Things We Like to Do

Jump at our Favorite Jumpin' Place

Basketball
Climb Trees
Play Outside
(Those are gardening gloves J is wearing)

Take Walks

*Remember to double click on the image to make it larger*

Funny Haps at Basketball

So, I'm still doing the 'director thing' at basketball. Tuesday, I had all 4 kids with me because Randy was working late. Three sat off to the side with Turner and Sawyer in the stroller. (How else can I contain them while trying to organize 30 5-6 year olds)

Three little girls (probably 3 years old) were walking around and came over to visit with my 3 who were sitting on the sidelines. They talked and played for a bit and then walked off. Later, I passed the same 3 little girls. One asked me if all those kids were mine. I said, YES. She said, "ALL of them?". I said YES. She said, "Even HIM" (pointing to Turner). I said YES. Mind you, these were the sweetest, cutest little girls. Very nice and well behaved. Not a mean thought in their 3 year old heads, just curious. Finally, after pondering this for a minute, she asked, "Does he have a daddy". I said YES. She said, "where is he". She was going to get to the bottom of this situation. Unfortunately, I had to disappoint her. I said, "He's at work".

Don't you just love kids!

Calling the Experts **UPDATED**

Need an Ethiopian Orthodox expert. A friend of mine and I are wanting to take our Ethiopian children (She has 3) to an Ethiopian Orthodox church close to us. They told her a skirt/dress and a scarf (they called it a netella) to litergy was appropriate. So, is this a special scarf or will any scarf to cover our heads work? Does it have to be white?

*I had someone tell me that they just purchased an extra long length of muslin (bleached or natural) and that sufficed*

Since her children were not raised orthodox, we've decided to try another ET church though. Will update you on how that goes.

Another Drawing

Good stuff. Trying to fund their travel to Taiwan.
http://taiwanindependentadoptionprizes.blogspot.com/

Check ***edited***

One 6-month post-placement report visit, DONE. It was with a new social worker but everything went well. The kids wanted to show her where they slept. Hmmm, guess I should have cleaned and straightened back there. Oh well. It's over with. One more to go at the 1-year mark and then we do them ourselves after that until Turner turns 18.

***Turner dressed himself with a help snapping his snaps. He loves playing dress up. The more hats he can fit on his head the better.***

A Story (borrowed from Charissa's blog)

Notes From the Deep End
by Jennifer Enderlin Blougouras

...So picture this: Parenthood, to me, was like a giant swimming pool. I saw other people in the pool and they looked okay...

Other parents said to me, "Going into the pool can be really scary. But it is all worth it."
I thought to myself, If they can do it, so can I. And, tentatively, I put my foot in the water.

Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind and threw me in the deep end of the pool. In the deep end! How unfair!...Throw another person in the deep end...!...

How did this happen? Who did this to me? Gagging and coughing and choking and sputtering, I railed against the shock of the cold water, the unfairness of it all. My head went under and panic set in. I am going to die, I thought. But instinct kicked in and clumsily, I moved my arms and legs. And I did not drown.

Now I was treading water. After a few big breaths I looked around and noticed there were other people in the deep end with me, and they were offering to help. But I didn't want to be in their Deep End Club. And besides, I didn't think I even belonged here. It was only a matter of time before someone told me it was all a mistake and I'd be pulled out of the pool to safety. I should have left well enough alone. I should never have tried to go into the pool, I thought. But since nobody came to my rescue, I continued to tread water. And I did not drown.

Soon I started to float. My panic subsided. I knew I could survive, although it surely wouldn't be pleasant being stuck at this end of the pool. I was able to rest for short periods, suspended on the surface of the water. I felt pretty much alone. Yet, I did not drown.

The I noticed that there was a little boy in the deep end with me, a little boy named Nicholas with eyes that crinkle up like half moons when he smiles. A little boy named Nicholas who loves Bruce Springsteen and Puccini's La Boheme and 1940 Big Band Music. And Nicholas could swim.
Looking at him, I realized that someday, I might be able to do more than float. I might be able to swim. And I might even enjoy it. Perhaps I'd even love it.

