A little White Lie....

So as we are handing our boarding passes to the flight attendant in Phuket, she asks me if I'm pregnant? And then, how far along? It was on my to do list to get a doctor’s note, but I just hadn’t gotten to it. She said you can’t fly after 7 months without a note. I told her I was 30 weeks and she replied 27 weeks was the cut off. Oops, so what to do. As she is trying to figure out what to do with me, she tells me to go ahead and board. We are about the last people on the plane and so another guy heads back to talk to me. He asks me how far I am? Tim confidently says that I'm 26 weeks and doesn't see what all the fuss is about. He said, but you just told her you were 30. No no, next month we'll be 30 weeks, this month (at least today) we're 26 weeks. He was satisfied with the answer, so he brought the pregnancy paperwork for me to sign and we were on our way to Singapore! So you can call me/us liars from now on…

Medical vacations

First class...

... the way flying was meant to be!

Our flight from Bangkok to Phuket was just great. Somehow when we bought our tickets on Thai Air, I missed that they were first-class tickets -- they were cheaper than any of the other tickets we were seeing, so we bought them. We got on the plane, showed the flight attendant our ticket and she pointed that we needed to hang a left into first class. Uh, ok. So we flew first class in a Boeing 777 -- you can see the pictures of us below. I know we should “act like we’ve been there,” you know, act like we were used to flying first class, but these seats were too sweet to not take pictures of. If only wish we could be able to work first-class tickets on our flight back to the States… The girls enjoyed all of their space to play/color in first class, so I (Tim) took the chance to read the newspaper.

After reading about Microsoft's bid for Yahoo, I read an interesting article in the business section about “medical vacations.” Medical vacations are trips people take to beautiful areas of the world, but where medical care is relatively inexpensive, so the “vacation” is paid for by the difference in price of the medical procedures. The most popular procedures are laser-related since they’re close to “dummy proof” – the procedures are performed by the same “smart” equipment as in the U.S. or in Europe, but the labor is much less expensive and that’s where the savings is. The most popular procedures for medical vacations are laser eye surgery, dental work (teeth whitening, porcelain caps, etc) and laser hair removal.

The article mentioned that Thailand was one of the most popular destinations for those procedures. We arrived in Phuket and we were blown away by the number of clinics we saw in the taxi ride to our hotel that offered these various services. I had mentioned to Morgan a couple of weeks ago after taking a picture with Adayla and Tally how I wished my teeth were white like they used to be, how I can tell how non-white (ok, yellow) my teeth had become in pictures next to them. So I thought I’d inform myself about teeth whitening procedures in Phuket. I didn’t want to do a procedure unless it was an accepted method back in the States. I found a procedure called Zoom! that is featured on the TV show Extreme Makeover. It is a popular method, seemed “relatively non-harmful” to teeth, and I figured if the TV show picked it, it must either mean that it’s a good procedure and/or the company has money to buy the promotion on the TV show. The other things I read supported that Zoom! was indeed a very good procedure, so I Googled and found a Zoom! office in Phuket. The average cost of the Zoom! procedure in the States is $1000+, here in Phuket it’s $300. I went ahead and had it done, and we’ve included before and after pics for you to see. I have to say that I’m happy with the results. My fear was that my teeth would either be uneven in color or blotchy, or become unnaturally white. Fortunately neither happened, they turned out just right. I’m writing this not to tell people that I got my teeth whitened, I’m mean really, who cares? I’m writing to let friends know of some other options when they may need/want to do some of these things. For example, if someone back in the States wanted to have this procedure done, they could apply the difference, $700+ in this case, to airfare and hotel expenses and have a great time in Phuket, while getting the same procedure done. We have two American friends back in Shanghai who have had their eyes “lasered” in Shanghai because it is half the price of the same procedure back in the States. Who says doctors and dentists can’t be outsourced? It’s a global economy, and every occupation needs to face that reality – but that’s a different topic for another day. I’ve done my blogging for the day while my girls have slept, now it’s time to go out and have some more fun here! Here are the pics…

before...

