click above for pictures
This past weekend we tried to go to the aquarium, but the closing time was different than what we read in a book. So instead we went to the Super Brand mall and the kids got to play in an indoor play place. Alex loved the pink bunny. He thought it was his lovey. More stories on that one in the future........I'm concerned! :)
After, we went to Hooters for dinner. The chicken tastes good and they have good blue cheese dressing...hard to find here. The Hooter's girls all loved Alex of course. Elizabeth said, "Mama, where are the waiters?"
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Eric Clapton in Shanghai 1/20
We went to see Eric Clapton at the Shanghai Grand Theater. He got bad reviews because he didn't play a lot of his famous stuff and only played for about 2 hours. He didn't interact with the crowd much either. We liked it. The guitar playing was awesome. I guess you can do what you want when you are 62 yrs old and have a huge fan base.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Elizabeth sledding at the Indoor Ski Hill (1/17)
We had no snow in Michigan but we were able to go sledding in Shanghai! Elizabeth's preschool class took a field trip to an indoor ski hill in Puxi. The kids all had a lot of fun. It was like a bunny hill, but you could ski there. There was an escalator that took you to the top and you could ski or sled down. We chose just to sled and you can see Elizabeth loved it!
click above for pictures
Trip Home & Back in Shanghai with Tired Kids
Now we begin our trek back to China. There is no direct flight from Florida to China, so we had to fly back to Detroit, stay the night and fly back the next day. We chose just to stay at the Westin right at the airport. This was a good choice. We stepped off the plane, had a baggage person handle our luggage right to the hotel, which was right inside the airport, and then they transferred it to our room. This made things much less hectic than if we had stayed with family or friends.
God Bless Pelton for packing the stuff we left at her house into boxes and bringing it to us. We had dinner (just P and Kath for the last half) so it was nice to visit.
The Westin at Detroit Metro is really nice. Although pricey, it made our trip more convenient.
Our plane trip back was uneventful, except I thought I lost my new Red Ipod. I found it in Alex's backpack.
Kirk put together the Thomas table when we got back and Alex and Elizabeth LOVE to play with it.
We were pretty jet lagged for a week after we got back. The kids were passing out at dinner!
click above for pictures
Walt Disney World (Orlando, FL) 1/3 - 1/4
Disney pictures. I also forgot to mention the rides that Elizabeth and Alex went on. Elizabeth went on the Tea Cups and Dumbo and Alex got to drive the cars with Dad.
click above for pictures
Kirk's Parents (Ft. Myers, Fl) 1/1 - 1/2
After the fun party at the Harris', we loaded a USA 3000 flight to Ft Myers with Grammy and PopPop and Sophie. Alex was less than thrilled to have to board a plane. We made it through and got to sunny Florida safe.
Wow, the weather was incredible and you can see the fun we had.
We went to Disneyworld (thank you again Grammy and PopPop) for two days. We woke up early one morning, drove 3 hours and were in the park by 10 am or so. We stayed at the Shades of Green hotel, right on sight and were able to see A LOT in 2 days.
One of the highlights of the trip was Elizabeth getting to see the princesses. Daddy waited in line for over an hour for her to see Belle, Cinderella, and Ariel. We also had lunch with the princesses. It was hard to figure out who was more excited to see them...Kirk or Elizabeth.
Another highlight was Alex getting to see McQueen and Mater. He loves the Cars movie and the characters and they had full size cars at MGM.
Finally, the fireworks and parades we saw were awesome and the kids really enjoyed themselves. There were about a kazillion people there, but we really had a good time.
We got back from Disney and were able to relax for the rest of our US tour. We were able to go to Naples Beach. Both kids had a blast and just love the beach. We made it to Cheeburger Cheeburger. Well all of us except for Alex, he passed out in the stroller.
Finally, the biggest highlight of our Ft Myers time was Elizabeth's new skill....the Cannonball! The Big Beluga (aka Pop Pop) showed her how to do it, and she didn't stop. Alex also really enjoyed swimming in the pool. He likes to think he can swim by himself.
We definitely have a couple of fish kids on our hands.
Wow, the weather was incredible and you can see the fun we had.
We went to Disneyworld (thank you again Grammy and PopPop) for two days. We woke up early one morning, drove 3 hours and were in the park by 10 am or so. We stayed at the Shades of Green hotel, right on sight and were able to see A LOT in 2 days.
