Washington D.C.

We went to Washington over Labor Day weekend. We decided last minute to do it and I had no idea about the new guidelines for getting into the White House. I called our senator and they were so awesome! They did the quick background check and got us tickets to go inside. We also were able to get tickets ahead of time for the Washington Monument. They sell out early if you wait to get them there.
We were able to do so much during the couple of days we were there. We went to the Lincoln Monument, Arlington Cemetary and saw the changing of the guard, Washington Monument, White House, most of the Smithsonian Museums, the Spy Museum, the Vietnam War Memorial and the WWII War Memorial (which was amazing).
Our favorite dinner was in Georgetown. We loved walking around there and going in all the cool shops.
Andrew was so excited but I was worried that Anslee wouldn't enjoy it. She did though! She loves being on the go and seeing new things.

Our trip was wonderful!!

T

HALLOWEEN!

Andrew dressed up as a Clone Trooper and Anslee dressed up as "I marry Daddy". She wanted a wedding dress. Everywhere we walked people stopped us to tell us how beautiful she looked. She loved it too and would spin around or hold her dress out to be admired.
Andrew and his friends. They were almost able to make it to the end of the neighborhood. Their bags were so heavy with candy that they needed to come back.



Anslee and her friends :-) She l o v e s hanging out with the big girls! Luckily for her, they enjoy having her around too.
THE LOOT!

When I came home from school today, Anslee said she wanted to get her wedding dress on so she could go trick-or-treating some more. When she realizes she has to wait another whole year, she's going to be very dissapointed.

Happy Halloween!!

We went to Stone Mountain to see the laser show a couple of weeks ago. Andrew and Anslee both loved it. We got there early to spread out our blankets and then to look around and eat dinner. I had only been to the laser show in the summer but it was so fun going when it was chilly outside. We all cuddled together under blankets and ate our funnel cakes :-).

OUCH!

Andrew and Keith were practicing catching pop-ups in the yard. Obviously, Andrew missed the last ball. He was really brave though and only cried for a minute or two. We felt so horrible for him. It looks much less painful now!! They have their playoff games starting tomorrow.

As you all can tell I kinda slacked off writing after school started. Like everyone else, it is amazing how busy we are. Now we are back in the routine and hopefully I will find time to get back on the computer.

T

End of summer

We had a great time at Rosemary beach again this summer.
Andrew and Anslee loved riding bikes. We rode everywhere. Andrew's favorite place to ride to was the Sugar Shack. I'm sure you can guess why...

The first couple of days Anslee did not like getting in the ocean at all. By the fourth day, she didn't want to get out of the ocean. She loved it when her daddy held her and they jumped the big waves.
Andrew and his cousin loved trying to dig the deepest hole ever. Anslee loved making tracks in the sand with her shovel when she wasn't trying to get someone to go back into the ocean with her.
This summer just flew by. We got back home on Saturday and then Monday I had preplanning for school. My mom came and stayed with the kids while I was gone. Then school started for all of us this Monday!

Farm Visit

I can't even begin to explain how much Andrew and Anslee love going to my sister's farm. They count down the days before we go. Andrew loved the baby chicks.
Anslee enjoys a ride from her older cousin.
I don't know if you remember the cute little baby pigs I pictured months ago, but look at them now!! Sadly, I think Flora is going to be an end of the summer barbeque... at least they aren't quite as cute now.
Anslee has no fear of any of the animals. I think they may fear her a little (rightly so!) but they feel safer when the fence is between them. When Anslee was inside the fence with them, they tried to keep their distance.
I'm not sure if we'll be back to the farm at Thanksgiving like we usually do... It is fun to be there during different seasons ~ and having my sister cook is always a plus!

the zoo

We went with some friends to the zoo. Anslee was the only girl ~ which she loves!
Andrew loved the reptile house. There were so many snakes and frogs and lizards that he had a hard time deciding his favorite. I think we were in there for about an hour.
Anslee LOVED the gorillas! She kept waving at them and when the baby gorillas would clap she did too. When we were leaving that area to see other animals she yelled "bye gorillas, I love you!"

Painting fun

I'm glad we did this activity outside!!

