FIELD TRIP!!

K joined the preschoolers at my school on a field trip to the aquarium.
She loves the aquarium and it was a great experience for her to socialize!

K riding the dolphin statue with a friend!


"By myself!"

The turtles were a huge hit!

Lunchtime! Hands up for a squirt of antibac hand gel. Ham snack packs were the norm...no tuna fish sandwiches for this bunch! =0

You know, I always sleep well after accompanying the students on field trips!

Secret Pal Surprise!

My "Not so secret Pal", Cari, has always sent me the most beautiful, thoughtful, generous and creative gifts! This month is no exception and it came at a wonderful time...referral day!
The theme was Fall Favors and she wrote that she focused on things that would keep Ellie warm. I think she struck gold, I mean pink!! =)
Take a look at this gorgeous silky pink dragonfly blankie! If I can stop rubbing the silkiness long enough to let Ellie touch it I know she'll love it! =) And what a sweet outfit. Love the pink cotton velvety pants have that cute little fairy on the leg. And the onesie shirt is so pretty, love the flower stitching and pretty sleeves. Oooooh, it's only too bad that by the time Ellie arrives she'll be 16!! =)
Cari, you are such a fabulous shopper and pal. For having to buy just for boys all these years, you are definitely hitting your girl retail stride! Really the pictures don't do the gorgeousness of the gifts justice.
What a wonderful surprise to receive on referral day! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

CCAA Stork!!

Tiffany's wait is over! As Cari mentioned in comments, 18 days of referrals is an improvement.

More Panda Love...Live!

Lun Lun & her cub (born 9/6) at the Atlanta Zoo
Check out the Panda Cam! Lun Lun and her baby are so sweet!

UPDATE
Monday, September 25
It's a GIRL!
We are pleased to announce that a health check was performed on Lun Lun’s new cub today and the cub appears to be healthy and it is a girl! The cub weighed in at 1.4 lbs and is a little over one foot long.

When are they gonna update?!!

Oh....when will that July 22, 2005 date CHANGE?!!! It's almost 8 am in Beijing and certainly the first thing that web master should do when he/she walks in the door is UPDATE THE SITE!!! SHOW ME THE REFFERALS!!!

Race for the Cure

After completing my second half-marathon, this short race should be a piece of cake. However, for those fighting cancer, this "race" is likely the toughest obstacle they'll face in their lives...the one for their lives. I'm sure you know at least several people who may have earned their angel wings too soon, are ruthlessly fighting cancer right now, or are fierce survivors.
I am proudly fundraising for these family members, friends and community members through Race for the Cure which supports the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Please consider donating to this cause either through my fundraising site, starting your own fundraiser, or simply donating to a foundation in your community. No amount is too small. It all adds up to big things! Thank you!

P.S. I'm running October 21st and will be sure to update.

Find out here how your contributions are spent.

Where's that Stork?!

Waiting to hear that the stork is arriving (and how many LID's!) is truly draining! (And my LID is not coming up for at least 6 months from now!)
Hang in there Tiffany, Julie, The Shanahan's , Colleen & Co. and all you other late July & August families!
Hopefully McDreamy will be able to pull me away from this computer tonight! =)

Fortune Cookie Fun

Had Chinese food tonight. My fortune cookie said "You will lighten another's heart." And the word, "April Si-Yue"...interesting...shall I plan for referral in April?! That would only be a 14th month wait. That'd work! =)
Come on all July and August referrals! Dream BIG!!

December Review Finished!!

The CCAA has finished the review of the adoption application documents registered with our office before December 31, 2005.

The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before July 22, 2005.

