More Turkey Please

Getting a turkey here can be very difficult and very expensive, so if we get one it's a BIG deal. LanLan (living her entire life out of America) doesn't grasp American holidays easily. We want her to know her roots so we try and explain special holidays and make them as much as we can like what she would experience in America. I got really excited that we could get a turkey and therefore making her excited (but she doesn't really know why).

LanLan would ask when we were going to eat the turkey and I would respond, "On Thursday, Thanksgiving day". When Thanksgiving arrived she was so excited, she ran around telling her friends "We get to eat turkey today!!"

We sat down to dinner, served up the plates, and began eating. After awhile LanLan came up to me carrying her plate and asked "Can you give me more turkey please?!"

Pointing to the untouched pile of turkey I looked at her a little puzzled and said "That's turkey right there."

"Oh, can I have more of this stuff?" pointing to the bacon on her plate.

A Big Reward

My Little Orchid has been working on filling up her behavior chart with stickers. Over the course of many months we were work on many different things to encourage good behavior. Things that we have worked on and she received stars for were obeying right away, saying "Yes mama" and then doing whatever mama asked, if told no instead of being upset and throwing a tantrum she would say things like "OK" or "that makes me sad, but alright", sharing, eating without having to be reminded to take another bite, being helpful, etc.

After filling up her chart we told her we would take her to the nearby toy store and she could pick out any toy she liked. After carefully looking at all the toys available she told me she wanted this Barbie kitchen set. It was a bit more money than I had originally thought we would spend but my husband reminded me how hard she had worked and that it took several months (plus I don't very often buy her toys).

LanLan was anxious to open her new prize and place it in her doll house her dad built. She and I had a lot fun playing with the new toys. We made mac & cheese, smoothies, tea and washed the dishes. Of course before Barbie could cook my Little Orchid had to do her hair. (I have to brag for a minute) LanLan is really getting the hang of doing hair! Braiding is still a bit hard for her but she will pick it up quickly.

Hooray for LanLan for completing the behavior chart!!

VCRs & Computers

Trying to watch a VHS tape Xiao Lan Lan turns to her daddy and asks "How do we load it up?"

Milestones

There are many milestones in life, laughing for the first time, taking first steps, talking, going to school, etc. This weekend my daughter has reached one of those milestones, riding a bike without training wheels.

I remember when I learned to ride a bike. My childhood best friend was moving and we were in her new house's basement riding bikes. I was riding in a circle pushing with my feet and picking them up. Quickly I was able to keep my feet up and on the peddles.

My Little Orchid is pretty athletic and very active. When she was a baby she never liked sitting still to held and was walking by 10 months. She loves playing outside, climbing, jumping (giving Daddy a heart attach with whatever dangerous thing she is trying to do).

We figured it was time to take off the training wheels and go with just two wheels. I feel like she might be a little too young but think she can pick it up quickly. Personally it would awesome if she could ride a bike, it would make life going places a bit easier for me . . . but I am also proud of her for being willing to try and learn.

Go LanLan!!

"加油" (JiaYou)

LanLan's preshool had a mini field day for the school, the parents were invited to come and cheer on the children. My little orchid's class had a relay race, competition bouncing a basketball and got the parents to compete jump roping. We jump at any opertunity to go to LanLan's school as we don't really know too much of what actually goes on. Because there is a language & culture barrier I don't get too much information and because of security reasons I'm not allowed into the school very often (this is good & bad - I feel that my daughter is safe but sad that I can't go in anytime and observe class time). So this means that we have to relai on our 4 year old to tell us what happens at school.

This past Thursday when I picked my little orchid up from school I was given an announcement saying there was going to be a field day the next day. (Also very cultural to not tell people in much advance of activities or special advents. I remember when we were teachers coming into school and finding out that that day parents were coming to observe classes! Or, better situations, was when we arrived to find out that we weren't teaching that day b/c we were going on a field trip.)

It was a lot of fun to cheer "加油兰兰!" "JiaYou LanLan!"(pronounced jiayoh - which literally means add more gas, like in a car) as she bounced the basketball and ran. It was exciting to see how she interacts with the other children and her teachers. It is also fun to see other parents there cheering on their kids, so excited to see their child's accomplishments. At the end of the activities everyone who participated got "你真帮!" "Ni Zhen Bang!" stars (translation: You're Great!). Even mommy got one though I can't say I was very great at jump roping 20 weeks pregnant.

