The Rain in Spain

OK, so I don't really know anything about "The Rain in Spain," except that it is a poem and it was used in "My Fair Lady." But I do know a little about the rain in China. As you might have guessed it rained today, and I feel that it has been a very educational experience. First things, I discovered today that my umbrella leaks. My first question that I asked myself was, "Why is it on a raining day that I find out that my umbrella leaks?" Then it dawned on me: first, unlike most Chinese I do not carry my umbrella with me where ever I go, and second, even if I did, the sun doesn't drip. So I think that would be the dumbest question I have ever asked myself. Of course I wouldn't find out that my umbrella leaks until a rainy day. Second thing I learned was that people here are more polite on rainy days. Not to say that no one stared...that'll never happen. But people stood up for me to sit down on the bus. I was carrying Lydia like always, and while lately people have just been avoiding eye contact, today they made a big show of it. One bus driver actually yelled at one of the guys sitting and told himto get up and let me sit, that doesn't usually happen.
But all this niceness did not stop the constant barrage of advice. Winter blew in on Saturday. Literally, Friday was about 85 degrees and Saturday, after the wind started, 65. So I dressed the kids warmly, sweat pants and sweat shirt. Yet, this was not warm enough. I was told that they were not wearing enough clothes. One little boy had on a shirt, tightly knit woolen sweater, and a sweatshirt...at least that was all that I could see. But one of the teachers, after asking if the kids were cold, said that it was because our health was better than theirs. This is because we eat more beef, she informed me. So to all my friends, here's to your health, have that triple cheeseburger delux today. If someone asks if you are afraid that it will make you fat or clog your arteries, just tell them it is the Chinese way to improve your health...you will have a heart attack, but avoid winter's pesky sniffles!
(This website is not certified to give health advice. Take any and all advice at your own risk. We claim no responsibility for that heart attach if you eat that triple cheeseburger delux! Nor are we responsible for any colds you may happen to catch despite eating the triple cheeseburger delux!)
Have a great day everybody!

I'd rather fight you for something I don't really want...

Rich Mullins was a singer/poet/philosopher of our day. He was kind of a rebel (part of which led to his early death) but wrote a lot of profound songs. One of his songs has a line in it that summarizes human nature. He writes speaking to God, "I'd rather fight you for something I don't really want, than to take what you give and I need." I found this to be true so many times in my life...mostly in situations that I would rather not lay out for public ridicule...but I have a cute story that gives some validation to his statement. Elijah is going through a rough time. The terrible 2's were simply a prologue to this time in his life. Right now, the major "daily" battles are potty training and eating...some child psychologists say that this is an attempt for a child to control his own life. In eating, usually before I finish cooking dinner he is crying in the kitchen telling me he doesn't like it and he won't eat it. But one afternoon I was baking, as I really love to do (and it shows!), I had the crisco, a very prized posession here, on the counter for me to use it. Elijah came into see what I was doing. I told him I was baking, and he immediately started in saying that he wanted some. I replied that it was not yet finished. He proceeded to demand that I give him some crisco. He insisted that he "liked it." He proceeded to scream and throw himself on the floor (something we are working hard to deal with). So finally after quite some ruckus, I caved. I scraped some up on my finger and shoved it in his mouth. Now I say I caved, but really, I hardly feel like I was giving him what he "really" wanted. Anyone who has ever tasted crisco can imagine that he immediately said he did not like it. Surprisingly just a few days later, I was making popcorn (the old fashioned way). I had the oil out, and the same scene started to commence. This time I learned a little quicker. I told him he didn't like it, and as soon as he began to fuss with me I poured some in his mouth. (I had clean that one up!) But just like the quote, Elijah fights me over every meal saying he won't like it and then insists on things I know he won't like. Tonight though, we had a major break through. He ate his dinner, Mexican chicken stew, a meal he repeated has turned his nose up at. I suppose I should thank the kindergarten. Since he only eats rice there (I suppose they give him candy, too), he's pretty hungry for dinner. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed these stories from our sweet boy--oh, wait sorry, he's the King of the Wild Things. He's really a great little boy coming into his own personality!

Middle Child Syndrome

It has been recently noticed that our wonderful middle child Elijah has been left out of the picture taking and posting. He has fallen victim to the middle child syndrome. I repent, and we have taken some pictures. The reason that he has recently been left out is that Lydia is doing something new: crawling and pulling up; and Bella's teacher took some of the pictures and her class had an activity today. So, poor Elijah just got left out. I promise to try to work on more pictures this weekend of all of the kids. Hope you enjoy these! And feel free anytime to let me know that one or more of the kids is getting left out!









