Ants in my sugar

I put the phone down for a minute to run into the kitchen (our phone only works in a few spots in the house, and the kitchen is not one of them!) to get some hot tea during a phone date with a friend from the US. I ran back to the phone 1 minute later, laughing as I explained to my friend that I'd just fished out an ant or two from the sugar jar I was using to sweeten my tea--and the funny part was that it didn't bother me in the slightest! I hope this doesn't gross anyone out (or deter any potential visitors to our side of the pond!), but it just caused me to reflect on how many changes I've endured the last two and a half years--both in my life experiences and "normals" and also inside me. I won't belabor the point here, but suffice it to say that I feel like after living in a cross-cultural environment for this amount of time, I've kind of crossed the point of no return and have undergone some serious remodeling both inside and out. One way I saw this again was during our fellowship time at our International Fellowship on the morning of Jan. 1st. We had a university choir in town visiting from Kenya, and it was an experience to say the least! Our congregation is made up of about 300 each week, and a large number of those in attendance are students here studying (different subjects, but lots studying medicine of some sort) from Africa. And let me tell you, the place was rockin'! I don' think there was a single person in the place who wasn't at least trying to move to the beat that was being led from up front by this group of young people. And our African brothers and sisters were elated--the joy at being able to worship in a style and manner that said "home" to them was written all over their faces (and every other part of their body that jammed to the beat coming off the drums). It was amazing. Conga lines through the aisles. Brilliant white smiles lighting up every face in the room. Hands in the air, waving, clapping. I stood with tears in my eyes thanking Him for this opportunity--to worship with so many others whose backgrounds and stories are so unique and different from mine. I thought--if we had to leave China, is it even possible that our family could return to our old "normal"--to the live we lived in suburban Dallas for several years? Thankfully this is not a question that begs an answer any time soon, so for now I can rest in knowing His grace is sufficient, and although I may be fishing ants out of my sugar, I can rejoice in the fresh perspective He gives me daily on what things are of importance and value.

Two of those things of value: good friends and hot pot! Our family celebrated New Year's Eve with a huge bang (well, kind of!). We walked to a restaurant Kevin and recently discovered that has hot pot (like fondue) with friends here who are like grandparents to our kids (Rob and Barb). This was a first for the kids, and it was a smashing success (except that Hudson was not crazy about the meal and ended up eating about 6 oranges and bucket-fulls of Sprite for his dinner rather than the meat and vegetables intended to go in the hot pot)! We made it through the evening without anyone even getting burned from the hot pots that were in front of them, and the kids are already asking when we can go back. Should be a fun new family tradition we've begun!

Then this past weekend we had another fun first--Kevin and I taking a night away! We asked friends several weeks ago if they would be willing to watch the kids overnight for Kevin and I to take off for the evening to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Our friends were more than willing, and the kids were so excited to have "their" friends come over (all grown-ups, of course!) Kevin and I made the most of our night out--starting with foot massages (in matching outfits, as modeled by Kevin in the photo!), dinner at our favorite Thai food restaurant, Starbucks' lattes, window shopping in the main shopping area of town, sleeping in at a hotel (that even had comfortable pillows, unlike the usual bean-filled ones at most Chinese hotels), and a lingering reading time over coffee in the morning before heading home to the usual chaos of the Joseph household! It was a huge blessing to be able to take off just the two of us, and even more so to be able to know that the kids were not only well-taken care of in our absence, but also that they were having a great time with us being gone. We definitely didn't spend all of our time in this vein of discussion, but Kevin and I both agreed that as much as we LOVED our time away together, it was also amazing how much we missed having the kids around! We recognize that our little ones are FAR from perfect, but man, they sure are precious to be around and an incredible blessing in our lives that we are much aware of! And being apart makes the reminder that much more vivid!! Good thing we still have another 3 full weeks of winter break to soak in the intense "togetherness"!

The last photo is Karis and Eli on my Christmas/anniversary present--a running machine (or treadmill, as those of you who speak English may call it!). The word for it in Chinese translates directly into running machine, and for the life of me, I can't stop calling it that even when I'm trying to use English! So we've renamed the machine in our house. And I am super excited to put it to use! After battling the cold and the only gym in our area closing this weather (not to mention the pollution you feel when running outdoors), we finally broke down and decided to make the big purchase. The kids have already put more mileage on it than I have, but I plan on wrapping up this writing now, wiping off the bottom of my China-yucky running shoes, and taking a spin on my new running machine all on my own! Ahh, the little things!!

