Outside....

Today was beautiful! When the girls were not taking a nap, we were outside on the trampoline or riding scooters or playing on the playset or riding bikes or doing sidewalk chalk or playing hopscotch....perfect. I was able to snap a few shots of the kiddos....minus one. Colin. Colin enjoyed a night out with a friend and came home later this afternoon stating that he will need to go to bed early tonight - I am thinking they stayed up way too late.

Pryce adoring "Madd"

Outside and happy.....

MK posing.....

My second son and my second daughter....perfect together.

Maddox loves to swing....she giggled so much!

All is well....under the watchful eye of her brother, Maddox is busy making a few calls.

She knows her name. Today I realized without a doubt that Maddox knows her name. And she knows where her nose is. And her belly. And she does not particularly care for drums being played loudly - ahem, brothers!

MK taking the lead. MK likes her role as big sister. She likes to show Maddox new things and she likes to introduce her to others. She is taking this seriously and it is oh so cute to see. I am so thankful for all FOUR of my babies!

Transportation

I took note in China that one does not see too many 18 wheeler trucks or trucks period. Instead, you see bicycles loaded to the core or people hauling way too many items in their cart...

I joked that when we arrived back home, I was going to get myself one of those stools - like the red one on this person's cart. Everyone had them....they used them in the parks, they used them in their shops, they used them when they ate, they were everywhere.

It really does amaze me as to how one can carry, let alone arrange all of this "stuff", without it falling.....

Daily delivery.....

All strapped on for the ride.....what is incredible is that the moped doesn't even look weighted down.....

I love the pic above.....this tells the story, there is a bus, a taxi, a three-wheeler bike, a three-wheeler little truck thing and a moped, all in one area of traffic, all fighting for the right of way....

And then there are those who are testing the limits where capacity is concerned....I mean, we have three people, groceries and something in a container strapped on back....

And then this guy who couldn't bear to leave the chair behind.....he needs one of those stools as it would be much easier to transport :)

And this is one of my personal favorites. Here is this guy, he is cruising around the city on his moped with a cigarette that is lit....that takes talent and, I would imagine, some practice.

One Week Later.....

We arrived home from China and hit the ground running despite the jet lag. One week later and we are all adjusted to the time, one week later and we are all getting back to school, one week later and Maddox has seen three different doctors, one week later and we can tell who is jealous and, surprisingly, who is not, one week later and we have managed to avoid a stair catastrophe, one week later and we are finally unpacked, one week later and we have only had one person ask if the girls are sisters, one week later....and things are good. Maddox continues to thrive. We are learning her likes and dislikes for food - in comparison to MK, she is quite picky with food and will politely spit things out that do not suit her palate. Maddox loves to be outside, loves to climb the stairs, loves to play with dolls, loves to play peek-a-boo, loves to be held, loves pizza, is tolerating Pediasure, has a bunch of "stuff" in her one ear that is not allowing the drs. to get a good look at it, she loves her bath, she is quite cranky when she is tired, she will give mommy kisses but no one else, she loves our dog, Finley, she likes being outside, she has jumped on the trampoline, she has the best giggle and she is very ticklish, she is hitting less, she will stroke my face when I tell her "gentle" and it is the best feeling in the world. The big kids continue to do well too. Including MK. MK has really stepped up to the plate. I have seen a side of her that I am very proud of. She is quite patient with Maddox. The boys are just glad to be home so they can ride their bikes, play baseball and play Legos. So, one week later and things are going well.....

• Pryce likes to call Maddox, "Madd."
• MK announced she can read and speak Chinese.....after making this announcement, I asked her to go and do something I needed her to do. She muttered, under her breath, something. I asked her what she said and she replied, "Well, I just said something in Chinese and it was real nice!" Hmmmm.
• At the dr., Maddox will not cry until the ear exam comes into play. Up until that point, she will stick out her bottom lip, it will shake and she gets the biggest crocodile tears ever in her eyes....it is a pitiful sight.
• I feel as though I should write something about Colin....Colin has been taking it all in. He is quick to step up should I need his help but he is also quick to sit back and do his own thing. Already 11, he is growing up entirely too fast for me!
• One week later, and we miss our China friends dearly. My children have said more than once that they miss China and the families that we traveled with! And, if we are being honest, I actually craved Chinese food this week - we really don't even eat Chinese!

Squatty Potty

I feel that I must do the ever so popular "squatty potty" post. Our second trip to China and I was oh so prepared for these little loves. MK, however, was not. She managed to avoid them at all costs until one night at dinner. She came to me and said, "I need to go potty" and then the ever so popular question, "Do they have a squatty potty or a real one?" I told her it was a squatty potty and she was not at all excited. The thing is, the stalls are less than small, they are filthy dirty, and, on this particular evening, they were COLD. Alas, we survived without incident and MK promptly ran back into the quiet restaurant shouting, "I did it Daddy, I went potty in the squatty potty!!!"

This trip did bring along with it new "squatty potty" information.....I now know that China has a Five Star Squatty Potty (above - somewhat clean and they even provide toilet paper), as well as......the One Star Squatty Potty (below - the picture says it all).

Needless to say, squatty potties being left behind are not a bad thing in my opinion. MK agrees. Poor little girl, she boarded the plane to come home and quickly inquired, "So, are there real potties on this plane?" and then again in the airport, "Do you think we can used a real potty here?" To say that these left an impression on MK would be an understatement!