Merry Christmas!!

Here's hoping that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had a relaxing, low key 1st Christmas in Shanghai. It was just perfect. We started the day by opening presents, relaxing and Skyping with family. Then it was off to our friends The Hoskins for a wonderful Christmas dinner. This dinner was much better than our Thanksgiving dinner and it just goes to show that if you are a good cook (like Vickie is) then anything is possible. Thank you Vickie for teaching me a few of your tricks.

We ended the night relaxing on the couch where Brycen was zonked out at 7 and Les and I weren't too far behind him.

Class Christmas Party

Yesterday was Brycen's Christmas party at his school. It was jammie day, and the kids looked so comfortable. All the moms were invited to join in and help out. I was glad to go because Brycen keeps coming home and mentioning different kids, so it was nice to put some faces to these names.
It is amazing to me how the demeanour of a child can change so quickly when his mom enters the room. He was singing when I walked in and then totally clammed up. This is what he was like when I was around (don't you love the Christmas cheer on his face):

and when I was not around:

this is his classroom. I think one of the things that drew us to this school was the size of his room. There are lots of little areas where they can do crafts, have music and play. I have new respect for his 2 teachers and 2 ayi's. There are close to 20 kids in his class and they are all younger than 3.

Ayi

What is an ayi you ask? Well apparently it is mandatory here in China. We have had ours for almost a month now and it is just now starting to become a lifesaver. SO, what is this ayi you ask?
An ayi is anything that you want her to be...nanny, cook, cleaning lady, errand runner...anything really. We have our ayi 5 days a week for 5 hours a day. For the time being she does all our cleaning, laundry and ironing. I wanted to get her accustomed to doing that before having her help with anything else. She is very slowly getting to the point where she will come in and help me give Brycen a bath at night, play with him, and occasionally (when he won't listen to me) put him down for a nap.
I do have to admit that having this ayi, this person who is supposed to be your lifesaver, was in fact one of the most stressful transitions of moving to China. It was very weird having someone in your house for so many hours a day doing all the things that you have done yourself for your entire life. It teaches you alot about yourself as well. Like how anal I am about how the dishwasher is loaded (I totally get that from my dad) and how I like my laundry sorted and washed a certain way (I know she thinks I am crazy for needing my undies air dried vs put in the dryer) :)
Our first few days with our ayi played out like this:
On her first day she went through almost a whole bottle of bathroom cleaner on just 2 bathrooms. Les and I were in the living room and all of a sudden we started smelling all these fumes. She was in there hacking and coughing, but I didn't know what to do as she doesn't speak English and my Chinese consists of hello and thank you. She then proceeded to go through a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner within the next week. On her third day with us she put a whole capful of laundry detergent in to wash 4 hand towels. Our washer was sudsing everywhere and proceeded to go on emergency lock. I was fuming. I knew something had to change if we wanted this business relationship to work.
I got a translator in here the next day and went room by room and cleaner by cleaner showing her how much and what to use where. It was a total eye opener for me as I also had to realize that she has probably NEVER used a washing machine or used cleaning products. It is really embarrassing how much they work for and most of them leave their families in the countryside to come work in Shanghai for what they consider is good money. I was willing to make this work as I could tell she was sincere and had nothing but the best intentions.
I came up with a daily routine for her, but am going to cut back on it, so she can eventually cook for us on occasion and help with Brycen and the baby as needed.
As this is getting lengthy I just have to end with the fact that people rely on these ayi's like crazy. It is really funny to hear other women panic when their ayi needs a week off for Chinese New Year. Are you going to try and find another one?? How are you going to do it all by yourself?? Seriously what did you do before you moved to China:)
I think I will get used to this in no time, but not sure what I will do when it is time to move back and then I am responsible for it all over again...such is life. (I can't imagine the comments I am going to get on this post)

Ahhhh....

I think this picture says it all. For those of you that know me, know that I have to have cereal in my pantry at all times. A box (very small box) of Lucky Charms here is almost $10. I love cereal, but even I can't fathom spending that.

I am not picky on the cereal I eat so here are my latest finds:

THIS made my day today:)

And for whoever we visit first when we come home, I want a bowl of Lucky Charms and a glass of Dr. Pepper. Thanks!!

Winter Festival

For once we were busy this weekend doing something other than going to Ikea (ok, so we still went there) or the grocery store. Brycen's school had a Winter Festival and we volunteered to work at one of the craft tables. There were lots of crafts for the children, a bake sale and vendors in case you wanted to do some holiday shopping. Santa was also there but Brycen is still to scared to sit on his lap, so I had to hold him.
After the festival we were invited to a Spiderman birthday party at one of his classmates houses. It was really good to meet some of the other parents and learn where everyone is from (very few are from US). Then it was off to Ikea to get a Christmas tree and some decorations. Apparently this is one of the few places in Shanghai where you can get Christmas stuff so the pickings were VERY slim. Still looking for some lights for the tree! Oh how I wish they had Hobby Lobby or Target...

