Yesterday was Claire's last day of second grade. I have loved her second grade year, and got a little teary. :)
It was a half-day at school, and her class had a party at a local park. It was also International Day at her school, so the kids got to dress according to their cultural heritage.
"What am I?" Claire asked.
"Your grandma is Canadian, so you are one quarter Canadian. You're also English, Irish, French, German and Danish on my side, and English, Irish, and Swedish on your dad's side."
"Okay, but what am I, exactly?" She wanted a clean-cut answer that would settle the question of (1) what to wear and (2) what food to bring.
"You're American."
"But I want to be SOMETHING tomorrow."
Finally, we settled on English. She wore her Paddington Bear t-shirt and took some scones from Trader Joe's (my oven is still out of commission from the cake ruckus), and I'm pretty sure I heard her speaking with a British accent at one point during the party's water balloon fight. :)
Claire's second grade teacher is also a dear family friend from church. She is a lovely, intelligent, kind, and Godly woman, and we love her very much.
She is a third-culture kid, who grew up with her missionary parents in Thailand. Claire's current favorite thing to do is write her name in Thai on things.
Some of the older folks who were doing Tai Chi in the park in the morning stopped and gathered around to watch Claire's class play games. It was sweet. :)
Our community is predominantly Asian, mostly from China and Taiwan, but one of the older gentlemen heard the kids saying some Thai words during one of the games, and came and spoke Thai with Claire's teacher, who is fluent. That was exciting for the kids, to hear her conversing in Thai. :) Claire is still talking about it today.
The girls from her class said an emotional summer goodbye to each other back at school. :)
Then after school, my sister and I took Claire and Jonathan and Grace to Shakey's for pizza, to celebrate now having two third-graders and one fifth-grader. Sniff.
We are going to be busy this weekend and next week, but today, the Official First Day of Summer Vacation, I promised Claire a pajama day.
She is taking it very seriously. :)
The dolls are having a pajama day, too. :)
Yay, summer!
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.