Trampoline!!

On Saturday the weather was so warm and absolutely gorgeous!! So Zack and Aleks set up our trampoline!!

Getting the net set up

The working crew

Go Gracie!!

Ah, jumping is such hard work!

Thanks, Zack and Aleks, for setting up the trampoline!!

Turkey hunting!!

This past weekend Dad went turkey hunting a mile or so down the road, and came back with this:

What a beauty!!

Whoa, look at that!!

Grace was enthralled by the mouth - "Look, when I open it, the tongue moves!!"

Aleks' birthday!!

Aleks' birthday was very fun!! We have some great pictures, too.

Even though her birthday was the 10th, we decided to give her her "big" present early. A bunch of grandparents, aunts and uncles and siblings pitched in and got her . . . . well, you'll see!!

I made a "treasure" hunt for her to find her gift. She had to follow the clues to find her gift.

She's . . . .well . . . . cold!!

Getting closer . . . . . . .

Look at that face - what could it be?!

A SEWING MACHINE!!!!!!

We opened it up and got it set up right away!! She's already an ol' pro!

She opened up her presents from Mom and Dad on her birthday. She got a couple shirts, but I think her favorite (besides the sewing machine) was . . . . .

hmmmm, what could be in this box?

oh my goodness, it's . . . . . .

COWBOY BOOTS!!!!!!!!

After-Trip-To-China Update

“Far Away is only Far Away if you don’t go there.” ~ George Otis, Jr.

Hello Family & Friends,

The guys are back from China and really enjoyed their time there. We had a good week with Timothy (AKA Mr. Shell, currently lives on the farm, shown here playing his flute while Aleks played piano)

and Uncle Eddie (AKA Mr. Chun, supervisor of the farm, here playing foosball with Zack)

the week before Ted and the boys left. They all visited several farms in the area and a farm show in Oshkosh, Timothy did much-needed shopping of items to take back to China, we had a nice meal out with our whole family and both men (treated by Timothy) and many long talks about the possibilities (dairy planning, practical questions and fellowship).

Since they weren’t sure where to begin with sharing about their trip, I asked Ted and the boys for their top 5 memorable experiences while there. They all came up with more than five, but some overlapped, so hopefully this won’t end up being too long.

Almost the first thing they all mentioned was the “amazing, breathtaking views” of the mountains.Isaac had patio doors leading to a balcony off his bedroom and could see the mountains with pine trees below them. One morning they got to see the sun rise over the mountains.

Another thing they all talked about was the overwhelming sense of peace they felt while there. Two specifically mentioned that it almost felt like “home”. Zack said that the language barrier was somewhat frustrating, so this is even more incentive to focus on daily Chinese language study via Rosetta Stone computer software.

They all unanimously said that the food was delicious! They were able to try authentic Chinese dishes, as well as Korean cooking. Ted took the Shell family out one night at a place where you cook your own shish kabobs and the cost for all 9 of them was only $12 US. Wow!

The highlight of the “food experience” was when they were able to share a meal and fellowship with some Chinese "brothers and sisters". Some things you just can’t put into words!

I think the thing that all of them spoke about with the greatest emotion was the traffic situation. It is so very different from what we know here in the US, that it made quite an impact! First, were the different modes of transportation all traveling down the same roads: there were tractors, horse- and ox-drawn carts hauling hay, 3-wheeled bicycle taxis (shown below), “tons of taxis”,

3-wheeled motorcycles and mopeds with small pick-up beds on the back, and so many more! The strangest thing they saw was a rototiller attached to a pick-up bed, driven by someone sitting up by the handles. This apparently isn’t unusual, as they saw many of these “vehicles” town, as well as in the fields. Along with all these, they also saw BMWs, Mercedes Benz, and newer Fords and Buicks.

Secondly, was the traffic itself. It was extremely chaotic, with almost no traffic rules, lights or signs. Vehicles on main roads had the “right-of-way”, but cars from side roads can just go when there’s a slight break. That’s when everyone else must yield to them. Apparently you must constantly be on your guard for cars and people coming from all directions. Driving slowly is the safest rule.

The marketplace was a new experience for the guys and they all came away with various impressions. Dickering for the best price is what is most commonly done, so they were told to look at the price and only pay less than half of what it said. They’d been forewarned that because of the high volume of Russians that come into Hunchun to shop, they think all white people are Russians. However, one lady heard them speaking English and told another lady, “Don’t worry. These Americans have a lot of money.” They didn’t know that Timothy could understand what they were saying. Ted and Ike really enjoyed haggling over the price of items. We always knew Ike was a salesman at heart!

Zack was shocked and amazed to see a lady spit on the floor of the inside of a marketplace building. He was trying to imagine anyone spitting on the floor of our local Wal-Mart. From what we’ve heard, spitting everywhere is very common, though in Beijing they’re trying to put a stop to that before the 2008 Olympic games.

The Chinese think that white children are just beautiful (as evidenced by the above sign). Apparently they stroke the faces of the smallest Shell children and an American family in town can cause quite a stir!

Zack has loved goats ever since we had ours in the U.P. He was excited to be near them again.
All in all, the guys came back hardly able to describe all that they experienced. They felt a kinship with the Shell family and said that our families are very much alike. Ted is amazed at how the Father has been orchestrating everything and His preparation of our family for “such a time as this”. We are encouraged at how the farm is being used and hope to be a part of it starting in 2008.

We are now awaiting final approval from the company. If that happens, we will begin to take steps toward a move (probably in early January 2008). We will be deciding what items to store, sell and take with us, looking for a shipping container to purchase, getting paperwork in order, etc. We'd appreciate you talking to "Dad" on our behalf for continued guidance and strength.

All our love, Ted, Gina and Family

Happy Birthday, Aleks!!!!

On this day 9 years ago we welcomed our first little sister - Aleksandra Margaret!! I had been the only girl for 8 years, and FINALLY I had my little sister!! I remember I always wanted to hold her, and rock her in the rocking chair in my room. The boys liked to hold her too, and one time when we were all fighting over who got to hold her when Mom decided to make this a character-building experience. She said "Guys, remember in the Bible when Jesus' disciples wanted to be first, and Jesus told them "whoever shall be first shall be last, and whoever shall be last shall be first"". Zack then said "who did they want to hold?!" We have gotten several laughs over the years from that!

We love you SO much, Aleks, and can't imagine what it would be like without you here!!

For another post about Aleks, go here.