June

We were so fortunate to take a trip with Brock's parents to China this June.  We had such an amazing experience.  We visited Beijing, Xian and Shanghai.  We saw so many incredible sights and learned so much.  We missed our little one like crazy but she was having a great time with her aunts and cousins.  Here we are, when we first arrived, at Tiananmen Square.

All of us standing on the Emporer's Bridge inside the Forbidden City.  Only 24 emperors ever passed over it. 

The Temple of Heaven, where the emperor prayed for crops.

The Great Wall, which extends the distance from LA to NYC.  The section we were at went straight up!  It was quite a climb and so hot, but we made it to the top.

This is the Summer Palace (Somer's favorite place). The emperors would spend the warm seasons here. We rented a little boat and drove it around the lake, it was so beautiful.

The Olympic Stadium (or Bird's Nest) in Beijing.

In Xian, we visited the Terra Cotta Warriors. The statues were buried to protect the First Emperor as he passed into the afterlife. It blew us both away. This is only one of 60 known tombs.

We also visited China's biggest and most industrialized city, Shanghai. Here is the Shanghai skyline at night. The world's tallest building is in the back, shrouded by the clouds.

We took a side trip to the beautiful water-town of Suzhou. Marco Polo called it the "Venice of the East". Here is a picture from our tour boat on the canal.

And our happy baby at home, well cared for by all our loved ones,  Thank you so much!!