obama day

Rob arrived home from Shanghai just before midnight Monday night. Tuesday, November 17, we kept the kids home from school. It was a nice stress relief to skip the morning rush. We had to get everyone bathed and dressed-up, and ready to go to the Obama meet and greet by eleven. We gave Bri Smith, of Miss Bri's preschool, and her sons a ride. Everyone was very excited.

The event was well-organized, with families with children gathered in the embassy gymnasium, waiting for a short speech and group photo, and adults without small children waiting in the atrium for a more formal speech. The kids snacked on cookies and ran about with their friends for a couple of hours while we waited for Barack Obama to arrive. It was fun to be with friends.

Kid commotion and secret service men are an inherently humorous combination.

Grant knew what he needed to pass the time.

When President Obama arrived, he talked with the children for about five to ten minutes, mostly about reading, then took pictures and took the time to shake hands with all of the parents. I felt grateful that our family had the opportunity to be a part of the President's visit.

Grant's good spirits gave way a few minutes too soon.

Can you spot the oldest seven?

Caitlin looks more interested in the headband.

William was there too, though he had napping on his mind.

The kids were happy with "Obama day." We hadn't eaten since breakfast but they were miraculously cheerful. Sam suggested that we eat somewhere American to continue with the theme of the day. Of course that meant McDonald's. The Smiths joined us.

planning the next step

Sometimes it feels easy, even fun, to wait and see, and sometimes it feels frustrating, even frightening to not have a vision of where we'll be doing this or that next year, or the year after.

During Rob's November busy-ness I began to feel a bit alone in my anxiety, as he was, understandably preoccupied with Obama visit matters. Rob finally got the depart- for- Shanghai- go-ahead on Thursday, November 15th. I filled my extra time, if you can call it that, with next-year-questions research, trying to find some light on one path or another.

I usually find myself enjoying the time when Rob is away, not because he is gone, but just the new dynamic with the kids. Maybe we talk a bit more, and order out a bit more, and stay up a bit later. This time I kept imagining this trip times two months, times more, wondering how hard his taking a job in Afghanistan will be on the family, with first the year of training in D.C., not knowing how to house our big family there, and then the two-months-away-one -month-at- home in 2011.

It is easier to get myself worked up with anxiety in the mid-morning when the house is relatively quiet, just Grant and William, and myself, at home. In the evenings, when everyone is buzzing about, there is no time to worry. I'll admit that I was not always cheerful when Rob called to share the day's events at 10p.m. Anyway, Rob promised me we would take time to reexamine our nest year's plans when he returned to Beijing. So the weekend on.

Saturday evening, November 14, we braved the very cold night and drove up to McDonald's at Euro Plaza for dinner. It was fun to find the Carrillo family there. The place was really wild and crazy with their boys and ours running about. After the little ones were in bed, the big boys showed me one of their new favorite movies, Minority Report, while I tackled our enormous mismatched socks pile.

Sunday, the Sevy family drove us in our van to church, as I hate to drive, even in America. I only drive to ISB because I can go from here to there without turning left, which is scarier than you might think in China.

Monday, November 16, Sam borrowed my camera to take on his field trip to the Beijing Planning Hall. I tried to get Sam to come and explain his pictures but he is not inclined to use his vacation time that way, I guess. So I'll do my best.

The big view of Beijing.

The CCTV news building, also known as the "Pants building," for obvious reasons.

The Bird's Nest

After the museum, Sam and his classmates walked around the Tienanmen square area.

Tienanmen Square

The Forbidden City is across the street from Tienanmen Square.

Sam's good friend Tyler

This is called "The Egg." It was built right before the Olympics. We saw Renee Flemming perform here.

Sam said his favorite part of the day was, of course, lunch at KFC, not pictured. As for the picture at the top of the blog, I said, "Where the heck were you standing?" Sam said it is just a map of Beijing on the floor. I thought he took a very Hitchcockesque picture. I also thought it was appropriate for my rambling on about decision making, as was this picture Sam took of a sign downtown.

harvest feast

November was bound to be a busy month for Rob. The embassy was preparing for Obama's visit. We thought Rob might have to be in Shanghai for more than two weeks. As it turned out, he was home for Bethany's birthday (although preoccupied with the blackberry) and was even free Veteran's Day morning to come with me to ISB.

First, we took cookies to Bethany's class. They sang Happy Birthday to her.

After we left Bethany's class, we went downstairs to the first grade hall. I was grateful that Rob finally had the pleasure of attending one of the famous ISB luncheons, an International harvest feast with all the first grade classes combined. I helped the class prepare an apple and peanut butter snack with the apples that we harvested last week. We served them along with all the yummy international dishes that the moms brought. Each was supposed to represent a dish made at harvest time. I brought the apple brownies that we have made each year since Sam got the recipe on his first grade fieldtrip to Bailey's farm in Virginia.

birthday snow

On the morning of Bethany's birthday we woke up to more snow. Checking the computer to know if school had been cancelled or not, reminded me of my childhood winters in Oklahoma. No school! What a fun surprise for the kids!

Waffles for breakfast.

Bethany and her brothers spent the day playing with her new legos set from Grandma.

Bethany asked me to make shepherd's pie for dinner. It's the recipe that our friend Patricia Cunningham from Augusta, Maine, made for us when Bethany was born. Bethany requested birthday Jello instead of cake.

ready for eight

Saturday, November 7, we celebrated Bethany's birthday with her friends. The girls decorated masks, then we made their own pizzas for lunch.

After lunch we made sundaes with Rob's homemade icecream and decorated leaf shaped cookies with autumn colored frosting and sprinkles. Next we opened presents and sent everyone off with a big silly string fight in the driveway.