Mother's Day

Surprise! We're in California!

Yep. We tagged along with my sister on her return flight, and in a few weeks, NZ will join us out here while he works from the home office for a week. Totally unexpected, and unplanned ( we booked my ticket just 36hours in advance), and totally great!

I've been a bit bummed out on China in general lately. Not my friends, I love em all. I love the support network we have, the play dates, the outings....but China, just...... Takes...so...much....effort. That's the only way I know how to put it. It isn't a horrible place, it's just so difficult to accomplish anything. A trip to the grocery store literally takes all morning. Now that the summer heat and humidity are arriving, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to tag along with my sister (and have a spare set of hands for the boy) for the flight. 

With the short notice on our trip, I decided NOT to tell my mama.

Imagine her surprise on Sunday when Sal walked through her kitchen door. I hung back behind to see what her reaction was to seeing her grandson walking through her house. She was floored. She thought she was dreaming. It was awesome to be able to surprise her, especially since she shared Mother's Day with her birthday this year. 

                             sal checks the swell. 

          Verdict? Flat. Dad isn't missing anything but us.

We started our day at a walk at my favorite beach, followed by a trip to the harbor with my grandma Dottie, then back to my mom's house in the evening for a BBQ and outdoor play time. Sal learned that the fountain my mom has in her yard makes the BEST kiddy pool around. 

He was all up in it, trying to climb the tiers to the top. He also got to check out his grandma's field of fruit trees, and fell in love particularly with the tangerine tree. He must have downed at least four (his shirt has stains to prove it), as he picked them. 

      Mmmmmm, so good once it hits your lips! 

My step dad barbecued chicken, and after months of having stringy, chewy Chinese chickens, last night's dinner hit the spot. I used to live on chicken ( I would BBQ a whole bag of breasts and eat them cold throughout the week) and since moving to China, the only way I can stomach it is if it's hidden in something. It makes me sad. I miss good chicken! And avocado. You bet I had avocado on my salad. And corn on the cob. Delicious sweet corn on the cob.

Did I mention that our Mother's Day supper hit.the.spot? 

Well, it did.

It also warmed my heart to surprise my mom and see Sal get to experience playing in the backyard for the first time. We stripped his clothes down and he went buck wild exploring every nook and cranny of my mom's yard. I look forward to moving back into our California home with our enormous back yard. 

Outdoor space equals freedom. So does a car.

I have a car right now. It's wonderful. I usually hate driving but the past few days I'm game for anything. I've not yet gone shopping (waiting on a stroller delivery first), but just having wheels and being able to hop in the car and go wherever I want on my schedule is such a good feeling.

 Again, freedom.

To end my Mother's Day post, I just have to thank the man that made me a mother. This year, he gave me the gift of temporary freedom for the next few weeks in the form of a plane ticket and rental car. It's tough not having him here to enjoy it with me, but I am ever so grateful that he made my trip home happen.