Releasing the fish

This morning our neighborhood had a fun event that the boys loved. They were planning to release goldfish into the ponds and little streams that are all over our complex. So they announced to families to be at the management office at 10 am and kids could get some fish to put in the water. Angie went a little ahead of us and warned us it was "BYOB" - bring your own bucket. So we grabbed a bucket and the kids and waited in line. They had huge, trash bag-size plastic bags filled with goldfish and water. You handed them your bucket, they scooped you up a bunch of fish and water and gave you a section of the complex to fill with your fish. The boys LOVED it - as I think did every other kid in our complex. Definitely a fun (but different) family event in the neighborhood. We got some really fun pictures!

Elijah made everyone laugh with his own way of "releasing" the fish- just reach in and grab 'em with your hand and chuck them into the water. He did it over and over while everyone laughed.

My neighborhood

Have I mentioned how much I love our neighborhood? We are coming up on a year of living here and I am so thankful. What seemed like a big hassle and a lot of stress last year (finding out we had one month to move before going to the US for the summer) has turned out to be a huge blessing. We have great neighbors, are near Austin's preschool which has been so good for him, closer to the subway and less commute for Chris, and it is just really pretty! Landscaping and architecture and neighborhood planning really make SUCH a big difference. Especially now that spring is here, I just love how it feels when I walk around our complex. Lately in the morning and evening the fountains in the many ponds and little brooks are on, giving it a fun feel. While right around the complex can be crazy and dirty (but also offers lots of things I love about living in China, like the vegetable market out the back gate, lots of little shops and people around) our complex feels like an oasis. And the kids love playing and exploring. Here are a few shots of me and the kids playing outside one day while I was experimenting with the camera. (these are pre-haircut pictures)

Throwing rocks...still the favorite activity of Bennett. It never gets old.

This is actually across the street from our front gate- a park-like area that is somewhat overgrown and usually empty. These purple flowers were growing everywhere!

He is Risen!

The boys in white. Looked good for church. Bennett got ketchup all over his shirt at lunch...but I think it all came out. White on boys only happens around once a year for a reason.

Showing some love...Austin has been pretty affectionate lately and even gave his little shadow a sweet kiss during pictures.

Happy Easter! Our day is just winding down. It was a fun day of celebrating the resurrection, minus a few unexpected mishaps. Chris discovered a "real" American football league here in town (with pads and tackling and everything) and went for the first time last night. He came home with a hurt knee (hopefully not too serious) but is limping around today. He couldn't ride the subway or do stairs very well. And we finally started driving our friend's car this week...and went out this morning to find a dead battery. Rather, I went out, got the kids strapped in and discovered the dead battery, since Chris left two hours earlier to set up music. We ended up taking a cab- thankfully we found one! So the day could have started off better.

Chris leading with the African choir.

But once we got to church, I was reminded of the great reason for today's joy and the pettiness of small things. Usually there are two services, but for Easter we had one combined service that met out in the foyer of the building where we rent rooms. It was a very well-attended and I love the international flavor of our church. There are people from all over- US, Europe, Australia, Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Pacific Islands, India...and there are many more, but for the English service that encompasses a lot. Chris led worship this morning with the African choir...it was a very vibrant and alive and...just plain fun time of worship. Very rhythmic and meaningful. After the service, an impromptu dance party broke out at the front of the room..led mostly by the Africans and Pacific Islanders, but later joined by the more rhythmically challenged white folks and Asians. They even started a dance line around the room later with the pastor joining in. It was really fun and I always feel like I am getting a glimpse of heaven where the nations gather together. Here is a little clip of the Resurrection Fun.



We had lunch out with friends, a short but quiet afternoon and then dinner with our neighborhood friends. Thanks to Nana for sending fun treats to fill the boys' Easter baskets...fun candy from the States is SUCH a treat at Easter. At dinner, the kids did a small Easter egg hunt in our living room. The boys are now chatting in bed, even though it is 9 pm. I think Austin is ready to sleep, but Bennett is singing "Hosanna, hosanna in the highest" at the top of his lungs.


He is Risen! Happy Easter.

