First day of touring Beijing

 Allison's new favorite picture of AK--LOVE IT!

The day was great, but exhausting and cold!!!  Forbidden City and Summer Palace beautiful but frozen... crowds smaller which is nice.  The food is sooooooo good- feel like I am eating a ton.  AK has been pretty adventurous which is cool.  We went to a tea tasting yesterday and that may replace coffee in my affections.  AK is the toast of our travel group.  Our guide, Sherry, even got her some (cheap) pearls at the pearl market yesterday.  Mark treated me to some nice pearls!!  Gorgeous, pink ones.  We really like our group-- just 4 families so far which is nice.  Everyone is returning for a second or third child except one couple.  They are adopting a 4 year old, and are Chinese- American (grew up in Malaysia).  and fluent in Mandarin which has helped!  AK lasted through most of yesterday's sightseeing but crashed harder than I've ever seen her at about 4, while we were at the summer palace.  She slept through the tea tasting and dinner, and basically through the night.  
She and the other family's little boy Jonah are big buddies already and like holding hands in their strollers.