Merry Christmas!

Beverly enjoyed her first Christmas in America ... even though we woke her up to open gifts! The girl really likes to sleep in, and didn't quite understand the logic of opening presents at 8 in the morning instead of 2 in the afternoon! ha! This picture was taken just before the kids shredded all the gifts! There are some other pics on our family blog, The Tremont-Scotts

So since we woke her up and she was still in her pajamas, she was not excited about having any pictures taken of her!

She enjoyed opening some gifts that contained new clothes, a favorite movie and a Star Wars Monopoly game. When I saw it I knew it was perfect for her ... and she said she looked all over Europe on her trip there last summer and could not find one ... we laughed about the irony of coming all the way to Tremont to finally get her game!

Today we are relaxing and getting ready for the big Scott family Christmas this weekend at grandma and grandpa's house. Beverly will have her first chance to meet all of the aunts, uncles and cousins who make up the Scott family! 15 of us descend upon their home for a weekend of family fun and Christmas celebration. There are 8 grandkids in the family, all between the ages of 5 and 19. Abby is the youngest, Drew is the oldest, and everyone else is inbetween!

I'm sure we will have lots of pictures to share from that event since she will be opening presents in the afternoon ... and not in her pajamas!

Merry Christmas!

Ice Storm!

We woke up this morning to lots of ice covering the ground, trees, roads ... everything! So Beverly got an extra day off of school, as school is cancelled today due to the weather conditions. She only had one test today which was not required to be taken, she was only going to take the Biology final to add some extra points to her grades.

Here are some pictures of the ice around the house.





More pictures on our family blog,
http://www.tremont-scotts.blogspot.com/

THS Christmas Concert

Beverly had her first chance to sing with the Freshman Prep Chorus during the high school Christmas Concert! It's a small group, but they sounded very good!

Yesterday and today were her final exams for the semester, and after tomorrow she is finished with school and on Christmas Break until January 5! We'll spend most of next week relaxing at home and getting ready for Christmas ... and we'll travel about an hour's drive to celebrate Christmas with our extended family on December 27-28.

The Family Christmas Tree!

Today we went to a Christmas tree farm to find, cut down and bring home our family Christmas tree!

It is always a fun family day. We drive out to a farm that grows beautiful trees that families love to bring into their home for the holidays! We walk through the rows of trees searching for just the right one ... and then it is cut down and we wait for the farm's tractor to come by and give us a ride back to the main building. They put the tree through two machines ... one to shake out loose pine needles and another to bind it up tight for the trip home. Then we have a little warm apple cider and head home for the decorating!

Beverly had a good time experiencing this holiday tradition with us, even though it was a bit cold outside! There are more pictures on our family blog,

http://tremont-scotts.blogspot.com/

We have been so busy keeping up with the activities of 4 kids, work and home ... but we should be posting a little more now that the holidays are approaching. I will also have some pictures coming early next week from Beverly's basketball game that is here in Tremont on Monday night!

First Snow!

We woke up this morning to a blanket of snow on the ground ... and now we have about 5 inches of the frosty stuff!

There is a snowball fight in progress in our yard. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves! Click on the pictures to see a full size view!

Thanksgiving Feast!

Beverly enjoyed her first Thanksgiving in the U.S. with a complete Thanksgiving Feast! She wanted me to get a picture of the table to share with her friends and family.

A traditional Thanksgiving meal at our house includes a roasted turkey (ours was about 16 pounds, or about 7.25 kg weight). We boil and mash potatoes and serve them with gravy made from turkey broth, and we also cook sweet potatoes (yams) in a sweet glaze sauce, with melted marshmallows on top. Sage dressing is also a favorite, which is made from mainly dried bread, chicken broth and the herb sage. We also enjoyed steamed broccoli, and some corn and carrots. Beverly enjoyed most everything but the sweet potatoes have a little too much cinnamon for her taste!

Beverly also got to meet Grandma Gilpin and enjoy the day with her. Here is a picture of all of us (minus Lisa, who was taking the photo) as we sat down to enjoy our feast!

THS Lady Turks Basketball

Tonight was "Meet the Team" night for Beverly's basketball team! This gave families the chance to take some pictures and hear from the coach what the expectations are for the girls for the basketball season. Beverly is pictured here with the JV team, which is made up of freshmen and sophomores.

They are working hard, but also having a little fun with one another. The girls are getting an excellent workout, including weight training. Each girl has an individualized training plan to boost their strength for the season. It will be a great team experience, and a way to get to know some other students at THS.

