Category: Cassie’s Blog

Last summer we bought a Kobo especially so that we could borrow free books from the Winnipeg Public Library. The process has a few complications but this last week we finally got a system going and Ang downloaded some kids books for Cassie to read!

Grade 1 has been a great experience for Cassie and she is loving chapter books so this is a really cool big step for her! What a blessing to have access to such a large selection of books for our little reader!

She is doing great and loving First Grade. She has Reading, Math, Bible, Computer, Library time, Gym. This weekend she went to a birthday party and has formed a friend group with three other little girls. YAY!

On our way to our family bowling night Cassie pipes up from the backseat of the car, “Mom, Dad, I am giving up apples for lint, I don’t want my front teeth to fall out.” What?! Okay Cassie, what exactly are you talking about? Turns out that one of her older cousins is giving up chocolate for lent. Also, Cassie has figured out that eating apples will help her front teeth to fall out, which she doesn’t really want, so in a big hodge podge it all got fused together. Got to love kids!

As Cassie learns Russian from her teachers and classmates at preschool, her accent is so strong! Not in a foreigner way, but she sounds like a little Ukrainian girl! It is amazing to listen to her. Oh, how we wish it was as easy for us parents!

Is my two bottom teeth!!

Cassie has lost her mind…I mean teeth :) The first one happened at the airport while we waited to leave Dortmund Germany, the second one fell out two days ago in our home in Ukraine. The tooth fairy came and visited both times and left a Canadian Looney! It is amazing how the tooth fairy is flush in all different kinds of currencies!

Cassie is growing up and loves to have a project or a craft to do. With our very limited amount of craft supplies while we have been in Turkey, we have needed to get creative. Thankfully I brought our little travel sewing kit, and with a piece of material we found and some cotton pads, Cassie sewed her very first pillow! She also learned to weave with paper and colour with pastels a bit. We’ve made paper airplanes, paper mache, our own children’s books (see video page), cardboard box trains and many other things. It has been a fun summer in Turkey that is for sure!

It was a shocking realization. This was my first real kid concert. My little girl is growing up. Ahhh!

If you’ve got kids over 5 you’ve probably had this moment a dozen times over in all sorts of ways. I know I have already had a few, but so far they are always just as shocking!

But Cassie’s concert was great! The first class was putting on the show and they rocked it! The girls were dressed in wedding dresses, the boys in tuxes. They sang songs, danced dances and told stories. The evenings performances concluded with the helium balloon release and everybody cheering them on as they raced into the sky!

I’m sure that’s part of the story they were telling (my Russian isn’t good enough yet). And I’ve got a good feeling that Cassie will be doing the same thing – racing ahead into life where only the sky is the limit!

he came down the stairs after a VERY quiet rest time… She had taken the scissors and cut just below her ears most of the way around. I tried hard not to smile because of course every curious kid wants to try cutting their own hair, but I had to be stern so she didn’t do it again. Now she has a cute bob cut that matches her friend Denae’s hair. So cute.

The other day Cassie asked me if she wished upon a star would it come true? Well, no I said, there is such a thing as prayer, but just wishing to get something isn’t going to make it happen. After some probing I found out she asked because she wants a bag just like the one we bought for another girl’s birthday. A perfect teaching opportunity. We talked about how in order to buy something we need money, and in order to get money we need to work. So, if she wants that bag, she is going to have to work. We made up a work chart (1 dollar for clearing the table, 3 for dusting and watering the plant etc.) and she’s been saving. Just tonight she counted up her money and realized she has enough! So exciting! Way to go little girl!

Cassie is four now, which means her life is getting filled with all sorts of good things. After a great time in Canada for Christmas, and a wonderful teaching trip in Sweden we come home to Ukraine. We realized that Cassie needed a bit more social interaction and stimulus, and so we began entering into the life of extracurricular activities. Every Monday and Friday at 4:00pm we drive Cassie to dance class. She absolutely LOVES it! Her dance teacher seems to really like her, even doing her hair into extra special braids if we get there a little early. And Cassie dances with all of her heart- chin up, tummy in, toes pointed, you get the picture!

