tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1868975084538895092024-03-12T19:47:57.977-07:00Crebbin HappeningsThis blog is for all of our friends and family to keep up with the Crebbin Happenings.Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.comBlogger612125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-86809939323497545542016-11-13T16:52:00.001-08:002016-11-13T16:52:41.054-08:00No Trick, Little Treat, Lots of Spirit...So not sure if it's due to the fact that the girls are getting older, or that one was sick on Halloween and the other had a last minute cancellation of soccer practice that she was prepared to attend, but this year we put very little effort into Halloween. So little that the sick one didn't leave the house, and the other wore her pajamas, only hitting up a couple houses.<br />
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However, that doesn't mean we don't have spirit. In fact, the previous week had been spirit week at school, so thought you might enjoy some photos from that.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me as Professor Sybill Trelawney on Harry Potter Day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We rocked Pajama Day!</td></tr>
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And not to leave out my boys...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Josh and Elissa dressed for a party as Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin and his crocodile catch!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nailed Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation</td></tr>
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On a positive, we had very little candy around the house to indulge in! And it seems we all enjoy pretend play now and then! And with Halloween in the past, let the holiday festivities begin!<br />
<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-82805521157294079462016-10-22T18:52:00.000-07:002016-10-22T18:52:27.950-07:00Trumpet Tribute...Remember all the attention Jaelyn got a year ago regarding her robotic arm that the <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/09/robo-jaelyn.html">high school made her</a>? She even <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/09/media-day.html">made the Seattle news</a>! Well a couple months after that all settled down, the robotics club made her a second arm, one that she could play the trumpet with. She has been playing the baritone <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/03/aura-lee.html">since 5th grade</a>, and is pretty good at it. She has been wanting a new challenge, and wanting to play more notes than the baritone plays. So this week we finally stopped talking and rented a trumpet. She is loving playing it, and has appreciated tips from her dad, who played both instruments when he was younger. She's not allowing me to video just yet, but here's a shot of her practicing. Love the pink arm!<br />
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In less exciting news, Mike and I both quietly celebrated our birthdays over the past two weeks. Unlike the last two years, no birthday ended in zero. Due to my <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/06/mua-no-not-mma.html">frozen shoulder</a>, I didn't accomplish the bucket list this year I had planned. I plan to fully recover over the winter, so stay tuned.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What do you get the ultimate Sounders fan? A Sounder license plate frame for his new toy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little dark, but my parents made me Seahawk earrings. I think Jaelyn loves her panda pajamas (both photos)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I also forgot to mention that Jaelyn is currently playing volleyball for her school. This is the last week of games, and I just now realized that I forgot to get any action photos! She has really been enjoying herself, and has racked up a decent serve. I'll try and at least get a photo of her in uniform, as both her games are away this week. Check back soon for those photos and trumpet noise....Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-28706890159148862042016-09-27T07:01:00.002-07:002016-09-27T07:03:40.386-07:00Off to a Great Start...School is off and running, and so are we! Three of us are back to middle school, and one can't seem to get out of high school! Mike is the only one making a big change this year, switching it up from math to science. He is teaching sophomore biology and AP physics this year.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What happens when a 12 yr. old gets a hold of your phone.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Gymnastics practice has begun for Kaia, but her season does not start until January. Her foot was x-rayed in August, and is fully recovered. Jaelyn has begun regular season play for club soccer, but is also playing volleyball on the 7th school team. She made the varsity squad and won their season opener last week. Guess who the referee was? Yep, me! Only one official ref showed up, which left the 7th grade game in need, which I happily filled. I also am score keeper yet again for the high school team, so despite being "retired," I'm getting my volleyball fill.<br />
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Jaelyn decided she wanted to be more involved at school this year, so ran for ASB Treasurer.<br />
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She spent almost all weekend making her posters (they were the nicest ones at school, and I'm not biased!), and she wrote a fun speech that even included a Hillary/Donald joke that got a laugh. Well it must have worked, because she won her race.<br />
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This weekend Jaelyn decided that she was tired of her long hair, so wanted a change. I flippantly suggested she donate her hair, to which she was intrigued. We did some research and found that <a href="http://www.childrenwithhairloss.us/">Children With Hair Loss</a> nonprofit only needs 8" of hair, compared to most other organizations 10" requirement, to make a wig, because it is specifically for kids. So that's just what she did! Tomorrow we mail off the 9" that she got cut off. And her new, spunky hair cut is adorable on her.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her thick braided hair looks more like a horse tail!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her hair has even more body to it now that it's short.</td></tr>
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Kaia's turn to shine last week, was for her piano recital. In addition to playing, her teacher asked if she would emcee. She took it serious, and practiced saying all the names and pieces loudly and correctly. She did a great job as both emcee and performer. She played <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender%27s_Blue">Lavender's Blue</a> from Cinderella and Harp Song for her pieces, the first of which is shown below. She's been playing for about 1.5 years now and still enjoying it. We're really proud of how self-disciplined she has been regarding practicing...<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-23192727051202000152016-09-25T20:10:00.000-07:002016-09-25T20:10:37.714-07:00So Long Summer...As fall is now upon us, I realized I never closed out summer. Typically American's think of Labor Day Weekend as being the last weekend of summer. However, teachers have an entirely different viewpoint. That being Labor Day is one last day to work before school begins the next day. So let me back up to our last weekend of summer.<br />
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I've <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/07/china-bound.html">mentioned my niece Hayden before</a>, as she has been battling cancer since last summer. If you haven't' seen it yet, she keeps a blog of her journey titled <a href="http://themerkelmiracle.com/">The Merkel Miracle</a> that is very inspiring. Check it out if you haven't already. Anyhow, we spent our last weekend of summer at her wedding! It was such a joyous occasion. The girls were so excited to be in it. And both of the boys were able to come, so it was a great, yet quick family reunion.<br />
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Before... <br />
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During...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please excuse the bright sunshine, but it was beautiful.</td></tr>
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And after...<br />
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The morning we were leaving for home, we went out for breakfast with most of the family to celebrate Kellen's birthday. Can't believe he turned 25 already!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So the birthday boy was still sleeping; it was 7 am afterall!</td></tr>
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We also gave Joshua his birthday present 10 days early. Last year he had shown me some artwork he really liked at a local arts & crafts show. When I saw the artist again this year, I decided to get him a piece for his birthday. It's definitely a different taste; <a href="http://timwistrom.com/drupal/catalog/1">post-<span class="st">apocalyptic</span> scenes of famous Seattle landmarks.</a> Got him one of the Space Needle going down and had it framed...<br />
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Backing up, the girls and I drove down ahead of the rest of the family, who had school and work commitments. We were able to spend a few days with my family. While there the girls and I met their cousin Teagan for the first time. She was a premie but doing quite well now.<br />
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We also got to hang out with my Grandpa. Always a delight.<br />
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We stopped at the beautiful <a href="http://www.oregonhiking.com/oregon-adventures/100-hikes-in-the-central-oregon-cascades/willamette-pass-hikes/salt-creek-falls-hike">Salt Creek Falls</a> on our way down to the wedding. Such a beautiful place to stretch our legs.<br />
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<br />Came across another summer photo I thought I would throw in here. Jaelyn and Kaia were to take nine weeks or so of tennis camp, two times a week. Well if you remember, Kaia broke her foot the first week school was out, so tennis was not going to happen. Jaelyn was nervous about going by herself, but was pleasantly surprised a friend from her old soccer team was in the same class. Jaelyn missed nearly half the classes due to our trip to China, but came home in time for the last two, with the last one being the final tournament. Jaelyn did great for missing so much, and even ended up in the championship against her friend.<br />
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By the end of summer the entire family was able to make it out to the court a few times. Finally felt good for me to get out and do something physical. Jaelyn taught me how to serve one-handed, and my shoulder even felt good enough for me to start doing some low tosses. Looking forward to more family tennis next summer...<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-4053035245427225532016-08-18T15:43:00.001-07:002016-08-18T15:43:09.136-07:00Final Leg...Getting out of Changchun turned out to be quite the experience. <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/08/flying-south.html">As I mentioned before</a>, flying domestically, our guides can come all the way to security with us. We got to the airport 90 minutes before our short flight to Beijing. Thank goodness we did, because we needed every moment of it. After waiting in quite a long line, we approached the check-in, only to be told we were not in the system. Our guide Kathy had us move to the side, then she quickly got on the phone, assuming to her employer. After hanging up, she told us they were contacting the Beijing office, so it would be just a couple minutes. In the next "couple minutes," she made multiple phone calls, cut in front of other flyers to check back in with the ticket agent, and walked away to talk with someone at the information booth multiple times. Was definitely thinking to myself, "someone messed up." We were actually staying calm, as we had a "gut feeling" it would all work out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patiently waiting at the airport with our guide. Don't we look calm?</td></tr>
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Finally, she had us gather our things and follow her around the corner to another ticket agent. When it was finally our turn up front, once again we were turned away and asked to wait to the side. Looking at our watches, we knew our plane was now to be boarding. Suddenly the ticket agent was speaking in a more than usual rushed tone and waved us over. Our names had appeared in the system! We checked in and hurried to security where we came to a screeching halt! "Sorry, you can't bring the scooter through here." No, not again (as we watched another stroller go on through). Our guide pleaded for us, and explained we were in a rush, but to no avail. Once again we rushed and paid to get it wrapped, but this time instead of to oversize luggage, we had to return to the ticket agent to send through (China x-rays your luggage while you're standing there, in case they need you to open it). We ran back to security, said goodbye to Kathy, and thankfully made it through without a hitch. We saw our gate, and fortunately they were still loading. We hopped in line and caught our breath. As we boarded the plane, look what we discovered...<br />
