A Few New Pictures

Here are a few new pictures of the kids from St. Patrick's Day, Brennen's school fieldtrip to the Coca-Cola factory and traversing through YuYuan Garden in Shanghai!

This is one of my favorite pictures I have taken thus far in China. Though the smog makes the World Financial Center a little hard to see, this is a great example of "old" meeting "new" in this wonderful society!

Chinese New Year...in Malaysia!

Though this is our first year in China, we opted to forgo the endless days and evenings of fireworks for Chinese New Year here in Shanghai for the peaceful beaches and rain forests of Malaysia. We traveled to Kota Kinabalu, the capitol of Sabah, Malaysia. In addition to spending lazy days by the pool and on the beach, we took a boat to Gaya Island and hiked through the rain forest. Though Collin and Brennen were determined to see a python, and I hoped to see a proboscis monkey, we ended up seeing bats hanging upside down in a cave (yikes!), a gecko, a chameleon and tons of ants! Apparently, the island inhabits the "Giant Ant", which grows to about 3-4 inches in length. However, much to Brennen's dismay (and my relief), we just saw "regular old ants." The rain forest was just beautiful, with all of its waterfalls, lush green plants and sounds of birds and cicadas.

After trekking through the rain forest, we got back on the boat and cruised to a neighboring island for snorkeling and an "under water walk." After the boys snorkeled with Dave, I got to go with them to the bottom of the South China Sea! A small boat cruised us out to a houseboat off shore. There, we put on what looked like space helmets and climbed down a ladder that took us about 15 feet below the surface. At the bottom, a walkway was roped off. We held onto the ropes and walked under water, seeing hundreds of tropical fish, as well as coral and sea anemones. The water was crystal clear and the view was just beautiful! A scuba diver went down with us and gave us bread to feed the fish. As soon as the bread was in our hands, we were swarmed with "Nemo's" and "Dorrie's". It was really cool. The guide also picked up coral, a starfish and sea anemones for us to feel. He had a camera and took several photos of us underwater, which were then put on a disc for us to keep. A picture of Collin and me is at the right. (Brennen unfortunately didn't get into any of the pictures).

It was as close to perfect as a vacation can get, and we can't wait to go back someday when the kids are a little older so that we can go deeper into the rain forest and do a canopy walk!

Life in Shanghai

The past several weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, but we are all settling in to life in Shanghai. Collin and Brennen have begun to make some good friends at school and are "finally" having playdates again. That has made a big difference.


We had a wonderful Christmas and were all relieved that Santa found us in China! He was very good to each of us again this year. Our church, Sacred Heart, even had a children's mass where kids dressed up and reenacted the birth of Jesus, so we felt right at home.

Instead of heading out of town for Christmas break, we decided to explore Shanghai. We went to the Science and Technology Museum, the Aquarium and the Live Insect Museum. We also took a few bike rides as a family, which was something we don't typically get to do in December! Though the temperatures are quite chilly in December and January here in Shanghai (40s, occasionally upper 30s), it just doesn't seem as cold when you see green grass, leaves on trees and flowers!

Our driver, Feng Xin, and our ayi, Su, have already become part of our family. With Dave traveling so much, I am very fortunate to have their help and friendship.

Here are quick updates on all of us:

Maeve: Maeve is a typical precocious two-year-old, who makes us crazy one minute and has us laughing in stitches the next! She loves to dress up in princess costumes, to do puzzles and play dough, and to do "gymnastics", which involves her standing on her head and doing somersaults. She goes to a "Creative Movements" class every Thursday morning with mom, where she gets to dance and play with a few other toddlers. She is quickly learning Mandarin from our ayi, Su, who has the patience of a saint! One of Maeve's favorite activities is to look at the pictures on Su's cell phone, mainly because most of them are of her! Maeve also enjoys going to "Miss Cristi's House" to play with Leah, Lauren and Kate.

