Settling in.....

Well, we have been at the house a little over a week. Our AYI started last Friday, and has been making great dinners for us. She seems to be doing a good job cleaning, although it is easier for me to deal with having a housekeeper if I'm not home.  Otherwise, I feel guilty and lazy. It is actually looked at in a very favorable manner, though. Helping employ locals. I think we got all of the kinks worked out on Friday and Monday. Carleigh really likes her, and walks around the house talking her ear off. I'm sure it is all the more annoying to our AYI since she doesn't understand a word of it! She is 35 and has a 8 year old girl, and a 6 year old boy, so she is used to small children, and is very nice to Carleigh.

Yesterday I went to the Shanghai American Women's Club's monthly meet and greet. It was at a western style restaurant on the other side of Shanghai (other side of the river), and was a coffee/tea/light snack kind of event. They also had vendors selling really cool things like silk wallets. photography, scarves. etc.  I bought a few silk picture frames, a silk box that holds paper by the phone, and a silk business card wallet (these are used to get around Shanghai-cards are done in English and Chinese.) I also bought two photographs one of a Chinese child looking through a small square window in a wood wall, and one of a very small Tibetan girl, dressed in a long heavy winter coat and leather booties,  with wild hair which had never been washed, trying her first ever piece of candy (or so I am told) Sounds......great, right?! Actually, it is one of the cutest photographs I have ever seen. National Geographic style. This photographer is well know...Gangfeng Wang...and will most likely be doing our family pictures this year.

Today I went to Shanghai American School for a meeting about Ethan's trip to Xian. The sixth graders will be going there for four days in May to see the Terra cotta soldiers. They take trips in 6th, 7th and 8th grades through an organization called China Alive. They will also be visiting local Chinese school, taking a bike ride on an ancient wall around the city and a number of other fun things. They will be taking a 2 hour flight to Xian and staying in a four star hotel...so once again, mom.....have no fear. They take lots teachers and two nurses.  

A few day ago, the grounds keepers sodded our backyard with the saddest darn sod I ever did see! It may explain why our backyard seemed to be all dirt when we got here. This may be a yearly event. The front yard is just gorgeous, though. All the roses are starting to bloom. I noticed that the gardener's wife has not been around lately. I talked to my neighbor across the street and she told me she had talked to the gardner and told him it scared Carleigh. She also found out that it is his sister-in-law, so from here on out I will not refer to her as his wife! 

The boys will be getting back from school soon...more later.

Beth