"Mom, when will we...

Have soft chicken again?”  This is the question that was posed to me at supper tonight from my beloved daughter, Lauren.  To which I responded, “Huh?”  Lauren then said, “you know, Mom, when are we going to have soft chicken again, not this chewy, rubbery chicken.”  And so this explains perfectly the kind of chicken we get here in China!  No matter how much I beat it with a tenderizer before baking or grilling it, it turns out, well...a little chewy.  I promised Lauren that when we get back to the US we will have perfectly soft chicken often!

Bali was beautiful and such a wonderful, relaxing time for our family.  I will try to post some photos of it soon.  

Where have we been?

Well, actually just China! But for some reason these last 2 months have slipped away! I seriously don't know where the days go - most days I don't even know where the hours go! And because it has been so long since I blogged I'm sure I have some very interesting anecdotes about living here in China to share with you. But, alas, it is almost midnight here and I can't think of one interesting anecdote to share so I'll just share some quick blips from our life.

Leah got glasses. She still is as beautiful as ever (I'm biased, I know) but now she can see. Turns out that is a good thing! She has to wear them all the time because without them everything is a blur! It has left Kate longing for glasses though - you know...no one likes to be the odd man out. She tells me almost daily how bad her eyes are and that she can't see anything. Funny, how her eye site deteriorated so quickly once Leah got glasses.

Big news, Shanghai now has a Krispy Kreme and a Carl's Jr. burger place! Life is so good when you can have big juicy hamburgers, all you can drink fountain cokes and sugary bliss for dessert! It's the little things that count!

Christmas was great. Christmas in China looks a little different but all in all we had a great time! Yes, that is Santa...don't you recognize him? And yes, those are Mickey Mouse ears on Kate...the child wears them all the time, every where...I've just given up on that one!

Mom & Dad were here so it was loads of fun to have them for Christmas. Santa found us and we had turkey and cornbread dressing with all the fixins...couldn't even really tell we were in China! Our driver, Leo, had Christmas dinner with us and he was so thrilled to be eating his first ever Christmas dinner. And by the end of the meal, his plate was empty so it must have been at least a little good to him!

The last month has been such a blur that I haven't even downloaded my Christmas pictures off the camera - that's how behind I am. Honestly, along time ago (say about 7 years ago) I was really with it and had all my ducks in a row. Now I have 3 extra ducks and can't seem to keep anything in a row!

And last but not least in just a few days it will be Chinese New Year and we are headed away from this big city life to soak up the sun on the beach in beautiful, tropical Bali! I know it's rough duty but someone has to do it. Actually, John is gone from Shanghai most every week from Monday to Thursday and our family is in some serious need of hanging out with Dad time! We all can't wait for it! I'll post some pictures of beautiful Bali soon...you know, like in May! :)

Blessings!