Today was Angela's 'Visit the Classroom Day' for kindergarten. I went along with her and her mom Shelly. OMG, I don't know what I'll do when my OWN child goes to school for the first time!!! I must've asked a bazillion questions...where they meet the bus, what they do for lunch, how will she find the right bus, how will she find the cafeteria, where do they put their coats, who will help her find her 'Friday' classroom, etc. etc. etc. You would think the poor kid was moving in, or something!!! I know, it's not like she's going to Antarctica, and it's not like she's even my own child, but I am so attached to her!!! And, I'm treated like her second mom, which is so special to me.
I'll be worrying about Angela all day tomorrow, I know. Man, what the heck am I going to be like when the Fabulous Miss M goes to school???? I shudder to think. Seriously, since I was in charge of getting Angela's back to school stuff, like her backpack and lunchbox, I was totally stressing. Which lunchbox will 'fit in' yet still be unique to her?!?! I know, I'm whacked. I have issues, I know.
I hope she has a great first day and doesn't worry tonite. She already has her bus number memorized, her classroom number memorized, and even her numbered hook in the classroom!! Which, because of this, is why I am hoping she's not worrying about it all too much. She took it upon herself to memorize all this this afternoon. But, her teacher is very nice, and I kept reassuring Angela that her teacher would help her find her way around.
Man, in 5 years when it's the Fabulous Miss M's turn, I'm going to have to go out for cocktails!!!!
Showing posts with label Angela. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Angela. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Good for the Soul
So, a week ago, Mike and I volunteered to pick up Angela's daddy at the airport in Minneapolis, about a four hour drive from us. Since his flight got in early Monday morning from China, we thought we'd drive down Sunday, take Angela with us, and stay at a hotel with a pool. We had a great time.
I think I'll have to make a couple posts about our trip, but I have to share the one incident that honestly brought me to tears. I got Angela ready for the pool and then went in the bathroom to put my swimsuit on. I'm standing in the bathroom in front of the mirror thinking, "Yuck." Yeah, I'm fluffy, and swimsuits are NOT my favorite thing in the world.
Before I left the bathroom, I'm thinking to myself, 'Gee...I wonder what Angela's going to say...her mom is such a tiny little thing!!!' But, I opened the door and braced myself for a sassy comment. She was standing right outside the door, took one look at me and said without any hesitation, "You're BEAUTYFUL!!!!!"
Still gives me tears...Damn, she's good for the soul!!!
I think I'll have to make a couple posts about our trip, but I have to share the one incident that honestly brought me to tears. I got Angela ready for the pool and then went in the bathroom to put my swimsuit on. I'm standing in the bathroom in front of the mirror thinking, "Yuck." Yeah, I'm fluffy, and swimsuits are NOT my favorite thing in the world.
Before I left the bathroom, I'm thinking to myself, 'Gee...I wonder what Angela's going to say...her mom is such a tiny little thing!!!' But, I opened the door and braced myself for a sassy comment. She was standing right outside the door, took one look at me and said without any hesitation, "You're BEAUTYFUL!!!!!"
Still gives me tears...Damn, she's good for the soul!!!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Angela's Answer
Okay, gotta tell you about Angela's trick or treating and her time saving technique.
So, we go to my mom's. She gets a little box of candy with a Snoopy keychain attached to the front. My mom lives in a country area, but has close neighbors. So after we trick or treat at my mom's, we go next door to the neighbors...people I've known since I was born, but of course Angela has never seen them before in her life.
We ring the doorbell and when the neighbor lady opens the door, Angela muscles her way in, says 'hi' to the neighbor lady as she walks by, grabs a chair at their dining table and plops right down. We all watch as she sets her trick or treat pumpkin, grabs her box of candy out, and goes to work getting Snoopy off. Too funny, right? Gets better.
Mike (who was with) and I start talking with the couple and the husband asks her, "Now, what was your name again?"
"MyAngelaI'mfouryearsoldIgotoschoolhappybirthday." **in English with a Chinese little girl accent.**
She said it just like this to about 4 people that night. When we dropped her off, we told Shelly, her mom, what Angela's response was when people asked her name. Shelly just about fell off her chair laughing so hard!! It seems she learned to answer the 'what is your name' question like this because she knows that when adults ask her name they always follow up with MORE annoying questions like, 'How old are you,' and, 'Do you go to school?' This way, she answers it ALL in one very very fast sentence, so she can get back to the more important things....like getting at her Snoopy toy and candy!!
