Sunday, September 27, 2009

Damp Fools!

Friday, September 18th, was our 10th wedding anniversary! We had made plans months ago to visit a quaint little town in Arkansas called Eureka Springs. We had heard from many of our friends that it was a really neat little place to visit. Beautiful country, interesting Victorian architecture, and tons of little shops to browse. We decided that, afer waiting so long for her, we didn't want to take this trip without Mandy Rose.
So, the weekend finally arrived and off we went on yet another great Wenzl family vacation! Insert sarcasm! Just like our trip to the Amana Colonies in May, there was just a spot of precipitation that dampened our activities and moods! In other words, it rained buckets!! We still attempted to enjoy the community, but trying to shop with a 3 year old holding on to one hand, bags in another hand, umbrella in yet another hand (wait....do momma's have more than 2 hands?) Eureka Springs is more diagonal than horizontal, so the sidewalks and streets quickly became slick, limestone bedded brooks! Trying to keep Mandy Rose from slipping and falling (unsuccessfully, I might add) was quite a challenge when you add in my propensity for taking tumbles on flat, dry land! We gave up and headed back to the hotel for lunch and naptime. Momma was losing all patience and feeling sad about how this special trip was turning out. And, Daddy was actually still battling a bad cold and did not feel very well.
After nap, we hit some of the outlying shops and had a bit more fun. We also asked a local shop owner for a recommendation of where to eat that evening. We said that barbeque sounded good. She directed us to a place called "The Rockin' Pig Saloon". We had driven by it earlier in the day and remarked about all the motorcyles parked out front! The shop owner was correct! It was excellent food! We did feel a tad out of place though. We were the only ones not wearing leather and "doo rags". And, although, we have our wrist tattoos, I am sure the patrons would have scoffed at our "ink"! The next day was still rainy, although not as heavy. We had plotted some geocaching spots, so we decided to do that before heading home. As we left the hotel, I realized I did not have my glasses. Back to the hotel we went. We tore that place apart 3 times, looked through each piece of luggage, even sorted through each individual piece of in the trash cans! No glasses! We went back to the last places we had been the evening before....no glasses! By this time, I was in tears and feeling very defeated! We spent a few hours geocaching. We had some fun, but it was very slippery, muddy work! We couldn't really get that filthy and then have to drive 5 hours home for a shower. We finally called it a day and headed home. A few things were finally learned on this trip! First, shopping oriented vacations and 3 year olds do not mix! Second, for one's anniversary, it is very acceptable to leave the kiddo at home with friends. Everyone deserves some time off! Finally, I have to learn to relax. I need to emulate my daughter who, despite the weather and lost glasses, had an awesome time! Not every vacation is going to be a wonderful success! I got to spend time with the people I love most in the world. Doing that anywhere and in any kind of weather is wonderful on its own merits! BTW, the glasses were found in our dirty clothes bag when we got home! Thank God!!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Gymnastics: Round Two!!

Just a quick post about our second gymnastics experience! This one was much, much better!! We were going to go into a parent/tot class, but it didn't start until next week. So, this week, we joined in on another beginning 3 and 4 year olds class. This was a COMPLETELY different experience from last week. First of all, the class had several first timers in it and the teacher was much more laid back. She was very patient with all these clueless kiddos bouncing off the walls! I wouldn't want her job! Anyways, I watched Mandy Rose enjoying herself and obviously starting to learn some of the techniques. By the end of the class, I knew we were where we were supposed to be! I am thrilled that we got Mandy Rose into a good class and she is having fun!!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Gymnastics: Leotards, Somersaults, & Fun!