Christmas

Our celebrating this year took on a whole new meaning. A few days before Christmas we met up with our two closest western friends here (Sam and Charis, and Andy and Natalie and their two kids, Jenda and Blaise), grabbed some McDonald's to eat on the way, and had a hired driver in a 16-passenger van drive us about an hour and a half away to an orphanage in a nearby town. We had several of the seats in the van filled with toys, diapers, and some clothing items that the orphanage coordinator had requested. The 3 hours that we spent there with the kids and touring the facility was absolutely amazing--more than we could have asked for or imagined as far as an "experience" that was incredibly life-changing and fulfilling for all of us involved. We had literally only walked up the steps and through the child gate on the second floor when we were swarmed with Chinese toddlers, all lifting their hands up with huge grins on their faces. The experience was so surreal that we all agreed that we had wondered at the time if the kids were put up to such lovable behavior by the women in charge of the kids or if it was instigated by themselves alone! Our time with the kids over the next several hours made us believe that it was genuine--with no one forcing or even encouraging these kids to reach out and embrace us with such warmth and enthusiasm.

Each of the kids at the orphanage we visited (called Shepherd's Field in Lang Fang) had some sort of disability. The orphanage housed between 70 and 90 kids at a time, ranging in age from a few months old to 18 years. We were blown away by how well-run everything seemed to be, and how much the staff seemed to care about the children there. The facility itself was remarkable, and we were told it was started by foreigners and has a huge financial support system in the States. The people we met who worked there were all like-minded on important things, and the love they had for the children was evident in the way they cared for them.

I was amused by our kids' response to the experience as we reflected on it over dinner upon our return that night. When we asked the kids what they thought, Eli immediately responded that "Dad sure did like being there!" When we asked him what made him think so, he explained that he was constantly holding little kids or playing with them when we were there (which was true; in fact I couldn't even get to my camera before Kevin had two little toddlers in his arms immediately upon our arrival in the first dorm we visited). Neither Kevin nor I are what I would call "kid people"; we love kids, but don't naturally warm up to them or get re-energized from spending lots of time with them like some friends we have. But when Kevin reminded our kids that those children didn't have mommies or daddies to hold them whenever they wanted, it really struck a chord in them. Kevin asked them to think about how many times in a day they wanted Mom or Dad to hug them or hold them; then explained that theses kids NEVER had a mom or dad to go to when they felt that way. It was silent in the room for a minute while our kids processed this--which is a small miracle in and of itself! Other than Noah pushing through his normal afternoon naptime and having some seriously cranky behavior as a result, our kids did really well playing with the other kids and handing off Christmas gifts to the kids at Shepherd's Field.

Besides our big trip to the orphanage, we got to do some more celebrating with friends for Christmas. On Friday before Christmas I hosted a cookie decorating party for some of the kids friends at our house. Talk about being thankful for holiday care packages with baking goodies I can share with friends! On Christmas Eve we hosted a brunch with some of our western friends--26 of them in all!--and enjoyed a feast and a time of fellowship, complete with egg nog and some special mint coffee (also courtesy of a care package!). Christmas Eve night we ordered jiaozi from a nearby restaurant (a staple in the Chinese diet, and one of our families' favorite foods to eat these days!) and managed to catch a taxi to get to Gymboree, the place where Kevin's best friend Lief teaches toddlers English. Gymboree was having a big Christmas Eve party and Lief and his boss, who we've become friends with, really wanted our family to attend (the western faces in the crowd!). We stuck around for over an hour with our friends Sam and Charis, laughing at how "Chinese-ee" it was, meaning that the party was filled with games and silly dances and performances, before heading home to finish preparing for Christmas morning. Christmas Eve here is treated more like a holiday than Christmas day is, with stores staying open all night on the 24th for shopping and a general party atmosphere wherever you go--lots of revelry and even some fireworks in the streets! My ayi explained to me that this is because the Chinese compare American's Christmas to the Chinese New Year--during which the celebrating actually starts the day before the New Year and goes on throughout the night, in spite of how old you are or what your usual bedtime is! She was shocked when I told her that this is not how we do it in the US! Especially if you have kids, you're aiming for an earlier bedtime on the 24th so you can get up early for the opening of gifts on the 25th.

