Back In Beijing

After 1 + long months away we are back in our pad.  We are excited to have our sheets back, received as a wedding gift from my Grandma Barber, that I finally found in my Mom's shop while getting out Christmas decorations this year.  They were MIA for 4 years.  Our flight back home was a miracle.  Not one of us was seated together, and we tried at every counter to get it changed.  Finally, at the gate they were able to make the switch on a full flight with two other people seated next to us on the row.  After 10 + minutes of boarding I told Dan I thought the other two people might not show up, and we would have the row to ourselves.  He was doubtful, but it ended up happening!  This meant we could all lay down at various points during the flight.  Tate himself took 2 naps and was a perfect child the rest of the time.  My standard for perfect child on an airplane is very high, so believe that he was absolutely in line.  It was a complete miracle.  The flight went smoothly and we landed 20 minutes early.  The following day Tate came down with a fever.  Last Saturday we took him to urgent care and he tested + for strep throat.  Because we were going on an airplane they gave us the option to do a one time shot of penicillin.  Today at the Dr. here in Beijing I found that the strep had grown back so it would have been better to go with the 10 day option last week.  Today we are back on antibiotics.  Despite illnesses surrounding us while we were in San Diego, we had a very pleasant time.  Dan's sister Christy and her husband Dagan were generous to host us at their house.  Tate had non-stop fun with his cousin Dalton who is one year to the day older than he is, and the rest of the crew: Lincoln, Sadie, Eli, Audra and baby Logan.  We were also able to see Dan's other sister Annie and her family.  They own a one acre plot in Ramona and have done wonders to the property.  It is complete with chickens, an outdoor playhouse, tire swing and cat mansion.  Dan's brother Josh and his family also came down for a visit.  We went to the newly refurbished Mormon Battalion Visitors Center which is a must see.  The tour interactively tells the story of the 1846 Mormon Battalion.  Dan said seeing as everyone was sick the entire week it was a spiritual blessing that we had such a good time.  We really appreciate the effort everyone made to make it fun and for Josh and Kerolann to come out and see us.  We're truly blessed to be apart of such great families, and we look forward to seeing everyone again soon.