Brennen: Brennen has had the most difficult time adjusting to life in China out of all of us. He misses his "old school" and his "old friends." That being said, he seemed to turn the corner right after Christmas break and has a new, brighter attitude towards school, friends and life here in Shanghai. Having playdates and getting involved in some activities outside of school has shown him that it may not be all bad to live here. During Christmas break, Brennen took an animated Legos class at Children's Technology Workshop (a Canadian-based center). Over the course of the week, he developed a story line about Santa getting trapped in an avalanche and how he got rescued. He had to build Lego scenes and characters to go along with his story. Then, his instructor took still photos as Brennen moved his Lego characters through the scenes. The end result was a movie played to music, burned onto a disc, that Brennen got to bring home. It is really cool and Brennen had a blast! Tomorrow Brennen starts basketball, and we are in the process of getting him into guitar lessons at school, which he'll be taking with his good friend, Harrison. I'm not sure if he is more excited to learn how to play guitar, or to just have an excuse to show boat with a guitar. Either way, he's excited!

Collin: Collin has jumped right into school and making new friends with a positive attitude. He really enjoys his new teacher, Mrs. Kent. She is a former writer for NBC, so let's just say she makes the kids read and WRITE!! It has been wonderful for Collin. Her enthusiasm for reading and writing are infectious and as a result, Collin always has his nose in a book! Collin's two best friends at school are Tommy and Addison. The three of them are good students and like sports, so they get along well! Like Brennen, Collin also starts basketball tomorrow. He has been anxious to get started, since all of his friends back home have been playing for a couple of months already, and regularly send email updates of plays and scores. He loves getting the emails, so keep them coming! Collin's new friend, Tommy, just started taking trumpet lessons at school, so Collin has decided that he may give trumpet a try, too. I have to say that the words, "Mom, I want to take trumpet lessons," are 7 words I never expected to hear! I didn't think our house could possibly get any louder...

Dave: Dave continues to LOVE his new job, in spite of the frustrations and long hours. He travels domestically and/or internationally each week, so he is only home on the weekends. In just a couple of months, he has been to Hong Kong, Singapore (twice), Poland, Croatia, and Hungary. He is up at the factory in Xuzhou when he is not out of the country. He does a great job at making time for the kids when he is home, taking them on bike rides, playing outside, and finding yet another ice cream shop! (We haven't found one that compares to Whitey's). He is still trying to find time to start his Mandarin tutoring...hopefully he'll squeeze it in before we leave China.

Cathy: I continue to love every aspect of life in China (especially now that the kids are happier). My Mandarin tutor, Lisa, comes to our house twice a week to tutor me in Mandarin and our ayi, Su, in English. It's a difficult language to learn, but Su and I have a lot of laughs together as we try out our new phrases with each other. My friend, Cristi, and I have made a pact to have a "girls day out" once a month (her husband also travels Mon.-Fri.). We have had a blast going all over Shanghai to different markets and shops, and we always end our day with a Chinese foot massage at a spa, capped off by tea and dessert. It's rough, but some body's gotta do it! Now that I have the house in order and more of a routine down, I am looking forward to getting back into the groove with Raising Hope. In April, I am going with a team from Holt International to Cambodia and Nepal to visit 3 different orphanages. We will meet with the orphanage staffs to assess needs, and we may also take part in building a playground at the orphanage in Nepal! The best part for me, will be meeting all of the sweet kids. This experience is truly a dream come true for me. In February, I will be flying to Guangzhou, China for a few days to meet up with my friend, Debbie and her husband, Bill while they are here for the adoption of their daughter, Ella. I feel very blessed that I am living here and can meet with them to lend a helping hand, and to of course, hold that sweet baby Ella who we have prayed for for so long!

Well, that about sums it up! The last week of January is Chinese New Year, and we are heading out of China to Malaysia! We are going to Kota Kinabalu to stay at a resort on the beach. We also hope to take a day trip into the rain forest, so the kids are very excited! I'll post again when we get back!

Home Sweet Home...Almost

Well, we arrived in Shanghai two weeks ago, so we are "home sweet home"...almost. We are in a furnished apartment temporarily, until our household goods arrive and clear customs. We hope to move into our new house by Thanksgiving. The picture to the left is a view from our apartment balcony. The rooftops in the distance are of the neighborhood we will be moving into, and then downtown Pudong is beyond that!

