1 Month Later

Has it already been one month?
Has it only been one month?
Either way, it has been one GLORIOUS month here in Boston, Massachusetts, AMERICA!
As our time in China came to an end I started worrying that I had worked life back home into something better than it really was.  I didn't know if I was having hard days because I was a huge complainer, or experiencing some kind of postpartum depression, or if life in China really was ca-razy!!  It is #3... and boy am I glad!  Life back home has been a dream!  A fluffy, delicious, peaceful dream.  My hardest day here has not  been as hard as an "easy" day back in China.  As Memorial Day passed a couple days ago I thought about the people who fought, and are fighting, to make our country free and great.  I am proud of my younger brother, Adam for being one of those people.  He sacrifices every day to fight for our freedoms.  I can never repay him or the other men and women for what they give me and my family every day.
It's good to be home.

I am absolutely head-over-heals in love with my sweeties!

Feeding the geese.  There are signs that say not to feed the geese because then they won't leave in the winter.  We try not to feed them but sometimes we can't help ourselves.

 Yes, that is our gold, tufted couch.  And no, you may not have it.

Oh the cheeks!  Lovely!

I cannot stop kissing this sweet boy!!  I am smiling just thinking about how sweet he is!

And this sweetie is my best girlfriend!

What a girl!

I haven't lived with children in many US cities to know if this is normal or not, but Boston offers so many activities for children.  Many of them are free or only a couple dollars.  We live 1 mile away from 2 libraries and even closer to multiple parks.  There are play groups or other activities every week day at one of the two libraries and you better believe we are there every day.
Life. Is. Good.

Coming Home

The last day in Shanghai we went to the park one last time so Ali and Aisha could play.

It was a crazy day but we made it with the help of our awesome friends.

This is our favorite concierge!  I will always remember his cheery disposition and kind nature.

Here we are just before we got into the van.  Our last moment at our Shanghai home.

Getting started on our first leg of the trip.  Ali settled and went right to sleep.  

I can't figure this new blogger feature out so for now the photo will be sideways.  

We're all still smiles here so it must have been relatively early in our trip.  By the last leg we'd all had it. Ali vomited right before we landed in Boston.  It was not pleasant but I'm glad it didn't happen on one of the other 2 flights.

We made it to Boston after a LONG journey.  I decided not to travel until the kids are at least 10.  Seriously.  We left our apartment in Shanghai at 6 pm and got to our hotel in Boston about 30 hours later.  Everyone went right to sleep and slept for what felt like 2 days.  6 days later we found an apartment and we were so excited that we didn't even think about the fact that we'd all be on the floor that night.... except for James.  He brought his Pack n' Play- smart boy.  The next day we bought groceries and Jimmy tracked down a mattress for us and a crib for Ali.  We all had the best night's sleep that night.

unpacking:

 There is a little forrest out my kitchen window and a pond with ducks and geese just beyond that.  I can't believe we found such a perfect place!  Here is Ali looking out at her new park...

and the pond behind our place.

Our new home feels like heaven!  It is quiet and peaceful and absolutely beautiful.  I am in love with the area we live in.  Sometimes when I go to a new place I find a piece of my soul there, like it's been waiting for me to come and feel at home.  I thank Heavenly Father every day for watching over us and bringing us to this little part of heaven.

4 Months Old!

Our James is 4 months old and it's hard to remember life without him.  He is such a special part of our family.

It also happens to be Mother's Day and I am glad to be this sweet boy's mama!  

We all love his chubby cheeks!  

I love this new chair that Jimmy picked up for James.  It makes it so much easier for these two to play together.  Ali brings James toys and plays on the tray with him.  He loves his big sister!

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!