Today was a great day. We headed out early and went to a store that a lot of our friends buy accessories from here in the City. The store was extremely neat in that it had gorgeous Chinese furniture, lamps, pictures, and just knick knack things. We ended up picking up Chinese placesettings, which includes a little plate, a small bowl, a tea cup, chopsticks and its holder, and the Chinese spoon. We have been wanting to get a set like this so when we entertain and serve Chinese food we have something nicer than the cheap chopsticks I had gotten us at Carrefour when we first moved in.
After this store, we headed to have lunch at Blue Frog, a popular restaurant for expats that is located in the same district area of the store. They have a nice area for the kids to play and we were given table near this area, so Dustin and I could sit for a little bit and keep a good eye on them as well. Josh had a great time just walking between where Danny was playing and us. We had a nice lunch and then headed over to the flower market.
We went to the flower market to pick up some artificial orchids to go in this vase Dustin had bought a while back. We have been wanting to get over here for some time, but the weekends just seem to get so busy. Josh began having a melt down, so we headed home quickly.
After naps we had a nice dinner and then got the boys dressed to go trick-or-treat. They had a party/festival at the clubhouse, but numerous people said it was crazy last year, so we did not bother to go see it. We took the kids to the community next to ours where there are houses rather than apartments. We started at my friend Diane's house, and Josh was just hilarious. He did not get it at first and actually looked like he might cry, yet after the second house he realized the concept that when he yelled out trick or treat (in is cute version) that the people would then put candy into his basket. He was running to the next house after that. So cute--he dressed up as spiderman as well, which had the little muscles in it and everything. We stuck mostly to our friends houses and their closest neighbors.
It was a great night, just a little warm and as we were winding down and heading home, Danny summed up the unusual warm weather well by saying "I'm roasting in this, can I take it off?" So we headed home with Josh wiped out in the stroller and Danny with his spiderman tied around his waist, both excited about the candy they received.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Halloween School Party
So most of this week was devoted to getting ready for Danny's school Halloween Party. Monika and I had decided on having the kids do two craft projects, one being a pumpkin magnet and another being a scarecrow. I had earlier gotten the pumpkin pieces cut out, but I was amazed at how long it took us to get the scarecrow parts cut out and certain sections preassembled.
On the Friday before Halloween, the school had the party in the morning, as some children like Danny leave at 1:30 and others stay until 3:30. The teachers and staff had decorated the preschool, and many of the parents dressed up in costumes along with their children. Danny was so excited to go as Spiderman this year. He is really into dressing up as superheros right now, so this was the perfect costume.
The party went extremely well, and there were a lot of parents that stayed to help and to also take great pictures of the kids. We started out with a song about going apple picking and then gave each child a variation on a carmel apple for them to try. We did our story about fall festivals (not sure how many children except those from the midwest, which there are a couple, followed this concept) which gave us our segway and explanation of a scarecrow and then we had them start on this craft. They were all excited about it and they turned out really cute. After that, we did the pumpkin craft and then went around the clubhouse (the preschool is located within our clubhouse) for trick-or-treating/showing off the costumes to the staff of the clubhouse.
Overall it was a great day, but by the end I was exhausted. We had a relaxed rest of the day and looked forward to taking the kids around tomorrow.
On the Friday before Halloween, the school had the party in the morning, as some children like Danny leave at 1:30 and others stay until 3:30. The teachers and staff had decorated the preschool, and many of the parents dressed up in costumes along with their children. Danny was so excited to go as Spiderman this year. He is really into dressing up as superheros right now, so this was the perfect costume.
The party went extremely well, and there were a lot of parents that stayed to help and to also take great pictures of the kids. We started out with a song about going apple picking and then gave each child a variation on a carmel apple for them to try. We did our story about fall festivals (not sure how many children except those from the midwest, which there are a couple, followed this concept) which gave us our segway and explanation of a scarecrow and then we had them start on this craft. They were all excited about it and they turned out really cute. After that, we did the pumpkin craft and then went around the clubhouse (the preschool is located within our clubhouse) for trick-or-treating/showing off the costumes to the staff of the clubhouse.
Overall it was a great day, but by the end I was exhausted. We had a relaxed rest of the day and looked forward to taking the kids around tomorrow.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Danny's Birthday Party
We had a great day with beautiful weather for Danny and Alivia's birthday party. I cannot believe that at the end of October it is in the 80s. As the two are such good friends, have all the same friends, and their birthdays are just a couple days apart, Lindsay and I decided it would be fun to celebrate together. We had the party at Lindsay and Joel's house as they live in a house with a yard compared to our apartment. Our goal was to keep the kids between the backyard and the kitchen for snacks. It worked out great! We had some relay games, the package game (like hot potato, but when it stops you get to open a layer of the package and get a little gift), a scavenger game, and then a pinata. The kids and parents alike had a great time. The craziest was the pinata and watching them go at it. We had little ones like Josh (he was so excited to take a swing while I held him) and then a little older kids that were already 5. The 5 year olds were amazing at hitting it. We asked everyone to forego gifts and have their children make cards for both Alivia and Danny, and these were so neat. The children were all really creative and we have great keepsakes from all his friends here in China.
After the party we headed back to our house and opened presents (from Dustin and I) and watched a movie while eating pizza.
Overall, a great day with all our friends here in China.
After the party we headed back to our house and opened presents (from Dustin and I) and watched a movie while eating pizza.
Overall, a great day with all our friends here in China.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Danny's First Field Trip--the Chinese Vegetable Farm
Today we said goodbye to my mom and left the house to head to Danny's first field trip. My mom stayed home with Josh and Dustin took my mom to the airport--her flight left before we were back from the fieldtrip. While it was too bad I was not able to take her to the airport, I think in some ways it made it a little easier as I had something to focus on other than her departure.
