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.