Tang-hu-lu on the Bund

These pictures were taken early in June when had a little adventure at the Bund with our dear friends the Hillmers. We all tried these yummy traditional Chinese treats while we were there. Mr. Wu told us later when I showed him the pictures that they are called tang-hu-lus. He said the fruit, which is coated in a thin candy shell, is a hawthorn. I thought hawthorn was a type of small apple, but these little fruits tasted like a plum.

Andrea gets instruction from a local woman on how to eat her tang-hu-lu. Caleb and Matt in back, Madelyn, Gwen, Andrea, Maribel, Seth.

The Pudong side of the Bund, with the Pearl Tower visible, is in the background. Our old apartment complex, Shimao, was just out of this picture, to the right.

Nice view of inside of your mouth, Caleb!
Me and my sweet friend, Maribel. I miss you!

Psalm 48:14

"For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end."

Peaches

This morning Mr. Wu showed me some beautiful peaches he had gotten from a sidewalk vendor at the Chinese market. They were perfectly ripe, and large. Later in the day I asked him to take me to the market so I could get some. He described to me on the way there how this was just the right time of year for these Shanghai peaches. Too early, no good. Later, no good.

We pulled to the side of the road by the area where the peach vendors were. I got ready to get out of the car, but Mr. Wu stopped me. "You talk, maybe no good," he said. Now I may not speak much Chinese, but I know enough to bargain. However, it is fairly well known that Chinese people give their own a better price than they would give a foreigner.

Even on peaches, I guess. Mr. Wu brought me back two bags of peaches, about 14-15 total. I think he paid 21 RMB, around $3 USD. Such a deal. Good thing I didn't talk.

Modeling?

Not the first thing I would choose for my boys, but when Scott was approached in Carrefour a week or so ago by a women asking if the boys would be interested in modeling, the boys were excited because they heard $$$. Of course in this case, it's RMB, not USD. :-)

Seth had his first chance on Monday. He and our friend Lucas both modeled a large box of sweaters for the photography crew that came to our house. (Sneak peek of my living room curtains in these photos.) I was pleased to have their first opportunity be in our own home, and the woman in charge paid me a little for the use of our place! Caleb and Lucas's brother Lance really enjoyed watching their brothers get made up. The crew spent about 30 minutes fixing Seth and Lucas's hair and applying make-up. They even got their eyelashes curled!
The photographer took about 20 or so pictures of the boys in each sweater, then called out, "Change!" The crew quickly brought another sweater, the boys would change, and then the hair readjusting, fluffing, and spraying had to happen each time before the next round of pictures began.

The photographers let me take as many pictures as I wanted, as long as I didn't use a flash. This one is my favorite... how about that hair?!
The photographers knew minimal English, but I heard "Cool Boy!" a lot, apparently when they wanted a non-smiling look.
On location... at the Liptak house!

We don't know if the kids will have more chances to do this or not, but if nothing else, it's a funny China memory.

Then and Now Birthday

I was very nervous about Caleb's 4th birthday party. It was the first child's party I had planned, aside from gatherings for grandparents or church friends. This was a real birthday party, with themed invitations and everything. I cleaned the house from top to bottom. I went to several stores trying to find decorator's food coloring to make frosting for the firetruck cake really red, not just dark pink. Because it was a firefighter party, we arranged a tour of the fire station as part of the party. We had lengths of real hose for each party goer. We had red drinks to match the red frosting on the cake. I'm sure there were many other details that have escaped me in the ensuing ten years, but I know that in my mind that party was a Big Deal.

Today is Caleb's 14th birthday. Saturday he called some friends to arrange an outing to go go-carting. Scott took the six kids that went, I made dinner for the group after. Today, the actual day of his birthday, Caleb had a few friends over for lunch after their Mandarin class together. I made box macaroni and cheese, sliced some watermelon and cut up some vegges, and poured chips in a bowl. The kids sat around the dining room table together and talked and laughed.

I sat in the kitchen and compared the birthday party ten years ago with our celebration this year. I guess I've grown up a little myself.

Saturday Notes

Yesterday while Madelyn was entertaining friends in the baby pool in the yard, Mr. Wu put a couple of large, live prawns in the water. Funny, very funny. Fortunately the girls thought so!

