18 Months!

Our sweet, amazing, adorable, smart, funny, kind, loving, happy girl is 18 months old! What a joy she has been in our lives! I cannot imagine my life without her!

Her new love is coloring. She asks me to draw something (usually a kitty) and then scribbles over it.

She loves to sit on the counter and help cook and explore the ingredients.

Here she is with her best church friend Jed (on top) and his brother Zeke (in car). Love these boys! Jed is So sad that Ali is leaving! He wouldn't let her out of his sight last week at church and asked us if we have enough pictures of them together.  We are going to miss them so much!

Our Saturday General Conference was held at the clubhouse of a member's complex. There was an awesome playground where we played and ate lunch in between sessions. It was the first time Ali has ever played on grass in bare feet! She loved it!

She loves to wheel or wear her backpack!

On the way to church she rides in her stroller but likes to hold onto the bar in the metro.

This is Ali's best friend in the whole world, Aisha. She asks to see Aisha at least 100 times a day. No matter what floor we're on in our building she'll walk or point to what would be Aisha's apartment and say "Isha" over and over. She gets absolutely giddy when they get together. It's going to be so sad to say goodbye.

Sweet little toes!

Eating Snacks (My mom gave me the idea to put snacks in this pill container and it is a big hit!  She loves opening the compartments.)

Being Silly

I love it when she wants to play with her bows and flowers. This particular photo is so cute and she reminds me of a little Czech girl dressed in her kroj.

Such a classy cleaner- hair all done up and wearing a tutu!

One day, we cleaned the stroller and then she decided that she wanted to eat her lunch in it.

I just love this girl!

Moving to China was a huge adjustment for us all but Ali was such a trooper! It wasn't easy going from a life surrounded by nature and quiet to a life of constant noise and concrete. At times she has been frustrated and I worried that certain things were going to become part of her personality. However, as I watch her play at home and out among other people she is just a sweetheart. She has learned and grown so much and I'm so proud of her for the person she is becoming! She has learned to be patient and to endure tough situations.
Ali is so cute when she tries to say a new word.  She always looks just as surprised as we are that she said it.  It's so cute!  Her favorite words to say are Mama, Dada, J (for James), puppy, baba, da (panda), and kitty.  Her new words this week are park and slide.
We LOVE you so much, Mary Alice.  Thank you for being you and for being our sweet girl!

Chinese Stuff

We have enjoyed spending time with James and Ali so much that we almost completely stopped taking pictures of our life outside the apartment! We do have a few photos of some Chinese stuff and here they are:

This is the street we walk down to get to the park. Usually there are a few other people but not this many. Some shops were being torn down and the street was so full of people stopping to watch that they were stopping traffic. This seems to be so typical. The people are so fascinated by funny things. (I guess I am too, since I'm fascinated that they're fascinated.) If ever someone is working on the escalators there is always a passerby filming or photographing the operation.

This is us on the way home from church in the subway. Jimmy has James in the Bjorn and Ali is asleep in her stroller. I am relaxing! What a sweet husband! (Jimmy teaches primary so that leaves me to chase Ali while holding James for 2 hours. Luckily Ali got to go to nursery last week! Can I get an amen and a hallelujah?!!)

We went to the zoo! It was a first for Ali and James. They were both asleep when we got there but then eventually woke up. While they were asleep Jimmy and I walked almost the entire thing mapping out what we thought Ali would enjoy the most.

The zoo is right next to an elementary school and they visit during the day. Getting through all those kids was a zoo itself.

This is Ali and me at the park- but the real reason I posted this pictures is to show the people behind me. Going to a park in the morning in China is a real treat! There are so many interesting things going on. The people will lay a piece of newspaper out and play cards on it. It's just something to see; bench after bench being used as a card table. Supposedly there is no gambling in China but I'm pretty sure there is gambling in China. Even these sweet little old ladies are throwing down the RMB.

This little girl was bundled up as wide as she is tall! And those pants she is wearing are the famous split pants. She is wearing a diaper which is typical but I haven't been able to find out why they put diapers on with the split pants. Kind of defeats the purpose. It could be that it was chilly that day, but there were plenty of other bums sticking out so I'm left to wonder.

