more fun with Papa and Granna

Well, my parents left today to head back to America. I was sad to see them go, but we had such a blast while they were here! We are blessed to have parents who will endure countless plane rides, jet lag, and sore backs from carrying so much luggage for us. My dad really did hurt his back, but thankfully he got some great (and cheap) massages over here to help his sore muscles.

My parents also kept Grace while I travelled with Kevin and had my first ever night apart from Grace. I think it went pretty well! At least they were still smiling when we got home.

I've attached some (out of order) pictures of our time together.


Grace really enjoyed snuggling with Granna and Papa.
One of the many great things about my dad is he loves to try any kind of new food! We have this little tradition of going to Asian Wal-Mart together and picking out the weird snacks. This time my dad really enjoyed aloe-flavored milk, unusual chips including lychee-flavored, candied jujubees, and of course all the fun fresh fruit! Here my dad is peeling a dragon fruit, one of his new favorites. Too bad that although fruit here is so cheap, this would cost an arm and a leg in the US.
Here's our Christmas Day meal. Thanks to many imported items and food Mom and Dad brought, we had ham, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, jello salad, cheese ball, and pecan pie.
Grace hamming it up on the back porch...
Happy 2008!

It's been fun to watch Grace learn to pretend play. She loves feeding and changing her dolls. Lately, she's also enjoyed dressing up. The other day, she kept bringing clothes to my mom to put on her. Then she had to look in the mirror at the ensemble. She's quite a nut!
This morning, Grace looked in the mirror and said "Gwace" and then pointed to herself and told me her nickname in Asianese: "Hui hui." I didn't know she knew her Asian name yet. She's picking up Asianese fast and learning new words every day.
On New Year's Day, we had lunch with some local friends who also have a daughter around Grace's age. They had her all dressed up in traditional clothing for the New Year! We ate a traditional New Year's Day feast, hot pot.

Mom and Dad also went to Grace's little preschool class. They are really good sports!