We got a little sidetracked with our unpacking, but for good reasons. My sister, brother in law, and my lovely niece came to visit us for the week from Hong Kong. Despite the mess around the house, we loved being able to spend a fun, eventful week together. My mom happened to be in town as well and overlapped with them for a few days, so she was elated to spend time with both her granddaughters in one location.
We didn’t have any real agenda for their trip, as we weren’t sure if Brianne would have jetlag. Fortunately, she adapted to our time zone just fine, and did not suffer even one night of jetlag. It may have been her excitement to see her BFF Bridgette!
We had been preparing Bridgette for Brianne’s visit for some time now, helping her to count down the days on the calendar, making special cards to greet her at the airport, etc. Needless to say, when the day actually came, Bridgette could hardly contain her excitement to greet ‘Je Je’ (chinese for ‘elder sister’, which is what she calls Brianne)


The girls spent every day and night together, completely inseparable. They played, hugged, kissed, napped together, slept together, and got along miraculously well to all of our amazement. I suppose they finally realized how valuable this time is, considering that they live across the world from each other. Each minute was precious, and they did not want to spend it fighting!






The girls had a blast at Costco. They loved sampling all the food. It was really cute to watch them go up to each sample station and ask ‘Is this spicy?’ If the answer was yes, they’d move on to the next one. If the answer was no, they’d stand around waiting patiently to get their samples.













We spent a good hour just watching the girls draw in the sand, throw rocks into the water, and enjoy the tranquility of the afternoon. Sometimes, just watching your children be completely absorbed and focused on a small thing like looking for rocks can really help you slow down and put things into perspective.
They were dressed in nice clothes and boots, and my natural instinct was to not let them go into the sand, but on second thought, why not? Clothes and shoes can easily be washed and is certainly not a reason to pull your children back from exploring the world!

Seems like it might be time for Bridgette to have a sibling!?! (Hint… hint…)