Lots of Work!

As I was walking Maggie around the complex on Monday, I noticed that all the trees along the street had the dirt dug up around them.
I looked over to my right and saw these women dividing bunches of ornamental grass. I have actually been watching them for a while now. They have been digging up weeds and grass from all the flower beds for the past month and working very hard.

I am not sure if this is the grass that they dug up a few weeks ago but there is probably over 100 trees that they are going to plant around. It must be easier on their back/knees to be in the squatting position than kneeling on the grass. It amazes me thaat even when they are resting or talking with others, many Chinese people prefer to be in that position. I am afraid if I did that, I would just tip over or never be able to get back up:)

Spring Time is Here

Spring has definately arrived in Shanghai. I don't know how long it will last. We have had some hot days that feel more like summer. We are also finally getting some rain that is helping to give some brighter colors. It seemed a bit dry and some plants looked like their blooms could have been much prettier if there was rain. Then again, I wonder if the pollution/smog plays a part in that as well.
I need to find out what those flowers/shrubs are on the right. They bloomed a pink leaf and now they are almost completely green. Some of the colors remind me of Autumn.

I believe this is some type of rose bush. They are everywhere but many had lots of buds that just never bloomed. It was a bit sad to see.

The plum blossoms were pretty. This picture doesn't do them justice. I just never had my camera with me when I saw a good one.

Two weeks ago there was plenty of sunshine and blue skies. So I decided to head to the flower shop that is across the street.

The selection was limited but very nice. They planted everything for me and then delivered the pots by bicycle. My hands didn't even get dirty.

I went with petunia's hoping that they will last a while.

On the other patio, I chose a mixture of flowers. Some of them are doing really well. I didn't think about the wind 7 stories high when I bought the flowers. Some days they do take a beating:(

I just love my flowers. I hope they survive! We have been having some nice rain which helps with the watering.

Easter

We had a nice and relaxing Easter weekend. The weather was very nice. Katelyn made the cutoff for the Easter Activities over at the club. It was very nice and kept her busy all day. They had a performance from an acrobatic group.
It was fun to see and so amazing how strong they were.

Katelyn participated in all of the races. This one she had to hold the balloon between her legs. She did pretty well.

I have to hand it to her, she never gave up! I don't know how many times that egg fell off the spoon but she was determined to finish like everyone else. She also had lots of encouraging support from the kids as well as the activities help.

Devin flashing his "braces" smile.

Easter would not be the same without some Easter bread. It barely fit in the oven but it worked and the bread was delicous!!!!

Formula 1 Race - Shanghai

Jason and Devin both attended the F1 Race this past Sunday. Jason went with some friends from work and Devin went with a friend from school. The rest of us stayed home and enjoyed the weather.

Some stands were not crowded at all. I don't think it is very popular here:)

Jason said the noise was unbelievable even with the special headphones. He was able to capture a couple pictures of those cars zooming by.

I think they both had a good time. Devin just got his braces on the day before so he was in a bit of pain. I definately feel for him because I remember how miserable that was.

Lucas turns "13"

Lucas kept watching people go by on the Segways. He finally convinced his father to let him try it out. He walked over and gave them $50 and off he went riding for 1/2 hour. I don't think he even had to sign anything. I was in the ocean with Kate just to let you know. This was all Dad and Lucas. So Lucas got a Birthday Gift! In the hotel room, there was a cake and 2 cards from the hotel for Lucas. It was a nice surprise. He thought we arranged it but they must have noticed the date off his passport from when we checked in.

I think he's still a Momma's boy:)

We had great service while we were in Sanya. The cake was a nice touch but Lucas wanted his own birthday cake when we got back home. We have to say it was delicious!!!

Boogey Boarding

One day, it was quite windy. The waves were more frequent. We bought some boards and we all had a good time.

It looks like a really big wave but I don't think it was:)

Lucas was coaching his dad.

Kate even had a good time until she did a head plant.

I thought this was pretty funny.

Holiday in Sanya, China

We had been looking forward to this vacation for a long time!!!! Sanya is a 3 hour direct flight from Shanghai. It is the southern most place in China and also known as the "Hawaii of China".

We had arrived late Saturday night and after breakfast Sunday morning, we were heading to check out the pools and beach. Lucas was ready to dive in.

The Marriott grounds were beautiful.

We had many choices of pools or lagoons to swim in. It really never got what I call "crowded". The busiest day was on Tuesday because it was a national holiday. Wednesday, we had one area of the pools all to ourselves. We never left the hotel. It was a very relaxing holiday!

Every morning it looked like it was going to rain. The sun would start to peak out around 10 or 11 in the morning. The temperature was perfect. High 70's to low 80's. The temperature of the water was around 70 or more. It felt cold at first but was quite comfortable after we had been in the water for a while.

This is our view from our rooms. We had the mountain view. There was a club house, convention center, gardens and children's pool and a lap pool in that area with the green roof.

While we were on the beach, Jason and I really enjoyed watching the people. It is amazing the number of fancy cameras and the poses that are made for the photographer. We saw a woman rolling around in the sand to jumping in the air. 3 girls beside us changed their clothes 3 times. It was so funny. So while walking on the beach, Jason talked me into jumping in the air. It took a while to get a "good" one. I had to laugh at Lucas being "Lucas".

Lucas is always picking on Devin. Devin is imitating his Uncle Pasq.

The local government had training drills on the beach. I don't know if you can see the round circles on the man's back on the corner closest to us. We think they are from "hot stones".

The hotel had different activities for the kids. Kate was the only one who wanted to do sand sculpting. It was 9 o'clock in the morning. Everyone else was still sleeping or eating. We are just early risers in our household.

Devin snapped a nice picture of Jason and I.

Kate was a sand bum!

Devin was trying to dig a hole to China.

Devin was proud of his find of the perfect shell.

Kate became a mermaid in the sand.

We met some really nice families while we were there. It was nice for Kate to have some friends to hang out with.

Dad is still boss.

The girls were working really hard and enjoying their time in the sun!

Someone was a bit tired for dinner.

We had a great time. I think we will be going back. It was so nice to have the warm weather and blue skies.