Ok Sadie Emma Nic and Nathan
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
2 Months with Emma
Well Emma has been with us for two months and home in the US for about a month and a half. I have to say and not just because she is our daughter, but she is a remarkable young lady. I have traveled and lived over seas twice (UK and Mexico) and been to many countries, so I know how strange it can be with language, customs, food etc. Well she is one heck of a kid. Her and Sadie have really fallen into the role of being sisters. She does not let their Mom really dress or do Sadie's hair anymore, she does it and with pleasure, sometimes they each change clothes several times a day,,, like sister dress up party! Emma has also fallen in good with relatives, loves playing with her cousins Nic and Nathan, although Nic(6 yrs old) is very enamored with her and is dying to kiss her. She always tells him NO and she will bop him! By the way Nic would kiss any older girl he meets, he is a ladies man!LOL! She loves my sister Jamie and her huby Bruce and is all about Gaga(my mother.) She only spent day or two with Deanna's parents before they went home to Tennessee but we are headed up for a week at Easter and she is very excited. When I told her it would be a 7 hour drive through mountains she said Oh My God! Then asked if we would stop to use the bathroom. I told her no, and Deanna got on me !LOL Emma and I have really taken to picking and teasing each other. We joke alot and she plays tricks on me. Mom is the comfort zone and homework helper, Dad is the fun one. Her and Sadie have even figured out f they team up Dad is a softie and they can get what they want.
School wise she has adapted remarkably well. Several girls in the class have become close friends with her. She likes school food(no idea why!) and enjoys her classes. She excels in Math, and her English has improved at a very very rapid pace. She read 15-20 mins of English out loud a night to myself or Deanna and we have even seen her reading some of Sadie's kids books to her. Her AR reading level tested at about mid 2nd grade for English, In Chinese she reads everything a typical teen would read and then some. A friend of hers who is in a local Chinese Language school has had Emma help her on homework. She said it was 7 and 8th grade level and Emma said oh 3rd grade in China! They help each other on Sunday afternoons when we get together. Emma even has 5 different boys competing to be her boyfriend but she tells me she says no to all of them, just what a father needs to hear!
Food wise, we still eat lots of noodles and hit one of the several Chinese places in town at least once a week. However, she likes sushi alot, spicier the better, hot wings(as hot as you can get them, so good for me!), Bojangles chicken., fajitas, spaghetti and hot dogs.Also lots of broccoli, peppers, onions etc. Munchos potato chips are a hit but we try and limit sweets and junk food. She is willing to at least try things, really only melted cheese is the only thing she has detested.
So going pretty good, I am sure there will be bumps in the road. We have had metltdowns and crying spells, but you expect that. It happened every day or two at first and now almost never. She says if she ever goes back to China to live we have to live with her and when I asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up and finished school,,,, live with us or either Gaga! SO Sadie and Emma have become as tight as sisters can be,,, we have a happy 12 year old who is a big big bundle of energy and growing like a weed and a 3 year old who has to do and be just like her big sister.(even down to trying to speak Chinese, which makes us all laugh)
School wise she has adapted remarkably well. Several girls in the class have become close friends with her. She likes school food(no idea why!) and enjoys her classes. She excels in Math, and her English has improved at a very very rapid pace. She read 15-20 mins of English out loud a night to myself or Deanna and we have even seen her reading some of Sadie's kids books to her. Her AR reading level tested at about mid 2nd grade for English, In Chinese she reads everything a typical teen would read and then some. A friend of hers who is in a local Chinese Language school has had Emma help her on homework. She said it was 7 and 8th grade level and Emma said oh 3rd grade in China! They help each other on Sunday afternoons when we get together. Emma even has 5 different boys competing to be her boyfriend but she tells me she says no to all of them, just what a father needs to hear!
Food wise, we still eat lots of noodles and hit one of the several Chinese places in town at least once a week. However, she likes sushi alot, spicier the better, hot wings(as hot as you can get them, so good for me!), Bojangles chicken., fajitas, spaghetti and hot dogs.Also lots of broccoli, peppers, onions etc. Munchos potato chips are a hit but we try and limit sweets and junk food. She is willing to at least try things, really only melted cheese is the only thing she has detested.
