Wild Insect Kindgdom

Yes, that's what they called it. I'm still not over why they had to use the word "wild" in company with Insect (like there are tame insects out there). Allison seems to think it's because of the chirping she heard while inside their public restroom. One good way to make sure the stalls clear out in a timely manner.

Tally later joined the above munchkins.

You'd think it was an insect museum. Until you went inside...

... and first found a pile of ferrets sleeping on tiles just above a fish pond. But the large scropion in the background counts for something though, doesn't it?


Still, no wild insects. Even more fun than we thought though. Here's a blue/green parrot eating seeds and throwing them down to the fish below.


And of course what wild insect farm is complete with out a glass cage of primates? They were small enough to fit in your hands, so cute.




Still looking for wild. Here, grasshoppers are kept in these cute little 2 inch cages hanging on branches in aquariums. I'd never seen grasshoppers that big!



"Poisonous, used in traditional Chinese medicine". Why not?


Okay, you knew I had to find the cockroaches here, because of my weird obsession I got nasty about cocroaches. And you knew I'd post a picture for you. These are African Cockroaches (I'm thinking of your joke right now Katie). A couple of inches big. They need to switch out the brick-like backdrop to the Fear Factor logo.


This post is for you, Mrs. Rebecca Reams. After your comment about Barry on my other post. Funny that he did this for his picture, whatta nut.


There's my handsome guy! He wanted a picture next to the crab. Here, you pay $1.50, and they give your kid a bucket and a net to catch the goldfish. The kids can go out onto the stepping stones in the pond and help themselves. Morgan and I laughed at how this would never pass in our sue-happy culture back home.


Then, crossing over the fish-catching pond, there is a rickety bridge (the kind that exaggeratedly moves with each step-- oh and plus, they intentionally installed each wooden slat uneven so you had to pay that much more attention with each step). I honestly almost lost it and fell (slippery shoes). Whatta wimp. I should know better as a mom of boys to never leave home in anything other than Nikes. Allison's Ashley is totally fearless and went for the fish with her bare hands, leaning through the chains of the rickety bridge.


Then you can buy hay and feed the bunnies, Guinea pigs, bunnies and goats. At the Wild Insect Kingdom, of course.


This goat softly gulped a section of sweet Kaylee's hair, and spit it back out. I should've lunged out to save her, but instead was mad my camera had to have a 2 second delay causing me to miss the great photo op. Oh well.

Tom's World Friday

First: Kim Smith, I'm gathering picture of Barry for you. I will post them. Thanks everyone for your sweet comments. And Rebecca, where ARE you?! :).

Tom's World Friday: It's became our family fun every Friday for the last month. It's even overcame our Friday date nights. I don't mind. The boys LOVE it!

On Fridays, we pick Tim up from work. We go straight to "Super Brand Mall" for Dinner and Tom's world (chuckee cheese). For $3 US, you get 20 tokens that seem to last forever.


Hunter was wanting McDonalds for a very long time. I got a Taro pie (like apple pie, except in China, you can choose from coconut, pineapple, or taro).


Tim was with Hunter, and I was with Tootsie Tanner. The fun part about being with Tanner is that you don't need to use coins. He doesn't know the difference, and all he cares about is that I'm cheering for him. Hunter goes with Tim. Tim pretends he comes here just for the boys. But I'm sure he's right in there with them.


Uh, never trust a Hungry Hippo game that requires an oven mitt.


We get people asking us for pictures here in China, so it was nice to switch roles when I saw this girls T-shirt. My good friend Anna Frohn once said "loving someone but not their flaws is like loving swiss cheese without it's holes". Her shirt reads: Defects make it more perfect. It's our flaws and quirks that make us so much fun.

That's what I remind my friends about me anyway.

Barry

Barry's friend Kim Smith (maiden name) requested I post some pictures I had of Barry.

Here we are at a Family Reunion. Barry caught a fish. Look how optimistic for such a small fish! And yes, for some reason, at this time- Dave, Todd and Barry needed to have their shirts off for pictures. lol!

