Dipping Candles

Our co-op makes for such an enjoyable day. This week Sapphire learned about the sense of touch and practiced counting using nursery rhymes. Pearl played store with her math class (but it is so much fun she does not realize it is a math class) and worked with maps in geography.

In second period I taught the 2nd and 3rd graders about the history of candle making, including a look at 19th century whaling (candles from whale heads!), and we dipped our own candles. It could have been very messy, but the girls were just great.

My girls love to wear their Chinese dresses. This week they wore them to church. We had an emotional children's sermon; the kids prayed for the littlest ones' Sunday School teacher who left directly for the airport and his officer basic training. It ended in a ferocious group hug that could have easily tipped him over.

The little ones don't fully understand where he went. In her thank you note, Sapphire had me dictate "I hope you armor fits."

And, just as an update, Sapphire has added a line when she offers grace: "Help our house not to blow up." We feel like just about everything is covered by the time we are done praying.

Pearl and I had the chance to visit our newest family gem in Lancaster County. We established that Pearl is, according to my husband's family term, a baby hog. She would be content to hold her cousin all afternoon. What sweeties!

Philadelphia Field Trip

We've been studying the colonial period and the American Revolution for eight weeks now. Before the temperature started to dive, my mother and I chose to take Pearl on a field trip to Philadelphia to see the places we've been reading about.

After the much anticipated train ride, we began with a trip to a museum that has a collection of Washington and Ben Franklin busts and portraits. Pearl had asked to see a real art museum after our foray into York last spring, and I was very proud of how she made her way around the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. The colored pencils I brought allowed her to engage with the art when she needed to sit. We also saw a few works by Benjamin West, a Quaker ancestor of ours who was the President of the (British) Royal Academy in the mid 1700s.





We thoroughly enjoyed a much needed meal in Chinatown before walking through that section of the city to Independence National Park. We had planned to skip the tour of Independence Hall, but it has been greatly shortened since I was young, and now you see just two rooms, the old court room and the congressional room where all the history happened. Pearl lagged a bit there, but she made it through with the help of her junior ranger activity book.

The next stop, Franklin's Printing Press, showcased a working, 18th-century press. The rangers running it entertained us with explanations. I enjoyed seeing the cases full of tiny type waiting to be set since it reminded me of the Victorian book creation I have read so much about.

We walked a few blocks to Betsy Ross's house, which is not part of the national park. Pearl and I climbed through the narrow building, winding up and down the stairs. The costumed Betsy Ross stole her heart, I think, when she gave Pearl a cut out star like the ones on the first American flag.








Our little historian retained just enough energy to walk back to the park office for her swearing in as a junior park ranger. The gentleman did a great job engaging her in the process, and she proudly displayed her little plastic pin.

Field trips are fun!

In front of the Chinatown gate

April Flowers

I think we can put our hats and heavy coats in the attic now, but here's a last look at a cute gift from Grammy.

We had the chance to celebrate Easter all over again with some friends and their grandchildren. The girls enjoyed taking part in a huge egg hunt. 

We've tried to maximize the warm weather that hit this week. Pearl created a reading nook on the front porch to catch the morning sun, and Sapphire presented herself in her swim suit and demanded pool time. I explained that the baby pool would be staying in the barn for another month at least.

Here we are at the top of the hill above our house. We like to go there and eat ice cream, but I need to stock up on that.  We just took some jellybeans and enjoyed the beautiful light.

Pearl has also developed her own code recently, which Grammy cracked right away.

We are studying Asia now, which is just about the easiest continent to cover. My husband and I have plenty of stories of our travels there, and Pearl's favorite animal is the tiger.  As part of a culinary exploration, Pearl tried bravely tried sushi when she and I had a day out together last week.  The chewy nori was not a hit with her, sadly.  She didn't seem to notice the raw salmon.

Musicals and Menus and Six Month Review

Last weekend we enjoyed a bounty of high school musicals.  Sapphire and I went to see "Annie" Saturday night.  She was thrilled to see her big church friends in the pit. The dog and the threat of bad guys were other highlights that occasionally stopped the squirming.  "Annie" is a fairly complicated plot for a three year old, I now realize.

On Sunday Pearl, Sapphire, and I drove up to see "Joseph" at the high school where my brother teaches.  The girls have these lyrics memorized, so hearing other voices and seeing a stage production was mesmerizing for Pearl, at least.  Sapphire loved the flashing lights and disco ball.  Pharaoh, her favorite character, did not live up to her image of him from the 1999 film version, so she was disappointed.  My kids always like the bad guys/autocrats.

During intermission we toured Uncle Matthew's very tidy classroom, and afterwards we went to a Thai restaurant.

We've all be studying South America as our current continent. I say all of us, because even Jasper can't walk away from the documentaries showcasing the Amazon or anacondas. The girls have been walking around in a dazzling red poncho he brought home from Bolivia in 2003.

