Day 121

B spent the evening testing out her latest purchase - her own skateboard! She even let the other girls have a turn...or two. B is sure a sporty gal!

Day 120

I went looking for TJ today and what I found sure did a mama`s heart good - she was sitting, quietly, in the living room, studying her scriptures. It was beautiful!

Day 119

Celebrating TJ's 12th birthday...Chinese style! We painted scrolls, ate Chinese food, watched Mulan (ha ha) and had a LOT of laughs. Success!

Day 118

Sitting at home with mom all morning makes for moments of boredom. What to do? Play with mom's iPhone and snap photos of the many faces of JJ!

Day 117

Dress as your future occupation? Okay, then...BB will be a dancer/gymnast, B will be an animal explorer/zoo keeper, and JJ and TJ will be amazing singers :) Only time will tell!

Day 116

Time for JJ to start learning to ride that two wheeler! It was a slow start, though. Maybe next time we go out, JJ - you'll get there!

Day 115

Activity night was cancelled, so we had a family night at the movies, instead! We enjoyed this fun movie - lots of excitement :)

Day 114

April weather warm enough to enjoy some sprinkler fun with friends? Yes, please!

Day 113

Spending some quality time - mother and daughter :)

Day 112

B amazed us all when she decided to climb the wall at the Science Center...and did! It was 60 feet or 5 stories tall, and she was fearless. She made it to the top, even when some adults had to quit half way up. Way to go, B!!

Day 111

It's a day for the records...TJ's very first time inside the temple to do baptisms! It warmed my heart to see how excited she was to go, and then to hear all about how peaceful she felt inside and how much she loved being there. I am so grateful we have a temple in our city so this trip will become a regular occurrence.

Day 110

Just hanging out with my JJ. I can't believe there are only a few short months left before you begin grade 1 and won't be around to keep me company in the mornings. I'd better enjoy every minute while it lasts!

Day 109

Have you ever played this game? I did for the first time at our joint YM/YW activity night, and it is FUN! TJ got to join in for her first youth activity night as well. I think this is one we will want to play again :)

Day 108

Glorious color! I love the bright, vibrant blue skies today...it does the spirit good to see such beautiful color in the world. Now for the grass to hurry and catch up!

Day 107

My mom used to say that her children are her best friends, and now I'm starting to get it! If these crazy kids weren't already my own, I would definitely choose them as my friends. I love their quirky sense of humor and how fun they are!

Day 106

TJ's first day in Young Womens was amazing! She was given a wonderful gift basket with everything she will need while in the Young Women's program, along with some goodies..just for fun :) I'm so proud to have a daughter in Young Womens! Yay!

Day 105

Another day on airplanes, but those familiar Rocky Mountains sure felt amazing to see! Welcome back to Canada, Grunewalds!

Day 104

Last day in China was a blur - swimming at the hotel, visiting Yuan Li's house in Beijing, and flying home. Fun birthday, right, TJ?

Day 103

Finally, the day we were waiting for! Blaine and Yuan Li's wedding was gorgeous, perfect for such a great couple. The fact that we also got to walk through Tianenman Square and the Forbidden City is just the cherry on the top!

Day 102

Maybe my favorite part of the day...a rickshaw ride through Beijing's Hutongs. What a fantastic way to see "old" Beijing. I took a bazillion photos. Loved it!

Day 101

The great wall of China...what can I say? Vast, majestic, beautiful, surreal! Someone pinch me that we were actually standing there. UNREAL!

Day 100

Our day in Xi'An was amazing. Terracotta warriors and the Xi'An city wall were phenomenal. So far, a trip of a lifetime and we are just getting started!

Day 99

I really loved shopping at the antique market in Shanghai. I scored a gorgeous teapot and some T-shirts from this friendly woman who spoke very good english and was very kind. I could have spent hours there!

Day 98

What a full day! We visited some amazing Buddhist temples in Hang Zhou, met Yuan Li's wonderful parents where we enjoyed an extraordinary lunch on a boat, and saw the night life of Shanghai. Sensory overload!

Day 97

We were so happy to arrive in Shanghai and see Uncle Blaine and Auntie Li! Shanghai was incredible to see - sky scrapers as far as you can see. We are definitely in for an adventure!

Day 96

Away we go! Day one of our trip to China was spent on two airplanes - one from Regina to Vancouver (a couple of hours) and one from Vancouver to Shanghai (13 hours). Get comfy, TJ! You'll be here for a while!

Day 95

Enjoying the beautiful sunshine at the park! JJ is growing up so big :)

Day 94

Field trip time! JJ's kindergarten class was lucky enough to get a wonderful tour of a local fire station, including a demonstration of how their hoses work. Powerful! It was a great time.

Day 93

Thanks to an amazing boss, I went to the store to buy my first iPad! And just in time for a looooong flight to China in a couple of days. Thanks, Alison!

Day 92

Eek! The first of many "April Fools" tricks played on us by the kids. I'm not sure I like them getting old enough to know how to fool us!