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 :)