The cheesiest!




Strong man competitions have a new applicant!


Move over Emeril LaGassi, there's a new chef in town! (As always, it's pancakes. The favorite meal of every week is Saturday morning breakfast, usually pancakes.)

More "Good Times"

Sorry, some of the explanations of the pics on the last post were not so good. I'll try to be more careful this time.

It stinks to be the only one who doesn't know the song.

No, really, it really stinks...bad!

Actually, it makes me look really pitiful!

And, what every park ought to have...

GOATS!
I knew that was what you were thinking. I know that every time you go to a park in America, the thing you think is, "Man, I really wish we had some mangy looking goats." I was one of the few parents who weren't pushing their kids to go over and play with the goats. I am mean and cruel that way. Crazy thing, I didn't want her to be bit by a goat. I've heard they bite pretty hard, and they were pretty aggressive with the other kids.

In other more entertaining news, Isabella has said some really funny things lately. She's learning to read so quickly, we often tell her we are so impressed. So yesterday, she finished reading a small book, and she said very excitedly, "I"m so oppressed!" It took me a while to stop laughing. Then today, she said that she had to tell me something I would be really excited about: "Worm-aid." I asked if that was cool-aid made with worms. She told me no, it was a fish that was a girl. What she really meant, a mermaid. She's so funny.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm going to try to get a picture of my new haircut and get it posted...not that it's that important, but I'm kinda proud of it! Hope to talk to everyone soon!

One "happy" little girl

These are some really "cheerful" (sorry, there is no such thing as "sarcasm font") pictures of Isabella. Her class had an outing to the park today. She didn't really enjoy herself all that much...neither did I for that matter. Anyway, I think she still looks cute!

The kids all around her are singing, but she doesn't know the song.

All the kids around her look bored and uncertain...and now she smiles!

Chinese love the Nixon era "peace!"

The "when is this going to be over " look.

The pretty pond right next to where we are playing. (Sorry, the pic's a little crooked.)

Baby Still Moving

Up...

Up...

And Away!

Ooooo!

These pictures are so interesting!

This is the look we get when we all go out together in

China!

Hao ke ai O!

Baby on the Move!

I'd rather be crawling.

That's better!

Here I come...

There I go.

This crawling stuff is getting boring.

School Pics!

At the school, the kids frequently dress up as minorities. This is Bella all dressed up! The women with her are a couple of her teachers.

Who really knows what's going on here?

Well, as some of you have already heard, my very helpful informant--the one who told me that there was no school on Wednesday either--he was wrong! I am beginning to wonder how anything gets done here. I think I need to start drinking tea in the morning instead of coffee. I am now of the opinion that they read tea leaves to figure out what the day hold. Maybe it's like a magic 8 ball, swish the tea around and ask your cup "will there be school today?" My coffee grounds just aren't cutting it!
In other news, Elijah has stopped screaming when we take him to school. I think that is a good sign. His teachers even said he sat with the other kids for a while. I'm really not quite sure what he does while I'm not there. But, in the end, neither he nor Isabella are seeming to pick up either speaking or listening in Chinese. Isabella can pick out a few words as words she recognizes, but she doesn't know what they mean...she's not even close!
But her reading is really taking off. At first she could read it in the text book, but didn't feel confident to read it from a "book." Now she's really figuring it out, and is asking to try to read different books. She loves to read to Lydia.
Lydia is getting faster and faster. We can hardly keep up with her. Right now I have a big comforter thrown across the stairs. It really frustrates her, but even if she slips on it there is a little cushion from the hard tile and a blunting of the sharp stair edges.
And the last of our "fascinating" (ha!) life, I cut my own hair this week! That was pretty scary. As you know, my hair is really long and had gotten so heavy that my scalp was hurting. Kinda weird, I know. So I did a little research on the web, and thought, "hey, I can do this." Because there is no way on God's green earth that I'm getting my hair cut again in China! And I still have another three months before we our out again. So I flipped my head over and hacked away. Tim ended up having to straighten out the ends, like I said my hair is still really long. But in the end, it turned out not bad. I think we can manage to cut my for the rest of our time here. I do need to figure out how better to fix it though. And for the other hair cut this week, I gave Elijah a bowl cut. The reason I thought this was a good plan was because we keep his hair short in the summer, but in the winter we don't like to cut it so much. So the back and around the ears are really hard to maintain. But Tim wasn't real thrilled with that, somebody please tell me that the bowl cut is back "in" in the States! Oh, well, hair grows! (Except Isabella's.)
Well, the coffee is calling...the kid's are already at school, so I don't need to drink my tea!