We got to school and Danny's teacher handed out these blue smocks. Each class had a different color and it was there way of being able to spot and count the children. This was a little funny in the fact that a child could not come unless a caregiver came with them. I say caregiver as there were plenty of kids there with their ayis and not a parent. I could not imagine with the caregiver present that a child could get separated from the group, yet I guess it is better to be safe than sorry.
At 8:30 we headed to the busses and took off for the organic vegetable farm. It was not too long of a drive--about 30 minutes, and we arrived at the farm. Unfortunately we lost a lot of time in waiting for everyone to use the bathrooms--while not a squat pot (typical Chinese toilet) there were only a single male and female bathroom in less than cleanly conditions--plus apparently half way through the toilet seat fell off the one in the women's bathroom. Not so easy with a bunch of preschoolers--the oldest being 4.
After waiting about 20 minutes in hot sun--apparently the little cool off we had a day ago was gone and it felt strangely like summer again--our guide came out and took us to our first area. While she spoke English, she did not really give us any information except what the plant was, and how to pick it. Our first stop was lettuce. We went from one spot to another, and while it was a lot of fun to watch the kids pick vegetables, I wish they would have at least talked about why they were an organic farm and how that is different from other farms. The kids finished up with getting a plant of their own--bak choy--Chinese cabbage to grow at home.
After our tour and picking vegetables, we had our lunches that the school provided to us. It was tuna fish on pita bread (mind you it was sitting in the sun for the entire time we walked around--so all the moms ate after giving a silent prayer) and half a turkey sandwich--it is not a big surprise that most moms ate the tuna while the kids atebthe turkey sandwichs. They also provided cut up vegetables. We all ate in a circle on plastic chairs that the farm provided.
We finished eating, and then went down to the market (another missed opportunity for them to talk to the kids) where they were packaging up the vegetables for the local grocery stores. Danny helped me pick out two pumpkins and some vegetables for us to purchase and take home. I was really excited to see the pumpkins and told Danny we would carve them on Sunday before church.
We headed back to the school, and after I got Danny down for his nap I headed off to the store to get items I needed for Danny's birthday party the next day. After trying to be fast at the store--they had rearranged everything in the store, and I did not know where anything was located--Dustin and I settled on McDonalds for dinner.
Overall, Danny's first fieldtrip was a lot of fun and most importantly he had a great time. I was so grateful to be able to share this memory with him. We are looking forward to tomorrow when we celebrate his birthday as a family and with a big friends party.
We got to school and Danny's teacher handed out these blue smocks. Each class had a different color and it was there way of being able to spot and count the children. This was a little funny in the fact that a child could not come unless a caregiver came with them. I say caregiver as there were plenty of kids there with their ayis and not a parent. I could not imagine with the caregiver present that a child could get separated from the group, yet I guess it is better to be safe than sorry.
At 8:30 we headed to the busses and took off for the organic vegetable farm. It was not too long of a drive--about 30 minutes, and we arrived at the farm. Unfortunately we lost a lot of time in waiting for everyone to use the bathrooms--while not a squat pot (typical Chinese toilet) there were only a single male and female bathroom in less than cleanly conditions--plus apparently half way through the toilet seat fell off the one in the women's bathroom. Not so easy with a bunch of preschoolers--the oldest being 4.
After waiting about 20 minutes in hot sun--apparently the little cool off we had a day ago was gone and it felt strangely like summer again--our guide came out and took us to our first area. While she spoke English, she did not really give us any information except what the plant was, and how to pick it. Our first stop was lettuce. We went from one spot to another, and while it was a lot of fun to watch the kids pick vegetables, I wish they would have at least talked about why they were an organic farm and how that is different from other farms. The kids finished up with getting a plant of their own--bak choy--Chinese cabbage to grow at home.
After our tour and picking vegetables, we had our lunches that the school provided to us. It was tuna fish on pita bread (mind you it was sitting in the sun for the entire time we walked around--so all the moms ate after giving a silent prayer) and half a turkey sandwich--it is not a big surprise that most moms ate the tuna while the kids atebthe turkey sandwichs. They also provided cut up vegetables. We all ate in a circle on plastic chairs that the farm provided.
We finished eating, and then went down to the market (another missed opportunity for them to talk to the kids) where they were packaging up the vegetables for the local grocery stores. Danny helped me pick out two pumpkins and some vegetables for us to purchase and take home. I was really excited to see the pumpkins and told Danny we would carve them on Sunday before church.
We headed back to the school, and after I got Danny down for his nap I headed off to the store to get items I needed for Danny's birthday party the next day. After trying to be fast at the store--they had rearranged everything in the store, and I did not know where anything was located--Dustin and I settled on McDonalds for dinner.
Overall, Danny's first fieldtrip was a lot of fun and most importantly he had a great time. I was so grateful to be able to share this memory with him. We are looking forward to tomorrow when we celebrate his birthday as a family and with a big friends party.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
End of a Great Visit
The rest of the week went fast with my mom, as we headed back to the fabric market on Wednesday to pick up her things, and then to the Pearl Market again on Thursday to finish getting the items I needed for Danny's birthday party. We had such great visit and the kids just really enjoyed having her here and showing her our China home. We hope next time that my dad will be able to join her and we can show him around as well--although I am not pictureing that the Pearl Market and Fabric Market are not going to be high on his list. :) Thankfully, tomorrow when my mom heads back to Chicago, Danny has his first field trip. This should make the transition of having Nana head home a little easier on him and me as well. The other great part is that now there is only a month and a half until we are back in the States for Christmas, and we will be able to be with our family and friends.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Back to the Fabric Market
Today after dropping Danny off, my mom and I and Josh took off back to the fabric market. This time to pick up her clothes. We were both silently praying that all would be fine with what she ordered. We arrived and headed to the first place. They looked at us and told us it was still being sewn and would be ready at 2pm. I told them this was unacceptable as I had to leave no later than 12 to be back to pick up Danny from school. They said they would get it back by 12 for us. As we walked away from that stall, we both prayed the rest would not have that problem. Usually when you say it will be ready on a certain day it means it is ready at the beginning of the day unless specified otherwise. I was a little shocked that they said it was still being sewn. Thankfully, the next place had the items, but two fit great and two needed alterations. One of my mom's other things was made too small--which is always interesting as they take your measurements, so it is strange they had it so off. It became quite apparent that we would be returning on Wednesday for most of the things. Yet, she was pleased with the work that was done and we both felt much better about most of it. We went back to get her coat, and they informed us that it still was not ready. They agreed to deliver it to the house, so she could try it on. This way if something needed to be changed there would still be time to do it before Wednesday.