On Friday we used this focus to try a Colombian restaurant in Lancaster named El Maizal (the Cornfield).  Of course Ruby ate everything. She's very into international cuisine.  The other two tasted a bit. Pearl liked the white rice and Sapphire finally found her favorite when the flan course came out.  Unbeknownst to me, I ordered a very think slice of breaded fried pork which tasted just perfect with a squeeze of lime.  It was just a tiny simple restaurant, but I enjoyed the experience.  Maybe someday the other girls will too. 

imitating her big sister's pose

A social worker from our adoption agency visited us Monday to complete our six month post adoption review. This is the second of six (I think?) that China requires of parents. It is a costly visit because of all the paperwork that has to be filled out and sent to China, but Jinny makes it very pleasant. Pearl took her on a tour of the house after Jasper and I answered the form questions and chatted a bit.


The tour includes the basement (formerly "the lair") and the attic.  Poor girl had to see my basement and attic in one day! I try to keep them tidy, but rotating three girls' clothing sizes, shoes, and toys does not make for a super orderly attic, at least not in this house.  It was another milestone in this year of firsts.

Jaspher overlooking Machu Picchu, Peru, 2003

Williamsburg Getaway Part II

The second day of our trip we went back in time about 150 years from what we had seen the previous day in Williamsburg.  The rain scheduled to arrive around noon sent us scurrying to the Jamestown Settlement, hopeful that we could see the outdoor exhibits before it poured.  This is a much smaller deal than Williamsburg, but the huge parking lots suggested it becomes very crowded in the summer.  We, however, got the absolute best parking spot and were the first visitors the Powhatan Indian interpreters had seen all morning.

Burning the bottom of the canoe flat

We had watched youtube videos about this place, so we were prepared.  Sapphire saw a bear skin and instantly made friends with the interpreter, telling him all about Mordu from the movie *Brave* while he tried to work facts about Powhatan life into their conversation.  We saw deer skin covered beds, a smoldering canoe project, and oyster shells to scrape hides.  The girls hopped around from house to house, asking questions of the very attentive grownups in rawhide clothes.

of course she wanted to hold the sword

The tiny Powhatan village sidles up to Fort James, the recreated palisades and barracks.  Ruby liked the chickens, and Pearl enjoyed trying on the heavy armor and wearing it around.  At one point Sapphire disappeared, and when looked I found her posing at the church doorway for a crowd of Chinese tourists, all snapping away at her demure little act.  "They like to take my picture," she murmured, as she threw them a sweet smile, much sweeter than what she pulls out for me whenever I point the camera her way! These were the same Chinese tourists we met yesterday, and I chatted with one before they scuttled off. We meanwhile took our time and made the interpreters work. 

The rain began to fall as we climbed aboard the first of two ships at anchor in the man made harbor. It is shocking that people would agree to come across the ocean in such tiny vessels. I learned that in the smaller one, settlers had to sleep in the hold on top of the barrels of supplies, giving them about three feet of clearance and a very bumpy berth.  I also discovered that a distracted 2 year old can drop her tiny rag of a washcloth (we call it "washy") in many different hiding spots while on board a 17th century ship.  Somehow I found it each time. We saw a bald eagle and a blue heron.

Ruby on a Powhatan bed of deer hides

Pearl seemed to enjoy the indoor galleries we toured after lunch.  They had the dates pained high on the beams, and she really understood that we were seeing time speed up and the developments in the region.  Anything to do with Pocahontas was a hit, but they also sat through the few short movies with rapt attention.  We really just sped through it, but I was surprised how they handled the museum situation. In all, we did better today, but perhaps it was because there was less walking and no antiques. We could touch everything, and they pretty much did.

Instead of more learning, the rain drove us back to the hotel, but that was ok after our busy day yesterday. We enjoyed dinner at an Indian restaurant. Ruby and I love curry, and the other two made do with naan and rice.  It was a bit fancier than I expected, but I suggested we act like princesses, and the staff complimented us on how quiet the girls were.  They sound like angels, but I got indigestion trying to eat fast enough to get us out of there before Sapphire fell over the back of the booth and Ruby broke something.

The swimming was a huge hit, and the two big girls said that was their favorite part, although Pearl also listed the Palace at Williamsburg as a special place. Our trip home Wednesday went smoothly except for a gps problem and a fit Ruby threw in the car just when I was most lost.  We made it home in time for me to get to class, and the girls regaled their daddy with stories of the trip. 

We did it!

He had a funny woolen hat

Williamsburg Girls' Get-away Part I

The Palace

The girls and I embarked on a great adventure this week--a Williamsburg, Virginia girls getaway! It was partly to give Daddy a chance to finish a chapter of his dissertation, and partly an opportunity to embrace the schedule flexibility of home schooling.

