Life in the Carpool Lane

A month of gratitude - part 1

2011-11-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

I've noticed several friends on Facebook posting something they are grateful for each day. I thought it was a nice idea for the month that has Thanksgiving in it and decided it would be a good idea for me to take a moment each day to realize how good I've got it. Since I'd like to be able to remember this long-term, I thought my blog was a better place to document it.

Day 1 - I am grateful that surely but slowly Des and Bri are using more words to express themselves.

Day 2 - I really want to say how grateful I am that Logan found the snail that he lost in my car earlier today. But, of course, he didn't find it...yet. So instead, I'm noting how thankful I am for the Southern California weather. Today was 80 degrees and sunny while other parts of the country are blanketed by snow.

Day 3 - I am so thankful for books. I love, love, love to read.

Day 4 - I am grateful for my husband who is a tremendous help with the kids and household duties and is also my soulmate.

Day 5 - I'm thankful we live near a large community of Ethiopians and my whole family gets to benefit from their friendships and experience their culture.

September and October - a recap

2011-11-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

My blogging hasn't just fallen by the wayside. It's fallen off the curb, been run over like roadkill and dragged back to the gutter before being swept down the storm drain. I'm going to try and get it back on track though. I haven't really done photo albums or journals since the kids have come along because I was recording family memories by blogging. So I owe it to my kids to keep at it.

Here is a recap of the past two months:

The boys started school. Logan is in kindergarten and Jack is in 1st grade.

The girls went back to preschool.

We had a court appointment to readopt the girls in California. And then celebrated by heading to the beach where I took tons of pictures.

Des and Bri have been taking weekly classes at the Ethiopian Cultural Center. Sometimes the boys also come and we try to coax them into doing a little habasha dancing. The girls were asked to "perform" at a charity event with some other dancers. I have to say that I was a bit emotional watching them strut around on stage shaking their little shoulders with other beautiful Ethiopians.

And how else would October end but with Halloween photos. Logan wanted to be "the really fast guy" AKA Flash. Bri and Des' preschool has a mouse costume that they take turns wearing over and over again every day. So what else is a mama to do but make them their own mice costumes? Jack wanted to be Wolverine but when he saw how great the girls' costumes were turning out he changed his mind (the day before Halloween) and decided to be a raccoon.

Easy Peasy Playdough

2011-09-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

For our preschool, I usually make this recipe X 7 but I make it two batches (X 3 and X 4). That allows 8 kids to each have an ample amount of playdough at once.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 cup salt
food coloring

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except the food coloring in a mixing bowl with a whisk.

Add food coloring and pour mixture in a large saute or omelet pan. (The color with change slightly once cooked.)

Stir over medium heat until all liquid is cooked into dough.

Remove mixture from pan, allow to cool and knead until smooth.

Store in a plastic bag once completely cooled.

What a difference a year makes...

2011-09-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

August 1 was the 1 year anniversary of the girls being home. At some point I will hopefully get it together to write a review of our crazy first year with 4 kids!

In the meantime, here is a little photo comparison:

8/1/10

8/1/11

Nah Nah Nah Nah, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye...

2011-09-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

The boys are back in school...Jack in 1st grade and Logan in kindergarten. Logan's preschool was a half-day program and frequently he'd fall asleep in the afternoon. This wasn't a problem until last year when naptime coincided with picking his brother up from school. Frequently his naps were not planned and he'd fall asleep in the strangest places. Well, those days are over...with Logan in kindergarten we've got to do everything possible to keep him awake after school so that he's not going to bed too late at night.

Here is a photo collection of some of Logan's unusual naps over the past year as I say "Nah Nah Nah Nah, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye..." to Logan's naptime...

At a very loud airshow...

In his sisters' bed...

In the car...

In a laundry basket...

In a shopping cart...

On the sofa...

In the bookcase cabinet...

On a rock (yes, really...on a rock)...

I solemnly swear that none of these pictures have been staged. He is 100% asleep in each of them. I so wish I could have found the picture from a few months ago when he fell asleep on the grass in the middle of the back yard...too cute and funny!

Summer so far...

2011-07-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

So far I am surviving summer...but my sanity is on the line every day!

So far, the boys have had one week of half-day soccer camp. All four kids have taken a weeks worth of swim lessons. The boys have weekly karate class and the girls have weekly hair appointments. The whole family (with Nana and Granddad) have had a vacation to a nearby mountain lake. Add in a Fourth of July weekend and a few playdates and you can tell that my plan has simply been to keep everyone busy, busy, busy!

Here are some of the highlights thus far (in photos):

Hair appointments:

New pets:

Karate:

4th of July (the girls' first!):
Soccer camp:

Vacation:

The Graduates

2011-07-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Both Jack and Logan had milestones in June...graduations!

Logan graduated from preschool after attending it for 2 3/4 years.

And Jack graduated from kindergarten, his first of many elementary years.

This is the gift I made (I mean, Jack made, of course!) for Jack's teacher, Mrs. Jung. I'm hoping we see it hanging in her classroom next year and hoping that Logan has her for kindergarten!

Congrats (belatedly) to my two big boys! I'm so proud of you!

You know you are a mom when...

2011-06-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

...you think to yourself, "I'm hungry so maybe I should see if the kids didn't finish of their bowls of oatmeal from this morning."

...you're never sure which kids' bed you'll wake up in in the morning.

...you open the trunk of your car to find that your double stroller isn't there and you have no idea what random street corner you left it on.

...you have to wipe sand out of your bed before you go to sleep everynight (from your children's shoes).

...you think it's all worth it for this:

Once Upon A Time...

2011-06-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

One year ago...

Two years ago...

Three years ago...

Four years ago...

Five years ago...

Logan is 5! How is it that this little crazy kiddo is 5 years old?!?!?! For the most part Logan is easygoing but he also has an extremely stubborn streak that rears its head ocassionally. Logan is the comedic relief in our family...he sings, he dances, he says the craziest things and frequently wears the nuttiest get-ups. He is a very loving kid and likes nothing better than to snuggle with anyone in the family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Random bits of randomness

2011-06-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

My blogging has nose-dived again. But I really want to set things down so that I have the funny stories, the little quirks, the feelings to read about and share with my kids in the future. As such, this post is about the little random bits of randomness of our daily life.

I guess I haven't had my toenails painted since the girls have been home. After having them done (and red) recently, Des and Bri kept inspecting them and saying "Owie, owie, owie!" They thought all of my toes were bleeding and I was hurt.

Logan recently convinced me that he is responsible enough for his very own pet. So, I let him pick one out and name it. Logan is the proud owner of a snail named Love whose favorite food are brussel sprout leaves.

The girls' first party dresses!

Fun with the hose for Logan!

Bri splashing!

Des is always the comedian!

Des

Jack takes his strawberry picking seriously!

The girls take it seriously too!

Finally! A half decent photo of all my four beautiful babies!

Ole' blue eyes!

Even weapon-welding Logan is cute!

Once Upon a Time...

2011-06-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

One year ago...

Recently, Des and Bri turned 3 years old! It is amazing how much they have changed and grown over the course of a year. A year ago they were babies half a world away and now they are little girls; running, singing, potty-trained, dancing, going to school, feeding themselves.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRLS! I LOVE YOU!

Easy Peasy Playdough

2011-04-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

For our preschool, I usually make this recipe X 7 but I make it two batches (X 3 and X 4). That allows 8 kids to each have an ample amount of playdough at once.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 cup salt
food coloring

Once Upon A Time...

2011-04-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

One year ago...

Two years ago...

Three years ago...

Four years ago...

Five years ago...

Six years ago...
Last month, Jack turned 6! Where does the time go? He has developed into a passionate and friendly kid. He says "hello" to everyone and makes friends easily. He has an aptitude for math and loves to write and draw. Best of all, he's not to old to still cuddle with his mama!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY! I LOVE YOU!

Happy 6 Month Anniversary!

2011-01-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

Its common in the adoption community to say that you shouldn't really evaluate your new family until the kids have been home for six months. Well, I can hardly believe it but Des and Bri have been home for six months. In many ways it feels like they have always been a part of our family and other times it seems like yesterday that I was meeting them in Ethiopia.

In the beginning, I had a very rough time. And when Mama has a rough time, the rest of the family has rough time. Luckily, the post adoption depression is being held at bay and life is (mostly) good.

Jack has had major life changes in the past six months and he has struggled. That has been hard for this mama to watch. He started kindergarten which meant a few things...he was no longer a big fish in a small comfortable pond but a tiny fish in an unfamiliar huge pond. He no longer shared a classroom and friends with Logan and myself. Add to that a much longer school day, homework, making new friends, and a major change in his homelife and we've got one stressed out 5 year old on our hands.

As with Jack, this is Logan's first time being separated from his brother. But he still has me around a lot and his daily routine hasn't changed much. Plus he loves telling everyone that he is a big brother. He has really turned into the middle child...frequently forgotten to be fed breakfast but rarely complaining about it.

As for Des and Bri, I'm planning a separate post for the girls because their changes over the past six months have been profound.