We arrived home and picked up Danny and had a low key evening at home. Dustin arrived home after the boys went to bed, but it was so great to have him home after two weeks of business trips.
We arrived home and picked up Danny and had a low key evening at home. Dustin arrived home after the boys went to bed, but it was so great to have him home after two weeks of business trips.
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Flower Market
Today after dropping Danny off to school we took off to go to the flower market. This market is where we got all our flowers (which are quite dead by the way--apparently my ayis--the three we have had so far--have no better luck with plants than I do) for our flower pots on our balconies. This market is also where they have Halloween decorations, a toy store, many aquariums and fish and the frame and picture shop that Dustin and I had our pictures framed at this past spring. I wanted to show my mom it as well as look for some Halloween things for the party at Danny's school. I also wanted to check out the toy store for some small toys for Danny's birthday party that is coming up in another week.
Thankfully, it did not take us long to get there, and once there Tom said he would watch Josh while we quickly ran around. I first went into the Halloween store and was able to pick up a few things for the party. I was hoping for some nice stickers and other items, but they did not carry that type of thing at their store. We went on then to the toy store. We spent quite a bit of time coming up with toys that would work for the gift bags and for prizes. All of it was cheap cheap toys and trinkets, that would probably be below what the Dollar store would even consider selling back home. I was shocked therefore when the women wanted an enormous amount of money for them and would hardly negotiate on the price. I was so annoyed with her that I made quite the show of putting everything back except a set of crayons--usually this is when they will cave in their price, but she just stood there. We left the store with a lot less than I wanted, but I was unwilling to pay more than I would in the US for things I knew would break within a few times of playing with it (sometimes it doesn't even take that long with things made here and sold here--apparently their standard for quality is extremely low for what is sold domestically here).
After going in those shops, I just quickly showed my mom around the rest of it. We then headed back to the van to find that Tom had let Josh sit in the front and pretend to drive. This is all fine as he had a great time, but if you have ever made this mistake yourself you will know--Josh now believes that at 21 months he should be allowed to drive the van. He screamed and arched his back making it so hard to get him in his car seat. He did finally allowed me to buckle him in, and we traveled home to get Danny from school.
Thankfully, it did not take us long to get there, and once there Tom said he would watch Josh while we quickly ran around. I first went into the Halloween store and was able to pick up a few things for the party. I was hoping for some nice stickers and other items, but they did not carry that type of thing at their store. We went on then to the toy store. We spent quite a bit of time coming up with toys that would work for the gift bags and for prizes. All of it was cheap cheap toys and trinkets, that would probably be below what the Dollar store would even consider selling back home. I was shocked therefore when the women wanted an enormous amount of money for them and would hardly negotiate on the price. I was so annoyed with her that I made quite the show of putting everything back except a set of crayons--usually this is when they will cave in their price, but she just stood there. We left the store with a lot less than I wanted, but I was unwilling to pay more than I would in the US for things I knew would break within a few times of playing with it (sometimes it doesn't even take that long with things made here and sold here--apparently their standard for quality is extremely low for what is sold domestically here).
After going in those shops, I just quickly showed my mom around the rest of it. We then headed back to the van to find that Tom had let Josh sit in the front and pretend to drive. This is all fine as he had a great time, but if you have ever made this mistake yourself you will know--Josh now believes that at 21 months he should be allowed to drive the van. He screamed and arched his back making it so hard to get him in his car seat. He did finally allowed me to buckle him in, and we traveled home to get Danny from school.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
The Trip to the Pearl Market
Today we had plans to pick up my friend Erin from the subway station and all go to the Pearl Market. The Pearl Market is a building with numerous shops of all sorts selling scarves, glasses, watches, sports jerseys, jewelry (hence the Pearl market name), cheap Chinese toys, etc. We each had certain things we were looking for while we were there, and we also planned to go out to lunch. I planned to accomplish this all and still get back by 2:30 to watch Danny swim in his class.
Unfortunately, the day did not start off well for our plans. The big problem was that while I had a map to show Tom the subway station we needed to pick up Erin at, it did not have many roads listed on it. I was able to get across to him the plan of picking her up and then going to the Pearl Market. Our mistake was in asking another driver in our parking lot how to get to the station. He sent us to the wrong station. In addition, the time it took us to ask him, left us behind our schedule from the beginning. We finally got to Erin and picked her up, but we lost about 40 minutes in the whole process.
We arrived at the market and we started our shopping. This is a little more work than back home, for two reasons. There are no price tags--you just have to barter and they are small shops and you sort of have to go from one to another to make sure you are getting a good deal. This of course all takes a lot of time. We were collectively able to each get some items that we either came there needing, or wanting. I was able to get some costumes for the boys to play in and a pair of sunglasses, Mom was able to get a lot of jewelry, and some soccer outfits for the boys, and Erin was also able to pick up some jewelry. However, this all took up the entire amount of time that we had before I needed to get back. So we scrapped the idea of lunch and had Tom take us to the closest McDonalds. We then ate in the car as we brought Erin back to the subway station.
