A Letter to Kaleia at 2 1/2

**Disclaimer: Again, I started this post last January. Kaleia is actually 3 now. Her 3 year post is coming soon!**

At 2, you still seemed so much like my little baby. But I can't say that anymore. As you reminded me this afternoon, you are a big girl.

Our Dining Room

This week our restaurant street got even better -- Avocado Tree arrived! This Beijing chain tries to imitate Chipotle with imported beef and organic vegetables. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and smoothies!

Magnolia's verdict after our first visit: "Let's eat here lots of times before we leave China!"

The Bicycle Whisperer

In October, we got Magnolia and Kaleia bicycles. We no longer had a super steep driveway and were surrounded by a flat courtyard. Perfect! 

Not so much. 

Cards with Lucy

Who needs a bilingual preschool when you can play cards with Lucy outside her parents' fruit store with your Spanish friends?

Lucy and Kaleia

Magnolia, Gabriel, and Lucy playing cards

Mother's Day in Beijing and Children Paradise

For Mother's Day, we had two wonderful meals out, brunch and dinner. Both happened to be at Element Fresh, though at different branches. After some refreshing afternoon naps, we headed to Si De Park for some "quiet" and "nature." Overall it was a great day. Below are some of my highlights.

Aquatic Ecstasy, Medical Emergencies, and Unusual Affections. At the Mall.

The evening was pleasantly warm and frozen yogurt was calling our names, so we set out for a family walk to nearby Solana mall. The girls were ECSTATIC about the choreographed fountain shows set to classical music. Who needs Disneyland?

(More after the jump.)

Swing and a Mrs.

Temple of Heaven

As our time in Beijing comes to a close, we are trying to at least see all the traditional sites near us. We took advantage of a BLUE SKY! Saturday and spent the morning exploring the Temple of Heaven and its surrounding park with our friends Julij and Prism. 

Kaleia, Prism, and Magnolia

More to follow the break...

Easter Egg Hunters

Click below to see more pictures

Birthday Celebrations

Today was full of celebrations for this special girl's birthday. 

Click below to read the full story

I'm Four!

Chinese Children's Books

Sometimes we look at Chinese children's books for the girls. Usually they are fairly similar to our English books, some even have both Chinese and English, or you can make up the story where our limited Chinese vocabulary fails. There are pop-up books and ones that have pull tabs or parts that move. This one has a cut out circle to reveal more on the next page. 

Bicycles

Chinese Kitchen: The Basics

The last class I was able to fit in during my Chinese New Year holiday was The Basics. Different than other classes, instead of cooking three dishes, we spent the time learning about different ingredients. We received a 7 page packet of information detailing uses, origins and pairings. I was heart broken when I arrived home and found that my neighbor and I accidentally swapped packets, leaving me with nearly blank margins. I hope he is enjoying all my notes.  

Maggie Cam: January

When I used Maggie's camera the other day and needed to download the pictures I took, I realized that she took over 200 pictures last month, many of which I had no idea she had taken. It also made me realize we should have screened the contents before letting her take the camera for show and tell. 

Art Supplies

Chinese Kitchen: Shanghai

During my Chinese New Year Break I decided to take advantage of my time off to use my Christmas gift card for cooking classes. One such was Shanghai cuisine, a rival cuisine to my current hometown of Beijing. Shanghai cooking tends to be sweeter due to their heavier handed sugar use. A recipe that calls for 1/2 tsp of sugar in Beijing will call for 2 tsp in Shanghai. Shanghai food also tends to have milder flavors. They use less garlic and leeks, and opt for the fresher spring onion, and their sauce tends to be rice-, rather than wheat-based.  Click below to read more about my class. 

The Little Things: Door Locks

Graaaaama and Grumpa! Rush Visit

We received our third vistors this month. Brian's parents, Clive and Carol squeezed in a very quick trip -- 5 days! -- to come see us. We were all really excited to have them here. Click below to read about their visit.

Grandma and Grandpa arriving

Words of the Week: Too Louder and Boong

Too Louder (adjectival phrase): strongly audible beyond what is desirable; having exceptional volume or intensity to an excessive degree. Often used to indicate the sink tap is turned on too strongly because the water is "too louder."

Boong (noun):  a deep, prolonged, resonant sound

A little art therapy to deal with the fireworks that say boong too louder. 

Kaleia, age 2

Armageddon or The Morning After

I emerge from our shelter knowing we need food. It is the morning after, not Armageddon - though it feels like it. It is Chinese New Year. I hope at least one grocery store is open. It is quiet, eerily quiet. And empty. The cars, people, and bicycles, all usually vying to get ahead, are absent.  Only the red papered litter leaves evidence of the war zone that had been.

Yesterday, Chinese New Year's Eve, the morning air was some of the cleanest we've had with an index at 39. By midnight, it is in the 400's (the cart stops at 500), nearing the worst we've experienced. As I push Kaleia in the stroller to the grocery store, trying not to be too unsettled, I notice that, along with all the people, the air has nearly cleared, but it still has the scent of gun powder. The expensive Western-style store, mostly for expats, is open, and we pick up the bare necessities. As we make our way home, the first few kernels of Day 2 begin to pop. It is only 10 am. Part of me can't help my excitement. But most of me still remembers sharing my bed with two scared toddlers. 14 more days, I sigh, what will it be like?