Thanks so much Mamma Nette and Kacki for all the fun craft stuff you sent in your packages. We've been having lots of fun with all the stickers and stamps! We usually have craft time each day and play with stickers, stamps, markers, pasta, pipe cleaners, etc. Our attempts at using the glue stick and paint did not go so well...maybe we'll wait a few more months to bring those items back out. Craft time is a big hit with EG and she's easily entertained (with supervision of course, hehe) for a good 30 minutes. 
Occasionally the supervisor gets distracted and items meant for crafts end up torn, eaten, or....
Maybe she confused the stamps with the chap stick you sent??? Actually I'm pretty sure she knew exactly what she was doing! Thanks again for all the fun you've sent our way! We love you!
Occasionally the supervisor gets distracted and items meant for crafts end up torn, eaten, or....Maybe she confused the stamps with the chap stick you sent??? Actually I'm pretty sure she knew exactly what she was doing! Thanks again for all the fun you've sent our way! We love you!
And the boys. I love this picture. They are both sporting their baseball gear...evidently Isaac has already been assigned to the short stop position. With Jack's build, I think he might be the catcher? I think he would actually do best as a lineman in football. Looks like they are high fivin' for a good game! Hopefully they'll be finished with the pacis before they meet the competition! 
The guys took the girls to ride rides while we sat under a tree and chatted and fed babies! 
She's also been enjoying some play time with friends. Laura and I have started a weekly play date for her and Lydia. We've also been spending time with some Chinese pengyous (friends)! Here's EG with Lucy and Lily. (Lucy, the one closest to EG is our landlord's daughter) These girls are sweet sweet sweet and love to spend time with EG and Jack. They came over a few weeks ago and we painted and made magnets. This past week they came over for lunch and some play time with EG and Jack. I am very encouraged by EG's progress in Chinese. She repeats a lot of what she hears, which is a big step for her! She stands at her window and yells at people passing by, "hello pengyou!" She also says silly things that don't really make sense, like "Ping guo Cha Bu Duo" (translated means "Apple, that's about right") We're just encouraged that she's willing to use the words she's learning. 
Jackie Boy is busy packing on the pounds. We've been giving him rice cereal and he loves it. This week we are moving on to more tasty treats...pears and carrots! 
To Jack, my son, a sheer delight. I love loving you. You looked so precious today in your 9-12 month Kacki shorts and you're button down shirt. You roll over now in your crib but haven't quite figured out how to roll back over. This is not so fun for you, but great for me! I get to come to the rescue and snuggle with you! You're the happiest little guy and making you laugh is so easy and so fun. You look like my brother and you are like Andy's brother in personality. On Mother's Day, I am thankful for the joy you bring to our family and especially to me. No matter how crazy and chaotic life gets for the other three of us, I can count on looking over to that little blue bouncy seat and seeing you kicking those chubby legs and hearing you squeal in delight just 'cause you're happy to be alive!
Our morning started great and we were excited to get out of town and head for the hills, the water and lots of nature. Unfortunately, when we reached our destination (a reservoir where Andy had been camping with some friends several times before) we realized the reservoir had been drained! NO FUN. Our plans of camping beside a large body of water were the first to get thrown out the window. We decided we didn't have to have water to have a fun camping experience, so we pitched the tent, told our driver good bye (who by the way, thought we were insane for taking our two little ones out the in middle of no where to sleep in a tent beside a dried up reservoir) and tried to make the best of our first camping experience. 
At first, things went great! We had a simple PB &J lunch and EG munched on fruit!
We picked up lots of sticks for the campfire and explored the area!
Now we like kids, don't get me wrong. But since the reservoir is now dried up, there is lots of new land and our once secluded little spot is now very accessible to people from several villages surrounding the reservoir. Lots of people came by...not just kids. And they were all very friendly. Some even stayed for a good long while! This of course, wasn't what we had hoped for. In a land where people are every where, part of the appeal of camping was to get out in nature and to be alone, just us and the trees. EG, being the social little butterfly that she is, loved the company and made herself right at home with this little gang of girl visitors. 
After several visits from people ranging in age from 3 to 70, we decided it might not be safe to camp there overnight. OH WELL! We decided to make the best of it and push the s'mores festivities up a few hours and then call it quits. LOVING THE S'MORES is a bit of an understatement!
I am pretty sure we all ate a good amount of grass with our s'mores! 
I even "Flambeanied" one in honor of my Grandma. We did this for her when we were little and she loved it. Or did she? Gmaw, please let me know, did you really like those flambeanied marshmallows or did you just do that so we wouldn't feel bad when we accidentally torched one? We always thought she loved them that way, so we would make sure to make lots of flambeanies for her, plus it is fun to torch marshmallows! Gmaw, you've probably eaten more charcoaled marshmallows than anyone on the planet! You're the BEST! I made sure to tell Andy about how much fun we had going camping at the lake for all those years. Sure do miss those days. Can't wait to take our kids to Buggs Island! 
After the S'mores, we packed up and headed home. After the kids went down, Andy ran out and got us some yummy McDonald's. After a full 8 hours of roughing it, we thought we would treat ourselves! HEHE! We decided we will definitely try camping again...we just need to find a new spot with more water and less visitors! 
