June Updates

Lela in her "Fancy Nancy" best.

We went to a Fancy Nancy birthday party, one of Lela's Chinese school classmates. Despite weather that threatened to produce a thunder storm all afternoon and attending moms ready to drag everything indoors at a moments notice, a good time was had by all. With crown making, banana walk, pinata, door tags, ice cream sundaes and cake - plus a big backyard with swings, slide, sand etc, what was not to like.

I've got all the sprinkles to myself, I'm not playing some dumb game.

Chinese Class ended for the year. A big thanks to teacher Man Li Lin for having the patience of a saint in her quest to give our adopted children a feeling for the culture they left behind when they were adopted. Learning the fan dance, Lela on near right.

Cherry Italian ice apparently doubles as dye.

Chinese Class picnic was another fun day. It was a blistering 90 in our neck of the woods, but the picnic was at a State Park cooled by the ocean breeze. We hung out with friends, ate, ate, did crafts, talked, talked, visited the beach. Then watched the on board temperature gauge climb as we drove back home.

Lela and pal Holly romp in the waves.

Lian Updates
First - the big one. Lian is toilet trained. She still needs to be prompted, but it's been big girl panties for a week now with only 3 misses. She just decided that she was ready. And suddenly she's coming up dry over night too. Pinch me, I must be dreaming - two kids who don't need diapers!!!!

Second - our school district has agreed that she warrants a full day program in the fall, so she will be attending pre-k at a school that specializes in speech and language. We have applications in to several schools right now. Lela will be going to a 4s pre-k program in the afternoon. I will probably be getting a real job. It's going to feel strange without my munchkins around full time.

Third - she tried out Lela's two-wheeler and was actually better on it than a tricycle. Now we need a second two wheels with training wheels. Lela needs to have her trainers bent up so they will catch her, but not provide support - that was how I learned to balance - but the new ones are too good - it's going to take a visit to the vice to bend them.

Fourth - Super Trooper 2. Lian had another surgery - new ear tubes. She got her first set of tubes when she had her big surgery in January. But there have been constant problems with the tubes getting clogged with wax. Her ENT decided that since she had grown, she needed to move up to a larger size tube, which will hopefully also take care of the clogging problems. Though it is minor ambulatory surgery it still required pre-op testing and approvals. Thank heaven for the enlightened policy re children at the hospital. I suited up and carried her into the OR, and stayed with her until she was out. The only time she cried was when the mask went on, but that actually helped put her out faster. It's a quick surgery, I barely had time to wolf down a bagel and cup of coffee before they called me into recovery. She did her usual super girl routine and was sitting up, drinking juice, munching a cracker and walked out the door on her own steam in 30 minutes.