Overall, our family definitely feels like it has jelled over the six months. Our routines have solidified. I can go out with all four kids without imagining the worst happening. We can finally all go out to eat again, something we did very frequently before the girls came home. We can co-exist within this house that is a bit too small for six people (and all their stuff). I have learned embrace the fact that having four kids is way different than having two kids. Jack and Logan help look out for their sisters. Des and Bri understand more and communicate better. Scott and I have a better idea of what to expect in most situations.

Over the course of these six months, we've always felt like a family. But now, we feel more like a unit, a team...working together and moving in the same direction. I'm looking forward to the next six months and the next and the next. But even more, I'm enjoying right now.

Who's who?

2011-01-30T16:57:00.000-08:00

Which little monkey:

Is the only one of our kids to always sleep soundly through the night, every night?
Loves to be read to and learn new things?
Declined to participate in his school's "mixed-up clothes day" because he can't conceive of wearing his clothes backwards or incorrectly?

Jack

Which little lovebug:

Takes credit for every single new thing his sisters do (even the naughty ones) by saying, "Yep, I taught her that!"?
Wakes up in the middle of the night in a full blown tantrum because he was unfinished with it when he fell asleep?
Likes to wear sleeveless shirts so everyone can see his big muscles?

Logan

Which little peanut:

With the help of her sister, gets a bowl and messily serves herself a snack from the pantry when Mama is preoccupied?
Does a happy dance every time she spots a baby?
Carefully watches my lips when she is trying to say a new word and grossly (and adorably) over exaggerates her lips to mimic mine?
Absolutely hates to smile for the camera (see below)?

Bri

Which little chickpea:

When is injured, has me kiss her hand instead of wherever her boo-boo is actually?
Wakes up several times every night and now realizes that if she stays quiet she can sleep in bed with Mama and Papa all to herself?
Has recently learned to say "no!" and is making good use of the word?
Loves, loves, loves to dance?

Des

And yes, these are current photos. Our weather has been crazy good in January...

Beautiful girls with beautiful curls

2011-01-23T19:45:00.000-08:00

I don't know if anyone has noticed but...I'm white. And my daughters...aren't. I have straight hair and my daughters...don't. I know that Des and Bri will have stunning hair once I figure out what I am doing. But I have no idea what I am doing. Curly hair care is complex, really complex.

My girls have far less hair than I do but way more products. In the course of a week I have four different products that I might use on my hair. Here is the girls' shelf of products...and they have only been home for a little over five months and had hair for even less time and use almost all of these products multiple times a week:

(And since taking this picture I've bought three more things; the Tangle Teezer, jojoba oil and a Nudred (which I'm waiting to get in the mail)!)

Last weekend, after much research, I drove quite a distance to get the girls' hair cut by a curly hair specialist that gets rave reviews. I wish I had cute before and after pics but I don't. Here is their before pic in the fancy salon:

Unfortunately, I hate what the stylist did to their hair. I just wanted it evened out with a trim but instead she made it so much more uneven and the curls that were finally getting well-defined on the top of their head lost all definition...sigh...

It just confirms to me that, though that my hair is so different from Des and Bri's hair, I should trust my instincts...and less is more. Now that I am finally getting comfortable knowing what works and doesn't for their hair I'm going to weed out some of the above products. It is definitely all a learning process!

You know you are a mom when...

2011-01-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

...you look forward to an upcoming surgery because it means you might get a little quiet and might get a brief break from the kids climbing on you.

...you go shopping for clothes for yourself that are patterned because it will hide the stains your kids make.

...you get quizzical looks from the employee at the drive-through because you've pulled up the the window where you collect your food but you forgot to place an order.

...you head straight to the park when you find out you have a flat tire (and a car full of kids) because there is no place you'd rather be stranded than your favorite playground.

...you realize all of the above craziness is worth it for this:

Who's who?

2011-01-12T18:34:00.000-08:00

Which little monkey:

Frequently asks which food choice is healthier?
Wanted to start on his birthday wishlist before he even opened his Christmas presents?
Offers Des his earlobe to calm her down when she is upset?

Jack

Which little lovebug:

Can eat his weight in broccoli?
Regularly shreds and destroys cardboard boxes, crayon wrappers,
Would stay home all day in his pjs (just like his mama) if he could?

Logan

Which little peanut:

Says, "More, more, more!," when looking at pictures of herself on her mama's computer?
Can sit and "read" books for hours using sign language to label everything she sees?
Asks me to swaddle every doll and stuffed animal we have (including the hippo) several times a day?

Bri

Which little chickpea:

Does a 'happy dance' every time she is nekked?
Looks at her mama directly in the eye and smiles sweetly as she openly breaks rules?
Runs to Jack's classroom door every day after school to scream and jump up and down the moment she sees her brother?

Des

Once Upon A Time...

2011-01-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago, on New Year's Day, a boy and girl kissed for the first time.

Eight years ago, they married...

Six years ago, they went to Hawaii on a babymoon...

Five years ago...

Four years ago...

Three years ago...

Two years ago...

One year ago...

Today...

What a difference a kiss makes!

Who's who?

2010-12-31T17:12:00.000-08:00

Which little monkey:

Asked, "If there is a Little Ethiopia here (in Los Angeles), are there Little Americas in other parts of the world?"
Gets himself dressed first thing in the morning before anyone even sees him?
Gives away his coveted sillybands to friends at school if they don't have any?

Jack

Which little love bug:

Said, "Which Ethiopia did the girls come from?" (as in Little Ethiopia in Los Angeles or Big Ethiopia in Africa)
At bedtime, says, "I've got stuff to do at night, Mama. I'm nocturnal."?
When caught and scolded for cutting his sweatshirt, said, "But Mama, I'm using the fabric scissors!"

Logan

Which little peanut:

Loves to get comfort by laying her head on our chest to listen to Mama or Papa's heartbeat?
Has an easy smile?
Seems to be trying to imprint details of Mama in her brain by nuzzling, sniffing and even licking her at bedtime?
Keeps pointing to herself and saying her name because she loves to label everything?

Bri

Which little chickpea:

Worked up all her courage (because she is scared of dogs) to get close enough to Marley to lick her?
Said her first two English words: "Papa" and "Oh uh!"?
Loves the swing (even the big kid swing) so much that she cries when she falls off...not because she's hurt but because she desperately wants back on?
Is frantic to kiss other peoples' earlobes when she is upset?

Des

Christmas Day

2010-12-30T15:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas day started with Jack waking us up. (Someone had to do it!) We promptly high-tailed it into the living room to see if Santa had been there...and he had. The boys tore into their stockings (candy, little toys, fruit, silly bands and pillow pets). The girls were a little confused about the change in the daily routine... "Where is breakfast? What are we all doing in the living room in the morning? A cookie? Forget the other questions...we are all good!"

Nana and Granddad arrived early because we needed to get the Christmas chaos in full swing so we could get to Grandmama and Grandpapa's house later in the morning. We unsuccessfully tried to control the insanity.

The gift theme this year for the boys was Star Wars (again!) and Iron Man (the cartoon, not the movie). For the girls it was dolls, dolls, more dolls and their accessories.

Jack is showing Nana his Ironman sillybands from Santa.

Cookies and clementines and all is right with the world.

I have no idea what Logan got but he was clearly excited.

So they won't tolerate a live Santa but a stuffed one is okay.

Brotherly teamwork

Bri checking out new toys.

Both girls (Des in this picture) love using signs to label everything they see.

Star Wars everything...shirts, pads of papers, figures, books and even cookie cutters!

Time to start playing...

A special thanks to my parents and Scott's parents for sharing a very special Christmas with us.

No love for Santa...

2010-12-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

We knew it was a foolish idea to take all four young kids to see Santa. But we thought we'd attempt it anyway.

When Jack met Santa he looked like he'd been caught doing something really naughty. But at least he sat with him and said what he'd like in his stocking.

Logan refused to go closer than 15 feet to the jolly old guy. He said he'd take a picture with Santa if Santa were outside the building and Logan were inside the building and I could take the picture through the glass door! (I thought it would have made a hysterical picture but I didn't have the heart to ask Santa to do it!)

Bri thought about sitting with Santa but quickly changed her mind. And Des wanted no part of any of it unless Scott or I were holding her.

Here is one and only photo we got of us with Santa...and yes, Logan refused to participate at all.

What did they ask for? Jack wanted a pack of silly bands (all the rage among the in-crowd of kindergartners) and Logan requested a ladybug pillow pet (which I had to relay to Santa since Logan refused to speak to (or look at) him). And the girls...of course, they were rather tight-lipped on the subject but they seemed to just want more, more, more of the complimentary cookies for those who visit Santa. ;)

December Randomness...

2010-12-21T21:43:00.000-08:00

This month has been crazy busy. Here are just a few snapshots of our daily life.

Early in the month we had a warm spell and thought we should take the girls swimming for their first time ever. Of course the pool was closed for maintainence. We headed to a friend's jacuzzi but it wasn't quite the experience we envisioned for the girls' first time in the water.

Jack and Logan managed to entertain themselves for quite a long time one morning quizzing each other about Star Wars using Papa's book.

Des and Bri can be each others worst enemies or best friends. They drive each other crazy and can easily make each other laugh.