...and after

Going for a ride....on an elephant

Another probably not so smart thing we did in Thailand.......I think some random guy buys/finds some elephants, puts up a sign next to the road, ghetto rigs some seat to the top of the elephant, hires an untrained local to be the guide, and dumb foreigners give him money because riding an elephant in Thailand, the home of the elephant, would be fun right?!

(elephants are big, their poop is really big!!)

The guy put Adayla and Josie on one and then Tim, Tally, and me on another. It was not what I would have expected. It was bouncy, really slow (imagine that), and really high off the ground. It made me quite nervous, especially since Tally likes to sit still so well...ha ha. Our seat was tied using his belly and his tail, no safety bar and no seatbelts, just hold on! We hiked up a big hill and back into the woods/jungle for an hour. As we rode uphill the guide rode on top of the elephant's head, but he was unable to do so on the way down because it was so steep. So here we are on top of this very intimidating creature and the guide is just walking close by! Thankfully we didn't do anything to get the elephant mad at us and we escaped unharmed, with no dropped Tallys. (If we hadn't, we just would have disappeared and been dumped in the jungle for sure!)

Phi Phi Island (pronouced pee-pee)

Once we told Adayla we were going to Phi Phi Island, she asked if there is a Poo Poo Island too?? So we started pronouncing it fee-fee island, but you can't use this change with Phuket....

Anyways we woke up way too early and a van picked us up at our hotel. He drove to where the speed boat was waiting. Eventually all the other people showed up and the boat was ready. We boarded, people were smiling and happy....everyone was excited about the adventurous day that was awaiting them. Ten minutes into the boat ride, the story was completely different.

The winds were quite strong and since we were going against the waves, the ride was quite bouncy. It wasn't just bouncy, the boat was rocking pretty good, and there we were with our 3 or 4 local 20-year-olds commanding the boat. We were at the back of the boat and just getting soaked! Soon, many of those same smiling people were grabbing those barf bags and looking quite pale. Tally was loving every minute of it, we bounced and bounced, and she giggled and giggled. I was actually quite scared, this boat could have flipped and there we would have been in the middle of the ocean. Tim was trying to comfort everyone with the song from Gilligans Island....not helpful!

We thought Tally was tired and the bouncing made her sleepy. After about 45 minutes or so, Tally put her head down and started to snuggle. About 10 minutes later, I look down at her, and she had barfed all over. I guess she was just a little sea sick. We cleaned it up and then both girls took a short little nap. What was supposed to take us 45 minutes, took twice as long, and we were ready to get off the boat. Where we arrived, however, was absolutely worth it!

This beach is where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. We haven't seen the movie, but it's obviously a beautiful place to film a movie.

We swam and snorkeled. Well Tim and Josie snorkeled, I tried, but couldn't figure it out. I know, it's not complicated - I just felt uncomfortable with having my face in the water and trying to breathe through the snorkel - oh well. We island hopped for the next couple of hours, passing by some ancient Chinese paintings in a cave and stopped at Monkey Island. There are wild monkeys just hanging out in some trees just feet away from the water. Our guide warned us as we got off the boat to not touch them, as they will bite. Some dumb lady thought a monkey was quite cute so she let one jump on her back. Then the thing hopped off and bit her 3 year little girl who let out a scream. The girl was ok after they washed the blood out of her hair in the nice sea water. Dumb lady!

This next picture is from the tsunami in 2004 at one of areas of Phi Phi Island where we stopped. On the right you can see the tsunami waves that are just arriving, while the beach on the left is still calm and blue.

