Workout Buddies

I have been doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred (or at least trying to...ha!) lately. My dear sweet friend Barb has been doing it with me and that helps so much for my motivation and consistency. 

Most of the time I try to do this during Aiden's nap time so I can really focus, but Friday was an exception. I was going to be busy all afternoon, so Barb came over that morning to work out. Aiden started out getting to watch a movie of his choice upstairs while we went downstairs, but he wanted to be wherever we were. He came down carrying his lunch box asking for a snack, so thinking it would keep him occupied, I gave him a cracker. But he was so intrigued with what we were doing that he decided to join in. 

Wow...what is she doing?

Go Aunt Barb! 

Squat thrusts...I got this Mama! 

Now on to crunches...ok lets go! 

Hey Mama....keep it up! 

12 days down....bring on day 13! 

Sunshine Filled Days

It has been so rainy this week here, so I had to remind myself how beautiful it was this past weekend. 

We spent all morning on Saturday playing outside. Well, Jeffrey and Aiden played while I soaked up the sun and read a good book. 

What could be better?

Doing some yard work

After trimming some bushes and trees, Aiden had a blast playing with the braches. 

A late Sunday afternoon walk to the veggie market. 

A boy and his daddy!

One of my favorite things in daily life is seeing how much Aiden loves his Daddy! 

Seeing their pictures together and how they interact always bring a smile to my face. Such a special bond these two have. I hope it lasts forever! 

In Hangzhou 

Climbing in the caves together in Hangzhou

Cooking pancakes. 

Enjoying a Saturday morning breakfast at McDonalds

Watching a movie

Being silly and playing

Computer time with Daddy! 

Checking out the sights in Hangzhou

My absolute favorite! When Jeffrey comes home from work, Aiden dashes to the door to see his daddy. Its the sweetest thing ever! 

When I Dip you Dip we Dip....Party Style!

Until moving to China I never realized how much of my world is truly "American." Meaning, things that I thought were known around the world really are not, just known to us Americans. So...I guess one of my purposes here in China is to introduce all of my wonderful friends from around the world to these concepts. This is just one of many examples.

DIP!

No, not the tobacco kind, the kind you eat!  The yummy wonderful dips that go with chips, veggies or anything else you can come up with. The sweet kind, the savory kind...any kind of wonderful dip.

When, sitting at 星巴克 Starbucks, during one of our Monday walks, I mentioned to the group that our next pot luck was going to be a dip party. Needless to say, I got nothing but blank stares from all of my non-American friends. It was quite comical. But, after some explanation it started to make sense.

So the party was created! I LOVED the fact that most everyone put their own culture spin on the dip they brought. Everything was wonderful!! We always have a great time at our parties.

We always have a ton of food! 

Everything was sooooo yummy! 

Some of the examples of the dips that were made and brought are, cookie dough dip, southwest dip, smores dip, buffalo chicken dip, mango salsa, brownie batter dip, pumpkin pie dip, Asian chicken dip, Chinese soy sauce dip, tuna dip, HP Sauce, feta dip....and SOOOOO many more. Everything was so delicious and I was stuffed at the end of the party.

Ladies enjoying all the yummy food. 

And of course...we always have coffee:) 

We had so much food that we couldn't eat it all. So much was leftover.

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I am extremely blessed to have wonderful friends here in Wuxi. Makes life so much better. 

Just Another Day in Paradise - China Style

The things we see and experience in China never get old. 

Its so vastly different from anything in the US that is stays strange. From split pants on kids, to people pushing in front of us in line, to crazy construction and LOUD fireworks on a daily basis, life never gets boring. 

Here is just some of the things we saw and experienced today on our typical Monday 5K Club walk. 

The boards on this bridge have been rotting out for the last year...they are finally fixing them. 

Start of the bridge getting fixed...this is normally where we need to walk to avoid getting hit by a scooter. Needless to say, we are very thankful they are fixing it so we don't fall thru! 

The local hospital. Lately it has been PACKED on Mondays. There are people everywhere just standing around outside. We have yet to figure out exactly what is going on, but it makes me very thankful for our healthcare system in America! 

If you look close you can see part of the crowd outside the hospital. 

More of the crowd...and my thumb. 

I love my life here in Wuxi, but certain things make me very thankful for my life back in the states. I have to confess though, there are things that I really miss. Examples are: Target, a grocery store where I can buy everything I need at one place, a dishwasher, and a washer and dryer inside my house (and that works well). Being here has taught me to be thankful for the things I have and not to take them for granted. We are so blessed! 

I can tell you though, when we move home if you ever need to find me, just look at Target or 

Chick-fil-a...I can almost guarantee I will be there a lot for the first few months at home! Ha!

Ending our day by playing out in our backyard. 

Mommy / Aiden Date Day

Jeffrey had to leave again this week for work, so Aiden and I went on a Mommy/Aiden date. We went to Dunkin Donuts for a special treat and then on to the grocery store to buy meat. It was a fabulous day. 

Starting out for the day. 

Aiden decided he LOVES donuts! 

Mama this is GOOD!!! 

We found this interesting...should I try the Purple Rice coffee???

At the fabulous foreign grocery store in town. Aiden loves to "drive the car"

I know these days with Aiden are precious and he won't be 2 forever. So we will take the days and cherish them while we can. 

Cheap Fun Entertainment

This week is one of the dreaded ones here in China...an 8 day work week for our guys. "Working weekends" was not a concept we were told about until we arrived here. This is where they have to make up some of their holiday time by working over a weekend either before or after that specific holiday. Its not a fun situation, but we try to make the best out of it....well I guess Aiden and I do. Poor Jeffrey is stuck at work while we play. 

Since the majority of my friends here are in the same boat, we all get together to keep ourselves occupied and try hard not to think about the fact that it is the weekend. Today was no exception. We explored a mall that just opened, had a great lunch at a Korean BBQ place and braved the crowds at Auchon. Everything is better when you have friends to do it with. 

Checking out some of the fish selection. 

Lunch time goodness

Always open for new experiences. 

So grateful to have all of these wonderful ladies to do things with. But we are ready for our men to come home and join in the fun.