Catching Up

Jumping ahead now 22 months we are living in China and have graduated from Brigham Young University--Idaho. We are thoroughly enjoying life in the city of Weifang 潍坊 which is located in the Shandong 山东 province of China 中国. We have lots of time to be together and we feel like we are helping the students at the Shandong College of Business and Economics 山东经贸学院. We have felt the love of God, who we know helped us to realize this dream as we have prepared, and traveled to this magnificent country
Andelyn is up to her silly antics as usual. Some of her funniest moments so far is when she walked out the door by herself determined to play in the sandbox that is about 100 meters from our apartment. She turned to me and said "Andee outside."
"We'll go outside soon," I replied.
"No Daddy go outside, Andee go by-self."
"Oh really...then don't forget your shoes."
"Andee shoes on." She gets her shoes on. "Daddy, keys please." She sticks out her hand.
"Here are the keys."
"Tanks! (her way to say thanks) Mama, phone please." She has noticed that every time we walk out the door we make sure we have a phone with us, so naturally she needed a phone since she was going outside. Mom answers, "Mama is going to keep her phone."
"Bye-bye Mama, bye-bye Dada." She opens the front door, walks out and slams it behind her. We hear her footsteps down the stairs as we sat at the kitchen table. I don't know how far she would've gone because I ran out to grab her, but it just goes to show that she is wanting to be independent now. Who knows what will come next.

One thing that has amazed me is just how many people are here in China (see the vid to see what I am talking about. It was like this the evening). I feel like the only way I could understand what it means to have 1.3 billion people in one country is to see it. A prophet of the ancient world said "Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess it." (1 Nephi 17:36). As I look around at the people inhabiting the earth it astounds me that our Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us.

As I look at my almost 4 month-old daughter wiggling on the floor, eyes wide, making sounds that I can't help but chuckle at, I wonder who else would like to know what Andee is doing, or maybe what Tessa is up to, etc. I don't know how many of you there are out there that would like to know about our life, but for whoever and wherever you are this blog is for you.