Daily Picture 5th grade

Love that I caught her expression. Had to leave a bit early and so was leaving her on her own to get out the door. When her nose is in a book, the risk of being late is high! But today it turns out the problem was not the book. It was the garage door. When she was ready to leave, she couldn't get the garage door closed. So of course she called her Gammaw, who is in Florida, for assistance. She also couldn't find her key to the front door and forgot she had a cell phone to call me. Lots of crying and worry, all before school. Bet her math test seemed like fuel on a fire. Poor thing. Pasta for dinner will cheer her up.

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 27-37

Yeah, I know. Late and incomplete. Daily picture ain't what she used to be! There are just too many things going on in the morning. The original intent was to 1) force myself to take a picture each day and 2) provide some way for our family and friends in the US to chart Natalie's growing growing up. Now I am lucky to know in which cabinet I stuffed my camera and Natalie's growth is a tween who doesn't want her picture taken every day! So again, I am adapting. I will publish a group once in awhile. The biggest downside is the lack of time to actually take photographs and work on them. I am now trying to set aside time to actually continue to focus on this hobby. Enjoy!

Day 27
"I am sure all this math homework is done..."

Day 29
Aunt Angel arrived to stay with us for the month of October!

Day 30
Dog + Beanbag = Love

Day 31
Road trip back for the football game. The Prius was pretty crowded back there!

Day 32
Morning with the funny dog

Day 34
Yes, she is reading Carl Haiisen

Day 35
Bed full of sleepy things.

Day 36
Aw, such a cute couple!

Day 37
Yes, we started listening to Christmas carols and this hat on Pandora seemed right!

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 17-25

What a busy two weeks! Between work, school, house activities, and football games, I have had not time to keep up with the publishing! BUT I did get the pictures. Well, except for two days. I was going to substitute but then decided it wasn't necessary.

Day 17

"I don't know why I didn't do this math, but it was probably Mom's fault."

Day 18 and 19 WERE MISSED! Though I did take pictures that day. So here are my substitutes!

Day 18 - I shopped for blanket at Kohls for Natalie's bed

Day 19 - Drove my Volt to work for first time!

Day 20

"More math. 5th grade stinks".

Day 21

"Picture day!"

Day 22

"Yet more homework being done in the morning"

Day 23

"Breakfast peek"

Day 24

"Monday"

Day 25

"Finally a happy camper!"

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 16

I felt like she could have tried a bit harder to hide herself during hide and seek.

"Come and find me!"

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 15

In honor of 9/11, Natalie had to memorize a quote. Here is her somber face to go with the somber day.

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence in the experience where you look fear directly in the eye. You must do what you think you cannot do." ---Eleanor Roosevelt

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 14

This is the face of someone who told us she had no homework but did. Oh, and it was 8pm and she had NOT taken taken a bath yet. I may have to ban the ipad completely....

"I forgot and I was busy and I had the other thing to do and I finished the one thing but you told me to do that thing for the one book and I took a shower yesterday and I hardly sweat in P.E. and I can't be responsible as I am only 10 and ..."

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 13

Day late, but here nonetheless

"Of course I am ready for school..."

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 12

Busy day today. Natalie had intramural activities after school. Then she had an eye doctor appointment. Tom stayed home as we are having a new front door installed. Sold another item on Craigslist and Tom had to broker the transaction. And I went to my third day of work. We got an estimate tonight to get the rest of the house painted. I am loving the pace though. Now I remember why when you work Fridays are such a treat!

" God didn't make the little green apples, and it don't rain in indianapolis in the summer time."

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 11

Yes, still getting the daily picture in, though it seems it may be required to publish after I get home. Natalie is doing great in school. Tom still has jet lag and remnants of his illness. I finished two days of work. Natalie doesn't leave for school until 8:15 so we are preparing for the day when both Tom and I have to leave before 8. That means she has to be 100% ready to walk out the door before we leave. That includes wearing her backpack around the house so she won't forget it!

"Dogs, Dogs, Dogs, Dogs, Dogs..."

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 10

Today was my first day back to work. I am now working for Sogeti as a consultant. Trading in my cleaning clothes for a suit. A continuing part of the transition back into the US. Too bad we can't get BWI to continue to pay our living expenses! Alas, back to the professional life for me. Leaving behind a life I probably won't ever return to. But "Hello paycheck!"

"Mom can buy me even more shoes now!"

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 9

Today she rode to school on her own! I guess we'll know if she made it when she comes home from school.

"See ya later!"

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 8

Shoes. The 5-minute warning initiated a flurry of activity in finding shoes to wear. She decided her Converse were stinky and the spray she put it seemed to not do the job. She didn't want to wear her good tennis shoes, so she went upstairs and found the grungiest shoes she owned. I told her that it was not good to wear such bad looking shoes when she had a better option, the good tennis shoes. But she refused! When pressed, she finally said "They pinch!". Goodness. I have been making her wear shoes that pinch in the name of them being the good pair. When do kids learn to just tell their parents that kind of detail? Did she tell me and I ignored it? Hmmm, not the best communication I guess. Anyway, I convinced her that with the spray and clean pair of socks, her Converse would be fine. She was not in agreement, but had no options and not time. We were the last student to cross the street today. Good thing we were on bikes!

