a jiaozi party and our month away

Last week we met with friends and had a jiaozi (dumpling) party. It was fun! If you've never gotten to taste the delicacy that IS jiaozi, well, you're missing out. Go to an Asian market and get some. They're amazing!

A friend came over the night before the party, and we mixed all the fillings. The fun thing about Asian cooking is it's not really an exact science, it's more of an art...a little pinch of this, a lot of that. So, if I get really brave I might try it on my own sometime. But my friend was an expert at making them! Here she is showing some of the girls her technique at wrapping up the dumplings.
There are many different types of jiaozi, but typically they include some kind of meat and vegetables in the middle. You can also add tofu, egg, or noodles to the filling if you prefer to go sans meat. I (erroneously) thought that most folks here knew how to wrap dumplings, but really many of the people that came to the party were just as new to dumpling-making as we were. Partially because it was an early 20-something crowd (and many of them don't cook), and partly because we live in the south, where as dumplings are more of a "northern" dish.
Getting ready to dive in after the dumplings were boiled
Uncle Jeff found some pop rocks, so Grace was thrilled to have her first pop rock experience. Here's her look of sheer sugary happiness.
Eat up!
Maybe I'll try to work on my Asian cooking skills over the next month, because we are moving to the countryside for about 4 weeks! I may or may not be posting while we are gone, since internet access will be hit-and-miss. But hopefully I'll have some fun pictures to post after our time away!

sneak peak at bath-time songs

It may be a little hard to hear, but here is Grace singing her latest favorite song, "I thank God for (fill-in-the-blank). At the beginning of the video, she's in the middle of thanking God for Jeff (aka Uncle Jeff, Kevin's cousin). Then she sings, "I thank God for mommy and daddy..." I had to sneak this video through the door frame since she always stops singing if she knows she's being taped!

Happy Father's Day!

Here's a big "Happy Father's Day" to my wonderful daddy and father-in-law. Kevin, Grace, and I love you both and are thankful for your lives and examples!

I think Kevin will tell you he had a great Father's Day, not because of anything I did in particular but because of some of the fun things he got to do. We had 2 friends from the countryside come to the "big city" to visit us, and we had them over this morning for a western breakfast of French toast, eggs, and fruit. They were fine with the food and seemed to eat quite a bit, but there was a little look of terror on their faces when they first approached the table and saw they'd have to use a fork and a knife! I offered chopsticks, but they didn't want them. They were up to the challenge after Kevin gave them a demonstration! I imagine they had the same look on their faces as we did our first few weeks here. Anyway, the really fun part of the day came when we got to throw a "swimming party" for one of our friends!

And what's Father's Day without a bunch of meat? So, Kevin asked to go to Brazilian bbq tonight. Besides the exercise equipment Kevin got to pick out (kettle bells, don't ask me what they are because I don't really understand much about them), one of my gifts to my beloved was to not bother him with pictures for the day! :) So, the only pictures I have to post today are of a friend and Grace (still in her nightgown) blowing bubbles on the back porch this morning. It's not very Father's Day-ish, but I figure some pictures are better than no pictures! :)

Grace's 2nd birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Grace's 2nd birthday! It's so hard for us to believe she's already 2, and yet in some ways she has already seemed like a 2 year old for a while! She's talking up a storm in complete sentences, can sing lots of songs, goes from English to the local language in a snap, and absolutely keeps us laughing! The last few months have had their toddler ups and downs, but I have to say the last 2 weeks we've just had so much fun playing and learning together and overall having very little toddler drama. So bring on the 2's!

We really are so thankful for Grace's life. She brings us such joy! She gives the best hugs and kisses whenever we ask for them, and my favorite new thing that she does all the time now is to encourage me by saying, "good job, mama" whenever we're doing a task together such as coloring. I love this motherhood gig!

Yesterday Grace had quite a fun day, complete with webcamming with grandparents and family, opening gifts, and having a little party at McDonald's. Since Grace isn't too big into cake yet, I made her favorite dessert instead: peanut butter squares. I was really touched that my helper BoLing remembered Grace's birthday, too. I never told her it was coming, but she remembered from last year and brought her a sweet gift. That touched me! She has very little disposable income since she sends most of it back to her village.

Enjoy the pictures!








Grace also shares her birthday with my sister's son, cousin Caleb. Happy 6th birthday Caleb!

We've got spirit, yes we do...

The Ol. Games are coming! In August! It's almost time! And the entire country is excited!

Today, the Torch came through our city. The Games are a HUGE deal here. Very groundbreaking. I never could have imagined what a big deal this event is to the entire nation. I guess partly because, when the Games have been held in the US, it's a big honor for the host city but not as significant for the rest of the country. But here, many people will get a few days off of work just because of the Games.

I wanted to go to watch the Torch run today, but Kevin's school officials specifically asked us and other foreign students here not to attend out of "concern for our safety." It's ok, because Kevin got back into town late this morning and I would not have been brave enough to maneuver through the great multitudes of people by myself with Grace. However, that didn't stop me from going yesterday to take a few pictures around town as preparations were under way.

Here's our city expo center, where the Torch was to make it's final stop... (BTW, this photo was taken from my gym. I love to look out this window as I work out.)

Beautification-in-process
Some folks were milling around and taking photos on the stage
a map of the Torch route
This made me laugh. It's a bunch of coke cans made into the shape of an ancient minority drum.
Bring on the Games!

hairy adventures

I remember that right before I left for Asia, my US hairdresser asked me, "Who's going to do your hair in Asia?"

"Good question," I replied.

3 and a half years later, I still don't quite have that issue resolved.

I remember my first Asian haircut like it was yesterday. I approached the chair with fear and trembling. And, although I didn't cry afterwards, I definitely felt I'd gotten a little bit more integrated into the culture, since my hair looked more "native."

Last year, I got a haircut that looked as if Mamie Eisenhower herself had hacked away at my bangs.

And just last week, I proved once again that although I THOUGHT I was explaining myself quite clearly to the hairdresser, his interpretation of what I said was quite the opposite. Actually, I think the guy heard me clearly and did what he wanted to anyway. It's hard to describe what happened in that barber's chair, there are not words adequate enough. However, the words "hacksaw," "rat-tail," and "lawnmower" are the first things that pop into my head.

It was bad.

Thankfully, my friend Terri, who is familiar with cutting hair, took pity on me and tried to salvage what she could of my haircut. In the process, she had to cut off at least 3 inches to try and make it look presentable. At least I'm not ashamed to walk out the door anymore.

I can't wait to get to that hairdresser in America again in a few months! She'll probably just shake her head in horror.

I think that next time, I'll just take this picture and ask the local hairdresser to give me this cut!