On Christmas day we decided to stay home from our usual fellowship (we always feel rushed getting out the door by 9:30 and can never get home before 1:30, so knew that it would take up our whole morning and decided on family worship at home instead). After a big breakfast and opening of gifts (which the kids had an abundance of, thanks to the grandparents and their generous care packages!), we had a lazy afternoon of lounging around in our pj's (I had matching pj pants made for the whole family; a luxury of living here in China! I was able to buy the flannel at a fabric market and had a seamstress come to the house and measure and custom-make the pants for each of us to wear with our white t-shirts. I know, a little cheesy, but even Kevin was willing to participate to humor his wife [probably fearing a potential homesick meltdown if he didn't!]). We did change clothes in the afternoon for me to do a quick jog and the 3 older kids to ride bikes along with me through our apartment community. We were sooooooo thankful for the weather! We haven't even had our first snow yet, and the temps are regularly in the upper 30's! We'll take it!

Christmas night we had our two closest friends again (Sam and Charis and Andy and Natalie and kids) over for dinner. I made lots of my favorite comfort foods (my mother-in-law's pork tenderloin recipe with jelly I asked her to mail me from the US, twice baked potatoes, cinnamon red hot jello salad, green salad with FETA cheese on top--which was a HUGE treat, as you don't come by feta very often here at all, and even a chocolate pie for dessert). Can you see why I had a jog that afternoon?!

Christmas was a sweet time. It was simple. It was refreshing rather than exhausting. It was great time building Magna Tile towers and playing Sorry with the kids. There were moments when we all had that knot in the pit of the stomach feeling that never seems to quite go away when you live so far from "home" and family, but it was a sweet time of remembering what is important, why we are here, His goodness in it all, and the joy of the friends He's given us on this side of the ocean!

Let the Celebrating Begin!

I can't believe that Christmas is only a week away now! It's amazing how quickly it comes! Seems like only yesterday that we were packing our bags for our first trip back to the US for Christmas last year. While we are definitely feeling the miles of distance between us and those Stateside, we're also really loving so many aspects of the intentionality of celebrating the season on this side of the ocean!

This past week we had a few celebrations: Eli and Hud had their school Christmas performance--and it was precious! Some of the pictures are from there, including the one with Ms. Barbara in it (the kids surrogate grandmother here in China, who has yet to miss one of their special events!). I also had a morning off from our usual family time last Saturday when I got together with a group of Western friends for a cookie and soup exchange and luncheon. We had sweet time enjoying one another's company, eating, and even exchanging gifts (usually fun finds that are hard to come by here--a bag of coffee, a full-sized mug, non-gaudy earrings, etc.). After the luncheon, I took off for my last study with a group of Chinese moms (as shown in the other photo--with my Western (and Aggie! Whoop!) friend, Natalie--who helped me lead the month-long study we did.) More on the study later...

I thought I'd include some of my favorite snapshots from the week that came from each one of the boys. Noah's was a few days ago as we were walking through our apartment community to bring some food to a friend. Karis was kicking the soccer ball on the way, and kicked the ball close to a little Chinese boy out with his grandpa (he was probably about 3 or 4 years old). The ball obviously startled him when it rolled past, and he responded with sort of a yelp! Noah's reaction was to immediately cry out to him, "LOOK OUT, GEGE!" (Gege is the Chinese word for older brother!) It was so quick and so natural, Karis and I both burst out laughing, especially since it seemed so odd as this word in particular is NOT part of our usual Chinese vocabulary. I'm guessing he's just practiced with Ayi, but I was unaware that he even knew what the word meant! Hudson's came on our walk to school on Thursday morning. He was telling a story--which is not at all a-typical for him. He was explaining to me what had happened on the episode of Tom and Jerry he had watched the previous afternoon (in Mandarin, of course). He explained to me that Jerry had come down with a bad case of leprosy, even getting it in his mouth! I stopped Hud and told him that he probably had the chicken pox, not leprosy, but he was convinced of his diagnosis! Eli's was this morning, as we were preparing to go shopping for Christmas presents we are taking to an orphanage next week (sure you will have a full post on that one next week!). During our discussion, he very pointedly asked me, "Mom, when are we going to get one?" I responded with, "One what?", assuming he was referring to a specific gift or something. He shocked me by saying instead, "An orphan." After I put my eyes back in their sockets and caught my breath, I asked him what made him think we were going to "get one". He stated very simply that he'd heard me mention it before (as Kevin and I have talked about the possibility of adopting some day). This prompted a very interesting discussion in which I talked with the boys (who were the only ones at the table at the time) about the possibility of us adding to our family through adoption, what this might look like, and their thoughts on the matter. It was pretty precious, them discussing the pro's and con's of another brother vs. a sister, the possibility of it being a child with extra emotional or physical needs, etc. They then explained to me that they knew all about adoption because of how many friends we have who have done so--elaborating on one family we know who lives in Shanghai and has 10 kids (I think 2 or 3 are adopted), one of whom is missing a few digits on one of his hands. The boy from Shanghai and his brothers had apparently told Eli and Hud last year when we were with them that the boys missing the digits had had dipped his fingers in a pool of water and had them bitten off by piranhas! After I stopped laughing, I was able to argue with my boys that I was quite certain this was not the real story, but only the brothers having fun and having a good attitude about something that could be a real downer in one's life.