HAAAA!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!
By the way, in way of translation:
My name is Angela. I am four years old and I now go to school! Happy Birthday. (not quite sure what the "Happy Birthday" is for....good measure I think....just IN CASE it happens to be your birthday)
So, we go to my mom's. She gets a little box of candy with a Snoopy keychain attached to the front. My mom lives in a country area, but has close neighbors. So after we trick or treat at my mom's, we go next door to the neighbors...people I've known since I was born, but of course Angela has never seen them before in her life.
We ring the doorbell and when the neighbor lady opens the door, Angela muscles her way in, says 'hi' to the neighbor lady as she walks by, grabs a chair at their dining table and plops right down. We all watch as she sets her trick or treat pumpkin, grabs her box of candy out, and goes to work getting Snoopy off. Too funny, right? Gets better.
Mike (who was with) and I start talking with the couple and the husband asks her, "Now, what was your name again?"
"MyAngelaI'mfouryearsoldIgotoschoolhappybirthday." **in English with a Chinese little girl accent.**
She said it just like this to about 4 people that night. When we dropped her off, we told Shelly, her mom, what Angela's response was when people asked her name. Shelly just about fell off her chair laughing so hard!! It seems she learned to answer the 'what is your name' question like this because she knows that when adults ask her name they always follow up with MORE annoying questions like, 'How old are you,' and, 'Do you go to school?' This way, she answers it ALL in one very very fast sentence, so she can get back to the more important things....like getting at her Snoopy toy and candy!!
HAAAA!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!
By the way, in way of translation:
My name is Angela. I am four years old and I now go to school! Happy Birthday. (not quite sure what the "Happy Birthday" is for....good measure I think....just IN CASE it happens to be your birthday)
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Angela's Photo
This is a photo of my little friend standing on a firetruck at the local firestation open house. She wasn't too impressed at the time, but, isn't she a cutie!!!
Monday, October 22, 2007
My Little Friend
I have yet to mention my little friend Angela. I'm not sure why I haven't talked about her yet, but, I just have to start sharing my stories of her.
Angela is a 4 year old precocious, fiesty, gorgeous little girl with long black hair and dark brown eyes. Her parents are native of China...well, to be more specific, her mother is from Fujian, China, and her dad is from Hong Kong. They own a Chinese restaurant in a neighboring town and the food is to DIE for.
Mike and I would go to eat at the restaurant every so often. It's in the town where he works, but is 22 miles from home, so we'd go when I felt like meeting him. However, about a year ago, I met Angela for the first time. We were eating in the restaurant and here was this darling little Chinese girl. At the time, we hadn't started our adoption in Vietnam, and I was still fixated on the wait for our China adoption. Of course Angela caught my eye because of her heritage, and because she was just so darn cute!!!
She was too shy to come over and visit that first time, but I was smitten. ;) Mike and I would go eat there and we started talking to Angela and her mom. I quickly told Shelly (Angela's mom) that we were adopting....explaining as best as I could that I wasn't some crazed stalker weirdo type person. Mike and I just kept coming in every now and again and got to know them quite well. Not only was I taken with Angela, but with her whole family.
Angela's family is opening a new restaurant in the same town, so everyone is horrendously busy. They are still running the current restaurant, and renovating a huge storefront on the main street, which will be a Chinese/American buffet. Shelly had wanted to send Angela to stay with Angela's grandma in China during this busy time, but it just never worked. Which made me happy! My little friend would have been gone for months! Not only that, but Angela's first language is Chinese. I personally think she would have lost a lot of the English she has learned, having gone to China for several months.
Since they are so busy right now, (and I am not) :) I have started going there several times a week to watch Angela and help out. My friendship with this wonderful family has grown 100 fold. I try to help Angela learn more English, write her letters and numbers, color, cut paper (her favorite...don't ask me why...), teach her some American kid's games, dance, get out of the restaurant on sunny days, watch movies, and have the time of my life. Mike comes, too, for lunch, and dinner. Good thing we love Chinese food!!! For a man who was hesitant to have kids....man....they are so cute together. He teases her, and her temper flares, but he is so incredibly patient with her. I'll have to write another blog just on those two together.
