Fei's 10th B-day

Eric bought Fei an antique bed and has painted it for her.  Gasp.  I know...painting a gorgeous antique but it will look so great in her new room when we finally get to it.

Yes, Jia is in her underwear, we had icecream for breakfast and we didn't want her to drip on her dress.

I don't recall ever getting ice cream for breakfast when I was a kid :)

Aren't Birthdays fun at our house?!

Got Fei Just Dance 2 for the Wii.  What a riot.  I've been down playing with it every day since.  The kids take turns coming down and keeping me company.  Fabulous way to exercise.

Jia loves the game too and is pretty darn good at keeping up.

What a great way for me to celebrate Fei's B-day.  Grin.

Eric and Jia both drew mice.  Jia's is the blue one.  Too cute.

Much to Fei's delight and horror, the staff came and sang to her.

How to carry off this fashion look?

She just had to give it a try.  Jia said no way.

She still isn't that keen on 3d but she wasn't upset by it, looks pretty relaxed in this picture!

There's two 10 year olds in the house!  Always a fun three weeks of the year.  We made a deal about parties and quads and held firm to the deal but still went out as a family and celebrated Fei in grand style.  Picked the kids up from school and headed to Victoria, went to the mall and got walk in appts. at a nail salon.  Fei had a manicure.  I got a pedicure and Lili and Jia wandered around with Eric.  Dinner out and then to Silvercity to see The Life of Pi in 3d.  Not sure we liked the movie but it was nice to be out.  Jia and Eric shopped while we were at the movie, she bought a toy horse and she has been on us all week for a cowgirl hat.  Finally took her shopping, found a straw cowboy hat and she rejected it, says she wants a pink one.  No clue where to find that. 

The school district is looking to close some schools in our area and our school is on the list.  There are three options being presented and all three affect our school, either closing or becoming traditional.  We're certainly not thrilled about the upheaval this will cause.  Looking at all of our options still.  Won't know until mid May what the final outcome will be.  Not sure how much room there is for the three options to be altered of if our one trustee is firm on those scenerios.  Eric is swept up in the fray of trying to save our school.  I'm thinking more along the lines of getting our kids registered somewhere else and letting it go.  Seems a stressful, senseless battle.  Bottom line, too many empty spots, declining enrollment and not enough new kindies coming up to sustain all of the school upkeep.  On the surface our school seems so succesful that it's a total shame that we're on the list.  We have 219 kids and only 69 are in catchment and that seems to be the point that the trustee is focusing on.  The kids aren't thrilled about moving to a different school but they aren't really upset about the idea either.  We've offered up home school again, they are interested but more scared of homeschooling than moving to another elementary school.  They think they might be bored or lonely with home schooling.

Fei's speech

Lili was riding with Eric, so Jia took this picture for us while we were working on the poster.

Tall boys helping get her poster hung up.

 

For all of you who know Fei, you KNOW how much she hates to speak, or speak out loud, or speak in public.  We've had our interventionist and her music teacher work with her for months at a time and she pretty much flat our refuses to introduce herself at recitals.  I honestly figured we were at 50/50 on her doing the oral speech at school.  We left it all to the last minute.  In part to create less stress and in part because I hate homework and it wasn't a fun project.  I wasn't worried about her memorizing the speech, because her memory is better than any one I know hands down.  We just had to worry about the level of stress caused by her having to speak in front of her classmates.

 

The day came and we went to school and it was put off until after lunch.  I went back and thought for sure she wouldn't do it.  She got called out of order which was likely a good thing and she got up and was a pro.  Nailed the memory part.  Looked around the room.  Spoke clearly and loudly.  Pointed at things on her poster and smiled.  I was so proud.  It happened too fast for me to get misty.  She wouldn't let anyone be there except me but I did video it. 

 

Way to go Fei!!

The final CNY party, phew.

Check out all that red!  Well done parents :)

We did a kids and adults table.  The adults chose to chat, the kids chose electronics.  Sigh.

What a gorgeous group of girls!

Our painted snakes, done at the Crafty Cuppa.  We had fun doing them.  Eric did a cupcake spoon holder but I forgot to add it to the snakes for a photo.  Jia was playing at Gramma's house.