Mama Makeover

My little orchard is very much a girly girl. She loves wearing dresses, doing hair and putting on make-up. I think the make-up especially increased after Halloween when mama did her makeup extra gaudy to be a princess & Tinkerbell. Just the other afternoon she wanted to do my hair and makeup. I actually had a lot of fun! I remember thinking it was so fun to things like this when I was her age, now I get to be her guinea pig.

Translation Please

LL: "What does xiangzhe mean?"

Dad: "I'm not sure, can you use it in a sentence? What did your teacher say when she said it?"

LL: "Ummm, 'What does xiangzhe mean?'"

(how's that for a sentence?)

Days of Expectation

We have been working on learning the days of the week. LanLan is learning that she goes to school Monday - Friday, Saturday is play day with daddy and Sunday we go to church. She loves Saturday & Sunday is always counting how many more days till then.

Yesterday I picked her up from school and LanLan exclaimed "Today is Friday. Tomorrow is SATURDAY and then it's SUNDAY!"

This morning LanLan woke up with her usually shouts of "Mooommy!!" "Daaaadddy!!" I walked to her room and motions for her to quietly join me in my bed. She said "Isn't daddy here?" I shook my head no. She threw her head down and said "Then it's not Saturday yet"

Rock Hard Baking

"Daddy, Mommy & I made you a surprise!"

"What is it?!"

"Pumpkin Stones!!" (aka scones)

Ear Wax

LanLan: "Mommy, I think my listening ears are broken. Let me try and turn them on. . . . I think I need to change the batteries!"

(mommy thinks to herself, "yes you do dear!")

Shout it from the Mountops

"Sing to the Lord a new song . . . you who go down to the sea, . . . . raise their voices . . . . let them shout from the mountaintops."

My daughter loves to sing, not songs that she learns but NEW songs, songs that she makes up. We were walking home when LanLan was singing another made up song. well, it was more shouting than singing. At the top of her lungs she was singing "Tonight is Jesus' birthday, Jesus is God!" over and over again.

I was laughing and thinking about this verse in Isaiah, "shout from the mountaintops". I wanted to tell her to stop shouting and that she was disrupting the neighborhood (and to keep me from embarrassment) but I didn't. I was reminded how we should always be so excited to share the Good News, be excited to celebrate Christ and what he has done for us. I know that I don't, but I am thankful to my daughter for reminder.

Isaiah 42:10-12
¹⁰Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise from the ends of the earth,
you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,
you islands, and all who live in them.

¹¹ Let the desert and its towns raise their voices;
let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice.
Let the people of Sela sing for joy;
let them shout from the mountaintops.

¹² Let them give glory to the LORD
and proclaim his praise in the islands.

Alone time

LanLan is playing with her cousin. She runs into the bathroom and yells to her: "Come here! I need you to leave because I have to go potty. I need priva-seat!"

The Little Nurse

My husband recently had his appendix removed. While in the hospital LanLan stayed at a friend's house. When her daddy came home it was apparent that she had missed him. I walked into the room and saw this scene. My husband, who was very tired laid down for a nap. LanLan pulled up a chair right next to him and held his hand. It was so sweet! She even got him his drink and later on brought him her stuffed animals as well. She really missed her daddy.

Sick

LanLan, asleep on the coach, woke up and saw me. She lifted her head and said, "I'm gonna wake up in 20 minutes, ok mom?"

Sick

LanLan woke up this morning with an upset stomach. Her daddy was there comforting her and she said to him:
"I'm really not well. Can you call my friend and tell her?"

Daddy: "Why?"

LanLan: "So she doesn't come over."

Daddy: "Well, she's sleeping, and besides, she's not coming over, anyway."

LanLan: "Well, then, can you call her mommy and tell her?"

Flower Girl

My sweet "little orchid" was in a wedding this past weekend. It was her first time to be a flower girl. It wasn't a typical wedding someone from a Western country might think of. Although there were a few things that were similar there were more things that were out of the ordinary. The father walked the bride down the aisle which was a dirt street covered with a red carpet and shoulder to shoulder people pushing their way to see. As the bride, father of the bride and the two flower girls walked down the "aisle" people sprayed silly string and threw confetti. I guess this is like our tradition of throwing rice, or now a days, bird seed or bubbles. The ceremony took place inside the courtyard of the groom's house where people just crowded in so they could see.