Like we didn't have enough to accomplish this month, Logan talked me into buying him and Jack a no-sew blanket kit. I thought this would basically mean that I would be making two blankets by myself. Luckily, the boys were much more helpful than I thought and we didn't spend too long making their blankets.

Wherever I am, the girls are. This includes the kitchen when I'm trying to make breakfast, lunch and dinner. And the girls tend bring stuff, stuff and more stuff wherever they are. On this night, they've managed to get a hamper, two strollers, three stools and one wagon into the kitchen. It's quite the obstacle course when I'm trying to make a meal.

So, in an effort to keep clingy hands off my pants and the obstacle course out of the kitchen, I've started corralling the girls on the counter. Seeing as though this isn't terribly safe and is fairly nerve-wrecking for me, it's surprising that this is the only way I can get anything accomplished at mealtime.

The boys recently watched Harry Potter and a couple of times I've found Logan in a closet (because we don't have an under the staircase area). One evening, he rearranged the toys in our cabinet to make himself his own "closet" stocked with blankets and pillows.

Making Memories

2010-12-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

As the boys have gotten a bit older we've developed few holiday traditions. We are excited to introduce some of them to the girls this holiday season. Besides the basics like putting up the tree and visiting Santa, we make our yummy clementines, watch holiday movies and read holiday books, volunteer time sorting donated toys for local charities and have each kid to pick out a new ornament for the tree.

This year the boys did a great job picking ornaments with meaning for them.

Logan's jet plane (because we attended our first air show this year)

Jack's soccer ball (because this was the boys first year on a soccer team)

The girls' ornaments have a bit less meaning. However, they are soft non-breakable ornaments which definitely speaks to a need for indestructible things for little hands. ;)

Bri's pink birdie

Des' purple birdie

The girls are still loving the tree. Every time we turn on the lights they sign 'tree' and pet it's branches. They also are enjoying rearranging all the ornaments on the lower branches (hence the need for more soft ornaments).

Some of our traditions have fallen by the wayside this year, like gingerbread houses, matching Christmas Eve pjs, driving around to look at lights and our countdown-to-Christmas calendar. Next year (with slightly older kids), I hoping to revive those traditions and even add a few new charitable ones.

Now I've got to figure out traditions for New Year's Eve. Any suggestions?

A Sweet Holiday Tradition

2010-12-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

It seems that not only is this recipe a holiday tradition for my family, but publishing it on my blog is also a tradition. This is the third year I'm posting it but it is truly that good that it should be repeated annually. Only three ingredients and so simple and so delicious!

This year the boys were old enough to really help...in fact they almost made this all by themselves. And that is pretty sweet!

Ingredients:
clementines
semi-sweet chocolate chips
sweetened shredded coconut

Peel and section clementines
In a glass bowl (shallow is better so you can get your hand in), melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals (to ensure it doesn't burn) and stir
Dip each clementine section in the melted chocolate and then in the coconut
Put the pieces on wax paper int he fridge to set

Hope your family enjoys these as much as mine does...enjoy!

Dear American Girl,

2010-12-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

Please quit sending me your catalogs. Sure, I could order an American Girl doll that looks just like me (fair/medium-skinned, blue-eyed, long straight brown hair) but I'm a bit old to be playing with dolls. Yes, I have two daughters and they do enjoy dolls. But they sure don't look like any of your dolls. My girls have the most beautiful supple dark-chocolate complexion. Their deep dark brown eyes show warmth and a bit of mischievousness. They have eyelashes that are the envy of every women they meet. They have full perfect cupid's-bow kissable lips. And their hair...soft and tightly curled is black as night with little curls popping out every-which-way.

It's unfortunate that you do not make a doll as strikingly beautiful as my daughters. You might have many more customers if you did. Until that day, please stop sending me your catalogs.

Sincerely,
Carey
Mom to 4 gorgeous kids

My Year in Facebook Status'

2010-12-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

The tree

2010-12-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

We live in a large city so Christmas tree shopping usually takes place at H0me Dep0t's parking lot or abandoned corner lots that were pumpkin "patches" last month. Scott had a great idea to find a "cut your own tree" farm. At first I thought he was crazy...did such places even exist anymore? and do we really need to traipse to heck knows where to get a tree? We had a great time though and I got some cute photos.

The next day Scott and I hung the lights without the girls noticing. Since this was presumably their first Christmas tree, we wanted to surprise them. We gathered the kids around the tree and threw the switch. The girls were appropriately awed.

I'm glad we decided to cut our own tree this year and I think we've just started a new holiday tradition.

November

2010-12-07T22:16:00.000-08:00

I've been missing from blogland again...but I still want to document our life so I'm going to cheat and do a mostly photo recap post. (I mentioned I was cheating, right? Well, I'm cheating so much that this November post is going to have the last couple days of October included.)

For Halloween, Jack and Logan wanted to be clone troopers (Commanders Cody and Rex, I believe). And because I left Scott in charge of costumes this year (a mistake I'm not likely to repeat), Des and Bri were Ewokes.

The only way to tell the Ewokes apart is their color-coded earclip flowers.
This is purple so it must be Des.

Not sure Bri likes her costume...

Somebody mentioned candy...let's get going!

Jack and Logan played a very short season of soccer. Jack knew two classmates on a team that had lost several players throughout the season. So both Jack and Logan signed on and though it was halfway through the season and their first ever attempt at a team sport, they both did awesome.

A day at the beach...

Random collection of shots...

A trip to visit Nana and Granddad for Thanksgiving...

I've been cheating on Blogger with Facebook again...

2010-10-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

Since being home with the girls, I haven't been the best blogger. Occasionally I get a quick status update on Facebook to record this time with our new family. Here are some of my Facebook posts in the past couple of months:

Home sweet home! 4 kids under 5 is kicking my butt! I'll try and get photos up right after I do 7 loads of laundry, clean up the boys art table, take the extra donations to Goodwill, unpack my luggage, clean a sink full of dishes and kiss the kids a million times...
August 2 at 11:15am

I managed to walk all 4 kiddos to the park today by myself. Of course, my husband had to show me up and then take 3 of them out to a jewelry store downtown in rush hour traffic and to pick up dinner.
Thanks for my 'twin' ring, honey!
August 5 at 7:40pm

I'm pretty sure I forgot to rinse the conditioner out of my hair this morning...yuck!
August 7 at 9:26am

Yea! I washed the conditioner out of my hair this morning and managed to shave my legs (sorry TMI but I've got to celebrate the small victories)! I think it's going to be a good day!
August 9 at 8:59am

I just got 4 sleeping kids out of the car...and they are all still napping! I am ruler of the UNIVERSE!!!!!!
August 19 at 1:39pm

Turned on the CD of Ethiopian music and the girls went happy wild again!
August 25 at 9:45am

Jack is spending his first day without his brother (or mama or papa) at kinder-camp. Logan sobbed on the way home after dropping him off..."I miss my brother...he always cheers me up..."
August 30 at 1:17pm

Just taught Bri to drink from a sippy cup finally! Hurray for small victories that make mama's life a teeny bit easier...
August 30 at 4:28pm

Des just worked up her courage (because she is scared of dogs) to get close enough to Marley to...lick her?!?!?!?!?! I guess she figured the dog was always licking her so it was her turn to lick the dog! I haven't laughed so hard in weeks!
August 31 at 5:03pm

Des just said her first non-babble English word...Papa!
September 2 at 7:58pm

Des just signed "help" twice (thereby avoiding two tantrums)! Now if we can only convince Bri to sign anything but "food"...
September 5 at 8:25am

And now, I will attempt to take 4 young kids to the grocery store. Please keep me in your thoughts...
September 7 at 1:30pm

I survived. My 4 kids survived. Not sure the staff and other shoppers will ever recover though...
September 7 at 3:30pm

IAN families rule!
September 13 at 6:16pm

Watching Bri unload their dirty clothes basket piece by piece on to Des. They both seem happy even if one is buried under a pile of dirty clothes...
September 15 at 6:11pm

Logan just fell asleep eating frozen yogurt (yum...Yogurtland!) and wearing his heaviest winter jacket (with a pair of shorts, of course)!
September 16 at 7:17pm

Made the mistake of telling Scott that he was in charge of dinner. He just returned from the store with several cans of spaghettios. Um, yuck! He's no fool...I won't be leaving him in charge of dinner again!
September 19 at 4:24pm

Never thought I'd utter the words "Logan, if you put those dirty underwear on your head you will have to wash your hair!"
September 24 at 6:50pm

Just took a homework break with Jack to witness the amazingly pink lit clouds and the biggest rainbow I've ever seen...gorgeous!
September 29 at 6:47pm

It's 9 and the girls are on their second breakfast. At least they are getting good practice signing "cheese" and "cracker" and "please!"
October 15 at 9:15am

The boys and I just spent 15 minutes trying to figure out what color our skin is...
Logan is the color of apple juice,
Jack is the color of peanut butter and
I'm the color of iced tea.
When Scott gets back from his walk with the girls we'll have to determine what yummy things their skin color matches!
October 15 at 6:11pm

Learning Language

2010-10-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

The girls' comprehension is amazing. I can give them specific instructions and they follow them pretty well when they want to. (When they don't want to, they give me a sly smile and keep eye contact as they purposely defy me.) Though they still aren't speaking, they have learned 25+ signs in American Sign Language. C0nsidering that they have been home for less than 3 months and English is their third language, 25 signs seems pretty significant to me. They are a lifesaver in getting across Des and Bri's needs and wants. Here are some of the signs that they use regularly:

please, thank you, I'm sorry, I love you

more, food, drink, all done

hurt, wait, help, sleep, dirty

car, shoes, toilet, book, ball, plane, flower

dog, monkey, cat, fish, bear, bird

I have to admit that I will be over the moon when they finally say "mama" but for now it is amazing to see them pick up new signs every day.