So back to the parenting study. It finished up, I am happy to say, a total success. So much so that the ladies were really wanting to continue meeting. As much as I LOVED the time with them, it was also a big burden on Kevin and a lot of time away from the family. So we left it with me encouraging them to continue meeting together and encouraging one another (which they were very open to doing) and then maybe re-upping to meet again for a series of weeks in the Spring. I don't know of any other activity I've participated in here that has felt like a more natural bridge to building relationships and talking about things of importance. And it is sooooooo needed here! I was amazed each week at how the "normal" things that we think every parent knows just aren't talked about or considered here. Things like giving your kids boundaries or limits (or telling them "no" to anything at all!), teaching them B verses, communicating with them, finding out how they best feel loved and giving that to them, all these things are simply not known or practiced. It was so encouraging to see these women take simple basic truths and try to apply them each week, then come back and share their stories. We spent a lot of time laughing (at least they did--the parts I could understand, I was laughing along with them!). And the study was a HUGE help to my language learning. I tried to do most of the teaching time in Chinese, with resorting to Chinglish as needed and an occasional clarification in English, which I could get away with as all the ladies spoke at least some English themselves. And I also had Natalie there as my crutch--her language is incredible and we prepped together a lot, so she could help me in a bind. I found as I was lying awake one night this week not able to sleep for some reason, that as I practiced Chinese in my head, for the first time I was able to express my heart about what I feel like is important in raising kids in Mandarin. And this is a really big deal because I literally have opportunities almost every day to use this kind of language to open doors--people asking about which kid is my favorite, how beautiful they are, how important the outward appearance and their success in the world is, etc. All these things that go along with a godless culture that I see as signs of being so lost, I now have the ability to explain that there is more out there than the empty and vain pursuit of what the world has to offer! It's exciting and invigorating all at once!

I'd better head to wake Noah up from his nap. We have dinner guests coming shortly--a girl headed to the US for a time of study whose parents are both coaches of the professional athletes in town (one coaches trampoline and one softball). Kevin assures me that in spite of it being a little uncomfortable for us to host this crew (they are what we call, "full Chinese", meaning they don't really have other Westerners they hang out with, so aren't used to our custom and food differences!), it will hopefully be a beneficial relationship in which to invest! Sure to have more fun stories as a result... :)

Here With Us

I just made a big purchase this weekend--a ($.99) song off of iTunes--Joy Williams "Here With Us". Most of you probably know this one well, as it is become quite popular to hear during Christmas time. I'm not too embarrassed to say that I've pretty much had it on repeat the last two days. It has been a poignant reminder to me of His abiding presence--something I've needed to experience as of late in a way more intense than my "normal". I think I've mentioned before that one of the blessings of being here in China is that we are away from the commercialization that comes with the holiday celebrating typical of the States. And it really is a blessing in so many ways. Without trying to create too much distance and give the persona that the Joseph family has arrived at some sort of spiritual level higher than the rest, the simplicity of the season, the lack of many materials things here we would WANT to spend much money on, and the fact that so many around us have so little in comparison make it relatively easy to truly say from our hearts that our Christmas wish lists are quite short. So I am thankful for being here in China during the holiday season largely for these reasons.

I will add, however, that the times of being away from family and dear friends around holidays is that much more felt on an emotional level. Add that to the fact that Kevin and I are both feeling the weight of the burdens we feel many close friends around us right now are dealing with, and I have to admit that I was feeling a bit of a knot in my stomach this morning. A feeling of restlessness. Anxiety. Like I had something to do that I'd forgotten or somewhere I should be going. I was very subtly convicted when Kevin returned home from class. After asking how I was and if he could do anything to encourage me, he offered to help however he could and give me time to go shopping or have some girl time if I needed it. I immediately started laughing, thinking back to how I'd spent at least some of the previous two hours that he'd been away from home--partly looking through recipes (all desserts!) that could all qualify as comfort foods by anyone's standards; and partly looking at clothes on-line! I might add that this is something I RARELY do (like maybe once a year!), and that it's also probably good that international shipping is too expensive to make purchasing anything much of a reality!!

