Sun and done!

So, now that the rain has stopped, it got sooo hot!! I thought it was humid in MN, but not even close to what it is here. Thankfully though we were able to get an evening outside before Chad left..

I know I'm a tad biased, but Brady has got some skills!! He knows how to play every sport and is actually really good at them. For being 3 I think it's pretty good :)

Boys playing ball, Rilynn off enjoying her bike. Goal for this summer home is to get her off the training wheels..

Rilynn's last day of school was the 23rd. Most of the kids are coming back in the fall, but she says she is really going to miss David! I really can't believe this whole boy thing is starting already.. Poor Chad is going to be gray by the time she is 10 :)

Last day of school with some of her friends and teachers

David!

I am really thrilled with the choice of school we picked. She has become more outgoing and very social. She started learning how to play the violin and knows more Chinese than I do! Coming home from school this day was pretty cool- Rilynn was getting out of the car and some of her papers were blowing away. She started yelling in Chinese! I was so shocked that without even thinking it came out in Chinese.. Then we went home and Susan was working that day. Rilynn and Susan were carrying on conversations and laughing while mommy had no idea what they were saying. Talk about feeling stupid- when your 5 year old is smarter than you!!! LOL

2 1/2 weeks of rain!! What to do?

We are finally done (hopefully!) with this crazy amount of rain here! I think we were up to like 17 days of straight rain.. Thankfully Rilynn was at school, but with an active toddler being stuck in the apt. is not an option! So we hit up some museums, played the Wii, went swimming, and of course played at the indoor playgrounds..

Hard to see, but check out Brady's score on Wii Bowling- 193!!!!!! He seriously bowled the whole game himself too :) The 141 is Chad.. HA!

My goal this summer was to check out some of the great parks here, however it ended up turning into checking out the museums :) Last week we checked out the Shanghai Animation & Comics Museum. Really wasn't too sure what to expect, but for only having to pay 30rmb ($4.50) was worth going. Brady wanted to wear his Spiderman outfit, which was fitting :) It was a nice place, but probably geared more towards older kids and dads.. However, they had a lot of action figures so Brady thought that was cool. Also, the best part was we were the ONLY people there!! That never happens here :)

Chad left last Wednesday and will be gone until Friday. Weekends are always the hardest time without him, but thankfully Saturday was completely booked! We started at one of our great friends here for a bday party. It's starting to feel like a ghost town around here amongst the expats (EVERYONE leaves for the summer), but still managed to have lots of friends to celebrate with.

Brady, aka the Prince, at a princess party with all girls! LOL

Came home and went down for naps and then headed over to this new hotel with a HUGE adventureland area for the kids. In order to play here you have to be a member, which is ridiculously expensive, so when I saw a kids event was going to be there we were all over it! For only like $30, the kids played for a couple of hours, enjoyed a great BBQ buffet, and then it ended with a movie filled with blankets and pillows for the kids to lay on. The BBQ and movie were supposed to be outside, however the rain stopped that. Either way the kids had an absolute blast!!

Look way up high!

Sadly, our swim classes have ended for the summer, but I can't believe how much they have both improved. Will definitely be continuing in the fall.

The kids are excited to show off their mad swimming skills this summer to all of you!! So excited that we will be home for 7 weeks!!! Woohoo

Happy Father's Day!!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Walk a Little Slower Daddy

"Walk a little slower, Daddy," said a little child so small.
"I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up, you're what I want to be.
Then I will have a little child who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy, for I must follow you!!"

-- Author Unknown

 Our children are blessed to have such an amazing father and I am lucky to have such a great husband :)

We thank you for everything you do for us!!

Awwww.. My little Rilynn

And here's some more up to date one's..

Chad and Rilyn spent Saturday morning together at Morton's Steakhouse. They had a Father's Day event where you could cook with their chef a 3 course meal. We have been watching a lot of Masterchef on TV so she has been getting really interested in cooking. They had an absolute blast! Rilynn couldn't stop talking about it when she got home :) And Chad didn't complain about his 3/4lb prime burger!! LOL

Check out the size of those burgers!!

It was a pretty good deal- Besides cooking up your meal with the chef they also got a signed copy of the Morton's Cookbook, a gift certificate, and Rilynn got to keep her hat and apron..

Brady had a modeling job, so we were busy with that. It was nice to be able to 'switch it up' with the kids :)

Today we had McDonald's deliver us our breakfast, since we are on like day 18 of straight rain!! Really can't complain though, since it only took them 10 minutes to get it to us :)

Rilynn is really starting to get interested in crafts and loves to make stuff. So for Chad's gifts we made some nice homemade ones..