Our eventful morning

We had to call 911 on the morning of Friday the 13th.
Anslee had just finished eating breakfast when she decided to do something she hadn't done before. She stuck her hand in the sub wuffer (I'm not sure if that is how it's spelled) all the way up to her shoulder. She started screaming and I ran over and tried to get it out but it wouldn't budge. I was worried her circulation was being cut off or something inside could cut her hand ( I really don't know what is inside these things) so I told Andrew to call 911. He said "seriously?" I said yeah, because I don't know how to get her hand out. The paramedics came and after they opened it and took out alot of the parts, they found her hand was fine and intact (thank goodness!) so I felt safe to jump up and get my camera to record the event :-). After they got her hand out, they stayed for a few minutes and watched Anslee in action and the guy laughed and said "I have a feeling we are going to see you again." I really hope they are wrong!
Andrew said as sad as he was to see Anslee upset, it was fun getting to see the 911 people!

'Wife Shortage' to Hit Nation in 2020s
(China Daily July 7, 2007)

Today's boys may face a major problem when they become tomorrow's men - they will find it very difficult to get hitched, simply because there won't be enough women.

Sociologists are calling for swift measures to be taken to address the nation's growing gender ratio imbalance.

China now has 37 million more males than females, the People's Daily reported on Friday, without giving the source.

And the number of males below the age of 15 is 18 million more than females in the same age group, the report said.

A census in 2000 showed that the gender ratio between female and male infants was 100 to 116.9, with this widening to 100 to 118.88 in 2005.

Regional disparity also exists, with some areas reporting a ratio of 100 to 138, such as southern China's Guangdong and Hainan provinces.

"Currently, the problem does not seem to be very serious," said Tian Xueyuan, deputy director of the China Population Society. "But if it remains unchecked, when they reach the marriage age, problems will occur."

Zheng Zhenzhen, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that 10 percent of males may have difficulties finding a wife in two decades time.

"An imbalanced gender ratio will naturally lead to problems in terms of seeking spouses," Zheng said. "And less competitive males could be forced out."

Crimes targeting women are on the rise in some places where the imbalance is at its greatest, the report said, quoting sources with the National Population and Family Planning Commission.

Tian said that a deeply rooted traditional concept that "boys are better than girls" is the reason behind the imbalanced ratio.

"Agriculture has dominated China for thousands of years," he said. "In an economic sense, there is a far greater need for boys than girls in the fields."

cooking class

We have a friend who married an Italian guy and they lived in Italy for years. She teaches a cooking class for about 6 children at a time. This class was making homemade pizzas. The children loved it! Anslee and I stopped by to take pictures and Andrew picked her up so she could see.

Our newest family member

My sister and her daughter traveled to my house with my dad and then we all rode down together to see baby Colin. He is the most adorable, smallest little baby. We spent one night and then drove back home.
After we left I felt badly for my sister and her husband. It was so soon to go down and Brandi was just exhausted. My mom was still there helping but with six people descending on them it was a lot of extra work ~ Although all of us were more than happy to feed, hold or change Colin :-) Uncle Mike is a favorite of all the nieces and nephews because he always goes out of his way to make sure the children have fun.
Colin is doing great and his big brother Cuyler is so proud!!

shoes

My sister and her daughter spent the night with us Wednesday night.
We had a full evening of fun including shopping at Target for my niece, going to Whole Foods for shopping and dinner and then going swimming.
When we were at Target my niece was looking for shoes. Anslee was right there with her watching and trying them on too. Anslee found a pair of "beautiful sparkly" flip flops in her size. After she tried those on I tried to get her to try on some more practical shoes but she wouldn't take the flip flops off. Before this, I had let Andrew and Anslee both pick out a toy to take out of town with us the next day. Anslee picked out a Little Mermaid Ariel toy. So I told her that she could only get one thing either the toy or the flip flops. Without a second thought she set the toy down and said flip flops. She was very happy with her purchase and has worn them constantly. I think Anslee will take after my niece who ended up buying 5 pairs of shoes!!

Buster

My little old dog:

A heart-beat at my feet.

- - - Edith Wharton

Keith and I got Buster from the Pet Smart dog adoption a year after we were married. He was 1 and now he is over 12 years old. We always made sure we kept his weight low (unlike our weight!!) to make sure he didn't have any unnecessary back issues. His back has "gone out" two times before and muscle relaxers have totally fixed it both times.

About a week ago, he started to have back pain. We took him to the vet and had x-rays done. He has degenerative disc disease. The area between his lowers discs are starting to calcify and cause swelling and pain. This time, we haven't found a medication that is working. He is just pitiful and continues to be in pain. The vet thinks the only way to possibly fix it is to have surgery but even that won't definitely work ~ AND his age is a HUGE issue in surviving surgery. The vet is going to try some morphine type of drug... hopefully this will alleviate the pain he has.

Keith and I are worried sick about him. Poor puppy.

Welcome to the world Colin!

