We are in the middle of changing day cares at the moment. While I am not going to go into details as to why (that is for a different day) I have to tell you a conversation Emmie and I had today. Emmie was very concerned about what time I was picking her up today and why we were not going to visit her new school and whether I would be with her in the afternoon when we visited her school to meet the late afternoon teacher.
Emmie: What time are you picking me up today?
Me: Emmie, I told you last night what time I was picking you up. What time did I tell you?
Emmie: Ten after five.
Me: That is correct. I will pick up up at ten after five.
Emmie: Are we going to meet my other teacher today?
Me: Yes, we will spend several afternoons with her so you can get to know her before you stay there all day.
Emmie: but Mom...
Me: Emmie, let me explain something to you. You will have many, many changes in teachers over the years. You will change schools several times because you will out grow the school and need another school that will teacher you more. We might even move to a different house one day. But you know what is never going to change? One thing that will never change is that I will always be your Mommy. Your Mommy is not going to change. It will always be me. I am not going anywhere and I will always be there to pick yo up. Even if I am just a couple minutes late, I WILL be ther and I will still be your mom.
To which Emmie replied "I love that!" and started laughing.
She cracks me up sometimes.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 22, 2007
LET'S SHOOT THE HOOCH!
This weekend we went to Atlanta for our first run of Shoot the Hooch. The
Chattahoochee river runs through the middle of Atlanta. Just North of Atlanta is Lake Lanier and the Buford Dam. We rented a raft and put it in the river just below the dam in a public boat access ramp. We took a two hour float which ended up being about three hours because we stopped a couple times to play on some rocks and to skip some rocks into the river.
Most of the trip was pretty good. That part of the river is rougher that what I remember the lower part of the river being a few years ago. I would say it was mostly rated a 1 in rafting terms but the last set of rapids before we pulled the raft out at the Hwy 20 bridge might be a small 2. There was no easy way of getting through it and the current turned us around backwards which allowed a lot of water to come into the raft which fortunately only soaked me. Emmie would not have been happy had she gotten soaked. She didn't really like the rapids but she loved the smooth as glass sections and stopping along the way to throw stones. She would lay over the side of the raft and watch for fish. Every rock she saw in the river she asked if it was an alligator. I think Chase was a bit tired of hearing "Is that an alligator over there?".
Emmie and Chase enjoyed skipping (throwing) stones into the river. Emmie loves playing with Chase and I think Chase enjoys spending time with her too. He got her out of the car and carried her when she was tired. He watches out for her. He has come a long way for sure. I know there were several times when he was starting to get frustrated but remained calm. He was anxious to get the raft in the water but waited as patiently as an 11.5 year old could. He picked out two short paddles but I swapped one of the short ones for a long one because I was not going to use a short one. They were meant for the innertubers not rafters. He got frustrated with his selection but I had told him that the longer paddles would be better. He chose the ones he chose because of the way they looked not on functionality. I didn't tell him I told you so, I let him learn from his own experience. He was annoyed with how badly his oar worked though and I think next time he will get a longer oar.
Over all it was a good day. It was not exactly what we planned but we went with the flow and it all worked out just fine.
Chattahoochee river runs through the middle of Atlanta. Just North of Atlanta is Lake Lanier and the Buford Dam. We rented a raft and put it in the river just below the dam in a public boat access ramp. We took a two hour float which ended up being about three hours because we stopped a couple times to play on some rocks and to skip some rocks into the river.
Most of the trip was pretty good. That part of the river is rougher that what I remember the lower part of the river being a few years ago. I would say it was mostly rated a 1 in rafting terms but the last set of rapids before we pulled the raft out at the Hwy 20 bridge might be a small 2. There was no easy way of getting through it and the current turned us around backwards which allowed a lot of water to come into the raft which fortunately only soaked me. Emmie would not have been happy had she gotten soaked. She didn't really like the rapids but she loved the smooth as glass sections and stopping along the way to throw stones. She would lay over the side of the raft and watch for fish. Every rock she saw in the river she asked if it was an alligator. I think Chase was a bit tired of hearing "Is that an alligator over there?".
Emmie and Chase enjoyed skipping (throwing) stones into the river. Emmie loves playing with Chase and I think Chase enjoys spending time with her too. He got her out of the car and carried her when she was tired. He watches out for her. He has come a long way for sure. I know there were several times when he was starting to get frustrated but remained calm. He was anxious to get the raft in the water but waited as patiently as an 11.5 year old could. He picked out two short paddles but I swapped one of the short ones for a long one because I was not going to use a short one. They were meant for the innertubers not rafters. He got frustrated with his selection but I had told him that the longer paddles would be better. He chose the ones he chose because of the way they looked not on functionality. I didn't tell him I told you so, I let him learn from his own experience. He was annoyed with how badly his oar worked though and I think next time he will get a longer oar.
