Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving we had our first turkey in the three years that we have been here. It was a 15 pounder, the smallest available. Turkeys are not regularly available here, but some foreign grocery stores will sell them at a high price for the holidays. We decided to splurge and get one to share with friends here. I was VERY nervous when we got it home and thought that it was too big to fit in the oven! It JUST fit! There were actually two small parts that were touching the walls of the oven. We know not to get a bigger bird next year! It was the first time I had ever cooked a whole turkey and was thankful that it wasn't undercooked, overcooked, or burned!

















Yes, I was proud of this bird!

















Emily kept Vera busy while I finished cooking.
















The whole spread. Not bad for one tiny oven! Mom, you'd be proud!

















The whole crew! Everyone that came was "single"--either not married or had a spouse out of the country. It was great to be able to cook for them and enjoy some time together.

Crazy Hair!

The result of pigtails!

Brides and Grooms

We went for a walk along the beach this past weekend. Everywhere we looked there were couples having their wedding pictures taken. This is a very popular thing to do here. The brides and grooms wear clothes provided by the photo agency and spend the whole day with a photographer.

Hmm... What's been going on here lately? Not too much. Matt has stayed busy with work. He's going to be out of town during the next two days on a trip with half of the orphanage nannies. In two weeks, he goes with the other half. I was going to go...until they decide to climb a mountain. The idea of climbing a mountain with a two year old just doesn't sound fun. Vera and I will stay behind and enjoy some girl time. My time at the orphanage has been great. I can't believe the progress the club feet babies are making. They can all put their feet flat on the ground now, and I know it's only a matter of time before they are all walking! Next month, all three will turn one year old! I know that one will need surgery at some point, but with ongoing therapy the other two should be fully corrected within a few months. It has been so exciting for me to watch their progress and know that I had something to do with it! The difficult thing about going in every afternoon is leaving Vera. I'm definitely struggling with having someone stay with her... Well, actually I just struggle with having someone in our house each day. I definitely like having the house to myself. I like the way I do laundry (so I still do it myself), and I like the way I clean (I let her do that). I like knowing that Vera's not learning someone else's bad habits. I know that I've been given this great opportunity at the orphanage, but when the time comes, I'll be happy to be home with my little girl!

We took Vera to the beach this past weekend. I don't know why we haven't done it more often! The weather was perfect and Vera absolutely loved walking and playing in the sand. The government here has put lots of work into beautifying the beaches and it's really starting to show. There is such a huge difference now than when we were here in 2003. Here are some of the picture we took while out playing with Vera.

Vera's Birthday Pictures

Vera still thinks it's her birthday! Numerous times a day she is hear singing, "Happy Birthday to Vera!" Nana and Poppi came so V's birthday lasted for DAYS! She got at least two presents a day while they were here. I'm surprise she isn't asking us for more presents to open! Here are a ton of pictures from their week here.

















Reading with Poppi before the party. We had her party a few days before her actually birthday.


















Family picture.






















Eating pizza!

















Playing with one of her presents.






















Blowing out the candles.

















Eating the cake and posing with her good buddy Guo Guo! She even got seconds!





















Vera, how old are you?

















In the cabinet...again! No, she's not really sleeping.
















Playing with her bath letters.

















Another present...finger paints!

















Eating out at our favorite "roadside diner". We would have never found this place had a friend not recommended it, but it's got the best Chinese food in town!






















Playing on Gulangyu island. I love this pic!






















Hanging out with Poppi. If you ever wondered what the area was like that we live in, just look at this pic. We live right in the middle of downtown!

















Dinner buffet at the Sheraton! YUMMY! Thank you Nana and Poppi!

















On Vera's actual birthday we made cookies...

















...little bear cookies!

















Whatcha doin' mommy?

















Giving the bear some "fur".
















After Vera's birthday nap we took her to the library. Yes! The books are in English!
















Bill took us out to dinner for Vera's birthday dinner.
















Pooped out after getting home! One last birthday wish from Aunt Melinda.
















Goodnight, birthday! Sleeping in her favorite spot...just inside her bedroom door!

It's too big!

Vera has been putting a lot more words into sentences lately, and is often saying stuff that keeps us laughing.

Tonight, Matt and I were in the kitchen preparing dinner. Vera was in her playroom playing with her toy kitchen. I walked out of the kitchen every few minutes to check on her. Well, I peaked into her playroom one time to find her hands on the floor and her feet in the oven of her kitchen set, a space no larger than a shoebox. She sees me and immediately blurts out, "It's too big!" I'm not sure if she meant she is too big or the oven is too small, but I just couldn't stop laughing. She sure has a thing with trying to fit into small places!

I promise to get some birthday pictures up in the next few days.

We got a couple of videos of Vera during breakfast this morning. She was very happy to perform for the camera!

Vera's Nana and Poppy (Matt's parents) are coming to visit us! They will be here this afternoon and are staying for a week. Tomorrow we will celebrate Vera's 2nd birthday! She won't be 2 until the 17th, but this way she can get all of her presents while Nana and Poppy are here so they can play with them together.

Enjoy the videos!