What goes Down, Must come back UP

The title of the post today was Zane's idea. As you might have guessed today was our Great Wall Day!!!

This picture is for Kaylee, Trent and Mia. Zane really wanted them to see our Guide, Angela's little dog. Her name is Gwhy Gwhy, which means good dog in China. He is very cute and Zane has had fun playing with him.

We drove about 1 1/2 hours out of the city to a very beautiful part of the wall. David and I had not seen this before. For the first part of the Great Wall we had to take a Ski lift up to the top of the Mountain. I don't knoow if you can tell but the men literally push you out of the seat when you get to the top.

Then once we arrived at the top we spent time going up an down the wall. Angela was very smart in that she took us very far down first. Although with each step going down I knew there would be a coming back up.

It was a truly spectacular view. This section of the wall is so calm and serene. And then the real fun began.

Instead of taking the ski lift back down we rode a toboggan slide down the side of the mountain on little black roller cars. It had one stick in the front that made it either go or stop.

Zane loved it and he and David actually rode it twice.

For lunch we stopped at the Golden Arches. The fries and coke were reallly good. then after lunch we drove back to the market and did a little more shopping and bartering.

For dinner we went to Old Beijing Noodle House. Apparently this style of noodle is only availabe in Beijing. The restaurant is old style. When people walk in the door they yell and each waiter tries to direct you to his particular table. We felt like we were in Ci Ci's pizza there for a while.

Jane McLendon will be so proud of us for all the new things we have tried so far. And we have only been here a few days. I have even eaten Tofu for the last 3 days. It's been hard to get used to the little bitty plates and chopsticks but we are all getting the hang of it. The dish on the left side of the picture is celery and Lotus Flower. It's very good. On the right is Beijing Pork. This is Zane's favorite thing that we have had.

Here is Angela mixing up the noodles for us.

This was the biggest surprise to us all. It's BokChoy with soybean and fish head sauce. It is really good, Really it is.......I promise.

Our first FULL day

And boy do I mean Full. We left about 8:30 after sleeping all night long from 6pm the night before. Zane was waiting on the bed for his turn to shower and he fell asleep in his clothes. (and slept in the same spot for 12 hrs.)


Our first stop was Tiananmen Square. It took a long time to get into the city. There are so many cars now!! And NICE cars at that. So we saw the square and the Forbidden City.

Then we had lunch and went on a Hutong Tour. We rode in the back of bicycle powered rickshaws through the very old parts of Beijing. A Hutong is a very small alley that connects "houses" The house is 4 separate buildings with a courtyard in the middle. We were able to visit with a local man and tour inside his house. His parents had bought the place in 1925 and he grew up there and then raised his children there as well.

Inside the courtyard of each house they have a fish pot. It is used to collect and hold water in case of a fire. I think the goldfish are added for decoration.

Next stop was the Temple of Heaven. This is the place where the emporer went to pray 4 times a year. He was the only person allowed there. Now it is open to the public (with a fee) and many local people go there to sing, play instruments, play cards. It is very shaded and many times is much cooler also.

We left the Temple and went to a shopping market that was 4 stories high. Each floor had many "great deals" I could have bought 1000's of different pajminas, coach purses, ipods or tennis shoes. In fact Zane got a pair of Converse for about $10. The look on his face was priceless when the women started yelling at him - "buy mine, I have your size, look here, good price" They all had the same "stock" and really wanted you to buy from their booth. I really thought he would hate all the yelling but he enjoyed the bartering. He wants to go back there tomorrow.

Then we rushed in to the acrobat show. It is truly amazing to watch the acts these people can perform. The last stop was dinner and then back to the apartment. We are beat and hopefully will get another good night of sleep.

Oh by the way..... Look what else I found today!!! Her grandmother let me hold her. Mmmmmm I could have eaten her up.

We made it!

We made it!!! We’re in Beijing. The flights weren’t to terribly long. The first was 3 hours and the Newark to Beijing flight was 13 hours. We were totally surprised to find that we flew over the North Pole. Zane thinks he may have seen a red nose flashing at him on the ground.

We are staying with our guide, Angela. She lives in an apartment building inside Beijing. Zane is having fun watching the ladies in the courtyard do their exercises. We are trying desparatley to stay awake until it gets dark here. When we arrived it was 2a.m Houston time. We just spotted some babies playing down below as well. So guess where I'm headed.......

