First Days of School!

School started this week and 3/4 of my kids are super excited for the start of a new year (the frowning one is less enthusiastic).  Having a Kindergartener and a Sixth Grader is freaking me out a little - when did my babies get so big!?!  But overall the first week has gone well.

Here are the kids' reports on the first few days of school in their own words:

Sasha:
I am in Theresa's Kindergarten. I like all the work and I sit very quietly and my friend's Drew and I like him. I like you, you're my best friend.

I like to play Polly Pockets and screw stuff with tools. I like turtles. I like Flipper but I can't remember the other name. I like cupcakes and fruit snacks, goldfish crackers for snack.

 I like going on adventures, cause I went on adventure today (I think those our outings from the classroom - after this sentence she showed me her bag filled with acorns leaves and other treasures collected outside). I like acorns, peas and seeds and nuts.

I like Kindergarten.

Ben declines to comment on Fourth Grade.

Sam:
Sixth Grade, so far, has been easy. Although it's only opening week. We haven't really done any school work, we've done a park day, a movie, an open house, and brain cruncher day.

I hope to get into the Creative Computing, Spanish, and Digital Photography electives. I look forward to schoolwork, it'll give me something to do!

Hooray for new beginnings and the start of a new year!

The Cat has Issues

I'm not sure if he's lonely or if he's just run out of victims (although neither of these explanations seem logical since he still regularly attacks any unguarded fingers or toes and his swift passage away from the girls wouldn't indicate loneliness...) but Mandy a new friend/chew toy - Chairman Meow.

Chairman Meow joined our family with a host of other politically-incorrect-yet-hilarious gifts from the Kytes when we first announced our decision to adopt from China and has been an important part of Sasha's stuffed animal cadre ever since.  For now the girls seem content to share him with Mandy.  If jealousies ensue then we'll have to work out some sort of custody arrangement between them and the (live) cat.  We'll just cross that bridge when we come to it.

Perfect Portraits

A few weeks ago we had the good folks up at Snowbird Powder Shots take family portraits for us up at Albion Basin.  We got the pictures back yesterday and I'm thrilled - what a special shots of special people in a special place!

First Day of (Pre)School!

I can't believe my little baby WanYing is big enough for preschool! WanYing started school this week (a full week ahead of the rest of the kids) and here are her thoughts on her first few days of school:

I did coloring.  I did listen to my teacher.  I did go see the kitchen.  I ate marshmallows.  I did see my friends.  My teacher is Miss Cricket.  She's nice to me and I like her. And I goed back in my class and I did play with toys.  There's a turtle there and a sea horse (but not a real sea horse).  We feed Razor the Turtle.  He eats turtle things.  And I did get my purse - it says WanYing.

I like school.  I like to play there.

You don't see that every day

While I was over in Ireland on my blessed, blessed "work" trip, I managed to snap a few pictures of things you don't see every day, at least not in Orem, Utah. Hope these make you smile as much as me!

Beef Jerky - truly the traditional American style steak snack.  I asked the clerk if only Americans buy this and she assured me that it is also enjoyed by other cultures.

The vacuums at the hotel.  I think I'd enjoy housework a lot more if my vacuum smiled at me!

I love this mix of the ancient and the new all intertwined

A tea station in every corridor of the VMware Cork office - I was born on the wrong continent!

The signs for Limerick never failed to make me smile

You *know* this would never fly in the U.S. - a garden all full of poison plants!  It was great - every sign told you the symptoms induced by the plant and, for the record, it did recommend that you keep your kids from touching or eating the foliage.

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

Last week I had the pleasure and privilege of traveling to Cork Ireland on the company's dime!  It was great - both the at-work time where I spent my days training the Cork office on our new products and the out-of-work time where I got to explore the city and countryside.  It was a blessed hiatus from my normal responsibilities as wife and mom and truly a grace-filled time for me.

Here's my vehicle and my favorite scene from my commute to work.  The bike wasn't as nice as my ride at home, but the scenery was sure amazing!

I'm grateful that I didn't try driving - biking on the left-hand side of the road was hard enough!

Cork from the top of my hotel

The canal in front of the hotel

Self-portrait

A pint, a good book, and a band coming on stage.  This is an a-ok way to spend the evening!

Admittedly, there were many rainy nights, but even those were pretty

The bike ride out to Blarney Castle was plenty hard, but the views were worth it.  How do they make stone fences anyway?!?

Blarney Castle - built in 1480

Clearly I've grown unaccustomed to the sunlight - it made me all squinty!

The Blarney Stone is right there at the tippy top above the windows

Inside the castle

Kissing the Blarney Stone.  Are you impressed by my newfound eloquence?

The Fern Gardens at Blarney Castle were so cool

On Saturday I rode my bike out to Cobh, the last port that the Titanic left from

A girl, her bike, and a whole lotta wind

Just pretend this is the Titanic :)

A soggy ride back, but still a nice Saturday afternoon

My Sunday ride down the Lee Road - so beautiful!

Rain and wheat fields in my view as I shelter under a tree for the shower

I rode the train out to Midleton to tour the Jameson Distillery

Jamie at Jameson!

They don't give these to just anybody - I had to *earn* this certificate!

My last evening in Ireland - I took the bus to Kinsale

Kinsale was so very beautiful - it was the perfect end to my trip

Along the Scilly Walk at Kinsale

The end of a wonderful trip - thanks, Ireland!