The Sweat P's on Wheels!

All four sweet P's on wheels!

We went rollerblading today! Time on task right? They were rollering well. Dash was giving a thumbs up after he fell and shouting, "I'm okay!" This is new. I was trying to teach him that falling means you are getting better and that it's okay to fall. Way to go, Dash! He also rode down the ramp by himself. And Brock learned how to turn today. He was excited about that. Chael wanted to take his off not long after we started. He's a gamer but he doesn't always last long. I talked him out of it and he ended up really enjoying it. (I also didn't bring any shoes for him so there was nothing else for him to wear! And it's cold now.) It felt like it took a year before everyone had all their gear and blades on! We then got in the car and drove to Subway were there's a great area for skating. And then ate there for lunch. :) Brian's in Shanghai today for a training meeting. 

Last night Sophie and Max joined us for movie night. We popped popcorn (homemade of course!) and made smoothies. (That's often dinner for us on Friday nights.) And we watched.... Guardians of the Galaxy! IT WAS AWESOME! The kids LOVED it. I think it's PG-13, however. So we may have been pushing it with the littles but it really was a great family movie. They also put the workout mats on the floor and had some wrestling matches going on with each other before hand. Inspired by Sophie, the sweetest thing ever! She has a big brother and inspired the quick tournament. It was funny. 

Five YSA's are spending the night tonight. Three girls and two boys. Brian should be home after 8pm!

Our life is legos. They are always playing with legos and "free building." They build and build and build. Chael destroys. They love Lego guys. I find knock-off ones for less than a dollar here and never has my money gone farther. We like the real ones too. Last year for Christmas I had Brian (have a factory) make lego-board trays. They have been very well used! I love their creations.

No tears when dropped off at school now!

Big news. I believe it took two months. My sweet Dash would whimper everyday when I dropped him off at school. Before that he would cry a little bit while walking there and then cry a lot more when we got there. It was so sad and so hard. I just hoped I was doing the right thing. On occasion they were both crying! No fun. It was hard some mornings. So as of just a couple of weeks ago there has been no crying at all when going to school! I have two happy boys happily going to school now! I'm so glad. They seem to be learning Mandarin at a slow rate and happy. They have time to play at home until I take them around 9am. 

Going to church on race day.

The Hangzhou Marathon was on Sunday, Nov. 2nd and the course went down JiangNan Da Dao and across the no. 1 bridge-- which is right by our house. All the roads near our church house were closed or unaccessible by car that morning. We crossed just in time! Unfortunately the Poons weren't so lucky.

Brock dresses himself for church. I think he does alright. :)

Lachy giving Chael a ride home from church!

Halloween in Hangzhou

We ended up having a super heros theme-- plus a mummy. The boys tell me that Cat Woman is not a super hero. But I kind of think Batman has a thing for her and somehow I talked Brian into being Batman! So... I had to be cat woman. Callie wanted to me a mummy! Brian brought home some linen and we made strips, used a hot glue gun and viola! We thought it turned out great. 

Costume parade at H.I.S. Most of Callie's class! And some bogies. 

These 5th-Graders won the costume competition. I heard the judges appreciated their "gangnam" dance. Callie also won the scary story competition and that was announced at the assembly that morning. She was so excited. It's a great story and she was really proud of her work. 

Callie doing the "Mummy Dance".

Halloween party at the church! Thanks to Anton and Colby Osborne for pulling together a sweet Halloween party. Games, trick or treating, pizza and best of all... a DISCO party! 

Batman and Po Po have moves!

Soda cozies? Made these out of felt to cover soda bottles for our ring toss game! Even saving them for next year. 

Aww. Family pic. Brock and Dash didn't last in their costumes. haha.

Bribery.

Brian's brother called some of the pictures of Brian in his Batman costume bribery pictures! I'm just so proud of him! I thought it would be pretty awesome for him to dress up as Batman. I bought it off of taobao. I can't believe I got away with this one and he went along with it! Go Batman! And our awesome super heroes. My boys still insist I'm not on the Avengers team! Next year. Maybe I should have been Penny and Brian- Iron Man? 

Ideas for next year: Vegetables. Callie- cauliflower, Brock- broccoli, Dash- Radash, Chael- Kael, Sarah- aSaragus, Brian- ? the farmer?. We could be the Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles, April Oneill and the camera man. Or we could be G.I. Joe guys. Other ideas welcome!