We ate lunch at another little island and picked up some more fruit drinks. We again loaded the boat for the last island where we were supposed to spend a few hours relaxing. About 30 minutes into the ride, one of the three engines quit, and the genius design of the boat didn't allow the boat to run on two engines, so we were "stranded". Thankfully the guy was able to radio another company boat who was already at the island waiting for their group. This boat arrived 20 minutes later and we had to hop onto the other boat. We arrived and we able to hang out for awhile. Again, it was worth the trouble because it was quite a view! The water was so amazingly clear. Who needed to snorkel anyway, you could just stand and look down to see lots of fish! Unfortunately all the places we went were amazingly beautiful, because we would go on another such boat ride to see some of the Earth's most beautiful scenery!

Fun day, but I was happy to make it back to our hotel!

Phuket (pronounced poo-ket)

Here we are in Phuket, Thailand enjoying the sun and the beach! Phuket is an island just off the mainland in the southwest. There are multiple beaches on the island, we are staying in Patong - the most popular of all the beaches. The town is lively with people from literally all over the world here, every kind of food is available, lots of shopping, and of course plenty of sand. The girls have loved the ocean. Adayla wears her little floating swimming suit and will bob around and "swim" by herself. Tally makes you hold her, but throws a fit if you go back to the chairs. It has been so relaxing to just hang out together.

A few things that Bangkok is known for are apparently true throughout the entire country. You see many western guys with their hookup for the night in the evenings wandering around. Many times some of them are quite old with a very young gal. I even saw a sign outside a hotel that said if you are the only person staying in your room, they won't charge you more for an overnight guest and even serve them breakfast in the morning. And then I guess because the girls are busy with the foreigners, the men here have decided to become girls too. "Ladyboys" can be seen here as well in their high heels and make-up. Fortunately those folks are the minority, and Phuket is an enjoyable, family-friendly place to visit. So if any of you are looking to get away....HIGHLY recommended!




The tsunami in 2004 hit Patong and here is a picture right after, but now you have all these signs along the beach to escape....pretty scary!

Five things from Bangkok

Wandering the alleys of Bangkok......



1. The Tuk Tuks – cheap taxis which Adayla calls the tricky motorcyles and loves to ride

2. The Grand Palace with the Emerald Buddha Temple - definitely the place to see here

3. The food!!

4. The river taxi

5. The boat ride on the canals

Bangkok definitely isn't Shanghai, duh, but it is kind of fun for us to compare cities and countries. China also has many Buddhist temples, but the government has done a good job in making these temples just for show, and you get a sense that few people who do go aren't very sincere in their worshipping. We read that 90% of the Thai are practicing Buddhists and they take it very seriously. Temples are all over Bangkok and the most random places have these small shrines set up (gas stations, building entrances, where ever). Many of the shrines have a Strawberry Fanta with a straw in them. Not sure why, but I will update you when I find out.)

The food is great here and everywhere. We have tried so many good things! Most importantly they like sweet things and COLD drinks. Tim loves curry dishes, especially green curry chicken. I’m happy with Pad Thai. We have had so many fresh fruit slush drinks, they are very good with great fresh fruit, and very cheap! We are really going to miss those when we leave!
So to briefly explain the above: The little Tuk-Tuks were just fun to ride, the girls just giggled and giggled every time we rode in one. It is really safe I am sure to put five people in the back of this vehicle a little bigger than a golf cart and weave in and out of traffic, what the heck! One travel book we read said for a real kick, split up into two Tuk-Tuks, pick a destination on the other side of the city, and offer a bonus to the Tuk-Tuk driver who gets there first. These drivers are crazy enough without such an incentive, I can only imagine the ride with the incentive.

The Grand Palace was home to the king for many years. On the grounds there is a temple built to house Thailand's most sacred Buddhist artifact, a small green jade Buddha (it was originally thought to be emerald, hence the name Emerald Buddha). He sits on top of all sorts of fancy things, and the current king of Thailand actually changes its clothes three times a year depending on the season. Anyways you can go inside, but you have to take your shoes off. Then as we were walking in, Tim snaps of picture of this sign. We all wondered what it meant.

