Deep in her heart

Tonight I went to kiss my kids before I got in bed. When I leaned down to give E a kiss, she reached up and tightly grabbed my neck. I laid down for just a moment enjoying the sweet embrace. To most this would be no big deal, but for those of us who have at one time struggled with the attachment issues that so often can follow adoption, this was the most amazing feeling in the world. Deep in her heart (and fast asleep) she knew I was her Mommy and felt safe. Once again I am amazed that of all the people in the world, I was chosen to be her Mommy. I have been truly blessed.

A funny from E's teacher

Tonght I received an email from E's teacher about a conversation they had at recess today.

...I just have to tell you what E said to me today. She came up to me at recess and said, "You know Mrs. B...I really like her hair." To which I replied, "Yes, she does have nice hair." E looked up at me for a few seconds and then said, "You know...you should try to have hair like hers!" I just busted up laughing! Gotta love first graders...they tell it like it is! :)

Obviously I am used to these comments from E. She is often disappointed that I don't wear more makeup, high heel shoes or "more professional" clothes but hearing her say them to someone else is just mortifying. Oh well, I'm sure it won't be the last time.

Lasagna

is really a silly word. We definitely don't pronounce it the way it's spelled. Not surprisingly though, E read it correctly right off my grocery list today. I continue to be amazed with her reading.

Day 1 (the first day of school 09/10)

School started on Monday August 10th. Not only were the kids excited, but so was I. NO MORE FIGHTING- YAY. E was was so proud to be going to first grade. She had gotten the teacher she wanted and had a few friends in the class. R was low key as usual, but was thrilled to be riding the bus again and I was happy he had Ms. Stacy as a teacher. J... yeah, he really had no clue what he was in for (but I knew Ms. Stacy would take care of him). The first day he got right on the bus, but apparantly cried a few times at school. Now for the best part...

Daydreams

6 years ago while waiting for our referral for E, I would daydream about when the call would come. In my head I had decided it would come on our anniversary which is June 10th (since Korea has a three year marriage requirement). Amazingly as we were celebrating our anniversary a day early, on June 9th (because Daddy had to work on the 10th) we received a call from our SW telling us they had matched us with a beautiful baby girl. We were thrilled. The next morning we were given the most amazing anniversary present, the first photo of our daughter.

ENORMOUS

Yep, one of the many words E can read. She is only in kindergarten, but is truly the most amazing reader. Just the other day, she was reading her homework which included the word "enormous" and without hesitation, she read it. No help, no pause nothing, just as if she had been reading words that size for year. She continues to make me proud of her skill as well as her love and excitement for reading.

She can do it all

E is so amazing. She is brilliant, beautiful the list goes on and on. Everything she does, she does well. When she started TKD, it wasn't long before she was being praised by other parents and instructors for her skill. Recently she started tumbling. Already she is showing so much progress. During class she is extremely focused and gives each attempt her all. Watching her grow has been so exciting (although sometimes exhausting) and I can't wait to see where her life takes her.

The park

Often Daddy will give me a break and take the kids to the park. They really enjoy the park and I think Daddy gets a kick out of watching them play. Just the other day, he took the kids as well as my new camera and snapped a few pictures for me.

Goofy's Kitchen

A trip to Disneyland wouldn't be the same without breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. Although it is a little pricey, the food is fairly good and the kids love seeing the characters.

Disneyland

Last week we went to Disneyland. It was the first time we have ever gone "during" the school year and believe me, it was a great time to go. No crowds at all. The kids had a blast, in fact our only disappointment was sending Nanny home on a plane the day after we got there because Papa was sick. Not surprisingly, R loved Autopia. He has been on it many times before and never seems to get bored with it. E made sure that we went on Autopia first thing each morning, but only after we went on her favorite- Buzz Lightyear. J seemed a little nervous on the first couple of rides, but lit up as soon as we did the Teacups and then the Carousel. He thought he was such a big boy riding his own horse.

Without another adult there, we had to forgo the "big kid" rides, but I didn't mind at all. In fact it was a nice change to have the focus just on the kids. Probably the best surprise was the new Toy Story ride. This quickly became a favorite, unfortunately everyone else at the park thought so too. Each time we rode it, we had to wait about 45 minutes- although it was well worth it. Enjoy the pictures.

No Training Wheels

Today Daddy decided to teach E to ride her bike with no training wheels. Daddy ran alongside her and "caught" her each time she began to fall. Although she tends to be very cautious, Daddy proved he would be there for her and after some hard work, she finally mastered it.

When is it my turn Mom?

When she was little, I mistakenly believed that E was painfully shy. I have since discovered that like her Mommy, she is only shy when she is the only one in a group who doesn't know anyone. She will however slowly warm up if given the chance.
The times that E isn't shy is when it's one on one. E (at the ripe old age of 5 1/2 ) incorrectly assumes that when people come to our house they are there to see (and chat with) her. Too many times I have had to send her to her room becasue she is monopolizing the conversation with someone as important as J's previous speech pathologist. Today I was chatting with a previous coworker "S". During the conversation, E pulls her chair closer and says "When is it my turn to talk Mom". Much to her dismay, I told her she wouldn't get a chance since S was there to chat only with me. Fortunately E is a pretty resilient kid so, if her feelings were just a bit bruised, she moved on quickly.

What a beautiful baby

Found an old picture of E. She was 10 months old and we had just decided to shave her head at the suggestion of quite a few hair stylists that were knowledgable about "dark, thick hair". We only shaved it one time and it grew back beautifully without any of the thin spots so common at that age. To this day, I still think the reason her hair is so much thicker than some of her Asian girlfriends is because we shaved it.

It was worth a try...

but after two weeks, we have determined that E and R are not capable of sharing a room. They both had been asking for so long, so when we unexpectedly had to get rid of R's paci (apparantly they are not made for 3 year olds who are the size of 6 year olds) and sleep became so difficult for him, we decided to let them try. R forgot his beloved paci when he got to have "nuna" in his room. Unfortunately E doesn't need anywhere near the amount of sleep that R does and she was keeping him up (ie. he became a whiny little mess). So... as of today we are back to each of them having their own room. Thankfully everyone went to sleep quickly and peacefully.

We always knew she was smart

but sometimes it still amazes me how bright E is. We received a note from her teacher today that she will be in a reading group all by herself. Her teacher told us this may be the case, but she couldn't be sure until she tested all of the kids. Although I didn't think it would be a problem, I asked E if it would be okay if she was in a reading group with just the teacher. Of course she had no problems with this, she loves her teacher and has always enjoyed interacting with adults (more attention for her). I can't wait to see what kind of progress she makes. She already knows well over 100 site words and can read basic stuff with just me as her teacher (and believe me, I haven't put very much time into it- since R and J don't allow it). Imagine what she can do with a real reading teacher.