Our first week in Shanghai was a little rough. Dave was only here with us for three days and then had to leave on business. The boys had a difficult time the first week of school. They both have wonderful teachers and we really like Concordia, but it is never easy being the "new kid". Both of their teachers paired them up with a buddy, so that helped.

Luckily, our first week ended with trick-or-treating...twice! There was trick-or-treating in Regency Park (where our new house is) on Friday night, and trick-or-treating at Seasons Villas (where our apartment is) on Saturday night. The boys, and Maeve, had a blast with the Steed girls. It was a perfect ending to a not-so-perfect week. For those of you wondering, the kids received many of the same kinds of candy we have in the States. However, they also received peanuts, tiny apples, dried fruit, and seafood biscuits!

Our second week in Shanghai went much more smoothly. The boys are already more comfortable with school and with riding the bus. We also found a church that we really like (named Sacred Heart, believe it or not!). There are many families who live near us, and whose children go to school at Concordia, who attend that church, so it was especially nice for the boys to see familiar faces and to feel more like part of the community.

As for little Miss Maeve, she, too, is settling in. She was very uncomfortable our first few weeks in China, but now she is back to her sassy self! She is even starting to speak a little Mandarin to our driver, Feng Xin! She greets him in the morning with, "Ni hao, Feng Xin!" (Hello, Feng Xin), says, "Xie xie" (thank you) to him after he puts her in her seat, and tells him, "Zai jian!" (good-bye) when we get back home. It's really cute and Feng Xin just loves it! (Maeve is sitting next to a huge patch of shamrocks in the picture to the right!)

Dave loves his new job and all of the challenges that are going along with it. This week he is off to Singapore, and then he'll be off to Poland the end of the month. He also gets to go to Croatia within the next month, so he is really excited to visit his old stomping ground.

As for me, I am trying to keep the ship afloat. All of the mundane chores that I always complained about in the States have suddenly become an adventure. I'm still not sure if my clothes are getting washed properly in the washing machine, nor my dishes in the dishwasher, and the traffic in the aisles of a Chinese grocery store is more dangerous than on the streets! But, that being said, I love living here. I feel so blessed for our family to have this opportunity to experience China first hand--the people, the language, the food, the markets, the craziness of the big city, the quiet of the countryside and the beauty of it all.

I'll try to be better about posting updates more often! I just needed to get through these first couple of weeks, focusing on getting the kids settled. Know that we think of all of you daily!

Tastes Like...Popcorn!

Last night was our biggest adventure in China so far. The boys were bound and determined to visit the Night Market, a.k.a. "Snack Street", and eat something "weird", like scorpion on a stick. Well, after walking past vendor after vendor, selling silk worms, crickets, starfish and snake, we came across a variety of scorpions! Our choice? Purchase one huge black scorpion on a stick, or three little tiny scorpions on a stick. We chose the latter. For the equivalent of 2 US dollars, we were about to embark on a culinary adventure of a lifetime!

The big question...who is going first? Dave volunteered, with no objections from the rest of us. After putting an entire deep fried scorpion in his mouth, the boys and I were dying for the verdict. What did it taste like? Nope, not chicken. It tasted like popcorn! Really? Okay, now I had to try it. I wasn't as brave as Dave, so I just bit into a couple of legs. Yep! Tastes like popcorn!

The boys were next. Collin (who was the most convinced that he was going to someday eat scorpion on a stick) wasn't so sure he was ready for a bite. So Brennen yelled, "I'll do it!" And he grabbed the stick and dug in. We then received confirmation yet again that scorpions taste like popcorn. With that, Collin gained some courage and finished off the last scorpion. It was unanimous...they taste like popcorn. Light, crunchy and a little buttery (thanks to the deep fryer).

So there you have it. Team O'Keeffe showed Andrew Zimmern that he's not the only one who is willing to eat the weird foods of this world (check out his show...it's fabulous). Dave and I were very proud of the boys for being so daring and willing to "Do as the Romans." However, I think tonight we'll settle for Pizza Hut.

