Spirit Day "What you want to be when you grow up!"

As you might have noticed from an earlier post 2 years ago, "Tonight's Dinner Conversation", my daughter is a creative thinker about what she wants to be she she grows up. So, when we were told she was supposed to dress up as what she wants to be... I was a little concerned... although I tried not to show it outwardly. M decided she wanted to be a princess. So, I had finally found a use for that extremely pink dress, with glitter, my husband had kindly brought back for her from his trip to Iraq 2 years before. I made a paper crown, with a pink, purple, pink, purple, pink, purple gem pattern, and she was very happy. I commented on her desire to be a princess, and my husband said, "Well, at least, she doesn't want to be a pig!"

Second son's first lost tooth

Janan has officially lost his first tooth. He woke up at 3:58 am, and called me (after a late movie night with friends) into the bathroom. "Mommy come here!!" Although slightly reluctant due to the time, I arrived in the bathroom to see my son very proudly holding his first lost tooth. "I twisted it", he said. Now, although this was extremely exciting, I did think it might be nice to go back to bed. Janan, however, could not sleep anymore. He very kindly waited until the first light of dawn, around 6 am to request breakfast. We all gradually got up and admired the new hole in his smile. Around 4 pm, in the afternoon, we were wondering what had happened to him, and found out that he had fallen asleep on the toilet...

fruit

Fruit...I remember how in Chicago the Persian (Iranian) friends would talk about how the fruits were sweeter back home, the flowers were more fragrant, and I questioned whether that was true, and if it wasn't just their nostalgia for home that caused them to talk that way. Now that we have been in China for the school year and I am certain the fruits ARE more tasty, and the flowers, in several cases are more fragrant, I am encouraged to believe the friends who talk like this. We have discovered two new fruits, in addition to the ones we are more familiar with that have caught our attention. Myrica Rubra or Chinese Bayberry and Dragonfruit ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrica_rubra ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfruit Yummy!!

tooth

Well, it is official...my oldest has lost his first tooth! A few days ago we discovered that his two front bottom teeth were loose. We were quite excited. A few days later, after going to a friend of a friend's moving sale, and coming back with a little pink ballerina outfit with detachable wings...our two boys dressed our ill little girl in the outfit, made her a special box to hold teeth, a special want and a sign which now hangs above her bed which says "the tooth fairy sleeps here".
This morning after our oldest had eaten breakfast, he came up to me and said "Mom, look!" "I lost my tooth!" He really lost it, he couldn't find it...and we decided he must have eaten it during breakfast. ...now our designated toothfairy is out of work...

Our terrace

We can see this area in the photos below, from our living room window, and from our terrace--which now has flowers and lemon trees (We thought they were oranges, but I think we now believe they are lemons.) I will have to take photos of our terrace, the flowers and the kids soon. We also have hydrangea pink ones...in Chicago we have blue ones. On April 20th...my private preparation and celebration of the coming 12 days made me spend the good part of the day cleaning the terrace(soot, and pollution create quite a mess!). Then, my dear husband noticed that there was a man selling flowers at the corner. He was there again today...maybe I could take a picture of him too. So he and this delightful man helped us carry up a tree(orange/lemon?) up our 5 flights of stairs in addition to 9 small ones, 2 of which have lemons on them, and 7 pink hydrangea plants. I was so excited! Then, we planted them. The next day three of the hydrangea plants were desperately in need of water...We were so worried! I went out and gave them some water, and they started to come back by mid-day. Then, it started to rain!! For 3 days, more or less, and then for a couple more days we had rain!! It was perfect! We don't get rain very often here. The plants are doing well now. The other day, a friend of ours had come over for a Chinese lesson, while I was at school, and said that because of the strong wind we should bring in our large tree(in a pot) and the two small ones in pots to protect the blossoms so we don't lose the eventual FRUIT!! So now they are in our living room. As I walk down the hallway, about midway, I start smelling the blossoms. Yea!! We are celebrating!

These were photos taken in the exercise area in the middle of our complex, where we live, on my husband's birthday. This year he has officially decided that his birthday will always be on April 2, despite whatever the lunar calendar will do. This was in response to the reaction of his Western counterpart who had difficulty celebrating his birthday, and his in-laws.

Tonight's dinner conversation

J had started this conversation by saying he wanted to be an English teacher to Chinese people when he grew up. Then we asked our oldest, "Well, what would you like to be when you grow up." (Note: I am really into this conversation started spontaneously by my son, because I had just required my 5th grade students to write a 10 paragraph essay about this topic--and some turned out REALLY good...) K says "I want to be a worker. I want to build buildings and help people." J responds "I will help people learn." To all of this my husband and I are saying "Oh that is very good!" We turn to our almost 3 daughter and ask her "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Very seriously and with conviction, she says "I want to be a pig! OINK! OINK!" My husband, my oldest son and I start laughing...I with tears in my eyes, and my dear J, patiently tries to tell her "When you grow up you are going to be a person, not a pig."

I'm back

Wow! China has lifted the ban on blogger!

vistiting my mom's house

Our lovely daughter smelling the flowers, for the camera

Son #2, his first time without training wheels

I noticed as my second son rode off on his bicycle with only one training wheel, that the training wheel wasn't touching the ground. It was time to take it off!! He rode with the bicycle without falling for the first time(without the training wheel)this past Sunday. My older son started riding earlier this summer, and our daughter has difficulty reaching the pedals of the tricycle, so has decided to use "the too small for her" scooter. Maybe next summer she will learn. We'll see.

The Secret

Have you watched "The Secret"? A friend had left it at our house be mistake, and i have since watched it and shared it(with permission). The main premise is that we need to imagine ourselves achieving what we would like to achieve in our lives. And, I have a secret for you! Twelve years ago I created a life plan for myself, and right now it is coming to fruition. My plan was to move to China, and other countries around the world, with a husband and children. We are waiting to hear that we have the visa in order to move to TEDA. I have a job teaching 5th grade, and the children would attend the same international school.

95th anniversary

On Saturday, my children and I were able to visit the gravesite of Corrine True, and say prayers in commemoration of this day when 'Abdu'l-Baha was here in Chicago in 1912. Some people sang the prayer for the Hands of the Cause, another the prayer for the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, and a quotation about "these heavenly children". It was a small and reverant group. I was able to contribute by reading a prayer that was given to Corrine by 'Abdu'l-Baha for her husband.
Prior to going to the gravesite we attended children's classes at the Center(as we do almost every Saturday) but it was special because it was the 95th anniversary of when 'Abdu'l-Baha met with the children's Sunday school class of the Baha'is in Chicago. 5 years ago, for the 90th anniversary I had taken the children, which now consist of children in the Rahmat sector of Chicago, to Lincoln Park Zoo, where 'Abdu'l-Baha visited on the 4th of May that same year. There is a photo that was taken of Him looking at the polar bears. So, of course, it was very special for us to go and see the polar bears.
Earlier this past week, I had taken my children to Lincoln Park Zoo, forgetting about the connection and they had requested for the first time to see the polar bears.