School year is already 1/4 done for this year

This school year is flying by.  Marching Band season is done.  Now onto the fall concert.  Football season for Kole is over.  Basketball for Kaci is halfway done.  Basketball season for Kole is just starting.  Kali is holding out for Soccer in the spring.  Kali keeps busy taking advanced classes and participating in Student Council, Student body treasurer for the Class of 2014, Leadership committee, and band.  These do keep her extraordinarily busy.  Kaci is in advanced classes as well and in 7th grade.  Math comes to her so easily.  It amazes me as to how easy she makes it look.  Kole is also very good in Math and you would never know that he spoke only a dialect of Mandarin when we brought him home.  Kali is very good with languages too.  Her accent and pronunciation of Spanish are amazing.

We have had a 4th young lady with us this school year.  Her name is Lee Hyo-lim, or Olivia.  LOL  We call her Olivia.  We have fun learning about Korea and she is loving learning about America and life in a mixed up family like us. 

It feels like we are always on the go.  But as my mom would say, I wouldn't know what to do if I wasn't constantly on the go.  Well, there are days I know exactly what I would be doing.

Here is a video of the marching band from one of their performances.

followed by some pictures of the school year so far!

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures!  The line below is from Smores!

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Summer

This has to be one of the hottest summers that I remember.  We have had temps over 100 for weeks.  Usually we get a break from the heat and now we think 83 is cool.  The pool has been fantastic! 
Kali did make her trip to China and back.  She has said that it was a time that she will never forget.  It was the most wonderful time in her entire life.  I can believe that.  I am awed each time we have traveled to China.  She loved it there.  We gave a little over a week to get back into the time change and then took her to get her driver's licence.  Yes!  Now if I am too tired to pick up a kid from practice or need something from the store, I can have her drive!  
We have also acquired a new kitten by the name of Smore's.  Her and the bostons sleep together and play for hours.  School registration is in just over a week away.  We also have a student from Korea coming to stay with us for the school year.  I really hope she becomes one of our scattered family of foreign exchange students.

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

I hope you have enjoyed this montage of pictures about our summer!

 

Article sent to Menard Country Review

Athens Junior on Her Way to China 

Kali Bringolf, a junior this school year, leaves June 26 for a seventeen day adventure to China with a delegation of thirty students and three leaders.  In October 2011, Kali attended an orientation with many other teens from the Springfield and surrounding areas.  The orientation was given by People to People Ambassadors.  When the orientation was over, Kali knew this was a chance of a lifetime for her.  She knew this trip would take funds.  Kali started a letter writing campaign asking for donations.

The trip to China hits close to home for Kali as she was adopted from China in 1997.  This will be her first trip to China since she was four years old.  She will be experiencing the culture by staying with a host family, helping in the orchards, spending time in a high school helping students with their English.  Helping out children in a special needs school, and experiencing the wonders of China with trips to see the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi’an, The Great Wall, Tiannemen Square, and The Forbidden City in Beijing.  She will experience an acrobatic show and the Peking Opera.  She will be learning cooking skills at an elite cooking school in Shangahi.  The delegation will be experiencing  Kung Fu with students at a school and playing ping pong with children of all ages.  She will be floating on a bamboo raft through the canals of Hangzhou.  A trip on the high speed bullet train overnight.   There are so many adventures to be experienced with 29 other students from the area and California

Contributors were Forte International Exchange Association, The Athens Lions Club.  Thank you to these organizations for their monetary donations.   Kali had two Scentsy party fundraisers, Thank you to Ronna Lewis for your assistance in our fundraising endeavors.  There was a Tupperware fundraiser. Thank you to Lisa Marcure for your time in this fundraiser.  There was a combined Garage Sale and bake sale!  Thank you to Nancy Spellman for your donations to the sale.  There were babysitting jobs.  Thank you to Susan and Curt Reichling for seeing the potential.  A very dear friend’s family, the Thomas family donated to her trip.  Thank you so much to the Thomas family.  Thank you also to Cindy and Jeff Eicher for your donation.  Without your contributions this trip would not be just around the corner.

What the Heck! Where did April and May go!

There has been so much going on I can't keep up!  Here's the low down..  Kali has her 50 hours in toward her driving lessons.  She will be taking the driving test this week.  Kali leaves for China a week from Tuesday.  Kaci spends most of her evenings at friend's houses then home to help with chores and then off and running.  Kole has started hanging out with friends at their houses or having them come here.  Kali is watching as one of her friends moves away and others pulling away due to interests in boys.  There aren't many left that just want to have a girls night. 
Reiko and Doodlebug (Drake)  continue to be a source of amusement for us.  They are so cute.  Tasha and Mia continue to be our big girls that love to pretend they are lap dogs.  Tinkerbell is getting up there in age and we introduced the newest kitty, Smores.  A little calico female kitten.  She is about 6 weeks old.  Probably closer to 7 weeks now.   All the kids did fantastic in school this past year.  
This weekend we picked up Trey, my great-nephew, the kids second cousin...  He is going to be 4 years old soon!
Kole had palate surgery Monday to repair the fistula in his palate...  He was released Tuesday.  He did have a fantastic stay at St. John's this time.  Apparently we just had some really crappy staff six years ago. 
Here are some pictures!

Kole after surgery

Smores 6 wks old

Kaci taking pizza out of the oven

Trey and Jasmine

Kali with a chicken bone tower

Kaci and her two friends

Kali and her friends

Tasha

Kole

Kole at orthodontist

More later!

Oops it's March already! Where did all that time go?

We have seen Jasmin home to Germany, it was a tearful parting. We have learned to Skype! We had a wonderful Christmas with Mom, Pat, Patty and Tyler. We celebrated the New Year by drinking Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice! The girls have grown and boy has Kole grown!
We celebrated 6 years having Kole in our family! We have had tears, laughter, more tears and even more laughter. The kids are doing fantastic at school and I earned a promotion at work!

Here is how things size up at our home.

Kole just finished up a season on two basketball teams. His competitive team finished 2nd place at one tournament and 3rd at two others.

Kali has finished Swim Team and is now playing soccer for her first time ever!Yes, I am now a soccer mom. She loves it! So she has three seasons to play counting this one. Kali is also on the Scholastic Bowl team at school, the Biology club, and treasurer of the sophmore class. She has been driving with her permit for several months and it is getting closer to driver's license time. Kali continues with band playing the clarinet, tenor sax and alto sax that Kaci gave up.

Kaci finished up with school volleyball team and has started Club Volleyball. She is also running in track this year. Her favorite event is the Hurdles. She had a good Basketball season too! Kaci also participates in Art Club. She has given up on band. Kaci also finds time to hang out with her friends.

Kole also turned 10 years old this year! For his birthday we got him a cellphone. It is inexpensive and gets the job done. There goes my cellphone bill. LOL We are now maxed out with 5 lines.

Boyd is still working at the airport and I am still with State Police.

Our house always looks lived in. We are down to 4 dogs (Reiko, Doodlebug, Tasha and Mia) and 1 cat. Daisy Doo went to a new home in Southern IL. Mojo went to a new home about an hour away from here. Both are doing so much better in their new homes. Smokey a new cat we had acquired disappeared about two months ago. We only had him for about 2 months.
My weightloss aspirations come and go. Sometimes I am gung ho into it and other times, I just throw caution to the wind!
Pictures:  Kaci's Volleyball team; Kole in his basketball uniform; Kole with his first Mohawk; Jasmin;
Kali, Jasmin, and Kali wearing Lincoln hats; at the airport for Jasmin's farewell, Me!  Hope you enjoy!