Back on American Soil!!

Hey All~ We're Home!!

We had a blast, but are so grateful to be back on American Soil. The girls and I learned so much and can't wait to show you all the fun stuff that we did. I will give you a taste of what we experienced, but it will take me awhile to go through our pictures and get them organized. Grandma took at least 500 pictures a day, so that gives you an idea of what I need to go through.

Again, here are just a few. I will be doing post for every site/day that we had, so be on the lookout for those!

This is at the Yu Gardens. It was decorated for the Spring Lantern Festival. So beautiful!! We are in front of the most famous, and I believe oldest Tea Houses in China.

This is also at the Yu Gardens. This big teapot was to represent the tea that they have that they believe gives you long life. We thought it was a beautiful fountain.

This is The Great Wall. All I can say is "WOW!" I am so amazed at this was built from before Christ was born until about the 1300s, I think. To think that something so old is still standing is amazing! Do you know what they used as cement????? Sticky rice!! Yep, they used sticky rice and some lye to make the "cement." Again, "WOW!"

This is the Shanghai Skyline. It was interesting to see all the modern buildings right in with the old China buildings. I have better pics to show that, but old China and new China are just all mixed up together.


This is at the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City is where the Emporer's lived. It was basically their own little town where peasant/normal people were not allowed to go. Just beautiful!



This is at one of the many markets we went to. The girls were amazed at how their Auntie Jaimee could bargain. Sierra got a journal and Jaimee talked them down from 160 Yuan to 20 Yuan! Go Jaimee!! That translates to about $25 to about $3!


We went to an awesome restaurant in Beijing. The girls did great trying all the different foods there were to try. We all, of course, opted out of ordering the fried Scorpion and Baby pigeon soup with caterpillar fungus. We did, however, try the Beijing duck. It is the same thing as Peking Duck, but Beijing Duck is the correct name for it. Aspen and Sierra weren't too sure about trying it after they got to go down in the kitchen and see how it was cooked, but they still tried it and actually really liked it!! I'm very proud of them for being so opened minded about trying new foods!



Here we are getting our duck ready to eat. They have these very thin tortillas that you put the duck in along with vegetables and plum sauce. Here's our first bite of duck!! Yummy!! Oh, and Sierra also enjoyed the Duck skin with sugar on it.

Well, be on the lookout for my posts on our many adventures in China!! I can't wait to show all the pictures!!

Hello From Beijing!

Hey Everyone-

Aspen, Sierra and I are still alive! I haven't been able to access my blog, but I decided to try again here in Beijing at our hotel...and it worked!!

We are having so much fun. The girls are learning a ton and trying lots of new foods. We had Beijing (Peking) Duck and they really enjoyed it. Here in Beijing, we have climbed the Great Wall, explored the Forbidden City, walked around Tiananmen Square, saw the Temple of Heaven, learned about Hutongs, and so much more!!

I can't wait to get home and share all the pics we have. It is going to take me awhile to get them organized, and will definitely take many posts. I will probably have to do one post for each place we have visited.

Anyways, just thought I'd say Hello, and hope that everyone is doing great!!!

We miss you all!!!

Can I please catch a break?

I have been sick for more than 2 weeks. It all started with a hacking cough. I haven't slept more than 3 or 4 hours at a time because I wake up coughing so bad and can't stop! No other symptoms, just coughing. I tried cough syrup to no avail, so I have just had to put up with it. My ribs hurt!

Then about a week into the coughing spells, I get a UTI. It got so bad that I actually went to the ER because I started freaking out a little bit over one of the symptoms that I will not reveal as it is probably TMI. So, I get the antibiotic and go on my way. Now, mind you, I have had kidney stones in the past, so when I was talking to the doctor he kept asking me if I had pain in my back, as that would indicate more stones. To tell the truth, I have had pain in the kidney area of my back ever since I had my gallbladder out 3 years ago, but, of course, that particular day...no pain! So, he sends me on my way and says, if I get a fever and the pain comes back that I should probably come back. Guess what....the pain came with a vengeance about 3 days later. Now, since I have had stones in the past, I know what it feels like. This is NOT the same. So, now, I am debating whether to go see a doctor now, 5 days before I leave for China, or wait till I get back. Hmmmm...I think I'll wait. I've put up with it this long, I guess I can wait another couple of weeks.

So, I start feeling better from the UTI, and here's come the reason for the title....I wake up this morning completely congested! Come on...Can I please catch a break? I have been resting and resting for the last 2 weeks, knowing full well, I need to get on a plane for 15 hours next week. I have been trying so well to get better and I just can't catch a break. Just my luck! Oh, and if you're still wondering about the coughing....it hasn't stopped. It isn't as severe, but I still wake up coughing 3 or 4 times a night, and if I get talking too much, I start coughing so bad.

Oh...and while I'm on trying to catch a break....Have you heard about the worst snow storm in 50 years happening in China??? Yep, of course this would happen in the few weeks prior to our once in a lifetime trip we have planned! Oh well, it is my mission that Aspen and Sierra have the most fun and educational trip of their lives!! Nothing, not even a little snowstorm can distract me from that goal. Aspen, Sierra and I leave Tuesday night for Chicago and fly out Wednesday morning for Shanghai!

Come on now...Can I PLEASE catch a break?!?

Baby Thrown out Window!!

I don't know if I could ever have done this, but desperate times...!!

Click Here to read the story about the German Father who threw his toddler out of a 3 story window to save him from a burning building! The child miraculously was caught, by a policeman, and didn't even have a scratch on him. Amazing!!!

"Son...looks like you've been out gunned!"

Tonight, we went and did our Saturday night grocery shopping. We decided to all go and make a family night of it. Let me set the scene. We grab 2 shopping carts, not because we will be filling them both up, but because we know that some of our kids will need a "time out" in them every few minutes. So, anyways, we're going up and down the isles, and the kids are not totally out of control, but they're on their way. We head up the laundry/detergent isle. All 5 of them are opening the bottles of liquid fabric softener and smelling them. I mean, every single kind of fabric softener. Thomas was just standing behind me trying to make sure that they stayed out of the middle of the isle, so they wouldn't bother anybody. Coming down the isle, the opposite way of us, is an older, taller gentlemen. He watches us for a minute or two, and then looks at Thomas and says, "Son...looks like you've been out gunned! All I see is women!" Ryker happened to be hidden in the middle of all his sisters. So, Thomas replies, "Well, I got one teammate." It was really funny....I guess you had to be there! After that, he started to talk to Marina, as most people are drawn to do, and says, "Are you a woman?" She shook her head NO. He then asked her, "Are you a pretty little girl?" To which she stood up and replied, "YES!" He then looked at me and said, "Oh...she already knows!"