To Him be the Glory!

Bam!

2012-01-29T06:37:00.000-08:00

Bam! Kazam! Boom!

Here are our Super Heros in action!

(I guess super heros don't mind breaking the no standing on furniture rule)

"cuddley duddley doo! yes! Shmookie wookie tookie nookie! Sure!"

The things we say with a baby in the house we never even thought we would think about.

Super Girl Lily (sorry to ruin the disguise)

"Whoa!"

off to the bat cave

"Zazoom!"

All we could squeeze out for a Christmas countdown this year. Sometimes, the simpler, the better.

A typical day's view from out our neighbor's window.

(not sure why... but there it is)

Vet Vera, Olivera, Abibet... what is my name?

(Olivet at 5 months (though she is 6 months today!))

Katie & Princess Lolly both still alive with no recent escape attempts to report.

My Novice Percussionist

(and with an audience!)

Here is our Christmas package from GG & Gampy!! Wow, we had so much fun opening all the special gifts. THANK YOU!!!

Lily posing with her new purse she just finished coloring, along with some fun pants and a shirt... but the same old earmuffs :)

I told Cade, "No, you can't use this camera to take a picture of yourself." So he decided he would just pretend it was him taking the picture :).

"Yeay, it's supper time!"

"Not hot pot again!"

I love the attitude in this step.

(I'm not so sure I will love it in ten years :)

"Hmm, what's this? Oh, just a package slip glued to our door."

Josh and Cade returned from their half day trip to the post office... with EIGHT BOXES!!! SEVEN from our church in La Crosse who collected books for our The Book Station, our local library!!! And one SPECIAL box from Uncle Phil and Auntie Danielle!! What a fun weekend!!

Before getting the books into the Delicious Monster Library System, the kids took advantage of having hundreds of books to look at... and set up their own library in their room! At several points during the day, all four (big) kids were reading at the same time, without being asked to!

Zoom!

Caedmon eager to use dad's knife to open this one.

(In our excitement, I must not have captured the box opening on "film." Well, we were spoiled with stickers (that stick), candles, onion soup mix, some Bath and Body bottles, puzzles and more! What a delight.

Speaking of delights, I love this age. But I will not fool myself this time. I have come to grips with the fact that Olivet will go through a naughty stage no matter how sweet she is now :).

Welcome back Josh, Beth & baby Hudson!! Sometimes it's hard to live overseas, knowing our friends often move away. But it sure is fun to have them return, especially with a new addition!

The Natural

These hot pot pictures are all over the place. This one is from New Year's Eve! We hosted a Hot Pot party!

To really get the feel of what eating hot pot is even like, you will have to come and visit.

Good thing for "Pine Scent Lemn Floor Cleaner" otherwise "Happy New Year" would have been permanently written in our dining room.

In preparation for dinner...

some people buy turkey, maybe steak, some potatoes, a veggie for a nice New Year's Eve meal.

We buy bags of random veggies, dried noodles, frozen meat rolls and of course dried tofu (above).

2012- the year of the DRAGON!

What a hit!

Ok, back up a week. Here we are on Christmas Eve roasting marshmallows over a small grill and singing Christmas Carols at the same time. And we wonder why our neighbors think we are weird...

Xiao li, Si en & A xing

(try saying that ten times fast!)

And for the clean up. The counter was filled with almost every dish from the cupboards! I guess doing dishes on New Year's Eve was better than waking up to hot pot sauce everywhere and a hundred crusty dishes. And our whole family was in bed by 10:30!

Caedmon actually wore this under his clothes as he pretended he was Peter Parker for a day. He totally loves Spider Man.

Alakazam!

Getting the hang of hot pot

"Woosh!"

We were all excited for our friend Austin to spend the day with us a few weeks ago.

He & Hadassah had fun decorating their submarines.

Five month old Olivet. "I love my Ayi!"

Chillin' like a villain

(don't tell batman and super girl)

During Josh's class that our city hosted, Josh invited about 30 guys over for the Rose Bowl. It was super fun for them (not sure if Josh would use that terminology) to eat some yummy, homemade brats and cheer and communicate together about deep things (jk). Once again, this is the only picture from that occasion. Huh.

Here is the prof herself (who the kids loved) visiting one night along with a handful of the counselors that came with.

What a sweet experience.

Pow! Wham!

The most beautiful thank you card i have seen. The prof thanked Josh for his hard work and blessed us with some cash to go on a date! Look at those sparkles! Kazaowee!

And here is Captain Bumbo to the rescue!

Crash! Boom! Bang!

(Though his little sibling has doubts...)

Our sweet friends Julie & Ty were in town for the class, along with some of their friends. We had a really fun night playing games, doing puzzles, and eating cheesecake!

This is what Dassah, Vivi and I do on Wednesday mornings...

We play cards and puzzles and eat cookies...

while daddy teaches Lily and Caedmon! Yeay!

Our friends and neighbors are back after being gone for six months!! YEAY FOR GIRLFRIENDS!!

trying to help overcome jetlag with dress-up and stories

I love this. This was Vivianna's Christmas present, a magnetic doll with clothes. Lily did mention she didn't think Vivi was ready for this type of toy yet.

The "GP" stands for "Go Pack." Josh did wear his special necklace (which came with a couple extra beads just incase) until the Pack lost.

another shot "by Caedmon"

"This is pretty comfy. I think I'll just take a snooze right here."

(Like Lily, Olivet does sometimes sleep with her eyelids not all the way closed :)

I also love ages 5 (almost 6!) and 7. The question "Can you please help with this?" takes on a whole new meaning. They really get the job done.

And just in time for... you guessed it... hot pot!

Will our kids think seeing something like this when they grow up is random or normal?

(just doing a u-eee). (How do you spell that? U.E.? Uy?)

And finally, I will conclude with Josh's new office and a nice hot meal (not hot pot this time).

The location is great. Second floor off of a street with lots of yummy restaurants and a store called "Stinky Socks".

the walls have been painted...

there's a bathroom

a pipe repair seems to have been attempted

the pantry

the kitchen

the kitchen (angle two)

storage space

grain crusher

some nice wall decals

and a welcoming blue Gumby

Not too bad! Since our last visit, Josh spent a day bleaching the bathroom and tidying up a bit. He and his buddies now have a great place to get their work done and I'm sure will look more forward to a nice hot meal after a long day!

"Lickety Wop!"

Winter is here!

2011-12-22T07:23:00.000-08:00

High this week- about 60, low- high 30's. Not bad even though we really have to bundle up at night!

Lily has been wearing these earmuffs to bed since she got them on her 6th birthday. But yeah, it has been chilly enough for mittens and a hat too!

"This is what I wear to bed!"

After seeing Hadassah all bundled up, Caedmon goes,

"Aww, she looks so cute! Her cheeks looks so chubby!"

Caedmon's buddy Sean who had to move back to the U.S. with his folks. He just beamed holding Olivet. We miss his family lots!

The three look-a-likes. No one makes Olivet smile like Caedmon!

I came into the dinning room a bit surprised to see this display on the table. Lily was getting ready to teach her siblings something special!

Lily's homemade poster to advertise our library

This is my romeo all set for our first chinese pre-marriage counseling session. I did ask, "Do you think you should change your clothes?" before I said, "Let me quick take your picture :)" Only in China.

Our four month old kicker

Happy 7th Birthday Lily! So happy to eat her breakfast (granola) from the Birthday plate!

And more happy to eat her lunch at McDonalds!

Check out these cakes we saw on the way to pick out her birthday present.

We stuck with a plate full of cookies instead :)

Lily & Coco (otherwise called C.C. or Dee Dee by Vivi) (her live sounding pet who can stand on her back legs and who doesn't need potty training)

This year we talked about making it a tradition to put up the tree on Lily's b-day. It took a while. Not sure if it met her expectations. Is that someone's head sticking out in the top of the picture? Weird.

We left the placing of the star to the men of the house.

"Is that edible?" -Viv

I totally thought we were past the stage of Viv putting stuff in her mouth. She re-entered it on this day.

