Abby's First Day of Kindergarten!

The big day has finally arrived ... for several years, Abby has been waiting anxiously to get on that school bus with TJ and head off to school ... and today she did just that!

The bus stops just a couple of houses down from our house, and Abby is very lucky to have not only TJ to walk there with ... but also Beverly and our two neighbor girls. They were all so excited to have her join them on the ride this morning!

We saw her off and then Drew and I drove into the school to watch her get off the bus and line up with her class, ha ha. A real "Tremont Tradition" to get the most out of this big day. Her bus first went to the middle/high school to drop off TJ and Beverly (with full instruction from TJ for her to remain seated, I'm certain) and then the bus goes a few more blocks to the grade school. The great thing about a small town is that from our house to the first school and onto her school is probably only about 4 miles total.

We took a quick picture of her with her teacher. Her teacher is very sweet and big on hugs ... and that will suit Abby just fine! Then we gave her a quick hug and we were off so she could start her big day! Can't wait to hear all about it later today!

Now Drew and I are off to finish up his shopping for college and pick up those few last minute items ... and I'm really looking forward to having the day to spend with him, just us, before he heads off to college on Sunday!

A week of big changes here!

Today is the first of many changes for the Tremont Scotts! We have 4 kids starting 4 new schools this week ... including one starting in a U.S. school for the very first time, and one moving away to college!

Yesterday was filled with "orientation" time. First, freshman orientation for Beverly at the high school. We walked the hallways and showed her where her classrooms will be, put a few things in her locker and mastered opening the combination lock. So I think she is all set!

TJ moves from the grade school (K-4) to the middle school (5-8) today. The middle school is attached to our high school and they share some hallways and a cafeteria, so it feels a bit grown up to him right now, which he thinks is pretty cool.

He and Beverly headed off on the bus together this morning. Since the middle and high schools adjoin, they get off the bus together and head to their own hallways. They are really getting along well and having a good time. I think TJ likes the chance to show Beverly around and help her learn where she is going.

Abby's big day comes tomorrow when she starts kindergarten! She will be on the bus with TJ & Beverly, but will get off at the grade school. She is also very excited and looking forward to meeting her teacher and seeing her classroom at her orientation tonight.

After we get these three in a routine ... on Sunday it's off to Wisconsin with Drew to move him into his dorm at Carthage College. He is very excited and ready to begin his new journey at the college level. We will check in and move him in that morning, and then there are a couple of parent/student orientation sessions and a BBQ lunch on the President's lawn. We will head out of there by mid afternoon to drive home, and he will have freshman convocation activities Sunday night, and also on Monday and Tuesday. Classes start on Wed, Sep 3.

So big changes all around ... and a child starting grade school, middle school, high school and college! What a week!

Welcome Beverly!

The newest member of the Tremont Scotts clan arrived about 5 pm last night in Peoria!

She settled right in and bravely ate tacos with us for dinner, ha ha. And even though some lemonade she had was a bit sour to her, she put on a brave face and continued to drink it. Today we shop for 7up, which she said is her drink of choice.

Mitch had a short conversation with Beverly's dad when he called last night to check to be sure she had arrived. We were, unfortunately, over at the neighbors house with her and she missed the call, but we got her set up to email him and we'll work on a phone call today.

I'll update more about her on the "Ten Months in Tremont" blog, but will include her here on regular family/event posts.

The Heebie Jeebies

I came out of work tonight on a beautiful summer evening ... stepped down off the curb in the parking spot next to my car ... and this slimy creature was standing guard at my driver side door

I don't know if you can really see it ... you can click on the picture to see a larger view if you would like to ... but it was a 3-ish foot snake! Kind of gold and brown/black diamond pattern, all zig zagged up and soaking up the sun on the parking lot. I screamed, of course. After taking a couple of pics and standing there trying to decide what to do ... I walked to the business across the parking lot and asked if anyone was "snake friendly" enough to move it away from my door so I could go home. Three guys came over and had a good time chasing it ... it went up against the building and got pretty mad at them, and it ended up coiling up under a garden hose box adjacent to the side door at my office. Great. How many times do you think I will look for that thing now when I come and go?

Cats Love Reading Too

Abby loves to read to our cat, Calvin. She pretends to be the teacher and holds the book out so he can see, just like a teacher would do for their class. And the funniest thing of all is that he actually LOOKS at the book and LISTENS to what she is saying! This is a common scene in our family room about every night!


Only 8 more days until Beverly arrives! TJ and Abby made a new video for her that I'm loading to the "Ten Months in Tremont" blog, but You Tube is taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r to load it right now!

Family Ties

Drew sent me this ... it's a picture that I took of he and Abby at Grant's Farm on a recent visit there. No other words necessary. It speaks for itself for what he's thinking and feeling about his move to college life, and his ties to family. You can click on the picture to see a larger view if you can't read the words.

A Special Package from China!

Today I received a very special package from China! Click on any of the pictures to see a larger view.

Beverly asked if there was anything from China that I would like to have ... and I told her that I had always regretted not purchasing one of the beautiful porcelain figurines that I saw in the shops in Guangzhou. So since she lives in Guangzhou she of course ran right out to Shamian Island and picked out not one ... but two ... of these gorgeous figurines!

She mailed them about two weeks ago and was told the package would probably take about 6 weeks to reach us ... but here they are! It was exciting to get a box with Chinese characters and the mailing label with our info in English and Chinese ... we laughed and wondered if anything from China had ever come through the Tremont post office before! ha ha
What I loved about them was the detail and delicate features. Note the painted fingernails and bangle bracelets in the close up picture. I talked myself out of buying them in China because we already had a suitcase full of special items, and we had lots of people who helped us along the way with our adoption that we wanted to bring special gifts to ... and I decided that these would take up too much valuable luggage space, and were probably far too delicate to pack in our luggage.

There were a few minor casualties of the more delicate parts ... a few fingers, to be exact ... but they are now in tact and beautiful, as you can see. A little crazy glue does wonders! ;-)

Thank you Beverly! Now the only thing we are anxiously awaiting to arrive from China is YOU!!