Then we go in and I realize that what was meant by not pointing your feet towards the Buddha statue was that you must kneel so as to point your feet away from the statue. There were about 100 people, both foreigners and locals, inside kneeling so that their feet didn't face the Buddha. Tim sits down and stretches out....until the guard immediately came over and yelled at Tim, letting him know that was not okay.

Meanwhile, I look over at Adayla and she is immitating all the Thai people. She has her hands put together and is bowing up and down to the floor on her knees. I did my best not to bust out in a giggle, but I had to tell her we don't do that. She quit and then a helpful Thai lady on her way out showed her how to do it again. Then as we were leaving, people take a white rose and dip it into water and then touch someone else's head. I am not sure what this means, but there was this guy beating another guy with this flower, he just kept hitting him. Tally wandered close by and he was able to get her on the head a couple of times. All very interesting....

Lastly we took a boat through the side canals of Bangkok. Homes on stilts at the water's edge. It was fascinating. Many people sat out and waved. The girls loved it. This is also home to the famous Bangkok "Floating Markets," where vendors in their boats sell their products to you in your boat. Again, since people in Bangkok used to live on the river, this is how business was done and is still done to some extent. After an hour of navigating the canals, we were just thankful we arrived safely back to the dock. In the middle of the ride, Tim said I hope this isn't the part where they take us hostage and nobody even knows we are missing. Those were the highlights of our days in Bangkok, along with the below story of Tim speaking with the Germans on the river taxi.


Tim took this picture on the river taxi. He liked it because of the sign in the top of the picture that reserves an area for monks on the river taxi. We saw lots of monks throughout the day. Bangkok is an interesting contradiction - one the one hand you have a very religious population, with lots of temples, monks, and practising worshippers. On the other hand, Bangkok is widely known as the wildest place for "night life." We saw multiple ads for "special" of "full service" massages. Besides the prostitution, there are many "Ladyboys" that are quite creepy to see. They are guys, in various stages of operations in their transformation to become women. Many of them you couldn't quite tell if it was a guy or a girl you were looking at - the big give away, however, was the feet. You can't help but wonder if perhaps the religion actually fosters such behavior, as reincarnation basically believes "if at first you don't succeed, try try again." So what's the point in trying for "zen" if you can do it in the next life, or the life after that?


Being in Bangkok, Tim looked up a song from the 1980's (yes, he's old and remembers the 80's!). After looking up the song "One Night in Bangkok" and being in Bangkok, he understood what was meant by the lyrics he sang as a 10-year-old. Here are some of the lyrics:


One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me


Siam's gonna be the witness
To the ultimate test of cerebral fitness
This grips me more than would a
Muddy old river or Reclining Buddha (we liked the river, and the Reclining Buddha)
(Here we are at the "world's largest reclining Buddha" - it depicts Buddha entering Zen)


continuing with the song...

One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
And if you're lucky then the god's a she (he was talking about Ladyboys - that was 20 years ago)
I can feel an angel sliding up to me

Looking back, that song has a whole new meaning now...

Here are some other pictures from Bangkok:

Tally set herself apart as the daring one - she has no fear of water, which gives us some fear!

Tim happily waiting for a traditional Thai massage! Yes, this is a "legit" Thai massage!!

"Zwei Frauen" - Two Women or Two Wives?

Here we are in Bangkok, Thailand (Morgan, 2 girls, Josie, and me - yes, sometimes I (Tim) do some of the blogging). Josie joined us the day after we arrived in Bangkok and will be with us for our three-week trip thanks to some very cheap airline tickets. If you have any intentions of travelling in Asia, check out http://www.airasia.com/ for great deals on tickets. They're the "Southwest Airlines" of Asia, but cheaper. Josie is crashing with us in our hotel room, but we will let her "pay" some by babysitting! So it should work out well, we have an extra set of hands to help a bit and she gets to join us in seeing some amazing places!