Swim Team '08

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We Wrapped up our 2008 Swim Team Season yesterday. It was LOTS of fun. Swim team is a concept I didn't know anything about until we moved here. It is truly an amazing thing to watch. Kids here swim on a team just for their neighborhood. Then on Saturday mornings 2 neighborhoods will have a competition. Kids from 4 yrs to 18 yrs old practice every day after school. They do Backstroke, Freestyle, Breaststroke and Butterly. There are also relays, medleys and IMs. The numbers of each person's events are written on their arm. That way it's easy to remember when it's your turn to swim. So that we can keep up David and I write all the numbers on our hand as well. The kids really enjoyed the season and we look forward to swimming again next summer. We will be practicing our breathing, strokes and kick turns for next year.

Mia's 4th Birthday

Since we are going to be gone on Mia's actual birthday we decided to have her party a little early. We went to KidsN Action for a fun filled afternoon of running, games, balance beams followed by cake and ice cream.

Kaylee tried out the rings. Using her legs instead of hands.

Here we are under the parachute with Mia in the middle singing Happy Birthday. She had a great day.

Did She Dance?

OH YES! She did...... We all held our breath and we headed over to the High School to see if there would or would not be a Spring performance for Mia this year. Remember that there was NOT a Christmas performance. (Well there was a show but it wasn't dancing. Lot of crying)

This spring the song was "Daddy's Little Girl" So the teachers had a surprise for all the girls. At the end of the song each of their Daddy's came out and gave them flowers. It was so sweet to watch the expressions on their face. Some of them seemed to say "Hey Daddy, I Love you" and some seemed to say "Hey Dad, what's up? this is my gig!" But in the end they all loving went with their dads. I mean really how often does a nicely dressed man present you with flowers?

Daddy's Little Girl

Butterfly Museum

A few months ago Grandma Toni came for a visit. Mia and I took her downtown to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. They have the best Butterfly Exhibit.
Grandma and Mia are watching some of the Butterflies come out of their chrysalises.

We all had a good day! It's always fun to get out and see new things. Especially when you can see it through the eyes of a 3 year old.

Can someone say "HAM?"

Trent's Kindergarten awards were last week. At the event his teacher gave each child a "special" award. Basically something she thought of for each child.

Some of the awards were:

Best Smile

Most Creative

Most Helpful

Trent's award......... Best Dance Moves!!!!

Well I believe it. Not sure where he gets all his moves. We're wondering if he sneaks in at night and watches MTV?

Did you hear me HOLLER' Hall e lu jah?

If you were anywhere near Texas today you may have heard the Hallelujah yell from my house. I was so glad to be done with all the 5th grade festivities. Remember my almost complete DVD.... well it turned out to be much more of a challenge than anticipated. There were hardware problems, software problems, pixielazation, blurry photos, DVD+ and DVD- problems. Let's just say 24 hours before the actual presentation I had not burned the first copy. (I only needed to have 50 ready) But in a pure miracle it finally decided to cooperate.

And this morning at 10:30, 103 5th graders watched their slideshow in the cafetorium and sang along to the songs, laughed at all the silly pictures, and applauded loudly at the end. It did my heart good.

Then I came home and passed out.

Just Say No....

I constantly tease my friend Valarie about her impetuous urge to say Yes to every volunteer shift there is. I saw some cocktail napkins that said," Just say No to the Sign-up Sheet" If that had been a mug it would reside in her cupboard right now.

Apparently I need the Mug as well. I volunteered to put together the 5th grade end of the year Slideshow. It showcases pictures from Kindergarten through 5th grade. Since this is something I know how to do and usuallly really enjoy doing I eagerly volunteered.

So, last Thursday I went to the meeting where each of us on the 5th grade committe was to say what all we had accomplished. I quickly added that I was indeed almost finished with the DVD. I was so proud. UNTIL......

Someone pops out a Memory Book that was done last year. And "since I was virtually done with my task then I had time to take on this new task as well. " (OK maybe I said I could probably do it) But as I left I began to regret my decision. I dreamed about putting that silly book together for several nights in a row. However, there was nothing I could do because I had to wait for school to open back up after the long weekend. Zane was suppose to have brought some of the needed papers home and he had left them in his desk on Friday. So my 3 day weekend that I had decided I would accomplish most of the task was lost.

