i decided i should blog

hi family!!!
I had a bunch of things I was going to put here, but i don't remember them all, so I'll just put what I remember.

1. I'm Sally Brown in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown. May 2,3,4. I'm doing the 3rd and 4th
2. I'm Mother Abyss in the Sound of Music. May 20?, 21, and 22.
3. Much Ado About Nothing is OVER! It was wonderful, but I sat backstage and in the hall a lot. and colored a lot of pictures.
4. I have a date to prom. His name is Kyle...lives in Illinois. I think you've all heard of him... I got a dress for FREE! It's light pink with some black trim.
5. I'm going to prom in IL May 7th.
6. I got into All-State Choir again. But I think you all knew that. It's April 29, 30, and May 1st.
7. My Independent Study recital is May 16.
8. Graduation is June 12. But you all knew that too. I'm just trying to think of things to tell you.
9. I love it when you call me. :) It makes my day!
10. Did I miss anything?? i don't know. :D

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

The longer Shell stays up... the worse she feels.

-----------==========Shell wants me to inform ya'll that it is because I made her eat chilly dogs for dinner. What she really wanted was Nachos with fake cheese. I am sure that would have made her feel much better. We have made great improvements on our bathroom. It is ready for drywall and there is now a light in the laundry room. So Heather... You cannot bug me when you come. I am trying to hurry to have at least a toilet operational before you arrive. (No promises:)

Julia now screams about everything. If you give her a drink she asks for in the wrong cup... watch out! And try to transalte, "ashuu suposa sugushi." She also is the first child to consistently call me by my first name, "Ice."

Daniel found out Mom has a baby in her tummy... he whipped around to face her and asked, "does it hurt?" She told him yes and he seemed satisfied because that makes sense and walked off.

Ella made bricks in the back yard. They are actually mud splats between grass clumps but we haven't the heart to tell her what bricks really are. She also had her first field trip to a live theater, park, and museum. She also lost her two front teeth. These are moments we will not forget.

Love you all.

The Sockless Wonder

Jaime has taken to removing her socks every chance she gets. She loves her little feet and can entertain herself with them for surprisingly long amounts of time.
The weather has been warming up here in Nanjing, and we have found occasion to go for walks to the park and around the city. Jaime Lynne loves being outside, exploring all there is to see. Her eyes are always wide and curious trying to take in everything around her. We have the feeling that she will never be satisfied living a non-adventuresome life!

Jaime Lynne is getting a whole lot more fun, at least from Daddy's point of view. She smiles every time I walk into the room, and loves to play on the bed with me. I have found that my most precious times are late at night when she wakes up and I get to put her back to sleep. I know, it doesn't sound so wonderful, but to take a helpless, frantic child in my arms, and feel her body relax in my arms, is a precious experience that I would never trade for sleep. I trade class time for sleep instead :)We were given this lovely bonnet by a family in Taiwan while we were there. They had a boy, and it didn't seem fitting for him to wear, so we got it!
I have a great friend that has taken quite a bit of interest in me and my little family. He is from Nanjing, but is currently at BYU teaching. I took several classes from him while I was there, and have also had the chance to work extensively with his wife, as she has been my main Flagship instructor, and still is here in Nanjing. While still in Provo, he told me often that my main priority when I came to China was not school and not work; my main responsibility was my family. He was convinced that Jodi would be miserable and would never adjust, and it was my job to keep her comfortable and happy. His insistence has not ceased. Every time he talks with his wife, he tells her to remind me of this, and to not give me too much homework to do :)This is Teacher Chen and his wife, Teacher Ni, last year while we were all still at BYU. Teacher Chen is planning on returning to Nanjing in June, so we should be able to see him again before we head back to the States!
His persistence has had its effects, and I was told the other day that I did not need to write a new final paper this semester, but that I could revise my final paper from last year and re-present it. I took the offer, and was very excited by the lightening of my load. So we are diving back into the One Child Policy! It is wonderful to have people around that express such great interest in me and my family, and who advocate so strongly the importance of the family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!

Here's a shout out to Mom and Bryce. I hope you both had fantastic birthdays even though I wasn't around to bake you sweet things and enjoy them with you. Love you!

Things I am grateful for

I know you haven't heard much from me since I spent all computer time working while in China but was glad that James did such a great job blogging. It was an amazing trip and loved every minute--thank you Justin and Jodi for making it awesome! James covered just about everything and so I will just say ditto to his blogs but add that I loved the food. I mean, after all, who doesn't love fried food! And I thought I would just add some things that I gained a greater appreciate for during my travels . . .