So we had just boarded a very full river taxi (150 people or so on the boat). Bangkok was built along the river, and these ferries (see pics below) are a very cheap and convenient way to get around in the city. It's also a beautiful way to see the city - 200 years ago only Buddhist temples and palaces were built on the land, the people actually lived on the river on bamboo rafts. We'll show some pics of our trip to the "floating markets" later.

Morgan had noticed a few seats way in the front and so the five of us headed that way. We were speaking our nice American English as we were getting everybody settled and the strollers put away. There were two retired German couples across the aisle on my left, and a Chinese family sitting on my right. I was getting a kick out of listening to both conversations and understanding them both!

The Chinese conversation paused for a moment, so I went back to listening to the German conversation. They were talking about "zwei Frauen," which means two women. Then something clicked in my mind, that the word "Frau" not only means "woman," but also "wife!" They weren't just talking about the two women, they were talking about me and my two wives!!

I was shocked, I didn't know what to do/say, so I just looked at them and started talking to them:
Me: Entschildigung, Sie haben zwei Frauen gesagt, nicht wahr?
Lady: I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying.
Me: Ich habe gehoert, Sie haben ueber zwei Frauen gesprochen, denken Sie dass ich zwei Frauen habe?
Lady: (Shocked) Nein, das haben wir nicht gedacht, wir haben ueber verschiedene zwei Frauen gesprochen.
Me: (just looking at them, smiling, because I caught them)
Man: (starts laughing) Wir haben das doch gedacht, dass Sie mit Ihrem zwein Frauen und zwei Kindern sind!

Basically, I asked the lady in German hey, you were just talking about having two wives and she thinking that I was just another typical American who can't speak a foreign language so she can talk about me, was thinking I was speaking in English and didn't understand what I said to her.

So I said it again, but this time telling her that I knew that they thought I had two wives. She realized that I not only spoke German, but spoke pretty dang well, and her eyes got so big, it was classic! She then tried to make up a story to cover herself by saying “No, we were talking about two others,” but her husband just laughed and said, yup, that's what we thought - it looked like you were there with your two wives and two children. I then had a conversation with them explaining who everybody was. They probably still didn't believe me because Adayla looks like a little Josie, but whatever, it was really funny - they got busted!

After that conversation, the Chinese family on my right moved in closer to make room for other passengers, so I started a conversation with them by having Adayla speak Chinese with them. That then launched a fun little conversation with them, but meanwhile I was still listening for the Germans to see if there were going to say anything about Adayla looking like Josie - they didn't, but they did notice that I was speaking Chinese with this family and remarked that I not only spoke German but also Chinese (had they said Japanese I would have corrected them!). For a couple minutes there I actually felt like I could speak three languages, and that was fun. Maybe in another year and a half I actually feel that I do in fact speak Chinese, but now, even after a year and a half of intensely learning the language I often feel intimidated by the language.

What would have been really funny is if I had told the German folks that I learned my German while on a Mormon mission, but I think they would have told all their friends back in Germany that they saw a Mormon with two wives in Bangkok - it was probably better that I didn't mention that part!! At least they can tell their friends in Germany that they met an American in Bangkok who can actually speak a couple of foreign languages.

We unfortunately don't have pictures from that particular time on the river taxi, but here are a couple of picture of us on the river taxi:

Delay Delay Delay

Why can't our airplane be delayed when we just have the two hour flight? But no, we always get our delays on the international flights and they don't delay the plane until we are boarded! If you remember our trip getting to China, it was the same. The day before leaving for Shanghai, we arrived late in DC (we had to fly from Salt Lake back to DC so they would pay for our flights). We were supposed to be in by 7 and I think it was 9 pm, and so therefore checking into our hotel at 11pm. We woke up early early to get to the airport for a eight o'clock flight. We boarded and then sat on the run way for a couple of hours to because of United's system failure. We arrived in San Francisco only to run to catch our flight. The girls literally had no time to get out and run around. When we went to Hong Kong, delays again, thankfully it was 2 hours but NOT on the plane!

