Happy Birthday Maddox!

September 10th brought Maddox's second birthday. We didn't do a lot of partying but he was really excited to play with the things Grandma Susan sent him. So thanks Grandma. And we want to thank Great-Grandpa Charlie who sent the movie for Maddox's special day!



"Reading" the birthday card from Grandma Susan surrounded by his gifts from her.



Grandma Susan was sweet enough to think of Gabe. She sent him a present too.



The boys playing with their new stuff from Grandma Susan.



This group is standing in front of a salon that is on the ground floor of our apartment building. We are not sure what to call this. Most business do this "lineup" kind of thing daily. Don't know if it's a pep talk or more of a yell at you all until you get it right thing. Either way, we get a kick out of imagining what they are saying...."Work hard and love your communist country!"



Maddox had literally fallen asleep sitting up. We usually spend our Saturdays exploring and sightseeing. And often we don't get home until after the start of nap time. As you can see, that was no problem for Maddox. He seems to have a "I'll make do with whatever/where ever" attitude.

Interesting Things

This is a fun picture. I've seen people take naps in some interesting positions / places. But never like this. Just thought it was kind of funny.....and clever.


I have shown pictures of the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center before. The Jin Mao, on the right, is 88 stories tall. And the building on the left (S.W.F.C.) will be 101 stories when completed. This picture kinda gives you an idea how tall the buildings are. It's almost hard to grasp their height, even standing right next to them. In this case, they are in the clouds. This photo was taken near the base of the buildings.


We enjoyed a nice family dinner out the other night at a local restaurant. As you can see, on the right was Gabe's dinner. Chicken nuggets from McDonalds. And on the upper left, Maddox's cheesburger. :-) Actually the remainder of the cheesburger went uneaten. Maddox really likes the local food. Especially the noodles!


We are not really sure what this statue is all about. We just think it is interesting...to say the least. I'll let y'all decide for yourselves what it represents. Your guess is as good as mine!