Bee man does exercise

Bennett is turning into quite the ham. I think he is becoming a very typical second child- humorous, loves attention and a bit of an instigator. He is always following and imitating Austin. He also loves to taunt Austin- poking him, repeating what he says, saying the opposite of what Austin says and wrestling him the ground whenever he feels like it. Austin is not usually too happy and very reactive- he gives Bennett just what he wants- a big reaction. He also very affectionate, loves to eat vegetables and rarely touches meat (yet still keeps his big round belly), speaks Chinese often and on his own initiative, still loves to draw, is obsessed with Veggie Tales and could spend all day throwing rocks into the pond in our neighborhood.
Austin has created a super hero named Bee Man (he has this bee mask and a cape). Well, Bennett has made his own version of Bee Man lately. He wears this green apron with a bee on it, an orange hard hat and a snorkel mask or my sunglasses,depending on his mood. Yesterday and today he wanted to be Bee Man about every 2 hours. Today he also decided to do exercises with Daddy. Chris has been doing this workout video and today Bennett tried to imitate him. I wish I had room or patience to upload all the videos I took. Chris and I were laughing so hard. But I am hoping these 2 will upload- enjoy our little ham!

Day trip on the train

Last summer Austin was working on memorizing Bible verses and completed a good number while we were in the US. At the end, we told him we would take him on a train trip as a reward, hoping to take the short train from Richmond to Newport News. However, we ran out of time. Since returning, we had sort of forgotten about it but lately Austin remembered and has been asking about it. Wanting to be keepers of our word, we finally planned a daytrip today to Tianjin, another city not far from us. We rode the bullet train- it goes 200 mph and takes just under 30 minutes. It took longer to get from our house to the train station via subway than to get to Tianjin. But we had beautiful weather and a really fun day as a family.

Posing outside the bullet train.

We splurged on the way there and bought VIP tickets - because they were in the first car right behind the drivers. The boys thought it was cool to watch them driving and be able to see right down the track.

Austin spent the rest of the ride glued to the window. At the end of the day, the train rides were definitely his favorite.

The boys probably would have been content to play here right outside the train station the rest of the day. It is right by the Hai River, with lots of steps and climb and cool architecture. We took a boat ride at the end of the day right here at the pier.

Trying out the well-known local cuisine- "gou bu li baozi". Baozi is steamed bread filled with either meat or vegetables. "Gou bu li" literally means- the dog can't ignore it. The waitress gave us a long explanation of the origin of this name. Some of it was lost on us, but it was yummy.

More of the river and surrounding buildings.

This was one of the many European style buildings we saw on our boat trip and throughout the day. Tianjin used to have many "foreign invaders" during past colonial eras and still has some original buildings, as well as keeping up some western-style architecture. It also was often the last line of defense between the sea and the capital, giving it long military history.

Another story- we took the subway there. We had to switch lines, which is always a big pain with kids and strollers. We took the double stroller since we knew we would be doing a lot of walking. When we got off the first line, we looked hopefully but doubtfully at the nearby elevator. All the subway stations have an elevator and I have NEVER seen them in use. They are always "temporarily stopped". But we asked a worker if he could turn it on. He gave the usual half hearted response indicating we had clearly asked for something impossible. However, after a few minutes of waiting, the elevator actually opened. Inside was a really nice guy who rode with us down. Chris pushed the guy a little, telling him they really should use the elevators if they want handicapped or others with needs to actually use the subway. He actually agreed with us that it should always be on, but said it was the policy to not keep them on. THEN he escorted us all the way to the next line (quite a trek), opening an escalator for us where there were steps. When we were about to get on, he asked us where we were going to get off. When we got to our last stop, a lady was waiting to escort us to another elevator that was on! I think that was really is actually always on, because it is where the subway meets the train station. However, I have never had such service (or any service) on the subway and was impressed. In the past, workers are either extremely passive, claimed they did not even know there was an elevator or otherwise unsympathetic. But I am thankful for the guy that helped us out today. Our return was a more normal experience, having to walk the boys and carry the stroller up lots of steps, but I didn't mind so much that time.

And yes, the boys did have haircuts. I did it in our backyard and sort of butchered it I think but there long, thick hair makes it passable.

Spring!

Spring is finally here to stay! Trees are in bloom, they filled the lake and streams in our neighborhood up with water again and it has been consistently warm outside all week. The boys are loving being outside more- both in our backyard and out in the neighborhood or our nearby parks. I haven't taken as many pictures as I would like to, but here are a few.

The boys are our neighbor friends' eating a "picnic" lunch on our back porch.


Chris has been teaching Austin about baseball. This day Austin has a crowd watching, even from the windows. He got several hits, including one into the pond that drew cheers from our upstairs neighbors.



They have been playing every day for at least a little while, doing reps of batting, catching ground balls and catching balls in the air. Austin is improving a lot! Chris is very creative with how he teaches him too- helping him catch ground balls like an elephant (sweeping side to side) and not like an alligator (coming down on top of it). They both enjoy the daily practice a lot!