The four hour drive was greatly enhanced by mom's Kindle and the movie Happyfeet.  Then, after a fairly hyper meal at IHOP, we jumped into the hotel pool.  This was Ruby's first swim with us since she sat, frozen, on the pool seat at the Inner Mongolia hotel.  This time she was absolutely giddy as she floated in her swimmies, eventually laughing pretty crazily when she first pushed herself off the step after me.  She looked like an astronaut unable to propel herself in space, but by the end of the stay she could kick a little.  Since I was the only lifeguard on duty, you'll understand why there are no photos of this cute milestone.

The basket maker

Monday we went to Colonial Williamsburg. We hadn't slept all that well, or at least the girls hadn't gotten all the sleep they needed, so Sapphire was especially tired and jealous of any stroller time Ruby got.  But we jumped into the history regardless.  We did have some great interpreters who latched on to our mention of the Felicity American Girls books we've read and happily pointed out items from her stories (the stories are set in Williamsburg in 1774). 

The ballroom at the Palace (Governor's mansion)

The Palace ballroom was a highlight, since we had just read a scene about it in the Felicity books.  The big girls admired the silversmith's precious metals and his friendly personality.  Pearl also seemed entranced by the blacksmith, while Ruby preferred to cheer on the horses any time they drove by.

with our friend from the Magazine

I enjoyed the colonial city in February. At 55 degrees, it wasn't freezing, and we had the place to ourselves. The gatekeeper at the Magazine said that usually hundreds of people go through his building in an hour, and today only 10-20 were entering each hour.  When we got to the top, an enthusiastic young man obviously used to speaking loudly for crowds gave us our own demonstration of the musket-loading process.  We had planned what buildings we wanted to see, and when we finally stumbled out of the gaol, our list was complete.  We boarded the bus and Pearl talked the ears off of some other visitors.

One thing I enjoyed, but the girls did not, was the coffeehouse experience. I've read about them in 18th century culture, but I got to see a place for newspaper-readers who enjoyed a nice cup of chocolate.  At the end they offered us a play which I could not follow because I was trying to keep the girls' from spilling their breakable cups of chocolate.  The thick, slightly bitter drink differs from our hot chocolate of today. I liked the flavor, but none of them did.

learned a new word: apothecary

We attract more stares here as an adoptive family than we do at home.  One man on a Chinese tour distracted his entire tour from the guide's speech about the gallows when he reported to the group that Ruby was from Ney Mongu (Inner Mongolia).  "Oh, Ney Mongu" they all chorused.   He had approached me to ask if she was from China. Then he asked "Why did you want to adopt a child?"  He seemed surprised, but then adoption is largely limited in China due to the one child policy.  I explained that we love children.  I was about to leap into an explanation of God's love when my lovable children started fighting in one of the gaol cells. Other folks asked less difficult questions, and I was proud of how I handled it.  It doesn't bother me the way I assumed it would.

at the milliner's shop

The day ended with a pleasantly perfect Chinese buffet that kept the girls glued to their seats. Then we headed to the pool, as promised, where I realized that all the walking had exhausted my legs.  That's not the only thing it exhausted!  Once we returned to the room, I told Sapphire to lay still in her "beautiful" bed, as she calls it, and pretend to be a princess. It worked! She fell asleep while Pearl journaled and Ruby rutched. 

Homeschooling Days

Pearl made a sign for the sprouting acorn:  "dont step here tree growing"

If you don't home school, you might be curious about what a day looks like here. For us, it begins with sleeping in as long as possible. Once the girls get to the breakfast table, I begin to break out the books. We're working through a curriculum that walks us through history (still Pilgrims!), writing, English, and manners, but we add Bible readings (reading our way through I Samuel now) and more advanced math.  The internet has taught me how to teach two-digit addition, and she's picked it up pretty quickly despite some kvetching. Pearl tends to like worksheets printed off the internet rather than all the neat interactive math games I've picked up. I'm sure a younger sister will use those.

On Monday we saw a small window of good weather, so we moved purposefully through the curriculum while the little girls played around the house. We were able to go for a family nature walk, during which we identified a Tulip Poplar (and took a circumference reading), shelf fungus, a natural spring, and poison ivy. The little girls preferred the quarried rocks on the road, good for pitching into the creek.

We dropped Ruby off with Daddy for a nap, then I took the big girls to Chick-fil-a and on to the YMCA for home school swim.  Then we crossed the parking lot to check out some books in the library. Pearl read to me and Sapphire "read" to a huge stuffed dog toy that was interested in cows. During my dinner preparations she asked to help, so I decided it was time she learned to work the rice cooker all by herself. She can do it too, and the rice was great.

