August
2008
The most amazing thing happened in August….Claire stopped
wanting to go back to Beijing! The girls and I had gone to get
our nails done with Miss Kristin. The woman doing my nails was
born in China, and she was talking to Claire in Chinese, and
asking me questions about our journey to China. At one point she
asked if we would return to Beijing, and I said ‘definitely’, we
loved Beijing, and would be very happy to visit one day. The
look on Claire’s face would have been comical if I didn’t
realize how worried she was immediately about going ‘back’ to
Beijing….I reassured her we would only go back to ‘visit’ if she
wanted to, and that she would always be with us. She just smiled
and said, ‘that’s because you love me and I love you, too’….how
sweet!
The other major breakthrough we had was later in the month, just
before school started. Claire had been saying the reason she
cried in Beijing when she met us was that she didn’t like the
cookie we had given her to eat. Not likely, but, that was the
story she was sticking to every time she looked at the photos of
her crying at the CWI. One day, she said to me ‘Mommy, do you
remember in Beijing when I cried when I met you?’….’Yes,
sweetheart, you were very sad for a little while, weren’t you?’
I replied. ‘Well, it wasn’t because I didn’t like the cookie’…..
‘Really, I said’….. ‘I was afraid of you and Daddy and
Courtney….you were different, and I was really scared.’…. A few
seconds passed, and then she said ‘but, I am not scared anymore.
You love me and I love you, too, a lot…..’ She had no idea what
her words meant to me….but, I cried a lot that day…..
A funny thing happened at the beginning of August. Steve and I
decided to take the girls to a small zoo in Bridgeport,
Connecticut….The Beardsley Zoo. It took us awhile to get there,
and the sky seemed to be getting a bit darker…but, we really
didn’t think too much of it, since living in England, the rain
doesn’t bother us much! When we arrived, we took awhile to
decide which direction to head in, and then started off on our
adventure! When we were at the furthest point possible from any
shelter, whatsoever, the skies opened up and it started pouring!
I don’t think I have ever been so wet without trying !!! Poor
Courtney was completely soaked through, and, this was with
umbrellas! We were fording rivers that developed in the road…and
the water was rushing over our shoes…..we just started laughing,
and kept on going…..but, when the thunder started I got a little
worried. After all, we were IN the woods, and I was thinking it
wouldn’t be great to have a tree come down……so, we found a
little café and hung out there awhile. Never a dull moment!!!!!
Since we live at the beach for the summer, we don’t tend to take
vacations June-August. But, we decided to take a mini break in
Pennsylvania, specifically, Pennsylvania Dutch/Hershey area. We
didn’t tell the girls where we were going, and just got in the
van and set off early in the morning…it is hard to surprise
Courtney~ she doesn’t miss anything, and has magnificent
hearing! We had so much fun! The girls loved taking a buggy ride
through the Lancaster farmlands, and we saw quite a few Amish
buggies, and farms. We also spent a lot of time at Chocolate
World!! The girls enjoyed filling a box with Hershey’s kisses,
and we enjoyed the Chocolate Tasting ! The girls didn’t want to
go to Hershey Park, which surprised us, but, they decided to go
to Dutch Wonderland instead. The rides there are tamer, and
Claire could go on everything, as well as Courtney. They also
have a nice waterpark, and it was warm! It was fun, it was
relaxing, and it was nice to be together!
Courtney started 5th Grade at Highland School on August 28th.
She has always liked school, and does very well. This was
completely different than any other year. She came home excited
about everything! Her teachers are ‘amazing’, and she spent the
entire evening telling us plans for the year, and experiments
they are going to do….it was wonderful to see her so animated!
Claire and Courtney had a shopping spree for school supplies
after Courtney came home….there are always more things the
teachers want you to get than are on the list they send home at
the end of the previous year! Claire doesn’t need school
supplies this year, but, she did get some new pencils, and a few
notebooks to practice her writing…..she is so excited about
starting kindergarten; just a few more days!
Claire has grown so much in the 8 ½ months she has been home.
Her hair is to her shoulders, and very shiny. Her smile
continues to light up her face, and her laugh is contagious. She
has a friend in the neighborhood named Lauren, and I am hoping
she will make some friends at school. She has been asking to
take a ballet class, and Steve and I are discussing how much we
want both girls to be involved with this year. She has a lot of
energy, and also wants to be with other children. She misses
Courtney a lot when she is at school all day.
Courtney is growing her hair longer, and has some blond
highlights. She has been talking about getting her ears pierced
and I am waiting to see if it is a passing thought, or, if she
truly wants to get them done. She loves being with Mom and her
friends, and likes to feel she is part of our ‘group’…it is
sweet that she enjoys my friends , and they are very fond of
her, too. She loves having her friends visit us at the beach,
and is always asking ‘what are we doing tomorrow…..’ |
This was BEFORE the rain started during our trip to the Zoo....
Claire loves crawling through all the little caves....this one
was a tree trunk at the Zoo.
Pennsylvania, Amish Buggy
Courtney loading the box with Hersheys kisses....both girls
enjoyed this part of Chocolate World.
This is one of our favorites.....I can never have too many
photos of our girls together!
The log flume stopped working while the girls' were in line to
go on for a second time. I am glad it didn't happen while they
were ON the ride, I would have been wild! |
