SNOW!!!!

Hoooorahhhh for snow!!!!!! Yes, we get very excited with our little flurry dow here. Just as the school bus was dropping off the kids this afternoon, it started turning from sleet to snow. They had a blast. Now we are in the Christmas mood even more, didn't think that was possible. Loved it!

New stuff

The last week of August, we bought a whole lotta stuff. A house, car, furniture and all the other things you need right away. And I don't really like to shop! I knew this was coming because we sold off everything before moving overseas. It was just sooner that expected and a bit overwhelming. The girls and I are pretty settled in now. The walls may stay bare for a while though! School is great, my kids expectations are very low - understanding the language and not being stared at! So they actually want to go. The cul-de-sac I moved to has a lot of kiddos riding bikes and playing outside everyday, we love it. It's nice to visit with other mom's who don't stare at me and speak a different language :-) We are very blessed.

Back in the USA

A few months ago, the girls and I moved back to the states while Mark stayed in China. It was very sudden and unexpected. That decision took about five minutes and two days later the girls and I touched down in the USA. Prior to leaving China, Kathryn had quickly become seriously ill, and Lisa was not far behind. Both girls were developing asthma due to the environment. Additionally, Kathryn caught a nasty respiratory infection that sent her downhill fast. She had further complications due to some scar tissue from being incubated as a newborn. She was having a hard time breathing, not getting enough oxygen and just bad spasms. I was watching my little girl coughing, turning blue and gasping for air and couldn't do anything for her. I took her to doctors, but the treatment in China was not working. I finally got an appointment with an English doctor in Shanghai. After looking at Kathryn and doing a lung function test, she asked when we were going back to the US and if we really needed to return to China! Basically, if she stayed in China, Kathryn's lungs would get back to a decent function, but she would most likely keep getting infections and never be at 100%. That was the scariest conversation I have ever had! All is well now, Kathryn made an amazing recovery. It was so fast her doctors were very impressed. Lisa is great and I still have my sanity, kinda! I gotta say, I have learned to let it go and pray - it will all work for good! Having your family split on opposite sides of the Earth is not easy, but we can handle it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back again

So I check often to see if I can post on my blog, for months it has been a no go. Today I got on! And of course there is nothing to post about so here are a few pics from a recent outing with Lisa.

Brrrrrr

It is cold here. The kiddos don't even want to stay out long. Today is especially windy, but bright and sunny. Not clear though, the horizon is always a shade of grey. Tomorrow the official Chinese holiday is over and all the chinese employees will return to work. Everyone from the U.S. has worked regular hours. The girls and I have enjoyed going to the office while it is empty. The schools do not start until the 18th. Can't wait! Oh, my phone is working again! Found out it needs a transformer for the power outlet. Why it worked for a year without one, who knows!

More from Cuero

Yesterday was a down-time day. The girls needed it, especially Lisa. The firecrackers kept her up all night, so, I was up all night. Even though she was snuggled up next to me, she would still jump everytime one went off. I cant't really explain how loud it is. Like a cannon right outside your window. ALL NIGHT LONG! We were a bit tired yesterday. However, Kathryn can sleep through a hurricane - not a peep!






Here are a few more pics from Christmas vacation. This is "Lisa's chicken, Brownie" it is blind and she loves it.

Chinese New Year

Today starts the Chinese new year. Year of the rat. They say it tastes like chicken and I will take their word for it. Although it is a toss-up for nastiest dish between rat-on-a-stick, fried fish scales and boiled chicken feet. But my opinion is apparently a minority over here. It is still cold and snow/ice is still everywhere. I am very grateful for my heat and lights. As I type, a million firecrackers are exploding all around the house, on every street in this city (and the country I am sure). It's not like our new year with sparklers and colorful, pretty fireworks. All blackcats, cherry bombs and louder - nothing pretty. All about the noise. Into the night and in the wee early hours of the morning. This will go on for the next few weeks. Lovely custom.


Here are a few pics taken at the catfish pond while we were at the Williams' place in Cuero over Christmas vacation. The girls loved feeding the fish!

We have Superbowl!!!!

I was so excited to be watching the superbowl at 7:30 this morning! It is kinda weird to wake up in time for kick off. Sure did miss queso and pigs-in-the-blanket. We had cereal and coffee! Very nice to have the house warmed thru a little bit and our lives settled into regular routines again. Now for the "Lisa-ism" for the day. Mark does the bedtime routine tonight: teeth, tuck in and prayers. Now, there are three distinct prayers said every night and as anyone who has ever had a 4 year old knows, routine is everything! Mark wraps everthing up by 8:30 and turns out the light and cracks the door (Lisa can talk Daddy into not shutting the door all the way). Then Lisa protests saying he forgot the prayer. After a 5 min. father/daughter debate, I am called in. Mark can't make heads or tails of what she is saying. Very frustrated, Lisa says, "You know Mommy, the farther sun spear wind." It took a second to register, then we closed our eyes and I said, "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!" Mark was rolling with laughter in the other room. It was really hard to keep a straight face.