The main reason I had to finally post about my little friend is because of something that hit me the other day when I was with her. I usually try to bring her a little somthin' somthin', whether it's a color book, or a toy, or paper, whatever. Sometimes I'll pick her up a DVD. Last Friday was rainy and cold, so I bought her the Disney classic, "The Little Mermaid."
I think sometimes I take it for granted that all kids know about Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, etc. I was literally brought to tears on Friday when I watched the movie with her. Angela had never heard of Ariel or Flounder and Sebastian before. She was absolutely enthralled and mesmorized. It still brings tears to my eyes....I think because I was so lucky to be able to experience this child's absolute wonderment and share in a new experience for her. I guess that sounds corny, and it's hard to explain. But, I'll tell you, it felt good.
Well, I could go on and on about Angela and her family, and I'll probably share more stories about her now. Today we danced and laughed and drank a glass of ice water with two straws. We cut out pumpkins, colored pictures, and her mom thought we were both crazy. And, sitting there with my hair in pigtails, cutting out paper fish, I probably DID look crazy. But, come Wednesday, when I walk in that door and I'm pelted with a flying Angela hug and kisses, I don't care if I looked like the biggest weirdo on the planet. It's all worth it. :)
Angela is a 4 year old precocious, fiesty, gorgeous little girl with long black hair and dark brown eyes. Her parents are native of China...well, to be more specific, her mother is from Fujian, China, and her dad is from Hong Kong. They own a Chinese restaurant in a neighboring town and the food is to DIE for.
Mike and I would go to eat at the restaurant every so often. It's in the town where he works, but is 22 miles from home, so we'd go when I felt like meeting him. However, about a year ago, I met Angela for the first time. We were eating in the restaurant and here was this darling little Chinese girl. At the time, we hadn't started our adoption in Vietnam, and I was still fixated on the wait for our China adoption. Of course Angela caught my eye because of her heritage, and because she was just so darn cute!!!
She was too shy to come over and visit that first time, but I was smitten. ;) Mike and I would go eat there and we started talking to Angela and her mom. I quickly told Shelly (Angela's mom) that we were adopting....explaining as best as I could that I wasn't some crazed stalker weirdo type person. Mike and I just kept coming in every now and again and got to know them quite well. Not only was I taken with Angela, but with her whole family.
Angela's family is opening a new restaurant in the same town, so everyone is horrendously busy. They are still running the current restaurant, and renovating a huge storefront on the main street, which will be a Chinese/American buffet. Shelly had wanted to send Angela to stay with Angela's grandma in China during this busy time, but it just never worked. Which made me happy! My little friend would have been gone for months! Not only that, but Angela's first language is Chinese. I personally think she would have lost a lot of the English she has learned, having gone to China for several months.
Since they are so busy right now, (and I am not) :) I have started going there several times a week to watch Angela and help out. My friendship with this wonderful family has grown 100 fold. I try to help Angela learn more English, write her letters and numbers, color, cut paper (her favorite...don't ask me why...), teach her some American kid's games, dance, get out of the restaurant on sunny days, watch movies, and have the time of my life. Mike comes, too, for lunch, and dinner. Good thing we love Chinese food!!! For a man who was hesitant to have kids....man....they are so cute together. He teases her, and her temper flares, but he is so incredibly patient with her. I'll have to write another blog just on those two together.
The main reason I had to finally post about my little friend is because of something that hit me the other day when I was with her. I usually try to bring her a little somthin' somthin', whether it's a color book, or a toy, or paper, whatever. Sometimes I'll pick her up a DVD. Last Friday was rainy and cold, so I bought her the Disney classic, "The Little Mermaid."
I think sometimes I take it for granted that all kids know about Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, etc. I was literally brought to tears on Friday when I watched the movie with her. Angela had never heard of Ariel or Flounder and Sebastian before. She was absolutely enthralled and mesmorized. It still brings tears to my eyes....I think because I was so lucky to be able to experience this child's absolute wonderment and share in a new experience for her. I guess that sounds corny, and it's hard to explain. But, I'll tell you, it felt good.
Well, I could go on and on about Angela and her family, and I'll probably share more stories about her now. Today we danced and laughed and drank a glass of ice water with two straws. We cut out pumpkins, colored pictures, and her mom thought we were both crazy. And, sitting there with my hair in pigtails, cutting out paper fish, I probably DID look crazy. But, come Wednesday, when I walk in that door and I'm pelted with a flying Angela hug and kisses, I don't care if I looked like the biggest weirdo on the planet. It's all worth it. :)
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