Harry Potter and Virtual Church‏

Hey, Fun Friends,

This won't be too long, but I'm sure you'll welcome that! Hahaha! I tend to be a bit verbose...

Soooo, last night, Summer and Maria offered to baby-sit our kiddos so that Ben and I could go to Harry Potter by ourselves. I forgot to tell you how it went, going to Transformers 3 last week - um, it turns out that taking kids to movies is just as big a pain in the butt in China as it is in the U.S. We're really just not going to bother anymore. Micah asked to go pee THREE times, and Gage was grumpy and whiney. Sadie kept saying that she was bored. So yeah. We won't probably take them again.

Summer and Maria were reeeeeally nervous to baby-sit. And we had to write everything down for them and then teach them how to change a diaper. It was really cute. But they were good sports.

So we went, and I had a great time. It's so nice to be in a theater and get transported for a couple of hours. For a couple of hours, I forgot all my frustrations with our apartment, etc. and just enjoyed myself. And I cried and cried and cried. When Snape died, when Harry saw Snape's memories in the pensieve, when whichever twin it was died.... and don't get mad at me for "ruining it" for you. If you didn't read the books, you don't care THAT much, right?? Cried and cried and cried. It felt good. Very cathartic.

Movie popcorn here is sooo much better than movie popcorn in the states. It tastes like carmel corn. No kidding. None of that fake buttery powderey stuff. It's really quite good. And it was my dinner, because it took so long to get stupid Pizza Hut food last night that we were a little late getting to the movie. I got home, threw pizza at the kids, taught the girls how to change a diaper, and ran out of there. We were exactly 12 minutes late, but we thought, "Oh, no big deal, there are previews for like 20 minutes before..." Nope. No previews. We were 12 minutes late, so we missed the first 12 minutes of the movie. :) We'll have to watch it again when we get home.

So yeah. Pizza Hut. We are such regulars there that the lady already knows what we're going to order. It's funny. And sad. But it took a zillion years, and there were a zillion people there. At first, I was like, "Maybe it's because it's a Saturday night. Maybe everyone likes to go out on Saturday night." But then I realized that it was also Chinese Valentine's Day. So that was probably part of it. The city was a continual traffic jam. Everyone was out celebrating with their loved ones.

While I was waiting for our pizza, I went next door to the department store. I have had my eye on a high chair there. We've been strapping Gage to a chair with Ben's belt, kind of like in Grandma Upstairs, Grandma Downstairs - style. But yesterday, when I was feeding Gage, he rocked backwards and almost tipped the chair backwards. The chairs are kind of flimsy. It was a miracle I was able to catch him before he hit the floor. I spilled baby fruit all over myself in the process. Baby gear is pretty expensive here. It's interesting to see the things that are more expensive here and the things that are less expensive. I'm noticing that plastic things are more expensive. Like, we need some of those cheapo plastic drawers for clothes - the wardrobes have rods in them for hanging stuff up, but no shelves, and the kids' other clothes - socks, underwear, jammies, etc., are all in a jumble. So I was looking at the supermarket the other day, and the very cheapest little plastic drawer set (and it was tiny) was $20. One that I would buy for Ben's clothes or my clothes - and we need some too - are $75!!! You know the ones that are, like, three feet wide, three feet tall, maybe a foot and a half deep? Crazy. So I just bought one tiny one for now - I'll spread out the expense over several weeks.

So back to my story. There were three high chairs at this store, and I haven't been able to find any anywhere else in the whole city, and I'm desperate. The cheapest high chair is $60. Yikes. Bikes. But it's really a necessity. And Gage is getting to the point where he needs to learn to start feeding himself, so he needs that tray in front of him - you know what I mean. So I went in and kind of indicated to the store lady (they have soooo many associates hanging out in the store, totally bored. Like, every five feet or so, you see an associate, standing there, waiting to help) that I wanted to buy that high chair, and...I don't know. She conferred with two other associates, one went away and came back, and nothing was happening. They were talking to me, but, as usual, I couldn't understand them. And, as usual, they just kept repeating themselves. Like I'll suddenly magically be able to understand them. So for whatever reason, they couldn't sell me that high chair. And I don't know why. So I just muttered, "Um, it's okay. Never mind, I guess..." and walked away. Blah. I told Summer this, and she said that she knows of a place where they're much cheaper, and that she'll take me tomorrow. Thank goodness.

