May Flowers... Mothers Day, Celebrations and Therapy!

So after spending 10 months here we finally cracked…  and our first soldier has finally needed some therapy.  After several weeks of battling a “wicked phase” and in fear of worrying that this phase will never find its way out of our lives forever, we decided to seek the advice of a therapist for Garrett.  Nothing major of course (or I wouldn’t be writing about it) but no family is exempt from the ups and downs of life…. Particularly when that life is in China.   So Garrett and I set off on our scooters to our appointment.  When we told him he was going, he thought this woman was going to take his brain out of his head and "wring it out."  Good analogy!    I speak to the therapist… get a good feel about some tactics to handle this phase OTHER then wine and immediately feel better just knowing that we are not alone and that with the right measures this phase will be short lived.   When it was Garrett’s turn to speak to her, I sat in the room next door grateful for the paper thin walls.   The thirty minutes went by quickly.   It didn’t take me long to realize that Garrett thought the therapist was a medical doctor.  He   happily spent the majority of his 30 minutes discussing all of his physical ailments.   Including gum pain, his stubbed toe, bruised knees and even some soreness at his left earlobe.   When we were scootering home, I asked him what he thought… he told me his ear was feeling better already!  

  We bailed on the therapy after two weeks and I have decided to try an alternative therapy… Running!  I was actually very surprised he had the stamina he did… he ran just under 2 miles without taking a break!!   I am loving having my new running partner!!!

The Tooth Fairy:  Is she Chinese?
One of the few questions I have had to answer since moving here.

While out one evening Jordan lost a tooth…. Thankful, this came on a day that I actually went to the bank.   Initially,  my biggest fear was staying awake long enough to get into character.  So in preparation, I decided to put the money on my nightstand so that I would remember when I turned out the light.  For the first time, I had only large bills!!!  I see this as a step up because I usually don’t have any bills.   It just doesn’t feel right sneaking into your child's room while they are asleep and pilfering through the Hello Kitty Velcro purse of your 5 year old because she is the ONLY one that actually manages her money in this house!!   Good thing the kids do not know RMB conversion to USD.  They think they hit jackpot from the tooth fairy here!!

Mothers Day!

There are very few days that I don’t consider myself blessed to have the most important job in my life.  We spent the day doing some of my favorite things… Including eating, running, biking and we even had a painting contest.  There is one thing you can never get back with your children and that is time.  I am grateful to have more time with them living here…  it is nice to see them find their wings, but boy is it hard watching them use them!!! 

My Shanghai Friends!
I ended May with a fantastic surprise… my girlfriends got together and threw me an incredible birthday party.  It is hard to believe that after 10 short months here, I have found people that I feel like I have known forever.   It was fun celebrating my 29th birthday … again. 

Summer Sizzler!!  End of School Bash!

You can’t finish up the school year without doing the SAS mud slip and slide!  The kids are having to learn early on that friends come and go….  that saying good bye is not always easy and that with each new year as a expat, you will have the opportunity to meet new people from all over the world.   Jordan has  friends moving to Japan, Scotland, Germany, Thailand and the U.S.  I am grateful I thought enough to bring the world map with us and have it up on the wall.  No better way to learn Geography!!!   The kids had a great first year abroad.  We are gearing up for our home leave and are REALLY looking forward to being with our families & friends…   The countdown is ON!

April Flowers...

Easter snuck up on us this year and we learned late in the game that finding anything Easter related was more of a challenge then suspected.  It is amazing how out of the loop you become when you don’t have all of the commercials and magazine ads to remind you of the upcoming holidays.   Chris and I both set out to find Easter candy and eggs on opposite sides of the city with no luck.  At a baseball game, I got wind of a woman that has a stash of expat supplies in her basement and much like a black market deal, I scored a couple dozen plastic eggs and some mildly stale Easter chocolates at high cost.   In the end, the bunny arrived spreading Easter cheer and we have yet another thing added on our grocery list for the states this summer.  

Garrett is convinced that the Easter bunny is Santa in a Bunny costume!  So thankfully, “Santabunny” was able to bring some toys in their baskets.  Who would have thought the big hit (and a very last minute pick up) was a set of Lee Press on nails for Ayden.   We spent Easter evening with a group of friends celebrating with a pot luck dinner.  At one point during the evening I noticed Garrett and Ayden sitting at a table with Garrett applying the press on nails to Ayden’s tiny fingers.  I picked up the box wondering how he knew how to apply them noting the direction to be written in Chinese.   He confidently told me (as if he does this every day) … “you hold pressure for 20 seconds!”  In the end, they were all applied perfectly and I am not sure who was happier, Ayden with her new long plastic nails or Garrett playing the nail technician!!   I have been spending the past two weeks peeling these nails of various clothing and furniture.

We worked extra hard this year on our Easter cookies to be left out for "Santabunny" - and yes, they tasted as good as they looked (considering our challenging oven.)

