December 27, 2011
-
Merry Christmas 2011
Merry Christmas!
A good time was had by all the kiddies. Everyone seemed to be pleased with what Santa brought and they've been very good about swapping their toys around. YiLin got a camera (Fisher Price) that everyone agrees is very cool. Shaeleigh got the dsi she's talked about for 2 years. And Chancie got a box full of Gameboy games and and assorted Spiderman toys. The only real bummer has been the Transformers Chance got that are too complicated for anyone to actually transform.
YiLin is doing well. He, Shaeleigh and Chance are getting along really well. Shaeleigh fully turned on teacher mode this afternoon and very patiently and proudly worked on teaching him how to play memory during Chance's naptime. Yesterday the two made rubberband balls together, Well, I made two rubberband balls and the two to them took turns handing me rubberbands. But, it was an hour spent together in harmony.
YiLin and Chance are doing a fine job tearing the place up. Actually, all three seem to have teamed up to play some kind of Spiderman game which has resulted in only a few minor injuries. Stinkin' wet weather has kept them from playing outside and the house is too small for all the running this particular Spiderman game seems to involve. But, it is good to see them getting along in the various pairings.
We are still working on YiLin being about to play on his own. When things get rowdy and we tell folks to calm down, YiLin doesn't really have that piece of the puzzle under control yet. He will either cling onto my leg or try to "help" in a variety of ways that are not so very helpful. But, he is getting better and better at many things - puzzles, cars, coloring, etc. - if someone sits with him so to compare the YiLin who sat for at least 45 minutes to make a rubberband ball with the kid in the hotel room in China really helps put it all in perspective.
Some photos from Christmas:
Mailing their letters to Santa. We did go to see Santa but only Shaeleigh consented to sit on his lap.
Teeny Tiny Gingerbread House. I got the cutest kits at 5 and Below. They were 2 for a $1. Hahaha. The house pieces were made of potato starch and the kit came with a "pen" full of red icing. Chance ate all his pieces like little jelly sandwiches despite Shaeleigh's attempt to help him put it together.
We did the traditional cookie making. In case you can't see it in the phot above:
Here's a close-up of the man least interested in making cookies. He wins the prize for sprinkle consumption.
He also wins the prize for ornament breakage. And the number of times "Sorry Mom" was said in a single day.
This is what the majority of us ate on Christmas morning. Chance, of course, ate one bite and then ran off to bigger and better things.
YiLin preferred to eat leftover Chengs.
YiLin on his new bike. At first it appeared that he knew how to ride. He took off right away. Unfortunately, he only really knew how to pedal. We learned too late that he didn't understand how to steer or brake. The bike turned itself toward the neighbor's driveway and when it hit the bump poor YiLin flew right off. After that he lost his confidence a bit.
But.... Chance took a liking to YiLin's big bike and YiLin seemed quite happy to ride Chance's bike which is smaller and let's him put his feet on the ground. It's way too small for him though so hopefully he'll start to feel comforable enough to ride the bigger bike again. In the interim, everyone is happy.
YiLin went to the ENT today. The doctor got out several huge clumps of wax and other assorted goop from his ears. After that, he sailed through his hearing test - no issues. He even got the hang of the test where he had to raise his hand when he heard a sound. He was so cute. Poor kid also went back to the pediatrician and had to get 3 shots plus the TB test shot (yes, the same test he just got a few weeks ago).
We are going to try to get him started in school after the Christmas break. Not sure how that's going to work. Our local public school deemed him, "too tall" for Kindergarten. I expressed my concerns very candidly but was told that he will get better support in a 1st grade classroom. I'll give them a week but we may have to push back and get him placed in Kindergarten. It just doesn't make sense to set him up for failure and then have him repeat 1st grade when he could have just started in Kindergarten.
Shaeleigh - lost to the world of the DSI. We have our reservations but have warned her that when school starts we will limit her use. I have already declared a "no video games in the van" rule (we didn't get the dvd player in the van, I don't want video games either.... for now......). I also told them, "no video games while grandma and grandpa were over" for Christmas dinner. This lead to:
Chance: Grandpa, I have a question.
Grandpa: Yes, Chance?
Chance: When are you leaving?
Nice. So my lesson in manners was not quite clear. We'll work on it.
Shaeleigh reluctantly put the DSI down to go outside to play (testing out Chance's remote control car).
And the boys take a spin.
"Hey, pull over there Chance. That place makes some great pickled eggs!"
Ho ho ho......
Recent Comments