30

Monday: Hiked nanshan with Sarah and Anna and 9 kids, joined in tai chi led by a local who was more than happy to oblige. Made it to 

the first 

pagoda and down gate to gate 2.5 hours. (That's a long time ) but the weather was, dare I say, perfect (breezy and shady in all the right places), and the sights were...interesting,

(NYLONS are not PANTS)

 so it made for an enjoyable morning out and the kids all got ice cream at the base of the steps.  (Not to mention, I didn't have a 30 lb.  baby in a pack I was wearing, nor a child screaming or fighting or in diapers!). I have arrived. Well at least Monday morning I was content. Todd came home from the Super Bowl party 

at the Turners 

and changed his orange shirt to a green one and we hung out with the Nashes and Granatas until dinner time. We headed via subway to Cali burger for fhe. A little grocery shopping with Chase and we were in for the night. The two Granata girls and their dad, Gabe, stayed at our place for the night, a little Chinese New Year staycation for them. 

 Letters from Ally- she is transferring to 

 Södertälje 

 with a girl from her MTC group.  I think she will love it there, a bigger city, ward, and more missionaries too.  Love reading other Swedish missionary  letters too.(Thanks Sys. Morris, Clouse & Pearson!)   

Tuesday: school, laundry, gym, finished a book about 

a

 leper 

colony

 in Greece

 , The Island

. Brooke made another nice video of the little girls and their friends. You can see her videos atwww.vimeo.com/brooketaylor.

Wednesday:  Brigham had tennis and is enjoying a Lord of the Rings 

movie 

marathon with his friends next door. Todd and I went on a run and these are the smells we encountered this time : dirty diaper, sewer, city dump, curry fish balls, garlic/onion/Chinese spices from a group of businessmen just walking back to work after lunch. Makes it pretty tough to inhale. Went out with Brynn for a bit to coastal city. We got a few things for Ally and found looking for match sticks for a science project to be unsuccessful. Not even the cigarette counter could produce any. One lady acted like she knew and led us right to the q-tips. 

Knowing mandarin would be so helpful, it would be a completely different experience for us living here.  I feel like we are missing out on so much not knowing the language.  On the flip side, ignorance is bliss, right? 

Thursday: day date with Sophie to Hong Kong. She kept saying, "this is the best day ever!"  

Since we were late in buying tickets, and it's busy with Chinese New Year, we had to buy first class ferry tickets.  She wasloving that! We got to go upstairs with tables and they served drinks.  She had fun making an iMovie on the way there.  

 I've been taking the kids one by one and it was finally her turn. We went to forever 21 kids and had hot cocoa and lemonade at a muji cafe(!).  Sent 

Syster A

lly a valentine package, grocery shopped and rode the subway. Lunch at BLT burger where all the kids seem to pick.

 She was upset that the kids' chicken didn't have bones.

 She purchased a skateboard with her own money and fell asleep with it on the ferry ride home as she drooled on her beloved derby hat. We are getting the cross the border system down, we know when to hurry up to beat the crowd and also which lines move the fastest. Todd was frying leftover polenta and bacon when we got home. Chase working on his mandarin. 

Brooke and Brynn doing their thing...crafting and creating.  

Friday. Chase and Brigham have been playing volleyball  We are thinking of moving to a place closer to the subway and Todd's work. 

We'd like to be closer to a metro stop also.  Brynn is having fun making up songs on garage band. 

Saturday:This morning Ernesto had some places lined up for us to see. It was raining. We didn't love the ones we saw but will keep looking and see if we want to make the switch. Afterwards we went to a Cantonese lunch with the 

T

ovars. my favorites are still the stir

-

 fried green beans and mango custard with cream and mango slices on top. Girls and I went out. Discovered apple pies are back at McDonald's. (Big deal around here when they switch pies with the seasons) it's been red bean, taro, banana, so we are happy to see pineapple back as well. When we got home, we saw more apple pies on the table, the boys found them too. Sophie skateboarding around in the house. They had a primary party this afternoon for a reverence reward and had a fun time at the church

 eating pizza and watching movies.  I heard there were some caramel popcorn balls as well. I'm sure Anna Nash had something to do with that, she is a master at anything caramel...caramels, turtles, etc.  Brooke enjoyed some of the peanut butter m & m s the Ho boys left on the coffee table until she learned that one of them licked them all first.  That's ok, she took a bite of pizza and put it back in the box that they took home with them.  

Sunday: Still raining and should be all week. We had a call from some friends that they wouldn't let them in the gate because they didn't have a "church card". Todd had to go down and have a "chat" with the guards. I guess there was a big event at the other church in our neighborhood that was drawing a large crowd.  All was well in the end.   I love rainy Sundays at church because the back drop at sacrament meeting is pretty great. There is a huge tree with giant green leaves that sways back and forth. Brooke taught in Young Women, Brigham taught in Young Men, and I got to teach Brynn's primary class today and play piano in primary. There are some pretty smart kids in that class. Well behaved too, which is always nice.  Home for naps and potato soup "like Gramas". A little bit 'o Olympics and scheduling for the week.  Hong Kong tomorrow. Crossing fingers that Chase can get a visa and they let him back into the country.  

  

How are you doing? Keep in touch or better yet, come visit! The weather is fine. Missing you all! 

Love from China, 

Jane & family

 

"Not everyone will make it to your future.  Some people are just passing through to teach you lessons in life."