t h e . r i d i c u l o u s . p a n d a

back from the best. vacation. ever.

i didn't once wish that we were home, only the last night in beijing did i start to think about how nice it would be to return to chicago. silas was beyond expectation, a brave traveler, patient toddler and hilarious companion. being a complete family for fifteen days only brought out our strengths. silas looked aged at the end of every day and his laughter reached new peaks of delirium every night.

we found my brother, steve, in an airport in kunming and stuck with him and his family for eleven days of adventure, noodles, mahjongg, forty cent beers, singing, stick gathering and temple wandering.

there was a moment in the back of loaf of bread hired bus for the day that i was squeezed in between my husband, brother with my baby boy on my lap and i realized that i've never felt safer. on a bumpy road in the middle of nowhere southwestern china, in dirty socks, hair smelling like incense and cooking oil, with a belly full of crackers and lucky oranges and i am completely satisfied.

i'm leaving the giant photo post to muxoxo.com. it should be up in a few days time. we came home with upwards of 1,100 pictures. sam will pick the most web worthy ones.

we ate like emperors, met hundreds of inquisitive faces - all wanting to rub our baby's cheeks or wag their fingers at us for "underdressing" him, climbed the great wall, blew off roman candles to celebrate spring festival, survived a deluge of candies, treats and gifted apples and cracked walnut shells under our hiking shoes. and i learned that you truly haven't lived until you attempt to bargain in chinese with your husband - "wait! what amount did you just throw out?! that's a sixty five cent jump!!"

silas only has two pages used up in his passport, i can't wait to see where we end up next.