Nicole made snake cut outs for the kids!  Very cool.

Eating the goodies and counting their coins.

Isabel

Jia's best friend Isabel as a horse.

She's figured out how to make legible pictures pretty much over night.  I forgot how much I love these little kid drawings.  Sigh.

Jia's picture

Fei, Lili, Jia and little brother.  Awww. 

Full Tilt CNY

Lili's new blouse, a ladies medium from China.

First year hanging lanterns.

This year we have all of the animals represented. 

Spaghetti with May, how fun!

Our of order and not a great picture, but their smiles say it all!

Mmmm.

Lili and Fei on the quad.

Fei and Abigail at the CNY show.

Jade getting a ride with Lili.

Anna and Lili at the CNY show.

At the CNY show in the Music Conservatory theater.

What an awesome building, awesome theater.  We were so glad we took the time to go to this one.

Couldn't get the girls to pose, took a dozen photos and these two were the best.  Jia wasn't taking her eyes off the Lion in any of the pictures.

We're in serious party mode here.  Friday we celebrated Nicole's Birthday, Mary and Charles were over for the weekend and the kids had a great time playing together.  So sweet to see Jia and May playing.  Late night.  Saturday we all met for lunch and then moved the party to our house for a pre-party before Raisa's Birthday party.  Phew.  It was so nice out that Eric let Lili give the kids rides on the quad and the littles played with Jia's new car.  Jia isn't very confident driving it yet but she loves it.  Jia and May got in the car, made it a few feet and then were stuck in the middle of the front lawn, they sat happy as could be just playing in the stuck car for 20mins.  Too funny.  Lili was thrilled to share the quad with everyone and Fei came out and rode behind Lili too.  Fei isn't totally comfortable on the quad yet and she isn't able to use the brakes.  Lili even gave Gramma a ride on the quad over the weekend.  Gramma's squealing and hooting was louder than the quad!  Also very funny.  Wish I'd filmed it.  Saturday night the big girls and I went to the CNY show at UVIC, it was fabulous.  A variety show, mostly Chinese, lots of dance, a magician, choir, musicians and some Chinese rap.  Very cool.  Another late night.  Sunday we went to a CNY show at the Music Conservatory.  The theater is an old church and it was just spectactular.  The program was short, featured musicians from the Conservatory and they were all incredible.  A fashion show and the Lion Dance.  The Lion Dance was hands down the best we have ever seen!  There were two and the men were so talented that they put them down for a nap, showed them breathing, twitching, waking, falling back asleep, yawning and scratching fleas.  Truly incredible.  Jia's first time seeing them in person and she was delighted and talked and talked and talked about them.  She totally gets that she has a little one of her own at home and knows that our costume is a little one of the same thing.  She wanted us to go home and get it right away.  I was worried they would scare her, but they didn't. 

Now, in amongst our busy days, Fei has a couple homework projects.  Can I just say again that I HATE homework.  Really, there is just no place for it in our lives.  Aren't the hours at school enough?!  It's hard enough fitting our own life into the few hours we have together.  Fei has added challenges to deal with at home.  I tell the kids they are on their own with homework and for the most part they try to get it done at school or when they get home, before I'm home.  But every once in a while, I have to be involved and I resent it.  Thank goodness I don't have to take my work home with me.  I just will never understand adding busy work to our home life from school.  We have our own agenda and projects and school infringes enough as it is.  There, teachers reading, some of us busy parents would rather not have to do school work, there is enough on our plates already. 

Had another 'are they your grandkids?' the other day.  That is getting old really fast.  I don't actually mind the initial question that much, it was the following 'really?!' response that is frustrating.  We left the store, but I almost wanted to go back and ask if she was amazed I had kids, amazed that they were mine yet Asian or amazed that I had kids at my oh so advanced age?  Still refusing to color my hair.

Monday was my Birthday, 47.  Mom, Jia and I went out for lunch and then some shopping.  Jia never gets time with Mom and Gramma all to herself.  At lunch Jia said "I'm sure enjoying your Birthday Mom".  How cute is that?!