Beijing Pictures

We had the opportunity to spend some time in Beijing a couple of weeks ago. It was great to be able to get away for a few days and relax.















Vera and I spent a lot of time shopping for things we can't get in Xiamen, while Matt did a lot of touring with his boss and other coworkers. I decided not to do the touristy stuff. I didn't think a 1 1/2 year old would do very well climbing the Great Wall or walking through the enormous Forbidden City.

We went to a very cool restaurant one night. It was designed as the emperor would have had it during the Qing Dynasty. The dress, decorations, and entertainment all came from that time period.





























Each dish was beautifully presented. Any guesses what this dish was?















Vera enjoyed feeding the doc.















We tried to get a good family picture, but Vera looks drunk in all of them! I wonder what the doc was feeding her!

Vera's 1st Cousin!

Pete and Dahlia welcomed Maya Isabel Testa into the world on March 30. Now Vera's not the only grandchild! See any resemblance?










Vera


Maya










A true cousin... Already has a love for her Nuk Nuk!

Weekend Fun

We had a really busy weekend! After the marathon, we rested then went to the Parette's for a company BBQ. The weather was absolutely beautiful all weekend long! On Saturday night Vera got some watermelon on her shirt, so after taking it off to rinse it out, she got to run around in her diaper. Even naked, she was sweaty!















After the cookout, I went to Anna's...















...for a haircut! Thank you Anna!















On Sunday afternoon we went back to the Parette's for a baby shower for Fujie. I met Fujie when we spent the summer of 2003 in Xiamen. It's been fun hanging out with her more now that we both have kids. Good thing I got that haircut...looks great, huh? It did before I pulled it back.















I hope Callie and Anna don't see this picture! It's the only one I had of baby Daniel, so I've got to post it!















The next few are some pics of Vera having a good time while the ladies chat.















She put the washers in the holes over and over and over and over... Couldn't get enough of that game!















Hey, Vera, where's you belly?

Xiamen International Marathon

Each spring Xiamen has an international marathon. It's one of only two that are hosted in China each year. There is also a 5K, 10K, and half marathon. We had a few friends run some of these shorter distances. We had a great time spending the morning outside as a family.















We didn't want to wake up early to watch the start of the marathon, so instead we saw the end. We were just a few minutes too late to see the winning runners.











































Vera gets lot of attention everywhere we go. It's "dangerous" to stop moving because people crowd around to see the foreign baby. The looks on their faces cracked us up. Everyone seems so happy to see her!















Everyone watching to see...



















...if their team can climb the highest.

Helping in the Kitchen

Vera loves it when I make tortillas because she gets to eat them too! This week, she sat down in our laundry basin to enjoy one while I made the rest.











































We had chicken tacos this week instead of beef. They were so good! Here's the fantastic, VERY easy crockpot recipe we used.

1 pound chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 package taco seasoning

Cook 6-8 hours (though it only took about 4-5 hours for us). About an hour before it's done, stir it around so that the chicken breaks up into shreds.

Simple and yummy! For those of you who don't have to make taco shells and have the convenience of buying them at the store, total dinner prep time...maybe 15 minutes...

Packages!

We got a couple of packages in the mail on Monday. It's always fun when stuff comes in the mail that we can't get here.





























Vera got a package with two Easter books, a couple of Easter eggs, and a small bag of M&Ms. I confess to eating all but two of them... At least I gave her two!














The other package was full of food items that we can't get here. Vera looks pretty excited about the taco sauce!














V has been having fun with the empty eggs. She used them to show us where her "mou.." is....















...where her "eyes" are...















...and ditched them to show us her "cheek"!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Matt often asks me if I eat french fries because I like the french fries, or because I like the ketchup. I've been wondering the same thing about Vera.