Burrr it is cold here! Something that has been very hard to get use to. Pearl tower, the Huang Pu River, the bottle opener and in the foreground the famous Bund! The Bund, also called Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, is a famous waterfront on the Huang Pu river and regarded as the symbol of Shanghai for hundreds of years. It is from the bund that you have the best views of the famous Pearl Tower (building with the circular spheres on the left) and the “Bottle Opener” -- the blue building lit up with the open notch at the time, hence giving it it’s name.
One of the most amazing architectural achievements we are witnessing while we living here is the building of the Shanghai Tower. This building is in the process of being built to the right (in the photo) of the “Bottle Opener” and will be the tallest building in Asia and the second tallest building in the world. Upon its completion in 2014, the building will stand approximately 632 metres (2,073 ft) high and will have 121 stories! It not quite taller then the bottle opener at this point… but it grows each week!
This is a view from one of our favorite restaurants in Shanghai, Mercato. This year we decided to forgo the wild New Years adventures and did our “date night” a few nights later without the crowds. We were able to view all these amazing sites from our table.
The Chinese New Year is a huge holiday celebrated over the course of a few weeks. They decorate for their New year like we would decorate for Christmas (Of course without the Santa's) . They celebrate their New Year as we would celebrate our Independence day. The pollution index nearly doubles from all of the fireworks. Our town is preparing for the Lantern Festival! There are always new festive decorations being put up and it is a fun way to learn about their culture while celebrating!!
Well, given the cold weather it does not stop us from running out doors and having our pit crew with us is a bonus!! We could never train for the Great Wall Marathon with out our support team. Garrett is usually our lead horse… if you listen closely he spends the entire ride singing. Jordan is typically next in line… She likes to use this time to have our “special” talks but typically follows Garrett’s lead and spends the better part of her ride belting out tunes…. Ayden is our complainer. She either rides 40 feet behind us or is on “super speed” and we are yelling for her to slow down. Either way she is one thing of for sure NON STOP talking from her…
I am a super reader!!! And lets just say she took this cape very seriously…
I love having a kindergartener! There are so many activities to get involved in and this particular day we were teaching the kids how to make their own dumplings. The art of dumpling making began in China… and I have to admit, I found it surprisingly challenging. Each “folder” had their own very specialized technique. I felt very inadequate in the folding process but a pro in eating!! The kids absolutely loved not only making them, but eating them as well! It is an art I am still trying to perfect, but a memory that I will have with Ayden for a lifetime!
We all catch our children in those rare moments where they are getting along so well, you want to take a picture of it to freeze the moment in time. I have to admit, my kids really do get along for the most part.
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