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Yep, we had first class seats! What a blessing. The girls were giddy, as was I, as we had never experienced this before. Jaelyn had her first class slippers on in no time, and we had our beverages before we even took off. Hope I don't sound too ungrateful when I thought "Too bad this was our shortest of the 7 flights we had this trip."<br />
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Funny side note I meant to share in the last post. On one of our car rides, Kathy mentioned the driver had some questions for us. One of those was "Why did we adopt children with special needs?" That's a detailed answer to give a guide who struggles with comprehending us, to then interpret, but Mike and I gave it our best shot. We told her that God placed China on our heart, so we responded. We also, <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/08/flying-south.html">yet again</a>, explained how we don't see our children's outside differences, nor place limitations on appearances. What's on the inside is what we want to cultivate, and that is limitless in everyone. To us, through adoption, everyone gains. I am not sure how she interpreted this to the driver, but I think we got our point across. I then noticed her typing something into the translation app on her phone. I cannot recall the word she came up with, but it was the name to one of the Buddhas, meaning virtuous Buddha. She told me that's who I was. Mike laughed pretty hard at that one! <br />
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Now back to Beijing. We met up with our new guide and driver, whose only job was to get us to our hotel, then back to the airport in less than 24 hours. We were told the drive would take about 40 minutes. Wrong. Our driver cut that time in half by driving on the shoulder of a major freeway the entire time, surpassing all traffic! This, despite the sign stating to leave 3 meters for emergency vehicles. Oh my.<br />
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Our last hurrah for the trip was in meeting up with my good friend Ying. I have known him for nearly 10 years now, as we have been on eight or so trips together, working in orphanages. He lives half the year in Shanghai, half in the US. He is a very generous man who was actually returning from a <a href="http://www.visitingorphans.org/who/about/">Visiting Orphans</a> trip to Siping, so our timing to meet up in Beijing was impeccable. We enjoyed one last meal with Chinese eggplant together.<br />
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Early the next morning we were off to the airport. This time our driver stayed between the lines the entire drive! We learned our lesson and had kept Kaia's scooter wrapped, and sent it through baggage from the start. Our tickets this year were the cheapest I had ever paid in any of my previous 12 trips to China. Part of the reason was the low cost of fuel now, but part was due to our return flight being multiple carriers. With the first leg being a quick flight to Shanghai on a Chinese flight that is connected with Delta, we thought it would be no worry. Let's just say they only had two ticket agents working in Shanghai, causing a long back up. We ran, as best as we could with Kaia, once we finally had tickets in hand. When we got to security, there was actually a man holding a "Delta" sign, which allowed us to surpass the long line. Seems we weren't the only ones running late.<br />
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Fortunately the flight home was uneventful. Wish I could say the same about our drive. Kellen picked us up from the airport for our nearly 2 hour ride home, only for us to find ourselves sitting on the side of I-5 in Seattle, just a few miles away. We found that car rentals won't pick you up on the side of an interstate, and tow trucks only carry two passengers. Quite an adventure, but we finally made it home after hopping over the guardrail, down a hill of blackberry bushes, and through a gap in a fence, to be picked up at a physical address by Enterprise Car Rental! Mike and Kellen returned the next day to pick up our van (our insurance would only tow within 12 miles) and bring her home. Thankfully it was just the alternator, and not the transmission like we thought. We were planning on trading her in this Fall anyhow, so got an early jump on it.<br />
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Goodbye Vanna...<br />
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Hello Pearl...<br />
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And as difficult as it was for some of us to leave, we were all happy to be home and in our own beds. We know this was not a "Goodbye" to China, but a "See you later." <br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-78058479242534405122016-08-15T14:42:00.001-07:002016-08-15T14:42:20.627-07:00Jaelyn in Jilin...Wish I could say our flight north went off without a hitch once again, but this time I cannot. You see, we've been traveling with Kaia's knee scooter, and as many rules/regulations in China are interpreted differently from place to place, evidently the familiarity of what her knee scooter actually is and how it is handled, changes too. This time, as we were getting our boarding passes, we were told she could not bring it through security and on the plane. We were told we had to go to oversize luggage and pay to have it wrapped in cardboard, then smothered in giant saran wrap. Thankfully this wasn't an international flight, so we still had our guide to interpret for us. Funny thing is, as we were speed walking (didn't plan extra time for this excursion), we see a family with a HUGE stroller, one seat in front for toddler, one rear facing for car seat, going through security with no problem. What? Good thing this is towards the end of our trip and Kaia could get along well on her boot alone. I don't believe there's such a thing as Chinese with Disabilities Act. Nonetheless, 84 yuan <strike>and two boxes of Costco saran wrap</strike> later (about 13 bucks), we made it to our gate on time.<br />
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This time our destination was Changchun City, the capital of the Jilin province. We were greeted by our guide Kathy, who immediately took Jaelyn under her wing. As we maneuvered through the airport, Kathy placed her arm around Jaelyn, making sure she did not lose her on our quest to find our vehicle. No worries though, as this is a much smaller airport than what we have been use to. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8TkUMJtK5k">Changchun</a> is a small Chinese city of around 9 million, so has a different feel compared to the three previous cities we visited. We noticed on our drive to our hotel that this city has also changed quite a bit since we were last here. The city is currently under a lot of construction (what city in China isn't?), as they are putting in a subway. On our hour long drive to our hotel, as we watched out the windows, Kathy was busy making arrangements for Jaelyn to meet her foster family the following day. There had been some confusion with which family we are to meet with, as two sisters have both had foster children from this orphanage, so it was difficult getting the right person on the phone. Plus, the orphanage has moved an hour away from where it used to be, to where it is now. However, the files are kept at the old orphanage, which is now mainly used for office space and storage. We needed to decide which orphanage we wanted to visit. Since the foster family lives near the older facility, and we would really like to read her files, we chose to visit the older one in the morning, despite not children being there. I could already sense Jaelyn's anxiety. You see, she likes to know everything in advance, and often starts the day off with "Tell me what's going on today, Mom.," which means give me an hour by hour outline. A simple prayer with her was the best I had to offer.<br />
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Once checked in to the hotel, we were on our own for the remainder of the afternoon and evening. We realized we were not far from our hotel from the first trip, so we ventured out to explore. We found that it was now an empty building, but many of the shops we frequented were still there. However, the street vendors are gone, replaced by a giant, expensive shopping mall. Prada, Gucci, etc., huge named retailers filled this mall. All that's missing were the shoppers. Strange feeling as every store front had 1-2 workers standing in the entrance, as this foreign family of four strolled through the empty mall. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another nearby mall, but this one busy, where we chose to get out of the rain and eat dinner, then have a blizzard for dessert. Minion statues are all over the mall; in fact, all over China!</td></tr>
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Once again, we felt as if we are the only western foreigners that were in our hotel. Breakfast was served on the 26th floor, where there is a 360° view of the city, much like the Space Needle. Not sure if the breakfast selection is really poor, despite being a lot of choices, or I am just done with Chinese breakfast! However, someone enjoyed it. Who knew this girl loved shell fish so much? We live on an island, yet I've never seen her eat like she did this breakfast.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast with a view.</td></tr>
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We left early and headed off for the orphanage, which was a good distance away. Where we weren't allowed to visit the orphanage back in 2006, our guide then did take us there, where we hoped we weren't seen as we snapped photos from afar. However, despite our second trip, we did not recognize the area we were driving to. We recalled a much more rural area with buildings far and few between. We were driving on some muddy roads, and definitely no high rises, but there were businesses and people all along the way. Our driver had to ask for directions a couple times, but as soon as we came around the bend, Mike declared "This is it!"<br />
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Very similar to <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/08/flying-south.html">Kaia's experience</a>, we were greeted by a woman who looked very familiar. Turns out it was one of the two ladies who accompanied Jaelyn when we adopted her. She and Mike completed the adoption paperwork together, and she had told us back then that she had named Jaelyn.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the right, Jaelyn is presenting the dress she made, along with others from school.</td></tr>
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Just a short distance behind her, approaching a little hesitantly, were two ladies. Right away I recognized the younger one from a <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2007/05/at-last.html">previous photo we had</a>, and assumed the other was her mother. I was correct about this, but turns out our understanding of Jaelyn's foster care situation had been incorrect. We had heard no mention of a foster dad, so we had assumed that Jaelyn lived with the foster mother (which we thought was the matriarchal mother), along with her adult daughter, and two foster brothers, each with cerebral palsy. This played into some of the confusion with our guide the previous day. In actuality, Jaelyn had been living with her foster parents since she was nine months old, but the grandmother also lived with them, as did their biological son (now 17), and a foster boy and <u>girl</u>, the two with CP. <br />
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Whatever the situation was, it was obvious from the moment they approached Jaelyn, she had been loved! From the time we met until the time we parted, it was precious to watch the interactions take place. Jaelyn's cheeks were patted, hair caressed (her adorable curls were noticed), shoulders squeezed; they just couldn't get enough of her, particularly her grandmother (we've been told her name is Pearl). And they weren't the only ones smiling. Jaelyn didn't seem to mind one bit that they were doting on her. In almost every photo we snapped, Jaelyn was grinning from ear to ear.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaelyn sharing a photo album of her growing up that we brought, plus a personal note from her. They brought with them the album we sent them through a friend in 2007.</td></tr>
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We were able to ask more specific questions about Jaelyn, and had to chuckle when they said she liked music, would be the first to wake up, and was even tempered, yet could be a little naughty. We told them that these were all true of her today! It was such a special time to witness. I was teary eyed multiple times as I just sat back and watched the interactions. Words were not needed to express the emotions being exchanged. We thanked them for pouring confidence and love into her early life; they said no, it was only 1.5 years of her life and said we were the ones to thank. Even Jaelyn's foster father had tears in his eyes as we spoke. Was tough to say goodbye, but so happy Jaelyn had this opportunity.<br />
