March - April 2012

How has another month gone by already?  These 2 years are going to fly.  We were very happy all of our sea shipment made it here.  Some of our furniture came out with a few bumps and bruises, so we are in the process of filing claims.  The most important stuff, FOOD and DIAPERS, all made it safe and sound.  I think the kids were more excited to see Cheez-It's than they were for Santa to come.  I have to admit, Ed and I were just as excited!!  Seven cases of tuna fish has never looked so good.  Ed was also very happy to get all of his work clothes.  Our 'not so smart' movers' packed them, and his shoes,  on the sea shipment instead of air.  Good thing he had a few shirts and pants at the dry cleaners to get him by.

Grace had a fantastic time at the Daddy/Daughter dance.  I took her to our club house salon where she had a team of 3 people working on her hair.  As you can probably guess, she LOVED all of the attention.  Grace and Ed looked very dapper in their tailor-made dress and tux.

They had fun dancing the night away with all of Grace's girlfriends.  Unfortunately, Ed did not win the title of 'Best Dad Dancer'.  Not to worry, Grace and Hannah have devised a plan for him to win next year.  It is full of rockin moves, including a few flips and hand-stands.  We are all optimistic that eleven months is enough time to tweak his moves.  Just in case, I have begun the search of a good Chiropractor.

Drew finished up his basketball season with his team finishing in 3rd place.  They may not have been the best team, but they all seemed to enjoy it.  Baseball is still his sport of choice.  I think it is safe to say he is the happiest person in China to see the Detroit Tigers playing again.  It has been a LONG off season for him.  Thanks to our sling box and my parents remembering to record every game, Drew is a very happy guy!  He is the first one off the bus, running home to watch the games each day.  An added bonus for him is that our neighbors are from Boston.  Drew could NOT wait to talk a little smack after the sweep.

For book week at school, Drew had to dress up as his favorite character.  He finally decided to be The Cat in the Hat.  Unfortunately, he only gave me 2 days to come up with a costume.  Back in the states, that wouldn't have been an issue.  Here, it's torture!  I went to several fabric stores (in the fabric market) looking for felt-like material.  Who would have guessed that felt was so unpopular here?  It gave me a LOT of practice with my Mandarin.  I also had to go to  6 different stores which are supposed to be like a Party City.  In reality, it was more like unused junk from someones attic.  I did finally find a top hat and white gloves.  With what little creativity I have, I created a costume which I was very proud of!!  I will never again take for granted the luxury of having a Michaels or JoAnn's at my disposal.

Hannah is my little partner.  We have continued to explore Shanghai.  Well, at least most of the kid-friendly restaurants and shopping venues.  There are a ton of restaurants that have outdoor play areas for the kids.  With the nice weather, we are able to grab a table outside and spend the afternoon playing.  Nick usually falls asleep on the walk there, so he misses out on most of the fun.  All of the kids have started playing soccer.  Hannah has proven to be quite the little star.  She has scored every week so far.  We now call her Little Pele`.

Nicholas is a real handful now.  He crawls everywhere, and is ALWAYS touching something he shouldn't be.  His new trick is pulling himself up and standing in the bathtub.  When I scold him, he just giggles.  He has two teeth, with two more coming, and only wants to eat vegetables.  I'm starting to think he really isn't a Pleet.  At 8 months he now weighs in at 19lbs 2oz.  I think you can attribute his love of ice cream for a couple of those ounces.

Ed and I were able to have a nice date night a few weeks back.  The kids school held an Art Auction to benefit several of the local charities they sponsor.  Each of the classes created a piece or two of art for the Auction.  The kids gave us strict orders to bid on their pieces.  We really didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be a very fun evening.  We were successful in our bidding and came home with a VERY LARGE painting of the earth with several animals bordering it and a really cool bench with a dragon painted on top.  We also won three other pieces.  If the wine hadn't been so good, I don't think we would have come home with five pieces.  Either way, we are very happy with our purchases and have two kids who think we're awesome!

We also took the kids across the river one afternoon to see the Shanghai skyline.  There were more people taking pictures of our kids than of the city.  Again, I find this to be humorous.  The kids think it's funny too.  The girls always break out into their diva poses.  I'm sure it's not helping to improve their impression of Americans being high-maintenance!  Oh well!  The weather was beautiful, so we were able to walk along the Bund and enjoy some ice cream.  One of these nights Ed and I will get back there for dinner to see the city all lit up.

We've been here about 3 1/2 months now.  Overall, I would give it a rating of GREAT!  The friendships we've made will definitely last a lifetime.  My goal each day is to fully appreciate this time we have been given here.  A year ago, I never would have imagined I would step foot in Asia let alone live here.  The places we've been and the things we've experienced have been amazing.  The hardest part is keeping this in perspective for the kids.  As they talk about which country they want to go to next month, I remind them that a lot of kids never even leave Michigan!  Nick is 8 months old and has been to USA, China, South Korea, Japan and Malaysia!  I can't imagine how spoiled, and far from reality, they will be in 2 years.  For now, we will continue to live it up in our dreamlike world.