The Dreaming

Faithful Readers,
Having nothing better to do this morning (ha!), I decided to use various dream sites to interpret a dream I had last night. You are forewarned, as this interpretation is not for the faint of heart. I, myself, am astounded, yet also intrigued if not still a bit(!) confused. Thankfully it will jazz up my blog immensely if it does come to fruition!
The various sites concur that I will receive two offers and must choose the best one. Interesting...but wait (there's more!)
Since in my dream I went to my trusted hairdresser this infers that I will soon be entangled in some scandal concerning my morality. I was getting my hair dyed, so I will narrowly escape imprisonment. (Whew!) In my dream I then bought Krispy Kreme donuts (no interpretation available...must've just been looking forward to breakfast...) and drove away (dream website meaning: I'm looking for the desired destination. Looking for guidance.) taking the wrong exit off the highway (my interpretation: typical).
So, my dear readers, things are about to pick up!! Think of the pictures I can add to the blog to reinforce my upcoming adventures! Oooh, the anticipation...
Dream away y'all! =),
Scandalous Shannon -soon to be booked for something.
P.S. Think this will this negatively affect my homestudy update?
P.P.S. Am I showing my age with my posting of the album cover of The Dreaming by Kate Bush?!
P.S.S. Don't forget to donate to Race for the Cure! Thank you!

A Little Inspiration for the 3rd Week of School

This is from Riney Jordan's website. I was telling Joannah, a fellow educator, about him. Mr. Jordan was our "inspirational" guest speaker at convocation this year. He was a hoot so I thought I'd check out his site. I enjoyed this story and wanted to share it.
"Why We Do What We Do" -Author Unknown
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
To corroborate, he said to another guest, You're a teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest. What do you make?"
Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, "You want to know what I make?"
"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best."
"I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence."
"I can make parents tremble in fear when I call home."
"You want to know what I make?"
"I make kids wonder."
"I make them question."
"I make them criticize."
"I make them apologize and mean it."
"I make them write."
"I make them read, read, read."
"I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, and definitely beautiful over and over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again."
"I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English."
"I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart... and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you pay them no attention."
"You want to know what I make?"
"I make a difference."
"What about you?"

Race for the Cure

After completing my second half-marathon, this short race should be a piece of cake. However, for those fighting cancer, this "race" is likely the toughest obstacle they'll face in their lives...the one for their lives. I'm sure you know at least several people who may have earned their angel wings too soon, are ruthlessly fighting cancer right now, or are fierce survivors.
I am proudly fundraising for these family members, friends and community members through Race for the Cure which supports the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Please consider donating to this cause either through my fundraising site, starting your own fundraiser, or simply donating to a foundation in your community. No amount is too small. It all adds up to big things! Thank you!

P.S. I'm running October 21st and will be sure to update.

Find out here how your contributions are spent.

Seven Months since LID

and this puzzle from www.inventiveparent.com pretty much sums up my feelings about the slowdown of referrals and silence of the CCAA! =)

I can't even imagine the frustration of those families heading towards their 14th LID mark.

Rumor Has It...

that February is in the review room!!! (My dossier is 2/16) That means my dossier should be getting reviewed and if there are any questions the CCAA will contact my agency and then me. This also means this is the initial review to see if I(in the eyes of the Chinese government adoption agency) qualify to adopt.
Nervewracking...but wonderful!!!! (If only the matching room would move along as quickly!) Here we go fellow February LIDers!!!

Have You Voted?!!

My Mom suggests that Magni & Toby start up their own band and leave those old fogies behind! =) Besides, isn't a supernova a dying star?!
Wikipedia: "Nova" is Latin for "new", referring to what appears to be a very bright new star shining in the celestial sphere; the prefix "super" distinguishes this from an ordinary nova. However, the name is inappropriate as it signals the end of a star (or at least its radical transformation into something else).

BTW, very cool that Ryan was voted back on to perform. What a brooding young man! =)

Oh yeah, and this eerie quiet, this lack of information, even rumors, on the next batch of referrals is driving me bonkers!!!

UPDATE: Lukas is the new lead singer of Supernova. I swear he looks like a leprechaun...

Two for Tuesday 5th ed. (early edition)

I'm taking a quilt class tonight (gotta get started on Elena's One Hundred Good Wishes Quilt) so I'm making this short and sweet. That means I'm using Barnes & Noble to help me describe how great these books are!


I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont is heartwarming and funny. Per the BN Site Annotation: In rhyming text, a little girl expresses confidence and joy in her uniqueness, no matter her outward appearance. The illustrator, David Catrow, also did I'm Still Here in the Bathtub.


