Chinese New Year

Anna wanted me to do my Chinese Year Unit at school again this year. I always want to make sure it is something that SHE wants me to do and feel comfortable with me doing. She did, so I spent a half hour one day while I was subbing at her school talking about CNY and China with her class. I took in some books and decorations and they were already doing a Weekly Reader on China, so the first graders were eager to learn more about the country. On Anna's birthday, I returned with my mom and some parent helpers to do crafts and food. It was fun.

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Anna turns 7!

Anna had a great birthday week of celebrations! It is fun being 7! Anna is such a sweet young girl. She is kind and caring and it is incredibly hard to believe that she is seven! Sometimes it is hard when I think of how she was alone in an orphanage for her first 14 months and that I was not there when she was born or for her first birthday. She has been asking a lot of questions lately and has been talking about birthparents and their role in all of this. She is such a smart little girl. She will get out books about China adoption and has been reading them. She knows I cry every time and she thinks it is so funny. LOL! I am always one to tear up, but I want Anna to be comfortable reading those books and asking questions. One night she was sad and said she missed China. I had to explain to her that she missed the idea of China and that is because she cannot remember it or anything about it. I am always positive in my talks about China, but I do not sugar coat the discussions either. I can't add or embelish the situation. It is what it is and this it is how we became to be her forever family. We will hopefully visit China someday when we are all ready to take it all in.

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them and be sure to click on the video, too!

Personalize a scrapbook

Valentine's Day

The Big Valentine's Day hunt was a hit, as usual. The kids wait for this all year and were so excited. Yes, even the almost 15 year old still looks forward to Valentine's Day. Barry was unable to eat dinner with us because he had a church Finance Committee meeting, so we had our lasagna another night with him. Yum.

Barry had me take VERY close up pictures of a few things in the house and he printed them off. The kids had to figure out where the pictures were taken. VERY hard this year. Brandon was afraid we would have Alegebra type clues! Ha ha!

The kids enjoyed the prizes and we enjoyed celebrating the evening together.

Snowpocalypse 2011? Nope...not here, as usual!

SNOW

Turkey Time

I had to look up on the internet what a group of turkey's is called. Apparently it is called a RAFTER or a GANG.....Anyway....a RAFTER/GANG of turkey's lives in the woods in our neighborhood. We see them often as we leave in the nearby cul de sac. I have never seen them in our backyard until yesterday. 20 of them! Fascinating to watch as the ice/sleety snow pelted them for hours. By the time I grabbed the camera, they were at my neighbor's house, so I didn't get very good pics.

Fun at Carly's

Carly had a birthday party last weekend and had Kailee and Karli and Anna come. It was Anna's first sleepover away at at friend's house. She had a blast. Robin came back to my house for the night and we drove back to Bloomington the next day to see the girls, go to FUJI, and do a little shopping and of course lots of visiting. Had a great day. The girls are such good buddies and it is like they have never been a part.....mommies, too!