We signed up for the parent responsibilities ... Mitch working a concession stand shift on a home game night and me helping get a dinner together for the team to take on the bus since they leave right after school for most away games. The first game is December 1, with the first home game falling in mid-December. Should be fun!

SSAT Test Day

Beverly took the SSAT test yesterday, which is a secondary school admissions test. She is looking at 3 boarding schools in Massachusetts to complete her U.S. high school education over the next 3 years, and this test is an admission requirement.

She felt that she did very well on the test. She is working on her applications for the 3 schools ... Groton School, Milton Academy and Deerfield Academy. She'll be a long way away from Illinois if she lives in Massachusetts for the next 3 years, but we have told her she is always welcome for a holiday visit!

Beverly joins the basketball team!

Beverly has decided to become part of the THS girls basketball team ... it will be a lot of hard work (6 days a week practice) but also a lot of fun! Practice begins this week, and their first game is December 1.

Experiencing Halloween!

Halloween is one of those weird US traditions is that really hard to explain to someone from another country ... I think you just have to experience it to understand it. And that is just what Beverly did!

On Friday night she put on a costume and went to a friend's house in our neighborhood who was having a Halloween party. The kids decided to go trick-or-treating, which teenagers normally do not do around here ... but they had to show Beverly how it works! So they put their costumes on and walked door to door, collecting candy from the neighbors who were participating that night. At each door they told the person, "We know we are too old to do this, but this is Beverly, our exchange student from China, and she has never been trick-or-treating before!" Then the person at the door laughed and gave them handfuls of candy. It was a great way for teenagers to get in on the act of something usually reserved for younger kids!

Last night we went to dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and "somehow" the server was told it was Beverly's birthday .. even though it was not! She was delighted to find out that after dinner, when it's your birthday, they come clapping and singing, bringing you a sombrero to wear home and a big chocolate sundae! Now she wants to go back on her real birthday in May! ha ha That is the picture at the top, of Beverly at her "birthday celebration"

Halloween Time

Beverly enjoyed going to see the younger kids line up and march in the Halloween Parade ... and she got to see a couple of her friends there, enjoy a hot dog and cider, and even some Halloween treats!

Trip to St. Louis!

Beverly is off to St. Louis, Missouri this weekend with a group of exchange students from the agency!

We lived in St. Louis for ten years, so we know she is going to enjoy the city and see lots of fun things! They are going to an amusement park, Six Flags Over Mid-America, that has great rollercoasters and will be all decorated for the Halloween season. They are also going to downtown St. Louis to make a stop at Union Station, an old train depot that has been renovated and converted into a shopping center. They will visit the St. Louis Zoo, the Arch, and eat at Hard Rock Cafe. Lots of fun things planned, and it will be fun for her to spend some time with the other teens in the U.S. for their exchange program!

Homecoming Dance Tonight!

After a day of nervous preparation, I introduce to you the lovely Beverly. The pictures speak for themselves and I know her family is anxious to see them, so this post is all about pictures and not about words!

(Click on any picture to see a full size view)

Homecoming Parade!

This afternoon was the big Homecoming Parade! In the parade you will find the high school band, cheerleaders, dance team, football players, homecoming court ... and look who else was in the parade, riding in the back of a convertible like a queen!

(click picture for larger view)

We knew that Beverly was offered the chance to ride in the parade as an honored guest in the school, but I wanted to save it as a surprise for her family! This is one really nice thing about small communities and small schools ... the teachers and students have really treated her like a rock star since the day she arrived!

I did take some pictures of her before the parade started, and also of the freshman class float that she helped work on during the past week. With the "Haunted Homecoming" theme it was a natural for the floats to include things like a haunted house, and the freshman one was very nicely done. We thought the freshman float was the best of the four classes and I'm sure is in the running for the first place award! Beverly is at the homecoming game with Mitch and TJ right now, but Abby and I opted to stay home because it is pretty chilly tonight! But Beverly did want to go and spend some time with her friends, and we made sure she dressed warmly.

School Spirit Day!

Today is school spirit day, which means wearing school colors (maroon and white) and getting excited for this afternoon's Homecoming parade and football game! Beverly really did not have much clothing that was maroon, but last weekend when I was at Carthage College I saw a Carthage shirt that I thought he would like, and it just happened to be in maroon! Which is not their school color, so I thought it was meant just for Beverly to wear here in Tremont! ha ha

TJ has a wide range of clothes in Tremont colors ... Abby does have her Tremont shirt on, but it's in her standard color of PINK!