He wears this everyday!

Temple Trip to Taiwan!

Yeehaw! Me and the Mr. on route to Taipei!

We had a branch temple trip on October 17th in Taipei, Taiwan. It's been 20 years since Brian was serving a full time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints in Taiwan, Taibei. We ate food that Brian described as "tastes like the mission!" So good! Pictures of the best breakfast food below. 

Another perk of going to Taipei is that they have a Costco! We loaded up there before going to the temple our first night. The following day we worked out and ate amazing breakfast food before meeting up with the Saylors. Lizzy flew in from BYU-Hawaii and opened up her mission call with her parents and us while Skyping with others. Sydney North, Australia! Woowoo! It was really cool going through the temple with her for her first time. I miss her super much. And I'm so excited for her!

Subway to the temple.

Taipei, Taiwan temple.

Lizzy, David and Mary Jane Saylor and me.

Zhuabins! Awesome street food outside of the temple. And the best Mango snowflake ice too. 

Our favorite breakfast shop! Three sisters and their mother work here. They remembered us from three years ago. We had 10 children with us so... 

The Shaobin with fresh soy milk. Amazing!

Thanks to Becca and Bryan Mortensen for watching our children while we were away. And thanks to Wilf Lieber for letting us stay in his IDFL flat while in town. Thanks to Lizzy for flying from Hawaii to meet us in Taiwan.  It was a blessing for us to be able to go. I'm always reminded of how important families are and how important the work that we do in the temple is when I'm there. Nothing else seems very significant. When storm clouds gather around us, never lose sight of the eternal perspective. 

Bouffants and Fauxhawks

Dash and Chael's first professional hair cut. The hair dresser gave them some sweet Chinese-dude hair styles. Rockin' it.  Go bouffants.  (Brock put an end to his as soon as we got home!)

Ice skating with the family and friends on Chinese National Day, Oct. 1st. 

I think it's good for midgoids to do this every once in a while so they can someday be adults who can handle themselves on the ice! Dash and Chael did it too but didn't last as long. Callie and Brock were tearing it up.

Date night with friends ended up at this awesome place. Mango and mango sauce over sweetened shaved ice. Taiwanese style. YUM!

More Than Aware, Breast Cancer Charity Group outing in Hangzhou

September!

Tennis game in the mall!

September! We had a weekend in Shanghai for District Conference and stayed with the Price family! We left early Friday morning since Brian needed to meet up with clients during the furniture show going on there. Brian dropped us off at the Kerry Center and we entertained ourselves by eating lunch at Whole and Pure (a vegan restaurant), shopping at H&M, drinking fresh-juice drinks, playing tennis games in the mall and running around outside. On Saturday Jen and I had an awesome half-marathon run and then prepped for Sunday's dinner. Brian spoke in the Saturday evening session of conference on "Branch Councils". I was in charge of babysitting but was able to come in to hear his talk. I may be biased but it was an excellent talk. Callie and Brock helped me babysit and they all had a great time playing with Will and June. 

?? Crazies.

Brock came home from school wanting to make a sock puppet. Inspiration came from his music teacher. Everyone joined in on the fun. It turned out to be a fantastic Family Home Evening activity! Dash and Chael made bean bags out of felt and a glue gun. Sweet mustaches boys! 

Callie's 5th-Grade class at soccer day in Shanghai. 

Soccer day! I volunteered to go with all of the 5th graders to Shanghai for soccer day. They played four 20-minute games against other international schools. Mr. Chever's class did great! And Callie scored a goal in the first game! It was a beautiful shot. Go Dragons! 

Jerry, Natalie Foxwell, Natalie Manning, Yanti, Barbara, Marta and Marcus. 

 Yanti's fabulous Indonesian lunch!!! It's SOOOO good. Fortunately for me, Yanti counts me as a friend. And I bring the American cookies. :)

Indonesian cuisine that doesn't get any better. 

Dandiya Night!

We were invited to join friends for Dandiya Night at an Indian restaurant close by. 

From wikipedia: The Dandiya Raas dance originated as devotional Garba dances, which were performed in Goddess Durga’s honor. This dance form is actually the staging of a mock-fight between Goddess Durga and Mahishasura, the mighty demon-king. This dance is also nicknamed ‘The Sword Dance’. The sticks of the dance represent the sword of Goddess Durga.