This is what Caedmon has been saving up his allowance for for about a year and a half. It's a microscope!

Good Buddies Spring, Lil & Michelle

Even though I instructed Lil & Cade through this project...

It was still special to receive!

All lined up for some fun...

A Boz Christmas video on the wall!

Our Sunday morning walk to the market went pretty smooth...

until one of the fish on the right jumped out of the little pool and landed right on my foot!

At least it wasn't one of the fish on top of the styrofoam box!

"Which chicken do you want?"

The Sugar Cane Peeler

Baby's 1st Rice Cereal. I'd say it was a hit.

The Full Belly Smile

Xiao Li turned 31 this month so Josh made his famous brownies for us all!

Caedmon's concern was that he had too much glue on his paintbrush. My concern was that Mrs. Snowwoman has five eyes.

Back to Science 101. The baking soda + vinegar was supposed to make a volcano effect.

I guess besides the blue food coloring, the coolest part of this experiment was watching the liquid bubble as it went down the funnel. The effect was minimal.

Oooh, I love experiments!

Olivet's outfit from GG & Gampy purchased in Hilton Head, SC

Lots of girls; lots of hairstyles!

staying warm

Today Hadassah and Vivianna and I were playing hide and seek outside in our courtyard. It was so good to be reminded of the excitement and joy of being two and three.

Our sweet friends Si en & Xiao Li

(I think he looks just like mom!)

Taking a ride to get some warm noodles. Winter is here!

Sometimes all I can do at the end of the month is take a deep breath and give praise for strength HE provides..

2011-11-25T05:52:00.000-08:00

Olive has been pretty sick, but is now finally smiling again (and sleeping better)! I fed her at 9:30pm, laid down at 10, and didn't open my eyes again until 7am!!!!!!! The things that I get excited about these days...

What Lily & Caedmon & Hadassah have been doing in their free time... I bet you can guess whose is whose.

Here is our guest Mr. Eric. He stayed at our house for a week while taking a class. He was greeted every morning with a tackle by Viv.

Another trip to the market. I didn't get very far very fast because I brought all the kids with me this time. I explained many, many times that yes, they are all mine, no, I did not bring a helper with to the market to help me watch the kids, yes, they listen pretty well, yes, their ages are about a year apart, and no, I don't know exactly how much money we make every year.

This market is amazing, though the grandness of it all along with it's smells makes me feel a little faint at times.

After returning from our adventure, including the purchase of our $1.25/ 18 roses, I took advantage of the quiet time, and took a nap. When I woke up, this is what I found in the kitchen!

Elf Lily was fast at work!

Prof Elias & Caedmon looking sharp!

One of Hadassah's first more real looking drawings.

It's a person with a bow and arrow (I'm guessing she had Caedmon in mind).

Olivet's 3 month pic, now that she is almost 4 months.

(I might have guessed this was a picture of Lily when she was this age!)

This is what Lily (and Vivi & Dassah) are up to when mom is busy feeding a baby, changing sheets, preparing supper, changing another diaper etc... Lily read in a magazine about a craft you can make that looks like a pizza, so she went for it, ALL on her own initiative! And then, she spent at least 30 minutes using it to teach Hadassah and Vivianna colors and how to count.

Girls being girls

This month a few of us moms took our bigger kids (or should I say princesses and prince??) to see the play "Beauty and the Beast" performed by the international high school students (we didn't get home until after 10pm!). It was so fun and the performance and music were incredible. (Caedmon was going to wear his lion head hat but opted not to at the last minute :)

Back to Science Class

We got quiet a few bubbles out of this hanger!

Vivi waiting patiently for her turn :)

The Grand Opening of "The Book Station" Library!

Olivet wearing the beautiful hand made sweater from my Auntie Pam. I think white is her color... especially if there are shiny pink buttons anywhere on it!

sister sister sister

peek-a-boo

When I receive text messages on my phone, the tone sounds like a door bell and this bugs Josh because he, naturally, thinks someone is at the door. Before I got around to changing my ringer, we found these signs taped all around the house.

Here is another (of 5, one for each of us) that makes me smile.

Caedmon and his buddy Sean.

We are sad to have to say good bye to Sean's family on Monday because they are returning to America to live. We will miss you!!! Every time we put together the "Despicable Me" puzzle, we will think of you!

You never know what you will run into at the park on a sunny day!

(A wedding)

(A new friend)

This is what your kids would make out of play dough if they lived in China: meat on a stick.

Hi to my grandmas and grandpas!! I miss you lots!!

Another super exciting science experiment. Just waiting around for mold to grow. La De Da.

Happy Princess Birthday to Lily!

She is almost 7, but wanted to celebrate before her friend Lydia leaves for America for four months.

I remember the days when getting Lily to simply sign her name on the thank you card was like pulling out teeth.

The Party Crasher

Viv is a big girl! She turned two this month!

"No more nuky. Nuky in babage. I'm big girl. No baby."

Vivi got a talking (Dora) backpack for her birthday. She likes it the most when someone else is trying to play with it.

We had cupcakes at the monthly story time. She didn't seem to get what was going on. But now, a couple weeks later, she often sings happy birthday to herself. She needed a while to let it soak it.

I'm wondering when Vivi takes her clothes off and puts them back on inside out and backwards. Before or after nap time?

Another one of my brilliant husband's resolves.

Our landlord showed up the other day with an elevator full of dongxi (stuff) and told us we needed to find a place to store it. As I was pretty upset and telling him (not so nicely) why we don't have any room and of all the places he absolutely can not store it, my husband was taking the mattresses off our beds and stashing the goods under them. Huh. I guess I didn't think of that.

The date has finally arrived! It's time to party, princess style!

Princess Xiao Li decorating cupcakes.

What a delight! We played four princess games including "Kiss the Frog," "Hang-princess" (just another version of hangman :), and "Cinderella's Lost Slipper." Then the girls played dress up for quiet a while and afterward ate a yummy lunch together. What special memories!

I finally got to meet the so often talked about Ha Laoshi (Teacher Ha). It was a pleasure to have him and his wife over for Thanksgiving dinner! They absolutely LOVED the kids and kept saying, "Let's take a picture and tell all our friends we just had a baby!" Despite Caedmon's multiple trips to the bucket to throw up, we all had a wonderful time, especially talking about Him who Created this all!!!

so adorable

And finally, to end on a winning note: GO PACKERS!!!

These are our good friends Krista & Steve who obviously have split affections but managed to stay civil towards each other during today's amazing victory. We will miss you while you are in the U.S. and we can't wait to meet baby #3!!!

kids

2011-10-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Olivet (also called Olive, Livi, Veti Beautiful & Awbibet) is 3 months old tomorrow!! But this is a 2 month pic.

Vivi a couple weeks ago before two teeth on top started to come in. I don't think I saw a smile like this all day!

"Where did that button go??"

Go Packers!

Lily and I had a great girls night out over a game of cribbage and some yummy hot cider. Lily totally beat me. (Loser paid).

Lily holds up her sign in almost every other picture, I thought I would beat her to it. "M-ahhhhh-m!!!"

Lily playing "Riding on an Airplane"

GG my cute outfit finally fits!! I really like to suck on the flower.

This is Lily's excitement overflowing before her first ballet class.

She could hardly wait to begin...

Finally, we're here!! The night after her first lesson, she drew all the feet positions she was taught so she would remember. I wonder if she still has it, it was SO cute.

Together again: Lydia, Kayleigh & Lily

This is the inside of our water cooler (even though it doesn't cool, it heats) after 4 months away! Gross! Sorry to the guests who stayed here!

Livi after being adorned by the bracelet Lily made (one of a collection... everyone else got one too). At first she wasn't sure it matched, but she got over that.

Happy girl on a walk. I got in trouble this time for (a) not having her in socks (it was in the high 70's), and for (b) having her head positioned lower than her feet. Oops. I hardly noticed. Is that something to be concerned about in the States? Next time!

Caedmon the Inventor

(the plate of food is spinach and eggs (incase you were wondering :), one of our faves)

We didn't get into any kind of trouble on this day!

