Tree Trimming and a haircut

We decorated the tree over Thanksgiving weekend. I hope it lives until Christmas! Makana and Daddy topped it with an angel. The next morning I went downstairs to make coffee and found the tree on its side. Luckily I was able to repair most of the broken ornaments and I may repurchase the one Barbie that was irrepairably broken on ebay. We recieved Pre-approval to adopt He Zhang Da, now we wait until we get the Letter of Acceptance and then we wait again for Travel Approval. I spend way too much time thinking about him and wishing we were in China already. I have been sick and I had Cody here after her reduction surgery, so I was caring for her too. I finally got Makana's hair cut. I love it long, but it needed a trim and she always has so much new growth under the long part that we cut it to make it thicker. The new hair place was great, she got to wear a pink princess cape, got glitter hairspray, a pink lollipop and sparkly pink and purple stars on her face. Mom bought her a new crown as well, what more can a princess to be ask for? I had taken pics that morning before school too, so I have before and after pics! I think we will go somewhere to take Christmas picutes today so that I can get those ordered and cards sent out! Oh and we bought an elf on the shelf who watches Makana's behavior and reports to Santa every night, very nice! Now if she would only tell mom what she wants from Santa!

Halloween 08

Usually Halloween in Denver involves trying to figure out how to get the kids costume over warm fleece pajamas so the kids don't freeze trick or treating. Two years ago we took Makana to 3 houses and she started to cry that she was cold and then she was in one of those costumes that look like a stuffed animal skin. Last year she was too sick to trick or treat, so we were really looking forward to this year. Of course when we picked out the Pumpkin Faerie Costume I was planning what tights and undershirt she could wear with it. To our surprise instead of the usual first annual snow fall we had temps in the 70's all day and a beautiful evening for trick or treating! We went to a few neighbor's houses and then sat on the porch with candy to give out to others. We had plenty of carved pumpkins on the porch and Gil put out his scary decorations and we all had a great time. In years past we had so few trick or treaters that we had a ton of candy left over. This year we gave all but 5 pieces away! Of course Makana got quite the stash when we went out as people literally shoveled candy in to her bucket until she could hardly carry it. I really don't like for her to have candy, so we will be dispersing small amounts for weeks! One neighbor had a great idea, she gave out playdough! Makana's school had a party in the morning with pumpkin carving and scary crafts, treats and then trick or treating in the shopping center. Gil and I helped and I decided that working with 4 year olds is even more like herding cats than working with middle schoolers! It was a great day!

Gotcha Day 08

Friday was the 10th and it was our Gotcha Day. Makana was sick with a fever from Saturday until Thursday, so I did not get to take the day off as I wanted to do because I missed work when she was sick. Friday evening we attmepted to make a cake, but I forgot to put the metal piece inside the pan and so when I thought it was done and turned it updside down to cool raw cake batter fell through the rack onto the counter. So we spent the day with Kathy yesterday, shopping and eating a girls lunch out. Then we bought what we needed and came home where we baked Halloween cookies and a new cake. Today we iced it with pink frosting and purple sprinkles and put the doll inside. It turned out pretty and tasted good, not to mention the fun she had helping me bake it. Makana cracked the eggs, poured in the measured ingredients and helped watch it cook. Today we took pictures with the cake and ate some after lunch. Gil is working a double shift today, which happened because he had to change his schedule because of my confereneces, so he will have cake when he gets home. It is hard to believe we have celebrated this 3 times now in the US and that Makana will soon be 4. Then I look back at her pictures to how tiny she was and even she can't believe it! I cleaned out her clothes in her closet today, moving all the 2T clothes to await a baby sister to wear them. She actually still could wear some of them now, even some of the 18 mo stuff, but she will be too big next summer and cooler weather has arrived. She loves to dress herself, so I have to put away things that are not weather approoriate! We are so very lucky to have this wonderful little girl in our family!

Last days of summer

I took the pictures of Makana in the window one day when I came downstairs and found her like this, "talking on the phone." I can't believe summer is over and school has started. I am very busy at the new school trying to stay on track with all my new responsibilities. Weekends are great since I get to spend all day with Makana. She still says she doesn't like school, but seems to be having a great time there when we come to pick her up. She is taking dance classes there on Fridays and enjoys that. One day she tried out the extra art class and created this "Siamese Cat" we may add art classes later. We also decided not to take Chinese class this year. They want her to attend without mom and adding a 6th day of leaving her crying just was more than we could take. I don't want her to end up hating Chinese class! She is growing like crazy and learning to write numbers and letters at school this year. She says the most amazing things like asking me about her dinner at a restaurant, "But who accomplished this?" I think she was asking who made it, but how did she know the word? And though not used exactly appropriately, she knows the meaning!

