Pla Shee's Week

This has turned out to be a week focused on Pla Shee, which has been fun.  On Wednesday, the 5th grade at Venus Elementary took a field trip to the brand new Perot Museum of Nature and Science.  I took the day off work and went along as a chaperone, and it was just as amazing as all of the buzz we'd been hearing about it.  Of course, everything was shiny and new, as you would expect.  They had TONS of really fun interactive exhibits...by far the best science museum I've been to.  We bought a family membership so that we can go back as much as we can, and Kai even has a birthday party there this weekend, so we'll get to explore the Children's Museum section too.  Pla Shee's favorite exhibit was in the "Sports" section, where kids can race against a life-size animated t-rex.  My favorite so far is the musical staircase.  Too much fun!

Last night we drove to north Dallas in rush hour traffic (1.5 hours) after work/school to attend Pla Shee's older brother's high school swim meet.  While part of me was lamenting the inconvenience of it all on a school night (cranky kiddos, traffic, dinner out, making sure Kai and Ruby didn't go for a swim themselves), the other part of me was really happy that we were given the opportunity to attend.  Pla Shee was able to cheer on his big brother (a senior in high school) and really look up to him as a role model, something that he hasn't had many opportunities to do since they arrived in the US 6 years ago.  For so many refugee children, developing a sense of self-confidence and pride is difficult because of language and cultural barriers.  So fostering a sense of pride in oneself and one's family becomes all the more important.  Bottom line is Pla Shee is a great kid, and we are incredibly blessed to have him in our family. :)