One of the highlights of the trip was Elizabeth getting to see the princesses. Daddy waited in line for over an hour for her to see Belle, Cinderella, and Ariel. We also had lunch with the princesses. It was hard to figure out who was more excited to see them...Kirk or Elizabeth.
Another highlight was Alex getting to see McQueen and Mater. He loves the Cars movie and the characters and they had full size cars at MGM.
Finally, the fireworks and parades we saw were awesome and the kids really enjoyed themselves. There were about a kazillion people there, but we really had a good time.
We got back from Disney and were able to relax for the rest of our US tour. We were able to go to Naples Beach. Both kids had a blast and just love the beach. We made it to Cheeburger Cheeburger. Well all of us except for Alex, he passed out in the stroller.
Finally, the biggest highlight of our Ft Myers time was Elizabeth's new skill....the Cannonball! The Big Beluga (aka Pop Pop) showed her how to do it, and she didn't stop. Alex also really enjoyed swimming in the pool. He likes to think he can swim by himself.
We definitely have a couple of fish kids on our hands.
New Years with Friends (Commerce, MI) 12/31 - 1/1
click above for pictures
We spent New Years Eve 2006 with the same friends that we've spent the last....maybe 10 years with???????????? Is that right Pelton? It wasn't nearly as fun as the one we had in 1999 in Chicago, but it would be impossible to top that one. It's a different kind of fun since we now have kids to watch have fun. The craziest thing done was hanging streamers and neon bracelets from a ceiling fan and turning it on to watch it go around. Pretty sad.
We were able to see Chris and Sherry House from California, that was nice. Pelton and Suzanne did an outstanding job making dinner, which I'm sure contributed to the 10 lbs I put on while we were in the States.
Rachel Harris is walking, Clare Cronley is talking, wow how fast they grow! Elizabeth and Ryan had a sleep over, only Ryan had to be taken out of their bed since he was talking Elizabeth's ear off and she only wanted to sleep!
The night was too short as we had to get up early to catch our flight to Ft Myers. Thanks to Pelton for letting us dump our stuff in her house and being our taxi service.
Roessler Family Get-Together in Chicago 12/29 - 12/31
The next leg of our trip was to the northern suburb of Chicago, Bloomindale. We met up with Kirk's parents, brother's family, and all of his aunts and uncles on his Mom's side. In total, there were 27 of us. On Friday night, we all went swimming and overtook the pool. The pool limit was 30! Not much room for anyone else. At one time, all of us were in the same hotel room eating dinner and exchanging gifts. It was a Residence Inn by Marriot, so there was space, but it was close quarters!
On Saturday, we went to the Shedd Aquarium. The kids had a lot of fun looking at the different fish, making crafts and watching the dolphin show underwater. It was very crowded, reminded me of China! We only stayed a couple hours since the kids were tired and ready to go swimming again.
On Sunday, we packed up again and left for Detroit. Elizabeth and Alex had a ball playing with their Wisconsin cousins.
click above for pictures
Dufon Christmas (Ludington,MI) 12/25 - 12/29
We drove on Christmas Day to the Gigi and Bumpa's. Nicole, Dale and Olivia were there alreay. Gigi and Bumpa had recovered from the flu, but since Suzanne had it, our family Christmas dinner was postponed. That was okay, the kids got to have some one on one time with little Miss Olivia. They all had fun playing.
The next day, we went over to the Thompson's for our family Christmas. The kids all got to open up their Christmas gifts and they were pretty excited about it. It was kind of crazy actually. Alex got more cars and Elizabeth got Elina, the Barbie doll from Fairytopia/Mermadia stories. Elizabeth had a ball playing with Ally and Anna. You can see the two girls in their Chinese dresses. Suzanne and I got hats made by Gigi. You can see the picture of Suzanne's.
You can see from the pictures, there was a little bit of snow. Not much though. The kids never really got to play in it.
The adults played cards and got to exchange gifts that way. The most popular gift was the Poker bucket. It had poker chips, cards, beef jerkey, and alcohol. We passed on that one and took the McDonalds gift card and the lottery tickets. Didn't hit it big - $8!!
It was a lot of fun to be with everyone. Unfortunately, Steve, Kim, Nathan, and Sarah weren't there. They traveled to Michigan at Thanksgiving and were spending xmas in Minnesota. We did get to talk with them on the phone and that was nice.
