Polar Bear Club

While we were stuck here in Beijing for the holiday we found lots of things to do to keep us busy!   Most of the neighborhood was gone (it was like a ghost town here), so we took advantage of the aquatic facilities here in our neighborhood.  It is usually flooded with swim teams and swim lessons.  We swam laps and started our own little Polar Bear Club.  They have 4 natural hot spring tubs outside in the veranda area and boy are they hot!  It feels good though because it is almost painful to walk out to them being all wet in that cold air.  We do this a lot.  It makes you nice and relaxed and groggy for a good night sleep!! 

Oh sisterly love!

I don't know quite what to say about this......

Julia has really started to enjoy swimming laps.  She swims a couple times a week and is currently doing a diving class in school! 

Ella Claire......always smiling!



Getting ready for take off!

Polar Bear Club

Enjoying a soak!

 

Nanshan for a day of hitting the slopes!

While on break for CNY (Chinese New Year) we decided to go hit the slopes of Nanshan with our neighbors.  Kelly and Jeremy had skied like once before but for the rest of us this was the first time.  We must be gluttons for punishment! 
Just getting all of the rental gear was a huge ordeal, but we finally got suited up and were ready for our lessons.  The instructor had us on this little hill to show us how to put our skis out and toes inward which would have been great if I hadn't started sliding backward down the hill.  I'm glad that I could entertain everyone while I ended up stuck in the split position, waiting for someone to quit laughing long enough to help me!!  At this point, I seriously though that it was going to be a LONG day, but things got better as she put us on the lift to go practice the bunny slopes. 
We are on top of the bunny slopes and it is a lot bigger and steeper than it looked from the bottom.  With no instructions on how to stop, Julia takes off like a rocket flying down the slope.  REALLY??  Who does that.....whoops, I guess we all do because next thing I know I am picking up speed and thinking to myself "Please do not let someone cross in front of me or I will lay them out like Brian Urlacher."  We all made it alive and it was soooo fun!!  She did teach us then to turn and stop (which was kind of helpful).  So after we got bored on the little slopes we decided to make a go on the bigger ones. 
So here is were the problems start!!  NOBODY instructed us on the death trap that is the ski lift there.  No kidding, it is a man eater!  I went up for the first time with the 2 little girls.  We got half way up the hill when we realized the man was telling us to pull down the safety bar in front.  We got the bar down and the girls put their skis on the foot posts but nobody could get them off the damn thing when we got to the top and had like 30 seconds to pull it up and jump off.  Now I am strong and I have been doing cross fit but when I went to lift that thing with the girls skis still firmly planted on it, that baby didn't budge.  My ski poles then slid down, stuck in the snow while the lift was still moving and proceeded to snap in half across my shin.  The amused Chinese men running the damn thing, generously stopped it for a half of a second to get us out and let me fall flat on my face.  Good stuff!  I then had to ski down the slopes carrying my 2 broken poles (which I was charged for).  Hey, at least it was fun flying down the hill.
When we all gathered together again and started sharing stories, I realized that we were not the only ones that had problems with the lift.  A couple of them fell getting off and had to lay on their bellies to prevent being decapitated by the chairs going over their heads.  At least I wasn't alone, right?
We skied most of the day and ended up having so much fun.  We were all pretty good at it by the time we left.  Definitely something we will do again, as it provided us with lots of stories and entertainment....mostly at my expense!

Kelly, Ella and Julia

All of us getting ready for lessons. Me, Kelly, Ella, Julia, Tracy, India, Annique and Jeremy

Julia was absolutely fearless as usual! 

Nanshan Mountain

Xin Nian Quai le!

Happy Chinese New Year!  The celebration has begun which means the kids are off of school, most of the local people have gone home to their families and most of the ex pats have gone on tropical vacations.  It also means that my Ayi is gone for 2 weeks and I unfortunately will be the replacement Ayi for 2 weeks, picking up the cleaning cooking and laundry.  Yay me!! (DON'T BE HATING ON ME RIGHT NOW) I can hear all of your eye rolling and fake pity that you are throwing my way! LOL
We unfortunately are not going on a trip anywhere.  We decided to stay here with our dog, Tucker.  After the condition he came home in from the last stay at the kennel, we decided he will not be going back.  Since our Ayi is gone and cannot watch him we are doing a staycation and also watching everyone elses animals while they go and whoop it up!  We have acquired a little terrier named Mei Mei, a beagle named Bindi, a cat named Ginger and a hamster. (I can't remember his name as I try to have as little to do with him as possible).  We would take them on a walk and play at the park twice a day and have snuggle time at night so they wouldn't miss their families.  Cesar Milan would have been proud. We looked like quite the pack walking through the neighborhood.  The girls did a great job helping to take responsibility of all of these animals.  We actually really enjoyed doing this together.
With Chinese New Year also come the fireworks.  No joke.....I felt like we were living in a war zone for about a solid 2 weeks.  Ella would actually sleep with ear plugs in and the dogs were going bananas (which meant that we were too).  These people love their fireworks and will shoot them off all hours of the day and night.  They are pretty impressive too! 
On the night of Chinese New Year we spent it with our friends enjoying a traditional Mexican dinner (yes you read that right) and followed that up with a game of the Gong Show and some Biejo (nasty Chinese alcohol that smells like turpentine and felt like it going down my esophagus too)! Xin Nian Quai le!