After dropping her off and apologizing for the crazy morning and rushed lunch, we traveled as fast as we could back to the clubhouse. We got there about half way through Danny's swim class, but it did not seem to phase him too much. (I had been so worried that he would look out and not see us there watching him).
Overall, the day was insane and extremely stressful for me, but we got a lot of the things we had wanted to get at the market. (I failed to mention that Josh was with us the whole day--poor guy was a saint because he was in the stroller all morning, then did not get lunch until late. It was also crazy because of the constant negotiating for the price, at the end you just wish they would give you a fair price and allow you to pay it. While you may get a good deal negotiating, I always feel like this is probably not the case, as you have no concept of what it cost them in comparison to what they are saying is their lowest or "best" price.)
Unfortunately, the day did not start off well for our plans. The big problem was that while I had a map to show Tom the subway station we needed to pick up Erin at, it did not have many roads listed on it. I was able to get across to him the plan of picking her up and then going to the Pearl Market. Our mistake was in asking another driver in our parking lot how to get to the station. He sent us to the wrong station. In addition, the time it took us to ask him, left us behind our schedule from the beginning. We finally got to Erin and picked her up, but we lost about 40 minutes in the whole process.
We arrived at the market and we started our shopping. This is a little more work than back home, for two reasons. There are no price tags--you just have to barter and they are small shops and you sort of have to go from one to another to make sure you are getting a good deal. This of course all takes a lot of time. We were collectively able to each get some items that we either came there needing, or wanting. I was able to get some costumes for the boys to play in and a pair of sunglasses, Mom was able to get a lot of jewelry, and some soccer outfits for the boys, and Erin was also able to pick up some jewelry. However, this all took up the entire amount of time that we had before I needed to get back. So we scrapped the idea of lunch and had Tom take us to the closest McDonalds. We then ate in the car as we brought Erin back to the subway station.
After dropping her off and apologizing for the crazy morning and rushed lunch, we traveled as fast as we could back to the clubhouse. We got there about half way through Danny's swim class, but it did not seem to phase him too much. (I had been so worried that he would look out and not see us there watching him).
Overall, the day was insane and extremely stressful for me, but we got a lot of the things we had wanted to get at the market. (I failed to mention that Josh was with us the whole day--poor guy was a saint because he was in the stroller all morning, then did not get lunch until late. It was also crazy because of the constant negotiating for the price, at the end you just wish they would give you a fair price and allow you to pay it. While you may get a good deal negotiating, I always feel like this is probably not the case, as you have no concept of what it cost them in comparison to what they are saying is their lowest or "best" price.)
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Danny Turns 4 Today
Danny woke early this morning, and as he slept in Dustin and my bed last night I was able to wish him a happy birthday as soon as he woke up. We headed downstairs for milk and coffee and he was so excited to see his signs up on the wall. We had a nice morning, with birthday well wishers calling for Danny, and he opened up his cards. I took a picture of Danny holding his cupcakes, and we then headed off to school. Danny carried his candles while I carried the cupcakes. He was so excited to show his teachers and friends.
In the morning, my mom came with me to my bible study. She was able to meet the women and join the study for the morning. After lunch, I worked on making Danny a Lightening McQueen cake for the evening. I worked up to the last second, and then we ran over an picked Danny up. He was so happy and telling us all about sharing his cupcakes with his class and teachers. When we got home Danny talked with Dustin on the phone, and then we put in a movie to watch. We ordered pizza and made popcorn. We finished off the day with Danny opening up some presents that my mom brought for him (We are celebrating again once Dustin returns from his trip) and eating cake.
Overall, it was a great day and so much fun to watch it through Danny's eyes.
In the morning, my mom came with me to my bible study. She was able to meet the women and join the study for the morning. After lunch, I worked on making Danny a Lightening McQueen cake for the evening. I worked up to the last second, and then we ran over an picked Danny up. He was so happy and telling us all about sharing his cupcakes with his class and teachers. When we got home Danny talked with Dustin on the phone, and then we put in a movie to watch. We ordered pizza and made popcorn. We finished off the day with Danny opening up some presents that my mom brought for him (We are celebrating again once Dustin returns from his trip) and eating cake.
Overall, it was a great day and so much fun to watch it through Danny's eyes.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Back to School and the Fabric Market
Today Danny headed back to school after his long holiday and my mom and I headed down to the fabric market. This was quite an undertaking, as I pick Danny up at 1:30 and the market is at least 40 minutes from our house. The other reason it is an undertaking is that the shop owners and tailors speak limited English, if any, and you have to negotiate the price.
I was pleasantly surprised that at our first stop (a store that makes leather coats) had a shopkeeper that spoke English. This was so helpful, as we could really make sure they understood the concept we were trying to say--i.e.-zip out lining, hood outside collar, etc. Once we listed out everything my mom wanted, and they took measurements, I haggled over the price. I have gotten fairly good at this, but it is still exhausting at times.
We went from stall to stall so my mom could see all they made there and the different options (there are numerous coat shops, numerous shirt makers, etc..). She had an idea of what she wanted, so we moved fairly quickly from location to location ordering her items. They all indicated they would be finished the following Monday, which is what I had expected.
We hoped in the van and raced back to pick up Danny. We got there right as his class let out, so all was fine. We had a low key dinner and then made cupcakes for Danny to bring to school for his birthday. He was so excited to help me frost his cupcakes and decorate them with skittles. I cannot believe he turns 4 tomorrow. After tucking them in bed, I quickly made some signs for Danny--he loves making signs for other people (especially Dustin when he comes home from trips) and he is so overjoyed when people make signs for him. I crashed into bed thinking of how much my little guy has grown over these past 4 years.