As I watched Nicholas I discovered that the deep end allows for underwater somersaults, and in the deep end, it's possible to dive. You can't do that in the shallow end. And I realized that perhaps someday, with Nicholas at my side, we'd both wave to the parents at the shallow end of the pool and say, "You don't know what you are missing, here in the deep end."

Check It Out

A blog give away and a chance to help. Click HERE.

Almost 6 Months

Wow. Can it be? Turner has been home almost 6 months? Where has the time gone? As I've been trying to get the post-placement report scheduled (still no luck), I've been thinking about all that Turner has been through in 6 months and how well he is doing.

His speech is amazing. He is trying to say everyone's names. I hear this at 2am most mornings. He wakes up and starts yelling everyone's names. Then he will go back to sleep, as if he was 'just checking'. He can ask for the food he wants. Of course, this one is easy since he wants anything and everything that anyone else is eating. He'll ask, "What's dat?" and then repeat what you say.

He understands routine. He loves riding in the car. He knows when his shoes go on, he's going somewhere. He'll jump down from my lap and yell to his siblings, "Come on" and run to the door. If they don't immediately jump up and head to the door, he'll run in and turn off the TV and yell, "Come On" again.

He imitates very well. Sometimes, it's too well. Ansley will throw one of her fits and he'll turn around and shake his finger (with the very top section crooked) at you and babble something that sounds very similar to what Ansley just fussed about. He does NOT know what he's fussing about but he's good at it.

He's a loving child. He'll tell you that he loves you. (mostly after you say it first) He'll initiate hugs. He loves kisses. Wet, open mouth, sloppy kisses are his trademark.

He's smart. Loves to read and is learning his shapes. Of course, right now, every thing is a "Kirkel" (aka, circle)

Busy Weekend

Saturday morning, 8:30, Judson had a basketball game. Warm Up

In the Game (well, as much as he gets in the game)

Then Saturday night, we had a pot luck with the martial arts families. Judson LOVES this group! Didn't get any pictures.

Sunday was Ansley's Dumplings group. So while she and Dad went to Dumplings, the boys and I went to McDonalds.
New friends

Best Friends Forever
(We call them The Twins, they are so much alike)

Things We Did Today

Broke boards in martial arts class:
Pull out the 'tent' because the temps started dropping outside and Mom didn't want to get out. She's a wimp. Make sure you watch the video until the very end. Turner is a sweetie.

Henny Youngman Reincarnated

Want to Adopt?

Then check out Shelley's blog on "A Dad's View". I think it's a good view of the asymmetrical 'dance' a family does as they wrestle with the decision to adopt. I should mention that Shelley and her husband, Robert, adopted TWO little boys with Down Syndrome! The dance is the same, though. Usually, one person gets the nudge in their heart to adopt but the other one drags behind. It's frustrating for the first one sometimes. I know with us before we got married I told Randy I wanted to adopt. He was cool with the idea. Then we had 2 children biologically and I thought we were done. After Sawyer's surgery and recovery, one day Randy asked, "So shouldn't we start the adoption process if we're going to do it?". I didn't waste anytime. I started contacting agencies and gathering data. We first thought we were going to S. Korea but were led to Taiwan. A year after we adopted Ansley, I wanted to adopt again but Randy was hesitant. So, I started giving away clothes and assumed our family was complete. Finally, after many little comments from Randy like, "Why are you giving away clothes, what if we need them for #4", I asked, "Do you want to adopt again or are you just teasing". This time around he was a little more hesitant because while we were making bills and saving money and managing with 3 kids, #4 scared us both. So we had many more months of wrestling with the idea before we started down the road to #4. The rest is history as they say.