For the older kids, More Parts by Tedd Arnold is humorous as it helps teach idioms and it's kinda gross. Gotta love it!
Per the Publisher on BN's site: Give me a hand . . . hold your tongue . . . scream your lungs out . . . what's a kid to do if he wants to keep all his body parts in place? Well, one thing is for sure, he'll have to be creative. Like, if you want to keep your heart from breaking, just make sure it's well padded and protected by tying a pillow around your chest. Want to keep your hands attached? Simple-stick them on with gloves and lots of glue. Just be careful not to laugh your head off!
By the way, this author wrote a series of three: Parts, More Parts & Even More Parts.

Let me know what you think of them and let me know your favorites. I am always on the lookout for new ways to teach my students language skills!

In Remembrance...

Panda Love

Ya Ya and her baby at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Sichuan.

Baby Mine Day will Happen!

Kim had a link to this amazing "Gotcha/Metcha" Day video for an adorable little girl named Ellie. This wait can be so emotionally draining at times. Seeing this video really helped remind me that one day soon my Ellie will be here, endlessly loved and treasured by me and my family.

Chinese Cooking Class

Dannette (my SIL) and I attended the latest local FCC (Families with Children from China) event today. A cooking class! Now although the both of us are not especially known for our cooking skills (!) we had a great time and got to sample amazing shrimp won ton soup, dumplings, spring rolls, spinach salad, and chicken and broccoli. Yum!

Sherry Chow (aka Mama Chow!) has a beautiful shop, Sherry's Garden and holds cooking classes in the back of the shop. Sherry makes the class lots of fun and has some wonderful items in her shop.
Check out the QK purse (and matching wallet!) that I "earned" for all my cooking efforts! =)

Rock On Toby!

Don't forget to vote for Toby Rand as the lead singer of SUPERNOVA. Quite the looker, eh?! Oh and he's a pretty good singer, too! =) Besides, those old guys need new blood!
Don't you love the Heat Miser hair?! HOT!!

Two for Tuesday 4th ed. (early edition!)

In honor of school starting, I've chosen "Riding the Bus to School" by Carol Roth. The kids have so much fun with this book. Rhyming skills and repeating phrases so the kids chime in.



"I'm Still Here in the Bathtub: Brand New Silly Dilly Songs" by Alan Katz is another great read. It contains lots of funny short story/poems which can be set to tunes. For example, the title rhyme can be sung to Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Lots of giggles! Adults will get a kick out of this too! The caption says ages 4-8 but my 8+ year old students got the most joy out of it. Fun to read/sing together! Good times. =)

Let me know what you think and feel free to add your faves!

I Made It!

Yesterday I made it through my second half marathon (13.1 miles)!! My goal was just to finish this year at about 3 hours since my training was not even up to last years standards. Mental note: poor training = still stiff and sore the day after! This summer I just couldn't mentally prepare (Stuck to the computer I suppose!) and with Gracie's leg surgery...oh the excuses I could come up with! =)
Anyway, I finished. I ran the first 7 miles and then did a jog/walk til I got to the last 3 on the boardwalk. It was a tough last few miles. I swear they kept moving that finish line...or it could have been a mirage at that point!
Right now it looks like I will have next summer to train since Ellie probably won't be here by then. My goal is to beat last years time of 2:30. I'm not a runner by any means, but knowing I can finish these races is exhilerating. Plus, it helps control the Ben & Jerry damage a bit! I swear I don't know how people can do full on marathons...crazy! The next race is the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure in October. Only 3 miles (thank goodness) for a very worthy cause. But my immediate goal is to regain full movement of my legs before the kids arrive at school tomorrow! Enjoy the rest of the long weekend everyone.

Baby Steps

November is out of the review room!! (Finally!) And a February LID has been asked for extra infomation. This is big for me as I'm in that February group and now I will be on pins & needles for several months waiting for February to get through final review.
Now if only the Matching Room would catch up with the Review Room!!