Monday, March 19, 2012

Last Month to This Month...Where has the Time Gone?

Quite frankly, I'm not sure where the time is going!!! I do know one thing...it's going quickly. I'm going to have to backtrack quite a bit to get caught up, aren't I?

On February 5th, we went to my parents to celebrate my birthday which was on the 4th. It was another opportunity for Keira to dress up and see her cousin, uncle and, for the first time, her aunt.
I look at these photos and can't get over how much she has changed. As of yesterday we have been together for ten weeks....ten weeks! The above photos were taken when we had been together for four. The ones below were taken this past weekend on March 17th.
This child takes my breath away. She is such a character - a smile, a laugh or giggles are always just around the corner. And look out, because they are contagious!

Monday, March 5, 2012

January 29th, 2012

On January 29th we celebrated Keira's 1st birthday at home, quietly with family. She met her Uncle Brett and cousin, Chameli for the first time. What a treat it was to be able to celebrate at home with her grandparents. Although Keira wasn't quite sure what to make of birthday cake, apart from the fact she seemed to enjoy sticking her hand in it (sorry, didn't get a picture), she certainly had the hang of taking wrapping paper off gifts and tissue paper out of gift bags. To say she was rather spoiled is an understatement! 
Getting to know my cousin
Chillin' with Oma



Ready for bed

Backtrack to Beijing

The trip to China was an adventure of a lifetime and while the memories are still somewhat fresh, I'm backtracking to Beijing for not only my sake, but also for Keira's. I want her to know what we did and what we saw during our two weeks in her incredible country.

Beijing was quite the contrast to Jiangxi, an interesting mix of western metropolis and ancient tradition. It wasn't difficult to find a decent place to eat in Beijing nor was it lacking in places to shop at ANY time of day. Stores seemed to be open quite late and there were always people about. Our hotel was just steps away from an array of stores plus a large (and I do mean large) Mall with shops of all shapes and sizes. It was always incredibly clean and never appeared to be crowded. They had a fantastic selection of restaurants, a Starbucks and a Haagen Dazs. Seriously? What more does one need? Along the strip leading to the Mall were a series of high end shops plus one amazing children's store which had every possible toy imaginable plus furniture, clothing and accessories. It was quite something.

We managed to get out for supper with a few of the other families a couple of the evenings plus ventured out on our own. Each time, when walking back to the hotel, we passed a large crowd of people, young and old, partaking in line dancing outside in what can be described as a public square. There was a director leading the way and people appeared to be having a great time. Who knows where they all came from - they simply appeared! Off to the side at the far back corner, a small group practised ballroom dancing to their own music. This happened every single night. There were easily 65 to 85 people participating, if not more. Amidst the bright lights and the fancy shops, nightly dancing, out in the open, young and old, all together, simply enjoying life.....personally I don't think we see enough of that!





Although difficult to see, this is the square where nightly line dancing took place.
Chinese New Year Preparations were evident throughout the city - throughout the country actually!