Last day of Art School with Maddie's teacher, Summer.
Ya Ya, Mei Lian, A Pu
Sweet Potato Cake
Madeleine is just like Phil. She loves tons of blankets on her. Our heat is off now until the fall and it's a bit chilly in the house.
Warming up to a lioness.
Art School Puppy
Good friends visited for a couple days.
Daniel and Josiah took turns reading to Madeleine. They got pretty tired of it because Maddie could read all night and Phil and I loved the free babysitting.
Lilian totally chill.
Tent of old foam. This is out on our enclosed balcony. Madeleine created this herself.
Playing on the playground.
The backyard of a tenant in our complex. A rooster and hen are in the pen.
This is significant because Madeleine is slowly learning not to suck her thumb. Reading and watching a movie are the hardest times for her.
Buying beans.
Fresh ground red chili pepper.
Friday morning, waiting for the bus to school.
Easiest way to wash a baby.
McDonald's. Can you buy cups of corn in the States?
First trans-fat laden french fry.
Madeleine pretending to wait for school to start with all her school stuff.
Taking the road less traveled to the toys.
A rare event of blissful, child free travel. We were at the airport on our way to Chengdu.
Bookshelf bought at the used furniture market.
Madeleine painting the shelves.
This was a fun project for Phil and Madeleine. The finished product looks great but for some reason we didn't take a picture of it.
Lilian's favorite toy. An activity center that plays really, really out of tune Christmas carols.
Always a favorite spot.
Lily's hair is starting to lay down but we still like it best spiked. She has 6 teeth now - 4 on top and 2 on bottom.
Over the last couple of months Madeleine has really gotten in to clothes and picking our her own outfits. This get-up is one of her normal looks.
Child labor is still the best.
The best alternative to getting a puppy.
In February we had a snow day. Mariah and Madeleine had a blast for about 20 minutes.
Button-eyed snowman.
Maddie was very concerned about leaving these buttons outside. I (Julie) assured her it would be fine. When we came back later he was gone and so were his eyes.
Water conservation.
Afternoon at home with Papa.
Bye Bye.