So today I spent 99% of my day working on this book. I have almost all of it typed and printed out. T omorrow morning 6 other moms are coming over to help assemble these wonderful masterpieces that I am sure the children will treasure for all eternity and squeal in delight at the mere sight of them.

Now once I get this finshed I can go back and finish up the DVD.......Then I'll try to find time to book plane tickets, pack, cook and get to the store to buy underwear. (FOR TY) I realized today that he'll need some. 3 year olds typically don't wear diapers. (Let's hope not anyway)

A Mug please, I need a mug........

It's Plane Ticket Buyin' time

We can't believe that this week we will be buying tickets to China. It seems like we've waited forever but then again the time has just flown by. Many of you have seen the cookbook pictured above. It's a book my mom put together of all our family's favorite recipes. Plus other easy to make favorites. They are all real recipes( no strange ingredients)

The completeion of the book came just a few weeks ago and my mom offered to give Zane the profits from the book to help buy his plane ticket. So, if I have failed to offer you the chance to purchase one of the books, by all means contact me and I will get one ( or five) delivered to your house. We are selling them for $12 each. I can also mail them for $2 if you live away.
e-mail me dszkwalling@kingwoodcable.com

TA Came

Friday afternoon we received the long awaited Call. We now have our TA (Travel Approval) The country of China has now officially invited us into the country to complete the adoption. It looks as if we will travel June 13th. Our agency is requesting our exit interview that will take place on the last day of the trip. We will know this week, which day will be our last day in China as well. THREE WEEKS! Just THREE MORE WEEKS!

Homestudy Addendum

Because we moved after the original homestudy was written we had to do a Homestudy Addendum. It is a one page report that we will have to hand carry to China with us. Then we will present it at the appropriate time. So, it was all hands on deck Sunday night to whip the place into shape. It's amazing when you have 6 people working how much can get accomplished. It's simple math really but always amazes me.
6 People + 1hour each = 6 hours of work Mom didn't have to do on Monday

So, I thought I'd post a picture of the girls room. Look how cute the little pictures hanging over the bed are. Debbie Terzian painted these for the girls a few months ago. They go perfectly in their room. So, what did I do with my day instead of clean?

I worked on Ty's quilt. I now have every piece of fabric that I have received cut and ready to sew into the blocks. I can't wait to get it done. It's looking really neat.

A Girls Day at Home (and Wal-Mart)

Kaylee had a 24 hour fever virus and wasn't able to go to school. But because she needed to be free of fever for 24 hrs she wasn't able to return to school for another full day. So, we had a great day at home. The girls played and played and played with their American Girl dolls. They were quite the dutiful mommies.

We needed a few groceries so we headed over to Super Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. Kaylee has always had a thing for shoes so when we passed the shoe aisle she wanted to "just" try a few one.

It was all over when we saw these. And they had matching ones for Mia

After lunch they spent a few hours drawing and coloring(wearing the new shoes of course) I don't think we made it out of the parking lot before they had already changed.

And it wasn't ALL girl shopping. Ty even scored his first new shirt. I haven't bought anything for him yet because I'm not sure what size he'll be. But when we saw this Astros jersey we knew he had to have it.

Out with the old... In with the New

Today was a day of closure. This morning we closed on our other house. So we are now the proud owners of just ONE house in Texas!!! Woo Hoo! I can't believe we first put the house on the market in Sept and are just now selling it. It has been a long road......

And speaking of road.... Look who's going to be stylin' on the roads around here. David finally broke down and bought a new car. His gold camry was a 1998 and had 180,000+ miles on it.
So, today we also said good bye to the gold Camry.

He spends so much time on the road, his car could be considered his office. (I'm sure all you windshield cowboys can relate) He is so excited with his brand new 2009 Toyota Camry. It has a hidden IPod jack and leather seats. And Yes, It has the new car smell.

China Earthquake

As the news breaks this morning about the Earthquake in China I thought I would show how close it is to Ty. We are praying that he is safe and was not harmed. The earthquake occured in the peach colored province of Schiuan. Ty is in the darker blue province just south of it in Guizhou.

Our little boy is 3 years old now. Saturday was his 3rd birthday. We missed the first 3 but he'll be with us for all the rest.

