My Graduation

Getting my Diploma

With one of my presents

My cake

Reese

We had a celebration for my graduation/graduation party last night. I home schooled, and this was just a good weekend to do it. It was fun, it was great seeing all the people I care about, some of which I've known for years. (Most of them actually.) My "school color" was purple, so that was the theme. Not a whole lot to say about it. Thanks, everyone, for coming and for the presents, I really appreciate it. And thanks, Mom and Dad, for putting on the party.

It's Hot...

I've been a bad blogger, I know. But honestly, nothing of any real entertainment has happened. It's too hot to really do anything. It's 93* F right now, and it rained yesterday, which presumably cooled it off. We're actually under a heat advisory right now. My poor parents have to work outside in this. Eek. And today is supposed to be warmer than yesterday.

So yeah, it's hot... *plots to move somewhere cooler*

Happy Anniversary!

A day late, but yeah. Happy 19th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

If I had nifty pictures...I would post them. But since I don't...I won't.

However, I am watching Reese Friday for Mom and Dad, so they can go out and have dinner for their anniversary.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

June is Adopt-A-Cat Month

I'm a kitty foster-mama, so this seems an important thing to point out. June is Adopt-A-Cat month. You can see more information over at my blog about cats and fostering, Meow is Like Aloha.

Reese's First Dance Performance

(L to R) Kris (Marisa's mom), Marisa, Mrs. Judy, myself, and Reese in the front.

Dancing with Mrs. Judy...

Being introduced...

Excited to be in her dress

Reese and myself, as we were waiting to go back to the place to dance.

A few other people from my dance school, McCafferty School of Irish Dance, performed at an assisted living facility today. Reese agreed to dance and do the step she knows, with the bribery that she finally got to wear her dance dress. I wish we'd had a video camera soooo bad, but you'll have to do with still shots. Reese danced sooo well. And it was her first time to do it for an audience that didn't solely consist of fellow dancers and maybe some of their family that happened to be at the dance studio. So we weren't sure at all if she would even do it, for real. But she got up there with Mrs. Judy and did her reel step. We're all so proud of her. She was on time, on the right foot, and it was just excellent.

She's been watching me dance for 2 years now. Going to class with me almost every week (as my parents went too). After a while, she started making up her own dances consisting of bits and pieces she saw us doing: leaps, sevens, lead-arounds, etc. So, last fall/winter, we had some spare time after class, and Mrs. Judy decided to start teaching her a reel step, the first step you start to learn in Irish dance. At least with Mrs. Judy. She can't start "official" classes until this fall, when she's about to be 5 (Mrs. Judy won't "officially" take them until they're 5, short attention spans and all). So she learned it, bit by bit, with this invaluable one on one time with Mrs. Judy. Once she got the steps down, we started working on technicalities. Kicking her hops up to her knee, working on her turn-out, being on time. This child dances constantly now, and she can't wait to start this fall. And I know the 2 years she's been watching me, and this one on one time with Mrs. Judy will help her so much, as this afternoon attested to. She did wonderfully, and she was a real hit.

I'm proud of you, Reesey!

Meet Gavin

Meet Gavin. Gavin is my new car. You may remember back in October 2007, I had a bad wreck that totaled my car, Murphy. Gavin is a lot like Murphy. Murphy was a '95 red Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition; Gavin is a '97 black Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition.

I have my own wheels again! *happy dances*

It also has the 4 year old seal of approval. As Reese says: "This is cool!". That it is.

The Real Gotcha Day Post

On Gotcha Day, May 28, 2007, age 2.5 years

On Gotcha Day, May 28, 2008, age 3.5 years

Early May, age 4.5 years

I hope to do a Gotcha Day photo shoot soon, maybe tomorrow.

This girl has grown sooo much. She's gone from speaking no English to speaking like she never spoke anything else (though we still constantly get asked if how her English is, 2 years later). She's gone from 24 lbs to roughly 40 lbs, and 34 inches to about 40 inches, and from size 24 mos/2T to a 5T, and size 5 shoe to a size 9. She can say her ABCs, write them, recognize them, she can write her name, and anything else you're willing to spell out for her. She's doing very well in preschool, and she starts Pre-K this fall at W. Early Childhood Center this fall, in school that was an elementary school but they're changing it into a 3 year old and 4 year old school.

She's slowly becoming more interested in China, and speaking Chinese. For a while, she wanted nothing to do with it. Now, she loves Ni Hao, Kai-Lan! and Follow Jade!. She'll ask how you say so-and-so in Chinese or come up to me and say how to say it. Sometimes I have to correct her. And as awesome as this is, at the same time it's sad, because 2 years ago, she was talking circles around me in Chinese, and now I'm helping her.

She'll start Irish dance classes this fall. She already knows the first step of her reel and the lead-around, from informal lessons after my classes with Mrs. Judy. Little 10-15 minute sessions. She's already suffering from the commonly known "can't-just-walk-any-where" Syndrome of Irish dance. She sings the steps to her dance like song lyrics, even if she's not actually dancing them at the time.

Speaking of song lyrics, this child knows a TON of songs. She loves Taylor Swift and t.A.T.u and Rhianna and the Parakeet Album (a children's choir singing Jimmy Buffet songs). She picks up on lyrics very quickly. She loves to sing and dance.

It's hard to believe it's been 2 years since we first saw her in person, and roughly 3 since we first say her file and pictures. It seems like such a short period of time, and forever by the same token. Odd how that works.

Like many people do for their children, we give her a little gift from China on her Gotcha Day. Last year, she got a little drum with a monkey on it (her zodiac year). This year, we gave her a little red purse with embroidery and sequins on it. Very pretty. I bought it in Pingyao while I was in China in March, and managed to keep it hidden from her since then. I was kind of looking while we were in China, because we really hadn't found anything age appropriate for a 4 year old on the initial trip, in Guangzhou. Reese has really become a girly-girl as of late though, and I knew she would love a little purse. And sure enough, she does. I'll try to get a good picture of it later. It's really pretty.

2 years, wow.

Happy 2nd Gotcha Day!

Today is 2 years since we first saw Reese, quite displeased, in person for the first time. Gosh, she's grown a lot.

I'll post more later.

~Monica

The Blog I Mentioned...

I finally created my kitty-fostering blog. It's called "Meow Is Like Aloha".

www.meowislikealoha.blogspot.com

Not much in the way of posting on it right now, but there is one post, and it's all prettied up. Check it out, let me know what you think.

Help Josie-Tatum Help Orphans

Josie-Tatum has a little sister, Ellie, who is from Reese's province (Shanxi). Josie-Tatum is well aware that she was once an orphan and now wants to help orphans. This little girl is six years old. She and her mother are going on a mission trip to South Africa to help orphans there. This is one amazing little girl. At 6, she knows orphans all over the world need help, and has her own blog. :D

This is their family's blog: And Now There Are Five.

And this is Josie-Tatum's own blog: Josie-Tatum's Mission.

They are working to raise $6000. They currently have $4700. Can you help?