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We stayed a bit longer to look through Jaelyn's files. We learned a couple more things about Jaelyn's first days, then headed back to our hotel to spend the rest of the day relaxing and absorbing the morning.<br />
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One thing that helped Jaelyn change gears was the fact that there was an unofficial pet shop on the street out front of our hotel. For the next two days she visited the area countless times to take on the role of "dog whisperer." Dogs as pets have become quite popular in China, as the middle class has grown. Sadly, this impromptu store promotes over breeding and crowded care. And strangely none were barking, nor had access to water. Most Chinese live in apartments, without a lot of areas for dogs to run. Veterinarians are unheard of, and I doubt these dogs have had any shots. Nonetheless, they were adorable...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really, a pet chipmunk?</td></tr>
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Our last full day we were completely on our own in Changchun. We grabbed a taxi and headed to South Lake Park, something we had done when we were here with the boys ten years ago. It's a well manicured park that is popular with the locals. Swimming, fishing, boating, and carnival rides are some of the activities going on here. It's a huge park, so we definitley got our exercise in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls were imitating lots of Chinese people posing in the area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls got the chance to try out their new umbrellas, to shade them from the sun like the locals do.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike with his high fashion model pose.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I look like I have a pineapple top</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have no words...</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, wedding photos here too. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming anyone? Look closely. I had to snap this shot because it is such an unusual site in China. Europe, yes, China, no. Jaelyn was laughing so hard as I snapped it without being noticed.</td></tr>
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Like in <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/08/flying-south.html">Kaia's province</a>, we returned to a restaurant we have fond memories of. Added some more walking to our day, but the <i>Dumpling King</i> was worth it!<br />
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Walked to another mall, but then we wisely decided to catch a taxi back to our hotel. For our last evening there, we discovered that the street vendors we had looked for had moved to a new area. They were a bit more organized with their eateries now, with more vendors, and even seating down this alley. One of my favorite photos from our previous trip had been of Mike and Jaelyn sharing dinner. They reenacted the photo for me, in an updated version. We weren't sure if it was beef or lamb (or ???), but right after I snapped this photo Jaelyn's eyes got huge, as we hadn't realized that these were covered in something extremely spicy. Mike loved it though!<br />
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This post is way longer than I originally planned, so I'm going to save the story of our plane ride back to Beijing (yep, another airport story), our short time there, and returning to the States for another post. For those of you reading this to the end, kudos to you!<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-36034717531019056352016-08-12T20:37:00.000-07:002016-08-12T20:53:21.407-07:00Flying South...Who turned up the humidity down south? Other than having the flight attendants strap Kaia's scooter in a first class seat, our travel to Guangzhou went off without a hitch. Being we have been here twice before, with one of those times being for 10 days straight, we feel quite comfortable here. However, things feel quite different than they have previously. We definitely notice less Westerners traveling here. And we're not just talking about less for adoption. Our guide told us we have an "old" (he was probably around 60) guide because young people don't want to be a tour guide in Guangzhou. There's not much money in it, because people aren't coming there to see the sites, as it has mainly become a place for migrants to find jobs. Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an have all done a good job drawing foreigners, so the Guanzhou government is not putting money in to compete. Felt a little sorry for him...<br />
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One place we really noticed the lack of foreigners was on Shamian Island. In the early 2000's, this island with a strong European feel, was hopping with shops and hotels that catered to the adoption population. We did not stay there either trip, but we did shop there. Well this time we stayed there, and in our time we only saw one other western family. Our hotel, which is still one of two well known ones on the island, was musty and not seemingly busy. However, we still enjoyed walking around the island. We were happy to see that it was bustling with Chinese people, and is still a very beautiful and meticulous place to visit. There were only a couple shops that still had a touristy feel, and oh yeah, Starbucks moved in. It was a beautiful store front though, that fit right in with the theme of the island.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catholic Church on island</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found a turtle. You can gauge humidity by this little girls' hair!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adoptive families know of the White Swan and the red couches. We visited the beautiful lobby, but no more red couches.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the Banyan trees on the island.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw more than one wedding photo shoot on the island.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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But I'm jumping ahead, as we made a detour before we even arrived at the island. Turns out that Guangdong Province is the only one that keeps the orphanage paperwork archived. Our guide had petitioned the paperwork before we came, so it was ready when we arrived at the government building. It felt sort of like being in a library. We had to show our passports, were led into a big quiet room, and sat at a large table looking through Kaia's files. Our guide translated as we paged through the file. We weren't allowed to take photos, but were given paper and pencil to write notes. Most of the papers we already had copies of, along with translations of most. However, we were happy to learn more about a few things, such as her birth measurements, and a police report of when she was found. I will not share all the details, as they are Kaia's story to share, but we were all pleased to find out more about our beautiful daughter's beginnings. More on this in a bit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family photo in the lobby to the government archive building.</td></tr>
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We said goodbye to the hotel the next morning, as we were heading to the next city over, Foshan, where we would be spending one night. The two cities are literally next to one another, but due to traffic, and the orphanage being on the far side of the city (Nanhai District), the tour guide thought we would want to stay a night in Foshan and experience the local history. Glad he suggested it. New fact learned that Joshua would be excited about: Foshan is known as the <a href="http://www.china-expats.com/Foshan_KungFu.htm">modern home of Kung Fu</a>, and the origin of <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/yip-man-21370115">Ip Man</a> (Josh loves the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ip_Man_(film)">Ip Man Kung Fu movies</a>), who taught Bruce Lee.<br />
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We arrived at the orphanage, which had more buildings in the neighborhood than I remember from 12 years ago. We were greeted by a familiar looking face. I flipped through the photo album I brought, I stopped on the photo of the sweet young lady who brought Kaia to us. When I showed it to her (Min), she nodded that yes, this was her. She also informed us that she was the one who named Kaia. Not sure whether or not this was intentional, but it was special for us to meet her again.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZ2Mbi72hH4/V65rcXft4fI/AAAAAAAAHug/Upwor2Ry8GQ-8VPGGI-xjpv0Do3BIRMPgCLcB/s1600/Kaia%2527s%2Bnanny%2Brevisit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZ2Mbi72hH4/V65rcXft4fI/AAAAAAAAHug/Upwor2Ry8GQ-8VPGGI-xjpv0Do3BIRMPgCLcB/s320/Kaia%2527s%2Bnanny%2Brevisit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaia has changed a lot; Min, not so much!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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She took us on a tour of the facilities, but we weren't allowed to interact with the children. They said some had been "sick." We did get to go into a room of children in a school room to say hi. Was nice to see children with disabilities included in the classroom.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tv7qjHeKFQQ/V65uhBCsrtI/AAAAAAAAHus/unAmKz5Yjkg0Bwzf0AxlvIIP9gPUdds3QCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160719_103710737_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tv7qjHeKFQQ/V65uhBCsrtI/AAAAAAAAHus/unAmKz5Yjkg0Bwzf0AxlvIIP9gPUdds3QCLcB/s320/IMG_20160719_103710737_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where Kaia slept her first 8.5 months.</td></tr>
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We met the new director who took over a year or so ago. She was very welcoming to us, and mothering to Kaia. She put her arm around Kaia, and seemed genuinely impressed when Kaia shared a video of her tumbling at the school talent show. Kaia was able to present some pillow case dresses that students made at the Martin Luther King Day of Service our school held.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4yVBsCgx5HA/V657ZRpIQQI/AAAAAAAAHu8/jRPNDEqiKqIU8DTY2lo8R6Cd1sZCnb62gCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160719_094840976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4yVBsCgx5HA/V657ZRpIQQI/AAAAAAAAHu8/jRPNDEqiKqIU8DTY2lo8R6Cd1sZCnb62gCLcB/s320/IMG_20160719_094840976.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaia and the director.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at the proud smile on Kaia's face.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qwKD9eOLHe0/V658EJ82q1I/AAAAAAAAHvE/Ym_oO3-j3cc1eEeEONJnjfSvkeIryvAiwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160719_105710292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qwKD9eOLHe0/V658EJ82q1I/AAAAAAAAHvE/Ym_oO3-j3cc1eEeEONJnjfSvkeIryvAiwCLcB/s320/IMG_20160719_105710292.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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When we adopted Kaia, we were told that the paperwork said her finding place was an Industrial Garden (factory). A couple years later we hired someone to take photos of her finding place. We were told that the interpretation was a flower shop that didn't exist anymore, so our money was returned. So through the help of our guide Daniel, and Min, we found that both interpretations were correct. So following a few minutes of the two chatting and looking at <strike>Google</strike> maps on her phone, we were on our merry way. After a drive across the city, we came upon a more industrial area, surrounded by lots of apartments. I think we stopped 3 or 4 times asking questions of locals, to which the response was always pointing in the same direction. Suddenly we came upon a large plant nursery. It was a little strange; seemed like a nursery selling plants, as most of them were in pots, yet there were no signs or prices anywhere. I'm still a little unsure of what the purpose of the land is. Perhaps they sell not to the public, but to businesses? We got out of the car when I saw a lone older lady walking out of the nursery. I asked Daniel to inquire who owned this land. She responded that her relatives own it, and that she has worked there for 20 years. Does she remember anyone ever finding a baby? She gladly made a call to her family to ask. Hoping the answer would be yes, I have to admit I was disappointed when she said no. Still, grateful for the timing of her being there at the exact moment we were, as she was on her way out, and no one else was around. We spent a few minutes walking around the grounds. What a serene place in the midst of what is most likely surrounded by apartments full of migrant workers, coming from distant provinces to find work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5XcyvdpaHfk/V66AVkpnh5I/AAAAAAAAHvc/RrkdViY5xmYBk8qbcoYd1bniAhjPyBDSgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5XcyvdpaHfk/V66AVkpnh5I/AAAAAAAAHvc/RrkdViY5xmYBk8qbcoYd1bniAhjPyBDSgCLcB/s320/IMG_2781.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phoning her relatives, the owners of the nursery</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking the grounds.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mB41olzgaj8/V66AX6EmD7I/AAAAAAAAHvo/o_OI6uNEsNY_ggibqae4baKd1aIBAZldQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mB41olzgaj8/V66AX6EmD7I/AAAAAAAAHvo/o_OI6uNEsNY_ggibqae4baKd1aIBAZldQCLcB/s320/IMG_2785.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet girl.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forgot the selfie stick!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distant apartment buildings enveloping the nursery.</td></tr>
