April 2/April 3

Well, the computer is trying to dry out, it comes on but we can't see the screen very well so no pictures for the time being.
Yesterday we toured the Museum in Urumqi. Not real exciting stuff for the 3-4 year olds but very interesting to the adults. There was one room that the kids were both excited and scared about, the mummy room. There are four mummies on display and the oldest dates back 4000 years. Because of the arid climate these bodies were dried out and very well preserved, you could even make out the painting on the faces.
We had free time in the evening and all the families chose to eat at pizza hut. Our vegetarian pizza had corn,mushrooms, pineapple and red peppers. Sounds like a strange combination but it was really pretty good. Luke enjoyed picking off all the toppings and eating them.
All four kids have been testing their new families out in a variety of ways. Luke continues to dash away from us if given the chance and today he has started hitting. I don't think the kids get much discipline and this will be starting all over again. He had another melt down with sobbing but afterwards settled down and watched a video with the whole family. He is starting to understand things I ask him to do like "put on your shoes." He has said "Lily" quite plainly. Lily has had her moments as well. For awhile she hid in the closet shouting that she needed her space. Luke thought she was playing hide and seek of course and would not leave her alone. I told John we have a 6 year old in a 4 year old body and a 2 year old in a soon to be 4 year old body.
Today all the families met to travel to the international bazaar. What a cool place. There are inside as well as outdoor markets selling a little bit of everything. This is where you are able to barter for what you want and that is half the fun. This is our 3 year family reunion day for Miss Lily so she was allowed to pick out a dress and hat. The dress is a two piece number, kind of an I dream of Genie design and the hat is what the Uigher women wear on their wedding day. Luke got a Uigher style hat, I bought a cashmere scarf for myself (about $6.50), John bought, what else, an instrument (drum). We also bought an assortment to gifts for family and friends. We finally found vendors for the Uigher bread and some freshly squeezed pomagranet juice. Observed some very interesting outdoor food preparation going on, a health inspectors nightmare. We worry so much about sneeze guards and of course here everything is out in the wide open, no protection what so ever and the sand and dust blows all the time. Lots of cooked meat outside, no temperature control. So far our stomachs have remained in great shape, let's hope it continues. We try to be careful about what we eat and stick to the "if you can't peel it don't eat it" rule.
Now it is nap time. Tomorrow we are taking the trip to heavenly lake. I hope it is worth the long drive. Maybe the computer will be working well enough to post photos tomorrow.
Oh a side note....John's Chinese has really come in handy this trip, especially in talking to Luke but also in answering people's questions. We attract a lot of attention and people are curious as to why two Caucasian people have two Chinese children. John is able to explain to them that the children do not have a Chinese mother or father. They seem to be happy to get an answer. We get lots of comments about Lily's beauty and I think they are surprised when they here her English.