Last night at the pep rally Beverly had her camera there and did take some pictures with her friends. I'll get those from her and post them soon.

After school today, the parade takes place and I will have more pictures. Tonight is the football game and tomorrow is the dance ... so a busy couple of days!

Homecoming Student Game Day!

Today the school does a special competition between the four grade levels of students (9, 10, 11 & 12) in an "Olympics" style competition to name one class the winner of the Homecoming Games. Getting dressed was much easier for Beverly this morning as she had to wear her "freshman" shirt to take part in the games. All of the kids have white shirts with a design on the back (drawn by a school art student) that goes along with the Haunted Homecoming theme, and shows which class they are in, and create a little class spirit. Abby was happy to lend her a black and orange hair bow to match her shirt!

I know Beverly signed up for a football throwing competition, because she and TJ have been out in the yard practicing her throw in recent days. I'm not sure what other types of events she is doing, but I'm sure she will have a good time.

Tonight is the "Community Pep Rally" where many people turn out to show support for the football team and the homecoming event. It's also where the Homecoming king and queen are crowned. Not sure if I will have any pictures of tonight's event to post since it is always hard to get good pictures outside in the stadium at night, since it's dark and the glare of the stadium lights is so bright.

I will have more pictures tomorrow for sure ... it is "School Spirit Day" so that is another easy day for her to dress, just wearing school colors ... but it is also the Homecoming Parade and game. We'll have a pretty day to get some nice pictures!

Costume Day!

Since the theme is "A Haunted Homecoming" that gives the kids a chance to be a little extra crazy and wear something Halloween oriented.

Beverly put together this outfit with her clothes, a jacket she bought and a cape that we already had from previous Halloween years. I told her that her parents and grandparents were going to think she has lost her mind when they see her going to school like this! ha ha ha

Last night she stayed after school to practice with her speech team partner, then helped Student Council do decorating for the dance on Saturday. She has been jumping right in and getting involved in planning with Student Council, and I'm so glad she decided to take part in that. Tonight she will stay at school again and do more decorating with the dance committee.

"Change Your Generation" Day!

Since "Homecoming" may not be a familiar thing in China, I'll first explain that in most U.S. high schools and colleges, it is a special time for the current students to rally their school spirit and celebrate their time at school, and for those who have previously graduated, it is a time to come "home" to their former school and enjoy some school time memories. For Homecoming week, the kids have a special dress up theme each day, and today is "Change Your Generation" day ... which basically means make yourself look much younger or much older than you really are! We decided that it was a lot easier to make Beverly look like a "little" girl than it was to make her look like an "old" lady ... so off to school she went in her pig tails, pajamas, and clutching one of Abby's blanket bears!

Yesterday was a school holiday so she did not have to go to classes ... but she spent her day with classmates working on the freshman class float for the Homecoming parade! This year's Homecoming theme is, "A Haunted Homecoming" and their float will have a mini haunted house, along with other Halloween type decorations.

The Seasons are Changing!

We did have a nice warm weekend, but over the past week Beverly has been getting her first taste of fall weather here ... which means cooler temperatures ... and she has been a bit cold! We have told her that the temperatures so far have just been "cool" and that "cold" gets a whole lot worse! ha ha She was very relieved to see her warmer clothes show up last week in the two boxes she sent from China in August.

In the top picture, she was with us at our neighbor's home for her first "wiener roast" which included "Smores" that she is about to enjoy in the picture. For those in China who might not know what this tasty treat is ... it is graham cracker with marshmallow that has been toasted over the fire, and a bit of chocolate candy bar. She thought they were very good!


This picture is of one of our two cats, Calvin. He and Beverly are pretty good buddies and she finds him sleeping in her room on a pretty regular basis. He's a pretty hefty boy at 15 pounds and she enjoys hauling him around in her arms. Our other cat is much lighter and also a good friend to Beverly. I'll have to get a picture of them together sometime soon.

This is homecoming week so we are going to have lots of fun pictures to share as the week goes on. Each day is a special "theme" day where the high school kids dress up in come crazy way, and we have a community pep rally, parade, football game and dance to get accomplished in the next 5 days! Stay tuned for more pictures this week and the best one of all, of the lovely Miss Beverly in her beautiful homecoming dress on Saturday!

Soccer Time!

The kids have all been doing a soccer unit in gym class recently, so there have been quite a few soccer games going on in our yard.

Yesterday the kids got dad involved in a soccer game with them, which was lots of fun and pretty humorous. It started out just dad and the girls, and then TJ and a friend migrated into the game ... I'll just let the pictures speak for the good time!