I do have to say, if you want to adopt, don't follow our path. Apparently, where ever we go, trouble follows. Our path to Ansley was very painless (as international adoptions go) and quick. Right after we brought her home, the adoption agency we used closed. The timelines for adopting from Taiwan lengthened and the rules changed dramatically. (I doubt we'd be allowed to adopt from Taiwan under the same circumstances again) Then we go to Ethiopia. Again a quick and painless adoption. Soon there after, our home study agency closes to international adoption. Our wonderful placement agency, Gladney, is still in business. Ethiopia changes their rules dramatically and timelines start growing. The reality is growing pains happen. As countries become more popular for adoptions, the rules need to be tweaked and timelines need to grow in order to help protect the children as well as the program.

So go read Shelley's blog.

Slacker

Just getting back into the routine. Nothing to report. The picture is of Sawyer on his first try riding his Christmas trike. However, no sooner than we got out there, it started to rain. The look is because I told him we had to go inside. Not good....

Another Opportunity

To learn and to possibly help. Check out Meredith's post. We went through our adoption experiences about the same time. We both used Gladney and think they are a great organization. See what you can do by either learning more and passing it along or perhaps making a donation.

http://ethiopiaguzo.blogspot.com/2008/12/for-ethiopia.html

Thanks,
Jan

Ahope

I added a new gadget to my sidebar. "AHOPE" is an organization doing much good in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They run two children's homes for children who are HIV+. What a wonderful group of people! Please take the time to read about Ahope and the work they do. You may be able to help. You may be inspired to even check into adopting one of these precious children. Or maybe you could sponsor one or more.

The button will take you to a blog about Ahope. On it's side bar is the link to the main Ahope website: http://ahopeforchildren.org/

Back to our Routine (sort of)

So, we got up this morning and took Sawyer to school. He was happy to be back and see Miss Kris. (He LOVES Miss Kris) Then I surprised the other 3 by going to our local inflatable jumpy place and met Olivia and Luyushu and their mommies. What a fun time, I had. The kids had fun too. Only two cries. Both by The Princess. True to form, Turner didn't miss a beat. He played on the 'kiddie' thing for a while. Then he got brave and went to one of the intermediate slides. Climbed right up. Did a little dance at the top. Slid right down with a big grin on his face. He continues to amaze me. (Not that I'd let him out of my site as he'd probably go home with anyone there but he's coming along on the attachment side and doing great) Here are a few pics of the kids. (thankfully, Kimmy took some pictures.)

Happy Birthday Little Pooh

Our little girl is about to be 4 but acts as if she is 24. Such a control freak, wanting everyone to be at her beckon call. Sometimes she wants the silly boys to go away. (but then who would she control) Sometimes she wants 3 sisters. (much older who will dote on her, not someone who take away attention or boyfriends or clothes) She is a girly girl who likes lipstick and nail polish and dance dresses that swirl.

We celebrated today because next week we start back on our busy schedule. So we had Dora cupcakes and got a birthday haircut. We've been planning to get a haircut for weeks now. She almost blew it with her smart mouth but alas, I caved and she did get a hair cut. She likes it! (I haven't gotten a good shot of it but it is very cute)


Happy Birthday, Pooh Girl. Her favorite part of her birthday was her Dora gabloon. (Aka, balloon)

Leader of the Band

Someone (Who goes by the name of Princess von Pout Pout) wants to start her own band. Some days, the silly boys will cooperate. Some days not so much. I guess that is the price you pay for fame. She also plays the Doodlebop guitar when she isn't playing the recorder. Sawyer plays his keyboard too. However, tensions arise when the keyboard is out. Both he and Ansley want to be the lead singers. Everyone knows there can only be 1 lead singer.

Happy New Year

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!!!
(with much peace, love, contentment)

Don't Forget (Reece's Rainbow)

The last few days for the Reece's Rainbow Christmas Tree.

To Grandmother's House We Go (lots of pics)

How we spent our Christmas holiday. It was, as always, the best Christmas ever!

Our Sleigh

Visiting with Family. (2 little ones were not available for pics)

First Christmas!