So after noting that even though I thought I was doing great, I had actively participated in two activities (baking/eating and shopping) that were great windows to show the condition of my heart and my emotional state--and it wasn't where I'd hoped it would be! I had a great time listening to some music (specifically "Here With Us" and was reminded of how I've recently been encouraged by my husbands' reminder that should all else fall away, we still have Jesus--and He is enough!). My afternoon at class was much brighter after this perspective change, and because I'm sure I'll still need a few reminders through the season, I plan on keeping Joy Williams at the top of my playlist!

On a much lighter note, two shocking events this weekend that still leave me giggling--eggs and bruises! One of our Chinese friends came over this weekend who had celebrated Thanksgiving with us the week before. I've mentioned several times that the normal here is to bring gifts when you come to someone's house as their guest. So we usually get fruit, juice, or some other sort of food item. This time, we got eggs. LOTS of them. As in a box with 60 in it! And no, that is not a type-o!! I currently have a box with 60 eggs sitting out on my yang tai (a balcony-like area that is enclosed and really cold this time of year, right off of my kitchen and used kind of like a pantry). So I'm getting creative with how to use them all up in a timely manner. Lots of omelets and quiche this week, for sure!

The other big shocker was the bruise on the back of my friend's neck that I noticed on Saturday night. My two best friends here offered to come over and watch the kids for Kevin and me to have a date night. We did so, and had a blast eating at a hot pot restaurant we just discovered that is walking distance away and then getting coffee afterward (actually, hot chocolate, as we didn't want the caffeine that late and it's hard to find decaf coffee around here!). When we were visiting with my friends upon our return home, I noticed a bruise about 2 or 3 inches in diameter in the middle of the back of one of the girls necks. As I asked with panic about what happened, fearing one of my rowdy crew had caused the damage, she laughingly told me how the other friend there had used her index and middle fingers to repeated pinch her, all at the request of the friend wearing the bruise! The reasoning was all tied to the Chinese idea of medicine and well-being. The girl with the bruise had gone outside the day before with her hair still wet after showering, allowing cold air to "get in", as she explained to me. The purpose of the pinching was to relieve the cold air by causing the heat to balance it out, thus relieving the mild headache that the girl had had since going outside the day before with damp hair.

After hearing the explanation, I kind of just stood there with my mouth open, mainly because these two girls are my best friends here and I feel like I really know them well. But then I hear something like this, that they mean with all sincerity, and I realize how many deeply embedded differences we have! It really is quite mind-boggling some days, and can make me discouraged at times, feeling like the differences are more vast than any person can reach beyond. And then I remember back to the Work that has already been done, and the reminder by Joy Williams of just who exactly is "here with us"!

(The pictures are of Karis from her school Christmas performance this past weekend--which was precious! She sang and danced with the whole class and even had a speaking part. She was having an absolute blast the whole time, making Kevin and me so thankful for the school the kids attend! The other one is of Eli with our bunny, Bo!)

Holiday Weekend

After my last post describing the "wall" that I hit, we've had a refreshing two weeks of slowing down (somewhat!) and then getting back into our usual routine--with, of course, the rapid pace that comes with any holiday celebration. Our first big piece of news was a new purchase--a swing! I've mentioned before that swings here are incredibly hard to come by. But would you believe our apartment community actually has a post all set up to hang swings on (even including all the hardware needed to attach the swings), that happens to be only one building over from us?! I've noted several occasions where grandparents have brought their small grandchildren over, hung their swings, and then removed them again for their walk home! It's always amused me that someone doesn't just invest in a swing to put there that cannot be removed, but in our 2 years here so far I have yet to see a community swing installed. So about a week and a half ago another family passed on a used infant/toddler swing for us to use (after I discovered Noah and Hud's love, in particular, for swing time while at the international school playground); and then I discovered a family operating a very small retail operation out of their home--with the items they were selling being displayed in their window to attract customers. One of the items was a swing! So I purchased the swing, with the plan being that I can actually hook two swings up to the already established poles and swing both Noah and one other big kid at the same time! We had a blast. In spite of the weather turning much colder and more windy, they boys have loved time outside on the swing set, and I'm loving the time with them in a contained area that allows them to return home without being totally covered in filth from outdoor exploring! A win-win for everyone!!

