Our first trip up the great wall of China

So the first weekend we were in China the VERY FIRST thing I wanted to do was go see the great wall of China.  It is only 45 minutes away from our home.  It is one of those "I cannot believe it" things in my life.

 So at the bottom before you start walking up stairs to get to the wall there are all these vendors.  A whole LONG line of vendors all the way up.  The boys grabbed cowboy hats and put them on and we had to buy them from the vendor.  Mike was upset because he knows how aggressive vendors can be but I thought they looked cute!  Plus it was really hot out so maybe they would help with the sun.  Everyone kept looking at these two American boys in cowboy hats.  I thought "they probably think we are from Texas!"

Waiting while Mike buys tickets

Cool old dude dressed in costume.  Still walking past vendors to get to the entrance.

Just to get to the entrance took a long walk up!

Then we took a cable car up to the lower part of the wall.  It was SO hot in the little cable car

We made it!  It was so cloudy and ethereal on top.

Andrew was really feeling sick and dying for water

And Elizabeth was dying for a milk break.  There was nowhere to sit down so I just had to feed her right there on the side of the wall.  At least I had my cover!  Look at those chunky legs sticking out.

Seriously I thought at this moment (hot and sweaty with sick, hungry and thirsty kids but an amazing view) is this for real?  

Yes, Andrew threw up on the great wall of China.  At least we found him a little stone drain hole!

Mike carried him on his back the rest of the way.  Poor little guy.  What a trooper.

But amidst all the drama and difficulty, it was really cool to see in person.  And I am sure we will be back several times before we move away.

At the airport

In case any of you were wondering what it would be like to be a fly on the wall at the airport and watch our family, here you go.

You probably could hear us before you see us.  The boys love pushing the little carts but we have to remind them to watch in front of them because they often just push without looking and end up almost running into strangers.

 The travelators are another great favorite.

The boys have actually come a long way.  When we first moved abroad we would have to keep them in the double stroller but now they are good to walk along side us.  In fact, most of the critical times we all hold hands -- the whole family.  Usually between flights we will scout the airport maps for a nearby children's play area and the boys really enjoy that too.

First trip within China -- to snow and skiing!

We walked off the plane and out of the airport and the parking lot had an ice sculpture sign.  It says Changbaishan.

Regrouping in the hotel.  Mike is studying the ski routes.  I was probably trying unsuccessfully to get the kids down for naps

Two of Andrew's favorite things -- coconut flour cupcakes and drawing airplanes.  He now will even write the name of the plane and draw the little logo (for example I think this one is a China Eastern airplane)

Outside the hotel we played in the frozen fountain and the boys threw "snowballs" which were really just big pieces of icy snow they found sitting on the ground

Then we went up the hill to get a look at the skiing area where we would ski tomorrow

WE found a snowman someone else had made

Next day...skiing!

We decided to ask someone to take a family photo for us at the bottom of the hill.  But trying to move little boys around on skiis to arrange ourselves side by side was near impossible

Move over just a little more!  Pick up your feet!  Come on you can do it!

The final product

The boys loved going up on the tram.  In fact Joseph got tired of skiing way before Andrew did so Joseph and I just rode the tram up and down like 10 times.  It was a pretty view

At the top of the tram there was this huge route map

Family photo with the whole valley view behind

Here is Mike and his boss Steve who was also skiing that day

Andrew got the pizza pie feet placement right away.  Look how happy he is

Joseph couldn't quite get the pizza pie toe shape so he didn't have as much mobility.  And he kept asking for poles!  you can see Andrew and I in the background coming down

Here we are!  And the best part is Lizzie Bean loved it so much she slept the whole time.

 So here is the longer story if anyone cares to read it.

Mike’s company party was held in Changbaishan, China.  It is like a  brand new moderately empty Park City.  There was lots of snow!

One of the benefits of going there is that we took the kids skiing for the first time.  Mike skiis, and I snowboard, so for the last 7 years we have had an ongoing teasing argument about whether the boys would learn to ski or snowboard first.  Finally we asked them. Andrew said he wanted to ski, and Joseph said he wanted to snowboard (that’s my boy!).  But , as with all decisions we make together we told them they have to choose the same thing so we tell them that they have to make a compromise.  So they decided to ski, and I decided to learn right along with them.  In the beginning Mike decided to take Andrew up first and Joseph and Lizzie and I were going to wait at the bottom until Mike got back up and could take Joseph.  But then Joseph saw Andrew go up the 'magic carpet' and immediately followed.  So I went chasing after Joseph in my new skiis, with Lizzie on my front, yelling "Joseph wait!"  But he didn’t listen and just got on the magic carpet so I had to follow.  The whole ride up I kept thinking “I don’t know how to ski, and I have lizzie strapped to me!  And Joseph doesn't know how to ski either!  And this carpet is going to end and then what am I going to do!?  I am going to have to teach a 3 year old how to ski down this hill along with my 9 month old baby and my knight in shining armor husband is nowhere to help me.  So of course we made it off with lots of pushing from the ski employee and then looking down the hill Joseph just wouldn’t let go of me.  So I started my legs in pizza pie (I at least remembered that!), put him between my legs, and started going down the hill zig zag instead of straight down (I remembered how I learned to “carve” on my snowboard).  So we carved our way down all the way to the right until it ended.  Then we switched directions.  Anyway we took the hill in big zig zags and we found with Mike and Andrew halfway down.  Mike was shocked to see I had made it thus far in one piece and frankly so was I.  Andrew was hooting and hollering and laughing up a storm and loving every second of going fast down the hill, and in fact kept asking to go faster.  He got the pizza pie thing right away.  Joseph kept asking to have poles.

Anyway, it was a success, and hopefully we can go again.

That's all for now!

E