1. toilet--did anyone else know that the toilet does not exist everywhere in the world?

2. hot water --solar heat is a great idea but there are still some kinks that need to be worked out.

3. blow dryer--I assumed that every hotel had one or that Jodi had one. It is best not to assume.

4. central heat--a luxury that I take for granted.

5. toilet--I really do not think that holding a squat with your pants around your knees while trying to focus on other things is ok. But I bet Jillian Michaels would love this.

6. International Business Class--I never thought I could sleep for 8 hours straight on an airplane but that amazingly comfortable chair made it more than possible. Now if I can just get my internal clock back on Central time we will be good to go.

7. TOILET--did I mention this before? I must admit that I dehydrated myself to avoid using a squat toilet--not healthy but worth it. I did use one squat toilet and did not enjoy the experience. Urine on the floor is just gross!

8. Freedom of speech--While China is getting better I am grateful for the freedoms we have here in the USA.

So, I had a great trip and gained a greater appreciation for some of the luxuries that I have never had to live without. A win-win in my book!

Oh, and thank you Heather for watching the boys. I must ask though if you made omelets and smoothies? I keep getting requests for these. Hmmm . . .

Love you all!

Phew

16 pounds of bananas, 2 jars of peanut butter, 8 boxes of mac and cheese, 3 boxes of spaghetti, 5 loaves of bread, 2 #10 cans of oatmeal, 10 pounds of apples, and half a bottle of vitamin c later, we are back to normal. The crazy thing is, a whole family left my house last night and there are still 7 people here. Hmm..... Friday night most everyone enjoyed Suessical. Joe was sure at this point he would not possibly make another moment. Blah. Everyone was exhausted Saturday, but played surprisingly well. Joe worked at the temple all day, so missed out on all the crazy. Church actually went pretty well. Except for that whole Jacob thing. James and Liz got back here around 10:30. We enjoyed a little chatty time, (they were a little wired), and then they were off. All in all, not a bad 10 days. Things were rather calm this morning. The kids enjoyed much of the day outside. I think Collin appreciated not sharing things with anyone. Would I do it again? Sure. But not yet. Of course, Joe might disappear if I do.

Firsts

Well, folks, tonight I had a first. I tried to lick off one of my freckles. I was eating a dish that had a brownish sauce and thought I had dirtied myself. I've now gone beyond my reoccurring mistaking-freckles-for-bugs-and-swatting-them instances.

Jaime also had a first - her first food. It was by total accident. Justin and I were sharing a food that contained spicy beef and lettuce, and once when he helped me take a bite some lettuce fell on Jaime's mouth. I had just fed her, so she was laying down in my lap. I quickly grabbed at it to pull it away, put it broke into pieces and I couldn't get it all before she had gummed and swallowed some. So, Jaime's first food is officially spicy lettuce. I've been thinking she's ready for food any time now, so tomorrow we'll try some homemade rice cereal :)

Jacob Asleep

Jacob wet his pants in primary, thus he was not able to return to primary. He had to sit with me in priesthood. He fell asleep sitting up. I also got a video of him. Here is the photo. Video will come later.




- Posted from my iPhone

Day 7

Sorry I didn't do this last night, but I was tired. The day actually went pretty well. I felt like I never really stopped. The kids went outside right after breakfast hoping to beat the rain. It started as they went out. They played for a while anyway. Later in the afternoon, it cleared up and they spent lots of time out there. Joe even took his large remote control car out. The kids each got a chance to race against it until the battery went dead. We enjoyed a pizza movie night also. We had 3 pizzas, cheese, pepperoni and bbq veggie. We also had 2 hummus dips and homemade torilla chips. It was wonderful. We watched Treasure Planet. We enjoyed our first thunderstorm of the spring last night with its accompanying heavy rain. It was quite refreshing and olny slowed bedtime down a little. Joe is taking all the kids to Suessical? tonight. Can't wait to hear how that turns out.

First Laugh caught on my iphone

Thank you Michael.