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After thinking we would never find it, we were completely pleased that we were able to find the nursery. We finished our time with Min at a lovely restaurant next door to the orphanage. There we had one of our favorite meals of the entire trip. I so wish we had taken a photo of a delicious pastry we had. It was a roll, intricately detailed as a walnut. Inside was a walnut, swimming in a sea of a sweet creme. If I hadn't have been eating with strangers, I would've just eaten that dish!<br />
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Over the meal, Daniel interpreted as we asked questions back and forth with Min, and the photographer who accompanied us to the meal. One sweet observation she made was that when we adopted in 2004 and 2006, the majority of adoptions were of "healthy" babies, yet she noticed we had chosen special needs adoptions. She was surprised by this, but letting us know that she thought highly of us. At that point, Daniel told us that the worker at the archives office made the same comment about us. We explained that this was something God put on our hearts, and that we all have something unique about us, and that it is what is on the inside that is most important. We also told them that we receive from the girls as much as we give; it's a win-win. This is a major reason why I keep returning to China. Some major cultural shifts need to take place, and I believe they are, even if slowly.<br />
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That day was a lot to absorb. We spent the evening strolling around the area near our hotel, and called it an early night. And although I didn't think I would find one, we actually happened upon a Starbucks that had a Foshan mug for my collection! We also found these micro Mc'D's. We passed several along the way, and they just sell ice cream from these walk-up windows. Jaelyn just had to try a McFlurry in a box!<br />
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The next morning we headed out early to two local historical sites, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liang%27s_Garden">Liangs' Garden</a> and the Foshan Ancestral Temple. Both were lovely, but admittedly we tried to hang out in the shaded areas!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liang's Garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liang's Garden</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jack fruit tree</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's literally fishing out the money that had been thrown in to the turtles the previous day. Not sure exactly what the snake and turtle represent, but the Chinese are very superstitious. Note the real turtles to the left.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember when I said Foshan was the modern capital of Kung Fu? When at the temple, we got to watch young men and women perform from a local school.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These poor boys in these costumes; it was so humid! They actually jumped around on the green polls in the background too. Quite impressive balance. Many people placed money inside the lions mouth, guessing again, for luck or prosperity.</td></tr>
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We headed back to our original hotel in Guangzhou, where we then ventured out on the Subway. Our goal was to eat at the <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g298555-d3475565-Reviews-Banana_Leaf-Guangzhou_Guangdong.html">Banana Leaf</a>, a fun, interactive Thai restaurant we had eaten at on both of our previous trips here. The food was great, the atmosphere fun. If only the girls weren't so tired! They seated us on the most comfortable couch like seats, and Kaia immediately curled up like a kitten, ready to take a long snooze. Jaelyn and Mike were part of the entertainment as they danced and sang to "I Want to Hold Your Hand." Kaia would have nothing of it. We all enjoyed eating the peanut roti. It was as tasty as I remembered. It's like a fried peanut butter sandwich, only on a thin pancake/tortilla like bread. Yum!<br />
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We rode the Subway back, followed by our almost nightly ice cream bar (wish I took a photo of it; so tasty, and only 3-5 yuan each), then back to our joining rooms, as we say goodbye to southern China in the morning, and head far north.<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-41448788338565721632016-08-11T22:26:00.000-07:002016-08-12T20:38:35.243-07:00Xi'an (Shee-in)...Our flight went without a hitch, and we were happy to be on a new adventure. The hotel lobby was quite nice (they are typically quite elegant in China, with rooms being on the smaller side with two rock hard single beds). Some of the sites in and around our hotel...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This wall was gigantic. It was in an outdoor area just behind the hotel check-in desk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NSJut0qp2y0/V6yOFzsGmeI/AAAAAAAAHoI/z2Scww-w5coWn5TM93kzXEKePebTTT5iwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NSJut0qp2y0/V6yOFzsGmeI/AAAAAAAAHoI/z2Scww-w5coWn5TM93kzXEKePebTTT5iwCLcB/s320/IMG_2764.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koi pond just below the above wall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLDe3GDlpmw/V6yOF8XQEXI/AAAAAAAAHoE/R-Mc3NqK0xQ_PjRPAfoTHpLfTaDHJ0zfwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLDe3GDlpmw/V6yOF8XQEXI/AAAAAAAAHoE/R-Mc3NqK0xQ_PjRPAfoTHpLfTaDHJ0zfwCLcB/s320/IMG_2757.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved this view from the room I shared with Kaia. That's a still active ancient Buddhist nunnery next to the hotel tennis court! Just like the monks, the nuns shave their heads and wear the traditional robes. And a ways beyond this, our view took in a Muslim Mosque. Such a diverse area.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-meVrt_yzgtE/V6yTeTVoH_I/AAAAAAAAHoc/8oULTRd2bpQwY_GfEOR3AL-pNYymy-XhwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160714_143407826_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-meVrt_yzgtE/V6yTeTVoH_I/AAAAAAAAHoc/8oULTRd2bpQwY_GfEOR3AL-pNYymy-XhwCLcB/s320/IMG_20160714_143407826_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This view is from Mike and Jaelyn's room. This gives you just a taste of traffic in China. We frequented the mini mart and bakery that were across this street, so we got used to the crazy frogger-like experience. </td></tr>
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We had most the afternoon to rest and explore. That evening we were herded up and on our way to a very entertaining Tang Dynasty dumpling dinner and show. We weren't disappointed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-43TAJm1r4VE/V6yVBdXNueI/AAAAAAAAHos/PXzdLO448lQagr-CMZpicqpDUu2OPdmxgCEw/s1600/IMG_2677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-43TAJm1r4VE/V6yVBdXNueI/AAAAAAAAHos/PXzdLO448lQagr-CMZpicqpDUu2OPdmxgCEw/s320/IMG_2677.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonding time at their own table. Unbeknownst to them, when the lights were dimmed for the show, three of the four would fall asleep from exhaustion! I won't say which...)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HwKokLhZhY/V6yVB_lNqzI/AAAAAAAAHo0/wNu_YUWZrREaRLDIw46zqd4aznVc5BKfACEw/s1600/IMG_2679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HwKokLhZhY/V6yVB_lNqzI/AAAAAAAAHo0/wNu_YUWZrREaRLDIw46zqd4aznVc5BKfACEw/s320/IMG_2679.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese culture stresses the full experience of food, meaning the presentation is as important as the taste. Can you guess what three flavors we had in these dumplings? If you guessed vegetables, duck and frog, then you are right! We also tried 12 other types, all beautifully handcrafted.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-obd0snUvzHs/V6yW5lZ7btI/AAAAAAAAHpc/q_DUCzaFm84umi63KerJOJc07ct92tm2wCLcB/s1600/IMG_2683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-obd0snUvzHs/V6yW5lZ7btI/AAAAAAAAHpc/q_DUCzaFm84umi63KerJOJc07ct92tm2wCLcB/s320/IMG_2683.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This style of dance is called "Sleeve Dance." I think you can see why.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OzPoq2x1opE/V6yVFJDbTeI/AAAAAAAAHpU/Q_Og6ZCoNF4u7kpLut9RmGxc4w7d-J78gCEw/s1600/IMG_2693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OzPoq2x1opE/V6yVFJDbTeI/AAAAAAAAHpU/Q_Og6ZCoNF4u7kpLut9RmGxc4w7d-J78gCEw/s320/IMG_2693.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ornately dressed cast, representing the Tang Dynasty, from the night's performance.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7o93DXX658/V6yVFFS5aoI/AAAAAAAAHpU/0ST9OjkaY8IqadQbuQ9bZxgz753B_pSngCEw/s1600/IMG_2700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7o93DXX658/V6yVFFS5aoI/AAAAAAAAHpU/0ST9OjkaY8IqadQbuQ9bZxgz753B_pSngCEw/s320/IMG_2700.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient City Wall all lit up at night, that we will visit in a couple days. The area around the gate is bustling with nightlife.</td></tr>
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Besides being able to watch my daughters experience their home countries, the one thing I wanted to do most on this trip was to see the Terra-Cotta Warriors. It did not disappoint. On this second day in Xi'an, we got to see how the warriors and horses were made, learn the history, and visit the pits for ourselves. Even the large crowds and heat could not discourage us!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vlB89ujG-Lw/V604xxiYSMI/AAAAAAAAHp0/zTcigEosgTsnzPYSgAdMg6aGMKwmPiQvwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vlB89ujG-Lw/V604xxiYSMI/AAAAAAAAHp0/zTcigEosgTsnzPYSgAdMg6aGMKwmPiQvwCLcB/s320/IMG_2707.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tedious work. Did you know you can have a warrior made with your own liking for its' head?!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6917WhQt7Wc/V6084BW_9rI/AAAAAAAAHqA/BzO0W8ppJPgKZiW7br1Jo5_W7wn1wDibgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160715_115959892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6917WhQt7Wc/V6084BW_9rI/AAAAAAAAHqA/BzO0W8ppJPgKZiW7br1Jo5_W7wn1wDibgCLcB/s320/IMG_20160715_115959892.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Over 6,000 warriors and horses in this pit alone, and each one is unique!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4iZCT7h2mc/V60_BfpxFnI/AAAAAAAAHqY/oq185PobqZkEJLDM_myWb4viFj0v_f5YwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4iZCT7h2mc/V60_BfpxFnI/AAAAAAAAHqY/oq185PobqZkEJLDM_myWb4viFj0v_f5YwCLcB/s320/IMG_2723.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunchtime noodle master!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ToKDUU98iOM/V60-wJjq9PI/AAAAAAAAHqU/19ujOOQJHFsMDKKOdDkhgURnyqLb9wnTgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160715_164122252_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ToKDUU98iOM/V60-wJjq9PI/AAAAAAAAHqU/19ujOOQJHFsMDKKOdDkhgURnyqLb9wnTgCLcB/s320/IMG_20160715_164122252_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After lunch stop at at the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, another working Buddhist temple. Due to a slight lean, it was under repair, so we could not go up it like visitors usually can.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0bgU2gkmh0/V60-u4Vf9pI/AAAAAAAAHqQ/OVQpCsqqwD4xyvYEW3kcsRLyApB5LxKWACLcB/s1600/IMG_20160715_194633477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w0bgU2gkmh0/V60-u4Vf9pI/AAAAAAAAHqQ/OVQpCsqqwD4xyvYEW3kcsRLyApB5LxKWACLcB/s320/IMG_20160715_194633477.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another highlight of my day; the first of four Starbuck's city mugs I added to my collection while in China.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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When you ask Kaia what her favorite activities in China was, she will tell you it was riding a bicycle on the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/06/travel/china-xian-city-wall/">Ancient City Wall of Xi'an</a>. The 600+ year old wall is the most complete ancient wall in all of China, and you can ride a bike around all nine miles of it! That's how we started our morning off. Mike and Kaia peddled one tandem. She was so happy to be able to participate in something physical. Jaelyn and I <strike>raced</strike> rode tandem too. Although the wall was flat, it was very bumpy, like constantly driving on a rumble strip. Your hands start to go numb and itch after awhile. Not to mention, Jaelyn and I almost got taken out not once, but twice by teenagers on their phones while riding oncoming bikes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pX7Yv47GJ-0/V61Mcsc439I/AAAAAAAAHq4/vJrhnkp-ObYYVBHtKR4TsOj_aAYCrv9_gCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_090153127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pX7Yv47GJ-0/V61Mcsc439I/AAAAAAAAHq4/vJrhnkp-ObYYVBHtKR4TsOj_aAYCrv9_gCLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_090153127.