July 1st

I told my company yesterday that I will be moving back to Dallas on July 1st. I can't believe that I've already been here 6 months. The first 2 months felt like a year but the last four months have flown by fast. I expect the next 6 months to also fly by quickly. Sydney and I have a couple of fun trips planned for the next 6 months, and it will take a couple of months to prepare for the move back to Dallas. I'm looking forward to seeing you all, and to put my laundry nightmare behind me!

Giving Thanks

I have so much to give thanks for this Thanksgiving season. Actually, those reasons have always been there. But living in Shanghai has made me see those reasons more clearly. And it's all the small things --- how clean the air smells in Dallas, the convenience of washing all your dirty laundry in one wash, the ease of driving when everyone is going the same way and abiding by the same rules, getting anything you need 24/7. I've learned to take pleasure in the small things. There are many reasons why I'm glad that I took this assignment in Shanghai, but the best one is that it made me realize how amazingly wonderful my life in the US was and will be.

It was so nice to be back in Dallas with family and friends. I hated that I couldn't see everyone on this trip but I will be back in Dallas the first week in April so I hope to see everyone that I missed this time. It was so fun seeing all of our friends' kids now, being so much older and full of fun and mischief. Sydney will have a great time being friends with them.

I spent my week in Dallas eating all things meat and Tex Mex. And of course, I made it to Chipotle 4 times during my visit. My brother's deep fried turkey and my sister-in-law's oyster stuffing was worth the 16-17 hour travel time to Dallas and back. Needless to say, I hit the gym today. And yes, it was painful. Sydney did great on the flights to and from Shanghai, thanks to a backpack full of new books, snacks and Sesame Street stickers (thanks to Aunt Tyra). For that, I am profoundly grateful. Sydney never ceases to amaze me as to how resilient and flexible she can be.

I was disappointed that Sydney didn't take to our family at first. But she was only 12 months old when we left Dallas for Shanghai so it was understandable that it would take a bit of time to warm up to everyone. If only she knew how much she has been missed and loved by her grandparents, aunts and uncle. I LOVED seeing her with my family, and am so grateful to have siblings and parents who love and cherish her as much as I do.

Sydney suffered jet lag for most of our visit, which meant that I also suffered jet lag. And of course, she fully adjusted to Dallas time 3 days before we left to come back to Shanghai. We are now dealing with jet lag as I'm trying to get her on Shanghai time. I had intended to keep her at home today but she woke up at 4am (and 1am and 3am) and dragged her backpack to the front door, saying "school, school, school." So I let her go to school today and her teachers said that she was tired but was a trooper and participated in all of the lessons, except for recess. She stayed indoors with Miss Marie and laid down for some quiet time.

Being the absentminded parent that I've become, I forgot to bring my camera with me to Dallas. But thanks to my sister-and-law, Amy, and her best friend, Kathy, I have several hundred pictures to remember our Thanksgiving holiday by. Here are just some of the pictures.

Sydney with Grandma

Getting cozy with Uncle Tony

Aunt Amy and Kathy Uncle Tony with one of the yummy deep fried turkeys Sydney and Aunt Cassi Doting Grandparents

Sydney after her haircut

I love her!

Sydney made a new friend, thanks to Aunt Amy

Taking pleasure in the small things

One of the 2 canine friends that Sydney made on our visit

A Happy Morning

Nicholas' 2nd Birthday

Sydney and I helped Nicholas celebrate his 2nd birthday yesterday. Nicholas is very sweet and articulate boy. And he speaks Chinese more than he speaks English right now. He was very generous with his toys, especially his new motorcycle that moves forwards and backwards at a touch of a button. The bike was a huge hit at the party.

Zach and Sydney decided to enjoy their party favors at the party.

Favorite Books

Sydney has always liked to flip through books but it wasn't until about 3 months ago that she really enjoyed looking at the pictures and having the stories read to her. Her favorite book for the past 2 months has been Corduroy. We read this book about 8 times a day, and twice as much on the weekends. She never gets tired of it. I wish that I could say the same thing.

The other 2 books that have to be read multiple times a day are the Monkey Puzzle and Goodnight, Gorilla. The Monkey Puzzle is my favorite. It's about a monkey who can't find his mother so he solicits the help of a butterfly. Each page is full of animals and colors so Sydney has a lot to look at and point out to me.

Good Night, Gorilla is a fun book because there are many animals in it and Sydney enjoys pointing them out so that I will make animal sounds for her.