A few "Must Sees"

Friday night we took the boys to see Iron Man 2 on the big screen.  "Big screen" meaning we actually went to a movie theater instead of buying the same new release movie just outside our door.......because in China you can.....

Anyway....we continue to believe ALL action packed movies are a must see on the big screen, and Iron Man 2 is definitely action packed!!  However, to my surprise, there was as much action going on with Iron Man and his gnarly metalic gear, as was also going on with Preston boy sitting next to me.  At about midpoint of the movie, while I was completely enthralled in the action, (and at the same time enhaling almost an entire large popcorn by myself), I couldn't help notice P-boy bouncing all over his seat, and constantly scratching his head.  Within two seconds of witnessing the itching, I picked him up and fled the dark theater hoping my guess that perhaps he had lice was not true!!  Since none of the boys have ever had lice before, I was not really sure what I was looking for, but bit by bit, I took a few strands of his blonde hair, until I had thoroughly scoured his whole head. Just to make sure I wasn't missing anything, I summoned John from the movie theater for another "spider search" as we explained it to Preston.  Relieved and happy neither one of us had  found any tiny brown spec surprises, we all returned to the theater where I quickly began where I left off on my large popcorn, and we all enjoyed the rest of the movie.

Unfortunately this blog post does not happily end here because around 1:30 a.m. I was awakened by poor P-boy crying his little eyes out in the next room.  When I ran in to his room to console him, he was again madly scratching his head telling me he had "spiders"---which continued until  4:00 a.m. 

First thing the next morning, I took him right in to see the doctor!  She also did not see any tiny brown specs, just handfuls of the tiny white specs--NITS!!!  Needless to say, we left the doctor's office with a large bag of lice shampoos, combs, and strict instructions for not only Preston use, but the entire family as well.  Yes, completely disgusting!!

So in summary of the above.......thumbs up for the "MUST SEE" not to be missed movie Iron Man 2, but thumbs down for Preston's "MUST SEE" note from school I did miss until today which went something like this.... 

"Dear Parents, unfortunately a few of our students have reported an outbreak of head lice.  Please check your child at home.............!!"  

And..... two thumbs up for this new little "MUST SEE"  that was born on May 25th to my brother Cameron and his wife Anne.  Welcome to our newest little adorable cousin,  Gavin Ray Copeland

Middle School Dinner Dance

The count down is on......only two weeks left of school.  The boys are definitely anxious for summer, but are still busy with finals and a few last school activities.

One of the traditional highlights for a middle school student at Shanghai American School, is attending the end of year dinner/dance boat cruise down the Huangpu River.  Friday night, Parker enjoyed this traditional cruise with his schoolmates.  Lucky for us, Parker is always willing to share details about his fun so the rest of us could get a gist of just how great the evening was.  Here are a few pictures of the evening that show some of his fun, but trust me when I say it's even funner with a play by play from Parker (:

Keep Your Eye on that Eagle

I LOVE MY BOYS! 

I LOVE MY BOYS IN BOY SCOUTS!

I LOVE MY BOYS PROGRESSING IN BOY SCOUTS!

I LOVE MY BOYS MOVING CLOSER TO FINISHING THAT EAGLE BADGE, AND FINISHING THEIR YEARS IN BOY SCOUTS (:

OH, AND YES, I LOVE THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO DO THIS 4 TIMES WITH MY 4 SONS!

Note.....starting here, the following is without any sarcasm because truly boy scouts is a wonderful program!!  We have been so grateful for the great leaders, and amazingly organized pack the boys have been able to be a part of here in Shanghai.  It has been fun to have Bracken and Parker attend weekly pack meetings, campouts, and work on merit badges together, and even funner to see them laugh about scouting situations together.  Even though it is a lot of work for them (and their parents), it is definitely beneficial and rewarding to receive that sought after Eagle achievement!  Even more, the boys LOVE to be reminded that their dad was asked about his Eagle Scout achievement at one of his job interviews after college graduation, and that their space awaits them in the "eagle nest" with him.

So, Kudos to Bracken and Parker at tonight's Court of Honor and moving on up those ranks...

Parker recieved his 1st class--

And Bracken received his Life which means Eagle is near!!

It's finally here!

It's been 223 days since the countdown began, and its really finally here!  We're talking about Shanghai American School Soccer Day----the day that all the international schools in Shanghai come together for an all day soccer tournament.  For Tyson, there has been as much hype and anticipation for this event as waiting for Christmas!  Every day for months, Tyson has been asking me when the day will finally arrive, and every day I would do a quick "mom estimation" for him until one day he told me I had already used that number the week before!  The very next day, (223 days ago to be exact),  we grabbed a calendar,  and pegged the soccer date.  Since then, Tyson has tracked his upcoming event faithfully crossing out each day until his big day finally arrived........