The next day, Olivia got flu :(
click above to view pictures
The next day, we went over to the Thompson's for our family Christmas. The kids all got to open up their Christmas gifts and they were pretty excited about it. It was kind of crazy actually. Alex got more cars and Elizabeth got Elina, the Barbie doll from Fairytopia/Mermadia stories. Elizabeth had a ball playing with Ally and Anna. You can see the two girls in their Chinese dresses. Suzanne and I got hats made by Gigi. You can see the picture of Suzanne's.
You can see from the pictures, there was a little bit of snow. Not much though. The kids never really got to play in it.
The adults played cards and got to exchange gifts that way. The most popular gift was the Poker bucket. It had poker chips, cards, beef jerkey, and alcohol. We passed on that one and took the McDonalds gift card and the lottery tickets. Didn't hit it big - $8!!
It was a lot of fun to be with everyone. Unfortunately, Steve, Kim, Nathan, and Sarah weren't there. They traveled to Michigan at Thanksgiving and were spending xmas in Minnesota. We did get to talk with them on the phone and that was nice.
The next day, Olivia got flu :(
click above to view pictures
Roessler Christmas (Macomb, MI) 12/23 - 12/25
While we were at Gigi and Bumpa's, Alex got the flu. I know where he picked it up too.....we first got up there on a Wednesday and went right to the bowling alley to see Gigi bowl. Alex didn't make it past the arcade because he saw the race car video game and had to sit in the seat and turn the steering wheel. Then he had his cars with him and was on the floor up and down the alley with them. I'm sure this is where he picked it up! Anyway, it was a 24 hour bug. He, of course, passed it on to Gigi and Bumpa. Then Anna Marie got it and Elizabeth and I had a mild case. Then we went back to the Roessler's for Christmas eve and after Christmas, Ethan got it! I didn't feel so bad when I heard it was going around other families as well.
click above for pictures
The kids and I had fun spending time a few days with Gigi and Bumpa and seeing Jake, Josh, Ally, and Anna. After their house, we drove back to the Roessler's on the 23rd. I wasn't feeling so hot, so we didn't do much celebrating for my 29th birthday :) We did, however, have to finish some Christmas shopping. So Kirk, Elizabeth, Grammy, and I went to Lakeside Mall to finish up. The reason we had to finish was that I ordered a Princess blanket from Disney.com and I put in the wrong zip code so it didn't make it to the Roessler's in time for Santa to bring it. We also bought a new camera which you will see new pictures being taken with.
Christmas Eve, we went to 4pm mass at ? Can't remember the name. Anyway, it was packed and the kids did a great job at mass. They were all really good since we had to be there at 3pm to get a seat! Alex, near the end, got ants in his pants as well as something else that really stunk!
Kevin, Chrystal, and Grammy stayed up to put together the train table and Kirk and PopPop passed out, snoring......gee imagine that!
Santa Claus came and he brought everything that was asked for, even the real pink lipstick that Elizabeth asked for! Alex and Ethan got a lot of Cars. Alex finally got McQueen. (We spent the better part of November and December going to every McDonalds in Shanghai since the "Cars" characters were the happy meal toys! We never got McQueen, we had to buy him on Ebay!)
The last gift to be opened was the train table. Alex did not want to leave playing with his cars. He threw a fit when we carried him into the room where the table was. As soon as the blanket was lifted, the tears stopped. Ethan and Alex played for the rest of our day there with the table, it was a hit. Alex has one waiting for him at the apartment in Shanghai.
Then it was time to head up to the Thompson's to celebrate Christmas with the Dufon side. Only Nicole called and said not to hurry, dinner was postponed a day....Suzanne got the flu!! :( Thank goodness it was only the 24 hour bug!
click above for pictures
Back to Michigan 12/18 - 12/23
Our trip back to the US started in Michigan. We stayed with Ethan, Kevin, and Chrystal. Alex and Elizabeth had a lot of fun playing with their cousin.
We then spent a day at the Harris' with the Wasik's. Chesna and Beth showed up for dinner as well. Elizabeth had a ball playing with Katherine Wasik. You can see how big Rachel Harris is getting. Not a baby anymore!
The kids also had fun playing with Ashley and Emily, Aunt Chrystal's girls that she watches.
After that, the kids and I drove up to the farm and Kirk worked. Elizabeth and Alex had a ball playing with Anna and Ally.
click above for pictures
We're Back!
We're back from our trip to the US. We arrive back last Friday night. We will be posting notes, pictures and videos of our trip very soon. We have had very poor Internet service since we have been back due to the earthquake that hit Taiwan just after Christmas. This has made our Vonage phone service not work consistently, so if you are trying to call us please leave a message or send an e-mail.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
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