I was pleasantly surprised that at our first stop (a store that makes leather coats) had a shopkeeper that spoke English. This was so helpful, as we could really make sure they understood the concept we were trying to say--i.e.-zip out lining, hood outside collar, etc. Once we listed out everything my mom wanted, and they took measurements, I haggled over the price. I have gotten fairly good at this, but it is still exhausting at times.
We went from stall to stall so my mom could see all they made there and the different options (there are numerous coat shops, numerous shirt makers, etc..). She had an idea of what she wanted, so we moved fairly quickly from location to location ordering her items. They all indicated they would be finished the following Monday, which is what I had expected.
We hoped in the van and raced back to pick up Danny. We got there right as his class let out, so all was fine. We had a low key dinner and then made cupcakes for Danny to bring to school for his birthday. He was so excited to help me frost his cupcakes and decorate them with skittles. I cannot believe he turns 4 tomorrow. After tucking them in bed, I quickly made some signs for Danny--he loves making signs for other people (especially Dustin when he comes home from trips) and he is so overjoyed when people make signs for him. I crashed into bed thinking of how much my little guy has grown over these past 4 years.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Riding the Bus to Gubei area of Shanghai
Today we met Lindsay and her children and Kate and her children at the bus stop at 8:30 am to head down to the Gubei area of Shanghai. They have some shops there and we thought it would be a fun activity to do with the kids.
The bus ride was a lot of fun and Josh and Clark did pretty good sitting still until we arrived. The traffic again was not bad and we made it there in about 30 minutes. The bus dropped us off at one of my favorite donut shops from the States--Dunkin Donut. We each got a drink and donut and sat down and enjoyed our treat. All the kids were really cute with my mom, as they all called her Nana. We took pictures out front and then went over to one of the shops to walk around.
After walking through there and getting some raisin bread at a great bakery, we decided to venture up the road to look at an antique furniture store and some other shops. This was quite the adventure as we had to cross an extremely busy road that runs underneath the main elevated road of the city. We looked like quite the sight as we were by far the only foreigners around and with all the children as well.
We did a quick run through and then headed back to the bus stop. The children all had a great time on our little adventure, and when we got back we decided to eat lunch all together at the clubhouse. The older children sat at a table by themselves, with the adults and little ones and the table next to them. They were so excited to be sitting alone.
Overall it was a great day, but made me sad to think there are not many times like this in the future, as Kate and her family will be leaving to move back to the States this Christmas. The one promising part is she is from Minnesota so hopefully we will be able to get together in the future.
The bus ride was a lot of fun and Josh and Clark did pretty good sitting still until we arrived. The traffic again was not bad and we made it there in about 30 minutes. The bus dropped us off at one of my favorite donut shops from the States--Dunkin Donut. We each got a drink and donut and sat down and enjoyed our treat. All the kids were really cute with my mom, as they all called her Nana. We took pictures out front and then went over to one of the shops to walk around.
After walking through there and getting some raisin bread at a great bakery, we decided to venture up the road to look at an antique furniture store and some other shops. This was quite the adventure as we had to cross an extremely busy road that runs underneath the main elevated road of the city. We looked like quite the sight as we were by far the only foreigners around and with all the children as well.
We did a quick run through and then headed back to the bus stop. The children all had a great time on our little adventure, and when we got back we decided to eat lunch all together at the clubhouse. The older children sat at a table by themselves, with the adults and little ones and the table next to them. They were so excited to be sitting alone.
Overall it was a great day, but made me sad to think there are not many times like this in the future, as Kate and her family will be leaving to move back to the States this Christmas. The one promising part is she is from Minnesota so hopefully we will be able to get together in the future.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Playdate
Today was a lot of fun. We headed over in the morning to my friend Lindsay's house for a playdate. Her daughter Alivia is a good friend of Danny's and her son Logan is not much older than they are at age 5. Kate our other friend joined us with her two children Allison who is Logan's age and Clark who is just a little older than Josh at age 2. The kids played and we were able to visit for a while. My mom was also able to see the difference between a community where we live (in an apartment-although it is two floors) and a community of what they term here as villas (which is just a stand alone house). We ordered pizza and the kids all ate outside while we all grab our lunch around the kitchen counter. It was so cute to watch Josh and Clark who were both so excited to be sitting by themselves with the big kids!
After the playdate, we headed home for naps and more fun at some of the parks. Lindsay, Kate and I planned to get together on Friday and travel on the Shanghai Racquet Club bus (the bus for our community) down to the Gubei area of town. It should be an adventure with 6 kids!
After the playdate, we headed home for naps and more fun at some of the parks. Lindsay, Kate and I planned to get together on Friday and travel on the Shanghai Racquet Club bus (the bus for our community) down to the Gubei area of town. It should be an adventure with 6 kids!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Dustin Takes Off and Showing Nana Around
Dustin left early this morning. He spends the next couple of weeks in Thailand, India, Singapore and Hong Kong, before heading back to us. Poor guy has quite a crazy schedule and when he hits Hong Kong, he meets up with his boss who will then travel back to Shanghai with him for another hectic week of meetings. We are looking forward to the 24th of this month, when he will be able to put up his feet and relax for a weekend before his busy schedule begins again.
Today after Dustin left, we all had a leisurely morning (it is still the holiday, so Danny is off from school), and we walked down to the store near our house. It was nice to show my mom our community and the little route we take to the store and back.
In the afternoon after naps we went to the park and enjoyed the nice weather. Tomorrow we go to my friend Lindsay's house for a playdate. Our friend Kate and her two children are going to join us.
Today after Dustin left, we all had a leisurely morning (it is still the holiday, so Danny is off from school), and we walked down to the store near our house. It was nice to show my mom our community and the little route we take to the store and back.
In the afternoon after naps we went to the park and enjoyed the nice weather. Tomorrow we go to my friend Lindsay's house for a playdate. Our friend Kate and her two children are going to join us.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Nana Arrives
Today my mom arrived from Chicago to visit us for a couple of weeks. This is such a blessing as Dustin leaves tomorrow for three weeks of business travel, and it will be so nice to have an extra pair of helping hands with the boys while he is gone. As it is a holiday we had to rent a van to go an pick up my mom--Tom is back at his home in a different province spending time with his wife and two kids. Before we left for the airport, we were suppose to meet our new landlord (this is our second attempt at meeting her), however, yet again she does not make it in time. We are really wondering where she is coming from, since a 9am meeting was too early for her, and we told her to be here before 10:30 and at 11 she is still no where to be found. We call the person coordinating the meeting and tell her we are sorry but we have to leave.
We leave early before my mom's flight, as we thought maybe the traffic would be bad (the new landlord said she was stuck in traffic). Yet, we find that there is surprisingly little traffic today--mostly due to the fact that many of them have left the city to go back to see their families for the holiday. We arrive at the airport an hour before my mom's flight, and we let the boys walk around for awhile. They announce my mom's flight, and we line up with everyone else to welcome Nana to Shanghai. Danny and Josh made signs, so they are holding those up for her to see. Unfortunately, there were about three or four other planes that ended up landing at the same time, so we ended up standing for awhile waiting. I was getting nervous that she was okay with the luggage and getting a cart, but Danny had befriended the family next to us and he was cheerfully chatting to them. The girl studied in Rhode Island, and she spoke really good English. Danny was telling her all about his signs, that Nana was coming and where we live and where we are from. Finally, we spotted Nana and Danny held up his signs and screamed out to her. She made her way around and we headed to the van.
As it was still a little early, we decided to take my mom down and see the river and look at the Bund (this is the section of Shanghai that foreigners were allowed to set up many years ago before China became shut off to the world. The architecture reminds you of Europe). We enjoyed walking around and then we headed home for dinner and to finish getting Dustin ready for his trip.
We leave early before my mom's flight, as we thought maybe the traffic would be bad (the new landlord said she was stuck in traffic). Yet, we find that there is surprisingly little traffic today--mostly due to the fact that many of them have left the city to go back to see their families for the holiday. We arrive at the airport an hour before my mom's flight, and we let the boys walk around for awhile. They announce my mom's flight, and we line up with everyone else to welcome Nana to Shanghai. Danny and Josh made signs, so they are holding those up for her to see. Unfortunately, there were about three or four other planes that ended up landing at the same time, so we ended up standing for awhile waiting. I was getting nervous that she was okay with the luggage and getting a cart, but Danny had befriended the family next to us and he was cheerfully chatting to them. The girl studied in Rhode Island, and she spoke really good English. Danny was telling her all about his signs, that Nana was coming and where we live and where we are from. Finally, we spotted Nana and Danny held up his signs and screamed out to her. She made her way around and we headed to the van.
As it was still a little early, we decided to take my mom down and see the river and look at the Bund (this is the section of Shanghai that foreigners were allowed to set up many years ago before China became shut off to the world. The architecture reminds you of Europe). We enjoyed walking around and then we headed home for dinner and to finish getting Dustin ready for his trip.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Our Trip to Church via the Subway
Today we attempted to get to church via the subway. As Tom is still on vacation, this is about our only option to get there, and since we have a carrier now for Josh (Dustin can carry him on his back rather than dragging the stroller up and down numerous flights of stairs--remember no elevators, and hardly any escalators here), we felt we could manage it, or at least attempt it this once.
As the subway station is not really close to our house, we took a taxi to the station, and then the trains (3 different ones) to arrive at the station right by our church. The taxi ride was quite the experience, as he took us through a lot of back roads, and it was great to see more of how the average Chinese person truly lives. It was also quite the experience, as he was a lot more aggressive a driver then we allow Tom (our driver) to be. The taxi did get us there quickly, and we headed down for our first leg of the trip.
We got a lot of stares, for while the toddler carriers are fairly common in the US, at least in parks where you might go hiking, they are a new sight for most Chinese. Josh was quite the hit as usual, as was Danny who could charm them with his ability to speak a little Chinese. They had a few pictures taken as we went along, and overall the trains were fairly easy to manage.
We arrived at church just a little after they began announcements, and quickly got Josh to the nursery. Danny came with us, as he did not have class today due to the holiday. The music was great, but Danny was already tired of standing half way through the songs (I have to admit sometimes I get tired too, as they sing for about 20 minutes straight at our church). With Danny being tired, he was also restless, and this made the service extremely long for me as well.
After church, we headed across the street for some Turkish food. We found this place, when they held the newcomers meeting for church there. The food is good here, but Danny was not really interested in eating.
We headed out back to the subway with two tired boys. While it did seem in some ways to be quicker, in other ways it felt longer because we had two restless boys. We were able to find a taxi fairly quickly from the station (thankgoodness) and another added blessing was the driver knew where our home was located (not always the case in Shanghai). We were home in no time.
So today, we did prove that this was a way we can get to church, yet there are still blessings of going in the car--mostly that the boys are able to sleep on the way home if they want to do so. They are working on extending some of the subway lines, so in the future we will not need to take three different trains. We may try it again at that time. Overall though it was a success and we had a good time on our little adventure out of our comfort zone.
