Spring celebrations

We’ve had challenges and frustrations with our 2 kids, just like every family, but there are times when they’re so entertaining and sweet that you forget all about the moments of high blood pressure. Their recent introduction to tai chi was an event to remember. The Year of the Tiger began in February, and we’ve had two Chinese Spring Festival [AKA New Year] celebrations. Our first was a family affair on Chinese New Year’s Eve, and a few weeks ago we went to a dinner with the Atlanta chapter of Families with Children from China [FCC]. It was a great night full of Chinese food, cultural expression, and about 325 other people from families who have also adopted from China. I was really impressed by a steady parade of Chinese-born children on stage performing some traditional Chinese dances , and Kate & Sam were equally mesmerized by the bright colors of their outfits and synchronized moves. Toward the end, a man took the stage with a small group of kids and demonstrated some tai chi moves. After his main demonstration ended, he invited any kid to come on stage and show their stuff. I encouraged Sam and Kate, thinking they would certainly prefer to sit back and watch since they were on the younger end. But Sam tried out a few moves near our table, and quickly decided his skills were ready for the stage. Kate followed her brother with no second thought, and they were chopping, stomping, breathing, & pushing to their heart’s content [and their parents’ delight.] It was a great end to a great night, and we’re excited to have a community of similar families who are also interested in preserving our daughters’ Chinese heritage. Our first family dinner was a simpler affair, without traditional costumes & tai chi, but still a very cool night to bring in our first Chinese New Year with our families.

Last weekend we took our first family getaway since we brought Kate home. And getaway is defined as an overnight stay not in a family member’s house. So we packed up and headed north to Chattanooga.  Did we succumb to the mandate of 785 billboards, and “See Rock City”? Nope. We didn’t visit the TN Aquarium, either, or Ruby Falls. We focused more on railroads & choo-choos. The Incline was cool – the kids were not scared in the least by “the world’s steepest passenger railway.” But despite its uniqueness & breath-taking views, it may have been trumped by the hotel pool & hot tub. On Sunday we visited the Tennessee Valley Railway, where we rode in a real passenger car with a steam engine. It’s billed as the “largest operating historic railroad in the Southeast,” and it did feel like we stepped onto the set of a 1950’s movie. It’s fun when your kids are so happy that it makes you happy too.

Their obsession with animals, farms, & horses continues. Actually, it’s just Sam who has an obsession. Kate enjoys them all, but she maintains a healthier appreciation, more balanced with other little girl delights like hair bows, new shoes, and Hello Kitty. Sam has tried to branch out, with a newfound affection for Toy Story, but even then, Cowboy Woody brings him back to the Wild West. He now routinely introduces himself to adult strangers by saying ““My name is Cowboy Tuff, but when I’m in trouble, it’s Sam.” They love to visit the various farms in the extended family, and on a recent visit to Dawn’s Uncle Stan’s farm, both of them mounted a horse solo [with an adult manning the reins]. If I need a quick parenting aid, I can’t go wrong with horse-jumping videos on YouTube. This past Friday they went to the UGA Veterinary School’s Open House, where they got to watch someone milk a cow, and they suited up in hospital scrubs while the students performed surgery on their stuffed animals.

Both Sam and Kate are really enjoying their gymnastics class, and we think we may be on to something with Kate. Her flexibility and agility seem off the charts, combined with a fearless [reckless] attitude that can raise the heart rate of even the laid-back parents. I think Bela Karolyi’s gymnastics camp accepts girls age 7 and up, so we’ve got 3 years and change to get her ready and on track for the 2024 Olympics. At a recent gymnastics class, Sam asked Dawn why two of his friends weren’t there, and she explained that they had spring break. That night, he informed me that Eliza & Shipley weren’t at class because "their spring broke."

In two weeks, Dawn & Kate will journey to Iowa to visit Kate’s best friend from their orphanage. Her friend Leah was adopted about a year ago, so I don’t really expect that they’ll remember much [I mean, that’s like 25% of her life]. But we’re excited to build that relationship and maintain a really cool connection. Over the past few months, we took Kate to two different places for evaluations: the Center for the Visually Impaired, and our county school system for Early Intervention. Both places basically told us that she doesn’t really qualify for the services, because her needs for vision & speech are not great enough. We thought that Early Intervention would accelerate her speech development, but they told us that she’s doing well for a 3 yr old who’s been here 8 months. We’re proud of the progress she’s made and how she continues to adapt to new environments.

We had a blast today celebrating Easter for the first time with Kate. Dawn’s Aunt Kathy hosted the 20+ person crowd, and our 2 youngsters were the only kids, and therefore the default stars of the show. We’re excited to introduce Kate to the powerful meaning of Easter, and we’re privileged to celebrate with lots of our family. The egg hunt was a lot of fun, and a bit less competitive than the Smyrna community hunt from last year, since there were just two kids to gather up 50 eggs. And Sam, I mean Cowboy Tuff, wouldn’t even touch the pink ones. A lot of things change from one generation to the next, but it seems that a cowboy still wouldn’t be caught dead with pink.