Makana wants to be a dog

• Our new thing is to pretend that we are a dog. it is getting a bit out of hand as Makana bites, licks, and now wants to spend as much time as possible in the dog kennel. She likes it best if both Duke and Nalu are in there with her. Nalu is in there almost full time these days recovering from her surgery, but Makana likes to go in and put Duke in there with them. Yesterday she started laughing and then told me she licked Duke on the back. Disgusting! Seriously, she cries when we tell her no. I finally got up the nerve to take some pictures of it, but I am worried that we will get a visit about child abuse so I try to discourage her! In public she will ask if she can go in the kennel when she gets home! This morning she was trying to pet Nalu through the bars and she got her arm stuck! She was more scared than anything, she went in past her elbow, bent the elbow and then could not figure out how to get her arm out! I will post some pics I took last night, but I please don't call the child abuse hotline, we don't leave her locked in there, though according to her she would prefer that to day care! Hey, we could save a lot of money that way.....




• Potty humor is also rampant in our house. She usually sings Mama Mia songs, or something from a Disney movie, but lately everything is poop. Just now she was listening to the song about Pooh and the Super Sleuths and replaced all the words with "poop". Oh boy!



• The beautiful flower picture was taken in my yard yesterday. When I tried to take one more pic Kona walked up to it and I thought I would get a cute pic of my puppy and the flower, instead she ate the bottom three petals right off. That is just one example of why Gil calls her Bruno. Of course when the other dogs start barking at someone at the door or whatever she runs to hide behind me.

A dinglehoffer?

OK here I sit working and Makana says, "I'm making strangles of myself." SO I say, what? and look over and she has a plastic fork from her tea set and she has wound it all up in her hair! She meant tangles. I think she has been watching too much little mermaid!

Rambling thoughts in August

I just felt the need to share what has been going on in my life, not sure why. I am opening up a new middle school in a week. I went to Korea this summer for a study tour and was gone a month in all. When I came back I certainly felt behind at work, though it is summer vacation. I had to hire someone new as our number of studtnts increased and ended up taking a position teaching 2 subjects rather than try to hire someone to do that. We decided to just hire someone for the SS position that I was going to teach. So now in addition to planning for my one subject, I will plan for 2 while trying to make sure that all the teachers in the SS department are prepared and have what they need. I have not moved into my classroom completely. I bought a new puppy that I am trying to train. Adorable, but we should have named her the Energizer Jaws Puppy. I tne meantime my 10 year old lab will not accept the new lab. She is a nervous dog to start with and was spending as much time as possible hiding from the puppy. She wasn't eating much, but she does that even when I keep another person's dog while they are out of town. So I knew she was acting strange, but didn't see her too much and chalked her behavior up to pouting and figured she would come around eventually as she usually does. Sunday was my birthday. I woke up to my husband telling me there is something wrong with Nalu. I go to see her and she cannot move her back legs, is dragging herself around. How do you go from running with me and going up and down stairs to no control over her leg. She could still control her bowels and all and could still wag her tail. Bizarre. So we took her to our vet who took xrays and saw nothing that would do this, he sent them to a radiologist for a second look, some degenerative changes that would be expected of a 10 year old, but nothing to cause this. Then we go to a neurologist, yes, they have those for dogs. He wants to do an MRI, and possible surgery, deposit, 3 grand, about half if they do the surgery, but without it we have to euthanize her. Now I know that many people would just do that and we don't exactly have 6k lying around. But mentally and in every other aspect but the legs she is fine. She was our first "baby" as my husband says. So yesterday she had the MRI and the surgery, it was a ruptured disc. SO far so good, except financially I guess. I am still so behind in work and yet here I sit ;-) And somehow I have some perspective, because I could be crying my eyes out over my loss and I am not. A girl from work called and said that she is so behind etc etc, and I am having the whole faculty over a week from today, was I OK with that. She was totally checking to see if I need anything, not trying to up the anxiety. I said, you know, it will work out and if the house doesn't pass a white glove test, they will have to understand, I was busy, three all day workshops next week, plus all my extra. Yes, it is pressure, but worrying won't help, ya know. Anyway, I am not sure why I shared this, just felt like it because you all always provide me a place to put my thoughts into words and maybe make some meaning. HMmm, I could have done that without sending it into cyberspace, but an audience makes a difference. We say that in teaching, that kids like authentic work with an authentic audience, maybe now I sort of understand why.
So if you are dealing with stress, and who the heck isn't these days, maybe we all just need a little perspective. Maybe that is why I had to go through this with Nalu, but I sure would have liked to learn that without her suffering! I just kept saying, at least it isn't Makana, which in some ways sounds callous, but man I would have REALLY been a wreck then!
Kristin