As the subway station is not really close to our house, we took a taxi to the station, and then the trains (3 different ones) to arrive at the station right by our church. The taxi ride was quite the experience, as he took us through a lot of back roads, and it was great to see more of how the average Chinese person truly lives. It was also quite the experience, as he was a lot more aggressive a driver then we allow Tom (our driver) to be. The taxi did get us there quickly, and we headed down for our first leg of the trip.
We got a lot of stares, for while the toddler carriers are fairly common in the US, at least in parks where you might go hiking, they are a new sight for most Chinese. Josh was quite the hit as usual, as was Danny who could charm them with his ability to speak a little Chinese. They had a few pictures taken as we went along, and overall the trains were fairly easy to manage.
We arrived at church just a little after they began announcements, and quickly got Josh to the nursery. Danny came with us, as he did not have class today due to the holiday. The music was great, but Danny was already tired of standing half way through the songs (I have to admit sometimes I get tired too, as they sing for about 20 minutes straight at our church). With Danny being tired, he was also restless, and this made the service extremely long for me as well.
After church, we headed across the street for some Turkish food. We found this place, when they held the newcomers meeting for church there. The food is good here, but Danny was not really interested in eating.
We headed out back to the subway with two tired boys. While it did seem in some ways to be quicker, in other ways it felt longer because we had two restless boys. We were able to find a taxi fairly quickly from the station (thankgoodness) and another added blessing was the driver knew where our home was located (not always the case in Shanghai). We were home in no time.
So today, we did prove that this was a way we can get to church, yet there are still blessings of going in the car--mostly that the boys are able to sleep on the way home if they want to do so. They are working on extending some of the subway lines, so in the future we will not need to take three different trains. We may try it again at that time. Overall though it was a success and we had a good time on our little adventure out of our comfort zone.
Some Much Needed Rest and Family Time
So the nice part of this holiday, is that we have been able to just relax and not do much at all. We have been without a car, as our driver is home with his family for the holiday. Like many living in the city and in jobs like drivers, ayis, etc..they are migrant workers. Due to the system that China has in place, where all services are provided locally and not on a national basis, most families must remain behind as one or sometimes both spouses travel to find work in the cities. In our driver's situation he lives in Shanghai by himself, while his wife and two kids live back in his home town. This is one of the times he is able to travel back to be with his family, so we are so happy he is able to be there for this time.
We as a family have decided, mostly due to the massive crowds that will frequent all the tourist areas in the city, to stick close to home. In addition, Dustin leaves in a couple of days to do a world wind trip to India, Thailand, and Singapore, and he does not need to be racing all over before his big trip.
The past few days, we have spent either playing inside (we have had some steady rainy days here) or playing at the parks in our community. I have also enjoyed a night out with my two friends Lindsay and Kate, at the new Korean restaurant that we can walk to from our community.
Yesterday we decided to walk down to a park that is not too far from our house, it was a nice little space with a pond and a nice pathway. Rather than a regular playground, they had a little exercise park. While this is quite a strange sight for a westerner, they are quite common here in China. Think of your local workout gym, but made out of playground equipment--there were machines that you could in a stationary manner cross country ski, pulleys for your arms, lots of balance machines, etc... Danny and Josh did not quite get that this was not for them to play on, as it did look like some strange playground. After our trip to the park, we stopped and let the kids ride on one of the little riding machines found outside stores (similar to what we have in the US, but instead of Bob the builder, or a horse, it is a colorful peacock, or in our case a cat that you could drive). The boys enjoyed moving the steering wheel, and Dustin and I got a kick out of the fact that the Chinese music that played was all put to Christmas tunes. After the quick ride (actually not so quick, as it plays at least three songs), we headed to the local Cantonese restaurant. We enjoyed some favorites from home like sweet and sour pork (cannot find it with chicken here). I seemed to over due it on the walk today, so I went and crashed for a nap while the boys slept.
Today we spent the morning outside, walking down to the little store first, and then heading to the parks for the boys to play while Dustin slept. We met up with Kate and her husband and kids, and the kids played at the park together and then we headed to the soccer field to play there. It was a hot morning, and so we all headed our separate ways after a while to get snacks and water. Later today we head to church via the subway. It should be interesting.
We as a family have decided, mostly due to the massive crowds that will frequent all the tourist areas in the city, to stick close to home. In addition, Dustin leaves in a couple of days to do a world wind trip to India, Thailand, and Singapore, and he does not need to be racing all over before his big trip.
The past few days, we have spent either playing inside (we have had some steady rainy days here) or playing at the parks in our community. I have also enjoyed a night out with my two friends Lindsay and Kate, at the new Korean restaurant that we can walk to from our community.
Yesterday we decided to walk down to a park that is not too far from our house, it was a nice little space with a pond and a nice pathway. Rather than a regular playground, they had a little exercise park. While this is quite a strange sight for a westerner, they are quite common here in China. Think of your local workout gym, but made out of playground equipment--there were machines that you could in a stationary manner cross country ski, pulleys for your arms, lots of balance machines, etc... Danny and Josh did not quite get that this was not for them to play on, as it did look like some strange playground. After our trip to the park, we stopped and let the kids ride on one of the little riding machines found outside stores (similar to what we have in the US, but instead of Bob the builder, or a horse, it is a colorful peacock, or in our case a cat that you could drive). The boys enjoyed moving the steering wheel, and Dustin and I got a kick out of the fact that the Chinese music that played was all put to Christmas tunes. After the quick ride (actually not so quick, as it plays at least three songs), we headed to the local Cantonese restaurant. We enjoyed some favorites from home like sweet and sour pork (cannot find it with chicken here). I seemed to over due it on the walk today, so I went and crashed for a nap while the boys slept.