So back to the movie stuff. We came home, and walked down Stinky Street to get home. Everyone was packing up their stuff for the evening. We stopped and chatted with this one fruit stand lady who has two adorable puppies - she is my favorite. I buy all my fruit there. Then wash it like crazy and peel everything possible before eating it. :) Hahaha!

So we got home, and the kids were all asleep, and I said, grimacing, "Soooo...how were the kids?" Usually, when I get home and ask that question, our baby-sitters in the states are like, "Oh, fine, no prob." Maria and Summer were brutally honest - "Oh, they were really, really bad." Hahaha! They said Gage was good, but that the other three fought and hit each other and screamed and pulled hair.... This is all normal for me, but I think it really traumatized them. I felt so badly. I told them that I'm so sorry - that we try to teach our kids correct principles, but that they don't always take those principles to heart. :) How embarrassing.

We had our very first virtual branch meeting this morning! It was really cool. People from all over China were logged in via skype or conference call. The president of the branch is in Provo, but the counselor who was conducting was in another city, the person who gave the opening prayer was in a different city, etc. So cool. It was testimony meeting, so if anyone wanted to bear their testimonies, they would unmute their microphone and bear their testimony. There were a couple of cities where two or three families were meeting together in one family's home, and I found myself feeling really jealous of them. How comforting it would to have another member of the church here to meet with us. But I found out that Chinese nationals are not allowed to meet with foreigners in the same meeting. So, if there are members of the church who are Chinese, they have to hold their own meetings. And we, as foreigners, have to hold our own meetings separately. They have this thing they read at the beginning of each week's sacrament meeting, I guess, where they remind us of our limitations - no proselyting allowed, etc. Which we know. We're very careful, I promise. Anyways, one family blessed their newborn daughter, and we got to hear that - their family was visiting via skype from the states to listen in. So that was cool. There seemed to be an Australian guy and his family in one city. Another man. who I think is probably my parents' age, is in China with his wife, and he told a really cool story - he was wearing his BYU t-shirt and was just out touring wherever, and another American expat came up to him and talked to him. She used to be active in the church, but hasn't been for several years. They sat and talked about the church for awhile, and she told him she wants to start attending our little virtual branch with he and his wife next Sunday. He said that he felt like he and his wife were put here for this American girl, to be examples to her and maybe bring her back to the gospel. So I thought that was cool.

Because the branch president is out of town, we just had sacrament, but usually, they have sacrament and sunday school all in the same virtual meeting. That's how next week will be. And we've been doing our own primary lessons for the kids each week, so we'll just continue to do that, as well. So it was nice. It's been a nice Sunday.

I uploaded my first book to the iPad the other day - I saw the movie, "The Other Boleyn Girl," and wanted to read the book, so that's what I'm reading now. It's fascinating. I plan on getting lots of reading done while we're here.

The weather is getting less intense lately, which is so exciting. I want to find out when Professor Han plans to put in our kitchen. The day that he and his workers come to install it, I want to be out touring somewhere.

Yesterday the cable guy came to install our TV cable. It's soooo important to Professor Han, but dude. There are no English-language channels. Hahaha! Like we'll watch that much! I'm like, "Um, let's focus on important things, shall we? Like having countertops and a stove. Or maybe a bathroom fan or two." Priorities...

Well, the kids are fighting again. They're special. So I'm going to maybe feed them and shower them and all that crap that a mom has to do sometimes. :)

Love you guys.
-Kar