Water Park Fun

Before I begin, I have to confess that I forgot to bring the camera with us today.  What was I thinking?!?! 

Mom and I took the girls to an indoor water park today.  It was great!!  They had a lazy river, splash area for toddlers, several slides, and "tree house" climbing structure with water squirters and more.  Morgan loved going down the water slides.  Although, I couldn't convince her to come with me on the really tall ones, she still had a ball.  Molly was content to sit and splash in the toddler area.  We all had a really fun time and hope to go back again.  

Together Again

Sadie has been soaking up the attention from her 2 favorite girls since they've arrived home.  Molly is getting more and more comfortable around her and Morgan loves having her Sadie Girl around again.  What a great group of girls!!!

Park Day

Today we had a picnic in the park with Grammy.  The girls and I picked up lunch and met Grammy at Bishop Park in Wyandotte.  The weather is beautiful and we all had a really nice time.  After lunch the girls went on the swings and also played on the large play structure.  

Sadie Girl

We've missed Sadie since we left her with my parent's when we moved to China.  We didn't know how well she would handle the long plane ride as well as the month long quarantine she would have had to endure.  We knew the best place for her was in MI with her family.  But we certainly missed her while we were gone and its been nice to spend time with her again now that we're back. 

Effects of Jet Lag

Jet lag can make you do silly things.  I for one have been walking around feeling completely intoxicated even though I haven't had any amount of liquor to drink.  Morgan on the other hand fell asleep on the floor, under the kitchen table at six o'clock at night.  

Good to be Home

We made it!  We survived the 17+ hours of travel time.  The girls were angels on the flight. Morgan got a little bored and Molly a little antsy, but overall they did great!  Kim and I had a few treats in our bag for them so they were happy.  We landed a little early (thank heaven!) and cleared customs with no issue.  We were questioned by a customs official, however.  He wanted to know why we had so many bags.  After we explained to him that Kim had been in China for 5 weeks, and that I was traveling with 2 young children and would be in MI for over a month, he sent us on our way.  

A few things I've discovered:

*Traveling in economy for an international flight isn't that bad.

*Traveling in economy with 2 young children on an international flight is really bad. 

*Don't wear white on the airplane when traveling with said children as you are bound to wear their meal, crayons, and more. 

*Jet lag is awful.  Especially when you can hardly get a nap in because your 2 children won't sleep at the same time.

*Driving is just like riding a bike.  You can just hop back on after 6 months of not doing it and are OK.  

*Note to self....you actually have to slow down for yellow, and stop for red lights. 

Heading Home

The bags are packed and we're ready (we think) for our flight home tomorrow.  Morgan, Molly, Kimmie and I are leaving for MI in the morning.  It has been a hectic week with packing, preparing for the move and saying good bye to Shanghai and friends.  But now we are anxious to see our MI family and friends.  Wish us luck for an uneventful trip.  This should be interesting traveling on the long flight with "Mobile Molly".  

I'll keep up with the blog during the summer, although it may be slow.  Things should pick up again as we begin to settle into our new digs in Korea. 

Stay tuned.... 

Who Needs Sleep??

Morgan had her friend Emily over last night for their very first sleepover!!  Both girls did great and managed to get some decent sleep.  Even Molly got in on the fun!  Emily came over after dinner.  The girls took a bath, had popcorn, watched Hannah Montana and read stories before bed.  They only gave me a little hassle about going to bed.  They woke up this morning to chocolate chip pancakes and played a little before heading out to a birthday party.  

Dinner With Friends

We had a farewell dinner with our close friends last night.  We started with drinks at the Glamour Bar then had dinner at M on the Bund.  Both are Shanghai hot spots!  Here are couple of pictures from the night.

Pool Party Pics

These are just a couple of pictures from yesterdays school pool party.

More Pictures From Friday

Spa Day

Morgan has been wanting to go to the spa since we arrived here.  So Kathryn and I took Morgan and Emily yesterday for manicures.  This was a special treat for their graduation day.  Morgan was seated on the end, Emily was next to her on my left, and Kathryn was on my right.  Emily had her nail design approved by Kathryn then Morgan showed me what she wanted.  I thought she showed me a simple design that was white with pale blue.  Very pretty and simple.  But when she was done and she walked over to show me her nails, I was shocked!  I said "Is that BLACK?!?!?!"  She nodded.  Then I said, "Wait 'til your Daddy sees that."  Sure enough when Mark got home he said "That's the last time you're doing that!!"  

Morgan is very proud of her manicure and she thinks it looks beautiful.  But I think we'll be sticking with home manicures in Tinkerbell Pink from now on.  

The Graduate

Today Morgan graduated from preschool.  There was a special ceremony at her school in which each student was recognized and given a certificate.  Morgan also received a good bye book filled with pictures of her time spent at the school.  The class shared cake before singing a special song and leaving.  

The whole class joined us at the pool here for lunch and swimming.  Everyone had a blast!  Its been a big day for Morgan as she said good bye to many friends.  She is handling it well and is already talking about making new friends in Korea.  

Only In China

This is "the chicken man". He sets up in the morning on the side of the road with his chickens. If you feel like chicken tonight, you can pick your bird and the chicken man takes care of the rest. Right there for all those stopped at that particular traffic light to watch. Notice the stream behind the chicken man. He is often seen tossing "stuff" in the stream and washing his hands as well. Later that same day we saw locals fishing in that very stream.  Yummy!!  

This bike picture is just awe inspiring.  It is amazing how much they can fit on one bike.    

Today, maintenance came and mowed our lawn...with a weed whacker!!!

Family Biking

 Here are a few pictures of us on our bikes in our neighborhood near our compound and also inside of our compound.  (Morgan was a bit sleepy on the way home.) The girls love being able to jump on the bikes to go to school, dinner, or just for fun.  This is something we will definitely miss once we move to Korea.

Molly's New Wheels!

Here is Molly on her new bike practicing her parade wave and just being cute!!

We Got the House!!

We found out that the negotiations for our house went through and we got the house we wanted in Korea!  We are happy about this and are looking forward to settling in soon.  There is a nice yard for the girls, and a quiet street for them to ride bikes.  Not to mention the view from the living room window.  

We are getting ready for the move, but there isn't a whole lot to be done.  The movers will be here today to do a survey of the house.  We are also working with the movers in MI to have our furniture shipped from there to Korea.  (We are moving from a fully furnished house in China to an unfurnished house in Korea.)

Morgan is handling the move really well.  She knows we are moving and is excited that her new house is on a mountain.  Even though we've moved before, I don't think she fully understands that she won't see her friends from here again.  Luckily there will many kids on the new street in Korea.  I'm hoping she makes new friends quickly once we do move at the end of July.  

Here we go again...