This was a fun science experiment. We put food coloring on milk and then dabbed it with a dishsoap covered toothpick. You'll have to try it to see what happens!

Packer colors of course

This seemed more like home-ec then science, but either way, the meringue sure tasted good after it was baked!

Only 5 months ago, when we had tator-tot casserole for dinner, we also ate it for lunch the next day. Now days, we finished off an entire pot and were hungry for more, just at supper time!

Our new library The Book Station will open in about 2 weeks!!! This is our trial run. We had a story time and then let the kids each check out two books. Thanks to all who have contributed!! So far we have about 500 books!!!

Our whole family has enjoyed our visit with professor Elias and his wife Foklina. What an amazing couple.

Here are some of the books they brought in for us that First Free in Wisconsin collected for us!!! We were amazed to say the least.

We decided it was time to get some pets since we are hoping to be here for a while. We started with 5 goldfish (1 kuai /fish (16 cents)) named by each of the kids: Katie, Princess Lolly (yes, named by Caedmon, the Candy Land fan), Donnie (was a toss up for Dassah between Donnie, Ronnie, Honnie & Bonnie), Rainbow Fish & Cat (Olivet had a little help naming hers). I am sad to say only Katie & P. Lolly remain, thanks to the extra air/ bubble generator Josh had stashed away in the closet. The tank looks much more welcoming now and I might remember to take a picture of it and post it next month :).

Speaking of the Packers... Here is an amazing cloak designed by Lily.

Lily loves to read to Hadassah, and I think it will be the other way around soon!

I love homeschooling. Today, Viv out of the blue said, "one, two, three..." all the way to thirteen! I sure didn't teach her that!! They are always learning!

There's No Place Like Home

2011-09-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

This is the sweet sign we came home to after four months away! What a great welcome, especially after the sign we saw in the elevator on the way up:

Yes, it may be inappropriate, but I figure if it's posted in a public elevator...

The kids thought it was pretty funny anyway :)

I love the feeling of walking in a home after a while away and feeling odd. Kind of like a giant in a mouse house or an ant in a castle. The feeling is a little disoriented. Picture caption: Josh on the computer, luggage all over the place, and Hadassah carrying a baby doll bed down the steps (???)

What a joy to let the kids bust out every single toy they own and forgot about as we unpacked and unpacked and unpacked. 7 people = 12 suitcases, about 8 carry-ons, and 14 hands to carry it all (well, in this case, 8 hands to carry it all not including generous friends and a handy luggage cart).

Here is our friend Xiao Li meeting Olivet for the first time...

And us meeting Si en (Caleb), her recently adopted son! What a sweetie!!

So, the month before we left the U.S. was pretty crazy. I'm glad I got a few shots at least. Here we had a great visit with Auntie Sarah, Uncle Trevor, and cousins Gavin & Olivia.

We also got a visit in to the place Josh was sent for a half a year as a boy to straighten up! The kids had so much fun visiting a real farm (as opposed to a fake one??)... Thanks cousin Mark for the tour!

Baby Cows

Q: Viv, what does a cow say? A: Ruff!!!

Q: Lil, what does a cat say? A: Hold me!

Olive trying out a bottle by Lily's daily request.

Happy 31st Birthday Josh! We love you lots! Josh's mom made a special birthday dinner and a great tasting cake!

Here are FIVE generations all in one picture!

Vivi lovin hanging out with some cousins. Can you tell her and Jade (on the right) are related?

Here are our last memories from Appleton before we left for Monroe. The kids and Great Granny playing their version of Hide the Thimble with flower petals.

The excitement of the find

Going on a walk, a really funny walk, because before this moment, Granny was trying to take a picture of me and mom but was facing the camera the wrong way. The picture was so funny and we were laughing. Once it started, there's no stopping!

Olivet with her "lovey" Lamb before it gets dirty and sucked on and spilled on and stepped on. At least we are guessing this is the one she will pick to carry around with her and love :)

I got a horrible sinus cold about a week before we had to leave, so on a Sunday, I stayed home with Viv & Olivet hoping to get some rest. I thought that paint was a good idea since it might occupy Viv for a good 40 to 50 minutes. This all happened in less than 10, and then she wanted down immediately. Rats.

Big sister Gretta at the hospital in Green Bay where Nat had her baby!

Introducing: Leila Francine Gremore!

What a doll!

This day was also another highlight. Sometimes having lots of kids makes me feel like I'm stuck, when I'm really not, we just need to be creative. So..

Josh pushed Olivet in the jogging stroller and ran while I rollerbladed pushing Dass and Viv in the double stroller while Lily and Cade rode their bikes around Appleton. Mapmyrun.com revealed we traveled 4.5 miles on this adventure! Fun times.

My dad and Josh were able to enjoy attending a Packer Game together at Lambeau field, only a short walk from my sisters house. Here's Gampy, The Painter, giving Lily a festive necklace.

And Josh painting Cade's mohawk before Nat and I painted his.

What's this Caedmon is riding in?

Only the sweetest looking car I've ever seen. And it matches our stroller :) No, it's not our rental, it's my Uncle Steve's. Amazing.

As I was washing Hadassah's hair in the bathtub, a small glob of hair came out with the shampoo. It startled me and Hadassah must have noticed the concerned and questioning look on my face. She immediately confessed her sneaking out of her quiet time to get the scissors (that I told her she couldn't play with only minutes before). We have been growing out her bangs for over a year and now they wouldn't even comb down! Oh well, I am thankful she was honest!

I was sitting in this exact spot only 10 minutes before this happened! I drove back from the Y, hopped in the shower, heard some winds, a siren and all of a sudden Josh yelling, "Get in the basement everyone!" A storm with 70mph winds came whipping through without a warning.

This is what our entire neighborhood looked like! If the wind is this strong, imagine the strength of our God who created the wind!!

Too bad for our beautiful rented van. There was insurance on it and we did get it fixed just in time... a day before we left.

I'm glad our cousins Madeline and Nathan decided to come and play the day before! We had lots of fun visiting the park and having lunch together.

Happy Birthday Gampy! Lily made him a Packer colored fan to keep him cool at the game.

The grandkids had a grand time running around and playing hard.

Raise your hand if you love GG!

all smiles

a birthday blessing

J & T in charge of the grill

Gampy & GG, we miss you lots!!

Ending on a sweet note, the fruit pizza! Happy Birthday dad!

Mohawk or No hawk? What's your vote?

2011-09-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

These pics are in a pretty messed up order, but for the sake of my own heart that feels the need to actually post August pics before Christmas, here are random tidbits of our lives.

Lily lost her 4th tooth while we visited Monroe! What a girl!! To celebrate, at the end of Lily's traditional scavenger hunt after losing a tooth, she found a coupon to take the whole family for ice-cream.

Here is Great Grandma Selma holding 6 or 7 day old Olivet (I'm not positive, these days are a bit of a blur :)

Our good friends Andy & Karen and their sweet kids came to visit us while we were all in Wisconsin. We had a jam packed day of picnicking in the rainy park, giving baths to 7, and enjoying a meal together.

What will this couch full look like in 5 years? And 10?
Karen made these BEAUTIFUL hats for each of the kids. I am still amazed, over a month past the gift opening.

For some reason, our tour takes us back to Appleton...

enjoying more ice-cream!

"mmm! momma, mmm!"

Before Olivet was born, Auntie Danielle & Uncle Phil were sweet to hang out in Appleton to care for some monkeys before their return to Georgia. WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!!!!

I'm not sure when it was I had time to do this, but it sure looks cute, AND it stayed in all day! It's a keeper of a style.

This shirt is not maternity, so this must have been during our "girl time" one day after Olive was born. Lily and I gave each other facials, and then snuck up on Caedmon and daddy with a big "Roar!"
I don't think I have a picture of our following "girl time" which was a huge blast. Caedmon suggested I rollerblade and Lily ride her bike. And at every corner, we take turns picking 'left,' 'right,' or 'straight.' That was a great idea.

oop, back in Monroe. On this day the kids got to meet their new cousin Olivia Marie! What a doll!