The origin of these dances can be traced back to the life of Lord Krishna.^[1] Today, Raas is not only an important part of Navaratri in Gujarat but extends itself to other festivals related to harvest and crops as well.

Callie and Brock are with friends Ayush, Lakshaya, Anvi and Naina. They had a great time learning the "sword dance." Such cute kids! 

Granola Group Granola Bars

These are fantastic! Some friends came over and made granola bars with me. We added our favorite things and came up with this super fab recipe. So delicious and so healthy. I wanted to make these for healthy snacks to send to school with the children. We all love them. 

Granola Group Granola Bars

2 cup rolled oats (I do half regular or instant oats so the bars sticked together.)

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup flaxseed 

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1/4 teaspoon allspice (optional)

1 cup wheat flour (or all purpose)

3/4 cup raisins or craisins

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup honey

1 beaten egg

1/2 cup coconut oil (Can substitute oil for 1/4 cup organic crunchy peanut butter and 1/4 mashed banana or 1 cup applesauce or other oil.) 

2 tsp vanilla extract (or half almond extract)

I also add: 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped almonds and other nuts, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/4 cup dried apricots, etc. Whatever I have on hand. 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. 
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. 
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes in preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut. 

A New School Year Starts! New Things Going On!

August 11th, first day of preschool.

These two big boys are going to preschool! A local Chinese preschool in our complex. It was Chael's first time ever. Dash has gone for one semester already. Chael transitioned really well. When I dropped them off he said, "Bye Mom! See you later!" My babies are getting so big. I miss them at home but am impressed with how much their Mandarin has improved already and hope they will learn a lot this year. 

August 14th, first day of school. Big 5th and 2nd graders!

Callie and Brock have had a really great start. They are happy and love their teachers. They just started after school activities this week and are doing soccer on Mondays. And on Thursdays, dodgeball for Brock and running club for Callie. Hopefully that's not too much. And they will have soccer on Saturdays eventually too. 

Brock's been so diligent about doing his homework and is managing getting to school and his homework really well now! Just growing up! He is speaking Mandarin more and more and we are really proud of him. 

Callie ran for student council last Wednesday and surprised herself by winning! She's enjoyed being involved in student council as a V.P. last year and a class rep the year before that. There were 14 students running also and she is now the student council president! Way to go Callie! She has a great sense of humor and is well liked because she really is nice to everyone. She was so shocked that she won! She's not one to want to be on stage or giving a speech but she did it and did a great job. Win or lose we're proud of her for trying and doing her best. 

Some of the funny things she said in her speech:

Let me share some reasons that make me a great president.

1. My experience in 1st grade taught me that I can do hard things. So if any of you are struggling with something, I can help. I have been through hard times and came out the other side HAPPY!
2. I lead by example.  I’m a good student. I don’t run with scissors. I don’t eat paste. And I don’t bite people (except my brothers.)
3. I have great stories to tell like the time when I was bit by a snapping turtle or when I was attacked by a flying cockroach when it landed on my head.
4. I’m adventurous. I jump off cliffs, snowboard, and even eat fish eye balls!
5. I’m really smart. I can count to 10 backwards. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. If you don’t believe I’m smart just look at me. These glasses prove it. 
6. I have the ability to stay focused when it counts. ........ wait. What was I saying?

And finally, #7. I’m a good friend and I’m friends with everyone. Everyone is my best friend. In fact, my best friend’s name is Everyone. 

She ended by saying "I'm 5'2 and the right president for you!" haha! She's quite tall these days. 

Kelvin Goh (1st Counselor), Pres. Brian Phillips, James Moore (2nd Counselor)

On August 10th, Brian was called to be the new Branch President of the Hangzhou Branch. His first counselor is Kelvin Goh and his second counselor is James Moore. 

Pres. Sheffield and his family moved to Shanghai and we will really miss them close by. But we're grateful they are still in China! It was a really heartfelt meeting as he and Annie shared their testimonies and his counselors, followed by the new branch presidency. You could feel of their love, humility and gratitude. We have a unique situation here in Hangzhou where we really feel like a little Zion. We are a small branch, close to 40 members, and we are a tight-nit group. Even though we are a transient lot, we get really close and take really good care of each other. It's a beautiful family. As HZ members move else where I hope they take that feeling of unity and help create that family feel in whatever branch or ward they move into. I hope we never lose that ability. It's a treasure. The families in our community are so strong and so amazing. I feel like we are armored in light and truth and that together can do great things. The Lord is doing a great work in this corner of the world. 

