot bananas and pineapple. I should have known better. What was I dreaming??? Oh well, I had a great visit with the ladies.

This last Friday was Nicole's 12th Birthday sleep-over. She had 7 girls over. Nicole is the only native English speaker in her grade. She has a German friend and an Austrian friend. The three of them are pretty close. The other five were Korean girls, also from Nicole's grade. I was a bit worried, because I wanted Nicole to have a fun party, and the Korean girls tend to click together and speak Korean. I was so pleasantly surprised! The girls all had a wonderful time. They made pizzas, and played every party game you can think of. Nicole wanted so badly to have s'mores for her birthday treat. I ordered some marshmallows and graham crackers from Shanghai, and got some chocolate. They each put some marshmallows on the end of a chopstick, and roasted them over the gas stove. They all had a blast! And they loved the s'mores. Nicole explained that Americans make these over an open-fire while camping. We provide such cultural experiences at our home:-). Everything went great, but the next morning, some of the Korean girls couldn't handle all of those sweet cereals, and muffins, and asked for noodles. Thank goodness I had some! I think these girls may have had more sugar than they have had in their entire life-time at the sleep-over. I wonder if their parents will ever speak to me.

We are so excited for my Mom and Dad to come and visit this next week. I'm sure we'll have some fun stories to share. Maybe I should take them to the Brazilian BBQ. Don't worry Mom and Dad, I'll make sure I have spicy noodles in the house for breakfast.

Some photos

A beautiful Snowy day at Purple Cloud Lake

Here is a man doing his calligraphy at the park

This lady asked me to video her, and they all wanted to see!

Happy Easter!

Rachel and Nicole spent the week studying, because this week is "final exam" week. It is a little bit strange, because they still have a solid 6 weeks of school after the exams. Oh well. They worked very hard, and I feel they will do well. The rest of us had a fairly normal week. I think the most unusual thing was that Mike didn't have many evening meetings. He usually has at least 4 night-time meetings a week, that are call-in meetings to North America. This was a nice change. I made hot cross buns with a friend this week. I've never tasted hot cross buns, and they are very delicious. This is an Easter tradition. The family enjoyed them as well. Friday afternoon, Mike and I were supposed to go next door from his work for a dumpling lunch with friends. Mike was called into a meeting, so I took Eli as my date. We ordered a very interesting deep-fried fish dish. It came, of course, with the head, which was a pretty good size deep-fried fish head. They had drenched it in sauce and added peas into the eye-sockets, and a cherry tomato in the mouth. I saved the fish head. I made pizza for dinner on Friday night, and instead of giving Mike his pizza, I brought him his "special fish-head" dish. The kids thought it was hilarious, but Mike didn't want to eat it. I don't know if he was more disgusted by the fish-head, or it's pea-eyes. I tried not to be offended that he didn't want his special dish, and let him have pizza instead:-)

Easter was a nice day for us. On Saturday, we colored some eggs. A friend who had brought some egg-dye with her, let us use her left-over dye. It was a fun surprise for the kids, who thought that they were going to have to use markers. Believe it or not, my kids actually like hard boiled eggs! On Sunday morning, Eli and Jay woke up at 5:30 ready to find their eggs. We told them to stay in their room for another hour (Christmas is one thing, but they have to wait a while on Easter). They came in every 10 minutes and asked...Has it been an hour yet? Finally we gave in, and had a fun egg-hunt. We had a full house for church. Some of the Chinese national members came, because we had an Easter Dinner afterward. They met upstairs during church, which is not the best scenerio. We really shouldn't be in the same building. The parents of our Chinese missionary, Jake, came for the potluck, after the church service. It was a really nice afternoon. I had ordered a ham from Shanghai, and everyone brought dishes to go with it. We also had a wedding shower of sorts for Tyler and Amanda. Tyler is an American from Utah, and Amanda is a convert from Chongzhou (about 1 1/2 hours away). They will be getting married this summer in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a great day.

More Trips

<<-- Mike's Birthday

On Monday night, two days after the doctor told us that we didn't have to go daily for her ear, Caitlin tried to cut off her finger. Ok, she wasn't trying to cut off her finger, she was trying to cut paper in the dark, because she was supposed to be asleep in bed. We are all wondering if she just can't stand to be away from her friends at the doctor's office! Anyway, I wasn't home, so Mike grabbed a taxi, and went to the clinic. I met them there. She nicked a very small artery, so it bled and bled. The doctor stitched it all up, so everything is fine, but when I got there, I didn't realize I was getting light-headed and greenish, and had to sit down. I was a little glad that Mike took care of the gory part, and I arrived in time for hugs. Nine stitches later, Caitlin is feeling lucky she's out of dishes for the week, and even though she didn't get to play in her soccer tournament in Shanghai, she got to go and cheer them on!

