The DeSmet Family Worldwide: August 2013

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Worm Invasion

The other day my super fabulous Ayi, Xiao Liu, looked out into our back yard and said, "You have many the hairy worms in your yard. They poison and will make you itch and get the bubbles on your skin." What the heck???? I kid you not, I looked out and "many" is like the biggest underestimate of the year. It looked like the ground had a moving hairy yellowish carpet on it. They were literally dropping out of the neighboring tree right into our yard, all over the patio. I was eating lunch at the time and proceeded to scrape the rest in the garbage after I was so grossed out by the creepy, crawly, nasty caterpillars.
I did find out that they are in fact poisonous. They have hairs that if you come in contact with them will cause a really nasty red, bumpy rash that itches like crazy. They can cause serious problems if the airborne hairs are inhaled. Great stuff.....considering I had thousands of them in my yard!
Thank goodness Xiao Liu is so on top of it. She called the office and they came out immediately to spray the trees and yard. By the evening time them critters weren't moving very fast anymore! They came back 2 days later to spray again. That is when this picture was taken. I wish I would have thought to take a picture when the "moving carpet" was out there but c'est la vie.
Well, between the poisonous caterpillars and all of the pesticides being sprayed in my yard, it may be a long time before I allow the dog and kids to go out and play!! The funniest part of this whole thing is when my Ayi tells me, "People here say these hairy worms come from America". Go figure!

Disgusting little critters!

This is actually after the second time they sprayed. Gross!

Back to School!

The day we have been looking forward to......it is time to go back to school!(Or maybe that was just me thinking that) The girls really do love their school here. It is the International School of Beijing and I cannot tell you how fabulous it is! Julia is now in 7the grade and Ella is in the 5th grade. I can't believe how quickly time flies by when you are having fun!
My two little darlings have started to become young ladies and we are so very proud of the both of them. I think that the best thing that has come out of this whole China experience is the global awareness that my children have acquired. It is so important to learn about other cultures and their perspectives about the world. I think they have both gained self confidence, independence and have become more intellectually mature. I also think that it gives them a new appreciation for our own culture and country.
There is a poster hanging on the wall at the kids school that says, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page." -St. Augustine We are starting to thumb our way through "the book" now and loving the stories that are told. It is my hope that Julia and Ella will continue to be inspired by our experiences and travels here, and go out and keep exploring the world on their own. I believe that knowledge of other cultures is the key to understanding and respecting other fellow human beings. The world is really amazing, so go out and explore!! (I will now exit soap box)

Ella 1st day of 5th grade with her Swedish friend.

Julia on her first day of 7th grade.

Monday, August 12, 2013

A DeSmet stack having pool fun!

Enjoying the last few days of summer. It is hot and humid here in the Jing so we have been spending time at our neighborhoods pool, getting reacquainted with all of our friends! This picture is us.....it's what we do. I'm not sure, but if no other career choice pans out, we may be able to join the circus!

Not even back a day and Ella is back to work!

Somehow Ella has made a name for herself on the children's modeling circuit here in Beijing. They held up a shoot for winter coats until she could return back from summer vacation. She went in like a pro, even feeling jet lagged. It was a great shoot and I cannot wait to see the final catalog.
She is not even the slightest bit interested in modeling but really enjoys all the money she has saved up in the process. Here are a few snaps I took with the I Pad during the shoot.

And we are off!

Heading back to Beijing! We were sad to leave our family but super excited to see Tucker and Kelly again. The girls are also really looking forward to starting school again. They absolutely love their school here!
We had a great flight and enjoyed flying business class on the way home! Thank you Kelly for letting us get a taste of the life of luxury. Reclining seats, ice cream Sunday's and cocktails for mommy..........life is good!

Getting ready to board the plane.

Kids are living like rock stars!

While the wife and kids are away, Daddy will play!

While we enjoyed the rest of our summer in the states, Kelly had to come back to Beijing and work. Thank goodness there were other expat men doing the same thing, so when they weren't working they found a little time to play! Kelly golfed at a lovely course here in Beijing with some work friends. The course came complete with female caddies in plaid knickers and huge sun visors. Take a look below, as they watch Kelly tee off! Hilarious!

He also took some time to go biking with a few guys to the Great Wall and then hike for a bit as well. Beautiful view!

The biking boys!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Summertime Photoshoots of the girls!

I have been trying to work on my photography skills. The best subjects that I have are my own children, which is okay because I love seeing them through my lens and documenting all of their milestones and events. I am amazed at the beautiful young ladies they have become and can't wait to look back on all of these photos and see how they have grown as well as my photography skills. I have a long way to go but am enjoying the journey!

Just simply Julia!

This edit was kind of a joke.......future rock star!

Serious...or....

smiling?????

Took a bunch of static for her having tinted lip balm on. She is growing up........get over it! lol

Ella Claire.....she's a tough one to get to sit still long enough.

My sweet little pistol.

Watering Grandma's flowers!

She was ready to be done (if you can tell by her expression) but I love this picture!

Had trouble with lighting on these two...

not the best pictures but the subject was beautiful!

Summer fun in Illinois!!

So, I know that I am extremely behind on this blog BUT......it has been kind of a chaotic yet good summer. So, where do I start? We flew from Florida to Illinois on June 20 and were greeted at the airport by my Mom, sister and niece. It was awesome for the girls to see their cousin Morgan again. They are like the 3 Amiga's. They are all very close in age and really are more like sisters! My mom and dad were ecstatic to get their hands on their granddaughters again, and I was just happy to be with my people!
Things were off to a good start until my mother hurt her knee and tore her meniscus. She ended up having to have knee surgery the week before we left to come back to Beijing. I was happy that I could be there to help my mom while she was laid up and help out with my dad. It is times like these that remind us of just how precious family is and how caring and supportive our parents were to us our whole lives. My siblings and I are so lucky to have been raised by 2 of the most loving, caring people that I know, so it feels good to be able to return the favor a bit.
Despite the knee debacle, my mom still was able to get around some and cook up some wicked good food for all of us, which was good because my baby brother and his family came into town for the 4th to celebrate with all of us (and Prince Jarred likes his mama's cooking)! We just had an excellent time together! The cousins got to play, I got to meet my beautiful baby nephew, and for a brief time, I felt like a kid again just by getting to be with my sister and brother. It is always special when we can all get together, so this time we decided to take a picture so it would last longer. One of my friends from high school took some great shots of the whole fam damnly. (I will share a few below.)
Between all of the company and chaos, we still found time to get the girls to 2 weeks of different soccer camps, do tumbling a couple times a week, and get Ella to horseback riding lessons twice a week. Whew! That almost makes me tired just typing that! When we weren't doing that we were running between doctors and dentist appointments, hair cuts, shopping to stock up on some much needed items to bring back to Beijing with us, and visiting as many friends as possible. (To those of you that we didn't get to see, I am truly sorry. Next time my friends!)
I am just going to show you some of the great things we did this summer!