Salome Turns One!

So you get pregnant and then find out your baby is due on Christmas! This has been me twice! Yikes this keeps you busy during the holidays. But oh! So fun to have two Christmas babies (Salome is Dec 23rd, Mei is the 28th)

I also went to America this year on Dec 26th and was trying to get so much done before I left. So our dear friends the Crandalls invited us over to celebrate Salome's birth day ON her birthday. We had a wonderful time and Salome loved her cake!

What a joy to have a little red headed girl to love and get to know this year. We love you Salome Grace Elaine!!!


You can not tell here but she finished off most of the cake!

She first had to take all the sprinkles off.

MINE!

Yes, it does happen! All three kids playing today with Asa's Nerf Gun!!

Oh Salome! You make me laugh!

Both Asa and Miriam said Da da first. Salome was pretty quick to say Ma (not Ma Ma) to me at about 11 months. She does say Da Da sometimes (when Joab gets home from work pretty cute!) but her new and most often used word is.....MINE.

Like this morning when Asa was eating an orange she wanted........MINE.

Or at lunch when I had a piece of chocolate she yelled .....................MINE.

It is so cute it is hard not to laugh really We are trying our best to make her use her signs for: please, thank you and more. But instead she just wants to shout MINE and point and cry for whatever she wants. Then Asa (or Miriam) give it to her! I guess the beauty of being the third.

Miriam and Asa wrapped up another: eventful, busy, challenging, amazing, faith building, homework mastering semester at Chinese local school! The semester here end right before Chinese New Year (which starts on Feb 3) so for me it feels like they last forever. To celebrate the end we went out for Chinese food (they picked this) and there we told them how proud we were of them. They kind of looked at us like, what was the big deal as if to say "great, pass the rice" and then Asa asked what his "prize" was. So we took them to Tom's World (an arcade) where they could have as much fun as 10 yuan would take them!

Again, so thankful for a school option that are kids love and allows us to be part of the community here. I got to the school gate early to pick up Miriam today. And as I was chatting with the Moms they started to correct when I said something wrong! This was a huge step in them feeling comfortable with me (the only white Mom there) enough to say I was saying something wrong!

Also this week as I got air in my bike tires before school. (Which Miriam totally took care of as my words were too slow getting out of my mouth to the bike guy and Miriam was stressed we were going to be late to her Chinese final) The bike guy was hanging his mouth open that I was getting two kids on my bike. When he then saw my baby seat on my bike he asked where my baby was. When I responded at home- he said.....congratulations! It was so nice to have a Chinese person happy for me and my three kids. Again, not a huge thing. But it is the little things that make taking your kids to school when you can not feel your feet worth it!

So now on to almost a month off from school! Happy Chinese New Year to you all!

One week in America

Nate and Laura Jennison!


The main reason I packed up Salome and myself and headed to the other side of the world is that my dear friend Laura got married. MARRIED. I could go on and on about how great it was to see her wed Nate Jennison. It was amazing to see God's hand on them both.

Here are some highlights of my trip.


The plane ride there:

I had just gotten the baby to sleep about four hours into the twelve hour flight. Finally decided to put on my headphones and watch a movie! When the lady sitting right next to me across the aisle starts to freak out. Turns out her daughter was having a serious allergic reaction the the bread United served on the flight. Her faces, hand and whole body was swelling up. So the Mom starts demanding the captain turn the whole plane around (we were right over Russia and headed towards Alaska). About ten flight attendants swarm around her. Start yelling at her to calm down! The paged for a Doctor to help. But the only medical professional on board was a Chinese nurse. And the flight attendants ask to see her medical license before she can start to help.

At this point I am freaking out!First for this woman's daughter as she was looking pretty scary. Also I do not want to land in Russia! I got people to see and places to go in America! Well, the Chinese nurse was of no help. As the United Doctor they called (via Satellite phone) could not understand the Chinese nurse . So a very nice flight attendant takes over and basically decides the girl (age 2) needs an epi pin. Well, the Mom refuses to give the epi pin. As she is scared about side effects (like heart problems it can cause). So Mom still wants to turn the plane around. Flight attendants saying NO and to use epi pin.

Finally they just give her a huge doge of Benadryl and she goes to sleep. Which was kind of dangerous as she could stop breathing! But Mom seemed better and by the end of the flight the kid was fine!

I was pretty shaken up by this (as were all the Flight attendants) and did not sleep at all the rest of the flight. But Salome slept right through it! I was very impressed by the United Flight Attendants at the end of all of this. They kept the Mom from really going nuts and kept the daughter safe.

My Parents house:

SO nice to be in my Iowa home. We pretty much just hung out, saw family and ate good food. Thanks Mom and Dad! And Dan the dog :

Miriam's 8th Birthday!

I can hardly believe it, but Miriam is eight! Emily planned and flawlessly executed two fabulous birthday parties earlier this month, but on THE DAY (Dec 28) our celebration was more subdued and practical - largely a function of the fact that it was a school night and Emily is in the U.S. for her dear friend's wedding.

We opened a couple small presents at breakfast and went out for dinner to our family's favorite North Eastern Chinese restaurant. After completing her post-dinner homework Miriam, Asa and I sang happy birthday, ate mini-cakes and opened the rest of her presents. As you can see from the picture they were happy, but maybe that was just because they were getting chocolate at nearly 9 pm on a schoo night! Joab

Worth a Thousand Words...

Well, I tried. I tried to get them out of their PJ's this morning and to sit by the tree for the "Christmas picture". But it kind of backfired on me.

Asa- he came around the corner with Q-tips in between each finger. When I asked why, he winked and said he was Wolverine. Of course I thought. And how in the world does he know about Wolverine's claws? And how does he think of these things? But I had no time to discuss I just told him to sit down.

Miriam- she was not wanting ANY picture fun. And if you know her at all she can not for the life of her fake anything (smiles being a big one). I knew it was not going to be good. Also she was not thinking Wolverine's claws were cute at all. She was quite annoyed.

Salome- poor thing has been fighting roto virus all week (think BAD stomach flu). She has been miserable. But I thought giving her the remote control (which is usually out of her reach) would help. It did not.

Wolverine making his move on the girls.

So from our Wolverine house to yours -Merry Christmas! We love and miss you all.

A sick girl

Our dear Salome is down with a horrible virus. The poor thing has never been sick or really had a fever. But something got her (and no one else) this week. We finally went to the Doctor and after blood work said it is indeed a very bad virus. Please pray that she will get feeling better and would eat! Right now she only wants to nurse (which is making me exhausted) and won't even drink water. Thanks friends

Birthday Fun

Miriam is turning eight! To celebrate we invited most of her class over for some Birthday fun! Above is the whole gang.

Opening presents- mob style

I have been totally in L O V E with these identical twins since I first saw them! I was so glad they both came.

Peanuts and green raisins on cookies? They ate it up!

Top Five I Learned about having 11 Chinese kids in my Apartment for a Birthday Party

5. You need a lot of help. We have five adults! Including our good friend Trey who was visiting from Hawaii (he also took all the pictures). Also had people who came over turning the week to help bake

4. Lots of games. LOTS. They love any activity you put in front of them

3. Gingerbread cookies a hit while the sugar a miss. They said too sweet.

2. Opening presents is not an orderly time. Not sure if this is "normal" but it was crazy.

1. Miriam was an amazing translator! She did a great job helping out (as well as Asa). I am so thankful for a little girl who is able to love many different kids of people. Thank you God for my little Miriam. Thank you that she is more a gift to me than the day she was born.