Riding Bikes in America

Maddie had been planning it for months.  She sat on Santa’s lap and she had the guts to ask him for TWO bikes.  Once dad got it together in Oregon, Maddie took it for a spin the day before we left for Shanghai.

And then… when we landed in Shanghai and came through our front door…. it was there.  Santa really had made it to both places!  There was a brand new bike waiting for her next to the Christmas tree in Shanghai too.

Maddie's New Bike in Shanghai

Maddie must have been a really, really good girl this year!

Not too bad – getting 4 hours of footage into 4 minutes!

and everybody survived to talk about it!!!

At my young age of 37, I have finally stepped into true motherhood and made my very first turkey… with stuffing.  Not just any stuffing.  Italian sausage and fresh sage stuffing.  And I made pumpkin pies.  And I made my sister’s jello salad.  Of course, Ms. Zhou was laughing the entire day as I studied the turkey trying to decide which end was up.  I was laughing the entire day because she actually threaded dental floss into a proper needle so that she could actually sew the turkey together after it was stuffed.  A needle… seriously!

Success!

As with every Turkey Day overseas, we were lucky to spend it with Todd and Tonya, Cooper and Bauer.  Our families have grown together while overseas.  It was an excellent Turkey Day and the leftovers were fantastic!!

It was definitely one of those holidays that just seemed to go on forever.  Between the parade at school on Friday morning, the neighborhood Halloween Party on Friday night, the Halloween get together at ballet on Saturday and Trick-or-Treating on Saturday night, I think we tapped into every ounce of Halloween enthusiasm a 6 year old and 2 year old can have!!!!  We raced home from ballet on Saturday afternoon and I managed to shove a grilled cheese sandwich, cucumbers and watermelon down both girls throats.  (Like I would let them have copious amounts of sugar/Halloween candy on an empty stomach!)

Eva, Maddie and Amelia

We put all of our candy in two bowls and left a sign next to the bowls saying that we were trick-or-treating… that worked out well! We ran into all the kids in the neighborhood.  It reminded me of my Halloweens growing up…. a safe neighborhood where every neighbor knows every neighbor where every kid knows every kid no matter the age.  It was nice and it will always be one of my fondest memories of Shanghai!  How lucky we are…

Of course, the only thing missing was dad but he was here in spirit and we saved A LOT of candy for him!

Not only do we have regular movie nights every Friday night, but we also have regular parties for the kids!  This year’s Halloween Party was the perfect thing for kids.  Let’s set aside for a moment that Amelia was freaked out for the first 30 minutes because everything was a bit too scary.  Kids Gallery was brought in so the kids were able to make various Arts and Crafts holiday baskets.  They had somebody teaching the kids the Thriller Dance, they had pumpkin bowling, bobbing for apples, pizza and soda for the kids, adult beverages for the adults… a great time was had by all.  I did find it interesting though that Maddie spent most of the night in the Arts and Crafts area.  The kid just loves art!

Once we made it to Portland there were two things that were on the top of our list!  A Christmas Tree and a visit to Santa.  Maddie just knew that the Santa she saw in Shanghai that showed up on a motorcycle was not the REAL Santa.  The real Santa is at home in Portland!  Maddie was into the whole thing… Amelia… not so much!  Excellent traditions though!!!!

Enjoy the pics!

Maddie Lovin

Happy to be Free!

Somehow, someway, we made it back to Portland for Christmas this year.  Just when it seemed doubtful, Maddie and Amelia’s jetlagging parents rented an SUV in San Francisco for the trek to Portland after the airport was closed.  Sheesh -  a bit of snow and the Northwest comes to a stand still!  As we slowly passed emply shopping center after empty shopping center, the girls slept… and we drove!

Once we made it the roads out to the tree farms were blocked off but we were able to make it to a lot and yell TIMBER at the top of our lungs anyway!  Got the tree decorated

Crashed in the Car!

Merry Christmas Maddie Anna and Amelia Mabel!

Maddie’s Holiday Concert was Today!  She was sooooo excited – it was hard to keep her still for a picture!!

Enjoy!!