The Great Wall

After over two years of waiting, Collin and Brennen FINALLY got to hike the Great Wall! We couldn't have asked for a better day. It was sunny, in the low 70s and the beginning of fall color made the view even more breath taking.

Our tour guide, Mr. Lei, took us to a remote part of the Great Wall. It was perfect...no tourists, no vendors, just us. We had to walk 1,100 steps to get to the Wall. Once we got to the Wall, it was very rugged hiking, and there were parts that had little to no sides of the Wall left! As a mother of three young children, it was a little nerve wracking! However, the boys did very well, and Maeve sat safely on Dave's shoulders.

Once you are on the Great Wall, it is even more difficult to imagine that it stretches for 4,000 miles! The part we walked on had original bricks with limestone and rice mortar, dating back 700 years! Some parts were so steep, that we literally had to climb straight up. It was quite the adventure, and we can't wait to go back some day, exploring yet another area.

Touring Beijing

We have spent the past two days touring the beautiful city of Beijing. On Sunday we went to the Beijing Zoo, along with 5 million of our closest Chinese friends! We found out that the Chinese government shut down domestic tourism for four months prior to the Olympics. As a result, any tourist spot in Beijing is PACKED on the weekends!

In spite of the crowds, we had a lot of fun at the zoo. The weather was perfect (sunny and in the 70s) and it was good to get outside in the fresh air (relatively speaking).

The zoo has a really cool aquarium with a Sea World like dolphin show. Even though we couldn't understand what was being said, we all had fun watching the dolphins and seals.
Brennen's favorite part was going to the underground tunnel in the aquarium. He felt like he was swimming with the sharks! We all also enjoyed seeing the Great Pandas. This was the first time the boys had seen pandas in "real life".

Yesterday we went to the "Dirt Market." It is a market place where all of the locals go. You don't see many tourists there, so it was quite the experience. Even the kids walked around in awe, looking at the rows and rows of artwork, furniture, ceramics, etc. The highlight for them, was coming across a stand run by an elderly gentleman who had a pet cricket. It was the biggest cricket any of us had ever seen, and it was in a tiny cage!

Today we are heading to a remote part of the Great Wall. The boys have waited for this day since before Maeve came home, so they are very excited! We'll take lots of pictures and post again when we get back!

And We're Off!

Well, thanks to jet lag, it has taken me longer to post an update than I had expected, but I'll try to get everyone caught up. Here goes...

Getting ready for our move was a little challenging. International moves are never easy, and when you combine that with a two year old who had a high fever (104!) and the stomach flu, it makes for a stressed out mommy and daddy!

Before the moving company came to pack us out, Dave and I did some serious shopping! Many of things the kids love to eat (cereal, instant oatmeal, granola bars, etc.) are very expensive in China, because they are imported from the States or Europe. So, we went to Sam's Club to stock up. We figure that eventually the kids will have to learn to change their eating habits somewhat, but having a few things from home in the beginning will help ease them into it. Let's just say we got a lot of looks as we pushed an overflowing dolly through Sam's! As you can see from the picture, Dave and I barely fit in the van to drive it home!

All last week the moving company packed us out, and on Thursday, they loaded the truck and drove off to California. Our belongings will sit in California until the moving company gets a copy of Dave's Chinese work permit, at which time our "stuff" will literally be put on the "slow boat to China."

Which leads us to why we are in Beijing for the next two weeks. John Deere's main office is in Beijing, so this is where we had to come to have our residency and work permits processed. But, let me back track to our journey from Moline to Beijing.

After spending a few nights at Dave's parents' house in Moline (thanks again for everything, Doris and Jerry!), we loaded our rental van and drove to Chicago last Saturday. Our plan was to spend the night in a hotel and catch our flight to Beijing the next day. Well, after an over 3 hour drive to Chicago (thanks to road construction) with 3 anxious kids, we arrived at our hotel only to discover that we forgot one of our suitcases in Moline! (Yes, this is in spite of the fact that Doris asked us if we were sure we had everything). Was I happy? No. Did I completely lose it? Almost. However, Dave's dad came to the rescue and met Dave half-way between Chicago and Moline to deliver the suitcase. We can never thank you enough, Jerry!

