In Love

The other day, in bringing home some of her school work, Rikki showed me some artwork by a boy named Fletcher that she had attached to her artwork.

"He's in love with me," she sighed.

"Oh, really? Are you in love with him also?"

"Yes, but mostly I'm in love with you, mom."

"So is he in love with other girls, too?"

"Only me and Aurora."

Almost Chanukah!!

Isn't she lovely?

I was out very late tonight - rare event, I was invited to an amazing Stevie Wonder concert. Got home to discover Rikki had woken up. Trying to get her back to sleep ...

"Good night, Mommy. I'll see you in the morning, or maybe in the middle of the night, because sometimes when I wake up I look at you and blow you a kiss, really quietly so I won't wake you up."

Isn't she lovely??

P.S. Stevie's daughter, for whom the song was written, was singing in the back-up band.

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Fun with cousin skylar ...

And those big people are her parents, Michael and Ruth. Picture taken at the Kennedy center where we saw the Gift of Nothing.

Chicago here we come!!!

Mary Poppins

Rikki and Noa with Mary, Jane, and Michael ...


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In her class play

Shabbat shalom!!

Rikki in her first Kabbalat shabbat service with her Hebrew school class.

Trick or treating just starting!!

Rikki's school on NPR's Morning Edition Today

If you're interested in knowing more about Rikki's new school (as well as her cousin Rebecca's high school), here is a feature story from Morning Edition:  

BPC on NPR Today Black Pine Circle School's focus on Socratic Practice was featured today in Eric Westervelt's story "50 Great Teachers: Socrates, The Ancient World's Teaching Superstar" on Morning Edition. Click HERE to listen to the story. If you'd like to read the transcript and see photos, scroll down in the link above.

Forward email This email was sent to pamelaburdman@gmail.com by newsletter@blackpinecircle.org |   Update Profile/Email Address | Rapid removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Black Pine Circle School | 2027 7th Street | Berkeley | CA | 94710

At the grocery store

Rikki loves Caesar salad, so we are in the produce aisle and she just put some Caesars (aka romaine hearts) in our cart!

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So cute...

Rikki got some little candies at a birthday party yesterday. She came home today asking if she can eat her "starburts" ; - )

The other day I heard her telling our babysitter Amy that she thinks she's in love with our neighbor, Rigzin. Then another day she and Rigzin were jumping on the trampoline chanting to a different babysitter, Daniel, "Daniel's in love with Amy!" I decided to investigate Rikki's concept of being in love.

So I asked her about it, wondering if she's ever been in love with anyone. "Mostly just you," she said. Sweetly.

She's a purple bulldog!!

One of the traditions at Rikki's school is that they have eight "houses," such as Orange Tigers, Red Bears, Turquoise Turtles, and Rikki's very special Purple Bulldogs. Each house has kids from kindergarten through fifth grade, and siblings are assigned to the same house (perhaps to facilitate handing down clothes). Rikki was so excited to be assigned to the bulldogs along with our neighbor, Lea, who she has decided is her honorary sister.

Kind of reminds me when my friend Becky and I decided that, since her last name was Berman and people always asked if we were cousins, we wanted to become cousins. So her mom made a little ceremony in which we drank grape juice and ate some food - Melba toast perhaps - and declares ourselves cousins.

The good news is that, after practically needing to be dragged out the door for the first couple weeks of school, and clinging to me in the classroom, this morning Rikki was in a big rush to leave home. Then we were hanging out in her classroom and the minute the bell rang, she said, "Mom, you have to leave now, you know."

And she's off....

My baby's in kindergarten!!

(Sob sob)

Rikki and the jellies...:

At the Monterey aquarium

Guilty pleasure

Hi from the Santa Cruz boardwalk

With Kira from Rikki's orphanage.

Lined up for class #2

Hairstylist and model

Creation!!

The full look ....

Fwd: Rikki at sticky art camp

Adding to a team tower.  Notice her hairstyle (self-administered triple pigtails) and attire (a long dress rolled up to be a skirt).  

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Begin forwarded message:

From: Terri Lambert <terrilamb48@gmail.com>
Date: June 18, 2014 at 11:28:57 AM PDT
To: Pamela Burdman <pamelaburdman@gmail.com>

Rikki adding to a team tower...

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All ready

She's been waiting a month or more to take a ballet class. Now waiting in line for the first one!!

Proud mama

Though I'm really sad to say goodbye to preschool. She is ready for kindergarten; I'm not sure I am.

She's a graduate!!

Re: Graduates

Rikki and her friend Noa at their final pretend Shabbat.
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> On Jun 6, 2014, at 12:43 PM, Laura's Gmail <lauracallen@gmail.com> wrote:
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Line for the day...

I hate to say it but ... I love to say butt!



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Saying goodbye to Nana's house ;-(

We will miss it and all the memories.

Waking up this morning

Rikki told me she thinks she needs a bigger suitcase. I think she wants to be able to take more stuffed animals when we travel.

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Beach day in Berkeley with Alexander

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Begin forwarded message:

From: Hillary <chasinghillary@gmail.com>
Date: May 25, 2014 at 3:45:42 PM PDT
To: Pamela Burdman <pamelaburdman@gmail.com>, David Kilimnik <david.kilimnik@gmail.com>

End of a good day

Celebrating four years together!!

I'm going to wear it for days and days and days ...

Commenting on her new outfit

At the ballet ...

We came to SF to celebrate Rikki's Daughter's Day. Now it's intermission.

Rite of passage

Time to pass on her old bike to a younger child. Sniff sniff.

Ambidexterity!!

Four years ago...

Four years ago today, I boarded a plane for China, a trip that would change my life. Here she is, the daughter I returned with, together with three of her friends from that trip. Kira (on the guitar) and Olivia (in the yellow) were from her same orphanage, Jianxin, and Lauren, the sax player, came from another orphanage also in Jiangxi province. The pic is from our gathering yesterday on the steps of our new home.

rikki's new neighbor

Sonam 

What's the sun doing??

I think it's un-setting. Going up to the sky.

And this is Rikki un-riding her scooter.

A few new house pics

More to follow ....