Turkey Day overseas since we’ve been in Shanghai has been “interesting” simply because it’s a work/school day.  When we lived in the Middle East, it wasn’t a big deal because Thursdays always marked the start of the weekend.  Here, in Shanghai, we’ve just gotta really plan!

At school today, Maddie’s class hosted a Thanksgiving party for all of the parents.  Andy and I were able to tear ourselves away from classes and meetings to join Maddie… it was a good thing that Maddie and I made sooooo many cupcakes last night as there were A LOT of people!

After school, we came home and started cooking.  Andy worked on the yams, mashed spuds and green beans while Maddie worked on the pumpkin pie.  Todd and Tonya were in charge of the turkey which made things great! 

I have to put this in…. Andy calls me a food hoarder.  I buy pumpkin and cranberry sauce in APRIL.  Why?  Because when you want it in November, it’s simply not available.  Well, tonight, I came to the rescue once again.  I provide the pumpkin, evaporated milk and cranberry sauce even though you can’t find it in Shanghai right now.  HA! 

The evening ended up with lots of good books to read before bedtime and lots of hugs/kisses before I head out.

Thanks for the great pie Maddie-Anna.  Even your sister couldn’t get enough – simply fabulous!

In April 2007, I headed to Jingdezhen and left my family at home.  I spent most of the time in Jingdezhen wishing that they were there to experience the amazing pottery city.  Well, we had a three day weekend and really needed to get away for a few days so Jingdezhen called our name.  Now some may think that I’m crazy to take a 4 year old and a 6 month old pottery shopping, but I believe that kids must have exposure so that they can learn how to act in various situations.  I’m happy to report that both Maddie and Amelia did beautifully!!  I loved being in Jingdezhen as a family for two days.  It was a special trip in so many ways.

Maddie became instant friends with our guide, Monty.  Monty is a college student that basically takes you around Jingdezhen for a few days.  She knows where to go and about how much to pay for things and also takes you to some mighty interesting restaurants.  Maddie sat on Monty’s lap every time we were in the car and climbed on Monty’s back when she got tired.  When we were at the airport saying good-bye I think I experienced one of the most priceless moments…”Monty?  Will you be my friend forever?  I’m going to miss you so much.”  Maddie had a good time!

Amelia was the star of the show and clearly has that Special Child Syndrome gene in her.  She was a trooper and was content as can be in the Bjorn.  She’s the type of baby that just goes with the flow so when ba-zillions of people rush up to her she very simply smiles sweetly and flaps her arms as fast as possible.  She was an amazing baby for such a demanding trip!    Both of the girls had to pose for the camera so many times that they were seeing stars in their eyes at every turn.  At least they were having a photogenic day!

Maddie chose her own pottery to ship home this time and I know that it is something that will be with her forever.  She has the carpet from Saudi Arabia that marks her time from there and now she has the pottery from China.  She’s an international kid for sure!  And Miss Amelia is staring her collection of worldly possessions… Maddie chose a piece of pottery for her as well.

In all we had a really good trip with everybody.  Next time I think Andy and I will head to Jingdezhen by ourselves… and yes, it’s THAT good that you can go back again and again!

Nothing says I love you like….

broadcasting the third episode of the Gourmet Geeks.

Jeff predicted on his blog The Thinking Stick that this year would be the year of Live Web and I think he is right! It captures your attention… makes you want to tune in.

I don’t know what took us so long to figure this one out, but it’s awesome on so many levels. Andy and Jeff are the Gourmet Geeks and once every couple of weeks Jeff and Daneah head over to our house to broadcast and show off their fine culinary and geeky talents! This week it was Beef Stir Fry which was preceded by a dozen red roses for both Uma and Hetta. This week we introduced Uma’s mom, Um, and introduced Hetta’s mom, He. Reasons why this is a good thing:

• Maddie LOVES Daneah and Jeff as they have known her since before she was even born.
• We get to play with technology and learn new things.
• We get to connect with people all over the world.
• Andy and Jeff get to wear their favorite aprons.
• We always start the show off with a ceremonial shot of something yummy.
• The broadcasting has us laughing harder than we have laughed all week.
• We get to eat some good grub at the end.

On the benchmarks for PreK-4 students, it says that children should be able to sit for at least 5 minutes and stay on task the entire time. How about an hour?