Though my daughter was born in China and has been "popular" since the first time we took her outside you can see her personality shining through in the above picture. When lots of people she doesn't know are around she turns inward and internalizes everything. She doesn't talk (even very little to mom & dad), clings to mom or dad (in the picture she is staying very close to her friend) and never smiles. Looking at her I thought she was very scared and about to cry. I didn't think she was enjoying the experience. But I guess I was wrong...

When we left I talked to her and asked her what she thought about the wedding. She told me that she had a great time! She loved walking down the aisle and having people throw stuff at her. I never would have thought looking at that face.

Popularity

Being a child with white skin in China can be a little overwhelming. Fair skin is considered true beauty in China. If you watch the ads or look at the skin products they sell here most things are to help whiten your skin. So when a Chinese person sees a child with white skin they are fascinated and think they are the most beautiful person they have ever seen. (I don't blame them, my children are the most beautiful! hehe)

We knew we were in for a ride when we took LanLan to the park when she was only a couple months old. In a matter of minutes we were surrounded by at least 25 people just looking at her, wanting to take her picture, or taking a picture with her. My husband had to stand on a ledge to get out of reach from people so they wouldn't touch her. It's been 4 years since that has happened and almost every time we go out (especially to parks or an attraction) people come crowding around to have a look. It can get taxing and most of the time LanLan doesn't appreciate it.

Yesterday I was shocked! I noticed that a woman was eyeing my two children and I saw her get her camera out (not surprising). But she had the sweetest spirit and spoke so kindly. She talked to LanLan, asking her name, telling her she was beautiful (also not surprising) and then asked if she could take a picture with her. Most of the time people don't even ask they just do it. Occasionally we will have someone ask but there was something totally different about this woman. LanLan I think was taken with this woman's kindness and agreed to take a picture with her! (LanLan will usually refuse)

Attitude

Sometimes my precious little orchid is the sweetest little girl, very caring for her brother, kind to her friends, loving, and encouraging. But there are moments where she is likes to give a little attitude. Yesterday I took the kids to the park to enjoy the beauty of creation. I told LanLan, "Look at all the beautiful trees and flowers that are blooming! It is such a pretty day, isn't it?"

LanLan turned to me and said "No! It's a BLACK day! With BLACK flowers and BLACK trees!"

Laundry

On our washing machine there are different setting for different settings. I'm not able to read all the characters but there are pictures by each character so I can basically figure them all out. For example there is a picture of a t-shirt in water, that is the soak setting, another picture of a t-shirt that looks like it's running, that's the quick wash mode. LanLan was looking at them today and told me "Mama I want to wash a baby!"

Spring is Here!

Since about the end of February LanLan has asked just about everyday to wear short sleeves and her light coat. I would always tell her no, it's too cold out. She then would ask when she could wear it. I would reply "In Spring."

We were out walking around and I pointed out that the tulips were beginning to bloom along with some trees. LanLan turned to me and said "Mama, Spring is here today!"

Expressions

Since my daughter was a few weeks old I was fascinated with all of her facial expressions. I thought that this was normal for people/babies. When our son was born I realized how special my daughter's expressions are. Don't get me wrong my son is super adorable but he just doesn't have as many different facial expressions as LanLan. I made a collage and it is hanging in LanLan's room with some of these different faces. It is actually the inspiration for the name of this blog, the many faces of my orchid.

What did YOU do today?

Everyday when I pick LanLan up from school I always ask her what she did that day. I try and get her to tell me what goes on in school since I can't really communicate with the teachers and they don't really offer any information. The first thing she usually tells me is how many times she went to the bathroom. I finally convinced her that that isn't very interesting and that I would like to hear about something fun that she did. So now when I ask "What did you do today most often than not she replies with "I Don't Know" or "Anything" (meaning "Nothing")

Today when I picked LanLan up from school the first thing she said to me before I could even say anything was "What did you do this night, Mama?"

(LanLan has no concept of time words like today, this morning, tonight etc. She says "this night" most often for some reason)

Dressing All Fancy

As we were reading LanLan's "Big Picture Bible" tonight she pointed to a soldier and said "Mama look! This shoulder is wearing a skirt!"

Dyslexic

"Daddy! Mama got me a new brushteeth* and washmouth*!"

