First Day of School for the "littles" and Caroline's Poster Project

They were all about the sillies this morning.

Sometime during the last month, I've apparently adopted a habit of calling Carter and Grace the "littles." And today was (finally!) their first day of school! Carter was so excited, and our house was bustling with even more energy and enthusiasm because they had their two great friends to get ready with!! Due to the storms, many people in our city are(were) without power. So the Giffens joined us last night for dinner and, in Carter's words: a sleepover!

Lia Kate and Virginia Grace

Starting next week, parents drop the kids off in the carpool. But for the first couple of days, we all walk them into their rooms. Both kiddos were eager to meet their new teachers. This was Grace's first day of real school (versus Mother's Day Out).

Carter walked right into his room with a big grin. Grace did the same, carrying her bag on her shoulder and walking with such confidence across the room to one of the teachers whom she looked up at and gave the sweetest smile as if to say, "I'm here!"

I don't remember if I've mentioned it here on the blog before, but Grace has never said goodbye to me or blown me a kiss or shown any emotion whatsoever whenever I've left her at church or at Mother's Day Out last year. She wouldn't cry, and she would have the best time while I was gone. But I could tell that she had some hesitations or fears. Maybe because church and nursery settings most resemble orphanages. She would never act this way when I left her with a babysitter or dropped her off at her grandparents' house. Last year, I knew she was fine. But somber expressions and silence coming from a highly verbal and expressive child were disconcerting at each and every drop off.

Today, I was astonished and delighted to hear Grace call out to me, "Bye Momma!" I know this might seem like a silly milestone, but I believe it's a huge one! For Grace and for her mommy. :)

Two cute sayings from Carter on our way home this afternoon:

Telling a story from last school year: "Once upon a time, my teacher..."

"Daddy, I had a race on the playground today and I was the fastest in all the WORLD!!"

In other Brown kid news, our 5th grader is student of the week! This honor means you help the teacher with special responsibilities and showcase your interests and life with a poster. Caroline has had such a great time working on the poster project this evening. And unlike her timeline assignment a few weeks ago where she didn't want to share anything about China or her new family (presumably because it highlights her recent status as an orphan which carries such a stigma in China), she was very excited to include pictures and quotes of said details. She has been growing in curiosity about Jesus and the Christian faith, and I love that she drew this angel. I am in awe of her artistic talents! I chuckled when I read that she considered herself a fat kid, and I teared up that she included the first picture I ever saw of her.

When the poster was almost completed and we were translating some phrases, Caroline and I suddenly heard a strange sound...like water spilling. We looked down and saw... our dog Jackson PEEING ON HER POSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I'm totally and unbelievably serious. We jumped up, me scooping up Jackson and throwing him onto the tile floor, and Caroline yanking up her work of art to allow the urine to slide off her oh-so-pretty angel sketch. The accident didn't ruin the poster too much. (It did mess up one her pictures from China.) And we were both able to laugh. But Jackson sure didn't gain any brownie points with Caroline on that one. He's in the doghouse tonight!

Here's the finished product!

And here are some close ups:

Not sure if you can read the yellow, but it says, "I have family in China." This is picture of Caroline at age 6 or 7 (?) with her foster mom.

So what's your favorite part of the poster?