Over all it was a good day. It was not exactly what we planned but we went with the flow and it all worked out just fine.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
China's One Child Policy backlash
Below is a link to an article a friend of mine sent me today. According to the article there are currently 37 Million more men and boys in China than women and girls.
I am a little encouraged by this. I know it sounds somewhat morbid but I find a little solice in the possibility that the shortage of women will generate a more respectful view of women and girls in China. If China can convince these women and girls that they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, perhaps the outlook for the women of China will be a little brighter. I have worried over the past few years about the girls growing up in orphanages and their prospects of gaining a husband. In a world where ancestry and family lineage is so very important these girls from orphanages would have little hope of finding a husband. Now with the serious imbalance they will not necessarily have a difficult time.
More so than the girls, I worry for the boys who grow up in orphanages. They will have a more difficult time finding wives unless they find a wife that also grew up in an orphanage. If this is the case they will actually live a much more profitable life as adults as they will not carry the burden of caring for aging parents and grand parents. They will have fewer mouths to feed. While their early adult lives will struggle as they have no family to lean on, they will be ahead of the game when their counter parts who grew up with birth families become responsible for caring and providing for agin parents and grand parents.
It will be interesting to see how much of this plays out.
http://english.sina.com/china/1/2007/0717/118915.html
I am a little encouraged by this. I know it sounds somewhat morbid but I find a little solice in the possibility that the shortage of women will generate a more respectful view of women and girls in China. If China can convince these women and girls that they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, perhaps the outlook for the women of China will be a little brighter. I have worried over the past few years about the girls growing up in orphanages and their prospects of gaining a husband. In a world where ancestry and family lineage is so very important these girls from orphanages would have little hope of finding a husband. Now with the serious imbalance they will not necessarily have a difficult time.
More so than the girls, I worry for the boys who grow up in orphanages. They will have a more difficult time finding wives unless they find a wife that also grew up in an orphanage. If this is the case they will actually live a much more profitable life as adults as they will not carry the burden of caring for aging parents and grand parents. They will have fewer mouths to feed. While their early adult lives will struggle as they have no family to lean on, they will be ahead of the game when their counter parts who grew up with birth families become responsible for caring and providing for agin parents and grand parents.
It will be interesting to see how much of this plays out.
http://english.sina.com/china/1/2007/0717/118915.html
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Visit to Dreher Island
Today we went to visit Dreher Island to scope out the camping situation. I looked at reserving a night of camping but when I did you had to tell them which site you wanted to reserve. There were two different camping areas and I wasn't sure which one ould be better for us. 
So today we went to the park and checked out the different camping possibilities. I had passed the first camping area before I realized it was what it was so we headed back to the camping area all the way in the back of the park. One is immediately after you pass the ranger check in the other is all the way in. When we pulled in Emmie was very excited to see the tents and campers set up. We were really wanting to check out the tent sites. After cruising through the camping loop, it became clear that there really was no bad tent campig sites. They were either right on the water or they were next to the play ground and across the street from the water. All sites had a water spigot and electric hook up. You can set up two tents on most of the sites. They all had a grill and fire pit. While it isn't a bad site, there were four sites together in a row that was not ideal. However, if you had a group camping together, it would be perfect. We are looking at trying to get a group together to camp out for Autumn Moon Festival.Those four sites would be great. We can put eight tents up in that space.
After checking out the camp sites we checked out the lake. Emmie loved hanging out by the lake. She got to practice her casting with her Princess fishing pole. She also thinks I need to get a fishing pole too. After she finished "fishing" (with a fishing pole with only a small rubber fish tied to the end and no hook) she decided to throw rocks into the lake. She thought that was sool until a boat drove by and created some big waves. Once the big waves came in she wasn't sure she liked being by the lake so much. Fortunately, they didn't last long and she was happy to stay. 
Before heading home we went to to the tackle/grocery shop and got a couple of cones. We wanted to check out the supplies they offer in there and it is mostly tackle with a few snacks, mosquito spray and hats. We'll definately have to make sure we have everything we need when we go. The closest grocery store is 20 minutes away from the front gate of the park. Add another ten to fifteen minutes from the back camping area (due to the 15 MPH speed limit).
In the end we both left the park more excited than ever about going camping. Emmie is beside herself with excitement and I cannot wait to take my girl on her first camp out.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
HAPPY 4TH of JULY!!!!
