ColoradoDaze

A proud feeling comes over me when children play a game (sports or otherwise), draw a beautiful picture, sing a verse from a song, or tell a cute story.
So I would like to take this opportunity to Congratulate and wish Good Luck to the Dodgers on winning their Semi-Final Baseball game 9-8 yesterday and will play there final at 3:00 today (? Canada today or China today not sure). Brendan and Levi my nephews play on this team, and I’m sure that they played a great game. I am looking forward to seeing them play in the summer when we get home.
GO TEAM GO!!

On July 8th the day we fly home, we miraculously land in Vancouver at 11:15am Sat. afternoon but we leave China at 1:15pm. I feel a ball of excitement in my stomach, we are all greeted at the airport by family and friends, they are holding balloons for the girls, and 2 big Vente Starbucks Americano’s for Bill and I. The airport arrival gate is packed with people - waiting for there loved ones (Grandparents, daughters, sons, new grandchildren etc.etc.). This will be our 3rd time coming through those doors and each and every time I love it, and this year we have a new daughter Mischa to show off.

Amongst that big crowd of people somewhere in there is my sister, always wearing pink and easy to spot, some people say we look alike, dress alike (hhmm?) talk alike (hhmm!!??), but everyone is quick to point out that she is the taller one (an inch and a half) all I know is I am the lucky one to have a sister like her, always a kind word, a smile, or a compliment. We are all counting the days until July 8th, and can’t wait to be on the other side of those doors and see the family faces that we have missed so much over the last 10 months.

Happy 7th month to our 3rd baby daughter Mischa, what a happy little baby, she is trying to crawl, putting her bum up in the air but not going anywhere, she rolls off her big blanket and bonks her head on the hard wood flooring, her eyes flutter a bit wondering what the heck just happened, lets out a little squeal and ready to do it again. She loves her milk, mush and glue cookies (as you might know baby cookies stick to anything) Smiles and cuddles for her two big sisters, Ava and Nadia - who I am sure can’t wait to dress her up in doll clothing, and of course lots of love from her mom and dad who can’t imagine life without all 3.

WELCOME!!! to the world baby Nathan ZhongJia (means China/Canada) Brown he was born June 9, 2006 at 5:57am at at whopping 10lbs. (quoted by the proud Daddy). I found myself gripping my cell phone waiting for any sort of news that might come from Alice or Darren to tell us how baby and mommy were doing.
We arrived at the hospital for a visit @2:00 and mom and Nathan were both doing wonderful, it was a hard journey for the both of them so they were both very tired, but looked happy and very beautiful. As you know the man cannot go into the birthing room with the mom here in China, so Alice thought it would be a good idea to take her cell phone with her into the birthing room, it proved to be a very good idea - that way she could keep Darren and everyone posted on her and babies condition. It took her two hours after birth to come out of birthing room, so her thoughtfulness, and think ahead mentality kept us all abreast of the situation.
A new mom who was in the same room as Alice had C-section 3 days earlier and looked like she had been hit by a bus, (the poor girl) my heart was going out to her, apparently she had a fever and the Dr. was coming in to take a look at her when we were there. The Doctor wanted to look at the girls throat, so she pulled out a pair of chopsticks from her pocket and proceeded to put them in the girls mouth (similar to a tongue depressor), looked at what she wanted to, and put them back in her pocket for another use, some other time.
Anyways, all the best to the Ma/Browns on their new arrival.
Nathan joins big brother Carter.

Am writing this entry because of a friend of mine here in Dalian, her and I started our blog around the same time. She is an inspiration to me, all the events, parties, and day to day happenings in her life, she puts on her blog. WOW! and so eloquently written. As I read it can totally see what she is describing in her story. I find myself very full of drivel after I read Catharsis (which is the name of her blog). I would like my stories to flow as easily as hers do when I read them. I would love to be able to tell a story like her, maybe one day I could see through her eyes and my fingers will do the typing for me and my stories will tell a story not just to me, but anyone who reads it..

This is written for my cousin(Lieane) at home in Vancouver, Canada. I can’t remember how long ago this has been going on but as far back as I can remember my cousin and I would feel an accomplishment ( a very small one albeit) but one none the less, for using up all the ink in a pen, and we could throw it away. Evreyone always has tons of pens, but how many really work, and do you throw them away or do you put them back in the cup to try to use another day? I find this works for me with other things as well - little things around the house - this maybe a form of cleansing the area I live in(getting rid of things that you no longer need). Which brings me to another question, why am I such a pack-rat then I hardly ever throw away an envelope or a piece of paper thinking maybe I might need it one day. HMMMMM!!! I wonder..