This was the first time Barry Holly and I had met our cousins on this side of the family. I loved how quickly the bond was formed. As if we'd hung out all our lives. The Japanese ones in the picture are my mom's sisters, I think she has 9 kids. I am still in contact with Brittany (back row). Barry is the center of the back row. Todd is in the tank, just in front of Barry.


Barry and I went to a party. Here Barry is with the host Jeanette (who worked with me in cosmetics). He found a picture of her two kids, and went and talked to her about them. He sure knew how to make people feel like a million!

Here are the three of us, Me left, Barry then Holly.

Here Barry is on his mission with a family being baptized. I still have most of the letters he wrote me. It's unfortunate that today through email, so much of that personal touch is lost. I'm so glad I have these letters from him, in his handwriting.

A principal at a local school on his mission had a 50th birthday. So Barry did a "number" on his car (says on the back of this picture he mailed to me).

If any of you know Grannis's, you know we're pretty rowdy. We're loud, we play unruly, we are wild. Wild. And for some reason, it's perfectly okay to wrestle even strangers. Here, Barry wrestled with a guy on his mission, and next thing he knew, his bum went through the wall. He loved having a good time, and catching people off guard.

This is a weird picture, you might think. But for some reason, it's been a favorite of mine. We were all telling campfire stories, and at this rare moment, we were all listening to whatever was being told. If you look at our eyes, it's almost like we were all thinking the same thing.

So it is with family, you can finish their sentences, you can love them regardless, you can cry on their shoulder. They know you.

Todd once had a very painful case of appendicitis, and could barely handle light and smells. He didn't even talk much. After having a few people over to help, he was relieved when family showed up (Me, Dave, Holly, Britt, Mom, Susan and Dad):

"family members can guess what the other is thinking. It doesn't take a lot of words or descriptions to make your point".

I thought that was beautifully summarized. It's like what they say about twins learning to talk late in their childhood. They don't need alot of words to communicate with each other, because of their mutual understanding.

So, as I believe, when family members pass away, they give a part of themselves to reside in us. Todd referred it to how when Kwaigon died in Star wars it made Obi Wan Kenobi that much more powerful. Okay, hope I didn't lose you with a Star Wars analogy.

So until we have Barry back in our arms (in the next life), I know he is still with us, reminding us what's most important. Why would he be the most qualified to be our (family and friends) angel? Because he knows us. He could make a point in less words than any most. He could bring us to where we need to be without any words, just feeling his influence.

To close, here's something lovely I read on Andrea's Blog regarding that great reunion one day:

"We have more friends behind the veil than on this side, and they will hail us more joyfully than you were ever welcomed by your parents and friends in this world; and you will rejoice more when you meet them than you ever rejoiced to see a friend in this life; and then we shall go on from step to step, from rejoicing to rejoicing, and from one intelligence and power to another, our happiness becoming more and more exquisite and sensible as we proceed in the words and powers of life." --Brigham Young

And what a wonderful thought for moms like Andrea, Lynette, Emily, Rachel who have lost their babies. What a wonderful thought at how welcomed they were when they are called to come Home to the God that gave them life. Angels that knew them waited with great anticipation. Angels they recognized when they returned Home. And they were happy to see them!

My Longest Post Yet

Totally thought the title would detour you from wanting to read this post. But you're much too clever for that. It's the week of July 28th, and the veil between earth and heaven is a bit thinner on this week.

July 28th is on a Monday this year, and Barry, my brother would've been 33.

Many of you knew him, and if you did, you loved him. You couldn't resist. Barry's proudest message of his life was simple:

People Are What Matter Most
The acronym: PAWMM... it sounds an awful lot like PALM.

Here's some things about Barry you might like to know.
1. One time Barry was at a party with all his friends, and he greets someone walking in. His buddies remind him that the girl was trashing his name. Instead of retaliating, he says to all of these machos: "ah, kill it with kindness". He proved that individuals mattered most.

2. My Seattle parents got a letter once from someone at church. The writer had seen Barry (a teenager at the time) teaching Steve Underwood how to play one-on-one basketball. Steve was mentally retarded and he and his siblings were being raised by a single mother. Barry didn't care which of his peers saw or didn't. It was the individual who counted, not the crowd. At that moment, Steve mattered most.

