Chistmas Eve 2011

As has become our annual tradition, the girls and I went to the Hunters' Christmas Eve open house. Every year, a big group of us walk a few blocks to a cul-de-sac of about four houses (which are all extravagantly decorated) and see Santa. Abigail was not sure that she wanted to go. "I already talked to Santa," she told me, with a worried look on her face. True, we saw Santa at Bergstrom's a few weeks ago, but it never hurts to tell him again about your Christmas wishes! When we got there, a sign told us that Santa was scheduled to be there from 6:00-7:30 on Christmas Eve. It was 7:45. Oops! Despite being reluctant to see Santa, Abigail was bitterly disappointed that he was not there. Oh well. We returned to the party, where Abigail had a big plate of fruit salad, and both girls retreated to a back bedroom to watch cable television! In previous years, the party has gone late into the night. This year, the Bushnell girls were the last group to leave, at the incredibly late hour of.... 9:30!

Ahhhh.... we love bubble baths!

It's Christmas time!

What a crazy busy season! Abigail had her first Christmas program, at her new preschool. The children sang, "The First Noel," "Joy to the World," and recited a short scripture verse. It was absolutely darling, and pretty funny as well!


We went to see a stage show called "The Christmas Movie" at Calvary Santa Ana. It was a production in which some of the classic Christmas movies were acted out in five minute segments, along with dancing, choir singing, and it all culminated in pointing out the ways that it all points us to the Savior. Afterwards, there was popcorn and hot cocoa.


We opened gifts at the Hunters' house once school was out for vacation. Abigail received a Nintendo DS, which she had been longing for. She also got the Little People "Jundle" (actually the Talking Zoo) that she had seen in a catalog. Frances received perfume she'd wanted, along with clothing from her favorite store. She also got a game for her DS, and other electronics.

We finally went out and bought our tree, about 5 days before Christmas. The girls and I drove to the tree lot (the same vendor we've frequented for many years) and this year we actually opted for a Noble, rather than a Douglas. Frances perused the trees, and we settled on one that it not too tall, but is quite wide. This makes it easy for the girls to hang ornaments, but it was a challenge to get it in through the front door!

We decorated the tree on the morning of Christmas Eve, with me providing ornaments and hangers, and the girls doing the decorating. The tree looks great!

We've been busy with playdates, going to Knott's, and getting ready for the Big Day. Haven't started on cards or a Christmas letter yet, but maybe next week....
Merry Christmas!

A lesson in weather, at Knott's Berry Farm

Our good friends have the same holiday as we have (all of Thanksgiving week) and we all have passes to Knott's, so we are going there for a few hours each morning. We leave when it starts getting crowded. The weather here in southern California has been sunny and cool. It was 54 degrees at 10:00 a.m., but eventually reached almost 70 degrees later in the day. My California-raised ten-year-old does not seem to understand that sunny is not the same as warm.

She and her friend Colby (also 10 years old, just much taller) wanted to ride the rapids. I got permission from Colby's mom, although she did say she did not want to hear any complaints from him about being cold!

The kids rode the rapids three times in a row! I stood on the bridge and took pictures. The first time, Frances and Colby were alone in the 8-passenger raft. For the next two trips, they were joined by two more kids who were about the same age.

From there, thoroughly soaked, they decided they should go on Perilous Plunge. This is another water ride, with a boat which holds 20 people, and goes down an almost vertical drop. Walking toward the ride, I could see that the entire area was pretty much deserted. Hmm... wonder why?



You can see by their faces at the end of the ride that they are re-thinking the wisdom of their choice. Frances said that there was so much water thrown up by the boat as it hit the pool, she could hardly breathe!

Both kids were shivering, and were thankful that it was time to leave the park and get some lunch. Frances was thrilled that the car had been sitting in the sun, and was toasty warm inside!

Competition season is over....

... and I have mixed feelings about that! I love the competitive and performance aspect of gymnastics. Frances is not thrilled with competing, but this year at her new gym, she has made incredible progress, which has been a lot of fun. At the state level meet, she was 4th on vault (9.475), 5th on bars (9.250), 4th on beam (9.300), 3rd on floor (9.250) and 4th All-Around (37.250). Not her highest scores on any event, but quite a respectable end to the season. We are hoping that she will move up to level 5 (and I am praying that she continues to love gym!). She is genetically a good match for this sport, and people say she has a great deal of potential. But I can't make her want it...