Living life...

2010-10-12T20:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I have been MIA for a month. But it's with good reason because instead of writing about life, I've been busy living it. Things are still going well for me...and therefore the whole family. We've had our share of sicknesses lately, lots of doctors appointments and specialists. We are still fine-tuning our schedule and routine with the new school year (and kids at different schools). There are still tantrums and rough days (and always will be). But things were so much worse before that I can barely complain.

Hopefully soon (tomorrow?) I can get some photos and updates on the kids posted. (That is the real reason anyone actually reads this thing, right?) For tonight, I have a much more pressing objective...to get Scott to get me some ice cream...

A New (Old) Me

2010-09-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

I am seriously surprised at how much things have changed and in such a short amount of time. I think talking about the problem with family and friends has definitely helped. And though I'm not always a proponent of Western medicines quick fix (pop a pill to rid you of your symptoms), in this case it was needed and desperately. Once our family finds our "new normal" (probably when the boys have a solid school routine and the girls have been with us a bit longer), I'm going to look into some natural alternatives to treat depression and discuss options with my doctor.

So how am I different since being on a medication? I sing spontaneously. I act silly with the kids. I snuggle more. I kiss more. I have 100% more patience. I have 100% less irritability. I don't feel like I'm dragging myself everywhere. I read books to the kids. I haven't cried. I'm significantly less frustrated. I smile.

The new me feels a lot like the old me. Which is good...

Before, I felt like we were barely surviving. Today, I feel like we are on the verge of thriving.

Again, I'm not a pill-pusher. But for me, a little pink pill was just what the patient ordered.

Click HERE for part 1.
Click HERE for part 2.

And a special shout out to the IAN mamas who live scattered all across the country but still managed to get several homemade meals to my family. It was an insanely generous and unexpected act of kindness. IAN families rock!

And another shout out to the Rancho mamas. I'm glad that school is back in session and I will have my daily dose of grown-up talk to help keep me sane.

A Little Pink Pill...

2010-09-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all the comments and emails. It means so much to have people sympathize with my situation and some who even have shared experiences. I have started taking some medication and call it fast-acting or maybe even the placebo effect, but the very next day after taking the meds was a much better day. Oh, what a difference a little pink pill can make!

In doing some more research, I've been surprised to learn a few more things about PADS:

As many as 65% of adoptive parents experience PADS.
It can affect mothers or fathers.
It is more common in parents that have adopted internationally.
And it is more common for parents that have brought home a child older than an infant whom is not the first child.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, what I had been going through didn't look like what I thought depression looked like. So what did my depression look like (pre-meds)? Lots and lots of anger. Rage. Seething. (How can I be this mad at 4 of the most beautiful kids in the world?) Severe irritability. Heightened sensitivity to sound. Frustration. Sadness. Guilt. Reduced capacity for compassion. Lack of patience. Frequent headaches. Horrible back pain. Low energy level. Trouble making decisions. Extremely unrealistic expectations.

That was me for more than five weeks. Thank goodness that the medicine is diminishing all of the above symptoms.

I will say, that through it all, the one thing I have not felt is regret. I love all of my children. I love my husband. I love the decisions we've made. And even when life was dark, I knew that one day there would be light.

Click HERE to read part 1.

The Ugly Truth

2010-09-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

I've recently realized something. It's an embarrassing and guilt-ridden and shameful secret. But I'm going to post about it...in public...for all to read. I have Post Adoption Depression Syndrome (PADS).

In all of my adoption research, I had heard of PADS and though I know that I have been "going through something" for the past month I wouldn't have thought to call it "depression." What I'm experiencing doesn't look like what I thought depression looked like. However, after doing some online research I realize now that I definitely have PADS.

Looking back I can clearly see that I have had periods of depression several times in my adult life. And the way I've dealt with (or in some cases not dealt with) my depression has been very different pre- and post-children. Before becoming a mother I was able to lie low, distance myself from friends, stay in bed all day. When I was annoyed and irritated with everyone I could just retreat. This is simply not possible as a mama of young children.

So, when I've had bouts of depression since becoming a mother, I've alternated between sadness and anger. Jack and Logan have experienced my crying and shouting more times than I count. And that triggers the guilt. Now with Des and Bri at home, I can't help feeling like I've ruined six lives. Every day is insanely stressful and everyone is feeling frustrated. My patience and feelings of compassion are practically non-existent.

For me, the first step is knowing what I have and that I am not alone. The following articles/blog posts were very helpful in my self-diagnosis:
Post-Adoption Depression by Melissa Fay Greene
Post-adoption Panic by Melissa Fay Greene
My Lightbulb Moment by Julie Gumm

The second step is getting help for which I'm getting together a gameplan. In the meantime, I'm living by the motto "fake it 'til you make it." My Facebook updates and previous blog posts have all been an act. In public, I put on this big fake smile and just try to muddle through the days. Hopefully, I can get some help soon and find a real smile to brighten my children's days.

More Baby Talk

2010-08-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

Des and Bri are still being awfully close-lipped with us. They will sign "food" and occasionally "more" but they sure do have a lot to say to each other. I found a ~~totally imaginary~~ very cool baby talk translator and heard them comparing Ethiopia to California the other day. Here is what they were saying:

"Who thinks seaweed and soybeans are a normal snack?!?!?! We definitely didn't see much of that in Ethiopia!"
"Why is the water here so frothy? Every time we take a bath in the big tub there are all these bubbles in it! Thank goodness they don't make us drink that water."
"In Ethiopia, we always got to sit on Mama's lap in the car. Now she just keeps strapping us down. She even straps us down in that little car with the handles that Mama pushes...I think they keep calling it a stroller."

Ethiopia Travel Journal - Part 3 - Yirgalem to Addis

2010-08-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

July 24, 2010
After my amazing time in Yirgalem, I was a little sad to leave. However, everyday brought me closer to the day that I would meet Des and Bri. We had a long day of driving ahead of us, from Yiralem to Addis. I tried to capture a few photos from the window of our car as we left the Sidama area.

To break up the long drive, we stopped at Lake Langano for lunch. The lake is a brownish-pink color which was a pretty contrast with the green trees and blueish horizon.
Though it was a long day, it was rather uneventful. Once we finally made it to Addis Ababa, we checked in at our guesthouse and reorganized our stuff for our overnight trip to Lalibela the next day.

Who's who?

2010-08-24T19:15:00.000-07:00

Which little monkey:

Has been working on his Christmas list for three months?
Gets himself dressed every morning before he even comes out of his room?
Keeps imagining that the girls' baby talk is really talk ("Hey Mama, Des just said sarcophagus!")?
Needs to eat a pear everynight before he goes to bed?

Which little lovebug:

Said, "Mama, that is not what I ordered!" when I served dinner one night?
Refers to Bri and Des as "his girls?"
Gave me a big smooch and said, "When we kiss, I get your germs and you get mine!"?
Said, "Nice guns, lady!" to a female police officer?

Which little cutie pie:

Refuses to drink from a sippy cup but insists that you unscrew the lid every time she wants a drink?
Loves popcorn (just like a true Ethiopian (and her mama))?
Puckers up so big when she comes in for a kiss?

Which little cutie patootie:

Kissed her reflection in the stainless steel dishwasher?
Gained two pounds in two weeks?
Left quite the impression (pun intended) at a local park where she walked through (and fell face first in) wet cement?

Ethiopia Travel Journal - Part 2 - Awassa to Yirgalem

2010-08-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

July 23, 2010
From Awassa, we continued south to Yirgalem. Without going into too many specifics (because it is Des and Bri's story to tell one day and not mine), Yirgalem was the closest my mom and I were going to be traveling to where the girls are from. I'm not sure, but that may be the reason that I absolutely loved the area south of Awassa and around Yirgalem. Though I hadn't met Bri and Des yet, I could imagine them being born and living here.

We stayed at Aregash Lodge which I highly recommend and plan on taking the whole family to in 10 years or so. The rooms are individual bamboo thatched 'huts' for lack of a better term and are arranged in the style of a traditional Sidamo village. Of course, they are completely modernized with very nice bathrooms and comfortable beds. The walls are beautifully woven and the high ceilings have a calming pattern of concentric circles. During our night stay, it rained and the sound on the woven roof was amazing.
While at Aregash Lodge, we took a walk through the surrounding 'neighborhood' with a lodge employee. This, by far, was the most rewarding part of my whole time in Ethiopia before meeting my daughters. Once the mud road ended, we followed little paths between many homes. I was amazed to see so many varieties of fruits and vegetables growing. And lots of coffee (much sold to *bucks).