3. Barry was always protective of his family. He once had a roommate that was always a jerk to him, and I felt vengeful towards this guy! Barry never complained, just laughed it off. Never mind that I snuck in and put Fart powder in the dude's milk (it wasn't hard to find with the guy's name in permanent ink written all over it). And of course, my roommates and I had to fill his truck cab with Styrofoam too. And that wasn't the end of it. Let's just say, I never told Barry. I knew Barry would be disappointed in me if I didn't just let things go and accept his roommate just the way he was.
A year later, Barry and I sat on the front porch late one summer's night just talking. I had to tell him. We laughed and laughed. Then he jerked his chin upward to the left, and out of the corner of his eye, he said seriously: "Suzy, do you realize I almost got in a fight with this guy?! The guy said he knew it was you, and I told him 'My sister would never do a thing like that!' and we got face to face, and I was going to let loose on him."
Me: "... oh."
Family mattered most to him.

4. One night back in our singles days (again, in Utah, just after he got back from his mission, and I was preparing for mine), he knocked on my door at 2 AM. He said he needed a place to sleep. In the morning he told me he had to get away from what his roommates were getting into that night. A modern-day Joseph and he coat of many colors story (not that anyone was chasing him, but they were just up to no good--). He just separated himself from the situation, without diminishing the names of his roommates. Because being a true friend meant not judging or demeaning others for their actions.

5. Barry and I loved to get together and prank one of our older brothers. This brother, at that time wouldn't say I love you over the phone (he does now though). We'd call him and say it over and over to see if he'd say it back. Barry always ended his phone calls with this phrase, and you knew it was true.

6. Barry always had it in him to support the underdog. I remember him sheepishly telling me he felt bad for 'Buzz Light Year' when Buzz found out he couldn't fly. And his favorite cartoon was "The Iron Giant", because he believed people had the power within themselves to change.

7. Barry loved to treat people a bit better than they were used to. He liked to make people laugh. He never got a college education. I think it's because 'People' isn't a major in college. And that's all that mattered to Barry. I remember when we showed up to a family reunion of my Mom's. We hadn't met these people in our adult lives and I couldn't help but feel a bit of pride in thinking my siblings and I were the coolest ones there. But Holly and I watched as our brothers brought out the very best in everybody there. There were no boundaries or introductions necessary. Family was family, no matter how different we were.

8. Barry loved his car... almost as much as people. He could barely afford it, but man did it sparkle. One night, he was out with friends in his car. I called him at 9 PM. I was preparing for my mission, and had hit a rough patch. I just needed someone to talk to. He was in the neighborhood, and before I knew it, he was there on the front lawn of my apartment. He came walking up the grassy slope, and tossed his keys to his friends. People mattered more than even sparkly expensive objects.

9. One time I was very upset at him. Later that night, I propped my feet up and over the sill of an opened window to read my scriptures... feeling very self-righteous. I looked out my window to see Barry with a girl walking towards me. He was on a date, and had brought me Carmel cashew frozen custard through my window. He told me he had to introduce his date to his awesome sister. He would even take me as a third wheel for many of his dates (he'd never tell me it was a date, b/c then I'd try to back out). He loved to make me feel special. People mattered more to Barry than avoiding social faux-paus.

10. When I think of Barry and his "PAWMM" message, I want his legacy to live on in me. I want to try that much harder to make him proud. I want to copy who he was, and make it who I am.

And the more I think about it, maybe Barry's message wasn't all that original...
I think he'd be proud to say his life was a feeble effort of following the example of another older brother:

The Savior said "As I have loved you, love one another... by this shall men know ye are my disciples..." I think you, Barry, proved to me you were just that, a humble follower of the Savior.

