and so it begins. . .

My children are packed. Well, not their suitcase with clothes and things. But arguably they have packed the most important things -- their carry-on luggage. Because when you are on a plane for 14+ hours everything in these bags and all the stuff that will amuse them hour after hour are as precious as gold. When we first started doing this trip, I would advise on what to pack. But now? They know and have it down to an art form. So what do they pack? In Becca's bag, you will find knitting looms, yarn, books, and some paper to draw. She is a crafty one, our oldest. Josh asked me yesterday how many stuffed animals he could take. I told him the more stuffed animals, the less books he could pack. He thought long and hard and now has 3 animals, 10 chapter books and one small game. Tori's collection of stuff is eclectic and amusing. Anywhere from her magnet princess toy to a Chinese flag (I kid you not). I am sure that this is not the final edition. It will be humorous to see how many times they adjust and refine before next Saturday. And me? I have not even got our suitcases down! And probably won't until Monday or maybe Tuesday.

While I am not so stressed about packing, we are busy until we leave. Going away parties, birthday parties, and last day of school. Throw into the mix any shopping I plan to do and this promises to be a busy 10 days. Somehow I see less sleep in my immediate future. Maybe I will just plan to sleep on the plane?

Sweetness

While making dinner, I heard Josh ask Tori, "Do you want me to read you a book?" I came into the room to find:

This just melts my heart into a puddle. I love that boy of ours.

Sunday Snapshot: Celebrations

One of the hardest parts of being an expat is living away from those you love. But we have been so blessed with a group of people that are more than just friends to us. They are our family here. Today we got to celebrate with them. At church today, two of the members of our small group were baptized. Afterwards we went to lunch and the celebration continued.

We celebrated Father's Day.

We celebrated friendships. We know that we will each only be here for a season. Whether it is 1, 2, 3 years or more. But we appreciate these people for however long they are in our lives. I know that I have blogged in the past how I hate to say goodbye. And I think there can be the danger when you are living here longer term to guard yourself and not to get close. But even though you know it is temporary and these people will move, the reward is greater. And so even though I know that I will eventually have to say goodbye, I will keep stepping out there and reaching out. Because it is worth it.

We celebrated those that were baptized.

We celebrated the joys of chocolate-peanut butter milkshakes. Tori was rather proud of her milkshake mustache.

We celebrated friends that are so close that our kids call them "uncle."

And apparently, our daughter celebrated silliness.

We celebrated the beginning of the summer. Over the next few weeks, most of the people will be going to their home countries. Our friends at the table are from: Germany, India, Sierra Leone, South Africa, UK, Malaysia and Sweden. We will enjoy time back in our home countries for anywhere from a couple weeks to month. And at the end of that time, some of us will be moving on. But most of us will return to this country that is our home away from home.

I hope that today is a day of celebrations for you as well!

Mud football

After a week of rain almost everyday, the weekly Saturday morning football match was destined to be an interesting one. Or should I say soccer -- we have gotten so used to calling it football after playing with so many Europeans. At the beginning of the game, there was a small patch of mud in the middle of the field. But before long, it grew.

People fell. And slid all over. And that little patch of mud became bigger.

That would be my husband on the ground.

Yes, there he is again. Slide tackles became common but with the potential for a spill.

And yet the game forged on.

But as the spot of mud grew and turned into a mud pond, some of the boys (our son included) were drawn away from the game by the allure of wallowing in the mud.

Starting with the little boys.

Even the bigger boys had to have a turn in the mud.

And still, even amongst wallowing boys, the game continued on.

Even penalties were carried out in the mud. It is tradition that if you have a handball, the required penalty is push ups. Today's were done in the mud.

Midway through the game, my boy was still fairly clean.

But the mud was too difficult to resist!

End of the game shot.

Sunday Snapshot: The Pool Party

After much waiting we celebrated Josh's birthday party this weekend in grand style. We had scheduled a pool party the weekend before his birthday (30 May) but the weather did not cooperate -- rain and a high of only 20°C (68°F). And the pool was freezing! Very unexpected weather for us in Suzhou in late May. So we decided to move it back a couple weeks due to availability. All last week, I anxiously watched the weather as it rained most of the week.