Day 6 again

Joe is so boring. We are in the home stretch and I think everyone is grateful. Ethan and Collin enjoyed several hours this morning at a friends house. That was wonderful. I think our biggest issues are between Jacob and Collin. Today they ended in several ways. Two of which were Collin standing on Jacob's face and the other, Jacob shoving Collin off the slide landing him on his face. Hmmm. Collin stayed upstairs in Daddy's office for a while playing legos. Jacob was to stay downstairs. When he came looking for Collin, I told him they needed to not play together for a bit. Worked great, until they played together again. Oh well, so goes life. The weather really was marvelous today. I think if the weather holds, the kids will spend quite a bit of time outside tomorrow. The older kids "enjoyed" school this morning. Tomorrow is pizza movie night and all are excited. Um, k, I'm going to bed.

Day 6

I got up to 60 degrees today. The kids went to the park and loved it. ...


- Posted from my iPhone

Day 5

I am soooo tired. We took the kids to the Discovery Museum today. They are under construction and 1/4 of the museum was unavailable. Still, they manged to enjoy 6 hours there. Yes, you read correctly, 6 hours. We arrived at 10:00, just as they were opening. We left at 4:00, only 1 hour before closing. Well worth it! Almost everyone was happily in their beds by 6:15. They were told they could read for a while. Most of them just fell asleep. Tomorrow we are sending Ethan and Collin to play with a friend. They need a break. Everyone loved dinner. Pot pie in a crockpot, with a homemade whole wheat bisquik topping. Love my new cookbooks.

Their favorite thing was this virtual reality sports game. We often had to kick them off for others waiting in line.

Nothing quite like being surrounded by a giant bubble.

Lunch was entertaining, as all lunches are.
Good old reliable trains.

I will add, there was one in the bunch begging to leave almost every 15 minutes after lunch. JOE. He too survived.

Day 4

Well.... ....... .......................... ................................


Um.... ......... ....................... .................................

The kids are getting very tried of each other. There was a stretch where Michael didn't want to do anything or talk to anyone. Jacob wouldn't eat his dinner until everyone else was done and away from the table. He just sat there. Once all were gone, he ate his spaghetti very fast and even asked for seconds. Collin is in this rare mood and hitting everyone if he doesn't get his way. Bed time has not been an issue though. The Hutching's kids have gone to sleep every night without problems. My kids however, well...that is a different story. We are hoping that tomorrow will be a better day for the kids. We are taking them to the Rockford discovery museum. Yeah!!! Oh, and our kitchen sink faucet is officially broke. Luckily, Menards has the Moen faucets all on sale. There is one that retails for $324 but on sale for $79. It is even better than the one we have to replace.

We'll take pictures of our activities tomorrow and post them for Day 5.

I want to sleep now, but I cannot. The "dog" :{ has to go out and eat first.

I need a grapefruit.

Oh and we had FHE this evening. It started out as a bomb until we played Scatergories in groups. It was fun. I highly recommend it. Ethan would give his rolling two thumbs up for it. Here is the game sheet also for your enjoyment. Just pick three letters.

Tears of Joy

What a great morning for Dad/Grandpa! To read about the cousins in Illinois and how they are getting on and then to read of the adventures of J3 and JL in China, well let me say, it is a great feeling. As I watch our family grow I am continually amazed. Thanks.

James and Liz, I am really thrilled you are getting to experience some of the adventures I have enjoyed over my years of travel, the people, the sights and the food. Yes, sometimes it really does smell funny. I am jealous though because you have a set of personal guides. While my colleagues took good care of me, they were not family. Thanks Justin, Jodi and Jamie.

Heather and Joe, thanks for keeping us in the loop on your adventures.

Bryce and Michelle, I know you have been calling and keeping up with us here.

Well, I have to run, to a plane. I guess this week really starts me back on the road again. I am scheduled to travel nearly every week for the foreseeable future. Some along the Atlantic Seaboard, some to Europe. Love you all.

Day 3

O.k., Sundays are just really hard days for kids. I bribed them with extra stickers if they were good for sacrament meeting. Worked great. The kids were a little down this morning. They were all ready by 8:00 and weren't sure they really wanted to play. Half of them fasted, which made them even more of a joy. Ha. After church I had to practice a song with someone. All went pretty well until Joshua decided he was bored. I heard him running and yelling al the way sown the hall. Kind of a bummer for the Spanish Branch. They were in the middle of sacrament meeting. I did a crockpot meal, so we were able to eat as soon as we got home. Most of the kids had no problem and I let them watch a movie. They didn't seem to be in a "let's play nice and not annoy each other" mood. Joshua however, took an hour and a half to eat his food. He then quickly ran downstairs for a movie as if this were a normal thing. Blah. They pretty much watched movies for 3 hours. I finally told them no more, but playtime was not happening. Too many very tired kids. So, everyone went to bed and got to read for 30 minutes. Perfect. All was quiet by 7:30. We have some fun things planned this week, so we might just make it. I think the only thing broken today was the hide-a-bed. Whose isn't broken?