Santa Paid a Visit

Our Family

Charles Schulz (as rec'd in an email)

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions.


1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.


How did you do?

The point is , none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers.

They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies..

Awards tarnish.

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.



Here's another quiz . See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.!

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.



Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials..

the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most.


""Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!"

Check out this Video

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Lovely children, just waiting for someone to notice, someone to call Mom and Dad.

Almost Complete!

We had our domestication of foreign adoption appointment today at our local court house. She said the paperwork was in good order. (we filed ourselves) She said we had a very nice family. She asked a few questions and then signed the paperwork.

So, just a couple more steps. Randy is now off to get a copy of Turner's new birth certificate. Then, I'll take it to the Social Security Office and order him a SS card. The final step will be to file for a Certificate of Citizenship, sometime next year.

Whew...deep sigh of relief. BTW, I tried to do a soft focus on the picture. (In order to hide my very flat hair. Didn't work. The fog was as thick as pea soup today. Oh well...)

Saturday

Princess Von Pout Pout

We went to a birthday party today, all 6 of us. The kids had a blast. The people throwing the party had it at a house that has been turned into a giant playhouse. Each room has a different theme. The kids can make a huge mess and they don't have to clean up.

Here are a few pics. I have to say, we're very frustrated with our camera. It hasn't worked well since the Ethiopia trip. (The previous one quit working after the Taiwan trip.)
Luyushu and Ansley playing in the 'house' section. Luyushu and Judson have been friends since they were about 18m old in the same Mother's Day Out. Now Luyushu and Ansley go to Dumplings together. Amelie, the birthday girl, was also in the same Mother's Day Out program that Judson and Luyushu were in and now also attends Dumplings. (Didn't get a good picture of Amelie, thanks to my camera)

While the Cat's Away (keep reading 3 posts in 24 hours)

Randy has been out of town on business all week. So what is a mom of 4 to do while Dad is away? Let's just say a Mom's work is NEVER done.

1) Cut Turner and Ansley's hair on Sunday night. (No, I'm not brave enough to do Sawyer's hair by myself)
2) School for Sawyer on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
3) Karate on Monday night. (Kids weren't in bed until way after their bedtime)
4) Tuesday, we woke up late. Kids were in pj's when OT arrived for Sawyer's therapy. We survived.
5) Tuesday night, basketball practice for Judson. (the other 3 had to tag along)
6) I was brave and took them to eat at our favorite restaurant on Tuesday. That went well. However, on the way back to the car A and J ran out in front of a car. I now have many more gray hairs than I had just a few days ago.

7) Lots of books being read and dress up. Cool to the bone, even in a purple dress and squished Easter bonnet.

My little Bag Lady

8) Rain, Rain and More Rain
9) Thursday night, more basketball practice. I put everyone in bed by 7:30 so I could have some silence. LOVE IT!
10) Friday. Pray snow/ice doesn't hit Newark Airport. Meet friends for dinner(YES with all 4 kids. Hey, if the friends are Crazy Nice enough to meet me with 4 kids, who am I to deny them the blessing of being with my kids)
11) Hope Randy makes it in in time to meet us for dinner (or all plans are off and I have yet another night of keeping the littledevils angels all by myself)
12) Saturday, go to Amelie's birthday party!!!!

Honestly, it's all gone very well. They've done well. I, on the other hand, am ready for my dear husband to get home. Can I just say, the "you owe me" card will be played for some time to come. I have 4 very good kids. They do as well as any children their age do.

Check this out

Then go over to Charissa's blog and read her first hand account of the family undertaking this endeavor. Charissa and her husband adopted Ava from the Ukraine after seeing her on Reece's Rainbow. (see how these things keep coming full circle).

