yogurt lips

I know this post comes from a completely biased standpoint, but dang! This girl is irresistibly cute. She knows exactly how to melt my heart - and she's growing up so fast! She's full of spunk, humor and keeps up with her sisters in grammar & vocabulary!! The amazing things that come out of her mouth don't seem consistent with her age. And here is her favorite snack at the market downstairs - Strawberry Yogurt with a straw (1.5 kuai = 25 cents).

egg-dying bonanza 2009

We searched high and low for some white eggs this year. Most of the eggs we buy here are all brown - so when Justin located an entire box of 48 White eggs, he bought them! We split the box with some neighbors, so it we weren't stuck with a months' supply. Right after the girls posed for this picture, they dropped the heavy box. Amazingly, nothing broke!! They were SO excited to begin the egg dying bonanza....so I began to boil those little white eggs.

Color your eggs with crayon... and pose for a picture

Mark them with an "E"

Choose your favorite color and plop the egg in.

Patiently wait, while you look irresistibly cute.

So many beauties.

Happy Easter!!

making jiaozi .....again!

This week we decided to make some more delicious jiaozi (饺子) - with chicken & veggie filling. We wrapped about 200 of them - and saved them in the freezer for a quick lunch. I guess the process isn't "quick" but well worth the 4 hours of prep time!!

First we chop....chop....chop

Then we knead the dough for the wraps.

Then we roll, fill & wrap for awhile!!

Then we gaze at them with anticipation.

Then we (boil first) devour them with soy sauce & chopsticks!

a walk downtown....

Da Bazaar (大把扎) is the Uyghur centre of our city & a must-see for all visitors!! This part of town is so diverse, and very different from the more central cities of Mainland China. It is the largest retail & wholesale market of ethnic goods too (in Urumqi). The market is always bustling with energy - as people sell handicrafts, food & souvenirs. This market has served as a trading hub for goods across Central Asia for many years. Bargaining is to be expected, and all prices are negotiable!

You can find grilled mutton kebabs, polo (zhua fan 抓饭), hot nan bread, fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice & sliced melons all over. Restaurants & street vendors spill out into the streets, so the smells of food are always wafting your way (which we think is a good thing!).



You can also pose with a native Bactrian Camel (the ones with 2 humps) or take a ride for a small fee. The camels are quite ornery, and are known to bite and spit. This one is still wearing his winter coat.
At many spots along the sidewalk you can find underground walkways that lead to MORE shopping areas below. Wherever we go - we must watch our possessions with care. I hope that won't keep you from visiting tho!!

Chinglish #7

Red Mountain park is the green home of every boby.
Just gave me a chuckle.

Hóng Shān = Red Mountain = 红山

We enjoyed a wonderful visit from friends from America - for an entire week! The kids played for hours upon hours, and we got to share some highlights of our beloved city with them. Despite a nasty stomach flu, the visit was sweet + amazing!! (I think we are all-too-familiar with being sick)
We took them to one of the highest parks in the city - Hóng Shān (Red Mountain). It is a historic park that overlooks a panorama of the city - and it was great weather! The mountain is made of aubergine rock, hence the name Red Mountain. We hiked the stairs, explored the pagoda, and the kids had many pictures taken of them by locals (without many smiles).
All week the kiddos enjoyed exploring, reading, imagining, and bonding with their buddies since birth. I have known J since I was 16, I believe - and now our children are buddies too! I have way too many pictures to share, so here are some highlights:

...and my personal fave....

Chinese Art Class

This past week we enrolled Asia in a daily Art Class downstairs. Its literally in our apartment building on the first floor! She attends 2-4 times per week, for an hour session with 10-16 other kids (mostly 6-7 years old). We are so excited that she is interested in going - and its been fun to see what they create with their class each day.

The first day she drew a Chinese girl floating in a pond with three geese (see above). The 2nd day she used a black marker to draw 3 dragonflies with big buggy eyes(below)! And now she is working on a colorful Lion in the circus! The class is always very studious & well-behaved when I pick her up, engrossed in their artistic creations. The teacher walks around helping each student with their copy-work and giving assistance when needed. Each class session is focused on copying a drawing that is chosen by the teacher. The teacher sometimes uses her fingernail to make a line for the kids to copy, which (I guess) helps them learn fine motor skills. Even the colors are pre-determined!!

Still, I am loving her unique renditions of the copied original.
This method of teaching has been quite contrary to how I would "teach art" but I am choosing to look at the positives: she is being exposed to Chinese, interacting with other kids - and overall excited to attend. I have had many neat conversations with her as we debrief the class each day. AND I make sure to encourage her creativity in every other aspect of her day!!

Here's her pink Circus Lion - a masterpiece in progress! I think she was roaring too.

We switched our visa's!!

As of today, March 23rd, 2009 - we are official registered business owners of an Ice Cream Company in NW China! All our paperwork is accounted for - and we have been given the stamp of approval!! We are amazed, thrilled and in shock too! I guess even though we have worked hard for this outcome, we were a bit amazed at how "easily" it came about. Within 10 weeks we were approved! The waiting and suspense is over! Thank you China!!

Now we can move forward with all the rest of the details:

• getting bar codes for our packaging
• getting safety/quality seals for our packaging
• creating the final package design
• locating & pricing the cartons for printing
• finding an office (separate from production site)
• purchasing final machinery/freezers
• hiring & training employees

....just to mention a few of the things that will consume our energies in the coming weeks! The process of learning how to start a business from scratch has been educational & stressful, especially while speaking a foreign language and navigating all sorts of confusing laws that are new to us. But we are excited to offer high-quality ice cream with all natural ingredients....even if it is high in calories! I hope we can swoon the masses!