State Fair

The State Fair: Huddling in a sauna to keep warm in the morning, running through misters in the afternoon to cool down, watching a pig give birth, climbing an adventure course, viewing dairy princess butter carving, choosing our favorite work of art, enjoying a beergarita, and 8 miles of walking.

Space

We visited the Space exhibit today and learned that a 3-D printer makes tools for the space station, astronauts have special toilet procedures, and that Jia is the only one of us who wants to live on Mars.

Back to school

Fifth grade and second grade!

 

Favorite quotes of the first week back to school...
Jia's classmate: "Jia, you bleached your hair, you're wearing patched jeans and a One Direction shirt! Did you go punk over the summer?"


Jia, talking about a classmate: "She's super friendly, plays with everyone and is always bright and sunny."
Me: "That sounds great. You could hang out with her more often."
Jia: "No thanks. I prefer dark and rainy."

Legos at the Arb

We enjoyed seeing all the fantastic lego sculptures at the Arboretum!

 

Art show and more

The cousins' art show, Jia's family birthday celebration, and special guests Aunt Sandy and Uncle Jim!

 

High-flying fun

Last minute free tickets to an incredible circus show with friends? Yes, please! End result: Lots of begging for trapeze classes.

Jia is 10!

Late night birthday fun at the drive-in! Complete with ribbon batons, silly string and glow necklaces.

Jia is such a thoughtful, responsible kid. Shortly after her birthday, Jia told me her future plans: "Okay, I've figured it out. I want to have a successful job, so I need to go to a really good college. I will go to the best school nearby. I'll live in a dorm, but I'll visit you on holidays and maybe a weekend or two each month. I'll get a scholarship, hopefully a full one. For that, I need to go to a good high school and do really well there. How does that sound?" Poor kid puts a lot of pressure on herself at bedtime!