Leaving for Korea

I leave for Dallas Saturday and then head on to Korea for 2 weeks. Makana will stay with mom. I am sad to leave her and excited about the trip at the same time. She tells me she will be sad and cry and I say that is OK, I will be sad too. She says such funny things today I said, "let's go eat cause your momma is hungry!" and she said, "and your daughter is hungry!"Today we went to the zoo with Zach and Kathy, we had a great time. Kathy took all the pics, maybe she will send me some. Here I will include some of Makana and Zach playing with bubbles last week. I am going to start a blog for while I am in Korea so that at least Makana and Mom can follow along.

Early Summer

Opening the new school has been a challenge, it is now supposed to be summer, but I imagine I will still be working quite a bit, good thing I have a box of toys for Makana in my classroom! She finished her first year of pre-school a week before I finished work, luckily Gil was able to keep her until about 3:00 each day and then she came to work where she enjoyed coloring on the white boards! Gil and I have been working on the yard since the weather got better, he has done an amazing job of installing sprinklers, building a fence and gate and adding steps to the stoop outside. We still have a lot of work to do, but it is looking better and at least there is no more mud for the dogs to track! Makana has been tending her strawberry plants which are beginning to have fruit despite the fact that she pulled off all the flowers at one point. She also enjoys deadheading the petunias and smelling all the flowers in the garden shops, I am glad she is such a good sport about the garden centers! She also says things that amaze me, her vocabulary is huge, I can't really think of anything that she can't say. The other day she was talking to me an she said, "Young lady," I honestly don't remember using that term with her, but she obviously knows it from me! The teacher said she doesn't talk at all at school, worrisome, but she is learning because she comes home and tells me things that I know she learned at school, things about animals and places. She won't answer questions I ask her about school, but she will later just spout off things. WE got her hair cut this week and she yacked with the girl the entire time, not sure why she won't talk at school. This week Zach is staying with us while his parents are in Mexico. They are playing really well together so far. Yesterday we went to the mall and the kids got their face and arm painted, I will post some of those pics along with some of Makana's first week in swim lessons, of course now she does not want to go any more!

Chinese New Year

We all enjoyed Chinese New Year this year at the CCAI celebration! We arrived early, had a great seat and enjoyed the company of those seated around us. The food was good and the entertainment was a lot of fun, Makana enjoyed feeding the Lion, which she insists is a dragon. Makana and I made wontons in Chinese class earlier in the month and they were delicious. We also performed in the JCC festival for New Year, well we walked around the stage while Makana hid behind me and I sang, but maybe that counts! I tried making my own wontons at home later, they were good, but not as good as we had in class. Makana has been enjoying watching Ni Hao Kai Lan on Nickelodean, it is good for her to hear the Chinese we are learning in school elsewhere and to have fun with it. We also bought a dragon and a book on Chinese New Year that she loves. I hope we can keep her as close to her heritage as possible!

Makana's birthday

We discussed a party for Makana, but it would have had to be a week after her birthday as I did not get any invitations done before Christmas break and we did not go back to school until the 6th of January, a day after her birthday. So I finally decided to have Kathy and Zach meet us for lunch at Chick-fil-et and where we had cake and the kids played after lunch. We then drove to the Disney store and let the kids pick out some gifts. The sale was incredible, so Makana got a lot! We had a great day together, then on Gil's day off later in the week they also had a special day together.

Very late post about Christmas

We moved into our new home on the 22 of December in a lot of snow! Since we were in no way moved in yet we spent Christmas eve at Kathy and Jeff's house and then came home on Christmas day in the afternoon. This picture shows Makana in her Christmas dress trying out her new tricycle.