JT Gets It--

This will be big in history, won't it?

No matter who wins, this is big!

JT's comments this morning.

Luci's from *Southern* China....

So maybe that explains the accent... she called this Star Wars character toy "BUBBA Fett" (he's Bobba Fett). And when she asks for a stamp, that word has 3 syllables!

Some other shots from this week:

JT and Troy figuring out a way to play air hockey when the game's out of order.
Can't catch me!
All tucked in for a nap. This lasted maybe 30 seconds. Bryan wrapped her up well!Where Luci does all her art work while the boys work on school lessons.

Just in from the AP Wire:

All of the Wal-Marts across Alabama are sold out of ammunition, as of this afternoon. A reliable source said that one of the purchasers commented that while Russia may have invaded Georgia, they sure as heck ain't aget'n into Alabama.


Thanks for sending me the funny, John!

The First Supper

Really, it was lunch, not supper.

John was gone on his trip when the table got here last Friday, so the official first meal happened when my Soldier Boy got home on Sunday. A good Feingold stage 1 meal of pot roast and gravy, rice and green beans. Not too adventurous, but good.

Hooked on the Internet--or, Webbed by the Web

Yesterday I was here at the table with the kids, teaching their lessons, looking on the internet on my "must go" sites that I visit every day. With my back to the window. Tropical Depression Fay was hitting us, according to my favorite weather site. The radar showed we were getting some serious rain. Really? Wow! So I turned around, looked out of the window, and by golly, they were right. DUH.

Low Carb Pizza that Tastes Good! Really!

And it has No Soy in it whatsoever.

This is from the Kimkins website.

Crust:
8 oz grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1/4 tsp baking power
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS grated Mozzarella cheese

Mix these well, spread in a greased pan. This will fit a 10x13 pan or a 12 inch pizza pan.
Bake for 12 minutes at 450* Remove from oven, loosen crust from pan if necessary and add your favorite low-carb toppings. Bake again until your cheese on top is bubbly.

What the crust looks like after baking:
Yum! Mine had 1/4 cup sauce spread all over it, plus mozzarella cheese and Sargento's pizza cheese, plus black olives.

The cooled-down extras ready to be put in ziploc baggies and into the freezer. Freezes well!

A New Table!

First, the old, broken behemoth had to go. No, not Bryan--the huge table. John had to take it apart to move it. We ordered the new table in May. It had to be finished and put together, and we expected it to be delivered in July. This big table had to be moved. (July 20)
Next came the cold, metal table borrowed from church. It was the beginning of August, and still no new table. :( After some calling, the furniture company tracked it down--the new table was in Canada and had to walk here on its own, so it would take awhile. No, really the company that made it takes a 3 week holiday in July/August. Wow! Where is that?! I want to work there, too! The borrowed table meant no more meals in our laps in the living room, and school could begin. (August 1) And lastly, the New Table! Luci was not sure about getting a new table until she found out she could run laps around it.
Nice! Next, the hutch gets moved back into the dining room and I can use the bottom of it to store our daily-use homeschool books. Then that tacky plastic shelf in the corner can go. We also have a leaf that we can put in when needed, making the table nearly 6 ft long.

John's Haircut

John asked me to trim his hair before he left for Georgia today on an Army Reserve trip (no, not that Georgia--he's somewhere north of Atlanta). He never, ever asks me to trim his hair because I might mess it up. So here's what I came up with!

photo from Times-Online UK.

Why are they calling this "Olympic Shocker" ??

I think most of us knew ahead of time that my little He Kexin was really 2 years too young to be in the Olympics. Read article from Times Online--UK here. Kexin's still my favorite because I think she and Luci look an awfully lot alike. And to know that someone who is two years too young to be there can get the same scores, well, that's something, isn't it?

Photo from Fox News.com

Some Luci-isms

Luci, are you awake?

Not yet!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you like that new food?

I like it not so very much a lot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While we are doing lessons, we hear this from Luci, who is in another room:

Mama, it going to es-plode! (we still haven't found what exploded)

Sure, It Was Beautiful...But.....

Oh, My Goodness. What a difference between Freedom and Not.

The opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics were spectacular, but the human cost! I'm not talking about the computer-added graphics of fireworks or lip-synching 9-year-olds. I'm talking heat stroke, many injuries including paralysis for one performer, and Depends.

Zhang Yimou, the director, said that "only North Korea could have done it better." Wow, there's company you want to keep, huh?