Rachel went this week to Hong Kong with the school soccer team. She had a great time. It sounds like she got to play quite a bit, which was great for her since she'd never played soccer before six months ago. This has been a good experience for her. Her coaches were tough, and really worked them. I think she really enjoyed the exercise, and team spirit.

Mike turned 37 this week. Yes, the old man is getting along fine. He was happy to receive some fun emails from family and friends, and got his homemade chocolate cake. This is all he needed to make his 37 years complete. You just keep on going Michael...

Today, our group watched the Sunday morning session of conference. It was wonderful, of course. We will watch the afternoon session in a couple of weeks. Jared Cobia, Mike's friend and work associate from Dearborn (Michigan) has been here on business, and was able to come to church today. He is also a member of the church. He stayed after and had lunch and visited with us for a while. It was a lot of fun. His wife is pregnant. They have an 8 year old boy, a 3 year old daughter, and 1 1/2 year old triplets (girls). She is my hero!

Some interesting things we saw this week:

Rachel saw a truck full of pig-heads.

Nicole saw a dog on a bike with a woman.

Lonnie saw small lanterns taped to the milk cartons as a promotion. This is even better than the make-up bags taped to the milk cartons!

Mike saw a three wheeled 5 ton truck, full of building materials.

A Very Eventful Week...

Caitlin in Tienanmen Square

Tienanmen Square
Handicapped girl writing in hope of receiving money.

A bicycle cart full of buns...

Part of the Temple of Heaven










This week started off busy, and just kept getting more crazy! I went to a town called Yixing on Monday, with some friends. It is a town where they make ceramic dishes. There are many factories. Well, there is a small shopping street, where you can buy dinnerware. But each of the little stalls just have bits and pieces of a set. There was a relatively larger store that had a couple of whole sets. This store was the store that my friend and I found the set we wanted, and of course, it wasn't in any of the other shops. I think they knew this, and wouldn't come down in price for us. Unfortunately,we walked away. I did buy some cute mugs and a serving dish. I am learning many lessons about shopping in China. First, I left the shop and realized they had given me nine instead of the ten I paid for. I got another one, but when I got home, I found 9 of my mugs and a Christmas mug! I thought I was watching so carefully, but there were about 3 ladies wrapping them in newspaper, and boy are they tricky!

Wednesday was Student-lead Conference Day. This is where the teacher stays right out of it, and the student takes their parent(s) around to see what they have been doing. I spent the entire day at the school! It was wonderful, though, going from class to class with my children, and seeing all of the hard work they have been doing in school. They were good at showing me where they are succeeding, and even pointing out areas for improvement. They did a great job.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Doctor we have been seeing, told us that we needed to go to Beijing to have her ear looked at. There was a lump of something close to her eardrum, and the ENT specialist in Beijing thought he should look at it. We made arrangements to go on Friday. Anna, from our Church group watched Eli for me. Caitlin and I left on Friday morning early, and flew up to Beijing. We got to the clinic about 10:30, and they got her in right away. We got some great news! The lump in her ear is scar-tissue, not infection. The infection is cleared-up and she doesn't need her daily treatment anymore! It was wonderful to hear this from a specialist. He had the equipment and expertise he needed to get a close look. After the Doctor gave us the OK to leave, they couldn't get us return tickets until Saturday morning, so Cailtin and I jumped in a taxi and went to check out some of the city. We had a terrific time! We saw the Temple of Heaven, and Tienanmen Square. We did some shopping, and even found a book shop (with some English books). The highlight was the Subway sandwich store they have there in Beijing. Yummy! We are looking forward to getting a better look when we go to Beijing next month with the family.

I like to write down funny phrases or words that I see. Here are a few I saw in Beijing:

Please show your cash and receipt to your face.

Uncomplimentary: 36rmb (this was on a can of tea they had in the hotel room)

Hospital for Anus and Intestinal Disorders (yes, this is for real...A huge sign)

And the gigantic block letters on the Hard Rock Cafe in Beijing...NO DRUGS OR NUCLEAR WEAPONS ALLOWED!Is this on all of the Hard Rock Cafes now? I've been here too long, and I can't tell if it's Chinglish, or the real thing! Either way(????)

On Saturday, Rachel did the 13 mile walk with her soccer team to raise money for their trip to Hong Kong. It was right after a game! She is a little stiff today!

An Eli learning moment from this week: "Mom, are we there yet?" "Almost" "what does almost mean?" "It means not quite." "I HATE ALMOST!"