Well, it wa an interesting 4TH of July at our house. Most holidays are interesting around here. Emmie has sort of her own idea of what is appropriate for each holiday. We were trying to decide what to do to celebrate our countries Independence Day. I suggested going to the lake and spending the day. I suggested the beach, a bit of a drive but we could make it work.Emmie said no to each of these things. I asked her "So what do you think we should do for the 4th of July?" She said "I think we should go bowling!" She has never been bowling and quite honestly, I wasn't sure she would like it. Bowling alleys are loud, the balls are heavy, she has to wear special shoes and they usually smell like ash trays.
We are going to try to find some fireworks in our neighborhood tonight. Emmie does not like fireworks so we have not gone to see them. The neighbors usually have us surrounded with them every 4Th of July and New Years Eve.
So I rumaged through the garage and found my bowling ball and shoes. We headed to the bowling alley this afternoon. I paid for one game to see how she liked it. She agreed to wear the shoes because they were red, white, and blue in honor of America. The smallest ball they had was a 6 pound ball and that is still a little too heavy for her. At any rate, we bowled and she LOVED it! She loved everything about it. She loved throwing the ball. She loved pushing the button to reset the pins when her ball did not trip the switch to make it automatic. She loved watching me and cheering for me when it was my turn. Here are some pictures of her in action!
Emmie's first time bowling.
Waiting for her turn after Mommy.
After we went bowling she wanted "to go do something else that's fun." So we went to the zoo and finished the afternoon there. We shared Dippin Dots which are now her favorite thing in the whole wide world. Last time we were at the zoo the giant turtles were copulating. This time the small ones were at it. Here are some pictures of our zoo adventure today.
We are going to try to find some fireworks in our neighborhood tonight. Emmie does not like fireworks so we have not gone to see them. The neighbors usually have us surrounded with them every 4Th of July and New Years Eve.
The shirt Emmie is wearing is one she made at day care. She colored a flag picture and they put it and a photo of her on the front with an iron on thing. It's pretty cute. It does have a flaw in it though. Across the bottom it says "Made in America". She was not made in America. She was made in China. She doesn't understand that yet but it is another instance where the day care did not take into consideration her specialness.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Camping anyone?
I was a little worried when I read the instructions for putting up the tent. The very first line said "It is recommended that two people put up this tent." I started to worry. Would a 4 year old count as a second person?
As it turned out, one person can modify the instructions and put this tent up even with a 4 year old getting in the way asking "Are we almost done yet?" every 60 seconds. Here is our master piece all set up and ready to use.
Now I guess it merits being said that Emmie was toting all of her board games out to put in the tent. I made the mistake of telling her all the things we can do when we go camping. One of them was to take board and card games to play at night after dinner. She LOVES to play games. So after we got this tent set up she carried two games (Sounds of the Sea an Hungry Hippos) and one puzzle out to the tent. We played the games as we sweated out brains out. I hadn't realized she zipped up the window vents. Our tent is hot when it is in the sun with the rain fly on.
So we are set in the tent department. It has plenty of room and it does look like there is room enough to put TWO queen size air mattresses in there. All we need now is that a camping stove and we can make do with the rest of our needs. Truthfully, we could get by with a camp fire and no stove but there is nothing like cooking bacon and eggs while camping.
When we came back in the house Emmie wanted a bottle of cold water and a bowll of frozen blueberries. She was so hot. I walked into the living room and found her laying back on my reclining glider spread eagle to take in as much air conditioning as she could get. LOL
As it turned out, one person can modify the instructions and put this tent up even with a 4 year old getting in the way asking "Are we almost done yet?" every 60 seconds. Here is our master piece all set up and ready to use.
Now I guess it merits being said that Emmie was toting all of her board games out to put in the tent. I made the mistake of telling her all the things we can do when we go camping. One of them was to take board and card games to play at night after dinner. She LOVES to play games. So after we got this tent set up she carried two games (Sounds of the Sea an Hungry Hippos) and one puzzle out to the tent. We played the games as we sweated out brains out. I hadn't realized she zipped up the window vents. Our tent is hot when it is in the sun with the rain fly on.
So we are set in the tent department. It has plenty of room and it does look like there is room enough to put TWO queen size air mattresses in there. All we need now is that a camping stove and we can make do with the rest of our needs. Truthfully, we could get by with a camp fire and no stove but there is nothing like cooking bacon and eggs while camping.
When we came back in the house Emmie wanted a bottle of cold water and a bowll of frozen blueberries. She was so hot. I walked into the living room and found her laying back on my reclining glider spread eagle to take in as much air conditioning as she could get. LOL
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