For spring break this year, we decided to keep our trip more local and we visited a nearby Provence called Hongzhou.  We took the subway to the bullet train.  It is shaped just likes its name and runs about the speed of a bullet too!  It just added to our adventure. The bullet train travels at an average speed of 150 miles per hour.  

We took the kids hiking through the mountains.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather and hit the cherry blossoms in perfect timing. 

As we popped off the trail out of the mountains we walked by a tea plantation that was being harvested.  

This is very typical of Jordan’s personality… kind hearted but as fierce as they come!

Wouldn’t you just love to know what he was thinking when he was looking into the eyes of this Lion!!! 

(For the record... Garrett's was not a posed shot)

Well, April wouldn’t be complete if we couldn’t get in to the ER for yet another visit.  I guess Ayden's ankle  wasn’t as healed as we initially thought when she wanted to jump on the trampoline.   It will be a miracle if the cast makes it three weeks.  As you can see, this is not going to stop her and I am getting to know the hospitals around here all to well!

My posts wouldn’t be complete without yet another Chinese lesson…  While the vegetables here are in abundance, beautiful and super cheap - to buy them doesn’t come without cost.   I have to wash everything as I would my child going to bed at night.   We haven’t had any problems thus far, but I have heard that if you don’t do this, it would come at a high cost.   

Couldn’t resist posting a picture of Jordan playing baseball…  watching her play baseball (or sports in general)… is probably what makes us feel most at home here. 

May Milestone:  Ayden lost her first… and second tooth!!! 

 And for the record… yes the tooth fairy comes to China too!  

2 months and counting until our trip “home”!!

March Update....

6 months already!

We started off the month receiving several "unidentified" iTunes charges to our account.   Initially thinking that this may be the hands of our dysfunctional wifi system here, we quickly realized exactly who's hand was behind this mess.   I have come to learn that there are more then six senses when you become a parent.  There is actually this seventh sense that develops right after you have grown those eyes in the back of your head.  

This sense lies deep in your gut.  It kicks in when a situation arises and without asking or seeing, you just KNOW all the facts.      So while I like to see the good in all of my children, I am forced to admit, that Garrett is our sneaky hacker.   What I don’t get is… once he is told that this is wrong and pays the stiff penalty (obviously not stiff enough), why is it so enticing to try it again?!   Garrett hacked my NEW password just a few short days later.  Really, am I that readable???     I think he was shocked that through iCloud I was immediately notified on my phone and he had essentially zero time to celebrate his hacking success!!!!!

I got to spend one of my most favorite mornings with my little hacker.  In just a few magical moments, he is able to win me back over.  He made me breakfast and read to me while I was eating.   We also got to see a concert put on by the Pre K 4 (Ayden’s class) through First Grade (Garrett).    The production was outstanding!!!   They are all learning various instruments and were so excited to perform.  Now all the kids are hooked on various instruments.

With the weather getting a little warmer, we are able to enjoy our weekends at the fields.   Ayden is starting to have an opinion on her activities and actually requested to do gymnastics and soccer. This was not long after we broke the news to her that make up application is NOT or never will be a sport.   I of course was over the moon excited for her to play soccer, until I saw her run.  We have a lot of work to do with her running form.  Perhaps we will add the ball later. 

Garrett has actually surprised us this year.  He has become a very natural runner and actually looks like he runs with purpose when his head isn’t bobbing around.  This is a significant improvement from last year when he would simply wander off the field while playing defense leaving us all in a panic before we would  eventually find him on the nearby swings. I can tell that this has been a huge growing year for him too.  Last year soccer was ALL about the water bottle.  This year, it seems to be a bit more about the sport.  Progress!  

I must admit the winter got a bit long here.  I am used to a “rainy” season but this got ridiculous.   I had heard it was “mild” for Shanghai.  If this is MILD, I hate to see what is bad…   I must admit not having to wear jackets now is a huge bonus and makes us feel like we are back in Florida in a way.  Jordan seems to be growing up before our eyes.   I think she struggled the most with the winter months because it put a kibosh on her outdoor play time.  Now that the days are longer and warmer, you will rarely see her without a ball in hand and a look in her eye requesting a quick throw.  She quickly befriended a boy in our building who has a basketball hoop and it is nice to see her have this normalcy in her city life.

As for me… it took me 6 months and a deadline to have my first piece of clothing made at the fabric market.   (This was taken at the South Bund Fabric Market at my last fitting)  Chris and I attended the Irish ball on St. Patrick’s day.    It seemed like a lot of work for just one night, but worth it!

We have booked our flights for our summer home leave and cannot wait to see our friends and family in June (3 months).   While there has been so much we have learned here and experienced, it will be nice to find some normalcy in our home country.  The kids have all adapted so well here.  I sometimes forget how difficult it was when we first arrived to not be able to communicate with others and learn the differences in cultures.   I have noticed recently that when we first arrived all three of them would reach for your hand and hold it tight.  Not knowing what to expect and maybe even a bit fearful.  Today, Chris and I were walking down the streets and out ahead of us were the kids on their scooters hooting and hollering just as they would when we lived in Florida  when we took our evening walks.