Misc. China

On Thanksgiving Day Brycen had school, but Les had taken off work. So we put B on the bus and went and had a breakfast date at this cute little coffee house and then went exploring. We decided to take this little entrance into our complex and I am so glad we did. As you can see from the pictures there were all these mysterious rock caves and walls. After navigating our way up and down through these caves we came upon some cool architecture and a waterfall. You can see this waterfall from our dining room window, but I never knew how to get to it. It is so funny to have all this beauty and then look up and see your 56 story high rise looking down at you. I guess that is real city living.

Most mornings as you walk along the streets it is not uncommon to see people exercising and doing some form of tai chi or yoga. It is really cool and I would love to jump in and join them.

Thanksgiving

I know this is a little late, but I wanted to post about our first Thanksgiving in China. We debated between going out for dinner (some of the restaurants and hotels offer a "traditional" dinner) or order in. We decided to order in and make it a family event. This can be costly so we kept it minimal. Instead of the ham that fed 12-15 people we decided to do meatloaf:( Pretty positive it was spam. We also had sweet potatoes, mac n cheese, green beans, rolls and apple pie. I thought most of it (minus the spam) was pretty good...considering. Don't let Brycen's thumbs up fool you, he only ate the rolls and maybe some of the mac n cheese

First Day of School (Again)

Brycen really likes school. All I have to say about that is thank goodness!!!

His morning starts really early because the bus comes to get him at 7:15am, so he can be to school by 8. He is only doing 1/2 day and is home by 12:10pm. I think the thing that has made this transition so easy is the fact that he gets to ride the "school bus", which is nothing more than a blue airport hotel like van. I love that he comes home singing songs, counting his fingers and talking about playing outside. I really struggled with the fact that I was sending my baby on a bus every morning to school 5 days a week, but I think in the end it was a good decision for both of us. The other great thing is that they told me to only send him in his "big boy undies" and they would work on the potty training. I am not so sure it is really working out, but I am willing to try anything:)

China..our first few weeks

I am finally connected and can now access my blog. I have been wanting to update so badly, but couldn't so here is the first of many posts about our adventures in China.

We have officially now been in China for 4 weeks. Things are definately different here, but the things that I thought would be easy (getting pants hemmed, getting a cell phone, finding foods to eat for dinner other than grilled cheese) are hard and things that I thought would be hard (getting adjusted to the culture, the crazy way they drive and all the spitting) are not bothering me quite as much.

Our first few days here were spent in a hotel until our apartment was ready. This was the most challenging time as we were suffering from jet lag, all our luggage was crammed into one small room and we were on the go constantly, which meant no nap for Brycen. When you first arrive in China you are expected to register with the police and get a physical. The morning of our physical the girl that was escorting us pulled up to get us in a taxi, no problem. Here we are with our big Graco carseat and there are no seatbelts in sight. So we threw the car seat in the trunk and Brycen sat between Les and I. I was horrified, but "when in Rome".

Once we moved into or apartment things started to settle down. Les went back to work and Brycen and I began the task of making our "new house", as he puts it, feel like a home. Again the hardest part has been finding things to eat for lunch and dinner. For those of you that know my son and husband well, you can understand how hard this can be. Grocery shopping here is not one stop shopping like at the stores at home. Different stores carry different imported goods, quality meats or safe fruits and veggies. So once you find something that you like you either stock up or hope you remember what store it came from so you can find it again.

(Brycen checking out the local seafood at the grocery store)

Here are some early pics from our first few weeks here. All in all things are going good. We have already managed to make a trip to the Shanghai Zoo, and visit the famous Bund. Both were very crowded, but we had a good time.

Going away party

Last night some of my closest friends threw me a going away party. It was very bittersweet, but thankfully I was able to keep my composure and have a great time. My friend Kori made this beautiful takeout box cake. I was so amazed when I came in and saw this.

I am going to miss all the friends I have made in Toledo, but look forward to coming back in 2 years and picking up where we left off! It will be so crazy to see how much all of our kids will have changed in this time. I don't know what I would have done without my FAB 5 friends pictured below, we had some fun times and I am going to miss our Little Caesars playdates more than you know.

Yo Gabba Gabba

First off Melanie Wallis I know you will be reading this post laughing because I know how much you love this show!!

Now on to the show...