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entire group before the ride.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3R18pKBIvw0/V61MeadMQ4I/AAAAAAAAHrA/YBU6KGpv5xUMt_Z_uai-imzC1PEkMTg-gCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_092200670_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3R18pKBIvw0/V61MeadMQ4I/AAAAAAAAHrA/YBU6KGpv5xUMt_Z_uai-imzC1PEkMTg-gCLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_092200670_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About a quarter of the way through, stopped for a photo opportunity.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5QUU_UjjVKA/V61MWeJQvoI/AAAAAAAAHqs/K89NMK13oLsziWhJ-kmGhwUFAYg-_KqNQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_093617991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5QUU_UjjVKA/V61MWeJQvoI/AAAAAAAAHqs/K89NMK13oLsziWhJ-kmGhwUFAYg-_KqNQCLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_093617991.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike took a panoramic shot on his phone from one of the corners.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MgujGPuOmr4/V61MXOb1kII/AAAAAAAAHqw/SJ8_iEJCZe4ldPCnxO8VQwqggJf22jgvACLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_093702500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MgujGPuOmr4/V61MXOb1kII/AAAAAAAAHqw/SJ8_iEJCZe4ldPCnxO8VQwqggJf22jgvACLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_093702500.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't get many of just us. About halfway through. You can see how wide the city wall is. Notice the tall buildings to the right of me. They aren't allowed inside the city wall, to the left. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ky0mZYfTEbc/V61MbGPrGdI/AAAAAAAAHq0/PGQS9X4o5zUoyzqbYhlcogL-8dt4-N7nACLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_094248344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ky0mZYfTEbc/V61MbGPrGdI/AAAAAAAAHq0/PGQS9X4o5zUoyzqbYhlcogL-8dt4-N7nACLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_094248344.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teamwork.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--b3HhHlSrDo/V61MeYh2YQI/AAAAAAAAHq8/u8PHQT907yArwJFpscbBK3Yl4hZIwJIUQCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_100559107_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--b3HhHlSrDo/V61MeYh2YQI/AAAAAAAAHq8/u8PHQT907yArwJFpscbBK3Yl4hZIwJIUQCLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_100559107_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful roof to a Taoist Temple inside the wall.</td></tr>
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The girls kept encouraging Mike and I to make a race of it at the ending, but Mike and I settled on riding across the finish, side by side, hands clasped together, raised high over head. The girls did not like this at all. Evidently Mike didn't either, as he didn't keep his word, leaving Jaelyn and I in the dust across the finish. We're still plotting how to get him back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2fD6OJ30-wo/V61NrNTK4xI/AAAAAAAAHrQ/D16WaNRqYNENNuh6azWX1NVZh9GoDGxoQCEw/s1600/13615137_544122971955_933663608370067658_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2fD6OJ30-wo/V61NrNTK4xI/AAAAAAAAHrQ/D16WaNRqYNENNuh6azWX1NVZh9GoDGxoQCEw/s320/13615137_544122971955_933663608370067658_n.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearing the finish line <strike>with the traitors.</strike></td></tr>
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That afternoon we visited a history museum, but frankly it was so hot and crowded that for the most part, our family found a place to sit down and rest! Good thing we did, as it allowed us to hit the streets later in the afternoon/evening. Our goal was to find the Muslim neighborhood to experience the market. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s4oEdywVi9c/V61SOAGA_yI/AAAAAAAAHrY/1kfIQBpbxKojubulX6Mev57-kQMPozzmwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_174818492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s4oEdywVi9c/V61SOAGA_yI/AAAAAAAAHrY/1kfIQBpbxKojubulX6Mev57-kQMPozzmwCLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_174818492.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So thankful to have found Starbucks following a long walk on a hot and humid day. Picked us back up for the rest of the evening.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ndyt3UinHK0/V61SQ4_RY-I/AAAAAAAAHrk/SL1NjFapTFcW3RMdhbaLRu1PdcNsOAQVwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_175939793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ndyt3UinHK0/V61SQ4_RY-I/AAAAAAAAHrk/SL1NjFapTFcW3RMdhbaLRu1PdcNsOAQVwCLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_175939793.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the Muslim market street. Look closely and you can see the crowds getting thicker, as well as the smoke. What's really crazy is that there was still the occasional moped and car that still came down this street.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2s7ZGbCz3ig/V61SO3FIF6I/AAAAAAAAHrc/Q4DAebJgKFEyox2BGVdeRJGjMV5rb0AtgCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_181400352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2s7ZGbCz3ig/V61SO3FIF6I/AAAAAAAAHrc/Q4DAebJgKFEyox2BGVdeRJGjMV5rb0AtgCLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_181400352.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guessing lamb. Once eaten, the sticks were placed in buckets on the street and recycled. Didn't realize they were so green here!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goat? Lamb? Didn't gamble in trying.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried Crab or Octopus on a stick, anyone?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ndIyJPCdMw/V61SVKlNSzI/AAAAAAAAHr4/Xep3XiA9IS4XiR1gXy47G08yInN1lAQqwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160716_182924478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9ndIyJPCdMw/V61SVKlNSzI/AAAAAAAAHr4/Xep3XiA9IS4XiR1gXy47G08yInN1lAQqwCLcB/s320/IMG_20160716_182924478.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Know what those red things are framing the shop? Notice the men grinding in the background? </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final product, something hot and spicy from the peppers. I was afraid to try the samples when I was low on water!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now for dessert....taffy anyone?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or is cotton candy shaped as a flower more your style?</td></tr>
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For our last full day in Xi'an, we headed to the country side. We began the visit with a painting lesson by a nationally known artist, Pan XiaoLing, who paints in the<a href="https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shaanxi/xian/peasant-painting.htm"> peasant folk style</a> that was made famous in the 1950's when Mao wanted to make the countryside more appealing. Paper cutting, embroidery, water colors, were all on display. She taught a quick lesson, to which I felt overwhelmed to recreate, but I kept a good attitude. Mike was much more focused than I...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls with the artist and the painting we bought.</td></tr>
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We then walked to one of the farmer's homes, where we participated in preparing the delicious meal. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting the corn bread.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike's turn.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing the noodles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rolling, rolling, rolling...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final touch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the homeowner, demonstrating how to cut a "simple" butterfly.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmiC-VaTQDE/V61XwlsPt4I/AAAAAAAAHsw/9R0L0SlBOMQey7oavEIf9u8-q9ER1BiEQCLcB/s1600/IMG_2754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bmiC-VaTQDE/V61XwlsPt4I/AAAAAAAAHsw/9R0L0SlBOMQey7oavEIf9u8-q9ER1BiEQCLcB/s320/IMG_2754.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The one's she whipped out. She cut them all at the same time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was going to have us cut the butterflies, but since we were obvious rookies, she wisely decided to switch to the "double happiness" character. I forgot to take a photo of the final piece, but let's just say it wasn't quite as detailed as hers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite food while in China, Chinese Eggplant, growing outside her home! I had it nearly everyday we were in China, in some form. Miss it so...</td></tr>
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Our time in Xi'an was amazing, but grander things to come. We said goodbye to the three other families we had been traveling with for the past eight days. Some were heading home, others to various home provinces of their daughters. Check back for my next to trip posts...<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-3942336828722225552016-08-10T10:31:00.000-07:002016-08-10T10:31:02.368-07:00Beijing, Here We Come...Look at the grin on the girls' faces! They were so excited to finally be heading to China. The trip went off without a hitch, and we even had beautiful views over Alaska on the way. You can see that Jaelyn has brought along Mao-Mao, the panda we bought her in China ten years ago. She is hoping to bring home a friend for him!<br />
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We landed late Saturday night, a full day and a half after we left. We stayed in the same hotel as back in our 2004 and 2006 trips, so we had a wonderful breakfast with much needed decent coffee, as we were up early to head to the <a href="http://www.chinahighlights.com/greatwall/section/">Juyongguan section of the Great Wall</a> (supposedly wheel-chair friendly), following a quick stop at the Jade Factory. We were happy to be heading to a section we had not seen before. Kaia was not so happy, since breaking her 5th metatarsal bone in her foot just three weeks ago, she was having to tour in a boot and using a scooter. Not so fun in 103º weather! Here we are before we were too hot and sweaty (note Kaia's boot; we left the scooter on the bus)...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This stone reads a famous quote by Chairman Mao: "If we fail to reach the Great Wall we are not men.” Well these women did reach the wall!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We actually climbed in the opposite direction of this photo.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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One of Kaia's worries would be that she would not be able to climb the wall. Mike had promised her that he would carry her if he had to. Kaia did what she could, but as you can see, it gets quite steep, and the stairs are not uniform in height (some were as high as my knee while others were about the height of my ankle). Kaia was double fisted with fans, and they headed up to the first tower. By the way, at 51, my husband rocks!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Success!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our attempt at a selfie before we broke down and bought a stick!</td></tr>
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Kaia and I hung out in what little shade we could find, while Mike and Jaelyn headed on. After a short rest, Kaia and I took the slow and steady tortoise pace down, knowing that the others would eventually catch up with us. This view is from where we began. Kaia and I made it to the first tower in the upper right hand of the photo, where we rested in the little shade we could find. Jaelyn and Mike ventured to the building in the top left hand of the photo. Note the <strike>fine</strike> air quality!<br />
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Day two had us up and early yet again, as today we were heading to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Note the smiles on their faces, and once again, 100º+ weather and smoggy skies. This was probably Kaia's least favorite days, due to the packed crowds, heat, and bumpy drive on her scooter. At one point she declared, "I don't like China. The people are rude and it's too hot." It took many attempts, but I think we finally convinced her that it was cultural, not being rude. She actually learned how to push back and defend herself with her scooter;)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite pictures of the trip; six beautiful girls forever bonded by their trip together visiting their homeland.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First photo with the selfie-stick we bought from a vendor in the Forbidden City. We warned her...</td></tr>
