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We have been oh so busy the last several days! Emily turned 6 on the 3rd. She and I spent the day together (she got a mani-pedi we had lunch out and then saw the American Girl movie. We had a great fourth of July with Julie and Quinn (and Q's family) which included a fun boat ride on Lake Michigan. Nathan drove the boat for a few minutes and loved it! That evening we went to fireworks with Angie, Nick, Lauren and Rosie. The kids had a sleepover Saturday night--which was a huge help to me. My friend and across the street neighbor Natalie had them over. The timing was perfect as I'm starting to burn out...but the break set me back on course. Sunday we had Emily's party. The kids made homemade calzones, built towers out of veggies and ate them (and loved them!) and had ice cream with toppings for dessert. It was at Whole Foods in their cooking classroom. Super great party leaders and NO MESS for me. Woo hoo!After the party we came home and had about an hour of down time--followed by a trip to a huge park district pool with Angie and Lauren. Spent
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new outfit from Aunt Laura 3 hours in the sun and developed a bit of a headache...but the kids had fun and so did I. The long weekend really went by quickly. We stayed busy because I think it helps the kids not focus on missing their dad and also worrying about the move.
Mark is back in Shanghai. He's staying at a hotel near the apartment we want. It's nice, because he'll get even more familiar with that neighborhood, and his commute via Metro to work. He had a good week in the country but he did seem pretty tired from the busy week. This week sounds just as busy, as he's going to be traveling again to a conference on Wednesday. We have been talking via Skype and it's nice to be able to see each other. He loves seeing the kids while we are talking and I also send him videos and pictures of our adventures in Evanston. SKype is the coolest thing ever. If you haven't used it, and want to chat with me/us easily and for free while we are in China, look into it (www.skype.com). Skype also is super cheap for international calls to phones (I can call
from my computer to Mark's Chinese cell phone, for example).
My dad is coming in a week and a half. I have a list started for our projects. Our family loves the projects. He's already scheming and planning with me on how to do the to do list in the most efficient way. I started some projects on my own and we agreed I might have been better off waiting...but I do think I get an A for effort. For example I took apart the tub faucet to determine what type of cartridge I need to order. The tub has been dripping for months, but the thought of it dripping in an empty house is unimaginable! I did recall that I should turn off the water AFTER I began this project. Water was spraying in my face--so I bolted to the basement and cranked off the water. It was all fine in the end. I took my pictures, called my dad 4 times during the process, put the thing back together and the drip is just as I remember. Annoying and constant. I'm ordering the part--but waiting for my dad to install. He's only in town for a few
days, but I am so grateful he's coming.
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Linda
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Now she is six
Love the pictures, especially the one of Emily at the nail place. It would be interesting to read about those "worries" of Nathan and Emily about moving to China. Surely there are the usual ones: will I like my new school? will I make friends? but what about the ones of the "Will there be peanut butter?" variety?