Here's what Zhang said, in an excerpt from this article from Associated Press:

In the most extreme case, Beijing organizers revealed last week that Liu Yan, a 26-year-old dancer, was seriously injured during a July rehearsal. Shanghai media reported that she fell from a 10-foot stage and may be permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

Zhang, the ceremony's director, visited Liu in the hospital and has told Chinese media that he deeply regrets what happened to her _ but he has also defended the training schedule his performers endured.

He told the popular Guangzhou weekly newspaper Southern Weekend that only communist North Korea could have done a better job getting thousands of performers to move in perfect unison.

"North Korea is No. 1 in the world when it comes to uniformity. They are uniform beyond belief! These kind of traditional synchronized movements result in a sense of beauty. We Chinese are able to achieve this as well. Through hard training and strict discipline," he said. Pyongyang's annual mass games feature 100,000 people moving in lockstep.

Performers in the West by contrast need frequent breaks and cannot withstand criticism, Zhang said, citing his experience working on an opera performance abroad. Though he didn't mention specific productions, Zhang directed Tan Dun's "The First Emperor," starring Placido Domingo, at New York's Metropolitan Opera in 2006.

"In one week, we could only work four and a half days, we had to have coffee breaks twice a day, couldn't go into overtime and just a little discomfort was not allowed because of human rights," he said of the unidentified opera production.

"You could not criticize them either. They all belong to some organizations ... they have all kind of institutions, unions. We do not have that. We can work very hard, can withstand lots of bitterness. We can achieve in one week what they can achieve in two months."

Yes, I think that we, as Americans are quite often too soft and wimpy when it comes to our work ethic.

But, come on, Mr. Zhang, a little insertion of human rights would be a good thing.

Shame in the Eastern culture is a terrible thing. Well, here I sit, firmly in the West, and I am ashamed of my daughter's homeland.

And that's just what they show the public--the private, unseen injustices are so many. More on the orphanage system later.

Geography from a Three-Year-Old

The boys are doing a study of World Geography. They are putting a book together showing the continents--Luci has her own book, too. We got to Europe this morning, and Luci helped out. Here's how the conversation went: Mom: What is this next continent?

Boys (really bored): Europe.

Luci (excitedly, and pointing at each of us): You're-Up, You're-Up, You're-Down, I'm-Up!

Bryan's Mad at Me, and It Isn't Patriotic, but...

My girl won!

He Kexin

Karen R's probably mad at me, too....

I took this photo myself, with my camera pointed at the TV. Don't tell NBC.

JT's really truly awful Riddle

Q: What's the difference between chopped meat and pea soup?

A: You can chop meat, but you can't pea soup.

Cho Dan Bo

JT is now a Cho Dan Bo--or maybe that's his new rank in Tang Soo Do--I am not sure exactly how to word that. John and I got to see JT advance this morning, and wow! he did well. Here's a little video (about 1 minute long) showing JT doing his staff work. The young man to the left of JT is Tyler...a good friend of JT's. They are really enjoying getting to advance together and work towards that next level...Black Belt!!

Here's what Luci and Hannah and Sawyer (Tyler's sister and cousin) do during the test...read books and do push-ups.

The Best Thing We've Ever Done

Three years ago, a little bundle of girl was handed to us. What a day! This is the best thing we've ever done--give a little girl a family. And in return, she is exactly what we needed.

I had a special little item for Luci that we got while we were in China, all saved for our Gotcha Day. Luci found it! So I found another gift: a fairy princess dress. She likes this better than the little bento box and chopsticks, anyway (it is very similar to this one). And it fits her fairy tale life.

I made Chinese food for supper, and we had a special pie for dessert. I asked everyone to say something about Luci. (For the boys, I specified that it had to be nice.)

John said that Luci is such a thankful child. John walked into the house with balloons and Luci said, "Thank you, Daddy!" several times. She says thank you quite often during the day, without any prodding at all. It is so sweet.

JT: "Luci's the cutest person in the whole wide world."

Bryan: "I'm glad we got you. Without you we wouldn't be in this house."

Me: I said that Luci meant hope for our family. We'd been through a lot, losing a baby and then searching for a child to be in our home. Searching for a place to build a new home and finding this perfect place, this happy house. Her story, and why we searched for her are stories full of hope.

Here are some highlights from today: Bryan presenting Luci with her gift.
Princess dresses are more appropriate for this child than that old bento box!

Three great kids!

