Sunday, June 19, 2011
Father' Day!
Papa had a good day today. We made breakfast for him and he opened his presents. He got a new bathing suit (palm trees on orange and black faded background - ohhhh! which is much more stylish than his purple "Barney" trunks from our days in Florida when we first married - yes, it has been that long since he got a new suit!). Papa also got a matching beach towel and a HUGE coffee mug, hand decorated by Karina! Plus, a motorcycle card! He was thrilled. Here are his first Father's Day pics! We hope you enjoy! It was a happy morning, indeed! Papa likes being a Papa!! He loves his daughter so very much!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Star Light, Star Bright...
...first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.
Ironically, Karina learned this rhyme in school today, and she made a wish at school. Then, not knowing this until after the fact, I took her to Target today to offer insights on what she would like to have for her birthday. We learned many new words as we combed Target for close to 3 hours, exploring every isle and item with a red scanner in hand. Each time she found something that she would like to have for her birthday, I clicked the scanner to register it to a wish list. It was quite fascinating.
At first, I was like, oh no, I cannot do this for she will be overwhelmed and it is not right to put her in such a situation given her background. Then, I said to myself, well, she is very particular and likes to have choice, so setting her up for her first birthday in America at the end of this month only to get things she may not be attracted to is not fair to her either. Our neighbors across the street had a big party this past weekend, and she is convinced that birthdays in America have big tents and many, many cars. Oh well.... I opted to go with the wish list and hedging my bets in that direction instead.
Interestingly, she chose 50 things which was huge and she was in awe of herself! Her choices were all quite reasonable. A bag of M&Ms - wow, what a cool thing to have! She likes chips, can she include some pringles too? Sure, we'll click into the list anything and everything that you would like to have. We can't say you will get it, but it is fun to dream.
Here is her first wish list - of all the things in the entire store, this is it! From the eyes of a soon to be 13 year old new to America! https://www.target.com/lists/find Search by List ID: List ID: 012128800000054
A few things not on the list that I snuck into the cart when she wasn't looking and so far, I'm safe to say she doesn't know about are a pair of Hannah Montana sunglasses, her favorite candy (Rafaello with white coconut), Kinder chocolate (Google images has pictures of this candy, the eggs with surprises in them are her favorites!), and I ordered a pair of silver sandals in a 5.5 2N (difficult size to find, she wears my shoes size identically!).
Tonight she is having trouble getting to sleep. She is working mazes in bed. We have field day at school tomorrow - the last day of school. She is prepped and ready to go. Her name is on her hat, and a lot of what is going on is a need to know what is going on. I think the best thing I did to day was to ask her tonight: "Do you have any questions about tomorrow?" That one question turned our evening 180-degrees for the better. There is a huge need-to-know, and we forget how much they don't know that we assume they know. It is so hard being a kid in a foreign country, in a family where you don't know what a family is suppose to be, and with boundaries that are developing as you are in many cases. Nothing short of a miracle, to be honest.
Start Light, Start Bright, I wish that Karina learns tonight that we love her endlessly and that dreams are good things to have! I wish I may, I wish I might see the dreams she dreams come true and I wish that those dreams are good dreams that make the whole world a better place for everyone, including her and those she loves.
Ironically, Karina learned this rhyme in school today, and she made a wish at school. Then, not knowing this until after the fact, I took her to Target today to offer insights on what she would like to have for her birthday. We learned many new words as we combed Target for close to 3 hours, exploring every isle and item with a red scanner in hand. Each time she found something that she would like to have for her birthday, I clicked the scanner to register it to a wish list. It was quite fascinating.
At first, I was like, oh no, I cannot do this for she will be overwhelmed and it is not right to put her in such a situation given her background. Then, I said to myself, well, she is very particular and likes to have choice, so setting her up for her first birthday in America at the end of this month only to get things she may not be attracted to is not fair to her either. Our neighbors across the street had a big party this past weekend, and she is convinced that birthdays in America have big tents and many, many cars. Oh well.... I opted to go with the wish list and hedging my bets in that direction instead.
Interestingly, she chose 50 things which was huge and she was in awe of herself! Her choices were all quite reasonable. A bag of M&Ms - wow, what a cool thing to have! She likes chips, can she include some pringles too? Sure, we'll click into the list anything and everything that you would like to have. We can't say you will get it, but it is fun to dream.
Here is her first wish list - of all the things in the entire store, this is it! From the eyes of a soon to be 13 year old new to America! https://www.target.com/lists/find Search by List ID: List ID: 012128800000054
A few things not on the list that I snuck into the cart when she wasn't looking and so far, I'm safe to say she doesn't know about are a pair of Hannah Montana sunglasses, her favorite candy (Rafaello with white coconut), Kinder chocolate (Google images has pictures of this candy, the eggs with surprises in them are her favorites!), and I ordered a pair of silver sandals in a 5.5 2N (difficult size to find, she wears my shoes size identically!).