Today we spent the morning outside, walking down to the little store first, and then heading to the parks for the boys to play while Dustin slept. We met up with Kate and her husband and kids, and the kids played at the park together and then we headed to the soccer field to play there. It was a hot morning, and so we all headed our separate ways after a while to get snacks and water. Later today we head to church via the subway. It should be interesting.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Watching a Parade
So we are watching a parade today, not the usual one, but it is fascinating nonetheless. Today is National Day in China, and Beijing is celebrating the foundation of "New China" or as we would term it Communist China with an amazing parade. It is quite interesting to be here during this time as most Chinese do not truly understand what took place in the Cultural Revolution and during the time before China opened to the West, yet they truly are proud of what they have accomplished. While I am appalled by what took place during the Cultural Revolution and during the time after before they opened to the West, and what took place in a certain square when I was young, these past few years do give me some hope for China. I do hope they continue to push forward to open to the west and seek freedoms for their people.
The parade itself was quite a show of military, people and floats. Along with a huge choir of thousands of people. What is amazing is that (we have saved this article) that the military involved in today's parade have been sequestered and practicing for 8 hours a day each day for the past 6 months. Can we just collectively say wow! That is a lot of practice to walk in a straight line, yet, they were quite precise in their movements.
The rest of the day we tasted moon cakes (the other part of the holiday here--they combined two to make a week long celebration) and just relaxed. Cannot say that I enjoyed the moon cakes, but Dustin did not mind it too much.
The parade itself was quite a show of military, people and floats. Along with a huge choir of thousands of people. What is amazing is that (we have saved this article) that the military involved in today's parade have been sequestered and practicing for 8 hours a day each day for the past 6 months. Can we just collectively say wow! That is a lot of practice to walk in a straight line, yet, they were quite precise in their movements.
The rest of the day we tasted moon cakes (the other part of the holiday here--they combined two to make a week long celebration) and just relaxed. Cannot say that I enjoyed the moon cakes, but Dustin did not mind it too much.
Wonderful Weekend
The weekend was again filled with getting together with friends, which is a lot of fun, but also makes the weekend fly past. On Saturday we had our neighbors just below us over for lunch. He, Christian, is from Denmark and she, Dan, is from Beijing. They have two children close to Danny's age.
Due to the upcoming Chinese National Day Holiday and the Moon Cake Festival Holiday, our ayi asked is she could have an extra day during the week off and work on Saturday for us. This turned into an amazing blessing to me, as she was able to watch the kids while I got ready for our friends to come over. We had asked them what the kids would eat, and Dan said that Valdimar (their youngest) is really only used to eating Chinese food. I have made a couple of dishes, but decided to go all out and make quite a few for our lunch on Saturday. This of course means a lot of chopping, as most things are stir fried in the wok. I made Chop Suey, Fried Rice, Garlic Broccoli, and a Garlic Shrimp dish. I am happy to say that they mostly came out okay. They said they actually tasted fairly authentic, which is a huge compliment.
The kids had a great time playing together, and they stayed for quite some time. It was nice having them at our house, because when Josh got tired I was able to just put him down for his nap. After the boys took their naps, we left with Dustin so that he could get to the church try out for worship team. We waited in the car, as Danny had fallen asleep, while Dustin went into the apartment to audition. After about 40 minutes he reappeared, and we traveled on to go get dinner. We went to our favorite Italian restaurant D'Marco and had dinner and then went to Haggen daz ice cream store. Now this is no ordinary ice cream shop, this is like fine dining for ice cream It was quite the experience. We skipped all the widely fancy concoctions and chose to go with scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce.
Sunday morning, Dustin had to leave bright and early to meet the tax man. Everyone in China worked on Saturday and Sunday due to the holiday, so Dustin was required to meet the tax guy on Sunday. While Dustin was meeting with the tax man, the boys and I went to Danny's first birthday party for one of his classmates. It was a fun party and Danny had a great time.
We left the party and Dustin picked us up to meet our friends Erin and Jeff for a late lunch before church. We had a nice time over lunch and then walked to church together. It was a great service and we finished the weekend with our usual McDonalds run.
Due to the upcoming Chinese National Day Holiday and the Moon Cake Festival Holiday, our ayi asked is she could have an extra day during the week off and work on Saturday for us. This turned into an amazing blessing to me, as she was able to watch the kids while I got ready for our friends to come over. We had asked them what the kids would eat, and Dan said that Valdimar (their youngest) is really only used to eating Chinese food. I have made a couple of dishes, but decided to go all out and make quite a few for our lunch on Saturday. This of course means a lot of chopping, as most things are stir fried in the wok. I made Chop Suey, Fried Rice, Garlic Broccoli, and a Garlic Shrimp dish. I am happy to say that they mostly came out okay. They said they actually tasted fairly authentic, which is a huge compliment.
The kids had a great time playing together, and they stayed for quite some time. It was nice having them at our house, because when Josh got tired I was able to just put him down for his nap. After the boys took their naps, we left with Dustin so that he could get to the church try out for worship team. We waited in the car, as Danny had fallen asleep, while Dustin went into the apartment to audition. After about 40 minutes he reappeared, and we traveled on to go get dinner. We went to our favorite Italian restaurant D'Marco and had dinner and then went to Haggen daz ice cream store. Now this is no ordinary ice cream shop, this is like fine dining for ice cream It was quite the experience. We skipped all the widely fancy concoctions and chose to go with scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce.
Sunday morning, Dustin had to leave bright and early to meet the tax man. Everyone in China worked on Saturday and Sunday due to the holiday, so Dustin was required to meet the tax guy on Sunday. While Dustin was meeting with the tax man, the boys and I went to Danny's first birthday party for one of his classmates. It was a fun party and Danny had a great time.
We left the party and Dustin picked us up to meet our friends Erin and Jeff for a late lunch before church. We had a nice time over lunch and then walked to church together. It was a great service and we finished the weekend with our usual McDonalds run.
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