Happy New Year!

We celebrated with a Chinese New Year dinner one evening late ... Beverly had a basketball game last night and was not home. But tonight we decided to take the kids out to eat at a Chinese restaurant.

Chinese food here is definitely "Westernized" even though the owners and cooks in the restaurants are from China. Many of the dishes were things that Beverly did not recognize or seem familiar with. She did enjoy eating some sliced cucumbers, along with some traditional Chinese/American dishes.

It's a busy week for her with 3 basketball games this week. Tomorrow night is the last game in our home gym, and basketball is over for the season late next week. It has been hard work, a good team experience, and fun for her, I think.

Next up on her evening activity list are rehearsals for the school musical!

Last week Mitch and I were out of town, so Beverly got to spend the week here at our house with Grandma and Grandpa Scott. They had a good time getting to know each other!

It's Cold Here!!

Yes, you are reading that thermometer right. It is at least
-27C here!

Beverly is warm and sleeping comfortably in her bed right now, because school is cancelled today due to the extreme cold. It is just too dangerous to get kids outside on days like this. Tonight will be just as cold, maybe a little colder, so chances are there will be no school tomorrow as well. We are supposed to get back to our more normal winter temperatures over the weekend. This is very unusual for us and we have not seen termperatures this cold for about 5 years.

School and basketball are going well, but Beverly did miss some practices and a game this week due to not feeling well. These days off due to the weather will give her a chance to get rested up and ready to go again!

Basketball Time!

Beverly has been very busy this week with 4 basketball games, and there are two more next week. If she doesn't have a game, she practices 2 hours a day, so it keeps her very busy!

She also finished all the essay work and filling out forms for the 5 boarding schools she is applying to attend next year. It was a lot of paperwork and gathering references and information, but she got it all done well ahead of the January 15 deadlines the schools have.

Here are a few pictures from the game this morning ... warm up time, talking strategy with the coach, and cheering on the team!

Back to School!

Today is the last day of holiday break, and tomorrow it is back to school for the kids!

Beverly has been working hard on completing her applications for several US boarding schools that she would like to attend next year. And basketball practice has been keeping her busy over break.

Back to reality now of getting up early, catching the bus, and studying for classes!!

Meet the Scotts!

Beverly had a great time getting to know our extended family ... two aunts, two uncles and 5 cousins! Counting our kids, there are 8 grandchildren ages 5, 8, 10, 11, 11, 15, 18 & 19!

The kids were happy to have their names written in Chinese and framed as a gift from Beverly, as well as some items she brought along with her from China.

She got to experience our family tradition ... including the frenzy of opening presents, spending the night at grandma and grandpa's house, and eating lots of wonderful food and yummy holiday treats!




There are some other pictures on our family blog,
Tremont Scotts

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!