Zoe had a great time when we celebrated Thanksgiving at home, it was a very simple menu...she ate turkey, loves mashed potatoes, corn and pie but wasn't overly crazy about the stuffing. I am sure it isn't the most eye appealing item on the plate...as she said it, "Bapa, I don't like it!" so I told not to eat it of she does not like it.
Here are a few holiday pictures we had taken of Zoe and Nathaniel....
Well this week we started looking for presents however this was the first time I purposely slept through Black Friday until all the craziness was over. I did go out and still found some great deals at many of the stores advertising their door busters. I found several really cool gifts for Zoe but am finding Nathaniel and Sonja to be more challenging. Every time Zoe sees a wrapped (no matter where we are) gift she says, "A present for me?" If you remember, when we first met Zoe, she only had one very small backpack with a change a clothes and few pictures, a favorite book and that was about it. Zoe was well loved by a number of people who took care of her but she did not have much to call her own so this should be fun for her. Although she understands presents and knows how to open them up as demonstrated when she received so many nice gifts when we first brought her home. So she has some practice. It should be a lot of fun watching how she responds to all the traditions of the holidays. Can't wait.
Zoe achieved her first skills achievement ribbon in gymnastics. She successfully demonstrated loco motor skills, the tuck hang on the rings and three skills on the parallel bars. We are so proud of her as she is learning/practicing with a number of other children who have been exposed to tumbling/gymnastics much earlier. Many adopted children are behind on their motor skills so its great to see that Zoe is catching up quickly and is enjoying gymnastics. She also looks so dang cute in her gymnastics outfit (I want to call it a singlet but Sonja has to remind me they are leotards).
Nathaniel has hung-up his football cleats for the year and is in the second week of wrestling practice. It has been long and grueling practices. He comes home from practices both tired and gripey. Ever so often I ask him if he still likes it and he says he does. Nathaniel hopes to wrestle at 120 pounds this season as a Freshman in high school. We already know he will wrestle JV which will be a great challenge for him, he may also get a chance to wrestle varsity but personally I think he needs at least a year in Freshman/JV wrestling before he wrestles juniors and seniors. He has to lose another six pounds or so...we are waiting to see what weight class he ends up wrestling at! Nathaniel did great at school his first semester with one B and the rest A's. His grandfather would have been very proud of him.
Nathaniels High School sponsored a trip to Washington DC. He went to the Holocaust Museum, Smithsonian and all the different monuments/memorials including the Washington/Lincoln memorials, Korean, Vietnam, WWII/WWI and the newly erected Martin Luther King Jr. monuments. He went with 35 other freshman classmates and said he had a great time. Very enlightening. I am glad his school has sponsored these events. Really adds to the educational experience.
Sonja is now in the midst of retail hell! She now has expanded hours and days. We will hardly see her until the Christmas shopping season is over. So, I may have two gripey people on my hands (Sonja and Nathaniel). All is well otherwise. I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving!
