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5 years ago
Thursday, November 27, 2008
UPDATE ON JOSEPH
Yikes....I forgot to update everyone on Joseph.
A nurse on our team visited us yesterday to check out Joseph. She saw that his throat was red and left and then brought back an antibiotic for him. He has a rash and earlier today it looked like it was getting worse, but this evening it looks really good. He no longer has a fever, but is still a little grouchy and doesn't eat as many solids as before. His fever got really high at night(103.8) so we haven't slept well the past couple of nights. He is on the mend and he went to his first Thanksgiving and loved it!
WHY I HAVE A DEEPER RESPECT FOR THE PILGRIMS
We have survived our first Thanksgiving in China!!
The day before Thanksgiving, I went to another team member's home to help with preparations because I don't have an oven.....that really limits me to what I can bring. When I arrived I was amazed at how much prep. work she had to do before I even got there. She had to boil the pumpkin for the pies, and make the apple pies because she only has 2 small ovens and there's only so much time. We made the pumpkin pies from scratch (she did the crust....and shortening is not available here)and I did the filling. We then prepared a yam recipe that she would bake the next day. We then prepared the 4 chickens.....no turkeys are here either!! We had to cut the necks and feet off and then remove all the insides...this was knew to me and I tried not to show how naive I am when there wasn't a little pouch with the insides in it. I now know how to clean out the inside of a chicken....something I thought I could go my whole life without ever needing to know. We marinated the chickens in a seasoning overnight and she baked them this am. I told her I felt like a Pilgrim woman cooking the way we did except we didn't wear little while caps and aprons! It is so hard to cook anything like we are use to because we have to do everything from scratch. Nothing is in cans here.....all ingredients are fresh or you do without.
Thanksgiving morning we slept in until the Gans' skyped us....which is always a reason to get up! We enjoyed seeing into their world a little while and then off into my kitchen I went to make Rice Krispy Treats (thank you, Connie, for sending the ingredients with us....otherwise I don't know what I would have made) We talked to Jim's mom on skype for awhile and then got ready to go to our dinner with the rest of the team members.
More people were there than I expected....probably 40. Some people invited friends so there were alot of new faces. The Korean team members made Korean food but seemed happy to try the American-traditional Thanksgiving food. We had the following: mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole (made without canned cream of mushroom soup.....it was made from scratch) baked chickens, King crabs, biscuits, assorted fruits, vegetable tray with dip, dressing (the dressing was from scratch and the recipe called for breakfast sausage so my friend had to make the breakfast sausage in order to use it....I'm so glad she knows how to do that now....I so want to benefit from that) and then we had all the Korean foods. I didn't eat any Korean food, even though I love it, because I won't get another chance to eat the American food for a long time.
After dessert (apple pies, mock-pecan pie made witih oatmeal and walnuts, pumpkin pies, and my Rice Krispy treats....which the Korean and Bella-Russian team members loved....who knew!) we watched the movie Wall-E on the wall with a projector and some played board games. The kids enjoyed this. Then before we left we sang some praise songs from the dvds we broght (thanks Dan!) and went around the room and said what we're thankful for.....very moving. Then we slowly dismissed.
It really was a fun afternoon and we enjoyed the casual atmosphere and sharing laughter with new friends. Today was not like what we've been use to for so many years, but we were comfortable where we were and loved the day. One of the other team members mentioned during our time of sharing what we are thankful for that she is thankful for the kids being here. Their youth and energy is welcomed by these members and several of them are really connecting with the kids. They take time to play games with them on the computer or board games and of course they love hanging out with Joseph. My kids are the only kids here on the team, except for a boy 1 month younger than Joseph. It's fun watching the 2 boys together....I'm enjoying them noticing each other and imagine what they will be like together when they're 2!
We are thankful for so many things....too many to write tonight. We are especially thankful this Thanksgiving for our family and friends back home who are celebrating the same things we are here except 14 hours later (except Vanessa who is 17 hours behind!). We are thankful for the memories we have of past Thanksgivings....memories are precious to us now more than ever.
