Bye Bye Kindergarten!

Well, yesterday marked the end of Isabel's kindergarten days.

What an amazing and wonderful year it was.

I am so very thankful for the experience she had and for all that she learned, 

not only academically but socially and culturally as well. 

I love that her school has a multicultural population.  

Sort of like the world, huh?  

Today begins a summer filled with swimming and camp. 

My little girl is growing up!

Here are some images from her last day:

 La Princesa (complete with obligatory tiara)

en route to her Kindergarten Awards Ceremony

where she received the All A Honor Roll Award 

and Perfect Attendance Award

 With classmate and friend.

With two of her best friends.

Blueberries for Sal... (and Isabel and Laureen)

When I was little, growing up in New England, my two favorite books were Robert McCloskey"s Make Way For Ducklings and Blueberries For Sal. I bought the first one for my daughter even before she was born. The latter we recently checked out of our local library. We love the description of the blueberries hitting the bottom of the metal pail that Sal is holding.

"Plink. Plink. Plink."

Until this afternoon, it was just a story. But today, it became a reality when the two of us went blueberry picking for the first time. We ended up picking 3.5 lbs and will be freezing most of them for summer smoothies. At a time where most of us are so removed from where our food actually comes from, it was  almost mystical to pick a berry, warm from the sun, right off the branch and pop its sweet goodness into your mouth.

No plastic packaging. No preservatives.
No traveling across the country to get to the produce department.
Just traveling 10 miles up the road. With a metal bucket. And an excited little girl.

As I heard the first "Plink. Plink. Plink." I smiled.

Because now that story lives on in the another  generation of readers not only on the pages of a book, but in the blue-stained fingers of a mother and daughter.

You can check out this 

and other stories and photos over at my photography blog:

http://laureenburkephotography.com

Blueberries for Sal... (and Isabel and Laureen)

When I was little, growing up in New England, my two favorite books were Robert McCloskey"s Make Way For Ducklings and Blueberries For Sal. I bought the first one for my daughter even before she was born. The latter we recently checked out of our local library. We love the description of the blueberries hitting the bottom of the metal pail that Sal is holding.

"Plink. Plink. Plink."

Until this afternoon, it was just a story. But today, it became a reality when the two of us went blueberry picking for the first time. We ended up picking 3.5 lbs and will be freezing most of them for summer smoothies. At a time where most of us are so removed from where our food actually comes from, it was  almost mystical to pick a berry, warm from the sun, right off the branch and pop its sweet goodness into your mouth.

No plastic packaging. No preservatives.
No traveling across the country to get to the produce department.
Just traveling 10 miles up the road. With a metal bucket. And an excited little girl.

As I heard the first "Plink. Plink. Plink." I smiled.

Because now that story lives on in the another  generation of readers not only on the pages of a book, but in the blue-stained fingers of a mother and daughter.

You can check out this 

and other stories and photos over at my photography blog:

http://laureenburkephotography.com

Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May

This past Saturday evening, I was honored to photograph a small wedding in Ortega. The bride walked down a  path of rose petals. After the ceremony, I looked up and saw the children playing with them.

Love these shots I caught of Isabel.

Oh Happy Day!

Some out-takes from a recent photo session for a partnership between 

Sparrow Fund and Laureen Burke Photography.

Love these candid images!

Right on schedule.... unfortunately.

     I have been expecting it. 

    In fact, dreading it for years. 

The inevitable

And it happened just now.In the car. 

On the way home.

I look up in the rearview mirror as Isabel calls, Look Mom!"

I want to throw up.

She has the palms of her hands at the outside edge of her eyes,

pulling them back tight until they are nothing but slits. 

Then she starts saying "Me Chinese. Me Chinese" 

(And not in a nice way. A proud way.) 

I almost ran the car off the road.

I  asked her where she learned that.

"Sydney did it in class. She's funny." 

I told her it was not funny.

It was unkind and ignorant. 

My heart hurts. 

I know this is just the beginning.

I don't think I'll ever be ready.

Behind the Scenes

True confession: Working three jobs (one full-time and two part-time) is time consuming. Throw in keeping up with two blogs and well... you see what has happened. I apologize for the infrequency of posting here. I continue to do the best I can.

Sometimes, there is an overlap between the blogs. Such is the case with the current post. I think you will enjoy it. And so, instead of rewriting it for this blog, I am just going to give you the link to the one over there.

How's that for laziness  honesty? :) So here you go. Grab a cup of coffee and read some of my thoughts on what is behind the images of Isabel. Hope to see you there!

CLICK HERE : )

Fields of Gold

You'll remember me when the west wind moves 

upon the fields of barley.

You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky 

as we walk in fields of gold.

The Times, They are a-Changin'

Thirteen years ago, I walked across a stage at the University of North Florida to receive my M.Ed. With the exception of  a couple of high school graduations held in their arena, I haven't spent much time there since.
Until this past January...when Isabel began taking language lessons there at The Jacksonville Chinese School on Sunday afternoons. I have been waiting for years for her to be old enough to begin. As a foreign language teacher, I know the importance of being exposed to a second (or third) language as early as possible. While I was in China, I visited a multi-storied version of Barnes and Noble to buy as many Chinese language children's CDs as possible. I wanted Isabel to remember the tones and cadence of the first language she ever heard.
Fast forward five years and she is once again being exposed to Chinese. So, for two hours a week, we trek over to the university for her lessons. Is the classroom management the best? No. Is the pacing wonderful? Nope. Do I care? Not a bit. And do you want to know why?   
Because for 120 minutes a week, my child is no longer... The Asian.
Instead, I am...The White Woman.
And I like that.
I need that. I need to remember that my child's world is not my world. I need to be reminded that while I waltz through my days oblivious to feeling out of place, Isabel is acutely aware of her difference.
We have entered a new developmental stage. You know, the one of growing awareness that, for all our love for each other, there will always be hard things that will be our reality. Being a trasracial adoptive single-parent family, it pops up in different ways. Like recently, when Isabel commented that the Barbie she got in her Happy Meal had "brown hair and brown skin like me, Mommy." Or when I received her recent Valentine's Day card that was addressed to Mom and Dad. When I asked her about Dad, she replied matter-of-factly, "He's in China."


I see changes. In little things and big. In subtle ways and obvious ones.
Yup.. the Times, They are a-Changin'.


PS. After our trek to UNF on Sunday, we discovered the class was canceled due to the holiday. Isabel asked to hang out on the steps for a while practicing her "Take-Aways" (subtraction) in her notebook.
We did.
She did.
Here are some images from then.

Silly Saturday Morning

I filled most of my time waiting for Isabel either reading or writing blog posts. I lived vicariously experiencing what motherhood would be like... especially to a tiny Chinese baby girl.


I also remember being disappointed when folks would suddenly slow down their blog posting after the chid got home. And while I know, logically, that this was an inevitably reality, I found myself sort of sad. I wanted to know what  Life After the Adoption was like.

The irony, of course, being that I am now one of those people.

Life continues. All the more busy with this new baby>toddler>little girl. And so, I find myself with a child at the halfway point of her Kindergarten year and stand in awe at how quickly it has all passed.

Life is good. Isabel fills my life with joy. She is a pack rat, a lover of laughter, the ocean and cheese.

And so, if anyone is still reading this blog, here are some photos from yesterday morning. They totally convey her personality.