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!"

Caitlin and Jay

Very sporty, Caitlin!

Jay, the Energy Power Dribbler

Caitlin and the Sport Girls (their team name)

Mike, and some of the Energy Power Boys

Jay, and his class in the Lower-Elementary Production

Dad! Don't tickle me!

What Did You Do This Week?

Eli: I Broke Caitlin's doll and got into your slippery stuff, except I don't know what it was called (laundry stain remover). I did nothing else after I got into stuff. Just did nothing except right now I am doing something...(what are you doing?) Just playing trains. Can we go now??? (Eli left out quite a few other "things" he did this week, this was actually all the stuff he remembered from today.)

Jay: On Monday, I think, I um... I had P.E. On Tuesday, I had soccer. On Wednesday, I had clay creations and brought home the little turtle table that I made. It's on Mom's dresser, now. On Thursday, I don't really remember what I did. On Friday, I did my elementary production performance for the parents. On Saturday, I had Fun Olympics. It was a good week. And on Sunday, I had church.

Caitlin: Monday, I went to the doctor. Tuesday I went to the doctor. Wednesday, I went to the doctor. Thursday, I went to the doctor. Friday, I went to the doctor. Saturday, I went to the doctor. Today, I went to the doctor. Oh, on Saturday, I had Fun Olympics at school and won a lot.

Nicole: Let me think before you type. NO!!! Mom! I was grounded for a week. I stayed inside. I played computer, slept, read books, celebrated my friends birthday (On Saturday, when I wasn't grounded), made cookies, studied for exams, and played trains with Eli.

Rachel: I did homework, soccer, um...School and sleep. Oh, and I ate. Typical.

Lonnie: Doctor visits, computer fixing (well, not actually me), school meetings, visiting teaching, grocery shopping, Chinese lessons, book club reading (with Kellee!), home-work helping, cooking, more Chinese food-tasting, school production watching, running, emailing, banking, lots and lots of riding in the car, Family Home Evening, laundry, cleaning, Fun Olympic chaperoning, and Dating! Oh, and making sure everybody got to their stuff...


Mike: I worked long hours. We had executives in town, so that made it even crazier. Yeah, that wasn't fun...

So, there is the family's take on the week...

A little more detail about a couple of things: Jay did a great job in his school production. He was an aborigine with his class, and they all sang some songs, too. On Saturday, we had a great time at the school fun olympics. Mike was the team leader for Jay's team of six first-graders. They chose the name "Energy Power". They all wore red t-shirts, but Mike was unable to wear his XXXL (Chinese size) because it was too small. I ended up coaching a team of fifth-grade Korean girls. Their team-leader didn't show-up. It was lots of fun. Caitlin was on a team of fourth grade girls, and feels they did very well. The weather was great, and everyone was exhausted at the end...A successful day.

Tree-planting Day

How sweet! Trees next to each other

Jay and his adopted tree

Rachel knows how to fill in that dirt! Hope your name-plaque doesn't fly off, Rach!

Eli found a friend

Caitlin's Fine Tree

Our trip across the swinging bridge


The Big Welcome

Family at the Plum Blossom Festival

Always something to laugh about...

It's been a full week. Here are some of the highlights...

On Tuesday, Mike was able to sneak away from work a little early, so that we could go and see the Plum Blossom Festival. You should know that it is the INTERNATIONAL Plum Blossom Festival, though I'm not sure what that means. It was really gorgeous. I mentioned in an earlier blog entry, that I had gone with a friend and ridden in the emperor Box, which I have now learned is a Jouzi. When we got to the top of the hill, the men all ran up to us and wanted us to ride. I let the kids all have a turn, and the men wanted Michael and I to have a turn. I told them I'd already tried it, and Mike said, "No Thank you". They really wanted him to try. I think to prove their man-hood or something. Anyway, they offered us a free ride. They were so proud! They all wanted pictures next to him measuring height. And then, they asked how much Mike weighed. I told them 250, and their jaws dropped open. When we walked away, Mike said,"You forgot that they work with kilos, didn't you?" I had just told them he weighs over 500 lbs! Well, they will have a great story to tell...I wonder if it will turn into one of those Paul Bunyan Tall Tales.

We had an incident on Friday afternoon with Eli. I had a mother and her son who is Eli's age, over to play. When I went upstairs to their bedroom, I saw that they had been out on the roof through their second story window! Luckily, the mother acted cool about it. I thought I would die! When Eli was on time-out, he said, "But Mom, I had my umbrella, and I can fly with that!" Fly????? We had a huge conversation, and I said a prayer of thanks in my heart, for him not getting a chance to try that experiment!

Saturday was our church group service project. The young man in our group worked together with the city to plan our outing to a park to each "adopt" and plant a tree and have a plaque with our names on it. The city of Nanjing is doing a bunch of tree planting days to celebrate Arbor Day. To be able to do this activity, we each had to provide a passport photo for a security pass. So, I guess my back-ground check showed I was OK for tree-planting:-) The city provided a bus. We all met at 8:00 in the morning, and climbed on the bus. Twice, our bus-driver pulled over to the side of the freeway to ask cars parked in the emergency lane, directions. Finally we made it. There was a huge deal going on. There were probably 2000 people there for the festivities, with a welcoming drum squad, and TV cameras, banners, etc. Of course, we were the only group of foreigners, so the TV cameras followed us around. The most confusing thing to all of us, was that we saw trees all around. There was definitely not a shortage on trees. They had cleared trees out of an area for the park, and now we were all planting trees back in the park! One interesting thing in the park was a little kiddie ride, on a small train track. The kids were supposed to sit in a little car, and shoot at targets on concrete animals such as a giraffe, a stegasouras, and an elephant (who would then scream in pain) with electric-light machine guns. (?) Scary. The park was beautiful, and we had a lovely walk with the 30 of us who came. When it was time to plant our trees, we went to a pre-dug hole, put the tree that was laying next to it in the hole, and filled the hole with dirt. We then tied our "name-plaque", a small plasticised card with our name written on it, to the tree. The good news is that we each got a pass to the park, good for a year, so if we ever want to go the 2 hours to see how our tree is doing, well, we can!

Nicole spent Friday and Saturday in Shanghai for her Volleyball tournament. She played very well, even if her team didn't win. It sounds like she had a great time.