Sam is preparing to go!

How does a five year old prepare to move to China?

Out of the blue today Sam asked me if his scooter could be taken apart with a screwdriver. I had no idea where the conversation was going (you would be amazed at how many things he wants to take a part with screwdrivers and other things!) I cautiously replied that I was not sure and he should ask his dad. (My go to answer when I feel like I am on shaky ground, I am ashamed to say!) My next question was - why? "Well, I don't think that it will fit in my suitcase if I don't take it apart," Sam replied.

That is a glimpse into the mind of Sam the man!

comment settings changed

i heard from a couple of people that they tried to post comments on our blog, but weren't able. seems that they needed a blog of their own to comment. sorry about that. i had the secrity level a little higher to keep spammers from posting comments to our blog - a newer way that spammers strike.

so...i've changed the settings. everyone should now be able to comment. :-)

enjoy! we look forward to new online converstions

bryan

ps. as you comment, please keep 2 things in mind:

1. please don't post an anonymous comment. we like knowing who is reading the blog.
2. as you post, please remember that your comments are visible to anyone on the internet. please use discretion when commenting.

The things Ruthie says.

One of the best things about being a mom is hearing all the fun things that the kids think to say. Here are a few of my most recent favorites from the mouth of Ruthie:

I need my privacy!
When I grow up and become a mouse I will eat cheese.
When I grow up to be a pig I will hate being dirty.
When I grow up to be a princess you call me CinderRoo.
I am only a princess in a dress.
I can't count in chinese. I don't go to school yet!
That ouches me.
This place is a disaster! (After walking into the locker room at the gym.)
Look, my hands are empty! I neeeed some of that!
Brother taught me that.

I am not kidding. She has said all of these things in the last week! She keeps us laughing with everything that she thinks to say. But of them all the best is what she said tonight as I was hugging her goodnight. "mommy you are my precious." It doesn't get any better!

A Little about Qinghai

One thing that Bryan and I have realized about ourselves is that we thrive on diversity. We love learning new things, getting to know different types of people, and discovering the richness that comes from adding those things to our family.

Maybe that is why we fell in love with Qinghai province. It is one of China's most diverse areas. Of the 5.2 million people who call Qinghai home, 54.5% are Han people, 20.8% are Tibetans, and the rest of the population is made up of Tu, Hui, Salar and Mongols. We are excited to learn more about the culture of the Tibetans who are Buddhist and the Muslim Hui people. Xining, the city we will live in, has one of China's largest Mosques and is near one of China's largest monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism.

Qinghai also is diverse in its natural beauty. It is famous for being the home of Qinghai Lake. It is the largest saltwater lake in China and is located on the "roof of the world" the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The lake's elevation is roughly 10,500 ft and the surrounding area is made up of beautiful rolling grasslands, (see the photo of Ruthie) and populated by ethnic Tibetans (see the photo of Sam.)

Okay, so I am starting to sound like a tour guide...but maybe that is good. Maybe it will convince you to come visit us in our new home!

FYI: the content of the article was adapted from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai

Crap juice

Today was the best day ever. Or maybe it just seemed that way because we were finally able to be outside. It actually got up to 67 degrees. We wore short sleeves, walked through Lansing's humble, but awesome zoo, played soccer in the backyard and grilled hot dogs!

Sam decided we should enjoy all of summer's pleasures by eating on the back deck. To add to the celebration we all drank juice for dinner. I gave Ruthie Cran-grape juice (something fun and new). She took one drink and asked "what is this?" I told her and she said, "Oh, I like crap juice!"

From the mouth of a two year old!

Provision

We feel blessed, thankful, and amazed.

We have been praying for HIM to provide the funds we need to buy furniture for the apartment in China. We had no idea where the money was going to come from. Did you notice the word "had". HE has amazed us again with HIS faithfulness....from an unusual source.

We had our taxes done on Saturday and due to some circumstances this year, we were not expecting a refund. When we found out that we wouldn't just be getting a refund...we were getting a refund that would cover the cost of the furniture in China...we almost wet ourselves!

We serve HIM who provides all our needs and blesses us with every possible blessing. Thank you for standing with us in prayer.

We look forward to seeing how HE answers our need of selling the house!

placemark for google earth

it seems that i can't post a file on the blog for download...or at least i can't figure out how. so if you use google earth and would like the actual placemark of the photo posted below, just email me. i'll be happy to send it to you.

if anyone knows how to post files on the blog for download, please let me know and i'll adjust this post. ;-)

university via google earth

here's one photo where you see a little bit of the university. check out the image below. you can see markers showing the front lawn of the university, the english center, and possibly where we will be living.

hope this gives you a little insight into where we will be living.

xining on a map

we thought you might like to see where xining is on the map. click here to view a map in google maps.

for those of you who have google earth (a really cool program from google that lets you view satellite images), you can actually see satellite images of the university campus and what may be our future apartment complex. i'm working to figure out how to post the link/coordinates so that everyone can see it. look for the post soon.

if you want to download and try google earth, you can get the program here.