Last Post in the Year of the Horse.....

This will be my last post for this year, we are soon moving into the Year of the Sheep or Goat depending on who you ask.....we leave on Friday ( Yes Friday the 13th) to go back to the US for the first time in almost a year!  We are anxious about the flight with two little ones (13.5 hours to Dallas, then 2 hours to Phoenix), but excited for the Grace to meet her grandparents, Blake to give them hugs and to get back to familiar things for a little while.  Driving will be interesting after not being behind the wheel for almost a year, ordering from a menu I can read entirely, and easy access to public restrooms with western toilets, changing stations for babies and drive-thru Starbucks for when the baby is asleep!  Even Starbucks in China is getting in on the New Year money makers....you can also enjoy a spicy macchiato, or a chestnut latte (they are still pushing these when I ask for vanilla latte), along with a variety of strawberry cakes and desserts!  After Christmas, sadly they took away the cake pops!

As I look through the latest of my random pictures in China I will share with you what I have been seeing around town.  When I get out lately, it is pretty cold, around 30 degrees at night and in the 40's during the day.   We are bundled up in our jackets, gloves, and hats when we go out....except for the little man who is anti-glove and anti-hat, unless you tell him its really cold, then he lets you put on his hood from his jacket :)  Grace has it the best, she is bundled up and travels with a cozy blanket everywhere we go!

This lady didn't have a warm cozy blanket, and I am still unsure what she was selling to eat but it was white and purple!

Blake and I saw our first fire truck on the move in CZ!  We were clearly in front of it, the lights and siren were going and no one was moving, very different than at home if there was an Emergency vehicle coming your way!

Here is my cute little fireman!

This spelling made me laugh at my local market where i get produce.  The "Sahsfaction Shopping"!  And those long winter door covers!

When I walked into the market above this was there to greet me, dried, dead animals for purchase!

It seems when a new store, salon, restaurant, business opens it is very customary to have these beautiful floral decorations and they have plenty of them!  Usually there is an opening day ceremony, fireworks, and speech or dancing that occurs along with this.

Inside the shop

Outside the building

As I went to the grocery store today I looked around to see the shopping carts in the parking lot, usually someone goes around collecting them, but not like at home.  There is no Cart return at the end of every parking aisle to place your cart, there is no young bag boy or girl coming out to collect them ever so often, and no one grabs a cart on their way in from the parking lot......the carts are all collected every so often by a man and he has to pull them in around the side of the building to put in the cart return.  The carts don't have anywhere for a child to site, mind you Metro is more or a Costcoesk store, more for business memberships and such, foreigners shop here to get better import selections and meats and the sign above the cart return says not to put child inside the cart for Danger!  So I walk around the store pushing my stroller and my driver is kind enough to walk beside me with a cart so I can get my shopping done.  The perks of living in China!

Just to finish off the blog, here are a few photos of the kiddos!   That's all for now.....

swinging!

waiting for the school bus!

sibling love <3