This past Monday, Mandy Rose had her first gymnastics class! We enrolled her in the class because we want her to try lots of new things and have lots of experiences. She loves to run, jump, climb, and play so this seemed the perfect outlet for her! We have others in our adoptive community who have warned us that they also started this way... a once-a-week, 45 minute class to learn basic tumbling skills. And, now, their daughter trains 4 times a week at a gym that is 45 minutes away from their home! So be it! If Mandy Rose becomes passionate about this, we will support her fully! But, for now, it is just supposed to be a fun, active opportunity for her.
Mandy Rose was enrolled in a beginners, 3 to 4 year old class. From the very beginning of the class though, it was apparent that the other little ones knew a whole lot more than she did! I figured, she would pick things up as she went and tried not to fuss too much over her. Easier said than done. The instructor helped her out by showing her the proper way to do somersaults and some of the other warm up activities that they were doing. Mandy Rose was having a ball despite not knowing what she was doing! She didn't care if she wasn't doing things quite right and that is the way it should be for 3 year olds. They don't need to be worried about performing perfectly!
Working on her somersault!
Success!! Look at that victorious smile!!
The problems began when the kids moved into the "obstacle course" room. There were about 12 stations, each with a different movement that Mandy Rose was supposed to do. She was helped at some, but was on her own for most of them. The class had about 15 kids and just not enough adults/helpers to follow each kiddo. They would throw out terms like "straddle" and "pike" and "donkey kick", etc. that Mandy Rose has never heard before. Bless her heart, she was trying to do each station, but she wasn't sure of what was expected of her. I was becoming more convinced that we needed to be in a different class. Then, I was absolutely certain! The teacher held Mandy Rose back at one station, saying that the another child got to go first because, "you are messing around." I was livid!! How dare she chide my daughter! I got up right then and went and spoke with the director to get her into a different class! How can this woman expect a 3 year old with absolutely NO experience to automatically absorb everything that was expected of her in a brief few minutes of explanation? I was so angry, I was crying. Hacks me off when I do that!
It is hard to know when to step in for your kids to protect them and when to let them experience the "lumps and bumps" of life. If Mandy Rose had been attending this class for awhile and was goofing off or not paying attention, I would have not said a word about her being called down. But this was just simply uncalled for! Don't people realize that the negative words they use with children dig in deep and stay put? Fortunately, in this case, I don't think Mandy Rose even understood that she was in trouble. She still had fun. I just want to make sure that gymnastics continues to be fun or why do it?
After class was done, I went up to this teacher and told her that we would be moving to another class. I told her that she needed to understand that Mandy Rose had no gymnastics experience. I told her that Mandy Rose was not "messing around", she didn't know what was expected of her. The teacher told me that she knew this was Mandy Rose's first class and that she understood. I couldn't help but think, "Then why did you talk to her that way?" I will be avoiding this particular woman's class from here on out!
Anyways, long story short, we will be starting a parent/tot class this week! Soooo, that means her momma is gonna look a fool trying to help her learn what all this is about! That's okay! Anything for my sweet Mandy Rose!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Gang Get Together!!

I've explained before, but for those who are new to our blog, we have a group of friends affectionately known as the "gang". Gary met this group of wonderful people when he first went to college out of high school 34 years ago! We all get together twice each year, once in the summer and once in January for our Christmas. This past weekend was the summer get together and it was hosted by Todd & Lisa Goodheart. A few years ago, we switched the summer gathering to coincide with Labor Day weekend. It is so nice to have several days to sit and visit, getting caught up on the last half of a year! We rotate who hosts the summer get together. This year brought us to the Goodheart's lovely country home. They have a wonderful big front porch to sit and visit on....just like in the goood ole days! We also enjoyed watching the wide variety of birds drawn into their feeders. We were treated with scrumptious barbeque, salads, and desserts all weekend long! No one walks away from these get togethers having lost weight, that is for sure!!
Lisa generously provided Mandy Rose with the tools for art projects! Mandy Rose very much enjoyed the front porch, especially after she figured how to climb up it from the trellis at the end! She did that over and over and over...getting filthy and having a ball!
Last year, the summer get together took place just 3 weeks after we got home from China. Everyone in the "gang", including Momma and Daddy, was commenting on how much Mandy Rose has blossomed in the last year. She surprised everyone last year by being friendly, happy, and out-going. Gary and I were still very new as parents and learning the ropes. This year, we are an established family! Mandy Rose, of course, is still very friendly, happy, and out-going! That is just who she is! She had a terrific weekend spending time with each member of the "gang". The only member she was a little shy of was Doug, but only because of his beard, I think. Doug has played Santa for the last several years and has grown a long beard to more look the part. Mandy Rose didn't know if she wanted to get too close to all that wild woolinesss! LOL!
Learning to blow bubbles with Linda!
Hanging with the "gang" on the porch! She has her chair and her drink, just like the rest of us!
Linda brought a lovely bag of books to share with Mandy Rose!
On Sunday afternoon, several of our group decided to go on a nature walk. Mandy Rose and Daddy tagged along. They were gone for over 1 1/2 hours!! I figured Mandy Rose got carried virtually the entire way. But, I was told when they returned that she had walked at least a mile on her own! These 4 adults took much longer to walk this trail because of Mandy Rose. Not because of her little legs and shorter steps, but because they kept stopping to show her things. Several remarks were made about how seeing things through a little one's eyes makes them interesting all over again! I experience this on almost a daily basis! If only we could retain this wonder of the world that is innate to a child!
When they returned, I asked if Mandy Rose got to "pee in the g'ass" which is one of her favorite pasttimes while out and about? No, she didn't. When I lifted her off of Joe's shoulders though, her pants her soaking wet! I thought, "Oh dear! She has peed on Joe's neck!" But, it was not the case! Her pants had wicked up all the sweat off of Joe...her undies were completely dry!! She obviously had lots of fun exploring the country!
Riding on Joe's shoulders!
Tossing rocks off the bridge! What kid doesn't love to do that?!
The long trek home! What a little trooper!
Playing "Lasso Golf" with Lisa!
Still practicing her bubble blowing skills!
Once again, we had a wonderfully relaxing weekend with friends! We relaxed, laughed, shared stories, and ate excellent food! Gary and I always so look forward to getting together with the "gang", but now they are becoming a part of Mandy Rose's memories and history! That just pleases me to no end!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

First Day of Preschool!!

