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!

p[--=========

 

 

 

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.