More family...

I suppose the only way to properly address a year plus long famine from seeing family is to see lots of family in a short amount of time. So we were thrilled to welcome Chris, Sarah, and our new nephew Jonathan at the end of last month. We laughed, played, shared life, and did the normal things that best friends & family do together. Our time together felt really rushed but I think at the end of it, we were really thankful for all we got to share together--meeting our nephew for the first time, seeing Chris & Sarah as parents, introducing them to our Chiner life, watching them struggle through their first Chinese lessons. There's a lot that could be said but I think I'll just be lazy and do pictures instead. Besides, pictures are the best part of a blog anyway.

We're not really sure what Kevin is doing in this picture. I mean, even the baby and the dog are making cute faces. Oh well...maybe we'll get a good family picture one of these days...

This is our wee little man. As expected, he was quite the hit all around town.

We wondered how our house helper would respond to having a baby in the house. We know she loves kids (like most people around here do) and especially foreign kids. She wouldn't let Jonathan cry for a minute, and he was the first person she went to see when she came over in the morning. It will be interesting to see how things go with JJ when our Africa babies come home.

Sarah & I went with a local friend to climb the 1000 Buddha Mountain. Yes, this picture was taken on top of the mountain. Remember my enthusiasm about the blue skies in BJ? Well, take a look at the sky in this picture and you'll understand why!

Instead of climbing down the mountain, we rode these zippy car things. Tai hao wan le! I've ridden these guys down the Great Wall too but these go much faster, ergo they are much more fun.

Here's a final peace out and goodbye from our lovely, local, pop-the-collar friends...