Here's my attempt at these cool 'grill' cupcakes I found online. Not sure why I thought I would be able to find all the ingredients here, but I sure tried! 5 stores later and was still stumped on black food coloring and orange sugar, but we made due.. LOL

They are supposed to be hotdogs, a steak, and a kabob just in case you couldn't figure it out :)

Here's our duct tape wallet we made with some coupons for him :)

Our origami shirt and tie..

We then went to the movies to see Kung Fu Panda 2. It was fun, but we are hoping this rain will stop soon so we can actually do some things outside again!

Then went to Pizza Hut to enjoy a yummy Pan Pepperoni Pizza!!

Had a great day and I hope Chad did too, as he deserves it!

Happy Father's Day to our dads who are reading this. Sorry we couldn't be with you today, but know we love you and that we'll see you in 2 weeks!!!!

Ready for a break!!

First off, I must apologize for my lack of posting here. I had been so proud of keeping up with it, but as summer started the time has been slipping away!!

Anyways, we are all doing well. Rilynn is done with school on the 23rd. Chad will be leaving on the 20th for a long trip and won't be home until July 1st. And then July 2nd we are coming home for the summer!!!!!! Just like every other expat here we are vacating this unbearable heat and heading home :) I can't believe it will have been 8 months since we have seen all of friends and family! Chad will be back for 3 weeks and then will come back here, however the kids and I are staying until August 17!! It's worth flying solo in order to stay the extra 4 weeks :)

Since our house is being rented we will be spending our time staying with our parents and a week in a hotel. It is going to be very strange driving past our house and not being able to go 'home' :( However, it just gives us more time to spend with our families.

After my 'China Day' today I'm ready to just walk into Target, Cub, and Olive Garden and know exactly what I am getting and expecting...

This morning Brady and I went shopping at City Shop. This store is great for import food, however also comes with a hefty price tag.. I walked out of there today with one bag of snacky food and paid almost $100!!! And Chad wonders where the money goes :)

 68RMB= $10.48

The ONLY men's deodorant that I could find for Chad here!! That's what he gets for not bringing a larger supply :)

24.50RMB= $3.79

 Our boxed milk- It's imported from New Zealand. Very strange buying warm milk!! Thankfully, when it's cold the milk critic (aka Chad) approves :)

 79.80RMB= $12.30

My guilty pleasure!

64RMB= $9.87

And if you were to buy 'Honey' instead that would cost you more :)

 58RMB= $8.95

Making cookies here is very expensive, but so worth having some good homemade yummies!!

48RMB= $7.40

And Doritos are $9.50.

42RMB= $6.42

If you are willing to pay the price (which we are!) they actually have a great selection of these in the import stores :)

 58RMB= $8.95

Love making egg salad sandwiches with the incredibly cheap breads here. A loaf of bread here is just over a buck and a bag of pita bread is under $2.

In our fridge you will always find shredded cheese, refried beans, and tortilla shells. We love our bean burritos! You'd think that would be a cheap meal, but you'd be wrong.. LOL- Believe it or not, but I would estimate we spend close to $90 a month on cheese!!!!!! For a small bag of Sargento cheese it is 54RMB= $8.30. But we LOVE our cheese so really we'd have to buy it no matter how much it was..

So after our shopping we met some friends at an indoor playground for the kids to play. The weather here has been really rainy, so we've been spending a lot of time at these places. Usually, it's great.. However, today I was VERY annoyed, mad, frustrated, etc....It first started off with them making my friend pay for 2 socks for her girls. Fine, cheap enough. However, totally unreasonable after what we saw that they let people get away with!!! My friend and I were sitting watching the kids and I noticed a kid standing up on the ledge of the ball pit peeing in a water bottle that his mom was holding for him!!!!! I kid you not, right there in the playground when there is a bathroom right outside the door.. So I head over to the 2 young girls working and point to them. She slowly walks over, says something, and that was about it.. The mom then puts the cover on and puts the bottle of pee back in her backpack where she had all his snacks!!! Then about 10 minutes later we see another mom doing the same thing but in a plastic bag at the end of a tunnel right in the middle of the playground! Once again point her out and nothing happens. The mom ties the bag up and walks it out and puts it in the trash can.. UGGGGH. Our final straw was when a mom was chasing her kid around with a baked potato in hand trying to get him to eat it. I really don't understand this, but for whatever reason they are constantly shoving food in their mouths. The kid was not interested at all, but she literally was chasing him. There is a huge sign that says no food or drink and we usually see them disregard this all the time. However, today I was already annoyed so pointed her out to the girl again. Girl went to talk to her. Girl looked away. Mom looks at girl and then runs to boy with potato. Girl sees her. Girl talks to her. This goes on about 4 more times. It was totally ridiculous!!! So after that we left :)

Thankfully my day got better.. However, I am really excited for a break and to see everyone and escape all this for a bit!!!

See you soon :)