And here is Great Grandma Delores not being able to remember when the last time she held a newborn was. So sweet.

Olivia taking it easy

After a few days in Monroe, we spent two weeks in La Crosse. This is my first solo walk (with out my amazing side kick and super hero of a husband) with all 5. Our trip to the park started out good...

And only ended with a few tantrums. Not bad when you consider the ratio of tantrums per kid.

We spent lots of time with really good friends while in LaCrosse. Here is Natalia with her biggest smile!

And Faith holding Olivet, knowing exactly how to give her her nuk.

Maybe because big sister Malana taught her how!
We had so much fun with you guys!!!

Cooling off from the hot sun at the Nelson's

"What's up with this? I'd like to swim too!"
Maggie & Olivet

We were all excited to hang out with Randa for one afternoon. We brought her some of her favorite treats from China and I bet there are't any left by now!

Our wonderful friends who we lived near and did life with in China drove a few hours to come and have fun together for the day. Lily and Abby will always share a special friendship.

Life isn't all fun and games... or is it?

"Show me your funny face..."

A day at the Brockbergs
Joshie holding Baby and possibly detecting a stinky pants

Matthew & Lily holding fish their dads caught

Most days, Cade is a risk taking machine

"humf. boys." (-Lily)

Now we are in Iowa at the amazing Village Creek Family Camp. Here is Amber in front of the room the littles slept in during naps.

We only spent the day, but it sure was a packed one. We got to meet and play with a litter of cute white puppies.

Snack Time! One of my favorite aspects of this camp was the helpers. Two volunteers hung out with us all day waiting for us to tell them how we needed help. It was like having four extra hands, something busy moms often wish for.

Getting ready to ride horsey, holding on tight to lion.

"YES, Hadassah, you can jump on that!!"

We are discovering (with joy) that Lily loves to play by the rules.

Here is our risk taker.
"Let me see what else this body can do!"

The finalists from the race all line up durning the rodeo.

Josh & Caedmon take the gold!

Back in LaCrosse spending time with another one of our favorite families, The Wikkerinks. They have a crew of their own; their youngest of ten kids is now five. Olivet was blessed to rest in Jade's loved filled arms of such abundant experience.

Josh & James
James was whipping up some homemade mac & cheese, just the way us Wisconsinites love it- cheesy!

The kids played so well together, and also enjoyed chasing, finding, squeezing & cuddling the six cats!!

Are those Batman ears?

On the way out of town (heading back to Appleton), we stopped at Shepherd's Flock Preschool where Lily attended one semester last time we were in the States. Her teachers are magnificent people who love children more unique & wonderful than I've ever seen in a teacher. THANK YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS!!!

Today is picture day in the back yard! Let's start with the baby since I already dressed her last night!
Olivet at 1 month... boy does the time fly!

Celebrating 3 years since Hadassah's Baby Dedication!
(The plan was to take a picture every year wearing the same t-shirt to note the growth. But I can't remember what t-shirt we started with. Maybe we can do a three year t-shirt rotation :)

Smile if you love getting your picture taken!

I love Hadassah's many faces... each with their own meaning
"I bet I can get some m&m's out of this!"

"Caedmon! Are you ready! Get out here, it's your turn! "
His smile is in anticipation for the following...

Bonus Question: What else is missing besides lots of hair on both sides of the head?
Answer: the clip on tie.

Not sure how this picture from the park ended up in this spot, but here it is. If I were a betting person, I'd be willing to bed we have at least one hundred pictures of Lily holding someone.

Back to the question of the day: Mohawk or no hawk?

I wouldn't trade anything in the world for the two guys in my life, mohawks and all!!!

Welcome Olivet Lavera Golackson!

2011-08-04T19:41:00.000-07:00

On July 29th, 6 days after my due date, my mom came to watch the kids for our doctor's appointent and brought some beautiful flowers from her garden!

It had been a little tough over the previous 5 days, partly because I felt ready to have this baby, and partly because I felt some pressure to induce. I (and MANY OTHERS (including a random lifeguard at the Y & another random person at the park) had been praying for a wise decision and for safety. Praise the Lord who hears our prayers.

I felt such a great joy in my heart on this day. I was so thankful for my mom and also for this baby we get to meet soon. I finally accepted that I am not in control of this baby's birthday (after trying many things to induce labor like foot massages, long walks, and pineapple :).

This was the kids reaction after we returned from the doctor's appointment with contractions 8 minutes apart. I told the kids, "either today or tomorrow you will get to meet your new sister!" Lily was shocked. She said, "I hope tomorrow!" I think in order to have time to think about it and prepare herself to meet her baby sister. They were all so excited.

So mom took the kids to her house, and Josh and I drove back to the hospital and parked in the parking lot (obviously). We walked around a beautiful park and a neat body of water for about two hours. I had my pen and paper in my hand, marking every contraction... about one minute apart for an hour. We gradually made our way back to the hospital and were so thankful for the time we were able to spend outside.

We checked in about 5:30 p.m. The doctor was busy with 2 other deliveries, so she made it to our room about 7:30 to break my water. Olivet was born at 9:33p.m.

Weighing in at 7lbs. 4 oz.

What a miracle!

Getting Cleaned Up

Olivet's First Visitors (at nearly midnight!)

& Auntie Danielle

New Baby

We are hooked on you!

We are your siblings!

Teeny Toes

Daddy taking a rest before lots of visitors

Aunt Mo Visiting

Uncle Otch holding Liv

Here she is!

(Here they are!)

It's your new sister!!

(They are all your siblings!)

Lily's first time to meet the baby. She was so excited to wear her prettiest dress. What a wonderful big sister.

"Cannonball Cade" (Cade's new nickname after jumping off the dock at the lake) with ideas running through his head

"Momma! Her have feet! Momma, her have hands! ..."

"BABY!!!!!!!"

Uncle Phil loving his nieces & nephews

Ye ye & Nai nai meeting Olivet, grand baby # 9

Hanging out in the hospital room on a Saturday

Me showing Danielle what newborn baby poop looks like (kind of like black tar)... and then she decided to keep on pooping. The kids got a good laugh!

First Family Pic

Dad meeting grand baby #8

Auntie Nanny

Sammy did a great job holding baby!!

"Nose!"

Gretta is a natural

Your little sister will be here soon! (Nat is due in one month!!)

Rough life. One minute you're in a warm and cozy womb, the next minute you have a diaper, a paper bracelet, a security anklet and ballet socks on.

Olive's going home outfit from GG

Thanks to Theda Care and all the sweet Doctors and Nurse who helped with Olivet's delivery!

Welcome home Olivet!

My mom and dad kept the big kids until Sunday night. It was really fun to bring Olivet home and get settled in.

No, this is not a daycare. These are our sleeping arrangements!

Josh had quite a weekend. He spent all day Sunday taking a well deserved nap!

Sit in line to hold the baby

Mama & Baby

I love this picture. Lily took the initiative to fold some laundry and then got a little side tracked by her baby sister... who wouldn't rather hold a baby?! Viv had the same idea.

"BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Caedmon and his Mei mei (little sister)

First Doctor's Visit... everything looks good! Olive really liked the cow on the wall.

If you really don't want to wear the bow, just tell me.

Olivet's First Bath! Her umbilical chord fell off when she was 5 days old (on our anniversary :).

Time for some more zzz's

What we have been up to...

2011-07-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

One latest and fun memory from China... a surprise Baby Shower for our little girl!! If you can believe it, no one even sent out the grey shirt memo....

The only picture from our 24 hour trip to the U.S.

On the way to GG & Gampy's.... eating hotdogs for breakfast

Granny & Lil getting ready for a long ride

The start of a long trip... good thing for rest stops!

In order of age... 6, 5, 4, 3 (Sam didn't want to be in the picture :), 2, 1, 1

Our arrival in Statesburro! Gampy sitting with Cade & Viv in Phil's Packer chair

Before Cade found out he is allergic to dogs... hanging out with Kujo

Gremore's & Golacksons out for Mexican

Movie/ Nap Time

Sy Guy

This was a beautiful spot for a wedding rehearsal.

