It seems like just yesterday that Danielle was 6 and Alex was 4, and I had come to spend a week and help take care of them while their mom recovered from the birth of their little brother. I was 17, but their mom told Danielle, when she wanted to know if I was a kid or an adult, "She's an adult to you!"
Now, Danielle is 17 and Alex is 15 and they arrived yesterday to spend six weeks with us! So I told Hadassah, "to you, they're adults - you need to do what they say!" Life really does come full circle...
They're my niece and nephew, but we'll refer to them as "the cousins" since that's what they are to Hadassah and Ellie (and many people assume they are to me, since there's just about 10 years age difference between us!). It's shorter to type than niece and nephew, anyway. ;)
Hadassah was quite excited when they arrived, definitely on a high all evening. She even ran one whole mile (yes, Ryan mapped it out - a whole mile!!) start to finish without stopping with Ryan. She kept saying as she ran, "Tell Danielle and Alex how far I ran!" It's pretty awesome to have extra people around to play with the girls, and we're excited to have an excuse to see more of Shanghai and even a few other parts of Shanghai. It will be easier to travel with two extra pairs of arms to carry luggage or children!
Danielle and Alex actually slept almost 12 hours last night - an exhausting plane flight will do that to you! So here's to hoping they get over jet lag quickly! We've had a laid back rainy Saturday, taking them to Zoo Coffee in the morning and playing "Airlines" while the girls napped (horray for board game players!).
I also took Hadassah puddle splashing for a few minutes in the morning. The apartment always feels small when it rains for some reason. And there's just something adorable about a girl dressed in pink with a butterfly umbrella!
Unless it's a tiny girl in a swim cap! :D They are required to be worn at Chinese pools, but they sure do make her look growing up! They took Hadassah swimming with Ryan after her nap. When we tried taking Hadassah at Ellie's age, they said she was too small, so we didn't bother trying with Ellie. I explained to Hadassah that Danielle would take her through the women's dressing room, and she said "I like women. They take care of me." :)
I think Hadassah is still trying to figure out their relationship to her, though. She came back and said "I had fun swimming with my other parents!" Earlier she asked, "Are they grandparents?" She's pretty in awe of them. She called Alex "Uncle Luke" a time or two (I think she's impressed by his height!) and said of Danielle "it's kinda like a big sister!" I never thought she'd be able to have such a close relationships with cousins while living half way across the world. What a blessing.
Y played some beautiful music on the piano for us - she recently got one and has been taking lessons, and it is so beautiful! The sound is so so full. Dassah enjoyed dancing to the music. :)
And Ellie loves having extra playmates! She seems right at home with them, which is fun to see, since recently she's been in a "mama mama" stage with a little stranger anxiety at times. But she can tell they love her and she's enjoying all the extra fun! And I'm enjoying the extra arms. :) Just in the rush to get out the door, realizing they could hold Ellie while I get my shoes on and get Hadassah's shoes on her to boot... I'm going to be spoiled while they're here! :)
One full day down... many more full of fun to come!
Now, Danielle is 17 and Alex is 15 and they arrived yesterday to spend six weeks with us! So I told Hadassah, "to you, they're adults - you need to do what they say!" Life really does come full circle...
They're my niece and nephew, but we'll refer to them as "the cousins" since that's what they are to Hadassah and Ellie (and many people assume they are to me, since there's just about 10 years age difference between us!). It's shorter to type than niece and nephew, anyway. ;)
Hadassah was quite excited when they arrived, definitely on a high all evening. She even ran one whole mile (yes, Ryan mapped it out - a whole mile!!) start to finish without stopping with Ryan. She kept saying as she ran, "Tell Danielle and Alex how far I ran!" It's pretty awesome to have extra people around to play with the girls, and we're excited to have an excuse to see more of Shanghai and even a few other parts of Shanghai. It will be easier to travel with two extra pairs of arms to carry luggage or children!
I served Cashew Chicken for their first meal here - the best of the few Chinese recipes I've tried and stuck with. It never fails and is super yummy! Of course, I actually found it online... Sorry, but it's not one I learned from a friend here. Partly because it seems like most Chinese cooks don't follow recipes- it's a little bit of this and that and hard to follow but pretty amazing! Anyway, get this recipe here. You won't regret it!
Danielle and Alex actually slept almost 12 hours last night - an exhausting plane flight will do that to you! So here's to hoping they get over jet lag quickly! We've had a laid back rainy Saturday, taking them to Zoo Coffee in the morning and playing "Airlines" while the girls napped (horray for board game players!).
I think Hadassah is still trying to figure out their relationship to her, though. She came back and said "I had fun swimming with my other parents!" Earlier she asked, "Are they grandparents?" She's pretty in awe of them. She called Alex "Uncle Luke" a time or two (I think she's impressed by his height!) and said of Danielle "it's kinda like a big sister!" I never thought she'd be able to have such a close relationships with cousins while living half way across the world. What a blessing.
Y (our first neighbor) had us over for supper. She is so sweet to do SO much cooking, and it was a great introduction for them to Chinese food. Having Chinese food at someone's home is so much better than in a restaurant. They also got to get some practice with chop sticks!
One full day down... many more full of fun to come!
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