I have a better appreciation of those first Thanksgiving women who had so many preparations to do.....I'm learning how much work goes into a meal without so many of the modern conveniences I thought were normal......and I now know it's just easier to eat what the Chinese and Koreans do.....rice, rice, rice.
Happy Thanksgiving.......We wish you the best on this day of gratitude.
The day before Thanksgiving, I went to another team member's home to help with preparations because I don't have an oven.....that really limits me to what I can bring. When I arrived I was amazed at how much prep. work she had to do before I even got there. She had to boil the pumpkin for the pies, and make the apple pies because she only has 2 small ovens and there's only so much time. We made the pumpkin pies from scratch (she did the crust....and shortening is not available here)and I did the filling. We then prepared a yam recipe that she would bake the next day. We then prepared the 4 chickens.....no turkeys are here either!! We had to cut the necks and feet off and then remove all the insides...this was knew to me and I tried not to show how naive I am when there wasn't a little pouch with the insides in it. I now know how to clean out the inside of a chicken....something I thought I could go my whole life without ever needing to know. We marinated the chickens in a seasoning overnight and she baked them this am. I told her I felt like a Pilgrim woman cooking the way we did except we didn't wear little while caps and aprons! It is so hard to cook anything like we are use to because we have to do everything from scratch. Nothing is in cans here.....all ingredients are fresh or you do without.
Thanksgiving morning we slept in until the Gans' skyped us....which is always a reason to get up! We enjoyed seeing into their world a little while and then off into my kitchen I went to make Rice Krispy Treats (thank you, Connie, for sending the ingredients with us....otherwise I don't know what I would have made) We talked to Jim's mom on skype for awhile and then got ready to go to our dinner with the rest of the team members.
More people were there than I expected....probably 40. Some people invited friends so there were alot of new faces. The Korean team members made Korean food but seemed happy to try the American-traditional Thanksgiving food. We had the following: mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole (made without canned cream of mushroom soup.....it was made from scratch) baked chickens, King crabs, biscuits, assorted fruits, vegetable tray with dip, dressing (the dressing was from scratch and the recipe called for breakfast sausage so my friend had to make the breakfast sausage in order to use it....I'm so glad she knows how to do that now....I so want to benefit from that) and then we had all the Korean foods. I didn't eat any Korean food, even though I love it, because I won't get another chance to eat the American food for a long time.
After dessert (apple pies, mock-pecan pie made witih oatmeal and walnuts, pumpkin pies, and my Rice Krispy treats....which the Korean and Bella-Russian team members loved....who knew!) we watched the movie Wall-E on the wall with a projector and some played board games. The kids enjoyed this. Then before we left we sang some praise songs from the dvds we broght (thanks Dan!) and went around the room and said what we're thankful for.....very moving. Then we slowly dismissed.
It really was a fun afternoon and we enjoyed the casual atmosphere and sharing laughter with new friends. Today was not like what we've been use to for so many years, but we were comfortable where we were and loved the day. One of the other team members mentioned during our time of sharing what we are thankful for that she is thankful for the kids being here. Their youth and energy is welcomed by these members and several of them are really connecting with the kids. They take time to play games with them on the computer or board games and of course they love hanging out with Joseph. My kids are the only kids here on the team, except for a boy 1 month younger than Joseph. It's fun watching the 2 boys together....I'm enjoying them noticing each other and imagine what they will be like together when they're 2!
We are thankful for so many things....too many to write tonight. We are especially thankful this Thanksgiving for our family and friends back home who are celebrating the same things we are here except 14 hours later (except Vanessa who is 17 hours behind!). We are thankful for the memories we have of past Thanksgivings....memories are precious to us now more than ever.
I have a better appreciation of those first Thanksgiving women who had so many preparations to do.....I'm learning how much work goes into a meal without so many of the modern conveniences I thought were normal......and I now know it's just easier to eat what the Chinese and Koreans do.....rice, rice, rice.
Happy Thanksgiving.......We wish you the best on this day of gratitude.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE BLOG...
I spent a long time trying to figure out how to get music to play when someone reads my blog. It was time wasted. Emma thought she knew so she played around with it long after I'd given up. She thought she was unsuccessful too. Then today when I was checking my blog I heard music! How could this be since we didn't figure it out......