This is by far my favorite thing about going to the park in the morning. People bring these darling wooden bird cages and hang them up in the trees. Then they all stand there facing the birds and watch them chirp away.

Most ladies walk hand-in-hand or linking arms.

Another cart- This one is full of cacti and other plants.

Last Saturday we had our first family picnic.

Are you looking for a mate for your son or daughter? This park is the place to be on a Saturday. Thousands of profiles are on display and you can see people studying the potentials for their child, or maybe themselves. It is amazing!

THE Visit

Several months ago my parents came to visit. It was, in a word, AMAZING! It didn't take me so long to post about it because it wasn't amazing. It took my so long because my mom had the better pictures on her camera and those got loaded onto Jimmy's computer. We don't get to see Jimmy very much and I still haven't retrieved the photos from him. But I just need to post what I have. My mom came for three weeks to help with James and Ali. I could not have done it without her. She helped out SO much I cannot even put into words how much we needed her here. She played with the kids, cooked, cleaned, read stories, bought groceries, stayed up late, woke up early, and everything in between. One of the greatest things that happened while she was here was that Ali learned to have fun and play with someone other than me. It was a huge learning experience for her.

Snuggles with Grandma

Could this be any cuter? NO!

Synchronized diaper changing!

After three weeks my dad came. It was a treat to have him but he also brought treats!!!! And this was after my mom brought a whole suitcase (or more) of treats with her!!! Aren't they the greatest?! They brought so many American goodies and ingredients that have helped us survive these last 4 months.

Grandpa and James! These two were so cute together they would just sit on the couch and talk to each other.

We are so grateful to them for coming and all the help they gave. We love you Grandpa and Grandma!

3 Months Old!

James is 3 months old and just gets sweeter and sweeter every day! He could not be more cuddly or cute! He loves to smile and giggles all the time! I love snuggling this little guy and kissing his sweet face till he can't take it anymore!

Poor kid had asthmatic bronchitis for almost his whole 2nd month. He seems to be a lot better now. The only good thing that came from it was getting to weigh him at the doctor's office. So at 2 1/2 months old he weighed 17 pounds and was 25 inches long! Wow! What a cutie!!

He likes to sit up and be part of the action.

He just started trying to suck his hand.

James is so easy going and such a good sport.

I walked into the living room to find Ali laying on James watching her show. He wasn't even crying. She gives him kisses all day and I love it almost as much as he does! Ali can make him giggle without even trying! I'm so happy that these two have and love each other!

We love this little guy so much!

Easter

Easter, like all of our other holidays here in China, was very low key. Oh, except for trying to get two children under 1 1/2 to take a photo without crying, spiting up or having a blow-out. Fun times! When you have kids, you just have to go for it! You can't wait for the timing to be perfect. But that's part of the fun of it. I loved capturing the little moments we had together today. This is how the photo session began. Ali didn't want to put her dress on, which she usually loves doing, but she had already had to take it off once to eat breakfast. James is just chilling in the background.

The crying escalated until I offered to go get her a bottle. While I was gone, she calmed and Jimmy managed this adorable photo.

Ali is happy with her bottle and James is showing a CUTE smile.

And this is how the session ended. James is tired of sitting there and Ali is happy as a clam, wondering why he's crying.

Then Ali found her Easter bag, took a peek inside...

liked what she saw so much that she offered us the bottle. Wow!

This girl loves her some stickers!

And this is where they all ended up!

China doesn't celebrate Easter. There were no Easter bunnies at the mall, no aisle of decor and plastic eggs at the store, and no Cadbury chocolate. The last one is tragic, but the fact that we didn't have any of the other stuff didn't make it any less Easter. Easter is a time to remember the resurrection of our Savior and a time to ponder his life and sacrifice. Some people are good at taking the time to do that, no matter what. I love to throw parties and decorate and craft so I have a tendency to get wrapped up in preparing for the egg hunt and everything that I think I need to have on Easter. I am grateful to be in a situation where I don't have the option of being distracted. It will be a habit and goal of mine to focus on the true meaning of Easter in the years to come. I'm grateful for Jesus Christ and for what he sacrificed for me and everyone. I'm so happy that because he was resurrected, my family and I will be resurrected and have the opportunity to be together forever.