I am getting used to the museum look of the draperies in our house. Either I no longer retain my sense of style, or they're not as bad as I thought at first. Pictures are coming soon for you to judge for yourself.

So very happy for China about the awesome opening ceremony last night. Amazing. Bonus to be watching live from the home country... no commercials in the entire broadcast.

On Friday the boys finished their first week of a 3 hours a day, five days a week, three week long Mandarin course. They admitted on Friday that it's been kind of fun. It helps to be doing it with friends. :-)

There have been several gorgeously clear, blue sky days this past week, and even some nights when we could see stars! Maybe the environmental clean-up for the Olympics reached all the way to Shanghai.

My Denial

No, he's not. He can't be. Fourteen sounds really old.

You're not fourteen, are you? No. Not until Monday. I still have a few more days with my little boy before he grows up.

Yeah right, Mom. :-)

Cousins

Sarah and I had some pictures taken of our kids for my parents when we were together this summer. Here is one of my favorites, of Caden and Gwen.

Bejing 2008

The Papa John's is here, the TV is tuned in, and the opening of the 2008 Olympics begins in 15 minutes... the world will be watching China for the next few weeks. It's a coming out of sorts, for China. May it be all that everyone is hoping for.

Guys At The Beach

Beach 2008

Three generations, Oak Island, NC.

China Sisters

On the last leg of our US trip, we visited friends in Chicago. Our dear friends from Gwen's adoption trip made a two and a half hour drive, each way, to spend some time with us there. Gwen and Kate hadn't seen each other for more than a year, but within minutes were acting like sisters. We've told the girls that the four of them who came from Yibin social welfare institute and were adopted at the same time, are "China sisters." We really want to keep this connection for them alive as they grow. It was such a treat to watch the girls interact, and to chat with Jen, Kate's mom.
We met at a park, where our Year of the Monkey girls were in their element! Kate and Gwen LOVED this part of the playground! After every turn of this wheel, they would jump down and beg to go again! Jen, Kate's mom, is pushing them around in this picture.

Monkey girls have to get as high as possible...
Sweet Kate!

We made a sign to let Kimberly know we wished she could have joined us... her momma really tried to make it happen, but it is tricky to travel from Florida to Illinois for just an afternoon. We missed you both, Carol and Kimberly!


The Monkey girls were busy with their antics up to the last few minutes before we got into our cars to part ways. The girls were pretty sad to leave each other. I lifted both Kate and Gwen up for a three-way hug with me while Jen got Kate's little brother into the car. Gwen wriggled away after a minute or two, but Kate put her head on my shoulder and gave me a good cuddle. I had a few cuddles like that from her back in December 2005, when we all first met our girls. It took me back to the hotel in Chengdu, Sichuan province, to have that sweet cuddle from Kate again! Thanks, darling girl. What a treat to see you thriving in your wonderful family. Thanks, Jen, for making the long drive. You are a real friend!

Beginning Again

This is the time of year when there is a real influx of new families moving to Shanghai, yet not many returning families are back from summer home visits. We remember being in this position last summer, when we went to church the first few Sundays we lived here. The pews were sparsely filled, and when the pastor asked new people to stand, it seemed that half the congregation was new.

Today we went to church on the look out for a new family. Scott "picked" one out for us, and we had dinner together at Johnny Moo's (a burger and shake place!) after the service. They have three girls, one exactly Madelyn's age, one younger, one older. They also joined us for coffee at our house afterwards, and we so enjoyed visiting with them. Madelyn and Caroline have already declared that they are best friends, and are planning future play times.

I miss old friends. And I'm so thankful for new friends. God is good.

Madelyn Faces

Go Jump In The River

Poconos 2008

My girl is poised to jump.What mother in her right mind lets her children jump into a river of questionable depth? Well, the tree was right there, and other kids were doing it...
... but after this move, I drew the line. No flips. No more. None.
Of course then Uncle Shann had to get in on the fun, with his stunt. Seth looked on approvingly.
...and then took a flying leap. I was quite relieved when this activity was over and we floated on our way downriver.