Our second big piece of news is the mother's study I've now done for the last two Saturdays. Talk about re-energizing and exhausting all at the same time! I am LOVING the time with this group of Chinese moms--all with kids younger than mine, and all desperately trying to figure out how the heck to raise their kid. You think moms in the US get overwhelmed--the moms here have a whole other world full of challenges. All (except one) of these moms are working (mostly full-time), so their small kids (all under the age of 4) are being raised either by their own mom or their mother-in-law, who oftentimes lives with the family full-time. But this generation of grandparents didnt' raise their own kids either (also had them raised by their parents), so these grandparents raising the kids have zero experience from which to draw. Add on top of that soooo many cultural issues--like short-term thinking rather than long-term, competition being the driving force to everything, discipline being based on humiliation rather than focusing on correcting behavior, etc.--and what you have is a group of moms in totally over their heads. And yet what a great opportunity to see and really feel a need for Something bigger than your self to come to you in your hour of need! We are reading Shepherding a Child's Heart (which is printed here in Chinese) and then discussing it each week for a series of 4 weeks. I have been so encouraged each week by the womens' response to the teaching time and their willingness to share, ask questions, and encourage one another. I feel for them--to be trying to have a vision for the big picture of what they desire for their child and how they want them to treat others in a society that just doesn't think about or emphasize such things leaves them feeling really alone and isolated in most instances.

The language aspect has been a real stretch for me. My goal has been to do as much in Chinese as I possibly can. I must confess that by the second week, my "Chinglish" was coming out more than I'd hoped! The good news is that all of these women do understand English pretty well, so I think that all I was hoping was clearly communicated. And it's really stretched my vocabulary! The other women only use Chinese, so I'm getting to strain myself (so that I'm pretty wiped out afterward) to make sure I'm understanding the gist of what all is being shared. I am super blessed to have one of my best western friends here (Natalie) doing the study with me. She has lived here for over 7 years so her Chinese is great. And also, my best Chinese friend here (and teacher) who is not even married yet is attending, mainly with the purpose of being moral support for me! She has been diligent to take notes for me each week over the questions the other ladies have, just in case I miss some of their meaning! I'm loving doing this so much, that besides missing the time away from the family (we're doing the study on Saturday afternoons), I can really see how this could be one of my most favorite ways to try to serve others here in China.

This past weekend was filled with Thanksgiving celebrations. We had a group of our closest Chinese friends over on Thursday to join us for a full Thanksgiving feast. We dined in full southern style--complete with sweet and sour green beans, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, spiced peaches, creamed corn, cranberries, homemade rolls (thanks to my friend, Charis!), and of course turkey! Followed by apple and pumpkin pie, with apple cider to top it all off. I chucked when the turkey was delivered from the import store and the tag said it came straight from Minnesota! Oh, and my favorite question as of late was when I ordered the turkey over the phone. The man on the other end at the import store asked, "When we deliver the turkey, would you like it frozen or melted?"!!

Our friends seemed to really enjoy the meal, which honestly surprised me a bit, but I'm thinking they are getting more and more used to our western-style of eating and can handle more of our heavy dishes and large quantities of meat! It was my first turkey to cook by myself, and other than being a little bit dry (I went with the on-line suggested cooking times rather than when the pop-out thermometer said the bird was done), we all decided the flavor was quite good. After we ate together, we had a sweet time of singing together and then sharing what all He has done for us that we are thankful for this past year. It was so encouraging to hear our friends bubbling over with the joy that comes only from Him and being able to rejoice together in His goodness!

The following day (Friday), we had our group of western friends over to celebrate--27 in all (including 16 adults and 11 kids)! Talk about a full house! Our almost 2000 sq. ft. apartment definitely felt the weight of that many guests (as I'm sure our neighbors down below did, too!), but we were thankful to have as much space as we do for the kids to run around together and to set up the multiple tables needed to seat that large a number. In spite of having so many guests, my preparation was not nearly as great, as my only contributions to the meal were purchasing and carving 6 rotisserie chickens, mashed potatoes, gravy, pecan pie, apple cider, and turkey cookies (which the kids made with sugar-cookie hand-print cut-outs and then decorated with icing and sprinkles). The kids had the day off from school (and only went a half-day on Thursday), so they had fun helping me set up all the table decorations and even making individual name cards for each of the kids. (They also spent a good amount of time playing with Bo, the bunny, and building with Legos--like the one in the picture with Eli holding his T-Rex creation!) One of the couples who came even downloaded a football game for us to watch on tv, making the feel of Thanksgiving and being able to celebrate with precious friends that much more complete!

