Easter on Er Sha

Our first Easter in China.

We were able to attend our first church meeting (last week was District Conference in the Ramada Inn hotel)-We're in the International Guangzhou branch and we meet in an apartment building. One apartment is the chapel, another apartment is for the nursery and primary, and the third is for the youth.

Everyone must have a foreign passport to attend. There are actually 3 other branches in Guangzhou but they are for the Chinese and we're not allowed to associate with them.

Before Church we had an egg hunt.

Oliver loves to have his legs free.

If he's fussy we just undress him & he's happy

He turned 4 months-old the day after Easter - most chinese think he's at least 6 months.

I wonder why?

Here are the boys looking for the hidden eggs & chocolates.

They look so tired -Jet lag has been a challenge.

Our awesome neighbor supplied us with baskets, colored eggs and chocolates.

She from Cardston Alberta & know my cousins.

(Her brother is business partnes with Tammy's husband Jeff and her uncle is in the same Dental practice as James - small world!).

She also attends our branch. She lives a floor above us and directly above us is the relief society president & her husband is the second counselor in the branch presidency.

So we're being taken care of.

After Church we walked around the Island - Called Er Sha

(Google Earth Guangzhou, & it's the island in the north split of the Pearl river) If you find Xinhai concert hall that's the right Island.

We live on th north side of the Island- the complex closest to the bridge with the pool in the middle.

On our walk we found a picture of Lake Powell. Isaac is having a rough time. Once again it's the jet lag.

The boys throwing rocks in the river

Our three boys turn heads.

There were having this random conference promoting a new car company.

They boys took advantage of the balls.

They played there for over an hour. Fun times

Our new home

We live in an apartment complex called Oakwood: Gold Arch

The complex has a swimming pool, a gym with a sauna & jacuzzi, a restaurant, a small store, a preschool,

and a playground.


Our new entertainment center.
Too bad we only get CNN international, the BBC, & star TV
(a station that shows old sit-com reruns).
Even those stations are censored.
If any news about Tibet, from CNN or the BBC, aired the screen would go black.
The complex in on an island in the middle of the pearl river.
Here's Isaac meeting some neighbors.


The boys have fun anywhere.

We finally got internet - but it's filtered.

Which means I can't read others blogs or any comments on my blog. Que lastima!

Jet lag in Japan

Our rest stop in Japan

This image explains our jet lag.

They fell asleep at 7:00 in the morning.

One of my favorite things in Japan - the deep tubs.

We also loved the high-tech toilets, the incredible food, and the service.

One thing I didn't like- we had to pay $30 to use the hotel swimming pool. The pool was much better than your average hotel pool and the boys had to wear these small swimming caps.

I guess that image was worth the money.

Another great thing - this awesome crib.

Most other hotels just give you a small pack'n play.

Too bad this crib wasn't used much. The boys woke up at 1:00 am.

The final thing we loved was Japan Airlines.

They have a check-in line just for parents with children, a children's meal for the flight, and toys for all the children - which Daniel is playing with in this picture. they also had this incredible lounge with tons of free food and drinks, and massage chairs. All this for passengers in economy class.

More of San Francisco

We then headed to the Palace of Fine Arts & the exporatorium via public bus.

Another adventure with three small children.

Isaac with the Palace of Fine Arts Lagoon

The boys chased those duck for at least an hour.
Like the wharf, they nearly fell in the water.
.
Here they are in the exporatorium.
This museum is as hands-on as the Boston's children's museum, but more educational.
They had so much fun!

The sand dunes.

Daniel with the bridge

The boys back at the hotel.

I didn't get any picture of Oliver b/c he was attached to me the whole day.

We returned by a public bus again expect this route went through China town -

this time is was just like China. CROWDED

Ghirardelli

After a stop in the park we headed for some chocolate.

We left with so much chocolate and I only actually bought one bar for Marc.

People kept giving the boys free samples, we seriously had a bag full.
This was their smallest cone. Lucky for Isaac,

and lucky for Daniel

They both finished their cones outside, playing around this water fountain.

That statue is my life - breastfeeding for the last three years.

Fisherman's Wharf

While Marc worked, we saw the highlight of the city

We got to the wharf via street car.

Not child friendly, at least for someone with three little ones. Luckily people were helpful.
Isaac with the sea lions.
The boys loved this - especially when the sea lions decided to wrestle.

They also loved harassing these seagulls -

this didn't last too long, the boys almost fell off the dock.

Alcatraz in the background, and another shot of my new stroller.

We originally didn't get the stroller b/c the back child can't see anything,

but they both fight over sitting back there - go figure?

Alcatraz clothing

The yummy food that we didn't try.

We were all too full from our free breakfast at the hotel.

Tacos in China Town?

San Francisco

Marc CAN do two things at once, sort-of

Talk on the cell phone & push the boys.


China Town - which is not even like China.
Here are the boys in my new stoller, so far it's been perfect for China - the smallest double stroller made.

We decided to get mexican food b/c who knows when we'll have it again.
It was so good! Marc felt like he was back on the mission with his tacos al pastor and horchata.
Here's Isaac downing the horchata - a mi no me gusta.
Los chapines no la tomen y soy pura chapina (for Johnny)

We inhaled the food .
Who knew that they only give you crackers and 4 oz. of juice for a 5 1/2 hour flight.

Our favortite thing in China town.

Totoro and the cat/bus.
Thanks again for the movie Qualters.

For Justin, The World is a wonderful place to be born in . . .

And so it begins

Yes, we checked all those bags.

Customs was fun

We also gate-checked a double stroller, a snap & go, a car seat, & three bundle-me's.

Security was fun

Oliver enjoyed the flight,

We was held the entire time and I fed him like crazy. Why wouldn't a three-month-old enjoy it

Daniel and Isaac did well on the flight to San Francisco as well.
Lots of movies and books helped.

The Last Days

Here are some images from our last days in DC. . .

We ate our final Sunday dinner with "the framily" - It was the best lasagna ever!

We already miss you guys - how will we survive without your sunday dinners?

Our final visit from the Qualter and Palmers.

How will Marc survive without the trash talk

Our final Sunday -we were able to say goodbye from the pulpit.
They had us speak the day before we flew off.
How will survive without our visits with Isaac -

Frogs!

National Geographic's Frog exhibit

What you see before you enter NG headquaters

One of the sites

Isaac with Grandpa -

My partents drove up from Atlanta one last time before we headed off to our new home. We even had an extra room at the Residence Inn (Our 2 week home)

Grandpa with his video camera, a common site.

Our last metro ride for a few years.