Required photos...

So, our adoption agency contacted us a few weeks ago.  We had already had our first post-adoption visit from our Texas social worker and provided the many photos they requested of Kennedy.  Apparently, our agency that is actually in Tennessee has a different list of required pics.  Charles and I had to be in them WITH Kennedy.  We used a few from the adoption trip, but did not have enough and had to include some current shots.  We have forgotten to take them for the last few weekends, and I try my best to avoid cameras.  Charles remembered late Sunday evening...when my makeup was all worn off, we were exhausted and Kennedy was taking a shower...that the photos HAD to be taken and mailed out this week.  As soon as she was done drying her hair, we had to call her out to take some pics.  Mia took 2 of the above shots, and the timer and tripod handled the one with the whole family.  Keep in mind, this was the same day that Kennedy had her pout-fest, so the smiles may look a bit forced!  ;)  She was actually wearing her pajamas and slippers, so we took pics from the waist up!   Anyway, we rarely post photos of all of us, so I thought I would let you share the pain! 

Be sure to scroll down and look at the photo shoot of Mia planting a flower garden!



You know she's my daughter when...

...I overheard Mia explaining to Kennedy that the reason we have restaurants everywhere in America is so we won't starve!  I interjected that people could actually eat at home, and she looked confused!  Yup!  She's MY daughter!  We LOVE to eat out!!

Anyway, the picture above is from Sunday when Mia...with a little help from her Daddy, planted flowers around the trees in our front yard.  I will add more pics of that below.  I sat in a chair and...supervised!  It was lovely! 

Can you tell in the picture before the last one that all the gardening wore her out??!!

Oh, where was Miss Kennedy during all the fun?  Well...she had decided to try out the whole teenager pout thing.  She was inside...brooding.  She found out that it only punishes herself and that the rest of us just go along happily with life.  Lesson learned?  We will see.  The JOY of teenagers.  Fun times.

Rodeo pics

While I was posting earlier today, I noticed Charles had not yet posted about the trip to the rodeo.  In case he does not have time, I went ahead and posted some pictures!  I can not really comment, because I was not there.  However, I was told that Kennedy was scared of the ferris wheel, and Mia was fearless...as usual!  They loved winning cheesy prizes at the carnival games, and had a blast on the bumper cars.  They claimed that the biggest hit of the day was watching the horses get groomed before entering the arena!  Go figure!

Be sure to scroll down to see today's earlier post with great pics of Mia!

Outdoor fun!

Mia and I met our BFFs...Corrie and Leesie, for Leesie's 6th birthday today.  We had to miss her party the first day of spring break because Mia came down with strep throat that morning.  Today is the actual birthday...so we got the girls together for a little 6 year old girl fun!  We left Kennedy home to sleep late and watch movies by herself for a few hours. Mia and Kennedy were in MAJOR need of a break from eachother.  They have been bickering daily during spring break...making me somewhat dread summer.  Thank goodness Kennedy will have ESL summer school to give them time apart!  They certainly act like sisters.  Not always fun for me.
Anyway, here is Miss Mia riding a horse!

Zip Line Queen!

We have visited this place several times.  Mia has always avoided the zip line.  I convinced her to try today, then couldn't get her off that thing!  She never fell off...which was a miracle!  She LOVED it!

Another pic of Mia!

In this one, she climbed up to the top of the referee chair at the volleyball sand court.  Is it a ref in volleyball??  Anyway, she sure is cute up there!  Climbing down was...not so easy!

Kennedy's 14th Birthday...better late than never!

This is the look on Kennedy's face when we woke her up a little early for school on her birthday and she came out for breakfast to find gifts waiting for her!  She said, "Me China, no birthday!"  We told her that from now on, her birthday will always be celebrated!  She smiled from ear to ear!

Here she is receiving either the Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia DVD.  She is reading both series of novels in Mandarin at school and LOVES them!!

Learning all about getting a new wardrobe for the changing season!  She is starting to get into clothes a bit now.  She has NO interest in dresses.  That's MY girl!  I guess we are just not frilly girls around here.  Sorry, mom!

We saved a suprise CD for the birthday meal at Kennedy's favorite Italian dinner spot!  Justin Bieber, or however you spell his name.  Kennedy seems to like the blonde haired, blue eyed boys...she also likes the boy meeting that description who plays "Peter" in the Chronicles of Narnia.  Sigh.

Make a wish!

Close up of the cake she chose.  I took her to the bakery and said she could pick any cake.  There were some really fancy and expensive ones...but she chose the cheapest, most decorated one she could!  She went straight to it and said THIS one!!!  Whatever makes you happy, my girl!

Mia was as patient as she could be with a day that was all about someone OTHER than her!  She finally asked when someone was going to take HER picture, since she is so cute!

Sorry it took so long to post pics from Kennedy's birthday on March 3rd!  It has been quite busy around here!  Kennedy began her day with gifts.  After school, we took her out to an Italian place she loves for some spicy sausage pasta and her cake.  We ended the night...a school night I might add...with roller skating!  She truly enjoyed the entire day!

Last week, we had a meeting with Kennedy's ESL teacher and counselor for next year...in NINTH GRADE.  Gulp.  Yes, you read that right.  She should technically be in 8th grade this year.  She was in 6th in China, but the grades are NOT equivalent. 