At one point, with our guide in front, my mom in the middle and I bringing up the rear I turned around while walking on a narrow path to find a handful of kids quietly following us. Awhile later, I turned back around and to my surprise the silent group had doubled. The kids giggled and smiled and continued to quietly follow us.

I think from my photos it is easy to tell how lush and even tropical this area is. It definitely helps to erase all the pictures etched in our minds of the parched and dusty land of Ethiopia from the mid-1980s.

Our guide asked a teenage girl to show us how the locals harvest, process and cook enset (also known as false banana). The girl took us in the enset forest and began to chop at the root of an enset plant using the shoulder blade bone of a cow. This pulp was in a container of enset leaves on the forest floor. There was also a shallow hole lined with enset leaves where the pulp was stored under a layer of water. I think this was used to make porridge after being left for a month. The girl eventually began scraping the leaves with a long metal comb to make more pulp.

Thank goodness that I had seen a Travel Channel show showing the different ways to process enset so that I had some idea what she was doing. The girl then graciously invited us into her home to show us how they use part of the pulp of the enset plant to make a flat bread. Sitting on a wooden bench in her home we watched the teenage girl (the youngest of her family and the only child still living with her parents) start a fire. Using a huge wooden bowl, the girl wrung out the wet pulp and manipulated it until it somehow turned into flour. Using a basket, she then sifted it over the wooden bowl. She patted the flour directly on to a pan on the fire until it turned into a very dry flatbread. The end result was not something like I've ever tasted before and certainly not the highlight of the experience. Instead, seeing how this girl spent her days and seeing her house and family was a wonderful opportunity.

The guide, my mom and I made our way back to Aregash Lodge. There we witnessed an Ethiopian coffee ceremony. I'm not a coffee drinker (don't even like coffee ice cream) but I thought "when in ~~Rome~~ Ethiopia, do as the Ethiopians do." And the Ethiopians are serious about their coffee. And anything served with popcorn sprinkled with sugar is good with me.

After a nice dinner, we retired for the night to our 'hut.' In some ways, I wanted to spend so much more time in Sidama. But I knew that leaving meant I was closer to meeting my beautiful daughters.

Summer Camp

2010-08-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Last summer was a rough one for me. And I knew it was going to me, so much so that I started a weekly carnival to help me and other mamas survive.

This summer I decided to go a different direction. I enrolled the boys in a camp three days a week for several weeks. Though the boys didn't always like it and frequently boycotted going, when they were there it offered me a chance to get things accomplished before my trip to Ethiopia. Since being back, they have really not wanted to go (unfortunately), wanting to be with mama and the girls instead.

This was the last week of camp. On Wednesday, they put on hilarious performance for us. Below are pictures from that performance and excerpts from their "All About Me" books that they worked on:

Jack

My favorite color is red and blue.
My favorite game to play is Star Wars.
My favorite foods are I don't remember and ice cream and strawberries.
Summer vacation is great! I like to go fishing and to McDonald's and have a McFlurry.

This was some strange 'months of the year' song that they combined with macarana dance moves.

Logan

My favorite color is blue and light brown.
My favorite game to play with a firetruck and to play spies.
My favorite foods are broccoli and candy.
My favorite pet is a Marley-dog and he likes peanut butter cookies.

This is the "tooty-ta" song and dance. Believe it or not, Logan is doing it right!

Ethiopia Travel Journal - Part 1 - Addis to Awassa

2010-08-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

July 20-22, 2010
My mom and I left California on Tuesday and arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday. In an effort to jam as much as possible in the shortest time possible, we had a driver meet us at the Addis Ababa airport to immediately take us to the Sidama region.

After several hours of driving we arrived very tired in Awassa. We had been traveling for more hours than I can count over several days and all we wanted was to grab a quick meal and head to bed.

July 23, 2010
The next morning we met up with our driver, Ayele, and headed off to see a bit of Awassa, the capital of the Sidama region. Located on the shores of Lake Awassa, it is the largest city in the Ethiopian Rift Valley. We didn't spend any time in the town itself really but headed for a park on the water. There, we were able to see two different types of monkeys (grivet and guereza) and enjoy the lakeside breezes.

After the park we headed right next door to the open air fish market. There were these insanely large scary prehistoric-looking birds with a ginormous wingspan. Kids (in an effort to get tips) would throw fish scraps high into the air for them to catch. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of them in action because I kept ducking to stay out of their way. Did I mention they were huge and scary looking?

At the market, fish were being cooked and sold in open air stands. Our driver asked if we minded if he got a bite to eat. Luckily being a vegetarian gave me a good excuse not to join him.

My mom and I were the only ferenji (foreigners) at the park or fish market and we stood out. The fish market was the only place in all of our Ethiopian travels that we were really harassed and surrounded. It was only by children asking for money so I never felt like we were in any danger but it definitely put a damper on the experience for us.

After Ayele finished up his fish lunch, we headed further south in the Sidama region. More to come in Part 2.

You know you are a mom when...

2010-08-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

...you consider crusts a meal...as in peanut butter and jelly sandwich crusts for lunch or pizza crusts for dinner.

...you use fictional characters to try and coerce little people into doing what they consider unpleasant things...for example, "Even jedi knights have to go to bed" or "Of course, Darth Vader takes a bath...imagine how bad he'd smell if he didn't!"

...you think that if you ever won the lottery the first thing you'd do is hire someone to cut all of your kids' food at every meal time.

...you think you need to lose weight not for health or vanity reasons but to more easily climb into the third row of the minivan to buckle and unbuckle your kids from their carseats twenty times a day.

...you are so excited to go to the grocery store because you get to go ALL BY YOURSELF!

Oh, the joys of motherhood!

Curious Strangers

2010-08-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

We definitely stand out whenever we go out. Whether it's just me and the girls or me with all four kids or all six of us together, we always get a comment or two or three. The typical opener for curious strangers is "Are they twins?" or "Wow, you have your hands full!" or "They are sooooo cute." For the most part, the conversation or questions that follow those openers are fairly benign and forgettable. However, in the past two weeks I've had the following weird (and in the case of adults, sometimes downright rude) followups:

From kids:

"They don't look like you. You are really pink."
"When are they going to lose their tan?"
"Are those Indian babies?"
"Are you babysitting because you are white and the babies are black?"

From adults:

"Are they black or African?"
"They are adopted? There was something wrong with them, huh?"
"Which country are they from? I thought so."

For the record, I'm pretty much okay with anything a kid says. I will happily answer any question or explain anything they are confused about in an age appropriate manner. The problem with the adults is that their questions don't always seem to be appropriate given their age...really, they should know better!

BabyTalk

2010-08-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

Des and Bri don't really talk yet (in Amharic or Sidaminga or English, for that matter) to us. However, they definitely talk to each other. Here is what I think they are saying:

"Hey Sis...why does Mama keep blowing on our food before she feeds us? That is really weird, right?"
"And what is the deal with our tushies and tummies? Everytime we take a bath it is practically all Mama can talk about in that syrupy baby voice!"
"Don't get me started with the poop! Why in the world do you think Mama is collecting it and saving it in those little tubes? I've heard of baby keepsakes but really, she is taking it too far!"*

* For the record, I'm collecting stool samples for some lab tests. Fun stuff, huh?

Des and Bri

Who's who?

2010-08-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Which little monkey:

When the girls had only been home one day and a waitress commented sadly that Des and Bri had no family, said "Well, now they do!"?
When asked to give Bri a good night kiss said, "Mama, I can't kiss her. She moves too much!" as Bri ran away from him laughing?

Which little love bug:

Couldn't get enough time with his sisters so he climbed up in their bed and took a nap with them?
Calls his sisters "his babies?"

Which little cuties:

Can out-eat their brothers and almost their parents?
Wake up in the morning talking and giggling with each other?
Refused to eat Ethiopian food but only french fries on the day of their embassy appointment (as if to say, "We are Americans now!)?

Thank you to everyone that has already signed the petition to save my kids' preschool. It means so much that you took the time (though it is really quick) to try and help us. The school and the friends I have made through it have been my sanity for the past 3 years and I need that to continue. If you haven't already, please sign this for me and our kids...
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ranchocoop/

Thank you!

More cute pictures...

2010-08-08T22:48:00.000-07:00

I thought that title would get your attention! Now that I've lured you here under (somewhat) false pretenses I'm going to ask for a quick and easy favor:

Please, please, please sign this petition http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ranchocoop/) to save my kids' preschool.

Though our school is housed in a men's locker room (no, really!), the Dept of Rec and Parks wants to charge us $200 a day to use an otherwise unrentable space! They are effectively closing our preschool down with this ridiculous fee. And this school has been so much more than a preschool for my family. For the past three years, the people at this school have been a part of our daily lives. Not only have the boys made wonderful friends, but I have made lasting friendships. I desperately want Logan to be able to finish his last year at Rancho and have the girls experience how wonderful it is.

Please help us save my children's preschool by signing the petition and passing it on. Thank you! Again, here is the link: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ranchocoop/

All right...now that you've signed the petition, I'll reward you with photos of my adorable kids. For the record, I'm finding it nearly impossible to get pictures of the girls...they are always on the move. And I've always had a hard time getting photos the boys together so imagine trying to get all four in one shot. Anyway, here they are as promised...