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Thankfully in the afternoon we got to be off our feet somewhat, and be pulled by a pedi cab (rickshaw)! We toured through the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutong">Hutong</a> section of Beijing, and old style of neighborhoods found mainly in Beijing. At one time there were something like 37 of them, but now there is only one left. Fortunately this hutong, Shichahai Hutong, is thriving with tourism and a revived, hip bar area around the lake, so I don't see it disappearing anytime soon.<br />
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We were served lunch by a family in their hutong. Their 12 year old daughter was making hair ties with bows while we ate, so our girls bought from her at the end. We then walked to another hutong, one of a famous artist in the area. We had a Q&A time with him, where he graciously answered our questions. Pretty sure he had more money than the average occupant, as he had a second story!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaia with the artist in his home.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We finished the day sampling tea at a tea house. I think we were all wiped out by then, and not too interested in sipping hot tea! The group of six girls were happy to spend the evening swimming at the hotel (fyi, China does not warm their pools quite like we do in the US).<br />
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The next day was chock full, once again. Some rain had fallen overnight, so the morning started off with slightly cooler and more tolerable temperatures. It also helped that we were visiting the <a href="http://en.tiantanpark.com/">Temple of Heaven,</a> which unlike are previous two days of touring, is surrounded by green grass and trees. The parks in Beijing are very cheap for the locals, and usually free for seniors, so they are used frequently for exercise and relaxing. Right away we found a group playing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jianzi">Jianzi</a>. It looks similar to a shuttlecock, but is played similarly to hackysack. Jaelyn and I played some (at least attempted to...they were very good) with the locals, and Jaelyn ended up buying a Jianzi from one of the men.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This area was the highest point in the Temple, thus the emperor could be the closest to heaven here. Thankfully we take Jesus wherever we go!</td></tr>
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<br />We made a quick stop at the silk museum before heading to lunch. The girls learned how silk items were made in an interactive presentation. We bought them both silk pillows and pillowcases (our biggest splurge of the trip). After lunch, we had some unexpected time before our next experience, so we made a quick stop at the Pearl Market for some shopping. The girls were introduced to Chinese bargaining when their dad purchased two Spiderman cars that drive up the wall (you're welcome Josh!).<br />
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If that wasn't enough for the day, we were invited to the CCCWA. Back when we adopted, this was called the CCAA. It was almost a "mystical" place at that time, that seemed secretive. Fast forward 10 years, and now they are the ones sponsoring heritage trips, inviting adoptees on visits back. We got to tour the different rooms, then settled in for some welcoming gifts and calligraphy lessons. Not sure the girls understood the significance of this visit, and it wasn't the most entertaining for them, but we thought it was an important experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls with the director of the CCCWA.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved this shirt the girls were given. It reads "Home in World, Roots in China." They were also given a nice set of chopsticks with stand, as well as a beautiful book on the Chinese art of paper cutting (it includes real examples).</td></tr>
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And you would think we were done with our day, but nooooo. The girls got to experience their first taste of Peking Duck for dinner. When we returned to our hotel, the four younger girls and I went out to play jianzi. Once there, we discovered a group of dancers across the street, so we made a daring dart across where Jaelyn and I were the only ones brave enough to join them. She was a trooper, continuing on even after I <strike>gracefully</strike> bowed out.<br />
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Okay, last full day in Beijing. We were scheduled to tour the Summer Palace in the morning, having the afternoon to ourselves. However, the group all wanted to see the pandas, so we elected to do that in the morning before it got too hot, then finish off at the Palace.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaelyn bought a new panda at the zoo, so she introduced Kopa to MaoMao</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You could get amazingly close to the animals, and sadly, people were feeding them, despite the signs stating not to.</td></tr>
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You can see why the Emperor's mother loved the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summer_Palace">Summer Palace</a>. It was cooler and greener here than at the Forbidden City. However, it probably wasn't as crowded when she was visiting! We walked one direction shoulder to shoulder most of the time. We wisely chose to take a boat ride back.<br />
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As much as we enjoyed our time in Beijing, we were excited to be heading to Xi'an in the morning for new experiences for all of us. Stay tuned...<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-3322568447782246702016-08-08T10:26:00.000-07:002016-08-08T10:26:02.855-07:00The Fourth of July (the 2nd and 3rd too)...We were blessed the Fourth of July weekend with a quick visit from Joshua. He stayed at college for the summer, where he is picking barley on campus for agricultural research center. He also brought his girlfriend home for the visit. We had an enjoyable visit of showing off the beautiful sights of Whidbey Island.<br />
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On Sunday we all headed down to the Mariner game to meet up with some special friends. We had a great time cheering on a Mariner win, and eating in China Town.<br />
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Unfortunately the fourth was not the best day for a parade, but that didn't stop us from celebrating.<br />
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Plus there was the cutest girl in the parade! Jaelyn was with the <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/09/robo-jaelyn.html">OHHS robotics club who made her arm</a>.<br />
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And just two days later, Mike and I were back in Seattle, this time to cheer on the Sounders. Friends of ours generously invited us to celebrate a birthday with them, which we gladly accepted. Kirk and Mike discussed detailed statistics and critiqued the game, while Greta and I enjoyed the pitch side views and constant deluge of food!<br />
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We were reminded once again how blessed we are with wonderful friends, families, and views! Now to China in just a few days...<br /><br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-47185195538686560772016-06-22T06:45:00.000-07:002016-06-22T06:45:51.129-07:00Firecracker, Firecracker, Boom, Boom, Boom...This past weekend was Jaelyn's first game/tournament with her new team, NW United. The tournament is named the "Firecracker," but this year it was for more than just the fact that they have fireworks on opening night. Yep, games were delayed Friday night due to thunderstorms. And Saturday did nothing but pour all day long. Sunday morning proved to be a better day for the weather and Jaelyn, as she made her first goal and the team made their way into the championship match. Here they are getting their second place medals. Not all uniforms came in on time, so there was a hodgepodge of red on the field! Sorry for the poor quality photo...<br />
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And by the way, in between the two soccer games Sunday, we did squeeze in a little Father's Day! Morning time was short, so they gave Dad gifts while waiting to be seated for breakfast. A fun new tshirt representing Seahawks, Sounders, and Mariners, along with a watch GPS for when he <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/06/down-but-not-out.html">gets back to running</a>.<br />
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What says Father's Day better than test driving trucks? That's what they chose to do in the afternoon, while I was volunteering at the tournament. Kellen then treated the group to frozen yogurt. Michael, even though the day didn't turn out to be all about you, it was about family. Something that wouldn't be if it wasn't for you. Thanks for being such a wonderful Dad!<br />
<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-89122533511699223682016-06-15T10:59:00.001-07:002016-06-15T10:59:30.730-07:00Down, But Not Out...Mike is laying low these days with running, as he is trying to recover from an injury. You may remember that last year he <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/10/testosterone.html">ran two 50K's</a>, but decided it takes too much time to train for, so he chose to do an "easy" half marathon this spring. The <a href="http://www.whidbeyislandmarathon.com/">Whidbey Island Marathon/Half Marathon</a> is local, and didn't take much more training than a normal run for him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to our professional photographer friend, John Fisken, who shared this shot of Mike on the final descent.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the finish line.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interpreting Kaia's face, "Dad you stink!"</td></tr>
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So for taking it easy, Mike finished first place in the over 50 category, and 23rd overall! But as I said in the opening sentence, he has been in recovery ever since. He's tried to come back a couple times, only to find he was not ready. Since I've not been <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/06/mua-no-not-mma.html">cleared to run yet</a>, we're feeling like a lazy couple. I have started walking though, but he won't even join me. Hoping we're both back soon. This 50 thing is killing us...<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-83480916111744135672016-06-13T08:57:00.001-07:002016-06-13T09:02:00.602-07:00Finishing Strong...Not to be outdone by <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/06/two-in-two.html">her sister</a>, Jaelyn had a strong finish to the school year too. I believe this is the 4th year that Jaelyn has participated in the Rock On 3 v 3 soccer tournament (<a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2013/05/hippy-chicks.html">look how little she looks this first year she played</a>). This year they finished a strong second. It was bittersweet, because this is the last time a group from her select team will be playing together, as the team has folded. In fact, we are having to go off island for a team for Jaelyn now, but I will save that story for another day. Their team name was <i>Luis Suarez Ate My Hamster.</i> Their shirts had a cute hamster on it with a bite out of its ear. If you don't understand the reference, you can <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Su%C3%A1rez_controversies">read more about Luis.</a> <br />
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As for the awards night, let's just say she got lots of exercise that night! In addition to being on the <i>Honor Roll</i> with Kaia, she received the following acknowledgements: <i><a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-major-award.html">November Student of the Month for Compassion</a></i>, <i>This is Sparta! Award </i>for History, <i>Outstanding Middle School Music Student</i> for band, Sixth Grade <i>PE Student of the Year</i>, and last, but not least, the <i>Heart & Soul Language Arts Award. </i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students of the Month being honored by principal.</td></tr>
