Time flies- Has it been 2 years already?

Well, Goodness sakes! It's 2011 so I better get caught up in this blog. Since Jan. 2009, we've settled into our new house, built a pool, bought "grown up" furniture, and all that. Mei Li is now in 2nd grade, learned how to ride a bike, is doing a fine job on the swim team, lost and grew several teeth, and is currently wearing upper and lower dental expanders to give her more room for her bigger teeth to come in. She dances at Love of China Dance Studio and is super flexible. She loves math and is a trooper taking weekly Chinese language classes where all her homework is in simplified characters. We are still reviewing books 1 and 2 before we dive into the more difficult "Book 3". (and she charges me $5.00 per lesson to teach me Chinese) Both girls played soccer and loved it. Between soccer, dance, swimming, Chinese lessons and school, we pack about 6-7 equipment bags, watter bottles, snacks, etc. each week. I don't know how people do it with more kids! Now, Ying Li has grown up so much from the little powerhouse she was. She is now a very strong, taller powerhouse. She loves to sing, has so much expression and is quite dramatic. Did I say "dramatic"? Well, she also attends Love of China Dance Studio where she loves to roll on the mat and is working on "staying in the classroom". :}
Ying Li has a very caring heart and is kind and mischevious. I am sure some of you have the kind of child that spontaneously explodes into some kind of spaz attack.......surely you do.
She keeps us on our toes and me on blood pressure medicine. Jann says she does all the things his boys did when they were young.
As for Jann, he got the car he always dreamed of and nobody is allowed to get in it, go near it so he is happy as a clam. I don't have to work right now so I am perfecting laundry and scheduling.

The end of 2009 was rough and the beginning of 2010 was even tougher as mom's cancer had gotten worse and she had to undergo more chemo, radiation treatments and was really not feeling well. Dad had 2 heart surgeries in 2 months so the two of them were not up to driving so I helped them out by taking them to the doctor appointments and things like that. I was really glad to be able to be there for them and to get to give them support as they had given me all my life. Sadly on March 19th 2010, mom passed away. She was tough. Like Ying Li said, "grandma had a good fight". Now we know she has no more pain and is hanging out with her sisters, probably creating little miracles for all of us on a daily basis. (and when not creating miracles, I know she is hiding my keys from me)
Dad was lost without mom and really took it hard. In the following months, he ended up in ICU and luckily survived. He is now doing so much better. He has an appartment at a retirement place and the girls love to go over there to play Wii and cards. I got him some fleece sheets and he loves them because he is warm. He has recently been searching for a different appartment where he can have a bath tub because he loves to soak in the tub, read, smoke and drink beer.
2010 ended with a wonderful Christmas at Jody's and we got to celebrate Chase turning 21! The photos are in reverse order so start at the bottom and work your way up.>