A huge boat cruising down the river.

Everyone loves Uncle Tim!

Rehearsal Dinner at Paula Dean's!

The food was so good.

Me, Phil & Nat... the JOY of siblings!!

Uncle Otch, Aunt Mo, Paul & John also made the long trip. It was so nice to spend time with them.

Phil & Danielle getting baptized in the hotel's outdoor pool the night before their wedding. It was so special!!

The old is gone, the new has come!!

The Wedding Day is finally here! The girls had pictures taken outside... it was SO HOT! This is Hadassah thinking she's hugging mom's leg. :)

Danielle looked so beautiful in her dress. This might be the only picture of her that I got that day :( Maybe if I had two more hands...)

Sister, Sister

Dad and Viv after a dance! (And before more dancing!)

Lily & Uncle Otch

The Groom/ Mother of the Groom Dance

After a couple nights in Savannah, we drove to Hilton Head, SC. We were so blessed that our friends Tom & Lauren came to visit with their baby Kristen. They are such a sweet family!!

We spent a day at the beach before our trip home.

What a gorgeous day!

I love this picture... Auntie Nat & Viv

Gampy & Dass

Dinner at Crabby Crab's in SC. Yummy!

Gretta's Grin

Sammy, what happened to your gum ball?

Lily & Todd, Danielle's dad- notice the Packer hat!! He is so fun to be around and the kids wouldn't leave his lap!

Lily & Suzanne, Danielle's mom- what a peach! She is so sweet and the kids just love her.

We had to eat lunch at least once at Cracker Barel on the way home since there are hundreds of them along the way.

A fancy hotel we stayed in on the way home thanks to price-line. They are preparing to host the next super bowl- everything was totally decked out.

Our first day "home" from Georgia! We are all so glad to not be sitting in a car... though the trip was a blast.

Hadassah is 3! Happy Birthday!

She had a blast choosing from all the dollies at Toys R Us.

Thrilled or not about the pink dolphin birthday cake she's been talking about for a month??

We celebrated with Nat and her kids by spending the day at the Y!!

There's a really sweet "Splash Pad" we played in and also about a 3 ft pool the kids swam in.

Once again, don't over-do your reaction to the gifts!! That's my Dassah. On the inside she was beaming :)

GG & Gampy & the kids and I spent a few days at their cabin in Surring. It was so beautiful! (Until Lil got sick :( )

Lily with Jake. They were best buds all weekend.

The river water felt like ice cubes!! I think Hadassah loved it the most. Our "swim" if you can call it that was really refreshing!

Caedmon's first attempt at lighting a match thanks to Gampy's help

Lil taking a snooze

shhh

My 36th/37th week picture. This girl is getting big!

Another trip to Peabody Park

My first visit to Theda Clark Hospital where baby Golackson #5 will be born! (This is also where my mom works as a lactation consultant. It was so fun to see her office and meet some of her friends!)

Silas & Viv enjoying a swing at Erb park, where I played when I was little!

The day Josh returned home from Florida, the kids and I spent the day at Bear Lake with Gampy. Caedmon's new nickname is "Cannonball Cade."

We love cousins!

I thought Vivi was sleeping for two hours like any other day until I heard a rattling on the bedroom doorknob. UH OH! She did not crawl out of her bed! I opened the door to find my make-up bag contents scattered all over the floor and to find a pink girl from head to to with lipstick!

Josh's parents Ye ye and Nai nai came to visit over 4th of July weekend!! We were so happy for their visit!! (Mimi and Papa (more grandparents, yeay!) also came to visit but we forgot to take any pics :( )

They brought some awesome treat bags from cousin Nathan's first birthday party.

lot's of kickball and baseball went on in the back yard

We are hoping for another visit again soon!!!

Work & Play, but mostly Play

2011-05-18T04:36:00.000-07:00

All dressed in black for Good Friday. What a great weekend to celebrate LIFE after death!!

Happy Birthday Karis! Here are some moms celebrating Karis' birthday at the Indian Restaurant. Yum!

a super fun visit with our good friends

Easter Morning: the kids' first response to, "Go find your Easter baskets!" =)

Lily was so happy to finally find hers behind the water cooler!

Here are a bunch of kids waiting on the bed while a bunch of moms hid eggs! It was a rainy day so the egg hunt got moved indoors, but it was still lots of fun.

What to do with Dassah & Viv while I teach Lily & Caedmon... hmm...

FIELD DAY!

Hadassah Warming Up

Lots of homeschooling families participated in this fun/ once a year event. My friend Brooke did an amazing job at putting it together. In the end, all received a medal.

Josh was in charge of the balancing act.

Here is Lily's yellow team.

They are already looking forward to next year!

One Saturday afternoon we decided to pile up in the 3 wheel bike and go get tires to fix the kid's bikes. Here is a dog we saw along the way.

An RTS professor at our house for a visit. The kids love having guests!

I think this was Caedmon's highlight of the month: being allowed to jump in puddles after a ton of rain. We lasted about ten minutes outside until all were soaked and shivering.

Happy Birthday Lydia (5) and Josiah (3)!

The kids had a blast at their birthday party.

Vivianna & Margot- Best Buds

Hadassah & Zoe- Inseparable

Lily & Kayleigh- Girlfriends

Vivi's hair has been so curly lately. Nothing like a picture by the garbage can :).

We had a wonderful dinner with our good friend and it was followed by yummy ice-cream and some fun hair-doing!

Cade & Lil have been trying to think of ways to prepare for America. The first thing on their to-do list was to make a paper animal for mei-mei (their littlest sister). They love her already!

Good bye for now, from the new, centrally located Starbucks!

He put me in the bucket!

2011-04-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here is Vibram Cowboy Josh on his trip with about 20 other guys to Tiger Leaping Gorge.

I can just smell the fresh air.

They were gone for four days and had a blast even though they missed their wives and kids :).

There wasn't much wild life, but the mountains and water were amazing.

Near the spot the Tiger was said to have lept over the gorge.

This is where Josh received acupuncture on his hamstring before he left making it less painful to hike for 9 hours :).

And back at the ranch...

Last time Jing jing came over we made "Rainbow Cities..."

while Viv & Dassah caught up on their reading.

I was glad to have the camera with me on this particular date night. It was a delight to see the moving clouds roll by as the light breeze gently blew while we ate a cinnamon apple crepe.

a view of the old and new from where we were standing

I read about a technique to teach your child to spell his/her name before turning 3. Even though that's not my goal (or Hadassah's), I thought this activity looked like fun.

D & V both had a great time jumping on the letters as they said them. The only problem is that you're supposed to do this activity like three times a day everyday for a long time. One day was enough for us :).

Here's Caedmon in his friend's combat jeep being maneuvered by grandma!

CHALK!! One of Hadassah's favorite pass-times.

"cooking" being another

This was seriously Caedmon's sleeping position for an entire night; he didn't budge!

The Sunday Coloring Page

Here's for the title of this post. During a family night, prompted by a Family Life book, I asked everyone to put their most valuable possession in this bucket. Before I knew it, my prince charming swept me off my feet and put me in! Ha ha! What a stud.

The kids and I took about a 2 mile walk downtown and were rewarded with ice-cream and a stop at the track at dad's school.

I guess these English teachers have every Monday off and come to play soccer.

But today, getting pictures with the little, white foreigners was higher on the agenda.

Here is our count down until we leave for America- 39 days from today!

So all the kids were drawing while I walked Vivi down the long step and back. When I was on the far end I heard such a commotion I thought there might be a spider or rat or something. Upon our arrival we discovered Hadassah learned how to write an "H" and a "D" to Lily & Caedmon's absolute delight! They were shouting with joy about it. So sweet.

Hmm... DAD! what do we do with an old blue accordion tube? How about make people! Caedmon's of course is named "Uncle Phil."

Lil got her turn, now it's Cade's!

