Uxbridge – Day 2

Okay, so off Katrine goes with her father.  They spend a great morning at the games.  He gets her into her national costume and off she goes to dance.  She dances her flora and lilt great and comes home with two third place medals.  How proud of her am I right now?

Tonight she showed what type of big sister she could be (as if we didn’t know already).  Great.  We had our travel group (minus the Ottawa crew but plus an honorary family who adopted previously from Elspeth’s orphanage) over for a barbeque.  We thought that it would be great to get to know each other and reconnect before we set off in a week’s time.  There was one little girl who came, not yet three.  Katrine was patient with her.  By the end of the night the pair of them were swinging and making “soup” in the kitchen.  Katrine even shared some of her precious watermelon with her.  Can’t wait to see her and Elspeth together.

 

Last Highland Competition & our Garden

Yesterday Katrine danced her highland dances for the last time this summer.  No more Saturday competitions for a while now because….we will be in China!!!!!!  She test drove a new kilt and jacket which fit her better than her green one.  She also danced the best that she has all summer.  Uxbridge was a really big competition but she managed to get a third and two fourths.  She was super excited and very proud of herself.  To celebrate, she went and made pottery with one of her friends.  Yes, they actually had a potter and a wheel at the competition who was letting the kids have a go.  She made a really pretty clay pot…with some help.  Overall it was a great way to end a week of dancing (This week was her dance camp complete with crafts, swimming and bowling….oh yes, dancing too).  Today she is off to Uxbridge again.  This time with Dad to dance her national dances for the first time in competition.  If she wins anything I will post again.  We are honestly hoping that she just finishes each of the dances and has some fun doing it.  While they are there, I am getting ready to have our fabulous travel group over for a barbeque.  It will be nice getting re-acquainted before we travel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As for our garden, I am proud to report that we have summer squash!!  They are little yet but I am watering them diligently.  Keeping our fingers crossed that they will be ripe and squashy before the end of the week.

 

We are going….

It is official.  Our Notice of Coming (official permission to come to China) was received today by our agency.  Now we just need to get our Visas and we will be good to go.  Only two weeks left.  Yippee!!!!!!!

What is new with us

Only three more weeks until we leave for China!! Very exciting.  Everyone is being really suportive and we appreciate it.  It has been a long road, but no longer than the road to Katrine in some ways, and we are almost at the end.  We got a treat a week ago.  It was given to us by a family who had traveled to Elspeth’s orphanage in the spring.  More photos.  Such a serious little girl.  What a gift they gave us with these photos.  It is like a window into her life for two years.  I don’t know if they will every know how truly thankful we are for their willingness to take and share these precious photos.

We have planted our garden as per usual.  However, this year we chose slightly different crops given our travel plans.  We planted mainly squash and potatoes.  We do have two watermelon plants so we will wait and see what happens there.  Right now everything is looking green and leafy but we do not have any flowers yet on any of the plants which is a bit concerning.

We have also been busy out front of the house.  The “Pony House” has made its yearly reappearance.  This year the ponies have been able to upgrade their accomodations.  They now have actual walls (thanks to our new hedge trimmer which works great for trimming unrully flowering trees) and beds (actually piles of dry grass cuttings).  Overall a comfortable abode.

 

What else?  Oh yes, Katrine spent the first week of her summer vacation at skating camp.  Her choice I might add.  She had a grand old time skating at least two and a half hours a day plus off ice training for five days straight.  She must have gone to sleep easily each night! No way, not our girl.  That said, she was always easy to get up and raring to go.  Glenn was at work of course and I spent my first week of holidays organizing our house and getting things ready for us to go.  It will be really nice when the house is finally sorted and the basement set up.