Maddie Anna amazes me day in and day out. We bought valentine cards for all of her schoolmates when were home at Christmas time because as with most things – she gets it this year. When I asked her tonight if I could help her write the names of her classmates, she simplied said, “I can do it myself mommy.” She wasn’t kidding.

She sat at the kitchen table for over an hour and wrote her name 15 times in all of the from spaces AS WELL AS writing the names of all 15 of her classmates. She asked the the next letter sometimes, but she knew what to do. She still confuses Kenzie and Kai-Chen, but the rest of them are a cake walk! Of course Barbie cards were for the girls and Shrek cards were for the boys…

She was sooooooo excited to bring them into class the next day and to share the candy hearts the Grandma Dotty had brought from America. They had sat home the day before and made individual bags out of fabric for all of her classmates and stuffed them with Be Mine hearts!

Happy Heart Day Maddie Anna!!! You continue to amaze me…

We leave tomorrow a.m. bright and early for Shanghai.  This trip has been simply remarkable in so many ways.  Maddie has changed so much since the last time we were home and Amelia, well, this has been her first trip on American soil and she too has changed in leaps and bounds

Maddie really started to “get” that America and Shanghai were two different things over the summer.  Over the summer, we were in the States for almost six weeks and it was simply fun setting up our new house and her new room.  This time we have been in our new home for nearly three weeks and she has spent the last week talking about Shanghai.  I think the day after Christmas, she started mentioning Shanghai four to five times a day.  I’m not saying that she hasn’t had fun and that she hasn’t valued the time with family, but Maddie (and now Amelia) know Shanghai as home.  Her friends, her teachers, her cat, our car (which apparently we left one of her favorite book in while gone), her bed, and even her ayis are important to her.  It will make her dad I think think about when and where we will go next in this flat world of ours.

If you ask her, she’ll say that she has loved every minute of being at her American home.  Jet-lagging in her bunk beds, cutting down Christmas trees with dad, grandma and grandpa, decorating trees, visiting with her grandma from Tucson, visiting with her brothers and cousins, going to the ballet, sitting on Santa’s lap, baking cookies for Santa, SHOPPING, learning how to bowl on Wii, and showing her little sister exactly how the world should work…. that’s one heck of a trip!

It’s time to go home to Shanghai now.  So thanks to my smart four year old, maybe I’ll remind myself that we should always enjoy where we are right at this exact moment because we are always creating memories and learning to be “experienced.”  Maddie is smart because she is “experienced.”

Merry Christmas Little Ones! The girls enjoyed snow for Christmas…. a 1% chance to have snow in Portland on Christmas day and look what happens for them! Snow at last… Christmas at last…

Grandma Barbara had the ENTIRE family over for a pre-Christmas Day party. It was absolutely perfect having the whole family under one roof. It’s such a rare event and it was just downright fun. I keep having deja vu because Maddie was Amelia’s age during her first Christmas. She sat in the same car seat in the same room, sleeping just the same way with the hustle and bustle all around her. I’ll have to dig that picture up when I return to Shanghai! It was a wonderful night!

I can understand those people out there that but artificial trees… really! We have one in Shanghai and every year around the day after Thanksgiving, we open up the closet and find the tall brown box that contains the start of our Christmas cheer. HOWEVER, we do this because finding a real tree in Shanghai is not that easy and that actually makes finding a tree in Saudi Arabia look like a cake walk! So when we come home to Oregon for the holidays – we cut down a tree… especially since we are in our own home for the first time!

Amelia sat in the warmth of the backseat with Grandma Barbara, continuing to jetlag her little heart out while we went trapsing through a tree farm. Barbara watched the whole thing from the car which was apparently the best silent movie in a long time. I found a tree while Grandpa/Maddie went one direction and Andy went the other. She summed it up best though in her blog entry about our Christmas Tree Hunt!

Dad was even nice enough to poke fun at us girls as he cut down the Christmas tree!

The last full day of school meant that all of the holiday makings were sent home! Maddie made a gingerbread house this week AND gingerbread cookies at school. She was so proud to bring them home and show me, but she couldn’t hold off long enough

to show dad because she had to eat it. The marshmallow tower was just too tempting! We got our first school ornament this year with Maddie’s picture in it surrounded by colored pasta. These are priceless as they are always fun to get out when the kids are 18 and beyond! I think we’ll take this one home in a few days to put on our “America tree” as Maddie says! Two more sleeps Maddie Anna!!!

