4th of July... late. Ya think?

K, so I'm gonna be real. I've never really made holidays fun for my kids. Well, except for Christmas, and sometimes Easter. I hit the "Lame Mom" category when it comes to holidays.

However, it was the 4th of July, and we are living in a communistic country, and I wanted my kids, as little as they are, to know so much. I wanted them to know that they have 2 generations before them that served valiantly in the military for our country.

So the first thing we did when we woke up was youtube the national anthem. They put their little hands over their hearts and tried to sing the tune to the slide show on the screen. I had to say I got choked up.

Then, I reviewed some pages I'd printed out showing the story line of how our great country gained it's Independence.

Here are the pictures...


That went along with these short paragraphs depicting each significant event.

And to make it fun, we acted out the fighting scenes. I was careful to not use the word "British", because so many Hunter's classmate friends are British here, what mom wants to have that conversation at the playground?! Anyway...

Here's Paul Revere on his horse delivering messages to the troops.

We tried to make this cake (above). But couldn't find strawberries. So we had to use plums, and didn't get a picture.

I got out the 4th of July cookie cutters.

And they loved this part.

Then they painted flags I printed off of the Internet. But the only colors I had for them were teal, brown and cream.

Love that kids don't care so long as they can still make a mess (word to the wise: I always just turn the kids clothes inside out when they paint-- if they won't wear plastic bags).

Then somebody put paint in some body's hair.

And got a time out. Hate pictures of kids in time out. But loved how Tanner couldn't continue painting until Hunter was done. He kept inching his way closer and closer to Hunter.

And when Hunter cried, Tanner was quick on his toes.

Tim was out of town for the 4th. So we had a bar-b-q when he got back in town. Shish kabobs... num num.

Watermelon, cut American Bar-B-Q style. Susan's famous jello (strawberry jello, slice up 2 bananas inside. When set, cream 4 oz pkg of cream cheese with 1 cup sour cream for topping)... as Susan would say "Yum Bo Bob".

Green salad, deviled eggs (my mom makes the best w/ horseradish... I am afraid to even try), and cheesy potatoes.

That night, we heard fireworks. So we hopped on the motor-trike and followed the flashes in the sky. It was beautiful. You know the huge fireworks the city parks set off from the lake. You can get them in China for $30 per box of 20+ fireworks. CHEAP. And with NO existing fire codes, you can set them all off in your driveway. At least that's what this particular neighbor did. It was great to find Americans (most were gone for the Summer) by following the sounds and sights of their patriotism.

Happy 4th of July!

Funny Grandma

Tim just got this email from one of this three grandmas- Nadine Kunz. Loved it, felt like I was the one who wrote it:

"Just back from Koosharem.
Saturday we walked around the house with the lady we bought it from,
and she told us names of the flowers and plants etc.
I would like everyone that can make it to come down and see it this fall,It is beautiful.
The reason I want you to see it this fall,
Is because it ain't never going to look this good ever again.

Now that I am the gardner."

I knew I loved the lady the moment I met her.

Street Floods

There's something about Shanghai Expat culture I need to explain to you....

During the Summer months, wives pack up their children and leave for about 6 weeks. Wives of perfectly stable sound marriages. The husbands spend the bulk of the time hanging out and "bachin' it" bachelor style after years of marriage. They don't all leave. But lets just say that on our entire street of 7 houses, I was only one of two left behind. Ghost town, eerie feeling around Shanghai expat communities for Summer.

But here's where I freaked. A bit.

Ever wonder what it would be like being one of the 'left behind' families when Noah and fam took off on the arc?

'Left behind me' happened to open my window and see this:

About 9 inches of standing water on the streets, you couldn't even see the street markings. And while the picture doesn't show it (the walk ways are slanted too), it was deep; and the rain was coming down in buckets.


And of course, the first thing that runs through my mind as the water inches closer was:
food storage.

It's a Mormon thing. You see, I know it sounds crazy, but Mormons store food in their homes to be prepared for such occasions- like natural disasters. It's actually a commandment to have a 1 year supply- PER family member. In Shanghai, our standard is only 3 months.