Des and Bri found the boys' lightsabers all on their own.

Logan couldn't get enough of the girls so he climbed up in their bed for naptime.

Checking up on the girls at the playground.

My first and, so far, only pic of all four of my beautiful kiddos!

Des

Bri

Photos, photos and more photos!

2010-08-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

Okay...so I didn't exactly blog while I was in Ethiopia. I never Skyped. I never sent Scott photos or video. I could barely email and one time I resorted to desperate measures (a public message to my husband on Facebook) because communication was rather frustrating.

I hope to write about my actual trip and post photos of Ethiopia soon. But for right now, I'm just going to give the people what they really want...cute photos of the girls!

Naptime in Addis Ababa

Happy Bri

Smiley Des

Leaving Ethiopia

Bedtime in Papa's arms

Being silly with Nana and Papa
(And a special shout-out to Nana who was an invaluable part of my trip to get the girls!)

Bri exploring the playground

Des loving the swing

Hopefully I'll get a shot of all of my kids together tomorrow!

1 week!

2010-07-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

At this time next week, my plane will be taking off for Ethiopia. I'll be leaving all my boys at home to go and get our girls. I think the only thing I can say for sure is that it is going to be a wild ride...

I'm happy that the family Scott and I hoped for will finally be a reality.
I'm excited to meet Bri and Des.
I'm nervous about leaving Jack, Logan and Scott.
I'm grateful my mom is coming with me.
I'm desperate to see the girls smiling.
I'm scared that something could go wrong while I'm in Ethiopia.
I'm anxious to go already...and to come home already.

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

2010-07-09T17:46:00.001-07:00

This is my trial run to see if I’ll be able to use the blogger email option to post updates while I’m in Ethiopia. I’m also testing out whether I can post a photo…

Who's who?

2010-07-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

Which little monkey:

Tore apart our office supplies looking for an envelope so he could send his friend a cell phone while she was on vacation?
Loves eating injera (an Ethiopian sour pancake served with every meal)?
Was worried that the fireworks on the 4th of July were hurting the Earth?

Which little love bug:

Was man enough to take a baby doll to show and share?
Still, at 4 years old, insists that he was never in Mama's belly, nor was he a baby, but was a big boy from "the neighborhood?"
Told me that his shorts were "striping wet" which apparently meant they were so dripping wet that he needed to strip out of them?

2 weeks!

2010-07-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

More photos!

2010-07-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we got a few new photos of our sweet girls. I can't wait until they are home and we can finally get some smiley pics of Des and Bri!

Debritu on the left, Desta on the right

I leave in two weeks. In terms of preparation, for the trip and around the house, I feel soooooo not ready. In terms of wanting to scoop them up and hold and love on them, I am soooooo beyond ready. Hang on girls...I'm coming soon!

Why International Adoption?

2010-06-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

I've been asked several times (in person and through my blog) why we chose international adoption over the American foster care system. I thought I'd try and explain it here...

I guess I see it as kids are kids. I’m a human and a mom before I’m an American. So, a kid in China or Ethiopia is no more or less in need or deserving of a family than a kid in America. In that sense, they are equal.

What then sways me to international adoption is that in this country (and in my state) birth parents’ rights are often paramount. They seem to always be given a second and third (and maybe even more) chance. (Do some birth parents deserve extra chances? Absolutely. And will some of those extra chances result in a reunited, happy, healthy family? I hope so.) But each time a birth family is given another chance (whether deserved or not, successful or not) I imagine a foster family is left with a broken heart.

I don’t want to be a foster mom. I want to be someone’s “forever” mom. Just like, I don’t want Jack and Logan to be someone’s foster brothers but “forever” siblings. I can’t imagine trying to explain to them why their sister or brother would not be living with us anymore.

I guess I’m selfish in that I want to protect my heart (and my husband’s and Jack’s and Logan’s). And since I believe that all kids are equal and there are kids in need of families in other parts of the world, I choose international adoption.

3 weeks!

2010-06-29T18:38:00.000-07:00

Gifts for the girls...

2010-06-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

We've finally got a package of little gifts to send to Des and Bri. A family traveling to pick up their sons in mid-July (thanks Kristen and Kasey!) will be taking it to our daughters at the IAN care center.

We found little bags that Jack and Logan embroidered on some "decoration."

Yes, Logan likes to do his arts and crafts in underwear and a baseball hat.

We filled the bags with cute sunglasses, play cellphones and photo albums filled with pictures of our crazy family.
I can't wait to see their sweet faces when they get a glimpse of our crazy (but lovable) family!

Starting to countdown...

2010-06-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Well, plans are being made...I've got plane tickets to Ethiopia and a rough itinerary! My mom will be traveling with me while Scott and the boys will be staying home and working on getting things ready around the house for Des and Bri.

Mom and I leave in 4 weeks! We will spend a bit of time traveling to the south where the girls are from and then to Lalibela in the north. The rest of the time will be spent in the capital with the girls. We will be back in California and be reunited with the rest of the family on August 1st.

I am so excited to have the opportunity to travel around Ethiopia. Though I've been to Africa twice before, I've never been to Ethiopia and think it is so important to experience my daughters' culture firsthand. On the flipside, I've never spent a night apart from Jack and Logan, let alone 12 nights. I know that it will be excruciatingly difficult but they are being left in good hands. I probably should worry more about Scott!

The Graduate

2010-06-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend Jack had his preschool graduation. It was a beautiful and fun day...just the right way to end the school year and start the summer.

Here are a few pics from the special day:

The 2010 graduates

During the ceremony their teacher asks each graduate what they learned at preschool. One of the boys replied "not to kick people." I wish I could remember what Jack said but I was too busy crying. :) The kids also sing "You Are My Sunshine" and "Make New Friends."

Scott and Logan watching the ceremony

Handing out the diplomas

Jack and his teacher, Cynthia (whom he's had for three wonderful years)

"Mama, can't a boy eat his cake in peace!?!?!?"

So grown-up...

(Pre)School Days!

2010-06-15T20:11:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy lately...crazy good...but still definitely crazy. The day we found out that we passed court for Des and Bri was also the last day of preschool. Logan will be back there next year but it was the end of Jack's three year run. Because our preschool is tiny (about 20 families) and mixed ages, Jack has had the same teacher all three years. The school has been great for Jack. Though I'm sad that he is finished, I'm glad that I haven't "graduated" yet...one more year for Logan and then a couple more for the girls.

Jack was just a baby when he started. This was Jack on his first day of school:

September 2007

Look at that baby face!

This was Jack on his last day of preschool:

June 2010

We passed!!!

2010-06-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! We passed court today. I am so excited (and bit shocked) that Desta and Debritu are actually a part of our family. And while I am thrilled, I can't help but think of their Ethiopian family...how hard it must have been for them today, how they are feeling, how the girls are feeling. I am very aware that in the adoption triad (the birth family, the child(ren) and the adoptive family), the adoptive family is the only part that does not experience loss and grief from the adoption process.

The girls are already so loved and such a part of this crazy family. I'm excited to see what the future holds for all of us.

Here are a few pictures of our sweet daughters:

Desta and Debritu (in May)

Desta (in May)

Debritu (in June)

Desta and Debritu (in June)

We are hoping to have an US Embassy appointment in Addis on July 28. At that time the girls would get visas for their Ethiopian passports so that they can come to America. My mom and I will be traveling to bring them home while the boys (Scott, Jack and Logan) hold down the fort.

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin-eater!

2010-06-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

It's hard to admit but I feel like I've got to come clean.
I've been cheating.
I have another...blog.

Shortly after finishing all the paperwork for our Ethiopian adoption, I decided to ask about reviving my agency's blog. It's a blog for the families and by the families and hadn't been active for a year. Since I began working on blog in January, I've posted almost 100 times, every week, either 3 or 5 times a week. Some of the posts are copied (with permission) from blogs from other agency families but many are written by me based on whatever is my latest Ethiopian or adoption related curiosity...recipes, parenting books, Ethiopian culture, travel info, holidays, books for kids, etc.

The blog has been a great opportunity to distract me while waiting for our referral and now for our courtdate. It's also been a great excuse for me to research, research, research any and everything about Ethiopia.

So if you are looking for any info on Ethiopia or adoption or Ethiopian adoption, feel free to stop by. Or if you just want to see some of the cutest kids ever (in my weekly Foto Friday post), feel free to stop by.

It's a...

2010-06-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

girl! And another girl!

Our family is overjoyed that we received a referral for twins! I have to admit that we've been sitting on this news for a little bit (while we told some important people in person) but it still seems so surreal. Getting a referral this soon was quite a shock as we were still #12 and #2 on waitlists (after a very long time with no movement). Our #2 spot was for a rather specific request, so I thought we would never move up that list as I mentioned back in March. Well, not only did we move up that list, we jumped from #2 straight to our referral. Needless to say, we were surprised and thrilled.

The girls are about 2 years old and have the chubbiest cheeks, gorgeous lips and beautiful soulful eyes. I could eat them up!