Ella finally sleeping with some earplugs!  LOL

Ella and the "Gong"

Julia banging the gong!

The girls and Ginger!

The rodent.....

Bindi

Mei Mei

Superbowl Beijing Style!

While all of our families and friends were huddled around their TV's to watch the Superbowl on Sunday night, we were up doing our regular activities here Monday morning......except.....Kelly DeSmet.  Our friend next door is the GM for one of the hotels here in Beijing and hooked Kelly up.  Kelly got to attend the hotel Superbowl party complete with the game, food, beverages, some NFL cheerleaders and the one and only Reggie Bush!  Seriously.....does it get any better.  Well actually it could!  Kelly said he had a good time BUT it would have been better with family and friends around.  I guess it's not just us girls that get homesick!!  Here are a couple photos.  There were many more that contained several cheerleaders but I decided I had enough of their "perkiness" and didn't include them.....sorry fellas!

Kelly and Reggie Bush

Kelly and some NFL cheerleaders.........whatever!  LOL

JD Chinese New Year Party!

Let me just paint this picture. The banquet room was big and beautiful with every single employee (about 150 or so) in attendance. There were 3 tables of expats and the rest were all Chinese nationalist. There was a big dance floor, 3 MC's, a band with singer flown in from Vegas, and about 10, I repeat 10 or maybe more different performances, skits, routines, shows, dances....what have you. The different departments got into groups and for weeks worked on their performances. We witnessed a few Gangnam style routines and a few musical numbers. The most impressive was from Kelly's group (sans 1 Kelly DeSmet). They did this amazing silhouette that could have easily been a commercial. They had a huge white sheet of paper that was illuminated with a light behind it.  They used their shadows to create a story.   I literally felt like I was living in an episode of Glee or a musical. These people were so excited and enthusiastic about this event that it was really almost surreal. I really have never witnessed anything like this before (with the exception of watching High School Musical with Ella).
As the night went on and the wine continued to flow, the band was playing some good dancing music and I could not sit idle anymore.  None of the other expats would dance with me so I grabbed some random Chinese man that Kelly works with and hit the dance floor.  I was the first one out there and I am pretty sure most people were laughing at me but then the dance floor started to fill......mission accomplished.  I must have made an impact (or a fool of myself) because a photo of me dancing made it in the party album.  It was very fun and interesting evening!!

One of the Gangnam style routines.

Professional company photo that made it's way around through our friends!!

Julia's 6th grade Winter Luau

Julia had her Middle School Winter Luau this weekend.  I helped her and a couple of friends get ready for it.  There is nothing like the chatter of 6th grade girls.  They looked so cute and I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at that dance.....BUT......while they were bebopping around and dancing at arms length (hopefully) with all the young lads, Kelly and I had to attend his works Chinese New Year party. 

Erica, Joy and Julia ready to bust a move!

Me and my baby girl.....both of us ready to party!



Ella's talent show at school

Ella and 3 of her friends signed up to do the talent show that the upper elementary school puts on during lunch period.  The 4 girls danced to the very appropriate song of "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha.  They made up the dance themselves and practiced very hard.  They also all conned one of the fathers into taking them all to H&M to find matching outfits (that cost a fortune) for their 2 minutes of fame! 
All the other parents along with myself, our Ayi, and our neighbor, showed up at lunch to support the little hip hoppers.  They were incredibly brave to get up in front of their piers voluntarily and perform. The other students clapped along while they danced, which was nice! They did a great job and were very cute.  I would post the video but it is to long to upload.  Here is a picture from it though!

              Valarie (US),  Maria (Argentina)  Ella and Clara (Sweden)  this is what you get when good girls come together from different countries and dance to bad music!!  LOVE THEM!!