Brycen loves this show...the music, the dancing, Biz's Beat of the day and the cool tricks. It was Les's idea to get tickets and we were on the 3rd row. You can't really tell from the look on Brycens face, but I think he did have a good time. He was pretty much in awe as he is only used to seeing them on tv and this was his first live performance. I kept telling him to smile for the pictures, but what you see is what you get:)

Terrible 2 1/2's

There is so much going on in our house that there is no way to know whether we are experiencing the Terrible Two's or just acting out due to change. Boy are we experiencing change.
There has been so much talk around our house about China, that daily Brycen will come up to me with a toy or book and say "Can we take this to China"...how cute/sad is that. Sad that he really doesn't know what China is.
Lately when I leave him at Mothers Center or preschool or even when I take him to get his haircut he screams, cries and even kicks. And did I mention the whining. Oh how I hate the whining. I am beside myself and not used to this acting out.
There is a lot more change left to come and so we too shall get through this:)

China

After having been kept on the downlow for a while, I can now officially say (99.9% official) that the Thompson family is relocating to Shanghai China for 2 years!!

Les was asked back in June if he would consider going. He was then officially asked about 1 1/2 months ago. After lots of discussion and consideration (and a recent trip to check the place out) we have decided that we can do anything for 2 years and that if we turned down this opportunity we would probably regret it in years to come.

So, Les and I left for Shanghai last Sunday for 5 days. The trip was jam packed. Over the course of 4 days we looked at approx. 25 houses/apartments, visited with 4 schools, and toured 1 hospital. Our biggest concern for the trip was finding a hospital that we both felt comfortable having our baby in. I am still not 100% sold on the idea of delivering in China, but I feel like I owe it to Brycen to get him settled in a foreign country before bringing a baby home. I was pleasantly surprised at the housing available to expats and we think we have narrowed it down to 1 international preschool.

I was soooo disappointed to learn that facebook is blocked over there and so is my blog site. I am researching options so that I can keep blogging and have found that WordPress may be my only option. If anyone knows anything about WordPress please feel free to share!

They want Les to start Nov. 1st so it looks like we will be heading over there towards the end of October. I am so glad that my mom and dad are coming on Monday so we can see them one last time for a while, although VERY bummed that Betsy is not able to make it, so it may be summer before we see her.

My mind is just spinning with all the preparation that needs to be done before we leave, yet I don't even know where to start. We will keep our house in Toledo, so at least I don't have to worry about putting it on the market.

Let the countdown begin....

1st day of Preschool

Today was the first day of preschool. I think Brycen may have been as excited as I was! He is attending what is called a Child's Day Out program, which is pretty funny seeing as it is only once a week for 2 1/2 hours. He had a great day today and so did I enjoying a cup of Chai tea with one of my good friends! I could get used to this:)

Potty Training...Day 3

Ah, potty training. This is the part of raising a child that I have been dreading since day one. I am not sure where my fear comes from other than the fact that it is not something you can do cold turkey like taking the bottle or binky away. This is something that takes time and patience...am I up for it?
Brycen is 2 1/2 and with a new baby coming in January I figured there was no better time than now to give it the "old college try" (for those of you that went to USU with me know that that is not saying much as to how this will all play out).
Les has been out of town all week and so since Tuesday, Brycen and I have left the house a total of 2 hours...did I mention I have been avoiding this like the plague?
At the end of day 3 I am happy to report that we have had only 4 accidents (2 of those were in those heavily padded underwear) numerous pee-pee's in the potty and one poop. I am happy with the progress we have made and am now stuck as to where we go from here. Staying cooped up in the house for another week is not an option. Any suggestions from my mom friends would be greatly appreciated:)

Utah Trip...June

Once again, trying to play catch up on some more summer fun.

We had a great trip out to Utah at the end of June and it seems as though everyday was jam packed. As you can see from the pictures we did everything from visit a petting farm, music day at the park, swimming and Union Station with Papa to see the choo-choo trains. That was just in Utah.

We were then in Sun Valley for a week which included a horse ride to dinner, hiking up Dollar Mountain to find the only patch of snow left (again Papa's idea), bike riding, target shooting, swiming and lots of relaxation!!

All in all it was a wonderful vacation and we can't wait to go out again, this time with a brand new baby in tow:)

Perfect Visit

I will try to make this story short...

19 years ago I got involved with the Ulster Project and met a wonderful girl. Her name is Andrea and she is from Northern Ireland. We had a great summer and I felt like I had known her forever. I was so sad to see her go home, but knew that I would be visiting her the following summer in her home town...

And so began the friendship and the bond between two families living in opposite parts of the world.

Fast forward through lots of visits back and forth between the two families, 2 weddings (Andrea's and then mine) to June 1st, 2010.