Mandy Rose had her first day of preschool today! She has been counting down the days for the last month! Especially after I started school, she always wanted to know how many more days until preschool! Well, today was the day! We chose a preschool that my dear friend, Tonya, used for 2 of her children. In fact, her littlest one was going to go there with Mandy Rose this year, but they decided to move to a different town this past summer. I think Tonya was heart broken about our two little ones not getting to go to school together. She even contemplated driving 45 minutes one way to bring him to this particular school. The teachers talked her out of it. And, she knew that it wasn't practical anyways. Tonya has always spoken very highly of this preschool, so I knew that was where I wanted Mandy Rose to go. It has been open for at least 30 years! At the parent's meeting, I was bowled over by the fact that 8 out of the 10 families that are participating in Mandy Rose's class were alumnae of the preschool themselves! And, now they were sending their children! That speaks volumes about the quality of the school to me!
Pretty little girl in red!
She got tired of all the picture taking! She wanted to go to preschool!
Outside Westwood Preschool! She was so excited!
These are Mandy Rose's teachers, Mrs. Shirley & Mrs. Nelson! They have a sincere love for little ones!
Mandy Rose had a great first day! She had absolutely no issues with my leaving! I had to remind her as she was dashing off to find something fun to do, that Momma still needed a good-bye kiss! Sheesh! Momma likes to be missed a little bit...but it was more like, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" Then, when I picked her up they were out on the playground. She saw me, waved, and dashed off for another go at the slide!
There are just 10 kids in Mandy Rose's class, but there is another adoptive kiddo! Isn't that cool? She is from Korea and her parents used the same agency as us. In fact, her mom remembers us from a Holt picnic a couple of years ago before we got our referral! Small world syndrome strikes again! I had planned on donating some adoption themed books to the preschool so that Mandy Rose's family story could be talked about sometimes too. But, especially now that there is another little one with a similar family makeup! I talked with Mrs. Shirley and Mrs. Nelson and they were very open to including that in their curriculum! I have ordered 5 books and I can't wait until they get here and I can give them to the school! I also plan on bringing something to celebrate the Moon Festival and Chinese New Year when they come around! It is great that her teachers are so positive about doing this!
I am really looking forward to all the neat things Mandy Rose is going to learn at preschool. And, the new friends she will make! I am going to be helping out from time to time as a parent helper and that will be cool! It will give me a chance to observe her in that environment. See how she tackles her world on her own!

Exploring Exploration Place!

Last week, we took advantage of discounted tickets to a local kid's musem. Gary works at an area hospital and for employees it was buy one ticket get one free on the 27th. This just happened to fall on Gary's day off! We hadn't taken Mandy Rose to Exploration Place yet, so we decided that this was the perfect opportunity!
Exploration Place has a wide variety of exhibits for kids to explore and enjoy. The traveling exhibit right now is about whales. They had the skeletons of whales, rooms with recordings of whale song, a room where we watched a video about how sperm whales hunt via sonar, and even a mock life-size heart of a blue whale! It was big enough, you could climb through it! Other exhibits feature flight, nature in Kansas, tornadoes, dinosaurs, a castle where you can dress up and play, and a special area for kids 3 and under. It is really rather cool! Mandy Rose had a blast!
Mandy Rose started her adventure playing with the puzzles!
Lots of time was devoted to playing with the trains! There is a universal appeal to playing in water!
Horse Ride
We spent quite a bit of time at this riding horse! It rollercoasters down the ramp and shoots her across the room! Then, of course, parents come in handy in setting it all back up again! Those parental units do have a purpose after all!
Cooking with style!!
This is the coolest contraption! It allows the little ones to be inside a bubble! How wonderful!
Am I really flying this thing?
Wow! It's windy!
In one area, they have some stuff about tornadoes. This is Kansas after all! One machine simulates a tornado with smoke. Then, there was this chamber we stood in that simulated the winds associated with a tornado. It produced winds in excess of 80 mph! We were being blown away, but it was fun!!!
All in all, we had a wonderful family day! I have said before, it is amazing to see what has become commonplace to Gary and I through Mandy Rose's eyes! It all becomes new again!