Tonight she is having trouble getting to sleep. She is working mazes in bed. We have field day at school tomorrow - the last day of school. She is prepped and ready to go. Her name is on her hat, and a lot of what is going on is a need to know what is going on. I think the best thing I did to day was to ask her tonight: "Do you have any questions about tomorrow?" That one question turned our evening 180-degrees for the better. There is a huge need-to-know, and we forget how much they don't know that we assume they know. It is so hard being a kid in a foreign country, in a family where you don't know what a family is suppose to be, and with boundaries that are developing as you are in many cases. Nothing short of a miracle, to be honest.
Start Light, Start Bright, I wish that Karina learns tonight that we love her endlessly and that dreams are good things to have! I wish I may, I wish I might see the dreams she dreams come true and I wish that those dreams are good dreams that make the whole world a better place for everyone, including her and those she loves.
Like Father Like Daughter!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Reaching Out
We are happy to report that our nesting and keeping Karina tight at home is working. She is feeling confident to reach out more now, and in fact, received her first phone call directly to her from a friend she met at Park #2! Of course, we accepted the kind invite and she and Brenna had a blast! She is meeting more kids now and willing to reach out and feel more comfortable with American kids. Wii is a great help, because it spans the language barrier with easy to understand interaction activities. Other firsts this week (week #5) included:
* a shut down at Target because she did not have enough money to buy what she wanted, but then, after thinking about it, realized that she should earn the money needed and go back later to Target. (Side note: I set up a way for her to be in total control of earning money, not an allowance, but doing math problems for 20 cents a page. She needs the practice, and she needs to learn money skills, and she needs a job that she can do anytime without us and achieve any level of advancement she can accomplish. Of course, she has to solve the problems correctly!)
* going back to Target and making her first purchase with her money! She decided what she wanted, she did the math skills to figure out what she could and could not afford, we talked about saving some, and she checked out all by herself! She was soo, I mean sooo very proud! She bought earrings and a red wallet!
* inviting her friend from ESL, XiJing and XiJing's family for lunch and choosing to serve hotdogs and huge marshmellows that we can roast over the fire.
* and thinking about a gift for Papa for father's day! We saw a extra large coffee mug and that seemed perfect! Karina cannot keep a secret so Papa knows about it, but it is awfully funny!
We are doing OK and all is well. It is a blessing that kids are so resilient. There are many exciting lessons to learn.
* a shut down at Target because she did not have enough money to buy what she wanted, but then, after thinking about it, realized that she should earn the money needed and go back later to Target. (Side note: I set up a way for her to be in total control of earning money, not an allowance, but doing math problems for 20 cents a page. She needs the practice, and she needs to learn money skills, and she needs a job that she can do anytime without us and achieve any level of advancement she can accomplish. Of course, she has to solve the problems correctly!)
* going back to Target and making her first purchase with her money! She decided what she wanted, she did the math skills to figure out what she could and could not afford, we talked about saving some, and she checked out all by herself! She was soo, I mean sooo very proud! She bought earrings and a red wallet!
* inviting her friend from ESL, XiJing and XiJing's family for lunch and choosing to serve hotdogs and huge marshmellows that we can roast over the fire.
* and thinking about a gift for Papa for father's day! We saw a extra large coffee mug and that seemed perfect! Karina cannot keep a secret so Papa knows about it, but it is awfully funny!
We are doing OK and all is well. It is a blessing that kids are so resilient. There are many exciting lessons to learn.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Kids are Kids
No matter what background, tweens are tweens. Parents can be a pain to them in their eyes. Whining needs to be nipped in the bud when it happens, and it does happen. Sassy talk, as well. Kids are kids. We look for the goodness and correct what is inappropriate as soon as it occurs. And it occurs. To be a parent is a gift we asked to have the opportunity to be. It is a privilege. It is not easy. There is no "hey, thanks for being my mom and dad." To get to that level is an even greater gift, one that means we were able to go above and beyond and it means, more so, that the soul of our child was open to going beyond herself. We have empathy for what our fellow parents are going through. None of us are alone. Complicated by language and limits on expression, we join in sharing a unique way of dealing with what seems to be human nature. A daily reminder, maybe even hourly reminder, of how grateful it is to have the opportunity to do what we are able to do and have a family, which we have not had for 23 years, helps keep it all in perspective. For the first time in 21 years, I desperately, I mean really desperately, wanted to talk to my mother. Somehow, being a mom makes you want your own mom more than ever. Thank goodness for good friends who offer hugs and support, advice and counsel. And for doctors and nurses who are caring and open and provide goodness and love as well. It takes a community for sure!
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