Cuero, TX

I snapped this picture while I was home for the holidays. This was taken at the Williams' place in the country (my dad's home). My Granny loves sunsets, so this is for her.

SNOW!!!

Warmed up...kinda

I purposely overloaded my bathroom outlet,just to see what would happen. Luckily, just my inside breaker tripped and I was able to flip it without going outside. That is a cause for celebration. After a full day of heat, I was anxious to see how the night would fare....great news...heat all night long. However, I still slept under a couple heavy blankets in a sweat suit! The girls did good. Their room is smaller and has a smaller window, so it keeps the heat better. They played in the snow yesterday while I had the joy of shoveling snow/ice from my walkway. That was a new experience for a girl from southeast Texas. My back is just a wee bit sore today. Especially since it snowed another several inches since. Lisa is just soooo happy that mommy need to shovel again and she can help. The definition of her help would be making snowballs from the snow on the walk and throwing them to the yard. Her aim leaves alot to be desired and I get to shovel snow, ice and little snowballs from the walk! I took pics and will post, I just need to download my card. It still has 437 pics from the US on it. Didn't want to mess with it until I knew the power was stable! Next, I will try washing/drying clothes...wish me luck and electricity!

Another cold night

So we thought the heating problem was fixed yesterday when the electrician put in a new, bigger main breaker outside. How wrong we were. That became apparant at 1:30am when our noses turned to ice pops. So, a couple of times last night Mark got up, drove to the guard station at the entrance to our complex, showed his paper drawing of a lightbulb with a / across it, brought a guard with a key to unlock the outside breaker access, and trip the power back on. Poor guy couldn't catch a break! By this morning the power would not trip on for more than 2 seconds. I became a very squeaky wheel at that point. I was very polite, but crystal clear about what needed to happen. I want heat NOW! The same electrician showed up and just spent 2 hours checking everything in my house. It seems a light switch was fried and causing all the problems. It doesn't seem like that should ground the whole system, as opposed to just tripping the individual circuit, however, this is China and I am not an engineer, only married to one! Now I am waiting for the water heater to finish so I can take a long awaited shower. Oh, today is supposed to bring another round of snowstorms - wish us luck and say a prayer!

Home Again

We finally made it to our home around 9pm on Wed. night. Are we ever glad to be here. We stayed a total of 3 nights in Beijing, finally getting a flight out on Wed. at noon. The flight was delayed for only 30min. That was remarkable. The girls were so happy to see our driver, Mr. Brake, waiting for us at the airport in Nanjing. We finally got on the road around 3pm. The drive from Nanjing to our home in Yangzhou normally takes just under 2 hours. We arrived at our house at 9:15pm! And were very lucky. I don't know how we got through other than answered prayers. The expressways were completely shut down with drivers stalled anywhere from 22 hours to 5 days - in a car! Our driver took back roads. It was slow going, but we made it, thank the Lord. Walking in the front door, the house was freezing, literally. The heat was turned off while we were away. Our house is built out of concrete and marble/stone. There is no insulation, anywhere. Every room has an individual unit for a/c,heat and we cranked everyone up as high as it would go. An hour later the breaker tripped. It is not the one in the house, but the outside locked one that the management has to open. So, we finally get to our very chilly beds by 11 or so. At 4:30, when the girls woke up thanks to jetlag, it was still bone chilling cold. It hurt to move your head on the pillow because outside the outline of your face was cold. Our muscles cramped so bad because we wouldn't move from our warm spot. The girls were even spooning! Today the sun came out and it helped. Hopefully tomight will be better.

Back in China

Well, we made it to China! However, we can't get home. We are stuck in Beijing another day because the Nanjing airport is closed - not flights in or out at all! They are having a fierce snowstorm. At our home in Yangzhou, there is at least a foot of snow on the ground and it is still falling hard. The girls are really dissapointed, they have never seen "real" snow. The occasional flurry of snow in southeast Texas just isn't the same. Last year, we arrived just after the last snowfall. Lisa is sick, again. She has had stomache bugs and infections since we arrived in Houston. Poor kid has been through the ringer. I think we spent more time at the pediatrician's than anywhere else. Hope to be flying tomorrow and home soon.


Found an old picture of Lisa. I almost forgot about her curls, they were so sweet.