You may recall that we decided to temporarily place her in 5th grade at my school for one semester to get her used to school in America and early English learning in a more supportive setting.  However; if she were to keep on track from this grade level, she would be DRIVING herself to 7th grade.  NOT ok!

Next year, we will place her age appropriately.  The district we live in (not the same as the district where I teach) agreed to place her one grade below where her age puts her, which would be 8th.  However, we would be right back in the same boat we would have been in if we had placed her in 7th or 8th this semester.  That school does not begin until 8:50.  Charles leaves by 6:00 or 6:15 each morning, and I have to be at work by 7:30.  Kennedy would have to leave the house on her own and get on the bus.  I am still not comfortable with that idea.  Her high school has a 9th grade only campus, and the bus will pick her up before I have to leave.  I feel much better about that.

The counselor and teacher are WONDERFUL!  That helped make our decision as well.  They are going to allow me to enroll her the last day of this semester so she will be eligible for an oral language building ESL summer school class in the district for all of June, possibly part of July.  It uses a discovery learning approach to really encourage the use of spoken English.  I am THRILLED about that and know it will REALLY help!

We worked out her class schedule.  She needs 8 classes, as they are on a block schedule format.  She will have ESOL I (English/Language Arts for newcomers to the country) with her ESL teacher, World Geography with the ESL teacher and a Reading/Study Skills course with the ESL teacher.  She will take Algebra I, and the ESL teacher will spend time helping her in that class as much as possible.  She will have Biology as well.  She will take the required Physical Education class.  For fine arts, she chose Dance, and she is REALLY excited about it!  Finally, she has to begin her required 2 years of foreign language.  I panicked because Spanish and French are typically the only choices.  THAT would be awful while still learning English.  But...guess what?!!  They offer Mandarin Chinese!!!!  We sure did sign her straight up for that!!  It should be an easy A, and help her hold on to her Chinese as she works toward English fluency!!

The 9th grade campus is a much smaller setting than the 7th/8th grade Junior High campus, so we are feeling good about the decision.  The summer school option was a certain bonus.  While I can hardly even SAY out loud that Kennedy will enter HIGH SCHOOL in August, we are confident that it is a better choice at this point than the other option for 8th grade.

Other than that update, we are on Spring Break this week!  Mia started off on Saturday morning with strep throat.  Nice.  She has had a few doses of penicillin now, and feels much better.  STILL, what a way to start the break!  As I type this, we are having a lovely thunder storm.  Perfect weather for spring break.  UGH!  Oh well, at least we get to sleep late and do nothing! 

Charles took the girls to the rodeo yesterday.  They had a BLAST!  I will encourage him to blog about it and post some pics!  They could NOT stop talking about all the fun they had!  So...stay tuned...

It's OK to laugh!!

I wanted to comment about the video post from the airport.  Someone asked me if I was mad that Charles posted that.  I actually encouraged him to!  When he came across the clip and showed me the other night, we watched it over and over and laughed our heads off!  It was a perfect picture of how we were feeling at the time!  He knows I do not want to be photographed or recorded even when I am at my best, so a close up of an exhausted me 2 hours in to a 4 hour wait to board a 15 hour flight after having traveled all day already...NOT a good move!  It is VERY funny to both of us now!  So, please...laugh!  I sure did!  It was truly meant to entertain!  ;)

The Joys of International Travel

I recently started working on compiling the DVD from our trip to meet Kennedy.  I came across a truly fabulous clip that I must share with everyone.

I will set this up by saying that this was filmed in Los Angeles at about midnight Texas time.  We'd been traveling all day and were just about the board the longest flight of the entire trip.  I had completely run out of party tricks.  Mia and I had literally run through an area of the airport that was being renovated.  We'd eaten overpriced airport dinner.  We had flat bottom syndrome from sitting in uncomfortable seats.  And we had gone way past our bedtime.

I tried to make the best of it, but it's safe to say that patience was wearing a bit thin by this time.

Be sure to turn your sound on.  This clip is so much more enjoyable if you can hear it clearly.

If you listen carefully, you can hear Annie warn me that the flight is not actually about to take off.  That was my first clue that this attempt at recording family history is not going to end well.  You might also notice that I'm kinda fearing for my own safety at the very end.  :  )

Addicts...

Me thinks we have a "wii" bit of an addiction here...

Long day

This is what Mia looked like AFTER the rodeo field trip!

Yehaw, y'all!

Mia and mommy at the rodeo!  Her teacher and I wore the hats so our kids could easily spot us, so save the comments! You know who you are! ;)

Mia at the rodeo

Here she is in the petting zoo. She looks grumpy, but the sun was just in her eyes!  After this photo...a deer tried to eat her shirt.  I saved her just in time!

First bus ride

Mia is on a school bus for the first time right now!  Her kindergarten class is going to the rodeo, and my awesome principal let parents of kids in kindergarten that are teachers at the school come along as chaperones.  That means I am with them!  Yippee!  I get to see her on her first bus ride AND her first field trip!  The weather is clear, about 65 now, going up to 74 and for a change...no humidity!  Could not ask for a more beautiful day!

Side note...tomorrow is Kennedy's 14th birthday. Gulp.