Then for the actual day of the party the forecast according the Chinese weather site: high of 30°C and cloudy. The English site: high of 27°C and rain. Actual weather: high of 29°C with sun that came out in the afternoon. I think next time I will believe the Chinese site!

We had such a great party. We swam for several hours, and after we were all too cold changed and enjoyed a BBQ.

Look at my three beautiful fish.

Becca and Andy played so hard in the pool that Andy had scratches on his back! Each time she would stand on his shoulders, she would scream when he first stood up.

The love of my life. He works so hard at his job that we often see the serious side to him. But at the party I also saw the crazy and ridiculous side that I  fell in love with. As he would jump into the pool countless times showing off belly and back flops, and played for hours with the kids, my heart sighed. I truly love this man.

Josh with his best buddy Matteo. We are going to be so sad when they move in a month. In fact, I am currently in a state of denial that it is happening.

Showing off their zaniest faces.

Are you taking my picture? AGAIN?
How is it that a look can say so much?

As I approached with the cake, Josh was really concerned that the wind had blown out one of the candles.
I am asking him: "Josh, please move the cups so I can put this down?"
"Mom, the candle. . . "
"Josh, do you see the cups? Can you move them?"
"Mom, that one isn't lit."
I could tell that I was fighting a losing battle and moved the cups myself.

He huffed and puffed and blew all the candles out.

At the beginning of opening the presents, the kids were spread out watching. But soon, . . .

they were drawn in like magnets. I think that China has helped us to get rid of any spacial boundaries that we have, don't you?

And through it all, my sweet boy was celebrated. Happy (delayed) birthday, Josh!

Counting down

While summer temperatures have arrived, we are not quite to our summer just yet. The kids still have school. A little over 3 weeks of school, in fact.

But in only 23 more days we get on a plane. And then our summer truly starts.

Because for me summer is family and friends. And a return to the comfortable and easy life in the US. Now, I don't mean easy in that there are never problems, but more easy that I don't have to figure out language. I know where to buy anything and everything that I need. Yes, while life in the US is not without its challenges, it is familiar and that makes it easy. I have once again started my list of what to buy when we are back. This is a ever-changing thing. Currently my list is something like this: medicines, spices, books, and a few clothes for the tall man (the man who at 1.9M can buy practically no clothes in China). Isn't that delightfully random?

Becca has asked if she can start to pack her suitcase. This is quite the process for her. Deciding what important things she needs for the 7 weeks we are gone. She will pack it. Then think about it a bit and unpack and evaluate. While I may give her bag a cursory glance, she is responsible for it. So, 3 weeks should give her just about the right amount of time.

Hope you are enjoying the first bit of your summer!

My birthday man

Josh's birthday was last week. And somehow I didn't blog about it. I think because we postponed his party to this weekend that it didn't quite feel like his birthday. We are doing a pool party and the time that it was supposed to be was rainy and kind of cold. Which is really, really odd for Suzhou at this time of year. It is going to be this Sunday and I have hopes for better weather. We shall see.

Last week, he opened his gift from us.

doesn't his face say it all?

And then a package that had arrived from Grandma. Packages are the best.

He kept saying, "what's inside? what is it?"

BOOKS!

And more BOOKS! The perfect thing for our little man.

We have started a tradition of going to Coldstone for birthday ice cream. This is a tradition that I can wholeheartedly support.

After much deliberation and several samples, he finally decided on bubble gum with M&M's.

Then the next day I took cookies in to share with his class.

I think there is not much better as a parent than watching who your kids are becoming and then really enjoying the person that they are. Josh is our easy-going guy and can sometimes get overshadowed by his more exuberant and intense sisters. But of our three kids, he is our feeler. He can be so sensitive (in a good way) and has such great empathy for others. He is so smart and loves, loves to read. I think he has read every age-appropriate book in our house. (And quite possibly, a few ones that are a bit beyond him) It becomes such a challenge to provide him with new reading material. Makes me miss the library! But over the last few years, China has been good for him. He gears up with excitement for each of our adventures. We have also seen him become more comfortable with who he is. While I am sure that this would have happened if we were still in the States, I think being here has expedited the process. 

Happy 8th Birthday, Josh! We love you and are so glad you are part of our family.