*toothbrush & mouthwash

Muddy Buddies

Living in China we often can't get some things that are so easy to pick up in a local grocery store anywhere in America. It makes making some favorite recipes almost impossible to make. My very kind sister brought over two large suitcases filled with fun food just for us when she came to visit this summer. In it where two key ingredients for Muddy Buddies - Chex cereal and chocolate chips. Today we made this yummy snack.

A Bigger Place

Yesterday BinBin was very cranky and was crying. LanLan asked me why he was crying. I explained that he didn't take a very long nap because she had been playing and making noise. "Whenever he hears you he wants to play WITH you. We need to try and be quiet so BinBin can sleep."
LanLan: "Um . . . . I think . . . . . that . . . you should buy a New house! A big one!"

Morning Routine

LanLan: "Do I have school today?"

Dad: "Yes."

LanLan: "Did you ask Mommy?"

Another Two Bite The Water

Two more of my daughter's fish died. LanLan came to me and said "Mom, come look! My fish is sleeping in the leaves, it's not dead." She was a little more upset about these two than the first one. I kept saying that the fish were dead and she kept insisting that they weren't dead, just sleeping. Her dad says that the fish are sick (they have white spot disease) and so they all will probably die. How very sad.

Mourning a Death

After using the net to remove a dead fish from her tank, Anna said, “Let’s get some more!” I think she’s taking the loss well…

Good Morning

I went into LanLan's room this morning and pulled open the curtains to wake her. LanLan rolled over and said with a little annoyance in her voice "Mama! I'm trying to sleep!"

Hot or Cold?

LanLan: "What color is this?"
Daddy: "Hot Pink"
LanLan: "Why is it hot? Can I touch it?"

Obedience Is The Best Way

While I was pregnant with BinBin LanLan wanted the baby to come out so she could play with him. I told her that he needed to wait until we went to Beijing. Then once in Beijing he needed to wait till her Aunt arrived. She then told me: "The baby needs to OBEY Mommy!"

Use who?

"Mama, use-A-me* we go to the store and buy food."

*usually

Smell'n Like Flowers

Easter morning I gave the kids a bath so they would be all clean for church. I was getting BinBin ready to wash his hair and LanLan, who always wants to help do "mother" things asked: "Mama, can I water his head?"

Natural

Today we took LanLan to a soccer field to play for the first time. I was really impressed at how well she did. She was able to kick and run with the ball with ease. (I'm always tripping over it.) She had a lot of fun taking turns kicking it into the goal and then being the goalie. I think she is a natural at sports. At the end she had played so hard her whole face was red but she informed me that she wasn't tired yet.

First, Second, Third, 4thhead

Xiao BinBin was crying so I went into the room where he and LanLan were playing together. I asked LanLan: "Why is BinBin crying?"

LanLan replied: "I stepped on his forthhead"

4 in the bed and the little one said . . .

I walked into Xiao Bin's room and LanLan said: "Shhhh Mommy! The babies are sleeping!" She had brought in her pillow from her bed placed all the babies in the bed put toys in there for them to play with and then covered them with the blanket. She had even closed the curtain. She is a very good mama!

Sum Up

So every night before my little orchid goes to sleep there is a very specific bed time routine that we follow. Change into pajamas, brush teeth, go to the bathroom, Daddy reads a book and sings a song. When that is all done I usually go in and sing a song as well and then pray. Before we pray, though, I try and talk with her about her day. I ask her to tell me something that happened to her that made her sad and then talk about something that made her happy.

Tonight we had a very fun evening at a friend's house decorating Easter eggs. She told me that decorating the eggs was her favorite part of the party. She then said to me, very seriously and all grown-up like, "Did you have fun, Mommy?" I thought it was so sweet!! My sweet little girl wanted to know what I thought about the party and what my favorite part was.

Hungry?

"Mama, I'm SOOOOO full!". . . a few seconds later . . . "Can I have some cake?"

Fingers, Fingers Falling Down

LanLan woke up this morning and came to me all excited and said: "Mama, my fingers are still on!"

(I think she was referring to her nail polish)

Sun Shine

I woked up the sun, Daddy!

Dinner Prayer

Dear God,
Thank you for the food, thank you for Daddy, Mommy, Bin Bin, thank you for my friends and thank you for Marshmallows. Amen!

Fishy Face

The Beginning

I have decided to begin this blog so that I can keep notes of the cute things that my daughter says and does. I also will document things we do together and hope this blog will spur me on to do even more fun things as Mommy & daughter