our days & our ways: Good bye China, Hello America!

The last season of our lives has been filled with good byes :(.

Our good friend Xiao Li and her son Sisi came over to play and visit one last time.

We were all surprised at the treats she brought us... strawberries and bananas to dip in chocolate and a yummy fruit torte. Xiao Li is talented in the kitchen (and knows what foreigners like)!!!

Good bye fridge! I think this is the cleanest you have ever been :).

We tried to visit with our good friends Michelle and Lucy (7 week old baby) at least once a day for the last couple weeks :).

These Chinese parents are blessed with 3 sweet children. Time is too short... we would have liked to spend way more time together!!

Rebecca & Tong wei are amazing!! Without much left in our kitchen, they came over at least twice to bless us with a feast!

Yummy yum yum

April, Augusts' best Chinese friend, had a magnificent 2 year old birthday party and invited us all to celebrate with her. Her mama (my good friend Sophie, on the far left) is expecting their second baby in August.

What a bash! We celebrated in style!!

This is Lu lu, Sophie's cousin. She has also been a sweet friend.

spicy tofu

We'll have to get the recipe to see this smile again :).

And these noodles... Definitely one of my top 3 favorite dishes from China. Mmm.

Maybe if the kids weren't served skittles, suckers and lemonade first, they might have been able to polish down a few more noodles :).

We miss Sophie & Tang already :(.

This (adorable) cake was so tough to cut through, they had to take it into the back kitchen for a little assistance :).

So great to see an involved daddy.

Happy Family. And Happy Birthday April!

It's hard to believe we were able to complete school (by the end of April) before our return & transition! Viv learned to read and also plows through math. She will begin 1st grade this coming school year!!

Dass worked really hard at 1st grade this year!! For the sake of having so many siblings, she is excited to do 1st grade again together with Viv this coming year :).

4th Grade Graduate

Another 4th Grade Graduate...

5th Grade seems so old!!!

Way to go kids! I absolutely love to teach you at home and am so thankful for you.

You all worked SO hard!!

Photo shoot on one of our visits :)

Sweet Lucy with Mama

"AUGGIE HOLD LU-E!"

I'm not sure how long August would have sat here with "Baby LU-E." He sat here for about 30 min. before she was demanded by a sibling :).

Our good friend Josh was able to visit during a short trip he was on. As always, everyone was happy to see him and to send some notes back to his kids!!

Lily's turn :). She's such a natural!

It seems like the last month or so of our life in China was kind of like having a small business. I put everything we were ready to get rid of in one room and people were constantly in and out taking and purchasing. Toward to end, we were able to give a ton of stuff to House Churches who brought it to the country side- mostly for the poor children. It was a blessing to my heart to see it go there.

(Lil and I thought this was cute- this lady came back a few times, the second time wearing my coat she took the first time :).

Maria & Richard- LOVE THE LORD so much! Their sacrificial lives are such an encouragement to all they meet. I wish we could have packed them in the suitcases and brought them back with us!

Table's gone, utinsils are gone... guess it's Mcd's on the floor tonight!

Since Lily was born, we have had the custom of walking through each room in the house we are leaving, sharing memories we have had and then praying for the future and thanking God for all he has given.

Good bye loft!

(I am so thankful for the "fencing" (though green) that we put up b4 we moved in and for no broken bones in this house!)

Good bye outdoor porch! I'm thankful for my awesome view as I hung many loads of laundry!

Good bye girls' room! So many memories here!

Good bye crusty bathroom!

(Last week I had a nightmare about this room! In reality, it leaked and had tons of mold. In my dream, the ceiling was pouring down rain and the floorboards cracked open and Cade fell through to the neighbors on the 6th floor!)

I must have been too tired/ busy/ overwhelmed etc. to take any pictures between the old bathroom and the new kitchen! So much happened in that short weeks' time! We emptied out our house (with tons of help from friends!), moved into our friends' parents house for a few days (thank you Mike & Glenda for your generosity!), said many more tearful goodbyes, and on a Friday night around midnight, left on a plane, enduring the 30+ hour trip to Chicago.

We were met by lots of family in Chicago, and my sister and I were blessed to drive the 3 hours together w/ Cade and her little one (Theo) back to Appleton. It was such a fun reunion! We arrived "home" to more family and a yummy taco dinner...

and stocked cupboards...

including over 30 boxes of (amazing) cereal!!

The following 2 weeks of unpacking and getting over jet lag were filled with joy to be with family, exhaustion (when you feel like you should be eating chicken at breakfast time and going to bed at 3pm), and thankfulness to our Father in heaven who has provided for us above and beyond our imaginations and who has protected us (and continues to guide us with his gentle hand) on our life's journey.

Whether in China or America, coloring is the best thing ever!

YUM!!! Now this is breakfast!!

One of our first walks to a park with GG. What a brilliant green color!!

So happy to be outside enjoying the outdoors.

(The weather is finally starting to get warm/ stay warm after dipping into the 30's & 40's- seems chilly for May, but feels SO good and refreshing!!)

Obs found her b-day glasses from last year (And the blue marker :).

Here are some Easter treats from Mimi & Papa!

(We enjoyed a fun trip to Target!)

Of course, Olivet got a sticker/ coloring book.

Cade added some b-day money and purchased a Ninjago set- exciting!

Lil (not always this practical) got a fancy water bottle :).

Animal lover Dass took the longest to pick between animals and ended up with a little dog and a purse.

Viv found a fun, extra large coloring book she wouldn't put down.

And August found some bubbles and cars... he will point out anything with wheels!

I couldn't wait to see granny and was so thankful for a chance to visit her in Two Rivers within the first couple weeks of being back. I'm surprised I got a picture of her sitting... this is the only time she sat the whole day... she was pushing kids on swings, running away from the warm towels and blankets we were trying to cover her in, and walking down the beach.

What a gorgeous site.

The kids LOVED playing in the sand. We were all thankful for a super fun visit!

Happy Memorial Day!

Stylin' Reuel getting ready to go for a walk with his mama, his GG and his two Aunties.

Phil cooking up some amazing meat as we enjoyed family time together.

Last time we were here (a year ago... on furlough), Phil & Danielle just laid the sod in their back yard. It was fun to see the transformation over a years time! They backyard looks great!!