So Many Firsts, So Little Time! Gosh, the time is really getting away from me lately. As we get more and more involved back in regular life, the time for blogging gets smaller and smaller! A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks. Dasha started school two weeks ago and is absolutely loving it. I think she was home for exactly the right amount of time to get some great English skills and more importantly, to learn what it means to be part of a family. She is very secure in her surroundings now and really feels like she is where she belongs. She actually couldn't wait to start school since she is at the same school as Amber and Mitchell. On the first day we all walked into the school as a family and as we approached her class we saw a big sign that said, "Welcome to Kindergarten Dasha!" When I pointed it out to her she got a huge grin and ran to see it. She has the same kindergarten teacher that Amber and Mitchell had, and I just love her. She makes the school day so much fun, and she is making Dasha's first experience with school so positive. Dasha had very little hesitation when entering the class on the first day. The whole class had been expecting her and all of the little kids said "Hi Dasha - do you want to sit by me?" It was so sweet! The funny thing is that the parents all knew that a new child from another country was starting school. What they didn't know is that she was the only member of the family to be new to the country. When I picked her up on the first day, a few of the moms stopped me to ask where I was from. One of them said, "Wow - your English is so great. How long have you been her for?" I started laughing when I answered "All of my life". Dasha and Jacob have transitioned from extreme sibling rivals to partners in crime. They have their own inside jokes and can be heard laughing and playing together all the time. They think their jokes are hilarious, and crack themselves up all the time. I'm pretty sure neither one of them is going to be entering a career in stand-up comedy, but at least they are having a good time. Her English skills continue to amaze me, despite what the language testing at the school district says. She had to so some mandatory testing before starting school so they could get an idea of how far her language skills have come. I figured she was going to wow them since she communicates so nicely at home now. What I hadn't figured on was that the test was really a test for kids that have grown up in the United States. The very first question she was told to look at three black and white pictures. One of the pictures was a carrot with the greenery at the end. She was asked to point to the carrot. Well, in Kazakhstan they do not have carrots. She is missing most of her teeth still, so I have certainly not fed her any raw carrots. She has never seen or heard of a carrot in her life. Failed that one. The next question had three more pictures, including a picture of a doctor. I thought to myself, "Okay - she will definitely get this one". Instead, the lady pointed to the picture of the doctor and said, "This is a doctor. Tell me what the doctor does to help up." Okay - in Kazakhstan the doctor hurts you, he doesn't really help you. She has no concept of a doctor helping her yet, though we are working on it. So yep, failed that one too, and it was all downhill from there. That's okay, all it means is that she qualifies for English as a Second Language assistance. The goal of school this year is just to learn the language. Everything else will come in time. For now, she will not be graded or expected to perform at the same level as the other kids. Of course, she is already excelling, though, and is wowing her teacher with her writing skills and math skills. She is one smart cookie! Last weekend, Dasha was invited to her first birthday party and had a great time at one of those "bounce house" parties. She has told me every day since then "When it is my happy birthday, I want a big slide and bounce just like that!" You got it, sister! Doesn't get any more American than that, does it? Speaking of that, I had forgotten to post about the documents that we received in the mail a few weeks ago. I actually started getting tears in my eyes when I read it out loud to Dasha. It was a letter from the President of the United States that read: Dear Fellow American: I am pleased to congratulate you on becoming a United States citizen. You are now part of a great and blessed Nation. I know your family and friends are proud of you on this special day. Americans are united across generations by grand and enduring ideals. The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, and that no insignificant person was ever born. Our country has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by principles that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests, and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every citizen must uphold these principles. And every new citizen, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American. As you begin to participate fully in our democracy, remember that what you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to serve your new Nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens building communities of service and a Nation of character. Americans are generous and strong and decent not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it. Welcome to the joy, responsibility, and freedom of American citizenship. God bless you and God bless America. Something in that letter just struck me as so powerful. I really take for granted what I have by just being born in this country. I am so happy to be able to teach all of my children this simple fact. I am sure that Dasha does not really understand what is in this letter, but I do, and I will most definitely raise her to understand. Have a great weekend!