The change of seasons in So Cal

I love our backyard tree. It's one of the reasons I bought this house. In the summer, the entire backyard is shaded by our Chinese Elm. However, when fall arrives, our tree takes it personally! We arrived home one afternoon, following a day of Santa Ana winds (hot, dry, very strong gusty wind) and found both our front and back yards covered in leaves. The girls were great about helping me to rake and sweep. We just about filled our yard trash container, and had a fun time doing it.

Halloween 2011

Hard to believe that three years ago, we had just stepped off the plane from China with little baby Abigail...
This year, Frances decided that she wanted to be a waffle for Halloween. I asked one of the really artistic, crafty ladies at work about what I might use for the costume. She suggested upholstery foam, so we visited a re-upholstery shop near home and bought a few yards of the foam. The hardest part was figuring out how to draw the squares so that they would be uniform in size as well as symmetrical. I am not a math-girl, but I am compulsive, so it had to be done right. I finally figured it out to my satisfaction, and with an exacto knife and some spray adhesive.... voila! A waffle.

Abigail was much more easy-going about what she wanted to be. She was fine just looking through her dress-ups and finding the princess dress that was the least "scratchy." Add to the dress a pair of sparkly silver sneakers and a soft tiara (both of which she already had) and she was a pretty pink princess.

We went to a "Fall Festival" with friends on the Saturday before Halloween. It was about 80 degrees, which just seems weird for Halloween weather. But we put on some sunscreen, and the girls played games, jumped in a bounce house, and Abigail rode a pony.

This year, Abigail drew a picture of what she wanted her jack-o-lantern to look like, and I tried my best to carve her little pumpkin to match the drawing. This year, Frances asked if she could help carve the big pumpkin, and because we use a relatively safe, serrated "pumpkin cutter" rather than a standard kitchen knife, I agreed. She did a great job, with minimal advice from me, and she is always a big help in separating all of the seeds from the pulp. Frances loves to eat pumpkin seeds, and is willing to do the work to get them! I cook them in a little olive oil and garlic. Yum!

On Halloween night, we went to Old Town Orange, as has become our tradition. We have friends who live there, and we all have a pot luck, as well as helping stock the treats (there are literally thousands of trick-or-treaters in that neighborhood). Both girls went out trick-or-treating, although they did not go together. Abigail went out first with Lori, and I took Frances a while later. When Fran & I returned, both girls handed out candy, and then I took Abigail out and Fran went with Haley. We all had fun, but got to bed late!

Abigail's 3rd "Family Day" anniversary

October 21, 2011, marked the three-year anniversary of the day that we received Abigail Grace into our family. What a blessed event that was! This year, the date fell on a Friday, and the girls' school was closed for the day, so I took a day off as well. We went to the L. A. Zoo to see the animals. I hadn't been there in over 20 years, but Frances went a few weeks ago on a school field trip. She acted as our tour guide, reading the map and planning our route to see the most interesting animals. No monkeys and birds for her, thank you, although we did see gorillas as well as some really cool birds like condors and cassowarys.

Frances also led us to the kettle corn stand, where we bought a huge bag of kettle corn that was freshly popped, and so hot that the few unpopped kernels melted little holes in the plastic bag! It was incredibly tasty. We snacked on it throughout the afternoon at the zoo.


We came across an absolutely gorgeous merry-go-round, and Abigail loves to ride, so we bought tokens and chose animals. The selection of animals on that merry-go-round is truly amazing - dolphins, tapirs, rhinos - almost any exotic animal that you can think of is on that carousel! Frances was determined to ride the snow leopard, because that's the animal she has chosen for her upcoming science report. Can you believe that next to the snow leopard was a ladybug? Perfect for my little Chinese daughter. The music accompanying our ride was eclectic: Supertramp's "Long Way Home," the Sesame Street crew doing "Sing, Sing a Song," Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done for Me Lately?" I was compelled to ask one of the attendants how on earth these particular musical selections had been chosen, since they had seemingly nothing in common. He pointed out the small metal plaques at the base of each carousel animal, listing the name of the donor who had provided funds for that particular animal. Apparently, in sponsoring a carousel animal, the donor also was able to choose a song for the music. That would explain it.

The zoo is on a hill, and near the top is a playground area. Abigail had a great time on the climber, and Frances even played for a while before joining me on a bench in the shade. Then, it was mostly downhill to see the remaining animals before the zoo closed at 5. The weather was perfect, and we had a really good time. The girls got along well all day, and no one got overtired or grouchy (despite Abigail's lack of a good nap). We did sit in rush hour traffic on the way home through Los Angeles, but both girls snoozed a bit, and when we finally arrived at home, we had their favorite meal: macaroni and cheese with a side of green beans! What a terrific day.