Nate's mom and I decided it was about time for Nate & Cade (Best Buddies) to get their hair cut but we didn't feel like taking the time and making the mess to do it ourselves. The solution: the barber across the road!

The boys had less complaints for these guys than they would have had for us!

It did take a while, but it was worth it.

All ready to go and play again!

Springtime Surprises

2011-03-26T00:30:00.000-07:00

Lily & I had a special girls time last night! We take turns picking what to do a couple times a month. It was my turn, so I picked going to get our hair washed!

The lady asked if we also wanted a hair cut. I said no. Lily said yes!

Lily thought the whole experience was pretty cool. Especially because it was past bed time and it was dark outside. While she got her hair cut, I got a head massage.

Here's the result! (I was planning on trimming her hair myself. As Lily was sitting there she said, "Mom, I'm really glad I'm getting my haircut here. When you cut my hair it takes FOREVER!" Ha ha. It probably seems like it, but the guy cutting her hair cut and blow-dried and cut and blow-dried... for quite a while. I'm sure it was way more fun then sitting on the toilet being told to sit still a million times.)

Our total bill was 25 kuai. $3.80.

I got the camera out too late. I was coming out from the kitchen and saw Hadassah and Vivianna both running to me with a doll in one hand and a blankie in the other wanting me to wrap the dollies up. It was pretty cute. Here comes big sister to the rescue!

Since Hadassah has been sleeping on the tripple bunk with Lily and Caedmon, she hasn't been getting as much sleep at night, but totally rejects the idea of a nap in the crib. One day she was so wiped out, she fell SOUND asleep right before supper. Viv crawled right up on top of her and sat on her head and Hadassah didn't even move!

Here our our three "St. Patricks" in celebration of St. Patricks day. I was too tired to explain what a leprechaun is. I don't even think I know :)

For Wednesday gym class we usually head to the field... unless it's super cold out. This day it was super cold out. So we headed to the indoor play place instead! We were the only ones there all morning and all the kids had a blast.

Kind of hard to see, but this is the first time I've seen Hadassah draw something else besides scribbles. She drew a picture of herself on the "Ho-ti" (Horsey).

We really enjoyed our home fellowship group on this particular Sunday. We celebrated Vivi's Baby Dedication. Since Josh and I both chose to be baptized as adults, we feel dedicating our children to God is a fun and encouraging alternative.

Our friends agreed to encourage her and pray for her as she grows up. Josh and I are thankful to give her life to the Lord and to not hold on with a tight grip as if we were in control. We had a special time of fellowship and songs.

prayin' & playin'

Ok, that's enough. Time for a nap!

Smiley Girl

Here's Viv's anual t-shirt picture. So big girl.

Lily & Jing Jing during another fun play date

Lily was thrilled to finally figure out how to jump rope

Cade sort of gets it

And Hadassah... not so much yet. But jump ropes are fun for other things!

Our little polka dot

I heard Lily in the kitchen before anyone else got up. Here was what she found for us for breakfast! She even had 6 place settings full! (definitely not forgetting the twisty straws)

Rolled up the carpet during potty training.

I'm so glad the worst part is over! Dass is a trooper!

My final springtime surprise... flowers from my handsome. We could smell the bouquet throughout the whole house!

February Fun

2011-02-28T05:02:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Caedmon!

Here we are celebrating a couple weeks later at a picnic. He had to wait for his best buddy Nathan to get back from Thailand before we had a celebration!

Lily & Lydia- great friends!

Birthday Boy Cade- climbing a tree

He wanted a "Batman" themed party. A "themed" anything is tricky to do around here... but I did my best! Here are the cupcakes... with bats on the top. We also made some batman placemats for each of our friends as a party favor. We had one batman game ("put batman in the bat-mobile"), but I forgot to "put the tape in the bag" so we didn't get to play. At least I didn't forget a person :)

Caedmon's loudly proclaimed favorite part of the day: opening gifts!! He got some cool cars, a snake (pretend), a Toy Story 3 memory game, and some fun outdoor gadgets. Hurray for toys!

Here's a garbage bag race instead of a potato sack race. Do people use potato sacks anymore? I could use one.

This cake is from his actual birthDAY. He had a choice between a girl, a bear, a peach that looked like, well, anyway, and a porcupine. So we went to pick up our cake at 9a.m... the scheduled time it should have been ready. They totally forgot about it. So here's the final product put together in about 15 minutes.

Pretend to smile if you're five!

Caedmon blew out the candles like a champ!

Here's his new Buzz Light Year bike! His old one got passed down :)

Another Birthday Party! We were honored to attend Sarah's 2nd & 1st birthday parties, two years in a row (obviously:). She will be moving back to the States (with her folks) this summer. We are really going to miss their family!

We may have been the only ones in a humungously wide radius celebrating the Superbowl. Josh borrowed a projector and we fixed a sheet to the wall. What a game!! Go PACKERS!

More Fun at the Field

Half-mile Champs!

Here's my belly at about 4.5 months. And there's Hadassah at 2 years :).

Vivi's new favorite pastime

"What??"

Leaving you with some smiles.

The Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-01T16:01:00.000-08:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

It's official, it is now the year of the RABBIT!

Hadassah fell asleep in my lap last night (Chinese New Year's Eve) at 10p.m. after a yummy hot pot dinner at our friends' house. We all managed to sleep pretty well through the night despite the war-zone-like sounds coming from all around.

Now, for Thailand pictures! We spent four days in Bankok before enjoying some down time at a near by beach. This is Caedmon in childcare. He ran to this outfit first thing each day.

Our hotel room was on the 34th floor! At first I had a hard time looking out the windows we were so high up!

Eager to swim!

No Sinking Hadassah

One of the pools was on the 9th floor roof. The water felt like ice cubes but the kids didn't mind!

Where's my suit?

We went for a walk instead. What is all this green stuff?

Hadassah in a mini maze

Here's a view from the outside of our hotel.

Lil & Viv

Vivi's favorite child care worker! Viv loved going to play with all of the new & fun toys.

Here is a friend's birthday party at Swenson's Ice Cream. Besides a lot of throwing up kids, it was a good time :).

Now, onto the beach!

Vivianna's fist full of sand

This is how I found the kids in there quiet time after playing so hard outside.

hidden picture

Beaches rock.

The grilled cheese was yummy!

Since Viv woke up around 5:30a.m. most mornings, followed by 3 other little ducklings, we decided to take advantage of the time and head to the beach for the sunrise!

This is about it. Too cloudy. We had a nice time though!

Christmas Cheer

2010-12-28T05:42:00.000-08:00

"Just act like you love the dolls."

Actually, Josh and I were trying to stop the picture takers as they pulled out these "foreign dolls" and gave them to the kids. We were too slow in our attempt.

Our fake tree... can you tell? With a little pine scented fake tree spray from Bath & Body, I bet you couldn't.

The Masterpiece. Or not. :) It looked way better in real life.

Lots of kids from the Anchor homeschool co-op celebrating Christmas with a relay!

Yeay, new jammies from our Aunties & Uncles & Cousins in Monroe! (Thanks so much!! They all fit!)(and have been worn every night since they arrived).

Our annual cookie decorating party. This year the girls kept commenting on how sweet the frosting was. However, after eating dinner at a Chinese restaurant together where one of the dishes was fried bread dipped in sweet & condensed milk, I wasn't so sure how the icing could be much sweeter! Anyhow, we had a great time.

Speaking of milk... This is one of the gifts from our good Chinese friends... sweet milk in a pop can. Dassah was not quite sure what to do with it :).

We had lots of fun on Christmas! Christmas eve we hosted for dinner and Christmas day we went to our friends' house for soup, salad & bread. So yummy. We also enjoyed packages from my mom and sister!

Cade loved his slinky before he even realized it's step descending capabilities. He also put together most of his legos already and has played lots of "War" with his new card deck.

Dassah's very own baby from Auntie Nanny!

For our immediate family, Lily decided she wanted to do a name exchange like they did on her "Boz the Bear" movie. She wrote up the names and found a box to put them in. For the most part, who we picked was a secret except for Caedmon's immediate challenge that he bet no one would ever guess that he had dad.