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Speaking of Language Arts, here is the poem Jaelyn chose to write about her sister. By the way, they both chose to write about one another (Kaia's was in my <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/06/two-in-two.html">previous post</a>). Neither was assigned a topic, just styles of poems. <br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">KAIA</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 24px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My sister</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is a loving sister</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She has straight</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dark brown hair</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(She says” she wants</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Curly hair”)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And wears glasses </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My sister</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is very flexible </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She can do the splits</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(She says ”her gymnastics team</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nickname is Mightymouse”)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And can do flips in the</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Air</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My sister</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is very good at origami</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She can make a crane,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(She says”her favorite origami</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is the dragon”) </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bunnies, and more. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I love my sister</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This summer she has soccer, tennis camp, and possibly learning to play the trumpet on her agenda. Stay tuned... </span></div>
Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-20421253511458477512016-06-09T20:20:00.000-07:002016-06-09T20:20:49.983-07:00Two in Two...So Kaia has had two recitals in two weeks. First, here she is doing a fine job on the French-Canadian song <i>Silhouette</i>. She has come a long way since <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/search?q=piano">playing Jingle Bells</a>, and more importantly, is still enjoying it just as much, a year later.<br />
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The finale to the recital season was her team's annual spring recital, which ends the season. They performed to <i>Salute</i>, which was perfect for the recital's "Salute to the Troops theme (there are performances from beginning toddler tumblers, to the Island Flyer's competition team). Kaia starts out third from the right. On her last tumbling run she performs her layout for the first time.<br />
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And just this past Monday night, she was invited to the awards ceremony for making the Honor Roll for her first semester of middle school. Great job Kaia! One of her favorite areas of study this year was writing poetry. She wrote on many subjects, but my personal favorite was a poem about her sister <strike>especially since I don't always see this part of their relationship these days</strike>.<br />
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<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-1b1b2716-384e-09de-4f5b-21f758e1abbe" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 26.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My Sister</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My Sister</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is a very athletic girl.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She loves to run and play soccer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(“Ha, you just got beaten by a girl!” she says) </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And doesn't believe in failure.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My Sister</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is a kind person.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She helps people in need.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My sister shows compassion,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To people and animals.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(“are you ok?”she asks)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And is encouraging.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My sister</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Is independent,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She doesn't use her missing</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Arm as an excuse.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(she sometimes says“A shark bit it off”)</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And is confident about herself!</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I am glad to</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">have a sister like</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">her to keep my</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">head above the clouds.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kaia:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I am glad to have a friend</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Happy Monkey"; font-size: 18.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And sister like her!:)</span></span></div>
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Today was the girls' last day of being 6th graders. Hard to believe they are now 7th graders, and scarier yet, almost teenagers! Now let the summer begin....Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-37548126394519990332016-06-05T14:30:00.001-07:002016-06-05T18:35:08.260-07:00MUA (no, not MMA)...So you've been wondering where I've been? Or maybe you haven't missed me. Regardless, I thought I'd take the time to <strike>excuse</strike> explain my absence.<br />
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Let me remind you of <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2016/01/frozen-and-i-dont-mean-cute-disney-kind.html">this post on my Frozen Capsulitis</a> diagnosis back in January, otherwise known as "Frozen Shoulder." Between then and April, I did 34 sessions of physical therapy, only to gain a little more motion, not much more sleep, and rare moments without pain. I would have to say the lack of sleep has been the worst of it all. This year's sixth grade students have probably gone home and complained what a grump Mrs. C is, or how forgetful she is, including my own two students!<br />
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To sum it up, this is what frozen shoulder has done to me. Note, this is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight; not for the weary to watch. If you don't want to watch it, just look at the still picture and imagine the pain. I am the one who doesn't fair so well...<br />
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But what I actually experienced last week was not MMA, but MUA, Manipulation Under Anesthesia. And to see how easy it is to get the two pains confused, I have a video for it too. Actually I was going to show a more graphic one, but I found this one from the TV show <i>The Doctors </i>that explains the entire process I have gone through quite accurately. My story is basically hers, in that it has been a long road and very painful. Not sure if she escaped the surgery, but I did not. I did not do the arthroscopic part that the video refers to, just the manipulation.<br />
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So for the past few days I have been in intensive physical therapy so that the shoulder does not refreeze. After these next two sessions, I will go back to one a week for a period of time. I am still in a lot of pain and experiencing sleepless nights right now, but hopeful that I am on the mend. My movement is better than before surgery, but I have to build strength back up. With that, I am hoping the pain resides.<br />
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So there you have it. I have been living a life of exhaustion, falling asleep on the couch most afternoons when I come home from work, then in bed by 8:30ish. Thus, no energy to blog, as I have tried to give it all to my family. Life has gone on; spring break, birthdays, Mother's Day, regional gymnastics. They were great times, but I just didn't have it in me to put out the extra effort to document it. So hopefully you see me posting here more frequently again, because that means I am moving forward. If not, you know why...<br />
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And a huge shout out to my husband. He has really picked up the slack around the house. Thanks babe for sticking to "For better, for worse, for sickness and in health!" I love you.Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-20355034533616173712016-03-25T20:06:00.000-07:002016-03-25T20:06:04.441-07:00And the Winner Is...When it was announced at school three weeks ago that the talent show was coming up, Kaia shrugged it off when I asked her if she was going to enter. A day later, after mentioning Kaia's hesitation to the teacher in charge, that teacher approached Kaia. Kaia's response to "We need your original act and skills in the talent show," was "sure." Gee, I wish it was that easy for me, but you know how it goes when it's someone other than the parent asking....<br />
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Anyhow, that teacher was right! Kaia's act was a refreshing break from all the singing performances. She ended up sharing first place with a group who did a great job synchronizing and harmonizing to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmSbXsFE3l8">cup song</a>. <strike>Although I think they should have been second.</strike><br />
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Kaia choreographed her own routine. It was fun to see her perform in front of her peers, a part of her that most had never seen/known before. Even in front of this crowd, she did not get nervous. This girl has nerves of steel when it comes to her and tumbling! And it was fun seeing her beam with pride as her classmates complimented her. This sport has really been good for her focus and self-confidence. Now on to state in two more weeks.<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-3113798703635240782016-03-20T10:21:00.003-07:002016-03-20T10:21:51.725-07:00And the Notariety Continues...Back in November, Jaelyn spent a few hours with a reporter from Klipsun, a publication by students at Western Washington University. Somehow they learned about Jaelyn from previous media, and reached out to us. They print an actual magazine, as well as have an online presence. Their articles go more in depth about their subjects than a typical news piece. The reporter asked lots of questions of Jaelyn, did a photo shoot in our front yard, then came and watched her soccer game.<br />
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Following a phone call by an editor for some fact checking, we knew it would be awhile before the article was published. They told us it would probably be after the New Year. Every once in awhile I would check, but I never found the article. Today was one of those days, and after coming up empty handed, I decided to search the author's name. Bingo; found it!<br />
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Now there are a couple errors, like the caption under the main photo that says Kaia is older than Jaelyn, <strike>which may cause some tension in our house</strike>, and that we brought Jaelyn home in 2003 (funny, she was born in 2004), but overall it is nicely written, and represents our Jaelyn well.<br />
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What I do love though, is the opening photo she used. You can read the entire article <a href="http://www.klipsunmagazine.com/a-helping-hand/">here</a>. Isn't this just the sweetest photo....<br />
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Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-34819896201496229312016-02-20T19:22:00.000-08:002016-02-20T19:32:27.772-08:00Finally, the Floor...Last weekend, Kaia finally got to compete in her favorite event, tumbling! And she didn't disappoint, as she took a first in her flight, and second overall. She also took second in her flight, and second overall, on the double mini. Here's one of her two runs...<br />
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Mike took a video of her flight award too, so thought I would share since we've never posted this experience before. The award for her flight (those in her age group and same level) took place on the floor. You can hear the proud dad in the background!<br />
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But at the end, she got second out of all age groups at her level, so she got her medal on the podium.<br />
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And here's a cute photo of the team. Hard to believe she's
one of the older ones now, since she was the youngest her first two
seasons. Now she is a seasoned veteran! She still is one of the tiniest
though;) Her nickname on the team is appropriately, Mighty Mouse.<br />
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Now we are on a break for a couple weeks. Felt good to stay home and be lazy today. The first Saturday we've had off in some time.Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-12808433733538700602016-02-14T06:36:00.005-08:002016-02-14T06:36:49.424-08:00My Monkey...<br />
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I have several monkeys in my house, but only one is officially a monkey who is celebrating her special year, according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar!<br />