So going pretty good, I am sure there will be bumps in the road. We have had metltdowns and crying spells, but you expect that. It happened every day or two at first and now almost never. She says if she ever goes back to China to live we have to live with her and when I asked her what she wanted to do when she grew up and finished school,,,, live with us or either Gaga! SO Sadie and Emma have become as tight as sisters can be,,, we have a happy 12 year old who is a big big bundle of energy and growing like a weed and a 3 year old who has to do and be just like her big sister.(even down to trying to speak Chinese, which makes us all laugh)
Friday, March 12, 2010
One Month Home
Well Emma has been a part of our family since Feb 1 and we have been home for a month. She is an amazing child and very strong spirited. We are so lucky to have her as our daughter. So Emma has been in school for two weeks and loves it. She is up and ready to go and is very good about coming home and doing homework. Math is her favorite so she gets help from Mama as I stink at math. Her reading is coming along well and as she gets more comfortable we are realizing how much English she not only understands but can speak. I have had several lengthy conversations with her about her life in China, when she found out about us and when she knew we were coming over. She wants to go back to visit China in 3 years she says nd only wants to visit, says she is much happier here.
Emma and Sadie get along like sisters. You would think they have always been together from the way they act. 99% of the time they love each other, 1% of the time cannot stand each other. Sadie got in trouble the other day for biting Emma and she was punished(lecture and time out that led to tears). Emma asked us for Sadie's punishment to be over as she said she was ok. Other times they both want to be left alone but overall they are doing great and will team up together to cause trouble.
As Emma gets more comfortable at school I have been told that everyone loves her. They kids in her class have decided she has the best smile in class and a few boys have argued over if she would be their girlfriend. She always says no to them, which is just fine by me! She has fit in remarkably well overall at school and hopefully this will be a trend that continues. Sadie on the other hand, I predict I will be at school for a conference within 2weeks once she starts school!
Well it is a birthday weekend her as Sadie is turning 3 so pics and updates after the big day.
Emma and Sadie get along like sisters. You would think they have always been together from the way they act. 99% of the time they love each other, 1% of the time cannot stand each other. Sadie got in trouble the other day for biting Emma and she was punished(lecture and time out that led to tears). Emma asked us for Sadie's punishment to be over as she said she was ok. Other times they both want to be left alone but overall they are doing great and will team up together to cause trouble.
As Emma gets more comfortable at school I have been told that everyone loves her. They kids in her class have decided she has the best smile in class and a few boys have argued over if she would be their girlfriend. She always says no to them, which is just fine by me! She has fit in remarkably well overall at school and hopefully this will be a trend that continues. Sadie on the other hand, I predict I will be at school for a conference within 2weeks once she starts school!
Well it is a birthday weekend her as Sadie is turning 3 so pics and updates after the big day.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Day one of school down
Well Emma had her first day of school and we made it through it. I took her to school and went to class with her and told her I would stay as long as she wanted me to. By the way started her in 5th Grade. So I stayed for 1st period and second period , which was music. After her teacher came and got the class I asked her if she wanted me to stay she said no i am ok go. So I did. Resisted the urge to stay and just hand back and left as she asked me to do. Picked her up at 3pm sharp, she was outside with teachers and other students from class nd hopped into the car and was ready to go to Mama's school so she could go with her to pick up little sister. Essentially after I left she was fine. Did not talk much but smiled and laughed and was ok. Did her homework promptly later in the evening and was up and ready to go at 7am this morning. Got her to school just before 8 and asked if she wanted me to stay,,, no back at 3. Today is PE day and she is pumped about that. LOL Anyway also wanted money to buy milk at lunch(she has decided she likes milk alot). We know it will be rough at times, but she likes being with kids her age and even the teachers realized she knew quite a bit of English, just will take some time to warm up to folks.
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