Russell Orvin, Pres. C.S. Teo, Kelvin Goh, Pres. Brian Phillips, James Moore, Pres. Steve Dyer

Brian's new calling has been a humbling calling for our family and we are grateful for the opportunities we will have to grow even more and serve even more. We are excited for the extra portion of the Spirit that will be involved in our lives as Brian has stewardship for the Lord's flock here in Hangzhou. He is sincere and dedicated and humbly serves. He's such a strong patriarch in our family and I'm grateful for his example. I'm grateful for the father he is to our children. There is no doubt that we are who he wants to be with and he shows us that everyday. He's the kind of man I will willingly follow anywhere in the world--and happily do so--because I'm simply happy to be where ever he is. 

Brian did joke that half the family are presidents now. He being the branch president, Callie the student council president, and I am the district primary president. The Lord has to work with what he has: very imperfect people. 

August 20th!

Happy Birthday to me! 35 years old! I'm just growing up. So exciting. 

I feel incredibly grateful to be alive and for this time I've had here on earth. There are no coincidences. I was born bright blue with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck three times. I wasn't breathing. I didn't breath for five minutes and I didn't breath on my own for 15 minutes. My dad had given my mom a priesthood blessing before I was born that I would be whole and healthy. When I was being delivered the doctor said, "Hold it." He didn't get much of a response from his helpers and then yelled, "I said, HOLD IT!" They breathed through a straw into my mouth to get me to start breathing again. During this stressful time my mom and dad were not worried. They felt peace and believed in the power of that priesthood blessing that was given to my mom the day before. Life is such a gift. 

George Q. Cannon said, “We humble people, we who sometimes feel ourselves so worthless, so good-for-nothing, we are not so worthless as we think. There is not one of us but what God’s love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes and in the eyes of others but the truth remains that we are the children of God and that He has actually given his angels—invisible beings of power and might—charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping” (Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, sel. Jerreld L. Newquist, 2 vols. [1974], 1:2)

I believe that there were angels seen and unseen that day ministering to me and those in that hospital room that day. What a glorious and humbling gospel truth it is that God has given His angels charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping. We have a loving Father in Heaven who has a plan for us and a purpose for us on this earth. 

It’s my testimony that the Lord’s angels love us and do watch over us.  I testify that “there is not one of us that God has not given His angels charge concerning.”  We receive help from both sides of the veil. Angels are agents of love, light and power and are empowered through our Savior, Jesus Christ’s infinite atonement. 

I love my life. I'm grateful for the people in my life who have helped me become the person I am today. I will always be proud of my age now matter how old I am! Why not? I love my Savior, my God, my family and everyone. It's my choice. It's what I choose and that's what makes my life so meaningful and so happy. What an incredible and blessed life I lead. 

Funny faces. Their favorite. 

I love how excited they were! My friends can't believe I made my own birthday cake. I personally don't need it or any big birthday hurrah. But I think my children need birthday celebrations and traditions when the occasion calls for it--for all our family members. 

I'm very happy to share that my birthday is coming up with all and would NEVER give my husband the opportunity to forget my birthday. That would just be really dumb. Why would anyone ever set themselves up to be in a situation to feel sorry for themselves? I don't need much but I'm certainly going to let people wish me happy birthday! It's fun! Why would I keep that from anyone?

Pumpkin Spice Cake

My children would have felt really bad for me if there was no cake or special treat to celebrate my birthday. It's such a big deal to them! So I made one. And it was delicious! 

Pumpkin Spice Cake

3/4 cups butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

3 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2c buttermilk (almond milk)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

2 cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

Cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each. Combine pumpkin and milk. Add dry ingredients. Add alternately pumpkin mixture and dry ingredients to creamed butter and sugar mixture. Pour batter into 3 (8-inch) round pans or bunt tin. Bake for 35-40 minutes or 50-55 minutes at 350. Cool and then frost with frosting.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 Tablespoon fresh orange juice (or lemon)

1 teaspoon grated orange zest (or lemon)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups powdered sugar ( I use less)

Blend first six ingredients with hand mixer and then add the powdered sugar. I used my Blendtec to make powdered sugar from granulated sugar! If you like spices, you love this cake! It's delicious!