Last night we went for a family walk after dinner. It ended up with Austin all wet (from falling in the water that he and Bennett were wading in) but was fun. We saw frogs in the lake and climbed a lot of rocks ( well, I didn't climb many rocks, but Austin did and therefore Bennett followed and Chris made sure Bennett didn't get too carried away beyond a two year old's ability). So glad for warmer weather.

My day at the Rwandan Embassy

Today was not exactly a typical day. Thanks to my helper being around for what is usually our date night, I was able to join Chris on an out of the ordinary performance he was part of tonight. About a week ago, he got a call asking if he would help lead a band in worship at a service at the Rwandan Embassy. Our pastor from the International Fellowship was giving a talk at a commemoration service marking the 17th anniversary since the genocide in Rwanda. As you can imagine, it was rather intense but meaningful.

I went early with Chris, since he had to set up and practice. Most of the choir/band were other Africans from our fellowship, including our Rwandan friend Glory, who has played with Chris in many past shows. It was very sobering. They had a pictorial timeline of the genocide and events leading up to and after. The Rwandan ambassador and his wife attended, along with several other ambassadors and dignitaries. The theme was "Upholding the Truth, Preserving our Dignity" and a repeated idea throughout the evening was how we must remember this so it will not be repeated. The world knew and did nothing and you could still sense the agony of that in the ambassador and others. The band did a great job singing. And our pastor also gave a great message. If I was him, I have no idea how I would approach a talk on this topic. Especially given the fact that many of the supporters and even perpetrators of the genocide were priests and religious leaders. But he shared the story of the Good Samaritan and did a good job imploring us to love our neighbor, as the enemy samaritan had done (even while the "clergy" walked away) but also the impossibility of doing that as we are called to, leading us only to ask for grace.



Today I was ashamed, very ashamed, to think of the things i sometimes complain about. And horrified and saddened at the awful atrocities. I mean, I have watched Hotel Rwanda (that disturbed me for days) but again this brought home was a terrible tragedy it was. From the way they murdered (guns were too "humane" so they often used machetes, knives, boards with nails) to the priest who filled his chapel with those trying to escape and helped them bulldoze it to the ground to the intent to especially destroy women and children...it is almost too much to take. One million people killed in 100 days. Chris had his first conversation with Glory about the genocide yesterday. He was 9 when it happened. His family was mostly ok (he said God really protected them) but he had to flee his home and saw some killings. He was one of the lucky ones, but I am sure it still impacts. The evening ended with a documentary about the genocide and the world that knew what was happening and did nothing. Glory whispered to me, with his ever-present big smile, "don't tell anyone, but I don't like these videos. I don't think I can watch it". I cannot blame you! I could barely watch it and I am an outsider.

I am thankful for reminders of all that I have, saddened for what happened and still pondering it as I wrap up the night. Not your typical day in China.

Chris and Glory - all the Rwandans wore purple scarves

Introducing...Lao san

Yes it is true little Gaertner #3 is on his or her way! We are excited to announce we are pregnant and I am about 13 weeks along. This little one should make an appearance sometime around October 9. Not entirely by our design, but we will now have 3 birthdays within a 6 week period in the fall (Bennett September 25, baby October 9, wedding anniversary October 27 and Austin November 14- a lot of celebrating)! I have not felt great in terms of nausea, but it is starting to get a little better this week. When we first told the boys the news, Austin ran out of the room crying. He then said "I'm mad at you Mommy, I'm mad at you Daddy, I'm mad at you Bennett and I'm mad at myself!". Poor guy. I think mostly he was really aware the changes a new baby will bring and he does not like change. He is more adjusted to the idea now, though still some days he just doesn't want to talk about it. When you ask Bennett where the baby is he always says "mommy's tummy". I thought maybe he was getting it the other day when he even kissed my tummy. But then he said "Bennett has a boy in my bottom?" and then I decided it is all pretty theoretical now. He sometimes asks if he has a baby in his tummy...or his sock. I am not sure what goes on in his little brain.

My theory is when this little one comes Austin will be adjusted and a big helper and Bennett will be really jealous. When I hold other kids in the nursery at church or elsewhere he gets pretty upset. Of course, to be honest I am really hoping for pink this time around...but not getting my hopes too high. I know we will love whatever the Lord decides to bless our family with. Austin wants it to be a boy though. I am not sure how great the semi-clear ultrasound that was then scanned in our very old and temperamental scanner will turn out, but it is a clear view of the whole body profile. You can see the spine right down the middle. It is still amazing the 3rd time around to watch the ultrasound- the baby was kicking and moving and sucking its thumb- at 6 cm long. We are really wonderfully made.

SO, that is our big news lately and we are excited to share it.