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We didn't go down for <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/03/year-of-sheep.html">Chinese New Year celebrations in Seattle</a>, like we did last year, as Kaia had a gymnastics meet. We did celebrate at a restaurant with local adoptive families. In fact, we have been getting together with local families to celebrate since 2004, before we even brought Kaia into our family! Check out this throw-back photo from 2011 and see if you can pick out some of the kids you see in the 2016 picture. <br />
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What is fun to see now is how much the kids really enjoy interacting with one another. Before they would all be together, but not really talk to the kids they did not know, other than this one day of the year. Now the kids all sit together and jabber away! I was happy to see my own kids wanted to wear their traditional dresses. Looks like I will need to put new ones on the shopping list for this summer's trip...<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-43215935150912848182016-02-07T07:10:00.000-08:002016-02-07T07:10:17.406-08:00Let the Games Begin...So yesterday Kaia had her first competition of the season. This year she moved up one level for her double mini event, so is now a level 6. Her first fun her momentum took her forward, causing her to take a big step on her landing. Her second pass looked much cleaner to me, but apparently not to the judges;) Her flight was mixed in with two age groups, so she was with 11-14 year olds. She got a medal, but then again, so does everyone in tumbling and trampoline. <strike>Annoying to me!</strike> She looked cleaner than a couple people who fell, but her coach later told us that she didn't do one of the required moves correctly. Oops, what do I know? She moved up to Level Six mid-season last year and is looking good.<br />
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She is level 5 on the trampoline. This tends to be her least favorite event. She nailed it yesterday, scoring a 25, and easily taking first place out of a flight of 10 or so. She told us she almost "happy cried" when she finished, as she was very proud of herself. She typically focuses on her mistakes, so this was very encouraging to hear from her. Now the question is "Does she move up a level on trampoline?" She met mobility for this event, which means she met the required score to move up (by quite a bit). She and her coach will be visiting this topic at practice this week.<br />
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Unfortunately, Kaia did not get to compete in her favorite event, tumbling. This gym does not have a big long enough floor for Level 6 and above, so she was excluded. That will have to wait until next's week's competition. Check back next week to see how her first time on floor goes. Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-68333381518410024252016-01-31T17:02:00.001-08:002016-01-31T17:02:48.234-08:00Islanders No More...So sometime during this Fall soccer season, Jaelyn's league changed all their team names from Islanders, to Deception. Turns out there are teams named Islanders. Go figure; we live in the Puget Sound! But after three seasons cheering for the Islanders, we never could get Deception to roll of the tongue right. <br />
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But despite the name change, the team did great! Many of them went as a team to two different camps this past summer (thanks to some team sponsors!), and it paid off. They placed second in league. Unfortunately their last two games of the regular season were cancelled, due to the other teams not being able to field a full roster. In early January we lost a very close game 1-2 in the state cup. The next week was a bit of a letdown, and we lost 3-1. Sadly, once again, the next opponent couldn't fill a full squad last weekend, so we won the final game of the first round of state by forfeit. Kind of a letdown to end your season that way, as third place doesn't move on. The girls were proud though, as they should be.<br />
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As always Jaelyn, way to work hard! Now it's time for a break. Not long though, as gymnastics competition begins next weekend!<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-90010764442755610222016-01-23T07:49:00.000-08:002016-01-23T07:49:17.270-08:00Tim, I Mean Mike the Toolman...I want to take a moment to <strike>encourage my husband to do more home improvement projects</strike> compliment my husband on the fine jobs he is doing around the house. It all began with the <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2010/08/ta-da.html">kitchen and hallway floors</a>, then replacing most of the <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2014/05/hunk-of-burning-love.html">molding around the house</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"> and built me a fireplace surround</a>, followed by <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/09/can-you-hear-that.html">replacing our kitchen sink</a>. Oh yeah, did I mention <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-family-affair.html">the roof</a>? I think I may have missed some others, but you get the point. For someone who didn't like to work around the house, he sure has become quite handy (thank you youtube). Now I don't even have to ask. He sees a need and tells me what he has planned. Look what he accomplished before Christmas:<br />
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The before of our popcorn ceiling...<br />
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This ugly stuff is all through our house, but now that he tested it out on one room, maybe it will all be gone soon too...<br />
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After painting, ripping out carpet and replacing with flooring, along with new window molding...<br />
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And topping it off with Jaelyn's Christmas present, voila...<br />
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Before we expanded our family, this room was once an office. It has evolved since then. She loves it; thanks Dad!<br />
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Now I can't wait to reveal what he is doing now. It's his most adventurous project to date. It's looking good. Stay tuned!<br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-10002442595291196142016-01-18T21:12:00.002-08:002016-01-18T21:12:24.959-08:00Maturing...Two reasons Jaelyn looks more mature and grown up, as of late. Remember her wearing an old pair of Kaia's glasses for <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/11/spirit-week.html">Twin Day?</a> Well in late November she mentioned to me that she was having trouble seeing the board in my math class. There is a glare on the board, so I moved her to the front and things seemed to be fine. That is, until she started complaining about her other classes! So we scheduled an appointment over Christmas Break, and found that Jaelyn is nearsighted. So here she is looking adorable in her new glasses. Don't they make her look older?<br />
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The second reason it seems she's growing up is because she is! Here she is with her sister, on our way home from celebrating New Year's Eve with friends. We all sang happy birthday to her at midnight, as she turned 12. They're looking a bit tired here.<br />
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She celebrated with friends a couple days later at our local rollerskating rink.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not too old to love dogs though! She loved this cake.</td></tr>
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She had a little too much fun playing dodge ball while rollerskating...<br />
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And as a result, three days of missing PE and two missed soccer practices. Frankly, I would have been out for more, but not this girl.<br />
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Yikes, one more year and I'll have a teenager in the house again!<br /><br />
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<br />Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-34313716401010818652016-01-17T06:34:00.002-08:002016-01-17T06:34:27.698-08:00Frozen (and I don't mean the cute Disney kind)...So what do I think has been my lack of motivation for posting to my blog these past couple of months? Well I now officially have a name for it. Frozen Shoulder! Let me explain...<br />
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Let me take you back to October 2014, when I first began having shoulder issues. Pain and stiffness, along with a lot of tossing and turning at night, finally led me to the orthopedic doctor in Feb. 2015, where I received a cortisone shot and was told I had tendinitis. I followed up with physical therapy, and was nearly pain free, but still didn't have full range of motion. However, I did spend the summer playing softball, tennis, running, etc. <br />
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Then came August, when I noticed the twinge of achiness returned. By Thanksgiving I came to the conclusion it wasn't going away on it's own, so I decided to return to the doctor. My orthopedic had now moved off island, and I had new insurance, so I began with my general practitioner, which took three weeks to get into. He thought perhaps I had a tear, so scheduled an MRI, gave me another cortisone shot (did nothing), and referred me back to the specialist.<br />
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Now it's 2016...Lack of sleep due to pain at night is my number one complaint. I feel like the parent of a newborn again (don't even go there), and I've even been known to wake up shouting out with pain as I turned over without thinking (sorry Michael). About a week ago I was finally able to see the orthopedic, which after reading my X-ray and MRI results, gave me an accurate diagnosis. I am now receiving physical therapy three times a week, and on a slow road to recovery. I just know the Lord is teaching me some things, and so far it is patience!<br />
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Someone shared with me a good article that explains Frozen Shoulder Syndrome, so if you aren't already bored of my whining, and want to learn more, <a href="http://www.sosmed.org/specialties/shoulder-elbow/frozen-shoulder-syndrome-adhesive-capsulitis/">read here</a>. Unfortunately, being a type I diabetic and now 50, I fall into the high risk category. I hate being a statistic!<br />
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So back to why I have been avoiding blogging. I typically write my posts in the evening, and frankly I am exhausted by that time of day! I was only sleeping in 1-2 hour chunks of time, so going to bed by 8:00pm was not unusual here. I am happy to say that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elastic_therapeutic_tape">kinesiology tape</a> has helped me sleep with less pain, so now I sometimes sleep in 3-4 hour chunks, but I still typically wake with numbness in my arm between 4am-5am, so I give in and get up. Which is why I decided at 4:15 am this morning to finally start writing this post that has been going through my head. Also, I don't typically mention much about my diabetes here, as there is not much to comment on, but the cortisone shots and shoulder have been wreaking havoc on my control, which doesn't help with my motivation to type.<br />
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But I am on the road to recovery, and no pity party here, so other than today's rant, I am ready to catch everyone up on the wonderful things that have been going on with my family (I like to keep the blog positive but real), so stay tuned....Tonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12898048088120890956noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-186897508453889509.post-63985019084839761512015-12-19T10:10:00.000-08:002015-12-19T10:23:05.993-08:00Recital Week...This past week both girls had musical performances. First off was Kaia's recital, to which I found my camera battery was dead, as was Mike's phone. <strike>Good parents we are!</strike> Thankfully another parent came to our rescue....<br />
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Afterwards Kaia made the observation that at <a href="http://crebbinfamily.blogspot.com/2015/07/where-did-june-go.html">her last recital</a>, back in June, she played <i>Jingle Bells</i> in the summer. This time, when everyone else played a holiday song, Kaia played <i>Scarborough Fair</i> (one of my all time favorites)! I just say that's typical Kaia style, doing her own thing. What I noticed though is how much she has improved. Keep up the good work Kaia!<br />
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Now for Jaelyn's concert. I learned my lesson and charged the battery before we left! Since Jaelyn had beginning band last year (see performance in link above) as a fifth grader, she was allowed to play in the advanced middle school band this year with the 7th and 8th grade (beginning band in her new district doesn't begin until 6th grade). The down side is that she is so little, and plays such a big instrument, that I can't get her on screen! If you look closely, she can be seen every so often peeking around her baritone, above her music stand, behind the saxophone, and next to the bass clarinet. Here they are playing <i>Deck the Halls with Old Composers.</i><br />
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