I'm back...

Waiting, not-so-patiently, for my mom at the airport.

It's time to ease back into the blogosphere after a two-week vacation, a recovery week (the vacation from a vacation week), and a week of sick children & sick mommy.  The beginning of October brought our first visitor to Suzhou.  My mom came for not just one week, but for a full two-week stay!  We were excited to show her around our new home and introduce her to some of our favorite spots in Suzhou.  The first week of October was a national holiday here in China and Jamie and the girls were off from school and work.  Taking advantage of the time, we became tourists in our own city.

                                        

                                                       A few happy tears!

On the first Sunday she was here we took the bus to church and then ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Suzhou, Casa Zoe.  On another day, we took in the sights on Walking Street and ate cotton candy and did some shopping.  Because it was a holiday, there were many locals out and things were pleasantly crowded.  Another holiday special was the smell of stinky tofu wafting around, nothing says vacation like foul-smelling food!  I made it a priority to introduce my mom to my "purse guy" and we nabbed a very traditional Chinese meal (or not) for lunch at McDonald's.

Next time mom gets some cotton candy too!

Looking down on all the people on Walking Street.