My nephew was born today ~ 5 weeks before his due date!
He weighed 5.11 lbs. (big baby for being so early)
He is doing well but having a little trouble breathing.
Please keep him in your prayers.
Terri

Visiting friends

We went to visit our friends Katie and Dave (and children) who moved out of town. We had a great time and Anslee especially loved Julia who epitomized everything girlie. I took my camera with the greatest intentions and then of course barely took any pictures.

Andrew has always loved Lane and was counting the days until our visit. From the time we walked in the door until we left, I think I only saw Andrew at meals. Oh yeah we also saw them when us grownups kicked them off the PS2 to play some guitar game. It was a blast to play but Katie, Dave and Keith all just tolerated me playing. Andrew wanted to play me so he could beat someone!

We miss you guys!!

Anslee and her friend Olivia have a blast together. Olivia is three months older than Anslee. Like all two year olds they play then argue, play then argue. They both like to be in charge and be the leader. Their personalities are so similar and we think they look alike too even though they are from different provences.

China city turns to air raid shelters to beat heat
Tue Jun 12, 8:20 AM ET

BEIJING (Reuters) - A southwestern Chinese city renowned as a "furnace" during the summer has opened up its warren of old air raid shelters to help people beat the heat, state media said on Tuesday.

Chongqing, China's World War Two capital, would be able to accommodate 10,000 people in the shelters, which are aimed at low-income residents, Xinhua news agency said.
"We spent about 500,000 yuan ($65,400) refurbishing the shelters -- putting in tables and benches, tap water and book stands, so that the needy who cannot afford air conditioning at home can spend the summer more comfortably," it quoted Tang Zhiming, director of the Chongqing Municipal Air Defense Shelters Office, as saying.
"Money-making activities will be banned at the refurbished shelters -- we want ordinary people to be able to go there and cool off free of charge," Tang added.
Last summer, densely populated and heavily industrial Chongqing sweltered in temperatures in excess of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), compounding a drought and forcing schools to postpone the start of the new term.
Many Chinese cities have air raid shelters, a legacy of the country's Communist heyday when Beijing feared air raids or even nuclear strikes from the United States or the Soviet Union.

Clean water project

It is amazing how poor the water quality is in China. When we were there we were told we should use bottled water to brush our teeth, make baby bottles and drink. There were hot pots in each room to boil water. We also couldn't eat raw fruit or vegetables that couldn't be peeled.

After we arrived back into the United States, and took our babies to the doctor, many of them had giardia (a parasite) and some of the parents had it too!

There is an organization called a Child's Right who goes into countries and installs a water filtration system that provides the children clean water. They were in China this year and they installed this system in the Fuling Social Welfare Institute. I am so happy Anslee's orphanage will have clean water.

You can see pictures documenting their trip there and to other orphanages in the Chongqing Municipality.

On A Child's Right website, click on News on the bottom left and then on China 2007 and pictures 75 - 97 are from Fuling.

Fun night out

Watching the Georgia Force is so much fun. It is faster paced than regular football and really kept Andrew and Anslee's interest.

Rain, Rain Go away...

Really we don't want it to go away, but that's what Anslee kept singing when we got our little bit of rain this week. The entire time she was splashing and jumping in the puddle she was singing.
I think Anslee thought it was more fun than the snow we had at Easter because it wasn't cold and we get it almost as infrequently.

I'm hoping we'll get more rain soon. I think we are negative 14 inches right now.

Treehouse Update!

Well, here is my current project update. Andrew wanted a treehouse for his bday. TC told me all I had to do was buy one of those kits, but would I listen, of course not. So here I sit weeks later with a project that is going to cost me double that of a kit and is the size of an Imperial Star Destroyer (Star Wars). (It's actually shaped that way, not on purpose). It will Probably be at least another two+ weeks before I finish and cost at least a couple hundred more dollars. Andrew wants to know if it will be done before the end of summer..........I'm hoping so!!!

Our previous house

We were running errands today and as we started to pass our old neighborhood, Andrew asked to drive by our old house. We drove up to our house and there was a for sale sign in the front yard. The house was obviously empty and the yard was unkempt. Andrew was so sad that no one loved this house anymore. It is always hard to go by a previous house we've owned especially if it isn't taken care of.

Another first...

Anslee doesn't wake up and cry or get out of bed during the night. Until last night. At 2:00am she is walking down the hall saying "mama, I can't find my shoes". I picked her up, cuddled her little warm body for a few minutes, told her we would find her shoes in the morning and then put her back in bed. She snuggled into her pillow and said " I love you mama".

Is there anything better in the world than that?