What Lu Min Jie had on three years ago.
The pacifier was tied around her neck, and this outfit was so big! The sleeves and pants legs were rolled up more than half their length.
Kalyn and Kathy came over today. The girls had a lot of fun trying on different clothes. It was pretty funny, and not always G-rated. It was not hard to imagine them as teens, trying on each other's clothes. I'm so glad we know Kalyn and her family!
Kitty Kalyn
Her true character:

silly!

Kexin and Luci

I think Luci will look a lot like Kexin when she grows up.

Inspiration for Olympic Prayer Band Arrested

I got this email this morning....

Pastor Zhang “Bike” Mingxuan, known for traveling across China on a bicycle to evangelize, was arrested by Chinese police just two days before the Olympics began. Pastor Bike was the inspiration for the recent partnership between The Voice of the Martyrs and China Aid Association to create the Olympic Prayer Band.

Learn More about the Olympic Prayer Band here

Pastor Asks for Prayer BandEarlier this year, Pastor Bike pleaded with VOM staff to ask Christians to pray for persecuted Christians in China during the Olympics. The pastor voluntarily preaches the gospel openly in China despite being persecuted. He has asked for his identity to be revealed to bring continued attention to the persecution of Christians in Communist China.

Thanks to Pastor Bike’s inspiration and the commitment of concerned Christians across the United States, more than 800,000 prayer bands have been circulated. On Aug. 6, Pastor Bike was arrested while trying to deliver medicine to his ailing wife. His wife and another pastor were also arrested. We have also learned this week that Chinese officials are opening a full investigation of the Olympic Prayer Bands that were distributed to house church members within China. Despite this increased pressure from Chinese authorities, Chinese Christians continue to ask for prayer and to make their plight known.

Order your Prayer Bands today!As the Olympics goes on, the harassment of Chinese evangelists continues to increase. Please help remind others to pray for persecuted Christians like Pastor Bike by ordering your prayer bands today!

More about Pastor BikePastor Bike, president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, rode his bike more than 10,000 miles, visiting 24 Chinese provinces to introduce nonbelievers to Jesus Christ.

Wednesdays are Karate/Library/Chore/School Days

I've wondered what Luci would do on those really long days. Would she run wild? Would I be wrestling with her to stay in her quiet place so we can do some school work? Today I got my answer.

Here's what Bryan and JT did when we finally got to the school work.Here's what Luci did. She's sleeping behind me right now. Bryan fixed up a pallet for her, with pillow, blankie, coloring book and her mayonnaise jar full of crayons. She fell asleep right away. I am so glad! This is the little girl who has to be held to go to sleep.
Here's our version of He Kexin!

She's wearing one of JT's gold medals won at a gymnastics meet long ago. Luci will tell you her shirt says, "Mei Mei. And that red part is chopsticks." Not quite, but for 3 1/2, that is pretty cute.

Looking for Something Familiar

I am always looking for a familiar face, someone to match Luci up to. I found a familiar face in the Olympics, on China's team, of course. He Kexin...an incredible gymnast. She looks a lot like Luci. If you follow the gymnastics world news, you might remember a controversy surrounding her--she was proclaimed to be too young to enter the Olympics this year. This source has her birthdate adjusted to 1992, making her legal. I found some more information about her here, including some discussion about the age question.

She was born in Beijing... I was hoping to find another Bouyei Baby. I guess not, but wow! what an exciting young lady.

Here's a slideshow of this young lady and her team on Zimbio. Did you see "my" girl win a gold medal?! :)

Mama, I'm Married!

That was the news from Luci tonight on the way home from church. We had a fellowship time after worship and, after eating, the kids played while the grown-ups visited. I kept an eye on Luci, waiting for her and Cole to discover each other, and Bam! they did. They spent quite a while running around and having fun. Cole is that 5 year old cutey-pie who's been crushing on Luci, and vice-versa. (Now, normally I don't encourage this kind of behavior--but the guy's been praying for Luci for several months now! and it would be so nice if she stayed in the area when she's grown...a sure thing since both are from here...talk about planning ahead!)

On the trip home, Luci gave me the big news. She's married to Cole.

I informed Luci that, if you're married to Cole, you can't live at our house anymore. You have to go live with Cole.

OK.

You can't live with mommy.

OK.

You can't have binky and blanky anymore.

Oh, PHOOEY! I not married.