Anyways, because of the snow in Shanghai (biggest storm in 50 years) our plane needed de-icing. We boarded about 30 minuntes late and then sat there for the next 3 1/2 hours waiting for our turn in line. Thankfully before our turn came, the sun came out enough and we didn't need to be de-iced because it went away on its own. After 5 hours we arrived to the 90 degree weather here in Bangkok, Thailand where we begin a 3 week adventure! I forgot to mention how WONDERFUL the girls were, the whole time, no melt downs and no crying!! They were fabulous and made what could have been a very long stressful day into a long pleasant one!! Thanks girls!

Happy Birthaversary!!

So here we are in China celebrating our 6th anniversary and who else better to celebrate it with, then my sister who shared her 13th birthday with us when we married! We planned to eat at Applebee's, yes the American restaurant opened it's doors in China this past October. We hadn't been there and thought we would all celebrate together. We didn't know if we would even be able to go because my girls gave Josie the flu for her birthday. She laid on the couch and slept most of the day. But she decided felt better and we all went out to enjoy a nice American meal! Tim had ribs, Josie has pasta, the girls shared a burger, and I had a sirloin....yummy! The fries and mashed potatoes are definitely not as good, but overall it felt like America!!!

Josie didn't want her picture taken, but aren't we cute?!

The rest of January......

They made it home just in time for really cold, cruddy weather to come our way. It was foggy for 4 days after they left, sometimes we couldn't even see the road from our windows. It has even flurried a few days this past week.

So what a good time for us to have the flu right? Adayla woke up last week puking and was so dang cute while doing it. She then would say, I don't feel good and would want to lay in the floor on the bathroom. She would then fall asleep and helper lady would come in and yell at us because it was too cold on the floor. We'd say that she was just fine and helper lady would be not so helpful and move her onto the couch, waking her up in the process. She ate and drank a little and then barfed a little. She was so good to do it in the bowl. We made her a nice little bed on our floor for the night and happily slept there.

Tally is a little opposite. She didn't even slow down, I am not even sure which days she had the flu. A few days before Adayla was sick, she puked in her crib and few times, but didn't act a bit sick and so I thought nothing of it until a few days later. Then two days after Adayla was sick, we find Tally asleep in her crib in a huge puddle of puke, but she seemed fine for the rest of the day. Other than her crazy tantrums that she has been throwing, she has seemed healthy....they go something like this.....she gets upset over something and starts to cry, one of us pick her up, but she doesn't want picked up, so we set her down, but she doesn't want down, so we pick her back up while she screams and screams, finally we just put her down, and she throws herself on the floor and beats her head against it, sometimes leaving bruises. This aren't just a two minute tantrum, these can easily last a 1/2 hour and more than a few times a day for the past week. We were about ready to let somebody else have her for awhile! But today was a great day without any major fits! I am hoping that she wasn't feeling well, even though she didn't have a fever and acted fine the rest of the time!

Enough about that....what are they really up to....

Tally continues to attempt more words, she laid her head on my shoulder a few weeks ago and said "ai ni", which is love you! She now does this almost everyday and at random times, it is very sweet! I also showed her a picture in her coloring book of a plane and she immediately pointed up to one of Tim's newly framed airplane pictures and said "fei ji". The other night as we were out and about she didn't want to hold my hand as we were walking, so she clasped her hands together so I couldn't grab hers.

Tim went to a Chinese New Year party for his program on Friday night and the door prize for everyone was a nicely boxed set of nail clippers??!!