Hitting a Wall

I experienced another first this past week--hitting a wall in a way I never have before! This past week was full of the usual activities of meeting with friends, hostessing, having some foreign friends and their kids over for playdates. We've also had some pretty heavy stuff lately we've been dealing with concerning future decisions, things we're doing here, who we're spending time with, etc. All this to say, I think that it all finally added up and ended up landing me in bed for the better part of two days! After being completely exhausted and barely able to stay awake while we had friends over on Thursday night, I crashed as soon as I could and managed to get up and the kids out the door on Friday morning. But once Noah and I got back from the bus stop, I literally could not pull myself off of the couch, even in response to Noah's persistent requests of "Read book, Mommy! Read book!" I struggled through several Dr. Seuss books from the library while still in a horizontal position (during which time Noah decided that sitting on my stomach was a good substitute for sitting on my lap!). Once our ayi came at 9:30, I explained to her that I was exhausted for some reason and just needed a little rest. Noah was only too happy to run outside and play with her so that I could retreat to my bed upstairs--where I spent the next 3 hours! I managed to pull myself out of bed to welcome Hud home a little after noon, sat with the boys while they ate, then again returned upstairs to lay down. After a SECOND two-hour long nap, which included skipping my scheduled Chinese class for the day, I spent a little time with the kids once they got home from school. Kevin graciously offered to take them all out to ride bikes, giving me another hour of down time before dinner. We did a family movie night, largely because that was about all that I was up for, and I again went to bed shortly after the kids did at about 9pm, sleeping through the whole night!

Now some of you reading might just be thinking this is my norm--but it certainly is not! I've never been so tired that a two-hour long nap couldn't cure my fatigue, so this has taken it to a whole new level!

Saturday was kind of a repeat of Friday for me, this time only taking two naps during the day and still being able to prepare dinner and host some of our Chinese friends who came over that night. But what has baffled me about the whole thing is that I have had no "sick" symptoms this whole time, other than a mild lingering cough that came with a cold I consider myself recovered from. So what is my self-proclaimed diagnosis? I'm thinking fatigue, and my body's way of telling me to shut it down for a little while. Which kind of feels like a terminal illness to me in some cases! Kevin has helped me intentionally weed out any "extras" in our schedule this week, something that is incredibly difficult for me to do myself. Dr. Kevin's orders are that I am to be focusing only on those things that I really want to do that would refresh me and preparing for a parenting study I'm leading that will begin this Saturday (I have a group of Chinese friends who have been asking me to teach on parenting--I seem to have fooled them into thinking that I'm some sort of expert largely due to the fact that I have more kids than anyone else around!). This study itself has taken it out of me already, as I'm trying to do it all in Chinese, and feel like my language ability really is not there yet! I've spent lots of time preparing and translating, and have learned probably a hundred new vocabulary words in the process. So thrilling, yet exhausting all at the same time! I'm sure I will have all sorts of funny stories to tell after our first meeting on Saturday!

So this evening my enjoyable activity was just to spend time with my kids--specifically trying to teach them all to two-step around our living room to Randy Travis' "Deeper than the holler" (which brought back great memories of this summer when we happened to see Randy at the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse where Kevin and I were being treated to an absolutely amazing dinner--and smiles over the memories of my brother-in-law Rob's enthusiasm at the performer's presence only tables away from where we were sitting!) The easiest-to-lead award of the night definitely went to Noah, NOT because of his disposition, but because I could pick him up completely and spin him around with fewer inches of arms flailing to contend with. The most enthusiastic award went to Karis, who thought she was just being carried away by the rhythm, begging me to put the song on repeat again and again. Hudson was a little too busy practicing his blocking moves on his littlest brother that he'd just learned at Tai Kwon Do practice to be too interested in which foot should go forward first!

My favorite quote of the week was by Karis, who was desperately seeking her Daddy's full attention this weekend. I can tell this story only because Kevin is SUCH an attentive and engaging dad pretty much all of the time, making this story even more laughable! While Kevin was doing something on the iPad on Saturday morning, Karis stuck her nose in between him and the screen and stated very emphatically, "Dad, I'm here! It's Saturday!" (In other words, "I'm ready to play--give me your undivided attention!") So thankful for the frankness of our kids in expressing just what exactly their little needs are at any given moment! :)

Lots of Posing!

