Our family tradition is to spend Nadia’s birthday at Boo at the Zoo and it’s always so much fun. This year is Amelie’s first Halloween and she really got excited about wearing her costume. Just like last year we were a big hit this year since we were all in costume. The big surprise to me was how excited the little girls were to see me as Strawberry Shortcake. I was asked to pose for photos with little girls and I really played it up, “Oh hello. I left my garden for the day to come to the zoo, but I brought one of my strawberries with me.” The little ones ate it up which was adorable!!

Amelie enjoying the toddler area.

Dancing with Amelie during the stage show. Nadia prefers to watch rather than participate in big group things like this.

This was the most fun part of the day. I saw the boy as Boba Fett and told Nadia, “It’s Boba Fett, get him.” She immediately pretended to force choke him. So he ran to the wagon and grabbed his blaster to point it at her and then Nadia flicked out her lightsaber. It was SO FUNNY!

After a nap and some rest we told Nadia that she could choose a place for dinner and she told us she wanted a burger or queso. So after naming some places we ended up at Fuddrucker’s. YUM! (She is so tired here, but still managed to finish off her cookie)

Happy 5th Birthday sweet Nadia! You have been excited about turning 5 since you turned 4! The number 5 has been your favorite number for as long as I can remember so this birthday is a big deal to you. We have watched you grow and mature so much in the last year. I have been in awe the last month or so at how ‘big girl’ you seem.  Here is a quick look at the last year – and what a year it’s been with the addition of Amelie to our family and you becoming a big sister. We love you Nadia!

October 2010 – 4 years old

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

April 2011

May 2011

June 2011

July 2011

August 2011

September 2011

Here are some things we learned that I found interesting.

• The orange coloring on the Monarch’s wings makes animals and birds throw up if they are eaten. So many birds have learned to avoid them.
• Monarchs come out with huge abdomens filled with liquid. They move all the liquid into their wings to make them larger then sit still for a few hours for their wings to harden. Then they are able to fly.
• Monarchs born in the spring only live 3 months.
• Monarchs born in the summer live 9 months and they are the ones that migrate in the fall and spend the winter in Mexico and other protected southern areas.

And we end with Nadia’s “Are we done yet?” face.

So the big question about school I get lately is some variation of, “What do you do with Amelie? How does Amelie do while you do school with Nadia?”

The first real issue I ran into is that Amelie does not know how to play alone. Not even for a few minutes and in fact she reacts like it’s a punishment to play alone while Nadia is doing school at the table. Even if she is playing with toys at my feet she still gets upset. I attribute that to her various issues that come from being in an orphanage for the first 20 months of her life. She would have been constantly surrounded by other children and ultimately she loves to be the center of attention at all times. Which just isn’t possible or good for her.

When it’s feasible I have her on my lap and she will listen, but for a lot of Nadia’s more advanced stuff I need to have my hands free. So we have purchased and been given a variety of toys for her to use with her hands that will also help her learn. I found early on that she is a lot more cooperative in her chair and I am sure that is because she is on the same level as us. So here is a little peek at what Amelie has been up to.

These links are hard for her to get apart since her hands are still pretty weak, but she does like to dump the container out and refill it. She also likes if Nadia or I will hook them together like one big necklace.

Playdough is always fun.

Animal magnets on a dry erase board. She can identify 18 of the 20 animals now.