Adayla funny: Tim's sister sent us a box for Christmas this year and it contained those little white packing peanuts. Adayla immediately grabs Tally and tries to get both of them to sit in it. It was clearly not big enough, it fit one of them with little room left to wiggle. I asked what she was doing and she said, "Mom, it is just like the ones back in Virginia." I knew that we received a box from his sister last year that was much bigger and both girls could sit and play, but I didn't think she could remember that. I was wrong....she said, "Mom you know, we had a REALLY big box and Tally and I played in it!" She had just turned two before Christmas, her little mind continues to amaze me!

I went back and found the picture, I will have to show it to her tomorrow!

Adayla started primary at church, which she loves! They moved me up to teach the 6 and 7 year olds, so I was kind of sad not to be her teacher. I still get to watch her. She sits and listens very well and does her best to sing the songs. She also will turn around to occasionally check on me. She will also point to the picture of Jesus on the wall. She is also very into putting barrets in her hair, cute huh?

So with Adayla in primary, Tally is left by herself for nursery. But they have asked Josie to help out in there and so we are able to get a true report. She hasn't been their consistently anyways because of a few trips and a few runny noses.....but last week it went like this. She cried and cried, even with Josie in there. Then she wanted to play with some cars that other boys were playing with, they were not interested in sharing with her. She stood their for literally 10 minutes and gave them her best naughty glare! They better watch out because I know she has no hesitation to wack them.

Thankfully Shanghai's weather isn't what it was after church on Sunday. It was COLD and nearly pouring when church was over. This is not good for taxis, but finally after about 20 minutes on the side of the street trying to keep from getting wet, we were able to get one to stop for us!

I have been busy trying new recipes, in fact, I plan on occasionally posting them for you to try. This week we made focaccia bread (Tim loved), but I do need to find some kosher salt, and some monkey bread (helper lady's favorite!). Broccoli soup was not a hit, but I enjoyed it. The chicken pot pie was quite simple and very good! Like I have said before, we (Josie and I) make most things from scratch. I really had no idea how easy some things are!

Tim is finishing up his semester classes before Chinese New Year. He has his finals and a group paper (that he will mostly write) due on Saturday. Group work has a whole new meaning here in China.

A few weeks ago, we met up with one of Shayla's friends from Germany. Her name is Lin and she was studying in Germany for a few years and happened to meet Shayla. So Shayla was excited when we were coming to Shanghai because that is where Lin was living. But she moved down south by Hong Kong the month we arrived, but was back in Shanghai for a weekend. We had a fantastic Chinese dinner with her and her friend. They chose the restaurant and were waiting when we arrived. They had looked over the menu and I think were ready to order (Chinese style - order a bunch of dishes and everyone shares). They then asked if we had any dislikes, I said other than fish, we are will be good. I think they had to change the entire order, oops!

Vacation Over

So the two weeks flew by and we loved every minute of it. They shopped and shopped! It is a good thing they had filled up their suitcases with things for us because they barely had enough room to make it back home.

We hit up the fabric market. Tim and I went we first moved here, but I found it completely overwhelming and hadn't been back. My mom had some fabulous tablecloths made and Corde and Dad went home with quite a few new button up shirts. Dad - Where is the picture of you in your favorite shirt??? It is a 3 story building with every kind of fabric imaginable! They have all sorts of things hanging as demos, but all you need is a picture and a week before you are wearing something tailored especially for you!

They had their fill of Chinese food and probably their fill of Pizza Hut too! Oh the memories! We made it all out one evening to a "non hole in the wall restaurant", which has some very tasty food.....the pic shows sweet and sour fish. Almost everyone at the table enjoyed it, really! I do a pretty good imitation of the fish, maybe I will post it later....

Adayla thought she could go on the plane with them and go play in Wyoming for awhile. Little Grandma told her that when she was 4, she could go visit her. (We will be done here the summer after she turns 4.) A few hours later someone said something about her being 3. She is into wanting 3 of everything because she is 3, but this time she said no I am 4. And then she goes and tells Little Grandma that since she is now 4 she is able to go with her to Little Grandma's house! We hope they make it back to China one more time, we have tons more things we could find to see!