Then I listened hard and realized it is Dionne Warwick!!! Ugggh! Now everyone will think I'm a Dionne Warwich fan!! Apparently Emma is better than we both knew and she downloaded a list of songs to my blog and now.....you've probably guessed it......we don't know how to get it off!!
Steve.......help!!
Anyway, Enjoy Dionne while you read......she's not all that bad!
Then I listened hard and realized it is Dionne Warwick!!! Ugggh! Now everyone will think I'm a Dionne Warwich fan!! Apparently Emma is better than we both knew and she downloaded a list of songs to my blog and now.....you've probably guessed it......we don't know how to get it off!!
Steve.......help!!
Anyway, Enjoy Dionne while you read......she's not all that bad!
Monday, November 24, 2008
JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY
First of all, I thought I'd have all kinds of time to blog and now I realize it's hard to fit it in some days. I wanted to blog last night and tell you about my Monday, but could not find the time. Then when I did sit down at the computer I tried to find out how to put music on my blog...that took an hour and as you can tell still no music. I'll talk to my tech. support guy in Peru to find out so you can listen to music as you read...
Monday mornings begin with Jim walking Emma to the Foreign Language School for her Korean class. He takes Emma in a taxi and then runs home. I offer to take her, but Jim enjoys the running. He wants to pick that back up again. he has missed running these past several years. When he comes in the door, Jameson, Selah and I leave to walk to the school. There is always something new to see. The kids complain about the walking, but I enjoy it. When it gets really, really cold we'll take a taxi. We start schooling in an unused classroom at the School and Emma joins us when her class lets out at 10am. She enjoys the class even though she is the only child and the other students (who are in their 20's ) talk about her when she speaks Korean. I'm sure she looks funny to other Asians speaking the language. Her teacher tells me she's doing just fine and Emma likes going. I'm so proud of her for going and doing something on her own.
We pack up and begin our trek home between 11:30 and noon. Yesterday we stopped to buy bread and our favorite coconut/fruit cookies that this Korean bakery has . When we walk in the door, Sunny (our helper) has our lunch ready. She always makes a hot Korean/Chinese lunch. We love her cooking....Jameson doesn't when there isn't meat but we can always bank on there being rice!!
After lunch I spend time on the computer chatting with Sara. Our skype is currently not working on our computer and we hope to get that fixed real soon, so for now we just chat. It's fun to hear of her times with her 2 new adopted children. My heart swells when I hear of the things she is experiencing with her children. We joke around that I was their at their conception because we pr**ed over the first papers sent to the adoption agency.....maybe that explains why I have such a bond...I am so excited to meet the children and get to know them. That day will come, but for now I enjoy chatting with their momma and loving her during this transition time.
Emma and I ran to a fancy-girlie store yesterday afternoon while Jim went back to the School to help with a heating problem. The other 3 kids stayed home with Sunny. Emma and I bought a few Christmas presents and she found all kinds of things she wants for her birthday and Christmas next month. We then stopped at another bakery on the way home and bought 2 small cakes for supper's dessert. The woman at the bakery helped us pronounce some words so it was like a Chinese lesson at the bakery.....now those are my kind of lessons...a little cake, a little lesson!
Joseph had been running a fever all day and when I got home it was at 103.8! The rest of the evening I tended to him. We brought from the States plenty of Tylenol and Ibuprofen and we used cool cloths on his head. He wanted to nurse alot which I was glad for, so he won't dehydrate. Jim and I don't agree on how to handle a child's fever so we both voiced how it should be done and then we did it his way. Our night was long with setting our alarm every few hours so we could check his fever and give more medicine. He doesn't have any other symptoms and he really isn't that cranky...just clingy.
So now it's Tuesday and Jim is at the school teaching our children and I get to stay home with Joseph. He is still running fever but is happy to follow Sunny around in his walker while I write. I'm still giving him tylenol regularly and he still doesn't have any other symptoms. Hopefully the other children won't get whatever he has, but they are always in his face kissing and loving on him....and he loves it!!
