I still can't believe a girl as young as ten would be brave enough to go to a foreign country to live with a family of strangers. Vilina is truly a remarkable spirit. She has done well here, and we love having her. I know her parents miss her terribly, but they know she is happy, and is gaining English skills that will serve her very well. Vilina's aunt and uncle live in Boston and sent her a package to open on her birthday, so she got off to a fun start!
Vilina worked for over a week on party decorations and invitations. She kept asking me for more invitations. I think she invited 50 kids, and about 30 came. Always over-invite. That's my rule. And don't leave anyone out. Vilina is a girl after my own heart on that one! She even invited Mrs. Kunz, her 5th grade teacher. :)
I think Vilina had visions of a princess palace for her party, in terms of decorations. We did the best we could, and I think it looked darling.
Before the party, I gathered up all available kids and we had dinner at Mandarin Cafe in Kaysville. The owner is from Canton (Guongdong), and was a friend to Frank when he was here. He would come home with stacks of to-go boxes. He missed his native food! She was nice to Vilina, speaking to her in Mandarin. The owner's native language is Cantonese, so I cna't wait for Golda to meet her!
Yummy food!
Strategic angles to make the docor look more impressive!
So many presents!
Hazel Ramsdell, on the right, and her friends from Creekside.
Most of the gang.
The kids played night games outside for an hour while I cleaned and picked up people from ballet. Then they stormed the house, popping all the balloons that Vilina had laboriously filled with hand made confetti for just that purpose. It was such a mess! Thankfully, Scott had gone to Park City, kindof on my orders, so he wouldn't have to witness the chaos. It's just easier with one parent. :) Plus, I had Araceli to help me once she got home, and she is a calming presence. Well, she CAN be. ha ha. The kids were great. I loved the energy, and I loved that they all came to be friends with Vilina. Kids are so accepting. There was one girl at the party who was annoying right from the start. There's always that ONE kid who just wants to talk to the mom and not participate with the kids. I have learned from teaching ballet, to NEVER give off the vibe that any child is less-than or annoying or strage. The kids look to the teacher or adult for cues on that sort of stuff, and boy do they pick it up. By the same token, kids are generally accepting of whatever differences they see in their friends. This group already "Got" the annoying girl, and she was just one of them. By the end of the night, I "got" her too. She ended up being really helpful, and I was thankful for her. Anyway...it's just neat to see a whole community taking in every child, differences and all, including our Vilina, whose inability to speak English is no barrier at all. I love kids!
And here is Vilina making lip gloss with one of her birthday gifts, and filming it to post on musical.ly. She is a sweetheart!
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