I love getting small slices of heaven-- little glimpses-- that your mission continues. I love seeing what I can be when I have your help. There's always a place for the undeserving, the outcasts and down-trodden around your table. I want to feel what you felt when you gave a bit more than a prudent person would. You gave in when you could've taken back. You were what the savior wanted you to be. You showed the world that it was possible, to put people first. Christ healed and touched lives one by one, and I see your life as a tribute to your creator. You fulfilled, in your 25 years what would take me much longer.

But it's soon July 28th, where I remind myself that People Are Matter Most. I love you Barry Webster Grannis. Happy Birthday bro!!

Sunday of Firsts

Sunday, June 29th:
Because about half of the branch at church goes home for a couple of months for the summer (no exaggeration), there wern't any decons to pass the sacrament. So they asked Tim to help along with some other adults.

Before I go back to that, here's some background...
Hunter was once telling me about Spiderman. He has never seen any Spiderman movies, but tells me what he hears from his buddies. I think he is starting to develop the superhero phase that most pre-schoolers go through. He told me how powerful Spiderman was, and followed with "Mommy, I just loooovvve spiderman. I really Love him!" He was so sincere in his admiration for this fictitious character.

Okay, back to the sacrament. Tim says sure, and goes up with the other adults to pass the bread to the congregation. I was worried the boys would be rowdy if Tim wasn't there. Tanner laughed when he saw his Dad, and asked Tim to "Up Please!" when Tim passed to our row. But Hunter was ultra-still. His eyes were fixed on Tim. He was grinning. Confused, I leaned in toward Hunter. His smile widened and with star-gazed eyes, he said "Mommy, I love him (pointing to Tim), I loooovvve him!"

I think there are times in a little boys life where their Daddy becomes just as heroic as a superhero. It's something moms usually can't quite grasp. But at that moment, Hunter thought Daddy was saving the world by passing the bread to the congregation. Hunter was so proud of his Daddy.

Another first:
That same Sunday, Hunter gave his first ever talk in Primary. I remember thinking Hunter would always be little and never make it out of Nursery (he's always the oldest in his class, since his birthday is 2 months short of the cut off). We got to church early and went down into the primary room, turned on the mic and practiced. Hunter kept blowing into the mic and imitating his Dad's Darth Vader noises and laughing. I was curious how he'd do at crunch time...

His talk was on families and temples. He said the following:
1. President Ezra T. Benson said he wanted every family member's chair filled in the Celestial Kingdom.
2. One time my mommy took me to the temple, and I got to see a very big statue of Jesus.
3. Because of Heavenly Father's Plan and Jesus' sacrifice, our family can be together forever. Temples make this possible.

Okay, I forgot most of it...
But, when he got up there, he was very confident and poised. No Darth Vader even. He spoke slowly, clearly and I couldn't be more proud of my little future DECA competitor (okay, that's just a little wish)... anyway.

Sunday, July 6th Tim and I translated together side by side for sacrament meeting, yet another first. I was scared, then I just thought about what my tennis coach said way back in high school (I know, I know...) "If you go into a game already thinking you're going to win, you are more likely to loose. Take each stroke one at a time, and you'll come out conqueror". And that's what I tried to do. I didn't have to try to be the best translator ever, I just had to take things sentence by sentence. It was great. I actually enjoyed it.

Okay one more first:
Sunday, July 27th at church the topic was "agency" and using our agency to make the right choices. When the sacrament hymns are sung, I like to point to the words and whisper them in the ears of the boys so they can sing (okay, sometimes scream) the lyrics along. It's not always a success, and I don't do it as often as I should. But, this last week, I didn't even share the hymn book with the boys.

The hymn was "Choose the Right". That exact phrase is stated at least 4 times in each of the 4 verses. It is an energetic hymn, and Tracey Larson, the chorister had us all stand to sing it. I was surprised to hear Tanner shouting over and over "Choose the Right!" It didn't always catch one of the 4 chances per verse of saying it on exact timing, but it sure was cute. And sorry to the next speaker who was gently reminded by our enthusiastic 2 year old to continue choosing the right, at least 4 more times there after, during their talk.