"Peddling in my Stinky Shoes"

The remains of the Stinky Shoe Story

Anyway, it's Thursday and Tom is in the air on the way to Chicago. He is bringing his sick body home for repair. He had a nasty case of tonsillitis and now the medicine caused sores inside and outside of his mouth. Safe travels hubby!

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 7

Another bike day. She's less cautious, that's good. The bike lock is probably NOT necessary, but it would totally freak her out if she came out and her bike was gone. Leading to yet another reason why I am leaning towards getting her a mobile phone...  I know, all of us grew up without a need for one, right? If our bike was stolen, we went and told someone. And perhaps at this school, someone would actually care. Tom and I will both be at work and I worry about her going to study or work on a project. Anyway, we'll see what happens next week.

"Combo Mambo"

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 6

Today we rode bikes to school. Preparing Natalie for next week when she will have to get to school on her own. She doesn't have to be at school until 8:30 and I start week on Tuesday. But we celebrated the fact that our breakfast area is generally devoid of furniture and practiced skateboarding!

"We should get rid of those chairs so I can put in a ramp!"

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 5

Second week of school already. Today, the plan was that Natalie would walk to school on her own. She made it as far as that door. Then she said "What do I do if a stranger is on the sidewalk?" My first inclination was to tell her to punch them and run. Then I realized a stranger could be a neighbor walking their dog and that punching them was probably a bad idea. So I walked her two blocks to where she could see the crossing guard. I did catch her looking back at me a couple of times. At first I thought it was sweet that she was not grown up enough to walk on her own. But within minutes I was pushing her out of the nest stating "You are fine to walk by yourself. Nothing will happen and you know what to do if something did." So this is what parenting is, right? Finding the balance between independence and support. Holding back the breaks in your resolve to raise a confident child until you are in front of your blog. Just proves that your children continue to challenge and amaze you even when they can cook their own soup and get all the shampoo out of their own hair. And in the end, they know when they can fly!

“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them” --  Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 4

One week under our belts. And Gammaw and Pappaw came to visit this week. Good to have breakies with Pappaw before school!

"Breakfast with my buddy!"

Daily Picture Grade 5 - Day 3

Thursday already. Talked to Tom last night, he is in Shanghai, and he has severe tonsillitis! Poor man! But he got to a western doctor and he has been loaded up with antibiotics so he should be back on his feet by Sunday. In fact, he is actually in Beijing and is travelling back to Shanghai Thursday afternoon. Make that past-tense. Being on the other side of the 12-hour time difference is harder I think. Anyway, he is sick in China so he missed the Day Three Panic. The old "was I supposed to do 1-2 and 1-3 or just 1-2?" issue. Only the second day of homework so Natalie is out of practice. So, 10 minutes of hand-wringing resulted in her deciding to do 1-3 so this was our first day of homework in the morning. I guess it is good to get that milestone out of the way early.

"Let the sun shine on me! All year please!"

Daily Picture - Day 1 and Day 2

Unbelievable. How different our lives are, but how much the same. We are in a new house but surrounded by things we accumulated in China (literally surrounded in some rooms). Natalie has a new school, but if feels similar to Concordia. Tom is in Beijing this week, so even that seems the same. But some changes are rippling through our lives. I will be back at work full-time in less than two weeks. Natalie will be walking and riding her bike to school by herself as soon as she tires of being escorted by her mom. Our shoe cabinet only has one pair of fake converse in them now. 

All in all, we are so happy to be back in the U.S. There are moments I awake and wonder where I am, but that happens less and less. I do miss my friends. But then I realize I have friends here too and perhaps now we have the best of both world!

So, we think we will do the daily picture again this year. We will see how that works out with the mornings. These first two days I have captured on my mobile (which takes great pics, so that is ok). Yesterday I caught her from behind following a Woman in fatigues walking her son to school. (lots of Air Force personnel in our community). Today I got her right before she ditched me ("Not all the way to gate Mom!). Life is good.
Day 1

"Let the sun shine"

Day 2

"This is far enough Mom"

Daily Picture Grade 4 - Day 172

Last day of school. Last day of school at Concordia. Last day of school in Shanghai. Thought today's picture should be one that is unique to attending an international school in China. Our bus has a driver and two "ayi's" or helpers. I have ridden the bus back and forth to school and will tell you that these two Ayi's put up with a lot of crap from the kids. In the U.S. the bus driver would simply not let the misbehaved kids ride. Anyway, these two ladies have been riding the bus to and from school with Natalie for the last 5 years. Every year we give them a "Red Envelope" or Hongbao (红包). This year we also got a picture. Thanks to Ms Bao and Ms Wang! (Not sure of driver's name). Natalie had a very sad day, it was very hard to say goodbye to friends and teachers at school. She will knows she will make new ones, but it is still sad to see this big part of her life going away.

"Thanks bus Ayis and Driver! Goodbye Concordia!"

Daily Picture Grade 4 - Day 171

Today is the 2nd to last day of 4th Grade! LAST DAY FOR A UNIFORM! Sad for me. And Natalie a bit disappointed about it too. She is not much of "fashion diva" (her words) so wearing the same clothes every day was an easy routine. But today she tried to wear the same thing she wore the first day of Kindergarten (though I think she wore a skort the first day). 

"Last UNIFORM Day!"