2 Bottom Teeth

Alex' 2 bottom teeth have come in!

Our furry friends!

Tianjin Science Museum

We went to Tianjin City on Sunday, went to church at a cathedral, ate our packed lunch in the car, then spent the afternoon at the Science Center.

Here Dan was demonstrating how a pully works

Then, Jacquelyn tried it, but learned the hard way that if you let go, you drop down... quickly.

Electricity!

Which ball will get to the bottom first: the straight shot (shortest physical distance), the gentle curve, or the early severe drop? Answer: early severe drop, which gets the early support of gravity.

Jacob cleaning the teeth, with a toilet brush.

It was an interesting place, just too bad half the exhibits were broken.

A New Playground

Our friend mentioned there was a nice playground in a neighboring complex, so after work last week, kids hopped on their bikes and we hit the brick sidewalks (makes for an interestingly bumpy ride). Alex rode along in the Baby Bjorn carrier, facing the action. On their "big bikes," I struggle to keep up with them, so we were probably quite a sight... 2 big-eyed kids on "fancy" bikes with a Mom & baby running along behind. It gets crazy at intersections. Don't ever believe a green pedestrian light... always be on the defensive, or you'll get hit by a car or 4.

I feel a bit bad with the kids' nice bikes. Practically all bikes here are old and rusty with a carrying basket. You'll hear of expats bringing their bike from home or buying a nice one here, and it will get stolen. They go buy a normal plain jane bike, and no troubles with theft.

We got to the complex, but couldn't see the playground. So, Jacquelyn went up to the guard and asked "Where is the playground?" (in Chinese). He chucked and pointed us the right way. I laughed because my 4 year old can get us around better than I... I would have been acting out charades: swinging, teeter tottering... People usually figure out what I mean, but I can image how amusing I look in the meantime.

Future gear engineers?

Besides the fact that the kids' hands were literally black after the 20 minutes we played, it was great!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

We hope you're having a lucky day!



Kids had green pancakes for breakfast (thanks to some food coloring added to the last few pancakes we made Saturday morning), green applesauce for snack at school, then enjoyed the 70* day with a picnic in our backyard with our US John Deere friends Robin & Ben.





We had PB&J sandwiches (with a rainbow of M&Ms inside - still enjoying those "boxelder bugs" Dad!), green yogurt fruit salad, strawberries, veggies and then rainbow frosting & sprinkles on our choc cupcakes.

Hope you find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

No more peas, please!

Saturday night 14-Mar, Alex had his 1st tasts of peas. I'd found frozen peas in a shop in Tianjin, so cooked and tried to puree them. The Chinese "Magic Bullet" type machine didn't do so well... after mixing with milk and hand mashing, we gave the peas a try...

From 1st bite... to saying I've had enough!

Alex' face was quite amusing, and he kept spitting out the chunks.

The next night we tried a jar of Gerber peas Grandma sent from the US. Still made funny faces with each bite but he kept eating, with very little coming back out. After peas were finished, I gave him some rice cereal. One taste of that, and he perked up, opened wide and banged his hands on the tray asking for more!

Yeah for tall ladders!

Dan bought "the kids" (although HE plays with it the most) a remote controlled helicopter for Christmas. About once a week, they fly it around the living room. The other night, it crash landed in the chandelier...

At the top of the ladder, he lucked out! Yeah!!

Thanks Nicole!

My sister Nicole set up the neat background on the blog. Thank you! Jacquelyn & I appreciate the "rainbowness" that is still masculine enough for the 3 guys in the house. Thanks for adding some color!