The Water Park, and Tim's back

So a couple of weeks ago, Tim was really sick and out for 3 days. This is the same guy who has gotten the perfect attendance award at work, and is almost forced into taking vacations. So when he's out, he's out. I don't question it. I give him little foot massages and get him medicine. Love the imported medicine where I can actually read the labels, and know it's mostly FDA regulated... anyway.

Lance, our driver (named after Tim's buddy) suggests Tim goes into his wife's salon for a purifying back treatment. He is reluctant, but didn't want to be a cultural snob. So he goes in and gets this done:

And this is over a week after the treatment. The technique is to use suction cups that apparently "draw out the impurities" in your system. I say it's hickeys. And I'm sure Tim is just relieved I'm posting the pictures after all the dark red/purple turned light brown. What a sport to pull a "when in Rome".

Yes (I'm answering your question), I did take pictures of the backs of at least 2 other guys with spotted backs. Tim pretended not to know me for this part. I would post the pictures, but nobody wants to see that many speedos. Your welcome.

Tanner is big into lotions lately. If he could, he'd put anti-bacterial hand sanitizer all over his body. He must've thought we were giving in by putting sunscreen all over his body. He was so happy he just laughed.


The water park was HUGE, I think that's why they called it Dino park. Or could it be because of the above picture?


Tim got Hunter a water "G.U.N." Hunter thought it was cool to spray people passing us in the lazy river. Which, by the way, was my favorite part. It seemed to go on forever, it wrapped in and out throughout the park.

Hunter loved the slides. He was fearless. For one of the slides, Tim waited at the bottom, while I went up with Hunter, Tanner and our raft. When we got to the top, they told us we couldn't all three go together. So they quickly grabbed a tube and sent Hunter off on his own. When I got to the bottom, I could see Tim's surprised expression and the huge adrenaline rush in Hunter. He loved it. That was first of many rounds of that. During that Time Tim took off for big boy rides. You can't go to a water park and not go on those.

He loved it.

Because we all love our picture in a swimsuit (gasp). Here's the family picture, Left to Right:
Hunter, Tim, Tanner, Casper.

Cute story:
When we were in the lazy river, we got a two-seater raft. We all got on first at the steps, Tim then pulled us out and tried to jump on with the water already at his waist. Each time he fell off the raft Tanner screamed the LOUDEST I'd ever heard. He was so very concerned to see Tim go under water. He got really mad at Tim when he kept trying. Poor Tann didn't like to see his Daddy "get hurt". Tim would laugh, then Tanner would be okay. But it took three rounds of Tanner reaching to save Tim, as angry as a hornet. He was very scared for Tim. The on-lookers would just crack up at how Tanner was so worried. So pure, kids, aren't they?

Want This Blog Design?!

Okay, so I'm not giving away my actual blog. But, I'm changing the layout/design/colors. Sorry for the misunderstanding my sweet Britta (saw your comment, and edited this post).

So, I'm giving the layout away to the first grabber. So your blog will look like this one, except I'll change your family's name and the pictures, of course.

First come, first serve! I hope I'm not flattering myself in thinking that everybody is dying to have my design! I just love to switch up my colors every once in a while, and I don't want all the past work to go to waste. I will upload it to your blog, and you can have this trendy blog design show up when people log into your blog!

So, whoever wants this design, make a comment below, and it's yours!!

Playdough Recipe

If you always have Cream of Tartar on hand (or if your neighbor does...), you can always make this Fab recipe. It's my favorite.

1. Find two chef-dudes to help. (DO NOT make a connection between the Hunter's "Mom" shirt and Tanner's "Cow"shirt, although the food here in Asia is worth every calorie).


2. Toss in all the dry ingredients, then the wet ones. Heat until it starts to form a ball. TheKool-Aid will give the dough color. But if you don't have Kool-Aid, or food coloring, or vegetable oil for that matter, you can still make it with other ingredients.


2-a: We made ours with Peanut Oil instead, that's what was on hand. We didn't have fancy Kool-aid to make it smell nice (and give it color), so we used mango flavoring. And who plays with beige dough?! Whattaya do. I couldn't find any food coloring here either.

2-b: So now our dough smells like Mango-Peanut. Heck, at least now Tanner won't eat it.