Happy Mother's Day

This morning in church Pastor encouraged us to write a tribute to our mothers. I actually had been thinking about this earlier in the shower so I knew it was meant for me. He even read to us the tribute(letter) he had written to his mother. So, even though I was able to spend the last 4 days with my mom, I thought I'd write out a few things here. We all know I'm to cheap for cards. (Hallmark never would have been around if I thought of it first)

Anway, I believe I have the greatest mom in the world. She is caring, loving and has taught me many things. She taught me to be independent, to be assertive and to be helpful to anyone that needs help.

During elementary school, she taught at the school and I always had someone to hug at the end of the day, and didn't have to go home to an empty house. During Middle school, she spent countless hours reading the encyclopedia about the Country of Turkey so that she could explain it to me and then I could write the reports. During High school, she spent many hours counting Band money and working in the concessions stand. And during early marriage she spent hours cooking for David and I and knowing when to stand back and let us handle it. And in recent years I watched how my mom took care of my Granny through all of her last years and days. Her commitment will leave a legacy for me, my kids, and all who witnessed it.

I got my love of crafting and organizing from her. I can hold a garage sale on my own and now know how to cook (after a lot of phone calls for advice.) I can make a stick horse and paint an apple tote bag without instructions.

But the biggest thing she's ever done for me is raising me in a home that loved Jesus. One that respected elders and went to church. I always felt love and nothing else in our home.

So now that it's my turn to raise my kids in a loving home I often stop to think what would my mom have done? I want each of my kids to feel equally as spoiled and loved as I did. (without the rotten attached)

And even today as the attention could have turned completely from me to the grandkids I feel just as special. Because I know that my Mom is always there to support me. She takes good care of me and helps out just as much as possible. (with the kids, laundry, cooking, and letting me take a nap) And also, she's the first one I want to call when the good...... and the bad stuff happens.

I Love you Mom (and My friends are right......I am spoiled and truly blessed when it comes to Moms!)

Traveling

We were just informed of our travel group to China. There are 5 families and we are literally from around the US. Salem, OR / Canton, OH, /Tallahassee, FL/ Cumming, GA / and Texas. The only region not represented is the NE.
Some of the families have started corresponding through e-mail and it seems like most of the families have other children already. In fact at least 3 of the siblings (+Zane) will be traveling as well. Of the children that are being adopted there will be a 12yr old girl, 5 yr. old girl, 3 yr old boy(Ty) and a 2 yr old boy. (One family we haven't heard from yet)
Last time we really enjoyed our travel group, they were such a Godly group of people. It is such a special experience, and when you share it with someone, it makes complete strangers life-long friends.
Gettin' more excited by the day!

Q: What can 78 cents buy you?

A: One can of Shaving cream. And a WHOLE lot of fun

Zane and his friend Taylor get a little practice for the not so distant future. (Wah! Wah!...not ready for this)

Grinning from ear to ear.....

It CAME!!! Our LOC (Letter of Confirmation) came today. Tiffany from AGCI called about 1:20 to let us know that she had just received it from China. So it looks like the countdown is on. We should travel about 6 weeks from now! THAT'S JUNE!!!!!

$2 VS $200

About 2 months ago Zane stepped on a pretty big stick. It went right into the pad of his foot right under his toes. I pulled out the stick and cleaned it out to the best of my ability. Then we waited for it to heal.
When he wears socks and shoes it doesn't hurt him but I noticed that barefooted he would always limp. So, on Monday I took him to the doctor. The Doc said that if there is something in there a Podiatrist would have to be the one to remove it. But he suggested an X-ray, antibiotics, a topical cream and soaking it in Epsom Salt. (let's cover all the bases here) We went to the hospital and waited almost 2 hrs to complete the X-Ray. Then began the soaking process 2 times a day. (The doctor suggested 4 times but Zane wouldn't agree to take the bucket to school,ha!)

The Doctor's office called to say that the X-ray didn't show anything in his foot. (of course this is the same hospital that said Trent's leg wasn't broken)

After talking with a friend she said to continue soaking it because the Epsom salt would cause his body to get rid of it. On the second day Zane showed me a black thing under the surface of the skin. So, with David operating the flashlight and holding the foot down, I began to prick the skin with a needle and what should appear but a good size splinter.
Hopefully now his foot can truly heal.

I've never bought Epsom salt before but apparently it has many healing properties. According to the bag it's good for soaking sprains, a laxative, and great on your shrubs and flowering plants, and I guess we can add to the list expelling splinters. Hmm! Who knew?

So $2 for the Epsom salt or $200 for the X-ray. I always do love a good bargain.
(No pictures for obvious reasons)