Daniels first time on the dunes.

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The crazy thing people do when they own a 4x4.
I thought I would sit in the back with Daniel to make sure he didn't get scared. I tried to keep a smile on my face the entire time to calm him, but there were times when Dan said that by the look of my face and nervous laugh....I probably wasn't a reassuring as I could have been. He was fine though and only grabbed the side of his carseat twice!

Swimming with Daddy

The ocean

Daniel loves the water
Now he can sit on his own
Enjoying the wind blowing through his hair....
...and the feel of wet sand
and a live crab wiggle in his hand....brave guy...cause I went running!

The natural AC tent.

Taking some shade in a local friends tent.
Of course Daniel was replacing his lost liquids...And still drinking....
Our Sudenese friend Alam....who has become a close friend of our family. He lives out in the desert in the winter and then comes back to the city in the summer to enjoy the air conditioning. He is so hospitable and never hesitates to take us all around whenever we get out to the desert/dunes.

The wig....

Another playgroup moment....thanks to Libby who has such fun things in her home....and yes, the wig is a favorite! Daniel was so funny with it. While I was trying to take a picture he kept pulling it over his eyes and then putting it back on again. I thought his face was so cute and that maybe once he has enough hair I can color and perm it that way! hehehe

Shop till you drop.

I went shopping one morning and obviously too long....Daniel zonked out in the shopping cart. I am glad I had bought some new beach towels so that he had a bit of a bed, still looks pretty uncomfortable to me though.

Eewwww...pink goggles!

Daniel was admiring these goggles at playgroup, so we thought he could give them a try....I had to hold his hands down because he wanted to rip them off before the picture could be taken. Was probably the fact that they were pink....eewwwwww.

Beijing, China February 2008

Nothing like having both men in your life smile!

Where to go in China when you are really hungry but want to diet.

Yes that is what you think it is.....
Sea horses and scorpions....
Grubs and larvae....
This was in the middle of the market with all sorts of treats available.
I settled on sugar coated fruit kebabs.....after I ate them I realized it was probably really stupid since you don't know where the fruit came from or how it was washed. There was no running to the toilet afterwards, so they must have been safe....tasted great too!

The famous Quanjude (Peking) Roast Duck Restaurant

This was inside the restaurant just before going to our table....the guy who took the picture was from Gatineau, Quebec. For those of you who don't know, that is where my Uncle Gary and Auntie Shelly live.
Dan was the brave one and ate the famous duck....I had celery and walnut stirfry and Daniel had his Milupa cookies! hehehe Dan even ate some of the ducks brains before I told him what he was eating....how can you not know you are eating from a ducks fried head????
There Daniel goes again....practicing the chopsticks. Oh and on the right of the picture is the half of a duck head that Dan ate from.....yummy!

My crazy boys and their hats~

Overlooking the temple of heaven from the Silk Market

This is actually the famous Temple of Heaven in the background.
This one is a little blurry, but I love Daniel's smile here.

The Summer Palace

Beautiful place but I highly recommend going when it is warmer....we nearly froze to death!!! I wondered if Daniel would ever forgive us for this day.

In the taxi and hotel

Daniel and daddy having a nap before the long flight home....of course I was up packing the bags...a mother's job never ends......
Daniel loved the taxi rides since they were nice and warm and he loved the fact that he didn't have to be strapped into his carseat. It sure is a lot more fun to look out of the window while moving!

Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City

Nice hat Dan!

Poor Daniel....getting close to the end of the day came the big yawn.....let me tell you, he slept better in China than anywhere in his life...could it have been the long days walking around in the cold???

Our first meal in Beijing - turtle anyone???

Ok so we didn't eat turtle, we actually had dim sum and another veggie soup, but I couldn't resist the photo....And look how good Daniel is at using his chopsticks!

The Great Wall