The next morning, we caught our flight to China without any problems. And, our flight to China went remarkably well, in spite of a few of Maeve's short-lived temper tantrums, Collin complaining about the "disgusting plane food", and Brennen coming down with the stomach flu mid-way through our 14 hour flight (flight attendants don't get paid nearly enough!). I think we were all happy to land on Chinese soil and to have the "moving part" of our journey behind us!

We are now on day 5 of our stay in Beijing, and we are making the most of our time here. The kids are having fun walking around the big city, seeing how different, yet similar, life is here. Right across the street from our hotel is Chaoyang Park, where outdoor beach volleyball was held for the Olympics. It is also an amusement park, so we took a nice walk through it yesterday and let the kids ride a couple of rides.

A couple of days ago, we went to the Pearl Market and to the Toy Market. The boys were amazed at all of the things there were for sale, and they were very impressed with their dad who bargained for great prices!

We plan on going to the Great Wall in a couple of days, once we seem to be "over the hump" with this jet lag! We also promised the boys that we would go to the Night Market next week, so that they could see all of the "weird" foods for sale there. Collin is convinced that he is going to eat scorpion on a stick, which is quite comical coming from a kid who wouldn't eat turkey, aka, "mystery meat" on the plane!

Well, I have to go wake up sleeping beauty from her nap so that maybe she'll sleep past 4am tomorrow morning! I'll post again after we go to the Great Wall. Thanks to everyone who has been emailing us. The boys especially look forward to reading them each day. This picture is the view from our hotel room, which shows the big city of Beijing!

Shanghai or Bust!

Well, today I mailed off our change of address cards! However, I realized after they were all complete and ready to be mailed that I didn't put our moving date on them! So, to let everyone know, we are flying to Beijing on October 5. We will be in Beijing for about 2 1/2 weeks while our residency permits process, and then we will be off to Shanghai around October 22. We will be in temporary living for about a month until our household goods arrive, at which time we will move into our new house. We will have our Vonage phone with us at all times in China, so our new phone number will be effective upon our arrival in Beijing (to reiterate, the phone number is a US phone number (Moline, IL number), so it will be like calling us in Moline, but will reach us in China). The best way to reach us will be through our new email address, which is already activated. Okay, now that I have cleared that up, I better get packing!!!

Life Goes On!

In spite of getting ready for our big move to China, life still goes on! School is back in session and we are full swing into homework and football! Collin is in fourth grade this year, and Brennen is a big first grader. Both boys are happy to be spending the first couple of months at Seton with their friends. This is Brennen's first year playing flag football, but after watching his big brother and older cousins for so many years, he looked like a pro out on the field his first game!

On August 10, Maeve celebrated her 2nd birthday! I can't believe that our baby we held for the first time at 9 months is alread 2!!! Maeve still has a smile that lights up a room, and a spunky personality to go with it! She loves to play hide-n-seek with the boys, and especially likes to be "it". Instead of covering her eyes, she covers her mouth, counts to 14, shouts, "Go!", and takes off running to find the boys. We are having a lot of fun with her!

Just after school started, we had a double birthday/going-away party for the boys at the Aqualetic Swim Club. Over 40 of the boys' friends came to help us celebrate their birthdays and our move to Shanghai! In lieu of gifts, Collin and Brennen chose to have their friends bring school supplies to donate to Seton. Dave and I were very proud of them!

WE'RE MOVING TO CHINA!

Well, many of you already know, but for those of you who don't, we are moving to China! Dave has accepted a 3 year assignment in Shanghai, and we couldn't be more excited! Not many families who have adopted internationally ever get the chance to live in their child's birth country, so we feel very blessed to have this opportunity.

Dave and I recently traveled to Shanghai to go house hunting and to visit the two American international schools. Shanghai is a beautiful city, but this will be quite a change for our family. With a population of 18 million, it will be similar to living in downtown New York!