You know it's autumn....

...when kids wear footie pajamas! Abigail usually does not stay under the covers at night, despite my best efforts to keep her covered up with sheets and blankets. As the nights get cooler, I am digging out the jammies that Frances once wore. I saved a lot of things for Abigail, but she is wearing them at an earlier age than Frances did! She is now staying cozy at night.

Another first!

At the gymnastics meet on October 9th, 2011, Frances was first place on beam! That is not her favorite event (she likes floor the best). Her beam routine at this meet was just beautiful, and earned a score of 9.5. Of course, this was the first meet that I did not videotape her! She will have to do as well or better at Sectionals and State; I will go back to videotaping at those meets. I love our new gym.

An unexpected adventure

One Saturday, we set off with friends to find a park in south Orange County that I had read about. We never found the park, but spoke to some soccer moms who recommended that we salvage our afternoon by visiting the Ocean Institute. They gave us directions, and we were on our way. I had never even heard of this place, although Frances' friend Colby had apparently been there on a school field trip.

They had several "touch pools," in which were sea cucumbers, anemones, and sea stars. Docents were available to tell us all about the creatures we were looking at. At one point during the afternoon, an announcement was made about the opportunity to participate in a squid dissection! Carrie and most of our kids were all for it, but Frances was a bit squeamish. I took one-year-old Corbin outside in his stroller, and he and I watched Frances use a low wall as a balance beam, while the rest of the crew dissected a small squid.

We also saw the skeleton of a whale, and a really cool documentary about one specific whale and the things it encountered during its lifetime. Fascinating.

So, although we did not follow our original plan of going to the park, and despite the two ten-year-olds being determined to not have a good time (because they are just too cool for it all) we managed to have a really fun afternoon down near the ocean!

Leopalooza!

We found an amazing deal on leotards - a woman on craigslist has two daughters who have quit gym - so we bought sooo many beautiful leos! Frances is now outfitted for gym for the next year or two....

Gymnastics in Vegas

Wow! What a long drive to make twice in 2 days! But we had a great time, despite the driving. We stayed in a big resort, along with most of the gymnasts from Wildfire.

Frances was determined to swim in the enormous, freeform sparkling pool. We got down there about 5:30 p.m., and she jumped right in! Unfortunately, the temps in the Vegas area were in the 90s, and the pool was freezing. Frances stayed in the water about ten minutes, before she emerged, shivering, and went to our room to take a hot shower!

Many of the gymnasts & their families met for dinner at the hotel's buffet. The girls all had a great time sampling every kind of food imaginable, and I had fun spending time with the group of moms whose daughters are from the old gym, as well as meeting some new mom-friends. There was a Starbucks in the hotel lobby/casino, and Frances' friend introduced us to a non-coffee blended drink that has chocolate chips in it. Yum! Fran had skipped dessert at the buffet in anticipation of this treat, and she was not disappointed.

Franny and her friend Brenna competed mid-morning Sunday. We arrived at the gym early enough to watch awards from the previous session, and Wildfire was nearly always occupying the 1st, 2nd and 3rd spots on the podium. Frances did a great job at the meet, and her competitors were her own teammates! There were other gyms there competing, but once again, Wildfire was in the top 3 or 4 spots for each event. Frances was 3rd place on vault, bars and beam, and 2nd on floor and all-around. She was competing against teammates who were a year or two older than she is, and she & I both think she did very well. Her scores were even higher than the meet two weeks ago. I love her new gym!

Coming home from Vegas, we had no traffic. Nothing short of a miracle, and we appreciated it!

Medals for my girl!

Frances had her first gymnastics meet of the season today in San Diego. She started at Wildfire a month ago, and has made terrific progress. For today, I just wanted her to be on the podium in any event. Last year, her scores were in the mid to high 8's with a single 9 one time on vault. Frances was nervous today, but I reminded her that she competed last year; this is just the new improved version. I told her to go out there and have fun, and relax in the knowledge that she was going to score higher than she did last season. Well....

Here is Frances, looking a little bewildered at being first place on floor in her level & age group! She was second place in bars, beam and vault, as well as second in all-around. Wow! I was so proud of her that I started crying. I thanked her coaches & the gym owner, and they reminded me that this is only the first meet - she will keep on improving all season! Her next meet is in Nevada, two weeks from now... look out!