She also really wanted to start school, and so every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we take her to a local preschool (Picture is of her first day). Her Russian skills are getting better and better. Although it is already a bit of a fight to get her to go once she gets there she has a good time and is making more friends each day.

Lastly, Jesus. Well, He shouldn’t be last, but it is the most recent development. Each day Ben or i try to read to the kids a story from their bible. Over the past year I have been explaining to Cassie that Jesus is always with her, even though she can’t see Him. How when she does the wrong thing or makes a bad decision, that Jesus wants to forgive her and take that yucky feeling away from her insides. And how one day when she feels ready she can ask Jesus to really come and be a part of her life. So the other day I am reading to the kids the part in the bible where Jesus is explaining how the bread is like his body etc. and I tell her that one day it will be easier to understand and if she decides she wants to have Jesus as a part of her life. Then she turns to me and says, “Actually Mom, yesterday by myself I asked Jesus to be a part of my life, I invited Him into my heart.” Wow, what a big girl! Of course this decision will grow and have different opportunities to be confirmed throughout her life, but for now we celebrate, we will have a big party! Mark the day – February 27, 2013 Thank you Lord!

The real deal. Not just practicing this time, Cassie has finally stepped over the line. First time ever she washed some dishes without any rewashing. YAY! She was in deep, even scrubbing with the brush but she got those plastic dishes clean as can be! What an wonderful little girl big girl we have!

“Mom, can we snuggle?”

“Of course Cassie, are you okay?”

“I’m sad because I won’t see my friends here for awhile.”

“It’s okay to be sad honey, do you want to cry a little?”

Emotions. They are healthy, good, and help us to really experience life to the full. The challenge with our life, leaving and travelling to so many places, is that our kids naturally have to experience separation a lot more. Our goal is that they truly learn to feel the feelings of sadness, and also the love and joy of new friends, without shutting down their emotions, hardening. Pray for us to have wisdom as parents- and of course to not shut ourselves down as we constantly meet wonderful friends, deepen our own friendships and open ourselves up to more pain when the separation comes.

Thumbs Down for Goodbyes!

Love Daddy and Jay!

And Grandpa and Nanna and mommy too. And Grandma and Grandpa also. 4 Year old Cassie, 2 Year old Jay, 0 Year old Kai.

Cassie has her own water bottle and she went on the sleeping train so you won’t see her for a few days.

Love Cassie (typed by Daddy)

I love you Tonya, Sonya, Nadia and Derrick and Vicka.

A really special thing happened today!

Cassie has been having a lot of fun colouring in her colouring books but recently she got a few with some special games like color by number, etc. Anyway, she wanted to do one of them and came in and asked if I could read them for her. I asked her if she could read them which led to a little breakdown… :)

After trying Mom too she finally headed outside. A few minutes later I went to check on her and she had done all the colours correctly. I asked her how she knew and she said, I read them. And she had!

After almost 100 lessons in reading, Cassie has finally experienced the incredible freedom and independence that the skill of reading can bring! What a first! She now understands that her reading lessons have a bigger purpose than itself, that learning to read can help her have fun!

Way to go Cassers! So proud!

About 6 weeks ago we found that Cassie’s afternoon nap was starting to affect her night time sleep, but we decided that afternoons would still consist of a rest time for her.

2:00pm – She begins by lying in her top bunk reading books (well, kind of reading, kind of looking at pictures). After Jay falls asleep below her she is allowed to come down and play quietly. Two hours is a long time for her to play alone (she is a BIG extrovert), but it is so good for her and her imagination. She plays ‘school’ with her dolls, sets up the farm animals, enjoys her play mobile set, does puzzles and colours.

Right now ‘quiet’ play is actually quite loud. She is ‘leading’ the singing at her pretend church. Good thing Jay has already woken up. Now they will play together in their room until rest time is over at 4:00pm. Hopefully without any screaming or fighting. Ah… siblings :)