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!!