Brain dump

I cannot wait to post pics and happenings from Poppy and CC's trip, but it may be awhile and may take awhile. Until them, I will offer a little brain dump...

1. Bella took to Poppy and CC way better than I expected. She LOVED their visit. Sophia was the one who talked it up the most, we knew she would enjoy them (and she did). Tobin, the chill baby, was also thankful for lots of attention, during their visit his babbling increased, he really started waving 'bye bye', his babbling increased to real mimics of sounds, and he got a new tooth for a total of 2.
   
2. I planned long ago to do a post on our growth (coming full circle somewhat) in figuring out nutritional health and exercise for me personally and our family as a whole, we are still growing and learning here, and loving the process. It involves Kettle bells and Kefir, and lots more. Hopefully the post will come soon?!!!
   
3. David and I both are doing a new (to us) Bib reading plan this year. It seems like a ton but we are loving it. We read in 9 different places (9 chapters a day), the original 'Horner plan' is ten, but David tweaked it a little. I thought this would overwhelm me, but what it has done is made me know 'I need' to read before I do anything else (computer, etc.). This may seem a little like doing it because 'I need to' instead of 'want to' but it is both. It makes me choose better. I am reading the word more and it is feeding the desire too. It also is refreshing, I don't get bogged down by reading 3-4 chapters in Leviticus at one time. I usually don't get it all done in one sitting, it is great to start and end the day with the word, something I was rarely doing. I hope I stick with it, but if not, it has served me well so far this year. I really am LOVING it.
   
4. I am laughing out loud nightly as I read Anne of Green Gables, I forgot how truly funny these books are. Incredible writing.
5. We introduced Poppy and CC to Blokus, and we all became addicted. CC won in the end even though she claimed to have no strategy. Poppy got into his grove by the end and would have walloped us all had he started that way...when we meet again I predict he takes us all to task. By the last night my exhaustion set in (my excuse)...I started strong and got worse at the game each night. David held steady and strong for a good second place finish.
6. This will be the first year in all 7+ of us being here that I will have stayed in China for a full year. We always would have meetings, visa runs, children to birth, that kept us in and out a lot. Thankfully we are settled in. Next trip out of country for the whole family is in July. We are so thankful for this.
7. However, we will travel within country to renew Sophia's passport and hopefully visit some friends. Sophia turns 5 in June, you are supposed to renew it six months in advance (already passed), we hope to do this in the next few weeks.
   
8. Our intended destination for the passport renewal has starbucks, subway, and best of all IKEA!!!
   
9. This year David and I will have been married 9 years!!! Married life just gets better and better.