So, I was in charge of Lily & Dassah, and Josh was in charge of Caedmon and Vivianna. Their group also picked "Baby #5". So this is what the baby got for Christmas. Josh thought it was fitting that his name "Dan" is written on his shirt because that's what Hadassah calls Josh since she can't say "dad" very well yet. To: Baby, Love: Dan, Hadassah might have written.

I bought a mutual gift for Vivi & Dassah. Vivi didn't mind letting Hadassah tear open the paper. All she wanted for Christmas was the boxes anyway.

Hadassah was thrilled about her sand and water table. At least she was AFTER we filled it with water and small dollies.

Caedmon got a Bow & Arrow Set from Lily. "Guess what I got for Christmas???" Is still his favorite line. That's a good sign.

Lily got a "small barbie sized doll" play ground and a sweatshirt dress from Josh. I was surprised at how little time it took to put together for having hundreds of tiny pieces.

(I got a bottle of awesome smelling perfume from Viv).

Josh got a new tie (homemade) from Caedmon... oh yeah, and black dress shoes by request. Who says they don't look good with sweat pants?

"Either frown or pretend to smile if you liked your christmas gifts kids."

Merry Christmas!!

wild & crazy

(the hair due)

sweet & sophisticated

(again... the hair)

beautiful!!

Viv on the go

with a little help

Viv's one-year picture re-do

Jing jing and the kids watering their Chinese Chia Pets

Then decorating cookies. Jing jing didn't think the frosting was too sweet :).

AND FINALLY... LILY TURED 6!!!

We are so proud of our talented, loving & social first child.

Here she is with her friends Bright, Zion & Hallie (her new barbie from her friends) (and Caedmon).

Birthday Morning

Josh & I got Lily Barbie soap & lotion. We also got her a "Seek & Find" Bible, but it arrived a couple weeks later.

Xiao Li gave Lily a pair of slippers and a little figurine.

The ear-muffs are from Caedmon. And Josh surprised Lily with a notebook and a little dog toy.

Here we are on the way to "Baby Dream City," a pretty amazing activity center (despite the name) for 3 to 15 year olds.

We fit 8 adults and 7 kids in Shao's trusty blue van.

Dinner at McDonalds

This beautiful pillow and pajama pants were made by Nathan's mom!

As we were buying tickets, the workers came out singing a little song. I'm not so sure what it was about, but I'm sure the lyrics were as great as the melody.

5 Little Astronauts

Jing jing brought the birthday cake! Lily was expecting it to have a bunny on it, but was perfectly content with peaches instead.

Emergency! Get the oxygen mask!

Some funky music came on accompanied by disco lights... we were all tempted to bust a move.

(note: this is just a mural, not actual snow capped mountains.)

Waiting in line for the best part...

The Baby Unit at a Hospital!

Lily enjoyed this the most by far. It was adorable to watch her soak up every word/ action from the teacher nurse. The girls had the chance to cloth the babies, give them a little massage and set them back in their little beds.

Punching out after a long day of hard (FUN) work!

Happy Birthday Vivi!

2010-11-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

Vivianna turned ONE this month!

We love going to the near buy track to run around and enjoy the grass.

This is mao mao and her grandma. Her mom works at the Number One Highschool so they live real close to the track. We play together often!

Side Steppin'

I love the concentrating furrowed eyebrows.

And she's off!

Barefoot Soccer

Another Little Friend

With Snacks!

jiao zi steam

getting bundled up to go outside

Dass & Zoe

I love this. While we were playing (and not looking), a little Chinese girl stuck her lamb in the front of our stroller to give her a ride. You can see her little tufts of hair sticking up from the back of the stroller :)

Happiest When Outside

Both attracted by a big, fluffy dog

This is Lily and Caedmon playing "Marathon." They are taking a water break after running laps down the hall.

Our Anchor Homeschool Co-op moved! Here is the new location.

Josh headed out the door one night saying he had to pick something up. Hmm. I wondered. Then he came back with a bunch of orange cones... or hats and gloves. Entertainment for hours.

We have been using them for gym class and football!

We are at our neighbor's house sampling crab! Lily didn't know quite what to think, but Caedmon really enjoyed them!

Lily's good friend Jing Jing.

And Finally... Happy Birthday Viv!

Viv didn't feel very good on her b-day, so she was thankful for all the help she got opening presents.

Big Helper Lil

I made Viv a Banoffee Pie, originating in England. Bananas are her fave.

She pretty much ate her whole piece and more.

Then decided to work on her look...

perfect!

Xiao Li with her nephew & viv... about 2 months apart.

After enjoying pie, we took the kids to Green Lake. There were hundreds of birds. This guy just chucked a piece of bread into the air. A moment later, there was a swarm of squawking beaks.

There were lots of options for rides and games at the park. Here is one of them. Insert a coin and try to use the scooper to catch a fish and then carry it over to the bag and dump it in! If you catch one, just fill the bag with water and off you go. If not, try again!

"Do I have to do this??"

One of my favorite baby faces. So laid back.

And one of my least favorite ha ha. We'll have to try to take your one year picture tomorrow!

Now for the Thanksgiving Pictures...

Thanksgiving Hats! One of our friends had the kids over to read about the pilgrims and enjoy some tasty treats.

Thanksgiving Football

Who doesn't eat corn on chopsticks?

Watching Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Play Time on Thanksgiving Morning

Our friends hosted... all together there were 14 kids 5 and under and 12 adults!

Everyone brought awesome food. I was in charge of the mac n cheese and hot cider.

yum!

so good!

The Crew wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Fun

2010-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Lily got a package from her preschool in the U.S.! She gets more mail than I do.

Inside were sweet notes from old classmates, a dvd of the year and a cd of great music. Thanks Shepherd's Flock!! We miss you!!

We have been blessed to take a 2 1/2 week trip this month. We had a great time away and are also glad to be home.

This was Lily & Abby's first encounter in over a year and a half! They both have changed quite a bit, but their friendship remains the same- strong and silly!

Reuniting with some old (and excellent) friends!

Big sunday school class this morning!

Here is my good friend Ellen with the kids. She is so much fun.

Whistling A Tune

Some friends of ours graciously let us use their car for a week. Here is Dassah falling asleep. I have about a 10 picture play by play, but these two are the cutest.

She was not lacking an audience.

Yeay, moms! Here are some quality women I haven't seen in too long. It was great to reconnect.

Donut&Coffee

Hadassah didn't know where to start since she usually eats the middle out of everything first.

Now that you ate your entire breakfasts, here's a treat! (McDonald's mini cones)

Fall Fun

More Fun at the Ball Pit

101 Faces with Lily

I was blessed to enjoy 2 days at a mom's conference. This is my sweet Korean roommate.

Then, onto Josh's marathon!! It was so cold and wet. The kids and I had a hard time just standing there for 10 minutes.

It was so cold, by the time my camera turned on, Josh was almost to the finish line! He's in the orange top and black pants.

Cold, Wet, & Satisfied Dad

Josh Hunt was so gracious to help the kids and I get to the finish line after a long treck on the subway. He also wanted to cheer on Josh.

Super Cade

Heroic Hudson

Amazing Abby

Laughing Lily

Buds

Twins waiting for the subway home.

Purple

2010-10-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Purple. I never used to even care for the color, but now I love it... because my sister does! After spending 12 days with her, I want to like purple too! My mom and sister Natalie and her baby Silas had a great time together. I'm so thankful for their visit and all the fun we had. This is a picture of the kids the day after they left. We didn't want to stay in the house and mourn, so we spent our time at the nearby track, building castles and digging rivers. It was just what we needed.

4 years ago, we dedicated Caedmon to God at First Free in Wisconsin. Every year we take a picture (in the same t-shirt) and celebrate that special time!

The day my family came (10pm ish), we went to visit Josh's teacher in the hospital.

This is why... she tripped and broke a bone and now has metal in her ankle! Here, the hospital doesn't provide food, so the family members have to bring it to the injured person. After finding this out, I was glad I had some warm homemade soup in our bag along with some freshly baked bread. I hope it hit the spot!

