Sunday, February 28, 2016

CokersEast: Baking, Games, Hospital

 No visit is complete without CC baking with these two. They made their awesome chocolate chip pound cake, which is delicious!
 This is 'our' dumpling guy, has been for 13 years, he made us special no-msg dumplings for CC.
 Fun group photo!

Our favorite guard came back. He keeps us in the know in our neighborhood and is the one who was going to use his taser on the rat in our cabinet.


Sweet kisses.


Last dance class for awhile.

We all went in and watched.


Poppy and CC taught us a new card game: 'Five Crowns' and we all could play, it was so much fun!

Poppy had some issues that took him to see a doctor at our local hospital. I told him he has truly experienced China, blood draws and all.

Our kids SO enjoyed their time with Poppy and CC.
Their trip was short but oh so sweet.
 And in the evenings we so enjoyed our time with Poppy and CC. So many discussions, so little time! We laughed, we cried, we played Blokus.
And though we have over 1000 photos of their visit, these few posts do give a teeny glimpse of all the fun! Hope you enjoyed.

CokersEast: More Dance and Amusement Park Fun!


 Love these face shots Poppy took while the older girls were at dance.


They came home and showed us all the stretches and moves they were doing.


 we had to buy the class uniform but the class itself is free through the government rec center.

We even continued with Johnny Tremain read aloud. This story is involved and a bit above their heads, but I take the time to explain some things and make sure they understand what is going on and they are really hanging with and loving it.

We went to our town's new amusement park.
 We did go on the ferris wheel but all the turny twisty upside downness we avoided.

Tobin got to drive a little tractor

 bouncy trampoline bungy thing.

This ride was SLOW and so short, with one quick shrill hill.


the cars on this track went fast!

who doesn't love bumper cars?


walking to the next ride, Tobin grabbed Bella's hand.
 They loved this play area:
 From the ferris wheel

CC and Tobin waited for us below
 and we ended with a local snack: lemon drinks and PaoLuda (coconut milk, gelatin, etc.)
 We don't try the fried squid....bleck!

CokersEast: Dance class and Mountain visit

First ever: Valentine's bags. We had so much fun making these and then writing Valentine's.


Aunt K introduced us to a great dance class for the girls. They were so excited they put on their ballet clothes and got G involved too:

It is not actually a ballet class, just general dance, but they love it!

 They came home and G followed what she had seen them do...
 David decided to take Poppy and CC to the Project Site of our Chinese Medicine plot. The kids and I had never been, so we all joined the fun. We left G home with our helper.

The Ferris Wheel on our way out of town: we ventured there later.

 a mountain village:

tea growing on terraces.

rock slide

stopping to explore the waterfall.
 Sophia wanted to stay here all day.


 The water was crystal clear and cold!
 This man stopped to put water in his tractor/truck

Once we arrived we saw all of our site manager's bees in these tree trunks he had made.
 he hollows out the tree by hand and cuts the lid:

This is Tigger, it is a play on his name in Chinese. And he happens to watch our hundred-acre-wood.
 The valley view was not as astonishing as it normally is. Hazy day.

The medicine (a root) in the ground.
 This was where part of the mountain gave way and we thought had ruined things. But thankfully, not much was lost at all.

I told this guy (Tigger) how I had heard about how strong and smart he was and now I had seen it!

Poppy and CC watched the kids while David and Tigger took me to a lower portion of the plot with a beautiful view. You had to get down there carefully. 


And while David bragged that I had hiked in the Himalayas, I almost fell.
 The way back up.
 See us way down there:

I joked that David took me on a stroll through goat poop on Valentine's day (what fertilizes our plants). So romantic. 


 This girl, she says she could live up here.
It is gorgeous.