DENTI$T

So school is marching along here, and there's plenty to do now, with irrational numbers, biographies, Middle Eastern countries, journalism interviews, biology lessons and more.  The autobiography is going to be a larger project - you can see Madison's first chapter below, in fact.

Tonight we had piano class, and Madison was also studying in the car, studying math mostly.  We've got some quizzes, and she's got to stay on top of that class, otherwise it can get overwhelming quickly.  We watched "Agent Carter" before bedtime, pretty much one of Madison's favorite Marvel characters, period.

Mommy and Daddy were at the dentist this morning, basically paying the same amount that could be turned over to purchase an older used car.  Which is not an exaggeration.  We did some yard work, and that's coming along so well now.  Nana and Ye-Ye were over again, and we had some time on the porch to relax, and then were out there in that heat, cutting away shrubbery and undergrowth, clearing out a lot of area.  It's all looking great under Ye-Ye's guidance and hard work.  He and Nana have done so much, and we're helping somewhat, but this is mostly their effort, and it's coming along wonderfully.

We said our prayers tonight, for Ba-Ba and for others who are in need of a quicker healing.  And were off to bed a little earlier tonight, as everyone was a bit tired.  Before going to bed though, here's what Madison wrote for the first chapter of her autobiography:

Chapter 1- My First Times Experienced (我第一次经历过)

“You shouldn't wait for other people to make special things happen. You have to create your own memories”- Heidi Klum

I was only 4 years old when all the memories began. I was so young then. Sometimes I wish I could simply travel back in time to relive those times. There are several unique moments that we have when we are younger. We’ll have so many types of memories from the happiest ones to the scariest ones and the cutest ones.

One of my very first memories was going to church, and I was excited. It was one of my happiest memories. I was about 4 years old then. I must’ve not been to a complete church service beforehand. Of course, I had something nice on for church. I was wearing a pretty African dress to church that day, and I was wearing it rather proudly. I thought I looked very nice in it. Anyway, I was walking beside my father, and it was quite crowded as each Sunday was. We were going to a hallway where all the children that do not attend school (younger than kindergarten) go to. I had spent the last service in the office with my father, so I was quite enthusiastic about what would occur that day. I was going to watch a church service that day in KP Discovery, where I would go.

A few weeks later on July 30, we officially got the house we have now. I was so excited that I was running around the new house and exploring it. I had so much energy then, that if I had that much energy currently, I would be so crazy right now. I had never seen a house like that before. Since we would be moving to the house in September or so, that meant I’d have to get very used to being far away from my parents’ room, and I was very scared. My first night there, I was whimpering. It was such a big place for me. I had never lived in any other house until then. That also meant that I would be living farther away from my grandparent's house, too. I wasn’t ready to leave my old house, but I got used to living where I do now. I wasn’t ready to sleep farther away from my parents either. It was super hard for me since I was very young. My old house was the only one I'd ever known to live in for my whole life in the U.S.A. I knew though that it was going to be exciting,despite everything.

After a few weeks in our new house, I became comfortable there. It really felt like home. On August 12, 2012, one of my cutest memories occurred. My first tooth was very wiggly that morning. I had told my parents I was so excited that my tooth was wiggly. A little later, my dad went to work, while I stayed home with my mom and that wiggly tooth. I was playing with it a lot. Later on, my mom helped me pull my tooth out. It had hurt a bit, but I was very thrilled about it. When my dad came home, I showed him my tooth. I couldn’t wait for the “tooth fairy” to come and give me money for that tooth. The first tooth I lost was my very bottom tooth. The very next morning, I had found a note from the “tooth fairy” under my pillow, along with about a dollar or two. I was very delighted because I had never gotten money for losing anything before.