Catching up with the Faery

We've been back in L.A. about four weeks now. In some ways, it feels much longer but when I close my eyes, I can smell Sydney. Enough about me, though.

Kids amaze me with their resilience. For the Faery, leaving Australia wasn't easy. The goodbyes had her crying for hours. Not the quiet kind of tears, but full gut-wrenching sobs. She's so much older this time, and understands the distance, the geography, the time apart. I think this is the hardest part about our decision to live overseas for a few years.

The new school year began a couple of weeks before we returned, and we decided to get her back into the swing of things sooner than later. Our flight landed on a Tuesday morning, and rather than wait until the following week (and for jet lag to completely disappear) we sent her to school that Thursday. She needed to see her buddies and have some structure to her days again.

I was expecting battles with homework, but it hasn't been too bad. For the most part, she's enjoying being able to show what she knows now with her improved literacy skills. There have been birthday parties, park playdates and Korean (Thanksgiving) performances. She's had some sad moments missing Australia, but she's not letting it get her down too much.

The highlight, though, has been her first visit to an L.A. Dodgers game at the Dodger Stadium. She went with J last Friday evening, and came home many hours past her usual bed time - her face flushed with the excitement of it all. Hotdogs, cotton candy, fireworks... she'd loved it all, and I think we have a new baseball fan on our hands.

I can't believe the wise little lady she's turning into at the age of six. She does me proud, every single day.