That evening I attended an adoption-support-group-for-moms, so Pearl enjoyed some biggest girl time with Daddy and watched part of an adaptation of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. She's really into Errol Flynn right now, and she likes the Tudors (especially Queen Elizabeth I).  Her daddy fears she's going to need a man who will swashbuckle for her in another twenty years.

The next day, Tuesday, we headed to our co-op early. After announcements and opening prayer, we scuttled off to our assigned spots: nursery class for the littlest ones (they worked on the letter "u"), solar system, manners, then drama for Pearl, and I helped with solar system, had an hour off, then helped with karate. Usually my husband teaches that one and I stay home and revise my book, at least this semester that's how we've done it, but he had a meeting all day, so I filled in.  We all had potluck lunch together, the girls played with friends, then we headed home.

The little girls both needed naps (pretty desperately in Sapphire's case), so Pearl and I played around with fabric. We usually skip book work on co-op days, but we still learn other things. I taught her how to make napkins, and she even worked up to controlling the foot pedal and the fabric movement herself. She has lots of Christmas present plans (but these weren't for any of you, don't worry...unless you are aged 5 and your name starts with a B). Her favorite part is snipping the loose ends. Then she hand-stitched a Christmas gift while I was on the phone.

Jumping in the leaves

While I cooked she sort of entertained her sisters. Right now she's tied herself to Sapphire, and they are walking around the house as a two headed monster.

So that's two days of education here.

PS: Sapphire just told me that when her own little tiny baby comes, I will have to take her, (Sapphire) to China to get her (the baby). !

First Visit to the Doctor

Ruby's own birthday mark-CM2

We finished up the girls' birthday celebrations with a family gathering hosted by Grammy and Poppop. It was so nice to hang out together with cousins and aunts and uncles for the afternoon.  The girls loved the big balloons, dollies, and books they received as presents.

Ruby's language is starting to grow, I think. In the last week she's started repeating more words after we say them, though not using them independently yet.  This is new for her. It is as if she's decided to learn to speak English.

Here's a list of English words she does use independently: uh-oh (she knew this one in China), more (she learned that one pretty quickly!), no, up, mama, dada. 

This week marked the start of the big girls' co-op. It meets one day every other week. Their daddy is teaching a class on martial arts there this semester, and I plan to stay home with Ruby.  He takes them for three hour-long classes, allowing Pearl to learn about the solar system, manners, and drama. Sapphire plays and works on a letter worksheet.  Pearl was excited about the start of this group, and she created this poster and asked me to put it up to 'celebrate.'

Our other family news is that the paperwork is not over. I've begun learning about the process of China's post-placement reports. We make one through our agency once she's been home one month, six months, twelve months, then three more stretching out to the final one at six years. We'll be scheduling the social worker to come to the home, take a look, and submit photos and medical info showing we are taking good care of Ruby.  I can't help but wonder who in China gets to read all of these reports.

Ruby had her first doctor's visit and four shots, and then we walked across the hall and filled four tubes with blood.  She did very well--didn't cry for her TB test, but waited until two nurses hit her up with needles in both thighs.  She was a little shocked that these nice ladies would do that!  We have no concerns following her medical exam, so we'll just keep updating the shots we promised the government we'd take care of. 

The big girls were impressed by all of her bandages.

Start of School

All 5 of us on The Rock, the official photo site at my parents' house

So far we've had Ruby for 3 1/2 weeks, and we've been home as a family for 2 full weeks.  Things are settling down.  Last weekend Ruby visited my parents' house, where we stay most Friday nights so my husband can run his karate school. She took to the house very well, but the new change did upset her sleeping, and she cried out more than she had for some time. It took two more nights for this to get out of her system, but when she's home, she sleeps very soundly.

This week Pearl started first grade. Here she is on her first day.  She's continuing some simple piano lessons and we're learning about the Pilgrims as well as reviewing some math facts that seem to come very easily to her.

Sapphire wanted to start school too, so she is looking at a letter each day and doing some coloring. Otherwise she and Ruby run around while I try to explain things to Pearl. It is not a very quiet environment, but it works.

Pearl's other big news is the loss of her second tooth. They are falling out like crazy now! It wiggled one  moment over corn and fell out by dessert the same meal. Sapphire tells me she has loose ones too. 

The big girls are always eager for Ruby to wake from her nap, I guess because they like the chaos of all three trying to play together. Sapphire had to learn to stay out of her sister's room when she's sleeping.  She calls her "Baby Ruby" like the folks at our church call babies when they first arrive, until they are about 18 months old. My older girls used to be "Baby Pearl" and "Baby Sapphire" too.

We all went to the Chinese buffet we like in York, and Ruby actually screamed in delight when she saw all those tables of food.  She made a little dent in them.  I think she liked everything.

We have some big birthday plans this weekend since two of our daughters celebrate a new year. Maybe we'll see you there!!