Back on Blogger

China blocked blogger way back in June it seems like and they apparently aren't going to un-block it anytime soon. They also blocked faceboook and some other sites and we decided to go with a vpn and bypass the Great Firewall of China so we can share with yall what we have been doing and so we could get a glimpse at the outside world a little bit. Anyway, we are back up and running and will be posting more and definitely adding some photos of this summer!

Vacation Fun

We are back from having a great little family vacation. We went a little west of where we live and we climbed a mountain, rode on yaks and saw some beautiful scenery. We all had a lot of fun and the kids loved it. Here is a picture of us on the mountain with the southernmost glacier in the northern hemisphere in the background.

We have our own place!

In early June, we moved to a new apartment - and this one is actually ours! We are grateful for the time we had to live in another family's place, but are excited about being settled into a place of our own. This will be our home in China.

Our new place is located in the same general area as where we've been and it is a very good size for us and our needs. We've added our touch already as we installed a bathtub (there wasn't one before) and painted some walls to add some color.

One of the best features is that it overlooks a beautiful private courtyard for residents in the building. The kids can play there safely and we can watch them from our porch and windows. The courtyard has a playground and all kinds of trees, plants, boulders, and streams. The kids sometimes spend hours at a time outside exploring and looking for wildlife! Here are some pictures of Hannah Grace, Hudson and Micah having fun outside in the courtyard -

Fourth of July

Our favorite family in China had a fun Fourth of July! All of them went out with NaiNai and played some putt-putt, walked around some of the city, and then had some quality time at home. Jason bought the world's smallest charcoal grill and grilled some hot dogs and corn on the cob that everyone enjoyed. It was a fun day!

I will post some pictures of their new apartment soon. Thx - Johnny

Micah turned 4!

Micah turned 4 on May 16th and had a great party! He wanted a doggie party so Daddy made him a doggie pinata and a cake with "Carrot" on it - Micah's little Webkinz puppy. Some friends came over and played games, hit the pinata, opened presents, and ate some yummy cake! It was a lot of fun!

Blocked from Blog

Hey everyone,

All blogs in China have been blocked so Jason and Felicia have not been able to get on and post updates. I will post some new info soon, but will say they have gotten their visas renewed and have set up their business. As soon as they get on again, they will add some updates.

Thanks, Johnny

Our New Cousin

Emily Catherine Winkle was born on May 11, 2009 to Jason's brother Johnny and his wife Amy. She weighed 6 lbs 7 oz and was 19 1/4 inches long. She was a month early, but really right on time. She is our first girl cousin and the kids thinks she "looks pink". Here she is: