Gung Hay Fat Choy

Happy New Year-The Year of the Rabbit!  This year kind of got away from me and we haven't really done anything at home, we at least usually do some crafts but our birthdays kept me busy.  We are going to a CNY celebration done by our adoption agency on Saturday and we're all looking forward to that.

Every year since Syd has been in preschool, I've talked to her class about CNY.  I got to talk to both second grade classes today about what CNY is and how it is celebrated.  I told them about the animals in the zodiac and about all the fireworks we saw in China last year during the Lantern Festival, which led us to the craft. 

This is only one of the classes, but the kids had a lot of fun making the lanterns and then asking questions about China.  The kids were curious about Syd's silk shirt so she explained how we went to a silk factory in Beijing and saw the silk being made.  They had lots of questions about what we did in China last year and all the different things we saw and of course "How did you get Alex?".  Lots of paper work, we told them :-)

Syd was what you call a velcro baby, until she was 4 or so.  Super clingy, super shy, never would talk in front of large groups or people she wasn't familiar with.  She wouldn't try anything new unless we were right there with her.  Hated, hated, hated talking about herself or hearing anyone give her any kind of compliment, even from her family (including her parents).  Today she stood in front of 54 other kids answered questions and explained what it was like in China without any help from me.  I really never thought she would be comfortable speaking in front of groups but she was fantastic today!  She is proud of her birth country and I am so very proud of her.