HOT day at the zoo

Ummm...the SUN is in my EYES here!!!

Here is a shot of the girls at the sea lion exhibit.  Mia thought it was cool, but Kennedy had never seen one before!  It was hard to pull her away!  Later, they were completely captivated by the zoo keeper's lesson about the Giant Eland...and feeding time as an added bonus!  We stayed at that exhibit for a LONG time!  Mia wrote a great story about it at school the next week.  It was a few PAGES long, all words, no pictures and full of details and facts!  She is quite the writer!  That's my girl!

If you look closely, there is a really little baby elephant hiding under the mama.  It was the cutest thing!!

The bongo concert...

We went to the zoo a few weeks ago.  I may have mentioned it in a previous post, but I don't think I added any pictures.  You can tell in the pictures that is was HOT outside.  Mia's face does not hide discomfort well!  She is like me and gets grumpy fast when sweating!!!  Charles and Kennedy seem less bothered by it, but then again, Kennedy has not experienced an August in Texas yet!

Chillin' on a Sunday afternoon

I just mopped my way out of the house, so I am enjoying the cool breeze and shade of our back porch on a patio chair while I wait for the floor to dry.  I just looked over to see my girls relaxing on the porch swing! It does not get any better than this! Later, Charles will grill some dinner and I think we will just have to eat out here on the porch!  We got a table and some chairs a few weeks ago on sale, and it seems like a perfect day to put them to good use!

I am seeing such a big change in Kennedy! She is more comfortable in her own skin with each day and speaking more and more English.  She is embracing American culture happily, while retaining her Chinese culture as well. It is a fine balance, but one we work hard to achieve. We are sure to provide as many opportunities as we can for her to participate in Chinese cultural events, be around other Chinese people, eat traditional foods, etc. We are not perfect, but we know we are doing our best to raise both Mia and Kennedy to embrace both Chinese AND American culture.

Unfortunately, I occasionally run into a rude person here and there who puts their uninformed two cents in! On Friday, one such person implied...well really outright said...that we are not doing enough to maintain Kennedy's Chinese culture.  Really??? Funny, she does not know us at all and has no idea how far out of our way we go to do just that! People like that have a narrow focus and never stop to think that OUR girls' experiences in China were actually much more negative than positive. Orphans are not treated equally in that culture. I will not even go in to those upsetting details!  BUT, people need to realize that when you are raising children adopted from another culture, it is just as important for them to know and embrace American culture as well as their own cultural heritage.  After all...they are American citizens, and they are being loved, cherished and cared for by their American mommy and daddy.  Those are two very important things Chinese culture certainly did not offer them.

So, as I step back down off my soap box, I will close with the fact that this is America. We are all free to raise our kids the way we feel is best. When raising kids who are adopted internationally...that may look a little different. I don't go around telling people how to raise their kids...so I hope others will keep their unsolicited, untrue, offensive advice to themselves!

Yes, I DO feel better now!  ;)

Filling in the Gaps

BIG news today.  Our darling Mia lost her first tooth after her shower.  Well, she didn't actually lose it, so much as she and Annie fiddled with it for twenty minutes until it got loose enough to pull out.  They jiggled and wiggled and pushed and pulled until it would literally lay on its side.

Mia was so very excited when it came out.  She was squealing.  Literally.  It was cute, but very, very loud.  We can't tell if she's excited because it's finally out, because it's her first one, or because she's gettin' paid tonight by the tooth fairy.  Regardless, it was pretty entertaining.

Kennedy and I hung in the bathroom with the other two while they were fiddling. I couldn't watch all of it. Kennedy walked out several times as well.  I kept thinking that it was going to hurt. Mia winced a few times, but kept telling us it really didn't hurt. Even so, and even though I've been through it myself, I couldn't help but think it must be painful. There wasn't too much blood, but it freaked me out. I'm not usually like that. If it was me...no biggie. But, my honeybun was bleeding, and it got to me a little bit.

I told you she was squealing!

Randomness

2 very beautiful and very serious artists!

I have NO IDEA what happened to Mia in this pic!  Some might think that since she is ALWAYS moving, this is an accurate representation of our fast-paced girl!  BUT...look how very American and how very "14" Kennedy looks in this picture!  Oh, my!  When she decides to like boys, we are in BIG trouble...cuz they are SURE going to like HER!



Mia is concentrating very hard on her masterpiece!



I was not there, but it sure looks to me like Kennedy is painting "Mom"!  Aww!  Go ahead, click on it so you can enlarge it!  She was off having fun with her Dad and sister...but thinking of ME!!  ;)

Look at the wonder on their faces as they watched a chick hatch.  So cool!

I just realized it has been quite a long time since I posted anything.  It is always SO busy around here that I truly can't seem to find the time! 

Charles took the girls downtown again to the children's museum last Saturday.  The pics above are from the trip.  I was home...cleaning...AGAIN...so I can't give any details about the day.

Budget cuts, looming lay-offs and final decisions are drawing near at school.  The stress is messing with my ability to stay asleep at night, and causing pain in my abdomen that feels like an ulcer.  Please say a prayer for all of the teachers who will soon face major life changes in one way or another, myself included.  I never could have imagined that this would happen here.  Just a few years ago, there was a critical teacher shortage.  Now, there will be a critical teaching job shortage.  It is awful.  I do believe my regular visits to the chiropractor are the only thing keeping me balanced at all.

Well, this blog took a QUICK downhill slide, huh?!  Sorry.