Yesterday after rest time I took all of the kids to Trash Mountain to try to take advantage of the beautiful fall colored leaves that are sprinkled throughout the park on many of the trees. We originally planned to go on Saturday, but due to a constant drizzle and the cold that has become more of a daily presence we decided to forgo that plan and head to the supermarket indoor play area instead to let the kids expend some energy. Unfortunately, maybe a little too much energy was put forth, as one of our friends' daughters who joined us there ended up falling on her arm at an awkward angle, leaving us concerned that she had possibly broken a bone. Kevin took the little girl (Katelynne) and her dad to a Chinese hospital for an x-ray, with one of our best national friends here, whose mom is a doctor and whose friend owns and drives a car, guiding them along the way and through the process (the Chinese hospitals kind of work on a take-a-number and get in line system, and can get really difficult to navigate if you're not very familiar with the process--and if you're not ready to be a little bit on the pushy side in order to keep your place in line!). We were all so relived to find out that Katelynne's arm was okay, and had the added blessing of having her dad have his ear checked out, only to discover that the pain he's had for the past several weeks was due to a pretty serious ailment--an infection along with a perforated diaphragm. Again, thankful that he was able to be checked out and get the medicine he needs too to be on the road to recovery! It was a great reminder of how blessed we are to have such an incredible network of friends here who will drop whatever they are doing to help us when we are in need--even when it means spending literally all day at the hospital working the system!

Anyway, back to the photo op. I wondered if we maybe wouldn't draw a crowd, as most of the time when I have all 4 out in public together this is our trend. The funny part was how many others there at the park had the same thing in mind of trying to capture the beautiful fall leaves--which meant LOTS of people and LOTS of cameras at the park! The kids handled it beautifully, with Karis turning a little bit pink in the cheeks as she murmured between her lips while smiling, "Mom, all these people are watching us!" And sure enough, the crowd and the flashes that were present were pretty unbelievable. If I wasn't so intent on capturing the most ideal expression on each of my four monkey's faces I would have stopped to count how many were gathered around at any given moment. But alas, I was determined (and I think succeeded!) in getting all four of mine at least looking in the right direction at one time! The other truly humorous moment was when one mother was bold enough to step right up to where my kids were posed on the rock wall and insert her probably 2 year old into our family photo op! I didn't have to say anything, but made it clear that I was intentionally NOT trying to include her little one in our family shot, hoping not to offend to greatly!

After we took the pictures for 20 minutes or so, I rewarded the kids with some free time to explore. They had a blast making "jelly" out of the red berries they found and squashed between leaves and collecting sticks and other treasures under the cover of the low-hanging branches near where we were. The kids loved the outside play time, and we finished up our evening by trekking partially up the mountain and then back down closer to where the three wheeler awaited our return.

As we finished our walk, I took note of the array of clothing that the people jogging past on the path were wearing (they have added in the last year a path that is paved officially for jogging or walking, which is truly a rare find indeed, making the path well-traveled most times of the day). We saw a little bit of everything, but the most amusing was the man jogging (and I'm pretty sure not just in a hurry to get from one place to another!) in a dri-fit style t-shirt, but also wearing a men's blazer (or sport coat)! I wish I could say that this is unusual, but I regularly see people on the jogging trail in clothes not very many Westerners would consider proper sports apparel. Especially in the shoe category! Authentic running shoes that are of good quality here are REALLY expensive, much more so than most nationals could afford, which I assume is why I see so many people walking or running in shoes that definitely leave something to be desired in the support category. It makes me sad and concerned for their joints, knees, and backs each time I see it!

The other photo is of the boys last week and their first week of Tai kwon do lessons. We found a place here in our apartment community and after a few times of observing the instructor at work, decided it would be a great fit for our boys. And they LOVED it! It was so fun to talk with them about it after their first class, hear their enthusiasm over the kicks and punches and the possibility of moving up to eventually achieve a black belt. Kevin stayed with them the whole time to help translate as necessary (their instructor is a young Korean man, who we discovered is like-minded, which probably has much to do with his a-typical kind demeanor towards the kids). The teacher uses both Chinese and Korean in class, and occasionally sprinkles in some English for the sake of Eli and Hud! We are super thankful for this opportunity for them to be able to participate in some sort of organized sport, and Kevin and I both feel strongly that sports are a great way for kids to have character-building opportunities and life-growth chances that they could otherwise not be confronted with as much. It should also provide some great exercise, which will be especially beneficial as the winter is fast approaching! We have just started counting down the days (only 8 now!) until the heat is turned on as our apartment floors are starting to feel cold in spite of the wool socks we're wearing! :)