The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Lan Lan: "Mom!  There's a spider outside?"

Mom: "Kill it."

LL: "I can't!"

Mom: "Why not?"

LL: "I'm too big!"

School Jobs

In LanLan's classroom each child has a special job they do for the week.  At the beginning of each week the jobs change so every child gets a chance to do all the jobs. Some of the jobs are: Line Leader, Pledge, Teacher's Helper, Calender, Prayer Warrior, Wastebasket, etc.

We were asking her what her favorite job was and she answered "Line Leader! No, Prayer Warrior! No!! Line Leader!! NO! . . . . Calender Girl!"

Snow = Snow

As my little Orchid looks out the window excitedly watching the very wet snow fall down to the ground she screeches with delight about all the things she will do with the snow.  I try and explain that the ground is too wet and too warm and there won't really be any snow to accumulate.  She turns to me and explains "Mom, when it's snowing it turns into SNOW!"

English Class

When we first took LanLan to her Kindergarten class she asked if her teacher was going to speak English or Chinese and when we told her that it would be in English she responded with "But I need to keep learning Chinese.".  I could hear my husband's heart breaking, it is his dream for her to speak fluent Chinese . . . and she will soon forget it all.

I'm pretty sure though, she is enjoying being in English school and surrounded all the time by English. A day or two ago LanLan pulled a comic book out of a cereal box.  So excited about it she ran up to her grandmother and said "Look, it's in English!!"

(We would get her comic books in China, in Chinese of course, but I don't think she knew they existed in English.)

School Days

While in China LanLan has been attending school for the past 2 years and had almost completed Kindergarten. But being that it was all in Chinese and for New York law she is too young for 1st grade, we have decided to send her to Kindergarten this year. She is doing well but I feel that it is a little easy for her and she might be a bit bored. I asked her one day: "Is Kindergarten hard or easy?"

"It's easy . . . . and hard."

"Oh really, what's hard about it?" I asked.

"Raising my hand."

Tears

Recently we have left our home of the past 4 years, the only home that my daughter has known. The move has been good but very hard. We find ourselves filled with sadness at just random times. It could be anything that sparks a memory and we are feeling sad about our far away home and friends. LanLan has done amazing through the whole transition and I am so proud of her! She is adjusting to English school and making friends quickly. Occasionally though we will find her sitting, crying. We would ask her what's wrong and she would reply that she was missing her friends in China, or her house in China or her room.

One day she was playing and came upstairs to find me. Her face was red and wet from crying and I asked her what was wrong, she said "I miss my friends!". I hugged her and said that I miss my friends as well. As I was hugging her I felt that her dress was soaking wet! I asked her: "Why is your dress so wet?"

LanLan replied: "It's from the wetness from my eyes!"

Salt & Spicy

This morning we woke up to a beautiful blanket of white snow outside. As I woke up LanLan to get ready for school I told her to look out the window to see a surprise. The snow was just the motivation she needed to hurry so she could go out and play before the school bus came.

As we waited for the bus she played in the snow, throwing it, eating it, rolling around in it, kicking it, etc. After a short time a salt truck came by and I pointed it out to her explaining what they were doing.

She thought for a second and asked "What is that spicy stuff?"

"What do you mean? What spicy stuff?"

"Umm, PEPPER! When are they going to put pepper on the street?"

"Thou Shalt Not . . ."

LanLan had a book in her hands and was "reading" it. She turned to us and said: "This is the Bible that says 'No Spanking'"

VCRs & Computers

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

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?)

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!")

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!"

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?"

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!"

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

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?"