Perdue Family Update...

As I know most of you have been eagerly waiting on the edge of your seats for an update on the Perdue family. Do not fear... Matt is here to provide you with some insight to our life in China.

Family: Our family leaves next Saturday for the island of Phuket in Thailand. Along with two other families and three single gals from our school, we will be enjoying the warm weather for 12 days during the Chinese New Year. We plan to soak up plenty of sun and eat our fair share of Thai food.

Sarah, Brynn and I have fallen in love with the show Glee. We had never seen an episode before Xmas. We downloaded the first and second seasons. We have watched all of the episodes and absolutely love the show! Brynn loves the music and watches intently at all of the songs and dances. We can't wait for Season 2 to pick back up this Spring!

Matt: I am extremely busy at school this semester. Along with my extremely tough course load, I am actively involved in extracurricular activities. I am coaching the boys' middle school basketball team. We practice twice a week. I love every minute of it, but the lack of a gym makes things very tough. We have practiced in the snow, ice and frigid temperatures. We travel to Wuhan February 17 for our basketball tournament. I have a great team and hope to bring home the trophy!

My Model United Nations' team is gearing up for our next conference in Qingdao, February 23. Yes, you read that right. I will be traveling on consecutive weekends. Actually, I will not be in Chengdu for any weekend in February thanks to Thailand, Wuhan and Qingdao. My MUN team is great. They are super smart and excellent debaters. We are the United Kingdom for this conference. We are excited to have a major world power and not stuck with Somalia, like in Singapore!

Personally, I am learning the sport of Table Tennis. I am on about a 7th grade level currently. I can hang with the middle school, but not beat the best players. I am getting better, however, as I am getting lessons from one of our PE teachers who is Chinese. Today, we worked on backhands. In three days of practice, I have improved dramatically. I hope to hang with the high school kids by the end of the school year. I want to invest in a table when we move back to the States!

Sarah: Morning sickness is no longer bothering Sarah. It was rough for the first 12 weeks. Sarah was very nauseated. Living in China does not make this much easier. When you crave something in the States, you can run and get it easily. In China, good luck finding what your wife wants! Also, smells are everywhere in China. When I say smells, I do not mean the smell of roses. I mean the putrid ones! This does not do good on a pregnant woman.

Sarah is really adjusting to life in China. She cooks for us almost every night. She has learned to make do with the limited ingredients and still come up with meals for her picky husband. She has learned how to get around on the buses, while learning how to shop and barter in the markets.

Brynn: Our daughter has turned into quiet the artist. Papa, Lulu and Aunt Faith bought her an easel for Xmas. It has dry-erase and chalk board. Brynn loves it. We trust her to write on it without our supervision. MISTAKE!!! On Wednesday morning, Brynn decided to decorate her room in marker. We are talking walls, bed, pillows, toys, rug, etc... We will post pictures of the incident soon!

She has learned the concept of "me". Before, we would point at a picture of her and never got a response. Now, she comprehends who she is and what she looks like.

We are now working on the concept of her being a big sister. She kisses Sarah's belly and will talk to the baby, but she sometimes gets confused and thinks daddy has a baby, as well. She seems excited about being a big sister and loves the idea of getting a "real" baby. We are just nervous about how she will take to the baby stealing so much of Sarah's time.