Funny Story

Tonight was basketball practice. I had all 4 children with me. I was speaking with the main person in charge of the league/age group in which Judson plays. He asked me if I was a foster parent or if I adopted. I told him that my husband and I had adopted some and birthed some (or something to that effect). The next question out of his mouth was, "Which ones are yours". Now this guy is YOUNG. REAL YOUNG. I have no clue if he's in college, just out of college but YOUNG. So, I chuckle and say, "Why, they are ALL mine". He did acknowledge is error by saying, "OK, really poor wording on my part". His next sentence cracked me up. He says, "Which ones did you adopt". Now, I Know it was a legit question but it just cracked me up. I think I had a smart remark but I didn't mean it to sound as bad as my sharp tongue quiped. I said, "I'll give you hint, my husband is Caucasian". Now, we could have adopted the two Caucasian children too but it just struck me as funny somehow. Of course, upon later thought, I did think I should have said it differently. I was not mad at all as I love talking to anyone about my kids. I was just a bit too sarcastic I think. Go figure, ME, sarcastic. (I promise to do better next time)

Need a Calendar?

Check this out: http://www.cafepress.com/ETAdoptshop

Be sure to check out the June picture. It's very special.

All proceeds from the sale of this calendar go to Miskaye Orphanage Project of Ethio-American Family Services.

Happy Holidays

The kids are enjoying the holidays this year. Turner and Sawyer love the Christmas lights. They all love riding the train, although today, Ansley plugged her ears because it was too loud. Funny how she can be heard OVER the train telling us the train was too loud.

Big Heart

Can I just brag on J for a bit. He has the biggest heart. He really does. He's always wanting to help someone. Today, I was preparing our donation to Reece's Rainbow Angel Tree Project. Judson said he wanted to take money out of his piggy bank and donate it. So, with Daddy's help, he counted out his money and we added it to our donation. He selected the children he wanted the donation to go towards. He picked three older children because "They needed it more". (So maybe someone would adopt them before they were sent to an institution.) He's a treasure!

Needing any other ideas to give? Try MochaClub.org

I read about it from Heather. I'm going to check it out and see what it's all about.

Do You Live with Passion?

I love THIS blog post. Take a moment to click on the highlighted THIS and read it.

A New Charity

A group of moms (2 I know personally) are helping a NGO orphanage/transition center in Ethiopia to get off the ground. Most of the funds will come from private donations. Anyone familiar with Ethiopian adoptions knows that the larger adoption agencies have their own transition centers where kids will be moved once they have a family committed to adopting them. Other, smaller agencies, do not have this. The kids they refer will stay in the orphanage they are in until such time as their family can travel to pick them up. The average time from referral until travel is 3-4 months.

It may not seem like such a big deal to stay in their same orphanage for that extra 3-4 months but sometimes it can be the difference in life or death. I know of 2 families in our local ET adoption group whose babies died in an orphanage while waiting for their family to travel. It was a large orphanage. (TB and pneumonia travel quickly)

The plan for this new center is that the smaller agencies can move their referred kids into this center. The kids will be given plenty of food and good medical care. They will be put on schedule (many larger orphanages cannot do this just by the volume of kids they have).

If you'd like to read more, go to this site: www.ethioamericanfamily.org/

How you can help: 1) Spread the word 2) Do all your internet searches through goodsearch.com and name them as your charity 3) Donations (Time/money/Items-they need a laptop)

So, check them out and spread the word.

All I Want for Christmas

Don't forget the Reece's Rainbow Christmas Tree!

That Girl

My conversation with Ansley this morning. (after being told she can not sit in a particular chair because she keeps flipping it backwards)

A: I don't love you anymore. I only love Daddy!
Mom: That's fine.
A: I want another mommy.
Mom: That's fine. I'm the mommy of this house. You need to go outside and look for another house with another mommy.
A: I can't go outside by myself!
Mom: Then you are stuck in this house.
A: This house is too noisy when the boys act silly.
Mom: When you turn 18, you can move out and find anther house that is quiet.
A: I want Daddy to go with me.
Mom: Sorry. Daddy stays with this house. (Whether he likes it or not)