We're Going on Vacation!

We are tired of the cold, wet weather. We're going on vacation! The weather really has been terrible--about 50 degrees and wet for the last three weeks. That wouldn't be so bad, but we don't have heat! We have two small space heaters to help keep us warm, though if any other appliance is on, we can only use one of them. One small heater in about 1500 square feet doesn't do much!

We are leaving this afternoon for Thailand. The first week is for rest and vacation. We'll be in Bangkok for a day, then off to the beaches of Phuket for the rest of the week. After that, we'll fly to northern Thailand and spend most of the week at the Jian Hua conference in Chiang Mai. We are very excited for this opportunity to get away as a family and enjoy some warm weather!

We'll be back on February 25, and on March 4 Vera and I are leaving for a three week trip to the US. We are thankful that Vera is a great traveler! I'll post some pics during our trip if I get a chance. If not, then I'll be back at the end of the month.

Bowling with Uncle Mark

My brother Mark was here last week. The weather was pretty wet and cold, so there wasn't much to do. We did go bowling one afternoon. Vera loved having him around (so did Matt and I), and she now refers to our guest bedroom as "Uncle Mark's bedroom". Here's a little video of the two of them bowling.

This afternoon, about ten minutes after Vera was put down for her nap, she starts yelling for me, "Mommy! Mommy!" I could tell she wasn't in distress. I thought she was just stalling. I walked in, she sat up, stuck her finger into the air, and excitedly expressed, "Mommy, it's a booger!" Do you have any idea how hard it was to not bust out laughing!?!

Halfway there!

As of yesterday, I'm 20 weeks pregnant. When I said something about it to Matt, he was amazed at how fast the time has gone. It's definitely going quicker than when we were waiting for Vera. I'm sure it helps to have a 2 year old to keep us busy. Most of the time I feel great. Vera seems quite clueless that in only a few months she will no longer be an only child.

Super Bowl "Monday"

Every year we try to find a place to watch the Super Bowl. This year we didn't have to look far. We watched it in our own living room! Matt brought the projector home from work, we hooked it up to the TV, and were able to watch the Super Bowl on what must have been the biggest "screen" in town. We had several friends come over to watch it with us. We all pitched in to make a great breakfast as we watched it Monday morning. Great food. Great friends. A great game!

Vera got her first haircut today! The ends of her hair were really dry, and she definitely needed a trim. When I told Matt I was going to do it, he kept asking, "Are you sure you want to do this?" I only took about an inch off the back. I didn't dare touch the rest of it. The front is still so much shorter than the back that I'm sure there are many more trims to come before she needs a "real" haircut.


















Taking a little off the back... I only posted this picture because it has my belly in it. Mom keeps asking whether or not I'm showing yet. I definitely am, but I don't know that you can really tell in this pic. Our local friends have all starting patting my belly when they see me.

















From the front...

















...and from the back.

















And one little chunk to save.

Preschool

Vera started preschool at the beginning of January. We had previously had a woman that came to our home and watched her in the afternoons while I went to the orphanage. Well, I got tired of having someone else here everyday, so we decided instead to have Vera attend a Chinese preschool in the mornings. She goes for three hours four mornings a week and loves it! She comes home each day repeating Chinese phrases while she plays, obviously something she heard someone say that day. Soon, her Chinese is going to be better than mine!

I'm REALLY enjoying having the house to myself again. We've tried several times since moving here to hire someone to help with Vera and housework so that I can have a little time at the orphanage, and each time I feel the same way...THRILLED when they're gone! I could write a whole post about that. I'll save you from having to hear! Anyway, I really LOVE cleaning my own house. I love that for the two mornings that I don't go to the orphanage, I can have some time alone in a quiet home. I feel so much more refreshed, my house feels so much more clean, and I feel like I've got more energy and desire to do fun things with Vera after her afternoon nap.

Here are a couple of pictures from her first day at school.

Walking out the door...


















She was the second child there her first day. Didn't make for a very good picture. There are about 12 kids in her class.


















After coming home... "Oh, I'm exhausted!"