Whew - by day five, we were exhausted. We had thought about driving to Leshan to see the Big Buddha (something we haven't even done yet), but a two hour drive there and then another two hours back with the girls sounded tough to me so we settled on a much more relaxing day - we popped back by Jin Lin street for my dad to buy a mask, a local noodle shop, walking around tianfu square and then heading home for rest time, the playground and roller blading. It was the perfect way to wrap up a busy four days touring.
^ Emma all ready to go - she was in the picture taking mood this particular day and I love it; she looks so big here! ^
^ I really can't believe we are going to have a legitimate kindergartner in a few weeks!! ^
^ sissy had some tears at first, but she pulled through with a few smiles. ^
^ some not so real ;). ^
^ and some bunny hops - in the preferred location, where Emma got her picture made ;). ^
^ first stop, Starbucks at Jin Lin street - I took the girls here while Papa George bought his mask. he was done quickly so we headed out before too long. ^
^ Nonni and Ev's strolling Jin Lin street. ^
^ they make even a pile of trash look good :). ^
^ teenager status ^
^ we found this article on NYT 36 hours in Chengdu and decided we had to check it out. ^
^ you guys, this noodle place was nuts??!!?? ^
^ us, outside, pretending not to be overwhelmed by the sheer chaos while my driver ordered us some dishes. ^
^ we finally got this tiny area to to sit in - girls in laps, it was crazy hot, we were a mess - here is a closer look at our dishes (unfortunately, I am not even sure what their names are so I cannot report back on what was better than the others). my dad liked them all if that helps :). ^
^ it appears calm here, but let me assure you my children were falling apart at the seams. ^
^ my driver had picked us up this chinese hamburger to share - also in the article. ^
^ this might be my favorite picture of my parents from the entire trip. my dad had a really nice guy sit beside him that wanted to work on his English so that was kind of fun for both of them. ^
^ I took the girls outside while my parents finished eating, but when they were done I snuck back in to get a look at the assembly line chaos. sheer, but very organized, chaos I am telling you. ^
^ after we were done we popped over to tianfu square - the girls had lunch at McDonald's (just in case you were wondering, they would not eat anything at the noodle joint while my dad, mom and I shared an oreo McFlurry). then we walked around stopping by to see these panda's last. ^
^ Emmy Lou and my dad. ^
^ Ev's was either tired or a little sad that she could sense my dad was leaving the following day. she was all cuddles with Papa George. ^
^ while this one remained full of energy - she is our little energizer bunny, always on the move! ^
^ waiting for the car - I love these shots with my parents (completely candid). ^
^ after resting and homemade chipotle burrito bowls, we headed to the playground. my mom caught all of these Emma expressions - she is our silly silly girl! ^
^ back at home, we worked on our roller blading skills ^
^ I am not sure if I have told you, but we gave them their scooters turned backwards to help with their balance. it has helped them tremendously!! ^
That night my dad told them one more story, tucked them into bed and we all called it a pretty early night. The next morning, my dad and I were up to head out the door by 5:30 - I dropped him off at the airport and headed to work. We are so so so thankful that my parents made a huge sacrifice of time and money to come see us! We had the best best time during their visit :). We were also thankful we got another week of Nonni snuggles before she eventually had to head back as well!