Unfortunately, until they are legally ours, after our case passes court, I can't publish any photos or identifying info. Just know that they are beyond adorable (not that I'm biased or anything!).

Our court date is this Friday, June 11. That means that while we are sleeping (or trying to) Thursday night, our case will be heard in a court in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. So cross your fingers and toes and everything in between before you head to bed on Thursday, if you don't mind.

Jack and Logan are so excited. We talk about the girls everyday. Logan is making up little songs about them. And Jack is asking the hard questions (like “why do they need a family?”). They both keep thinking up “firsts” that they will get to introduce the girls to, like ice cream and the ocean and strawberries, important milestones in Jack and Logan’s eyes.

We are so excited to share this news and are looking forward to when we can say they are legally our daughters (and sisters) and show their sweet faces. Of course, we are ultimately looking forward to the day we are all together finally.

Celebrate...Logan is 4!

2010-06-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit it but we slacked on pictures for Logan's birthday. We didn't take very many (not really sure why) and the few that we did take weren't so great because we were using a new camera.
Without further ado, here is Logan's 4th birthday...

We start each of the boys' birthdays with balloons! Today was no exception...

Balloons are followed by opening some presents. Logan walked away with some a Star Wars figure, more tools, Legos and two rather unusual stuffed animals. One of them was Perry the Platypus from the boys' favorite show, Phineas and Ferb. The other was an owl. (Scott had asked "For your birthday, what kind of pet would you like?" A very stupid (and dangerous) question in my opinion. Logan said he would like "a baby owl" as a pet. Luckily, they were fresh out of them at the petstore so we opted for the stuffed variety.)

Logan loves pancakes + Scott loves to experiment = crazy birthday pancakes
What are crazy birthday panckakes, you ask? Well, they are chocolate chip pancakes covered in frosting and sprinkles, of course! Yum?!?!?!?!

Since it was a school day, I dropped the boys off and raced back home to whip up some cupcakes for Logan and his classmates. Scott and our good friend Jethro made their appearance at the boys' school for some after lunch treats.

Logan tends to get a bit nervous and silly when all eyes are on him. So while his friends sang "Happy Birthday" he chose to look at me or get goofy with his friend, Ryan.

Later that night the boys asked to watch, what else but, Star Wars. We decided to go all out and let them watch it (on a school night, no less!) while eating dinner. Well, it was Logan's birthday!

Once Upon A Time...

2010-06-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

One year ago...

Two years ago...

Three years ago...

Four years ago...

Logan is 4 years old! (How did that happen?!?!?!?!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Who's who?

2010-05-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

Which little monkey:

Told me that he knew who he was going to marry and was given half of a heart pendant necklace...apparently Cameron has the other half...
Has an invisible friend (to which I thought "oh, how creative and imaginative!") and when asked the friend's name, he said, "Jack!" (to which I thought "so much for creativity!")
Frequently starts off his morning telling me "today is not going to be the best day ever!"

Which little love bug:

When I told him we were going someplace new and I'd have to leave him for a little bit but his brother would be with him so not to be nervous said, "I'm not nervous. I'm fabulous!"
Said "One day I'll be your age. And I'll drink soda."
Frequently tells me "today could be the best day ever!"

Which brothers actually feel asleep in the middle of the afternoon like this?:

A Boy's Rite of Passage

2010-04-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Our house has been a (toy) weapon-free house for 5 years. Sure the boys have fashioned swords and guns from Tinkertoys, Legos, sticks and peanut-butter sandwiches...but we had not allowed a store-bought toy weapon to enter our house. (We had often joked that our make-your-own toy weapon policy was helping to shape future Unibombers.)

Well, we finally caved. We let the boys pick out lightsabers (as bribery for getting haircuts). (I had also wanted to wait several more years before they saw Star Wars but I lost that battle a couple of months ago.)

Taking Jack to the store to pick get his new most prized possession truly felt like a rite of passage. This was a huge monumental moment in his young life...not only his first toy weapon but also...a lightsaber! He was the envy of every guy under 45 in the store. They all looked at him with a goofy grin seemingly fondly remembering when they were bought their first lightsaber and wishing they were young enough to make it acceptable to still play with it.

While in the store, Jack kept sneaking glances at me hardly believing that I was actually going to purchase a weapon for him. In between anxious glances at me, he looked lovingly at his new blue lightsaber.

Crashing...

2010-04-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ever since saying farewell to naptime, in the late afternoons this is how I find Logan:

Not sure he was quite ready to give up his nap just yet, huh?

Logan's Head Vs. Park Bench

2010-03-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

"In this corner...Logan's beautiful head!"
"Woohoo!" "Logan's head rocks!" "Yeah!" "You can do it!"

"And in this corner...an unassuming park bench!"
"Boo!" "You suck!" "Hissssss..."

As a mom of two rough and tumble kind of boys, it was just a matter of time before one of them got hurt. I guess it's most surprising that it hadn't happened yet.

Logan's head met it's match earlier this week in a metal playground bench. It was a knockout. Luckily one of the moms at Jack and Logan's school is a pediatric hospital nurse so she was help to help clean up Logan and calm me down. I had to make a split-second decision whether to go to the ER or our pediatrician.

We decided to head take our chances at the pediatrician. She told us what our options were at her office (steri-strips) and the ER (stitches or surgical glue). When I asked her opinion, she asked whether we were planning on a career in Hollywood for Logan. I laughed...and she said, "no, really, do you plan on him being a model or actor?" (Only in California!) I decided that scars add character and stayed at her office so Logan could be spared the pain (physically and emotionally) of the ER.

He's had the steri-strips on for a week already. Tomorrow I'll get to see the real damage...

Obviously, the injury hasn't affected his spirit! ;)

The birthday...

2010-03-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

For weeks Jack had been asking how long until his birthday. Several times a day, everyday, we discussed "the countdown." But oddly enough, the day before Jack's birthday he didn't ask...he had suddenly...forgotten.

We start each of the boys' birthdays with their room filled with balloons. (Which means that Scott and I start each birthday eve frantically blowing up said balloons. Then they have to be herded down the hallway and sneaked into the sleeping boys' room.)

So, Jack awoke on his birthday to his floor covered in balloons. Because he had forgotten that it was his birthday, he was rather confused. He came into our room and had to double check that the balloons were because it was his big day!

For the boys it was a school day. At lunchtime, Scott, our friend Jethro and I stopped by to share a birthday cupcake with Jack and all his friends.

Dinner that night was Jack's choice. He picked Wahoo's so we packed up some cupcakes and presents and threw an impromptu birthday party at the restaurant.

This year we decided to spread out the birthday present through out the day. In the morning, Jack got two Star Wars figures. Before dinner, he got Star Wars figures and a Star Wars fighter-ship-thingy. (Yes, that is the technical name!) After dinner, he got Star Wars figures. Sense a theme?
I hope Jack had a spectacular birthday! He is an amazing kid who deserves it!

Closer and closer...

2010-03-09T19:35:00.000-08:00

We have moved up another spot! We are now #12 on the infant girl list!

The crazy part is that we are #2 on the siblings list. However, for our family, there is only a very narrow fit for siblings. Because the boys are still so young and I don't think I can handle 4 little boys, our "request" for siblings is for twins under 2 years old with at least one girl. The likelihood of our family being referred siblings matching our request is probably low. It's much more likely that a referral for a single infant girl will come sooner but it's exciting to be #2 on a wait list.

Once Upon A Time...

2010-03-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

One year ago...

Two years ago...

Three years ago...

Four years ago...

Five years ago...

How is it that Jack is 5 years old!?!?!?!?! It doesn't seem possible...my little boy is changing and growing and learning in the blink of an eye.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY! I LOVE YOU!

Who's who?

2010-03-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

Which little monkey:

Said "When I'm a grown-up will you still be alive?" "Yes." "Good! Then you can do The Amazing Race with me!"?
Thinks that Up! is scary but Star Wars is not?
Said that he took a rocket ship to the future and was excited to report that the future has McDonald's and they serve healthy food and let you pick your own happy meal toy?

Which little love bug:

Woke up with a scratchy voice and when I commented that he had lost his voice he said "Mama, will you help me find it?"
Whenever I talk about his cute little tushie says, "Ugh, Mama, enough with the tushie!"?
When he sees me holding a friend's baby comes running up to ask if he can hold the baby and then reminds me that he would like "a sister baby" of his own?

Which family moved up a spot and is now #:

Lucky #

2010-02-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

The other side of the camera - Relaxing

2010-02-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in what I think is a really smart weekly challenge hosted by Carin at Forever in Blue Jeans. It seems like mamas spend an awful lot of time behind the camera. The idea of this challenge is for mamas to get on the other side of the camera in at least one photo a week.

When my boys grow up they'll inherit hundreds of thousands of photos taken from their childhood, but how many of those will show their mama? At least for this year I can answer 52!

_______________________________________

These are definitely not the most flattering photos of myself but it was such a nice time with my boys that I wanted to get it on film and remember it forever. We had gone out in the morning and gotten home much earlier in the day than usual. With some time to waste we decided to ask Scott to pull out the hammock and enjoy the beautiful weather.

This is when Marley tried to get in the hammock with us!

Who's who?