Collin and Jacob enjoyed playing with and coloring popsicle sticks before church. No, he isn't supposed to be on the table.

How many times can we listen to April play Indian Dance songs before we get bored? Again, trying to entertain themselves before church.

Day 2

Today you get pictures! I hope you enjoy this James and Liz. By the time you come back, you should have a pretty good idea of how good a present you are to bring. He he.
We started the day with a good workout. Michael and April were the only kids to make it all the way through. We then went to the library where everyone checked out 3 books. Michael even got to buy one. Then they went out to play at the park. After about 30 minutes of park, we loaded up again and headed for the Sugar Maple Festival.
This was us waiting in line entirely too long. Kind of ruined the rest of it.
After learning of the early techniques used for making syrup, they each got a chance to try and drill a hole in the tree. (No, it isn't a live one, just a log upright in the ground.
This would be the only ones left at the end. Here they got to see how the syrup is made, and even try it. At this point, Michael and Jacob had freezing feet and opted for the car. (Michael still got a taste, don't worry.)

We finished off with a hearty meal of mac and cheese! All are now blissfully in bed. Tomorrow is the real test, church.

Family of 10 Day 1

Yes, I know it is a day late, but I just came up with the idea today. Day one, (yesterday), was not too bad. Shattered platter and a destroyed box spring were the only real biggies. Everyone was happy and in bed by eight.

Preparation for a bath

We even got him smiling ;)









- Posted from my iPhone

Our Saturday Date

Last Saturday, Dad and I put Marquie on a plane to Illinois and Diana was spending the day with friends, so we got to take the day to enjoy each others company and see a bit more of the lovely area in which we live. We went from the airport into "the district" (Washington, D.C.) and did a little exploring. We found the Marine monument (which is adjacent to Arlington Cemetery). Then we went to breakfast, then on to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home.
We really enjoyed our time there. As we watched the movies and heard the spiel about George Washington, the thought came to us that his job was much the same as Captain Moroni's and it seemed, from what we saw, he was just such a hero. We hope you all get an opportunity to see this, maybe when you come in June. After spending about 4 hours at Mount Vernon, we were tired and ready to come home. It was a great day to be together.

Long Overdue

Sorry for the delay Mom. Here are some photos of our lives.
Baptism cake Joe did. It was super beautiful and crazy yummy.
This was just me getting started with the folding of the laundry. Family of 7.....
Just plain cute. No, he isn't a thumb sucker.
Our Valentine's party. We enjoyed super fattening finger foods. The kids also got their own little bags of popcorn. For dessert, we had Cool Whip mixed with strawberry gelatin, placed between graham crackers.Yumm. Make sure the Cool Whip is frozen.
Collin doing what he does best. This was an alternate pizza movie night. We played Disney DVD Bingo. So much fun. Even Collin could play.

8 CHILDREN!!!!!!

And, good luck to you this week, Heather. Eight children is more than I could ever manage! But, then, I'm not the wonder woman you are!

And they're off!!!

James and Liz are driving to the airport. Good luck.




- Posted from my iPhone

Bon Voyage!

This one's for you, James and Liz! Good luck and have a great and safe trip! China here you come (and Justin and Jodi here you come!)

Happy Happy Birthday James!

So, I meant to call you all day, and now that it is way late at your house I have resigned myself to the blog. Not near as good as in person but HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope it was the best day ever! What did you eat? What did you get? Did your students serenade you with a happy birthday? So many questions. I love you! Here's to hoping it has been a fantastic day!

Funny haha

On this happy birthday, I regret to inform you James, you are an alien. No, I do not make this up. Chloe came running into my room at 6:30 this morning terrified. She quickly told me , and I quote, "Don't let James and Liz come tomorrow. Their family are aliens." She then jumped into my bed and curled up in a ball. I tried very hard not to laugh when I asked her if she had had a bad dream. "Yes." So, I may have to be convinced of your true humanness before allowing your children to stay.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! JAMES

Hope you have a very wonderful day on this 31st Birthday!

The English teaching opportunity has been ripped away from me... turns out the class is taught across town and I'd have to take an hour long bus ride to get there, which doesn't work with Justin's schedule for watching Jaime. We had to turn it down.

Course 2

Final project cake







- Posted from my iPhone