It's time for his morning nap now. I'll try to write of anothe day later. We miss you all and I hope this blog will be a way that we feel closer to you and you feel a little closer to us.
Monday mornings begin with Jim walking Emma to the Foreign Language School for her Korean class. He takes Emma in a taxi and then runs home. I offer to take her, but Jim enjoys the running. He wants to pick that back up again. he has missed running these past several years. When he comes in the door, Jameson, Selah and I leave to walk to the school. There is always something new to see. The kids complain about the walking, but I enjoy it. When it gets really, really cold we'll take a taxi. We start schooling in an unused classroom at the School and Emma joins us when her class lets out at 10am. She enjoys the class even though she is the only child and the other students (who are in their 20's ) talk about her when she speaks Korean. I'm sure she looks funny to other Asians speaking the language. Her teacher tells me she's doing just fine and Emma likes going. I'm so proud of her for going and doing something on her own.
We pack up and begin our trek home between 11:30 and noon. Yesterday we stopped to buy bread and our favorite coconut/fruit cookies that this Korean bakery has . When we walk in the door, Sunny (our helper) has our lunch ready. She always makes a hot Korean/Chinese lunch. We love her cooking....Jameson doesn't when there isn't meat but we can always bank on there being rice!!
After lunch I spend time on the computer chatting with Sara. Our skype is currently not working on our computer and we hope to get that fixed real soon, so for now we just chat. It's fun to hear of her times with her 2 new adopted children. My heart swells when I hear of the things she is experiencing with her children. We joke around that I was their at their conception because we pr**ed over the first papers sent to the adoption agency.....maybe that explains why I have such a bond...I am so excited to meet the children and get to know them. That day will come, but for now I enjoy chatting with their momma and loving her during this transition time.
Emma and I ran to a fancy-girlie store yesterday afternoon while Jim went back to the School to help with a heating problem. The other 3 kids stayed home with Sunny. Emma and I bought a few Christmas presents and she found all kinds of things she wants for her birthday and Christmas next month. We then stopped at another bakery on the way home and bought 2 small cakes for supper's dessert. The woman at the bakery helped us pronounce some words so it was like a Chinese lesson at the bakery.....now those are my kind of lessons...a little cake, a little lesson!
Joseph had been running a fever all day and when I got home it was at 103.8! The rest of the evening I tended to him. We brought from the States plenty of Tylenol and Ibuprofen and we used cool cloths on his head. He wanted to nurse alot which I was glad for, so he won't dehydrate. Jim and I don't agree on how to handle a child's fever so we both voiced how it should be done and then we did it his way. Our night was long with setting our alarm every few hours so we could check his fever and give more medicine. He doesn't have any other symptoms and he really isn't that cranky...just clingy.
So now it's Tuesday and Jim is at the school teaching our children and I get to stay home with Joseph. He is still running fever but is happy to follow Sunny around in his walker while I write. I'm still giving him tylenol regularly and he still doesn't have any other symptoms. Hopefully the other children won't get whatever he has, but they are always in his face kissing and loving on him....and he loves it!!
It's time for his morning nap now. I'll try to write of anothe day later. We miss you all and I hope this blog will be a way that we feel closer to you and you feel a little closer to us.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
WHY A BLOG?
Okay....this is what happened.
My dear friend Sara set up a blog for our kids before we left the States. As I was helping the kids work on their blog here in China,I realized that I would like to have a place where I can express in my own words what our new life is like. In order for me not to take over the kids' blog I needed to set up my own. Now, I still don't have very good computer skills but I'm excited to try this. So thanks alot, Sara, for introducing me to another thing I don't have time for....and I hope all enjoy being a part of the adventures we're having here in China.
Love,
Andra
My dear friend Sara set up a blog for our kids before we left the States. As I was helping the kids work on their blog here in China,I realized that I would like to have a place where I can express in my own words what our new life is like. In order for me not to take over the kids' blog I needed to set up my own. Now, I still don't have very good computer skills but I'm excited to try this. So thanks alot, Sara, for introducing me to another thing I don't have time for....and I hope all enjoy being a part of the adventures we're having here in China.
Love,
Andra
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