3. You can use all your kitchen utensils/cookie cutters. Garlic mashers make the best dough hair.
Here's the Recipe:
2 Cups Flour
1 Cup Salt
4 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
2 Pkgs of Kool-Aid (you can divide the dough in 2, and use a different colored/flavored packet per half for variety).

Add:
2 Cups Water
3 Tablespoons Cooking Oil

Cook it on your stove top for about five minutes. Super Quick. Super easy.

Store it in air tight containers in the fridge. This stuff lasts forever!

Tim's Not Going to Be Happy I Posted This...

For those of you who know my Dude, he's conservative, and doesn't like any public display of himself. He keeps everything great about him a secret. As his wife, I am asked to be respectful, and never post anything that would boast of his greatness. Hmmm...

Tim has been sick for two days, Sunday and Monday. Today, Tuesday, he came home early from work to get to bed. He's really knocked out by this bug-- swollen tonsils, cough, congested, achy etc. He didn't want to be bothered by anyone, and he looked absolutely miserable!!

When the boys heard him try to sneak up the stairs and get in bed-- it was a failed mission. They attacked him.. they must've thought it was Saturday.

Me, trying not to brag...
He was still so happy when the boys dog-piled him, even when he's on his sick bed. Poor guy.


After some time, I came in and got "Hulkster" and "The Mule" off of Tim, and let him rest. Get well soon, Tim!!

**Hulkster and The Mule:
http://chinacaltons.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-happens-in-hangzhou-stays-in.html
Look at the 2nd photo, and read below for the background behind these nick-names.

Short End of the Stick

Hunter, once again made an amazing fort.


Apparently, just for him. He sent Tanner off to the "other" fort:


And Tanner was just as happy:

He speaketh

Needed to log this.

So Tim's been sick. I've been sleeping on a guest bed because the combo of a congested husband and a light sleeper wife is never good.

The following morning Tanner does his typical number, and runs into our room for a snuggle.

Back up... mind you, Tanner is still barely speaking in sentences, and that's only when he repeats what others say.

But this morning, he not only spoke in sentences on his own, but in context.

"Wheresa Mommy?"
Then: "Go find her"

Then he took off to find me. Tim and I were thrilled! And for weeks after this date he was talking in mini sentences (in context) like wild.

Good job Tanner. We are all so proud. Hunter's been working hard at teaching you english.

Sleeping Boys

Sunday naps at the Caltons...

Daddy's Home

Two Saturdays ago, Tim went golfing for the first time while being in Shanghai. He developed this passion when meeting up with his Hawaiian buddies in Utah when Tann was just a few months old. He's been working on "his game" so he can keep up with Lima and George when they play again.

Anyway, this Saturday, he'd gotten home from golfing while the boys were napping (he'd left before anyone had woken up). The boys thought it was a typical weekday b/c Daddy wasn't there. But when they woke up, I said "Hey guys, I think Daddy's home!" They got really excited and started scouring the house until they saw him finishing up a little nap in bed. Of course, like any boy would, they jumped on him for the next 1/2 hour. They sure do love him!!

Tann thinks he's a Sumo wrestler. He's still not quite convinced that he's only two.


Hunter Hugs Dad, and starts planning what they are going to do for the rest of the day. Which ended up being Hunter's favorite place on earth: Tom's World!!


"I Ya Yoo Dah-Ti" (which being interpreted means: I love you Daddy).
Funny how the boys only know what a weekend is based on whether their Daddy is home or not. He is better than Superman, more loved than Yoda, more appreciated than anything. We love you Daddy!!

...When You Say Nothing at All

Hunter gets a lot of attention around here. Tanner is our guy that still isn't talking much, but Tann says it best, when he says nothing at all...

He'd woken up from his nap while I was finishing up something on the computer. He snuck in and stood by me looking like this:

He knew he was getting my attention, he's so goofy. What a cute guy, with his hand in his make-shift pocket. Do you see the smirk under that thumb in his mouth?


He is a jokester, and wanted to make me laugh, so he started his tricks with the curtain.