We were so happy to be able to welcome the Frazer and Webb families into our home in Toledo, OH. It just happened to work out that they were going to be in Michigan for a few days and then driving to Cincinnati, with Toledo smack dap in the middle. Yippee!! It had been almost 4 years since we had all seen each other, but the second they pulled into my driveway I knew nothing had changed. I love friends like that!

We spent a wonderful 2 days together having an all American BBQ, trip to the zoo, awesome tour of our very own Owens Corning, yummy dinner on the water and lots and lots of laughing!! The timing couldn't have been better and I am so happy that they were able to meet Les and Brycen for the first time. Next time, Northern Ireland...

Surprise

As I mentioned in the previous post we have been very busy. Our lives are about to get even busier...we are expecting our second baby in January!!
We are all very excited and can't wait for Brycen to have a sibling.

Catching up...MAY

I cannot believe how busy we have been and how time flies. I have lots to catch up on so I will start in May. We were in Columbus, IN for Memorial Day weekend. Our nephew Anthony graduated from high school and what better reason for a celebration. Congratulations Anthony, we are so proud of you.
Brycen's cousins were also in town from New York, so we all decided to go to Kings Island in Cincinnati. What a fun amusement park! The kids area was amazing and as you can see from the smiles on the kids faces they had a great time.

Misc. Pictures

Spring in our yard is such a beautiful time of year. We have tons of beautiful tulips and lots of other colorful plants that I don't know the name of. The other great thing about spring is going to the park. We were so lucky to have great weather last week, so my friend Risa decided to have a music day at the park. The weather couldn't have been better. The kids had so much fun singing songs, listening to the guitar and playing in the parachute. Thanks Risa!

Brycen has been in gymnastics for a while now and just loves it. It is not uncommon to randomly see him hanging from our island or trying to walk on the footboard of our bed, like it's a balance beam. Apparently he has found a new pose and this is how I found him when I came into the bedroom the other morning.

Easter pictures

We had a beautiful, warm Easter weekend in Indiana at the Thompsons. As always there was lots of yummy food and fun visits from family. It was so good to see everyone...I can't believe it had been almost 5 months! Thanks to Uncle Glenn for teaching Brycen how to golf and to Aunt Cissy and Ti-Ti for arranging the easter egg hunt. Thanks also to everyone for spoiling Brycen with all the easter baskets and candy. We had so much fun!

Fun in the snow and Jungle Jims

I think my dad is having just as much fun playing in the snow and building snowmen as Brycen is. Within a day the sun had warmed the snowman up so much that his head had melted into his body:)
After eating lunch at one of my favorite Utah restaurants, Sweet Tomatoes, Betsy and I took Brycen to Jungle Jims Playland and had such a fun time. We were just introducing Brycen to rollercoasters so we can take him to Cedarpoint this summer!

Brycen's first time skiing

I think (ok, I know) my dad was so thrilled yesterday when it was finally time to put Brycen on ski's. We knew we wouldn't quite be skiing the womens downhill at Snowbasin, but we still had a great time (even Brycen).

We took him up to Wolf Mountain, rented him ski's and went up and down the magic carpet, that takes you from the bottom of the very little learner's hill to the top, about 15 times. He was such a good sport. I think the only thing that he didn't like was not being able to walk very well in his ski boots.

2 years...6 months, it's all the same

I can't believe my baby boy is 2 years old. Seeing as he is a leap year baby technically he is only 6 months old, but oh well (Delta just laughed when I told them I didn't think I should have to pay for him a seperate seat for 2 more years).

He is such a good little boy with a very laid back personality. He has a very full vocabulary and loves all things guitar, Yo Gabba Gabba and music.

I love you Brycen, Happy Birthday!!!

Whine and Cheese 2010

I am so lucky to be part of such a great mom's group. I have gotten really involved and have even taken on one of the leadership positions...fundraising. Instead of asking moms to donate money throughout the year we have one big fundraiser night... Whine and Cheese. This year was a huge success with over 60 women in attendance and $1015 being raised! Way to go Mother's Center!!

Brandy's house looked so beautiful. Notice her mantle with the lighted wine bottles (made by me).

Bauter Family Visit

Finally after 5 months of not seeing my family they came to visit. We had a very relaxed time, but fun. Brycen kept them on their toes taking them to Sylvania Playland bouncehouse, gymnastics and just being a 2 year old! Les and my dad went to the Detroit Auto show where Les had his sights set on the Mercedes Maybach and my dad the newest Volvo:)

It was really sad to see them go, but next time we will NOT wait 5 months before seeing them again. Thanks for the fun visit!