And I sheepishly admit that I was not obedient to the call to 'store'.

TOTAL FREAK OUT SETS IN. So I buzz the front guard shack (grateful the connection was still clear).

Their response to the flooding?

"Oh, Okay. We'll go fix it right now." Picture me repeating my mandarin Chinese in head to be sure my tones were right. Really, I mean, what are they going to do, vacuum it all up?

I drew the curtains after 5 minutes. The below is what I saw:

I guess they never knew of the problem
... since I was the only Expat neighbor left to notice.... a small clog in the drain system, I'm sure.

Still, it was an eye opening reminder- Suzanne, YOU ARE ALONE HERE in this complex (almost alone, anyway).

Needless to say, I'm so glad the rest of you crazy vacationing expats are back.

We fed the mosquitoes while you were out.

Toad Catching

In a house of 3 boys, this girl's out-numbered!


So what's a girl to do when one of them points out a toad that's trying to cross the road?



That's right. Atta girl.

Okay, so it was small, but it peed on me, that should count for something...
For those of you that lived near wildlife, you'll understand: there was something instinctive that made me lunge for it.

Ah the memories of childhood. Don't you remember the childhood times when you'd spend all day working on something like catching the biggest toad? For Barry Holly and I we loved to catch them... pollywogs, toads, salamanders, lizards and snakes. One year, we stored our snake finds in my step-dad's hot tub. Now those were the days!

Nesting... hopelessly waiting...

So what's a mom of two rowdy fun boys doing making hair bows?
(note: thanks to all the moms that are letting me post the below pics of their little divas)


Call it nesting. With two+ years left to wait for the adoption to go through, even pregnant elephants have us beat! So here I go, my version of 'knitting booties'.


It's been fun to put my busy hands to work- trying to maintain sanity in a situation completely out of my hands.


Because you can only reorganize a closet so many times. Why not make pretties for my friends little girls?

These little girls are absolutely adorable, without bows!

These little Chinese girls are among my favorites. I love it every time their moms bring them over.

Can't help but feel like our day is a bit closer when they come for a visit.

Don't you think Chinese babies are so cute?

Among the cutest, we Caltons think!

Choked Up

China still has blogger and facebook blocked (though I've been able to sneak occasionally using a VPN). So here's my first post in forever!

Just wondering if I'm the only one out there that loves a good cry. If you're like me, you'll love this small story. I've read it 3 times since last night. So here's from me to each and everyone of you, my sweet friends...

Mother’s Christmas Mouse
By Betty LeBaron Mostert
Betty LeBaron Mostert, “Mother’s Christmas Mouse,” Ensign, Dec. 2007, 62
When I was a child in the 1950s and 1960s, our Christmas traditions were not elaborate—except for the stockings. Because we children enjoyed our Christmas stockings so much, we continued the tradition when we married and had children of our own. Buying surprises and assembling dozens of Christmas stockings, however, soon became too much for my aging parents, especially my mother, who had a serious case of rheumatoid arthritis that limited her mobility and energy.
Eventually, I volunteered to take over the project. Our annual extended family home evening, in which we acted out the Christmas story and opened our stockings, found me exhausted from the demands of being the mother of several small children and juggling the events of an active life. As I watched everyone dump treasures out of the gingham Christmas stockings I had carefully prepared, I was feeling a little sorry for myself.
As expected, my stocking was empty except for the standard candy cane and Japanese orange that I had placed there earlier. But as I shook them out, I noticed a little bedraggled mouse made of a walnut and hazelnuts. One ear was much bigger than the other, and the whiskers were crooked. The tail had been cut too short, and the loop to hang it on the tree was off center. I was confused. Had someone’s kindergarten project ended up in my stocking?
I looked up and saw my mother watching me from her wheelchair across the room. With a gnarled, bent finger, she beckoned to me.
“I wanted to do something for the Christmas stockings,” she said. “They made these little mice in Relief Society, and they were so cute.”
Her tears were close to the surface, and her gentle voice shook as she continued.
“I couldn’t get my fingers to work, so I made only one. It didn’t turn out, but I knew you wouldn’t mind.”
I looked again at the little mouse in my hand. She was right. I didn’t mind. In fact, her little bedraggled mouse became the most precious treasure of all that Christmas.
For more than 20 years, I have tenderly removed the tissue paper from the misshapen mouse crafted by misshapen fingers and carefully placed it on a branch. My angel mother has been free of her crippled body for several years, but her Christmas mouse reminds me of two profound truths.
The first is that my mother honored me by believing that I could look past the mouse’s crooked ears and feel the love and sacrifice that went into its creation. The second is that if I, as an imperfect mortal, am capable of finding beauty in a humble little mouse, how much more is our Father in Heaven capable of seeing past our imperfect efforts and understanding our pure intentions.
I know that when we do our best to give to others and to Him, our gift is not just good enough—it is of incalculable worth.