This is the place to go if you have diarrhea. The sign says, "Communicable Diseases and Diarrhea." Good to know.

Happy Birthday Josh!! I meant to get this out sooner. And to add more pictures. The idea was: 30 pictures, each with 30 different items, so the kids could get an idea of how big of a number 30 is. Well, one picture made it to the blog with Hadassah holding 30 water jug tickets. It's the idea that counts, right?

Where's Rae & Natalie?

(If you look real close, you can see them pulling their luggage.. yeay!!)

The exciting reunion over pictures from the kids since it was way past their bed time to come to the airport.

Surprise #1: GG and Auntie Nanny are here! Surprise #2: Two suitcases full of goodies!

THANKS Mom and Nat!!! What a blast!!!

Caedmon's Finds

GG bought this for Cade when she was here. Auntie Nat graciously helped Cade put it together. After it broke for the tenth time in five minutes, Caedmon decided her prefers imported toys from now on :) ...

... unless it's a sword.

Fun to see what struck Mom and Nat as funny. I guess I got used to personal sized bread bags.

(I have no idea why one is sitting in the salad bowl)

I'm sure GG had flashbacks of what it was like taking care of twins all day.

(Sy and Viv are a week apart)

Mom and I had a nice time over some new fall drinks at the local Chicago Coffee.

And thought about a little snack, for less than a second. Nahh.

Shopping was a hit. Each time mom has come we have given her a little chinese bunny (if a bunny can be chinese). She left this time with two keepers (wooden of course).

Nat got Cade and her Sammy a cowboy hat... and on the way home we saw a man wearing both kinds we just bought, at the same time. Interesting.

Dassah's Smiles for GG

Where's my hat?

Momma Rae buying pillows for friends

Mom and Nat risking a trip out on their own! They did awesome. (Given, the store was right out our back door. But still. :)

Riding on the che (3 wheel e-bike).

Mom, Nat, Josh and big kids checked out this Tibeten restaurant.

They all came back smiling, so I don't think it was too bad :).

The kids' friend Nathan had a birthday party outside, so mom and Nat had the sweet chance to meet many of their friends.

(mom's photography skills)

What a precious moment

The theme was Construction and all the kids came home with a homemade tool belt full of goodies.

Construction Man Cade

Handy Hadassha (with some help peeking over the bar)

Life-saver Lily

The kids "dug" this party!

Can we fit? Yes we can.

(caption inspired by Bob the Builder)

We took mom and nat to the park on their first day here to keep them awake.

Panda Bushes

Who's who?

(hint... one mom is carrying her respective baby (boy))

Nat and I got an awesome 15 minutes at this gorgeous look out spot. Nat didn't get what the big deal was, but I was thankful for a rare chance to sit and rest with no buildings or cars or people in sight.

Goldfish for sale!

Snacking on... corn.

Dassah relaxin on dad's shoulders

Lily loving every moment with Grandma

The huge ferris wheel no one wanted to ride after just getting off a really long flight.

(I don't know how I didn't think of that)

Here, we switched babies. Just kidding. Or did we?

A day at the beach; forecast: cloudy blue skies, again.

The secret pool we found a few months ago when our friends folks were in town for a visit.

Nat & Sy guy ( I confess I had to look at the suit to know who it was... both Sy's and Nat's!)

GG with her little angel

While Nat and I went on a get-away with the two babies, Josh spent the weekend with the Mother-In-Law. :) They had a great time. At least they said they did, ha ha.

Josh took them to this big mall, half indoor, half outdoor.

Here is E-Kids Island. A favorite spot.

Street Vendors selling.... ???

I'm sure this was a bit of a relief to see!

Green Lake. Rightfully named.

I'm glad I wasn't there. These huge bubble, wheel thingies make me feel claustrophobic.

Lily, Cade and Dass considered this fun!

One of Mom's goals this trip was to get pictures of people's faces. She did an awesome job at it. I think we uploaded between 800 and 900 pictures... many being Chinese people's faces.

So beautiful.

Now take in the serenity of where Nat & I spent the weekend. It was awesome.

We swam in this clean and pretty mineral water.

There were around 200 women in attendance. My friend Xiao Li came with us to help with the babies.

Here was the Room of Delights & Treasures. Many ladies brought fun give-aways. We could just walk through the room and take what we wanted! We found some matching friendship bracelets.

The landscaping was gorgeous. I'm so thankful we have such nice memories of life together.

The last day of our visit we were all pretty wiped and the sky didn't look promising. But despite that, we decided to venture out to the "Minority Park."

In the first hour we got pretty wet.

So we went inside one of the little shops for some warm tea.

And then the weather cleared up for more exploring! Caedmon decided to go by horse.

After about a half and hour of debating whether we should rent the electric car or the pedal bike, we decided on the car. Then found out the bike was our only option, so here were are. 8 people on a 4 seater. It ended up being a blast.

We saw some pretty amazing things and beautiful scenery. Here is a decorative boat. Perfect for a Honeymoon ride (hint hint, Phil).

What a contrast of lives!

The fish was still trying to squirm out of the cat's mouth.

Sy's cutest face. I can just hear him saying "ooooo."

Both thinking "You look different"

Bamboo Grafitti

I think this is the only shot of the 3 of us. Fun memories.

Tired out after a long walk and a wonderful visit.

Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like bananas.

2010-08-24T01:20:00.000-07:00

After having one tooth pulled while we were in the U.S., I thought it would be a couple years before 5 year old Lily would lose another. I was wrong! She lost two more teeth in two days! (In this picture, the one on the bottom fell out the day before, and the crooked looking one on the bottom fell out the night of the picture). (Josh is pretty sure the cause was a head but from Caedmon).

Anyway, we spent a Saturday at a pretty sweet mountain a short drive away. We took a Gondola up and then paid to get in to see the "Dragon Gate." This was the first sight. My response was, "We paid for this!" (Keep in mind we each had a child on our back and plus four other little hands to hold and help up :)

This is what we rode back down. This was the view except I didn't get the lighting that was striking in the distance. Lily asked, "Mom, why are you holding my hand so tight?" Ha.

Here, we piled in for a little five minute bus ride up to save some steps.

What to do with a little extra free time?? How about a bike wash!

Vivi is 9 months. My recent favorite is the pudgy kiss lips she makes.

After every quiet time Lily and Caedmon have (about 1.5 hrs./day), I get an earful of how they spent it... they are always on an adventure in the confines of four green walls. This particular day they decided to go to the zoo. These chairs are the animals' cages :).

I didn't think I'd ever see the day where there were sweet donuts in China! Thanks to "Dona Donuts" (almost identical to "Dunkin' Donuts" ) we enjoyed a Sunday afternoon snack.

This is the spot in our basement we pay 1rmb (15 cents) to charge our 3 wheel bike.

And this is the spot in our basement we pick up homeless kids to ride on our 3 wheel bike. Just kidding. Just Lily and Caedmon waiting and imagining at the same time.

I wanted to take a picture of the kids in their sunglasses before either we lost them or they got broke.

And sure enough, Cade's are already broke. Nothing a little duct tape can't fix though.

One crazy morning some moms and kids took a trip to the zoo in town. The elephants and lions were impressive. The deer, racoons, and many other animals one would see on the side of the road in Wisconsin were not. Though it was nice to be reminded of home.

Cade loves to put stuff together. If someone handed me a bag with all these pieces, I would have no desire to put together something like this. I love knowing of the things that make Caedmon smile.

Here is Lily covering up her mouth with a green pancake...
I don't know what she is doing that,
and I don't know why the pancake is green.
Onto the next picture...

It's hard to see, but the older ladies in the background all have huge swords.

learning about maps and smiling at the same time

I also don't know what brought this about...

I just heard "Grab the camera!"

Josh took a little trip to the countryside.

Every time I just LOVE the pictures he brings back.

Someone's huge living room, huge couches,

and huge T.V.

What a view.

Now, onto polotics.