This entire week has been about children running around the Links after dark, knocking on doors as loud as they can and then running to hide as fast as they can! There are about 20 kids out at the Links and they were all part of a Secret Santa gift exchange. I keep forgetting (sometimes) that Maddie is four as this is all still very new to her. We had participated in Secret Santa last year, but doesn’t really remember doing so. Maddie first heard the door on Monday night and was ecstatic as she was opening the present… when she realized it was a book she burst into tears because “Santa” didn’t bring her the ballet slippers she wanted! It was then that we had the discussion about the difference between Santa and a Secret Santa. She decided a Secret Santa was like a leprechaun – it worked for her!

Tonight we did the final gift exchange, but before we did so we were entertained a bit during a dinner. Sometimes you just have to pinch yourself and ask, “where am I and how did I get here?”

The young boy on the bicycle juggled and threw plates onto his head while riding a unicycle. I loved the look in his eye when he tossed three bowls at once to the top of his head from his foot… even he was proud! Then there was a young woman who did a dance for this kids where her face changed colors. It’s difficult to describe so look a the clip and watch the color of her face change in the middle of it. I think it changed seven times in all! The girls then came out in their purple outfits with roller skates on where they spun as fast as they could in a very small space.

Girls twirling plates on the top of long sticks and a magician ended the show! Maddie sat in the front row with her mouth wide open the entire time! The gift exchange is what they all were waiting for though. Maddie gave Cleet his basketball and then received a PINK SAS sweatshirt from Cooper! It was a great night had by all… now it’s time to head home for real down home Christmas time! One week and counting!!!!

This was our day in our nutshell!! It is the day after Thanksgiving which means that it’s technically an okay thing to put up your Christmas tree. We are still hear for three weeks, so why not enjoy the lights and the ornaments? Besides, it’s the perfect time to talk about Rudolph and Santa and flat tires…

After getting the ornaments on the tree, the star on top, the stockings hung over the fireplace and a wish list made for Santa (which consisted of ONE thing… proper toe ballet shoes) we realized that we were going to be late for ballet. Andy ran out to the car and noticed it right away… a flat tire. As Maddie says, “Bu Hao!” Andy was quick as whip and got that doughnut wheel on the van only to find that it too was flat. Ron to the rescue and we borrowed his car to make it to ballet class in the nick of time! It’s a great thing when life throws your curves, but you learn to swerve!

I actually think that Maddie is learning something in ballet class… I can’t be sure as they won’t let us parents into the class. Maddie comes home though, makes us sit on the couch and shows up everything she has learned that day. She always starts off with how sad she is that she can’t dance on her toes because she doesn’t have toe shoes that tie around her ankles. After she gets over that one, she spins and twirls around the living room with a grin from ear to ear. She loves the ballet – hope she likes The Nutcracker just as much when we head home!

The holiday season is in full swing!!! We are so excited to head home for Christmas this year – it will feel good to be with family again!!

Days like today are the ones that people will talk about years later. Holidays overseas can either be really, really great because you may be sitting someplace exotic and forget that it’s even a holiday OR they can be really, really tough because you know all of your loved ones are gathered back home – together – as a family. I think that most of the Americans overseas at SAS this year felt the latter, so we invited them to our house for a Thanksgiving feast.

Maddie and I made jello/marshmallow/popcorn balls for the kids early in the morning and Andy made one turkey with AMAZING stuffing – but that is all the cooking we did as everyone brought a dish. The weather was brilliant allowing the kids to play across the street at the playground all morning before everyone showed up around 3:00 for a rerun of a football game (it was new to us)!

It was quite the spread we had of food and there was lots of laughter. All in all we had 25 people at our house…. 11 of those were kids! When the last guests walked out the door at 9:00, it looked like a cyclone has just run through out house! It was well worth it though… must have been because when Maddie said her prayers before going to sleep she actually prayed for another party tomorrow just like this one! Um, Maddie…. only if you do the dishes!!!!