School year over

Another year has finished and we no longer have an elementary school student!  Both girls had a good year and felt like this one went quickly.  Nina remained dedicated to her studies and played in the band.  She's often annoyed by students who aren't there to learn, but has gotten used to dealing with that.  She mentioned steadily this year that she is proud of her grades.

Pip enjoyed Mr. Maloy's style in 5th grade, and the fact that she and her classmates were given more freedom to make their own decisions and deal with the consequences.  She felt the class got along well and it helped their studies.  Her year ended with a camping trip for a few nights, a living history event, valleyfair, skating at a nearby park, DARE graduation, and ice cream field trip; it was a lot to pack into the finish.  

The girls also completed another year of Mandarin lessons and we are proud of their growth.  Their Saturday classes give more homework than regular school and they balanced it well this year.  Ben enjoyed the new trend of giving your teacher baked goods with an apology as he got cakes and cookies on the last days.

spring scenes

Now we're in summer mode and enjoying the lazy days.  Playing games, going on walks and bike rides, more hamster time, movies, ice cream, and learning some new skills.  It was great to have the annual June Cassie trip and plenty of fun was had in Waconia. Pip liked skating at school and has now taken to going to the local skate park and trying to do tricks she's learned from youtube.  Nina has started band camp and doesn't love it yet, but we're hoping it's a good experience for her in the end.  

Lastly, it's with a heavy heart that we pay tribute and thank Ben's loving cousin, Lara.  She was a remarkable person who helped so many people all over the world.  We always found it amazing that she seemed to have infinite time - helping, leading, loving. No job was too big and no baby too small for her to care.  That's why it feels all the more cruel and jarring that she was taken from this world so soon.  We are eternally grateful for the major role that she and Shane played in our lives as they helped us make our move to China and had friends there ready to welcome us.  She had a significant impact on the lives of so many people and the world lost one of its heroes.