For day 1 of our Beijing adventure we headed straight to Tiananmen Square. I have to say, it was really astounding. The gates were incredible! We wandered around a bit, taking lots of pictures along the way. (Surprise, surprise!)
This is Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall/Mausoleum. You can file through to get a glimpse of him, but with the girls in tow we opted against it.
I totally dropped the ball and forgot the girls' sunglasses, so we picked up some new shades for the kiddos.
Making friends :)
This is Ginger's new "cheeeeese" face.
Somewhere between the heat, being picked up by one too many strangers, and desperately wanting a treat, Ginger broke down in protest. In Tiananmen Square.
While somewhat entertaining, it was not a pretty sight.
Then out of nowhere came this adorable behavior - with no pleading, begging, or bribing involved. It was as if the heavens had opened...
...and then promptly closed!
Gigi being escorted out of the Square by daddy
Just across the street from Tainanmen are the gates to the Forbidden City. After a short rest and a round of popsicles, we headed toward the palace.
The Meridian Gate
The Hall of Supreme Harmony
I brought our old point and shoot for Naomi to take her own photos. Ginger was her best subject.
The girls
Usually Naomi shies away from photos with strangers, but she really enjoyed it on this trip. She was excited to say, "Ni hao ma?" and pose. It was so much fun to see how her confidence with Mandarin has grown in the last year.
The Hall of Central Harmony
Gigi running free!
Naomi's Kung Fu pose :)
The Palace of Heavenly Purity
During our second round of popsicles I noticed these twins peeking at us.
Seriously adorable!
More new friends for Naomi
These two found us several times on the palace grounds to pose with Naomi. They called her "Mei Mei" (little sister).
We found these fun chinese empress headbands for the girls. Love them!!!
After a little man handling by his parents, this little guy reluctantly put his arm around our little empress. Adorable!!!
Exiting through The Gate of Divine Might.
By the time we were through the day was winding down, but what an incredible day it was.
Wow the girls are getting so big and of course adorable as ever and your hair looks really blonde and really good. Jon looks good as ever too, haha! Gigi's little (big) meltdown looks so familiar. XOXO!
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