Back to school... FINALLY.

Okay, I went back to work on August 18th, and my students started back on the 24th. My own daughters, on the other hand, started school several weeks later!

Abigail started preschool/preK at Fran's campus last Thursday, September 8th, and Frances started 5th grade on Friday, September 9th. Whew! We did the child care Hokey Pokey for about 3 weeks there, but now we should (hopefully) get back into the routine, and Frances won't wake up each day wondering where she is going!

Abigail will be attending preschool 5 days a week, from 8 to 11 in the morning (that's all I could afford!). Her wonderful sitters will pick her up each day, take her to their house, where she will have lunch and a nap. I pick her up there at 3. Frances will now have PE every day, and must wear sneakers - but what about the new boots she just got?! Fashion and PE don't always mix. Never fear, fashionistas, because Franny can bring sneakers to school if she wants to wear some fancier footwear. This year, the 5th graders will get to do a science project for the school's Science Fair, and this is the year for State Reports. Right now, Frances is looking at doing a report on either Hawaii or Tennessee.

Wildfire Gymnastics!

Check out Frances in her new competition leotard for Wildfire.... she looks awesome!

She got the leo tonight at practice, and as soon as we got home, she wanted to try it on! You can see in the photo that she still has chalk on her legs and between her fingers from doing bars. Switching gyms has made a world of difference in her attitude and her skills. At the mock meet last week, she scored a 9.4 on both floor and vault, and tonight, her coach gave her some corrections that may lead to an even higher score on floor. Frances is loving it! I told her that her new leo makes her look like a superhero, with the sheer sleeves and black wrist on one side.... maybe she can fly!

The Orange County Fair

We had great evening at the OC Fair. We got there about 6 p.m., and went to see all of the farm animals, including the new little piglets. Both of my girls were amazed at how large real pigs are! Not at all like the animated ones on TV. Abigail got to touch a little baby chicken, and tried to touch any other animal she could reach - goats, sheep, cows, you name it. She loves animals! We don't go on rides at the fair, because they are simply too expensive (and since they are disassembled every few weeks, I wonder about how safe they are). We have annual passes to Knott's, and we can go on rides there. At the fair, we try to do and see things that are out of our normal range of experience.

Abigail got to ride a pony for the very first time. She was so excited, but wanted me to walk next to her while she rode. Frances took photos, and I bought the professional pony picture too, because it was really cute. Sorry I can't scan it, but here is a snapshot that Franny took. When Abby was done with her ride, both girls stood outside the pony fence, touching and patting the horses if they came near.

All of the Bushnell girls rode an elephant! We don't have pictures of us on it, because we all rode together (Abigail refused to go without me) but I did take a photo of the elephant we rode. Her name is Becky.

Next, it was Frances' turn to choose an activity. She chose the hamster ball, a huge inflatable clear ball that floats on water. You get inside it, then it is inflated and closed up, and you are pushed up a ramp and into the pool! Frances is really agile, with great balance, but she found it nearly impossible to stand up in the ball for more than a split second. She was grinning the entire time, as she crawled, rolled, flipped and fell inside the ball. The balls are available for birthday parties.... hmmm....maybe when she turns 11....

Abigail was enchanted by the miniature circus tent, so we went to see old-time circus acts, like juggling, plate-spinning, and magic tricks. "This show is 'mazing, Mom!" Both girls were entertained, and Frances tried to figure out the magic tricks. How did he make that dove turn into a cat?

Of course, we had to visit the petting zoo. It was really crowded with people, but Abigail was undeterred in her quest to touch animals. She was able to pet goats of all sizes, sheep, chickens, and a llama.


We finished our evening with a bag of caramel corn and the Peking Acrobat show. We had a front row seat at the side of the stage, and unlike last year, this time Frances admitted that the performers' skills were pretty impressive! We all thoroughly enjoyed the show, and when it was over, I saw some of the performers at the edge of the stage. I asked Abigail if she wanted to meet them, and she was enthusiastic (is she ever unenthusiastic, about anything?). One of the guys from the show pointed to Abigail and asked, "Chinese?" I nodded my head yes, and told him, "Zhengzhou." His eyebrows raised, he pointed to himself and emphatically pronounced, "Zhengzhou!" Someone from Abigail's home town! Wow. We took a picture of him with my Abby. What a cool way to end our evening.