Home

We're home, and we're tired. Caleb was the first to be in bed, by about 5 o'clock. The other three followed, Madelyn curling up in her clothes on top of the covers, and Gwen falling asleep in the middle of a story. I forced myself to stay up, but after only a couple of hours of sleep on the plane, I am hoping to be in bed before 9 tonight.

It was an amazing month. We got to be with so many people that we love, a wonderful gift. We played on the beach, in the woods, in the river. We stayed up late talking. We had a lot of good food. We drove quite a few miles. As good as it all was, as we finished up our time in the US with a visit in Chicago last weekend, I began to long for home. Our China home.

The distictive China smell hit us in the face the moment we stepped off the plane. But unlike last July's first steps off the plane, this time the smell was familiar, if not homey. We looked at each other and grinned.

So here we are. Yes, the new curtains do look like a museum. It is very muggy and smoggy outside. We're back to a sea of black heads of hair and an unfamiliar language. But now it feels like home.

Multiple Loyalties

Today the kids and I went to visit dear friends in Medina, where we lived several moves ago. As we drove through the town, past several old haunts, we all felt nostalgic for our old hometown. Cries of "Oh, I remember this!", and "I loved that place!", punctuated our drive through the familiar streets. The conversation progressed to the kids discussing how they love all the green in America, how lush it seems everywhere, compared to the "concrete jungle" we live in in China, to use Caleb's words. They talked about wanting to live in the US again. Then Caleb wisely said, "But once we're back in China, with our friends, then we're going to be glad we're there."

As I've written in several previous posts, this month I too have reveled in the green, the blue, the familiar. It's great to be here. But I know my little part of China well enough now to have elements of it that I know I will long for, once we leave there for good someday.

I told the kids this afternoon that I think it's good to love more than one place.

Friends

One afternoon while we were at Sarah's, Gwen seemed to really connect with Juline. Sweet Juline cannot sit up because of the weight of her head, due to the hydrocephalus. Gwen lay down next to her on the bed and talked to her for a long while. This is not generally spitfire Gwen's normal mode of operation, so it was amazing to see. She reveled in Juline's responses. Later, when another foster mom picked Juline up to take her for the week while we were all in the Poconos, Gwen sobbed and sobbed that Juline was leaving. Not sure what that connection was, but it was something special.

Daddy's Gone, Daddy's Home

Scott is back in Shanghai. As I type this just before bed here in the US on Wednesday night, he is back at his office on Thursday morning, trying to jump into the work that awaits him.

While were in the US, the curtains and screens were installed in our place. Scott said the curtains look extremely formal, like a bank or a museum. Hmmm... can't wait to see what they look like. The phone and internet lines were put in also, so Scott will sort out hooking those up before we get back.

The kids and I have five or six more days in the US before we head back. I am excited about spending time with the people we have yet to see, and glad to have more time to soak in all the things I love here, but with Scott back in China, I'm feeling a little antsy. Maybe it's good that he went back a week ahead of us, because it will make it easier for me to leave here.

Youngest Nieces in Black & White

Alyssa Jane, two and a half years old

EmmaClare, almost two years old

At the Lake

I grew up within a couple of miles of Lake Erie. We swam at the beach and grilled kielbasi and ate potato salad at the park above it. We vacationed at a lake community of cottages on Lake Erie several summers. When Scott and I were dating, we enjoyed sunsets sitting on the pier, dreaming about our future. Several times we made breakfast together at the beach. Caleb took some of his first unsteady steps along a Lake Erie beach. I've walked with my sweet grandma, who is now nearly 100, along these shores.

This week I've returned to these beaches. Lake Erie may have had a bad rap in the past, but the last two evenings by this body of water in the Midwest have been lovely. The peachy pink sky reflecting in the water... well, a Shanghai sunset just isn't anything like that. My girls paddled around in the lake tonight in lovely, warm, clear water.

I guess we always see places we love through rose colored glasses. Or maybe that was just the color of the clouds as the sun was setting...

Catching the Big One

Poconos 2008

I'm loving the chance for my boys to be boys this week... something about the woods and the river that seems to bring out those basic instincts, reminds them of things about themselves that may have been in hibernation for a while.