As if moving overseas isn't exciting enough, we will have the great fortune of sharing it with our dear friends, the Steeds! They have been great friends of ours for several years (Dave and John began working for Deere at the same time, and Cristi and I co-founded Raising Hope International together), and John was also asked to be a part of this China Team for Deere. We are going to be living in the same neighborhood and our houses are two streets apart. How's that for Divine Intervention?

Due to the Olympics, we don't have a definite moving date yet. China has stopped processing Z-visas (which is what we need to enter the country as ex-pats) until after the Olympics and Special Olympics are over. So, we hope to move the first week of October, but it all depends on when our Z-visa is issued. We have a house waiting for us, and the boys were accepted into Concordia International School (our first choice), so we are ready to go! We have decided to keep our house in Moline, so it is making our move a little easier. We will be coming back here after our assignment in China, and since our house has been in the O'Keeffe family for 40 years, we just couldn't imagine living anywhere else. This house is truly home for us.

We'll keep all of you posted as more details arise.

Start working on your passports...we expect to get visitors!

Xiushan Reunion 2008

It's hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since we first arrived home with Maeve! On June 26, we flew to the Jersey Coast to meet up with three of the other families we were in China with (two of the families couldn't attend) for our first annual Xiushan Family Reunion! What an amazing and emotional experience it was to see all of Maeve's "sisters" again! We had such a wonderful time, and after the first few minutes of awe at seeing each other again, it was as if we had never been apart. We are truly family.

All of us had a blast relaxing on the beach, hunting for sea glass and digging for sand crabs! We also had fun on the boardwalk one evening, riding roller coasters and eating pizza at one of Bob's favorite places.

Bob and Leslie were also very gracious to have all of us over for a clam bake at their house. What a hoot! Bob was chef extraordinaire, and Leslie taught all of us the fine art of eating clams and "smashing crabs with a hammer", as the boys called it! It was delicious, delicious, delicious!

It was a fantastic first reunion. We missed the two families who couldn't be there, but it was so wonderful to see how all of the girls have grown, how well they are all beginning to speak and how happy they all are! We are very blessed.

Aaahhh...Spring!!

After a brutal winter here in the midwest, we are finally enjoying spring! The kids are growing so fast and changing before our eyes. Collin is finishing up third grade and seems so grown up! He and Brennen are good buddies, in spite of the fact that Brennen can play the part of the annoying little brother quite well! Collin adores Maeve and is very protective of her. Almost every day he says, "Mom, you know why I love Maeve so much...". It is very sweet.

Brennen will soon be finishing Kindergarten and is still the life of the party! Luckily, he has done very well in school and is adored by his teacher. We're not quite sure how he pulled that one off, except to say that he does allow a few brief moments of sweetness at home. :) Deep down Brennen is a softy, and he likes to make people laugh. That's not so bad.

Both boys are full swing into the baseball season, and Dave is coaching both of their teams. That makes for one crazy schedule, but we love it! Maeve has come to love going to the ball fields because she gets to run around like a maniac! I don't really get to see much of the games, but that's life with a 21 month old who thinks life is grand!

Speaking of little Miss Maeve, she is doing fabulous! She is still a little peanut, but continues to grow and thrive. She is talking up a storm and has no problem telling her brothers (or anyone for that matter) when she would like things done her way! She loves to sing songs, dance, count numbers and read books. She still has that beautiful smile that melts the hearts of anyone she meets, and she loves being with her family most of all. Her "buppa" (Papa Jerry) is her absolute favorite. Life is good when she is hanging out with her "buppa".

This summer we are going to the Jersey Shore for a reunion with the families we traveled to China with. We are so excited and can't wait for all of the girls to be together again! Collin and Brennen are so happy that they finally get to meet all of the families they have heard so much about and to meet all of Maeve's "China sisters."

FYI--for those of you who may be wondering, the recent earthquake in China was in the same province where Maeve is from (Sichuan/Chongqing). However, we are thankful that her orphanage sustained no damage and the children there are all safe. Please continue to pray for all of the families affected by this devastating earthquake.

I will try to be better about posting more often. Until then, take care and keep in touch!