Kids are growing up...and Tobin kisses

The girls together in their school uniform, they look so grown up in this pic. Aren't they still toddlers?

No, no, but our toddler is really hamming it up these days. You know he is not feeling well if he isn't into mischief or making someone laugh.

We had to reenact this moment. But don't tell. The first one was just as sweet as all these. I love his eyes in all these pics.

 Tobin can frustrate the girls sometimes, and they opt to play without him, but in general, they adore him and really help take care of him. We keep reminding them that someday he will be as big or bigger than they are, they still aren't convinced....wait and see girls, wait and see. 

Sophia's performance day

November 30th, 2012

Sophia was very excited about the performance and often came home practicing the different moves. 

She was also excited about wearing make-up. I decided I would let them put it on her and be a part of what was going on...

 Wow, the eyebrow pencil made a difference. Crazy.

David hardly recognized her when he came right as it started.

This class had a patriotic theme going. 

Dressed and ready to go. What I did not expect was Sophia's nerves. She did not crack a real smile the entire time. She did great, concentrated really hard and followed along perfectly, but still, no smile.

I like this little boy, he is cute, fun, and polite. Not one of the ones that hits Sophia or throws her snack out the window.

marching in.

Bella's class came to watch and we hung out near them. With Tobin too!

At first all the classes marched in together and did a number of different dances. 

What a capture. 

Hanging out with momma. We let him sit in a chair, but he ended up being held a bit too.

We just can't leave out this charmer.

 And on the sidelines, Bella shows us all her friends. Her Chinese is actually improving from school!

'back-stage' before game time. sophia's half-smile. And ChenChen, her friend, who is cute and sassy too.

 Marching strong.

We were really proud of Sophia when it was her turn to pick up these shakers there were none left in the box, she did not skip a beat and just got right back in line like she was supposed to, and her teacher quickly remedied the situation with snagging some from the other box.

Each child received these fun animal hats. Sophia is a bear, quite fitting since she loves bear stories (right Aunt Beth?!)

  

And here we are. I talked with Sophia about the whole thing because she didn't really seem like herself. As soon as we got home she asked to take the make up off. (The whole performance she rubbed her right eye). She said she didn't like the make-up and all the attention. She wasn't angry or frustrated about it, she was just being matter-of-fact. I was a bit thankful for this, I guess. I told her she can wait 20-30 years on the make-up.

Bella's performance day

November 29, 2012

The smaller kids had their performances on Thursday, while all the others were on Friday. Yes, it was a full week of scheduling around some things. David was able to stay until almost 10:00 and left right after Bella was done.

Coming out of her class room, all the kids bring their chairs around to the performance area.

 They put make-up, bows and the hair ties in their hair. Quite cute. 

She acted nervous the whole time.

 The little kids classes did not even invite parents really. The big shin dig was for the next day. But still, there were parents there, and I already confirmed it with her teacher that it was okay. The other classes came to watch. Except Sophia's. I thought this weird, so I went and got her so she could watch Bella.

I love this pic.

Lined up and ready to go. Bella was in the front of one of her lines, which means some of her moves were supposed to be different, instead of looking at her teacher a lot she looked at the guy beside her to see what she was supposed to be doing. 

In the end, she stayed intent on being near her teacher and really concentrating. So much so, that her moves slowed down. This was hilarious to watch, but she did great. I was actually surprised she followed through with the whole thing.

This was the best part. Little, nervous, concentrating, Bella kept scooting closer to her teacher during the moves and was way out of line. She just kept looking at her and trying to follow along. 

 What a doll.

Her teacher asked me to take some class pictures. I love this class!

Performance practice

After Thanksgiving, our friends stayed one more day and then headed home late on Friday. Earlier in the day Bella's teacher called to tell me that they would have Saturday practice for the upcoming performance. We thought we would just all go up there and let Tobin and Soph play on the playground. 

Low and behold, all the classes were practicing. I asked Sophia's teacher why they didn't tell me (they consistently do not inform me of anything, while Bella's teacher goes above and beyond, she is awesome). Her teacher said she didn't want to interrupt our holiday. Hmm....

Sophia practicing her routine. They have been practicing every morning for a month now.

Bella practices hers. She loves the dances too.

Tobin distracted the folks a little bit. 

A sweet pause to wave.

Love this smile!

We didn't stay for the whole practice. Sophia's class was going to go through it all again, it was too much, we called it a day.

Going to meet our new niece

The Williams are on their way today to China to pick up their daughter. I will get to go meet them and help out for a few days. I am so excited!

Give this Christmas: Adoption

Seeking some place to give and share Christmas Joy this season? My sister and her family are in the final stages of the adoption process. That means they will travel here (to China!) to get their little girl in just a few weeks! They are still raising travel funds. If you would like to help little Shiloh come to her new home, please visit their blog and give via the instructions! Go HERE to see what their family is all about. 
Thanks.