Olympics Grand Opening

Wow! Did you see the Opening Ceremonies at the Olympics Friday night? It was amazing. The announcers said that the man in charge of it had a free rein and open pocket-book. The big screen thing on the floor was an LCD screen! Amazing. And those blue rectangle-shoebox shaped things that kept popping up, making designs--I just knew they were computer-controlled, but no! It was all choreographed and done by people. AMAZING.

This is one ceremony that I would love to have the dvd to!

And in the middle of watching this, what does my sweet Mother-in-law do? She calls long-distance just to see if her Luci is watching the Olympics! I loved that. Just wanted to know if Luci was watching something from her homeland.

More fabulous photos here. (The photo above is from here)

A stupendous slide-show here.

Complete medal standings here.


No politics, please. China gave us Luci and for that I will always love that country, despite their failings in human rights. And, no matter what you think of their politics, that was an fantastic show!

PS--no, Luci was not watching...she fell asleep on the way home, at 5:30, from dropping John and the boys off at church-a sleep over there-and, except for two short times of waking up, she slept through the night.

Eagle Eyes!

It's official. All three kids and I have "Eagle Eyes." The Eye Doc said so! Really, those were his words. All of us have better than 20/20. Even Luci, which surprised the doc since he said that between ages 3 and 5 the eye is still developing and usually does not see 20/20 until age 5. Woo-hoo! John, however, wears his glasses all the time and was not included in this "eagle eye" report. Luci is pretty scared of all things medical, even though we do everything just short of hypnosis to get her through. This was her first visit to the opthamalogist, a little late in coming since she's been home for three years already. We have seen no problems with her eyes, so we kept putting it off until she was a little bigger and could cope better. She did great yesterday and even let the lady put eye drops in her eyes--twice. She got some really cool glasses to wear home, too. This morning she told me she wants to be an eye doctor when she grows up.

The bald eagle photo came from here.

Sing a Song

What song was Number One on the day you were born? Find out here.

For me, it was "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" sung by Connie Francis. No comments on the "fool" part, okay?!

Olympics Testing

Did you know that one of the tests some Olympic athletes must take is to determine their gender? Not really a problem, you say? There have been several in the past who failed! See article here from the UK Guardian.


And what about this gymnast?




That was Paul Hunt. He was a champion in the 1970's. There are several more videos of him on youtube.com. Thank you, Phisch, for letting me know about this tremendously funny and talented athlete!

*~*~*~*SNOW*~*~*~*

My Feingold friend's front yard in the winter. She's in Ontario, Canada, at about the same latitude as Boise. Amazing! I am so jealous--especially today, when the heat+humidity index hit 104*. ~~H.O.T.~~

Thank you, Suzanne, for letting me use your photo of your kids and snow!

Weaving!

"Weaving" is what families who use Weaver curriculum call "using the curriculum." So now we are actually Weaving! I was pretty excited about today (always have been excited about a new school year--part of the reason I wanted to be a school teacher). The boys had other ideas, however. Did you hear the gnashing of teeth? That was JT. Bryan pretty much buckles down and does what he has to do to get back to his computer games. Luci might be my shining star as a student. She loves getting to "do school," and she loves reading already. The boys were not eager at all when they were 3 years old.

Here's Luci "reading" from the Bible (notice how good she is at it--she can read the Book upside down!). I won't tell you what the story was. She made it up and, although it did have Jesus as the subject, it also had Barbie in there somewhere. Maybe she's going to be a fiction writer when she grows up. Two good things about having Luci join us for lessons: 1) she can make even the grumpiest 7th grader smile, and 2) she can get the boys to sing her Bible songs (real ones, not made up by her!) when I can't. (Don't worry--that mayonnaise jar holding crayons is made of plastic.) JT looking up definitions on my laptop. Next time, he gets the dictionary instead. I go kind of easy on them at first (but JT would tell you that I am tough right from the start!). Dad gave me this advice when I started teaching: 1) Be nice to the janitor, she's your best friend in that school! and 2) Don't smile until Christmas. So, I am nice to myself, but the second piece of advice I have changed to, "Don't smile between breakfast and the end of vocabulary work." (JT needs that toughness, or he won't do anything.)
Bryan looking up geographical locations on the computer, to mark on his maps.

School!

The official picture of the new school year: How they've grown since last year:

And Bryan, back in 1997:

We actually started a few weeks ago, but only just now got around to taking the picture. We are done with the little "get your feet wet" kind of projects (those Target booklets). Today we completed a lap book on the Olympics. Tomorrow we begin our Weaver curriculum! (that sound you hear? the boys groaning!)