The Beach

Seems like every vacation we've had while here in Shanghai MUST have a beach. This was our closest thing...

A motor boat ride- LOL, Tim was just hoping none of the water splashed up and got on his skin (I won't fill you in on all the speculations as to where the sewer system unloads itself...).


The following couple pictures are self-portraits. See Hunter making sure his face was smiling in the wind. Cute little guy.


Hunter and Mom.




Tanner and Tim. Tanner taking it all in...


This is a 'man made' beach in the works. Talk about taking knock-off to the next levels, these Chinese can make anything. I'm sure it's going to be beautiful!


Check out the palm trees even!


Obviously, still missing the water. But I couldn't help but get excited about the idea of having water that the boys can swim outside of a swimming pool. Shanghai ceases to impress me :).

Yet Another Tami Post.

I've got so many pictures of adventures I've been on with Tami, as do many of these Shanghai gals out here do. She is always up for an adventure, and we all want to tag along!

My kids call her "Aunti Manti". And she is totally okay with it! LOL! She gives them little treats and treats them like gold. As if that weren't enough to make here so likable!


She's funny as I'll get out.


I am always telling her she's 21 years old. Seriously, she acts like an uninhibited 21 year old. One night she was in the area and tapped on the window of the office at 9:30 at night. I totally felt like a teenager again, we just chatted, then before going home, she helped kill the biggest spider ever, hanging on the eve of the front door frame, yuck!


Tami totally gets my humor. Can you tell I'm crackin' a joke in this picture? Do you see what kind of a great listener she is? FYI, Hunter took the above pictures.


These are her pretty manicured nails. Those crafty fingers inspired me (and at least 30 others) to make homemade bread rolls...for the first time ever in my life! All thanks to her! Those hands also showed me (and at least 30 others, too) how to use digital graphic software, and I'm now a little bit of an addict.


Here she is with her perfect match. Bringing over homemade cookies to pop in our oven.


Trent does a great job keeping up with this lady. He was the young men's president, and she was the young women's president. I was her counselor... and let's just say, now I have some HUGE shoes to fill now that she's heading back to the states :(.


Tami was also the first one who introduced me to riding bikes around Shanghai. Here is the 2nd time I'd ever rode one in China, due to her contagious ambition.

The best thing a person can do when living in a 3rd world country is to leave it better than they found it. And that's exactly what she has done with every person she interacts with. She just recently collected hundreds of cloth diapers for an orphanage. We were all in the same room when the orphanage director told us of the need, but Tami was the one with 'ears to hear'.

She is leaving a very large part of her here. My mission president in Taiwan once said something along the lines of: "when you leave your mission, don't go out the front door. Slide out the back door, where nobody sees. The point is to leave the people better than you found them, so that when it is time to go, you have left behind your talents and gifts for them to use." She has impacted us all in this same way she has impacted me. I love someone who jumps in with both feet, has a good laugh out of it, appreciates people of all different varieties, and truly enjoys the journey.

What an inspiration. Thanks Tami, Trent and Aaron for ALL you have done for our branch. I only wish and pray your time here could be extended.