Ballroom dance lessons

Holly and Myleigh started ballroom dance lessons this week.  This should be interesting as Holly is not all that into dancing, but, she very much wants to be like her older sisters Katie and Mindy.  They both danced competitively and she loved cheering for them, but, never expressed interest in doing what they were doing.  Myleigh, on the other hand, had competed in beginner cha cha back before we brought Holly home, so, she knew what she was getting into.

While Myleigh took easily to re-learning the basics, Holly struggled to really get the patterns and the feel for counting it out.  I'm hopeful that by continuing to take lessons she will develop that side of herself.  She's so flexible, which is pretty handy when you're a dancer.  Her legs can extend unlike most of us, and her toe point is amazing.  Still, coordination may be a challenge until she really starts to understand it all, puts it together into a pattern in her mind and transfers that onto the dance floor.  Holly very much appreciates rules and patterns, and likes knowing the beginning all the way to the end of any story or activity, so, once she knows each step from beginning to end she will not forget.  that's just the way she is.

The school year is winding down, and Holly has been put into resource classes for math and reading and has flourished with the extra help.  Right now, at the end of third grade, and four years after leaving China, she is between and first and second grade reading level and about second grade in math. At this rate she should catch up before too long,  Holly absolutely loves school and can't bear to miss a single day.  Even on the days when Myleigh just doesn't want to go and convinces me that she is just too sick to leave the house, Holly still gets herself ready and goes.  Next year she will be in fourth grade, and the challenges will be so much greater, I hope we can get her to a point where she is close to being caught up.  Myleigh will be going to Junior High school and that means Holly will be the only Chinese child in her school, but she doesn't seem to care that much about it.  To her people are just people, she doesn't see race or color. Just other people.  I pray the other children will have the same attitude but already we have seen racism rear its ugly head in our girls lives.

Before school starts we will be taking the girls on another trip to Mexico.  It'll be a graduation gift to our two oldest kids who are graduating college and moving on with their lives.  A chance to spend time with them before their lives become too busy and times like that just won't happen much if at all.  Holly and Myleigh are going to miss them so much, its going to be good to give them time to make some lasting memories.  Life is about to change for us all as Katie moves to Korea, James moves probably to Portland, and in a year Mindy moves to Korea.  That just leaves Holly, Myleigh and Matthew.  Ever since each girl came home from China they have had Katie and Mindy as almost second and third mothers, hovering, teaching, loving, and playing with them.  A year of changes.  Myleigh turns 12 in May, and leaves Primary at church for the Young Women's group.  She'll go to Young Women's camp for three days in June.  Not sure I'm at all ready for that.

As the nest becomes more and more empty I feel guilty for the children left behind in China.  I know we could bring at least a couple more kids into our family, we have the space, we have the love, we have the desire,but, we do not have the money, so, we just have to accept it.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if the governments of both countries put the needs of the children ahead of their own greed and instead of charging families huge amounts of money to adopt a child that has no family, they actually help unite the children with loving families, not charging the new families for anything, but, instead, put the money that ordinarily lines the bureaucrats pockets into adoption grants to cover the expenses for homestudies and background checks, all the things needed to insure the child is going to a loving and safe home.  A family that wants to provide a loving home for an orphan child should never be prevented from doing due to money.  It's just wrong.