And with a good 223 days to plan, Tyson had just enough time to decide on the perfect soccer day treat for his classmates....

So with the day finally here and soccer treats made,  let the games begin......

Thanks to Grandma Copeland for making a comfy "soccer day" blanket for us to enjoy the games, and eat our picnic lunch on.  It made for an awesome soccer day just as Tyson had imagined. 

We loved cheering for Tyson and his fabulous soccer moves on the field, while at the same time enjoyed watching a lot of excitement off the field as Tyson's classmates loved and hovered over "Little Tyson's"  every move.  

Thanks for a great day Tyson!  And until next year's soccer day, let the countdown begin!!

Meet the Newest Celebrities

Even though we have lived in Shanghai for almost four years now, I still wake up sometimes wondering if I am really in China.  Of course we really do live in China, but with all the expat benefits including our comfy house in an expat neighborhood, our kids in a private American school, many expat activities, English speaking friends, and a fabulous church family, most of the time we don't actually feel like we are really living in a foreign country.  It is experiences like I had today that help me remember where I am living, and how grateful I am for this experience abroad.  It also reminds me how blessed I am to be an American, but also how I sometimes take those blessings and freedoms for granted.

Today a few friends and I were able to help out a boy scout in our church that is working on his eagle project.  His project is helping a very poor, migrant school publish their very first school yearbook.  Last week he and his mother went to the school and took individual pictures of each of the students (a huge project since the school is packed with children.)  Today he needed individuals to help take class pictures, as well as random pictures of the students.  I was excited, and jumped at the opportunity to volunteer, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The migrant school is located inside of Shanghai, in a very poor area.  The class sizes are enormous,(sometimes up to 50 kids) with one teacher.  Even though the school was a bit dirty, it might not have the most well educated teachers, or newest technology, it was well organized, and the students seemed happy and content.

School Principal

The minute we arrived, the students were eager for us to take pictures of them.  I loved how they would flock together so they too could be part of the picture.  The principal of the school told us they were so excited when they heard "foreigners" were coming to their school today to take their picture---they haven't had a lot of pictures taken of them in their lifetime, so this made them feel like celebrities!

I wanted to take a few pictures of the students studying in their classrooms.  I quietly entered the classroom hoping the students wouldn't see me and asked the teacher if it would be ok.

Unfortunately when the students saw me with the camera, it went from this quiet, under control class....

To this.....

and then this......

I felt bad the teacher had to once again get control of his classroom after I left, but I do have to admit this made my day!  It doesn't get any sweeter than this!

I then headed out to the student's recess time to get pictures of them on the "playground."   I didn't see any jungle gyms, swings, or slides, but what I did see was a lot of students enjoying some good down to earth, homemade games and FUN! 

As we were leaving the school, I smiled when I heard several of the students say "Bye Bye" and even a few "Hellos", and realized the two English words they knew were ironically the only two words I knew in Chinese when I first moved to China.  Since then, each day I have learned more and more about this great country, and also learned how much more there is to know. 

Looking forward to seeing these new celebrities in their first annual school yearbook!

To Accessorize or Not

This is usually not even a question for Parker as he is the ultimate belt accessorizer!  Every outfit he wears, he completes it with a bit of "zestful fashion" by adding a BELT to his attire, and every day I anticipate (with a huge smile might I add) which belt he will choose from his extensive repertoire!    Since I am his mom and I see him everyday,  I thought I was the only one noticing his belt obsession.  However, lately I've had many others ask where Parker finds these fashionable hits, and apparently at school he is also known for his creative belt-work as well!  Let me share just a few of my favorites since showing ALL of them might require a few more posts......

Check this one out.... just an ordinary boy scout uniform??  Hardly with this American flag addition!

Crossbones??  Just wait 'til you see it on!!  With the right outfit you will want one too....

And my personal favorite.....

So, Parker's answer to the question "To Accessorize or Not" is usually an obvious one, until this past month.  Unfortunately the word "accessory" took on a whole new meaning for him.  He was forced to wear two accessories that he was not too keen, nor did he find too fashionable. 

The first was this hand cast......(btw...punching what might seem to be "padded" walls regardless if it is in a joking manner cause breaks in bones too!) 

After three weeks of wearing the cast he was more than ready for it to come off......except for the fact he will miss the "chicks at school" who ask to sign it every day (:

And  just when the first unwanted cast accessory came off, another unwanted accessory went on!  Ok, maybe this second accessory he has been forced into wearing could not have been avoided like the cast, but nonetheless, still not a favorable fashion statement for Parker for the next year and a half.......

Accessories or not, we love Parker's fashion sense he obviously inherited from his Dad, and even more his zest of life he adds to everything!