The Great Wall....

Our Great Wall trip came with much anticipation, 

some anxiety about traveling in China with 3 little boys 

and some pretty high expectations.  

It was the trip that was tops on our list of must do's 

when we moved to Singapore.

Jeff had visited the wall on a couple of previous occasions 

He had dreamed and planned of the day 

when we could all visit together.

We arrived to Beijing on a Sunday afternoon 

after traveling for 6 plus hours via bullet train from Shanghai.  

Beijing was dreary, dark and raining hard.  

We immediately got in a car and drove the couple hours 

out to the wall to stay for the night.   

We stayed at a charming cottage 

which is one of a collection of cottages 

that have been rehabbed and reinvested 

back into the community.  

Sunday night we braved the rain 

and walked up to the base of the wall.  

With the storm, rain and darkness we couldn't see anything.  

We just hoped and prayed for a sunny day 

to greet us on Monday.

Here are the boys ...after our cold and rainy walk

warming up...on the heated tile floor of the bathroom 

We woke up to the most beautiful of fall days.  

It was a special treat to be at the wall 

with the fall leaves changing, the pumpkins & crisp cool weather.  

It did my heart good to wear a fleece and jeans!!

We also woke up literally at the crack of dawn

(thanks to Oscar!) 

and so we were the very first visitors on the cable car 

and on the wall that morning.

We were on the wall before the local venders 

were even there setting up their tables.

Our first climbing steps onto the wall!

Very exciting!

Charlie reading us the signs about No Running on the wall.

And then we let the boys run...just a little:)  

It was vacation after all!

Oscar had started taking his first real steps

just prior to our China trip

 He was still in that cute stage 

of being faster crawling than walking.  

and would revert to the crawling 

when it was most important to move fast and keep up!

And the big brothers loved helping Oscar 

along the way with his new little steps!

A little running and freedom
makes for a very happy & sweet Max.  

Although Oscar had a new found love of walking, 

he spent more moments riding along on Jeff's back 

than any other place.  

And of all our boys, he enjoyed it the most.

Thank goodness.

But Oscar still had sad moments 

of not liking the confinement.

Poor boy...and poor Jeff:(

We had a lot of moments like this.

Readjusting the back pack, wiping a runny nose, 

finding a snack, changing a diaper...

all the real life stuff that still comes along on 

once in a lifetime trips on the wall.

Our ride down the wall at the end was on the toboggan ride.

Charlie got to ride down with our guide Tana 

who was a post grad student from Mongolia.  

Fun to hear about her life in Mongolia

Max was again completely thrilled 

and happy with the toboggan adventure.

Love that smile!

Back at our little cottage where we attempted some photos.
I fell in love with this chippy blue Chinese door.
Charlie was my best model for the photo shoot:)

A late breakfast after our early visit to the wall.

Max is happy to have his bacon & sausage:)

Back at the cottage playing in the garden.

So nice to enjoy the fall sun and let the boys run around for a bit!

Some great memories...some great moments...

and a great 'check' to our list of travel 

for this year of adventure.