Up In The Green

This week I am loving green. And blue. And blue and green. And the river and the trees and the mountains. I'm trying to soak it all in, to save it for when we're back in the big city.

We're in the Pocono mountains this week with my family. We're floating down the river, diving for golf balls, watching skunks and racoons at night, and catching fireflies. We're fishing, splashing, and lazing on the water. We're golfing, toasting marshmallows, hiking to waterfalls. We're talking into the night. We have muddy feet. We're reading (The Shack- if you haven't gotten a copy yet, do.), having cousin squabbles, and blowing bubbles.

It's great to be together. Have I said that already? :-)

Sunset Girls

Girls in the Surf

Watching Meredyth and Madelyn in the waves in North Carolina last week brought back memories for me of the wonderful fun I had in the ocean with my cousin Tamara when I was growing up. I know you remember it too, Tam. Let's do it again someday!

Thursday Night

Loving being at my sister's home here in Pennsylvania this week... driving on the hilly, winding roads past old stone farmhouses and through densely wooded areas; loving the deep blue sky we enjoyed tonight as we ate dinner out on the patio; loving the fresh air... it smelled so good tonight, I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but it was a clean smell. Loving going to Wal-mart and browsing. Loving hanging with Sarah and her kiddos, including sweet Juline, whom Sarah and Shann are caring for this summer while she recovers from surgery to correct her hydrocephalus, before returning to her parents in Haiti. Loving watching our kids interact. Loving working in the kitchen with Sarah, doing dishes with her and talking together while meals are prepared. Loving working in Sarah's yard a little, clipping a branch here, pulling a weed there. I've missed that. Loving fast internet. Loving (gulp!) a little reality TV.

Loving being in America. And thinking of China.

Horsing Around

Seth follows Uncle Justin willingly...
Only to have him turn on him... He is snatched up...

And carried out to sea!

Group Photo

Trying to get in position...
Finally together!

Wednesday

It's so good to be in the US.

We enjoyed several days at our dear friends' home in North Carolina right after we left the beach... time with this clan is never long enough. After leaving there yesterday morning, we arrived at my sister's home in Pennsylvania by dinner time. "Welcome Cousins!" was spelled out on the front sidewalk in colored chalk. Looking forward to spending the next few days here.

It seems like too much almost, to get to be with so many people that I love at once... I wish that somehow I could spread these visits out, to maybe have one each month. Since it's all packed in to this one month, I need to soak it in and store it all away for later, when I can enjoy the memories.

Purse Contents

As I scrounged through my purse this afternoon, I found a mixture of China and the US.

-Currency, of course. Both RMB and USD are in my wallet.
-A receipt from the beach shop earlier this week.
-A slip of paper with the address of a friend in Jinqiao, on MingYue Lu.
-Chewing gum purchased at the Food Lion here on the island.
-A ticket stub from a show Maribel and I took the girls to at the Pearl Tower Theater the week before we both left for the US.
-the non-resident card library card I got to use the computer here in NC.
-the list of ideas for a home school co-op I made at our last meeting in June.
-our membership cards for the pool by our new place in Jinqiao.

It's all mixed together in my purse... and that seems just fine. Pieces of both worlds.

Down By The Sea

I'm sitting in the small public library of a little beach town in North Carolina. We're here this week with Scott's family, enjoying beach and cousin time. We're watching a large tub of crabs and sand on the deck, caught by Caleb this afternoon; we're body surfing, we're enjoying great food cooked by a different couple every night. We're sweeping sand off the floor many times a day, applying sunscreen to each other's backs, doing Pilates together at 11 p.m., and making sausage and french toast for an hour in the morning. We have novels and magazines in random places all over the house, towels and bathing suits on the clothsline and hanging over the deck railing, and laundry going around the clock. We're watching movies curled up on Pa and Nanny's bed, making sand castles decorated with shells, and digging deep holes on the beach for the rising tide to fill. We're playing bocce, frisbee, and baseball on the beach. We're talking and laughing and singing the same songs over and over. We're going through cases of bottled water. We're hanging out in bathing suits all day.

It's great to be together.