2010-02-15T22:05:00.000-08:00

Which little monkey:

Asked, "Do you think Marley (our dog) is a secret agent?"
Said, "I think my new underwear is making me (run) faster!"
When asked if he'd like some smoked almonds replied, "No because I don't like it when smoke gets in my eyes"

Which little love bug:

Asked me to rub his belly at bedtime and then as I did he said, "Mooooooskaaaaa. Mama, mooska means ahhhhhhhhhhh!"
Greeted one of the girls in his class with "Hello, Gorgeous!"
Takes his shirt off nearly everyday afterschool on the playground because he wants "to feel the sun and wind on his skin?"

Will you be my Valentine?

2010-02-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

Last year, I wanted to hand-make Valentines with the boys for school. At the time, I even posted what I hoped I would do this year. I'm proud and even surprised to say that I stuck to it.

After giving the boys a few different choices of Valentines to make for their preschool classmates, Jack chose to make the heart crayons and Logan wanted to make Valentines using glow sticks. Here are the finished products with directions following for anyone interested in making their own:

You Color My World
I found various different "recipes" to make crayons. I mixed a few together to get this one.
Supplies:

crayons (I used a brand new box of 64 crayons and some odds and ends that were around the house)
cupcake wrappers
silicon candy molds or silicon ice trays or cookie-cutters
red card stock
double-sided adhesive

First, preheat your oven to 275 degrees.

Use a sharp knife to score/slice the paper wrapper on the crayons. Have your kiddos unwrap the crayons and break them into small pieces. (Each crayon into 3 or 4 pieces worked pretty well for us.) Put the broken pieces in the cupcake wrappers and place them on a foil-covered (for protection) cookie sheet.

Place the cookie sheet in the hot oven and remove when the wax is melted (about 8-10 minutes). (I only placed 3 or 4 crayon filled cupcake wrappers in the oven at a time because once they come out of the oven they cool quickly and you need to work fast.)

From here there are two ways to finish the process. I used the first method.
1. Gently pick up the cupcake wrappers filled with melted wax and pour into the silicon molds or ice cube trays. (You can mix different colors or use a toothpick to swirl the melted wax into a design.) Let them cool (you can speed up the process by putting them in the freezer) before popping them out of the molds. (For the record, the melted wax stained my silicone ice cube trays.)

2. Let the wax cool in the papers before using a cookie-cutter to cut out different shapes.

After one of the above two steps, gently rub the crayon to smooth rough edges.

We then attached the crayons to pieces of red cardstock with one of two messages: "You color my world!" or "You make my heart melt!".

You Make My Heart Glow
Supplies:

glow stick bracelets (pack of 12 at T@rget in the $1 bin)
2 colors of cardstock
double-sided adhesive

Cut out medium size hearts (I used a cookie-cutter for a stencil) from the red card stock. Cut out smaller hearts form the blue paper. Gently fold (but don't crease) the medium hearts and use a hole punch at an angle to cut two holes. (I had to have a test heart to get the angle right.)

Write your message on the medium-sized hearts: "You Make My Heart Glow!" or "You Light Up My Life!". Insert a glow stick through the holes being careful not to snap/activate it. Using the double-stick adhesive, attach a small heart to each end of the glowstick so that it resembles cupid's arrow.

I wanted to get this posted sooner in case someone actually wanted to copy these ideas but in true procrastinator fashion, I just finished assembling the last of the Valentines...the night before the kids are to hand them out.

Going down...

2010-02-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Photo Review...No, Really...

2010-02-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

Every day that I don't do my Christmas recap it gets further from the holidays and more ridiculous that I still haven't posted a recap. It's a viscous cycle and I've just decided to put a stop to it. Better 6 weeks late than never, here is Christmas 2009 in a nutshell:

Every year we trade off Thanksgiving and Christmas between Scott's and my parents. This year, Christmas was at my parents' house which is about 5 hours away from where we live. My mom has two sisters and one of them (including her husband and my two cousins) live near my parents. This year, their other sister and her husband decided to come for a holiday visit so all three sisters were together for Christmas.

Busy beach boys:

Busy boys in the kitchen with Nana making cookies and a gingerbread village:

And the finished product:

Relaxing with Nana and Granddad and a holiday movie:

A bi-annual Christmas Eve tradition (Great Dona reads The Night Before Christmas):

Christmas morning:

Jack asked Santa for Bakugans

Logan asked Santa for cookies ;)

Jack would not put down his new Star Wars figures...and oh, the noises he constantly makes!

Logan building a race car out of pillows and "trash" that Mama gave him for Christmas

A little downtime:

The whole gang took an amazing water safari:

Our whole crew takes up half the boat!

After returning home several days later we headed out for our second Christmas at Scott's parents house:

The boys got beautiful shiny bikes from Grandma and Grandpa

And that finally concludes Christmas 2009!

Daybook Entry...

2010-02-07T16:36:00.000-08:00

I recently found out about this weekly meme called The Simple Woman's Daybook. I've got to admit that I'm not loving the title of this meme but I do like the idea...to linger on the simple things and find beauty of the everyday moments. I could stand to simplify by life a bit but in the meantime, this meme will have to do!

For Sunday, February 7, 2010:

Outside my window...a blue cloudless sky over a very green yard (it poured yesterday!)

I am thinking...about what to do with the boys today, a playground and some errands probably

I am thankful for...how lucky I am to have a healthy family with a roof over our head and everything we need

I am wearing...my pajamas because I'm still in bed (at 9:46 which is extremely rare for us)

I am remembering...my brother and wishing we could be sharing in each others' lives

I am going...to have to take a shower soon because I stink

I am currently reading...I just finished My Fathers' Daughter (a great book about an adopted women from Eritrea) and just started Food Rules

I am hoping...to stay in bed for the rest of the day but there is no way my family will let me get away with that

On my mind...Having recently watched Food, Inc. I keep thinking about the food that we eat and specifically how it is made, what it is made of and where it comes from

Noticing that...while I thought we eat semi-healthy I'm noticing that we could be doing a lot better

From the kitchen...Scott just made crepes with a hint of chocolate (hmmm...case in point about eating better?)

Around the house...I need to declutter. I've always said that when something comes into the house something else should leave but I haven't acted upon it

One of my favorite things...day dreaming about my boys and future daughters

From my picture journal...The boys got filthy at the park today and I decided they should get their bath before we did anything else for the day. They were not happy with this plan until I turned on the bubblemaker.

The other side of the camera - Park play

2010-02-03T20:48:00.000-08:00

_______________________________________

Wow! It has been 3 months since I last posted a pic of the boys and I here. It's been so long that I wasn't even sure if the weekly meme was still happening...but luckily it is, though it goes by a different name now.
These pics were taken over the weekend at a park. We stopped to let the boys run off some energy before heading to a restaurant in Little Ethiopia for lunch.

A Farewell Tribute...to Naptime

2010-02-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Oh, dear sweet friend...I will miss you so.

You have been a daily companion and meant so much to all in our family. From the first day we met, I knew that I wanted to spend quality time each and every day with you. And now our time has been cut too short. I feel such loss that you were taken from us so soon. You were a bright spot in my day. You were my sanity, my hope, my sanctuary.

I will always remember you fondly. Rest in peace, old friend.

Take a trip down memory lane with my good dear friend, naptime. Enjoy!

October 2009

May 2009

April 2009

December 2008

July 2008

March 2008, Jack

February 2008, Logan

October 2007, Logan

July 2007, Jack

November 2006

September 2006, Logan

April 2005, Jack

Farewell sweet friend...

The Great Juggling Act

2010-01-31T21:32:00.000-08:00

In the midst dealing with two highly dramatic and energetic, yet adorable, boys (which means going to parks,

building complex and large train towns,

and going to school),

I have lots of other stuff going on. We are toying with the idea of moving. That means meeting with realtors, internet research, driving neighborhoods, conversations with banks, going to open houses, etc. It's been both exciting to think about the possibilities and depressing to come to grips with the realities.

Then there are the adoptions...I'm expending a lot of time and energy and all I'm really doing is spinning my wheels. Besides being obsessed with reading adoption blogs and forums (and checking them an embarrassing number of times a day), I've taken up working on the blog for one of my adoption agencies where I've posted 6 days a week for the last four weeks.

All this is my explanation as to why by blog (and the friendships I had formed with other bloggers) has suffered. It's not really much of an excuse though...

Life is a juggling act, especially for mamas. But I've been letting some of the balls drop.

I'm hoping to get back into the blogging (and photography) swing of things

Since this blog is a photo album and journal for my family I would really like to do a Christmas recap (how late is too late?), more posts about the boys (especially some Who's Who? posts) and photos of me and the boys (otherwise known as 52 weeks or Shoot Me). Sense I'm so far behind on Christmas recap, maybe this isn't too late for a New Year's resolution...to start carrying my camera more and documenting our life through blogging a photography again.

Meanwhile, in the several days it took me to actually finish this post, we've moved up another spot!

Here's to the great juggling act and moms everywhere!

Who's who?

2010-01-26T18:53:00.000-08:00

Which little monkey:

Declined the offer of some smoked almonds because he says, "Smoking is bad for you."
Shouted, "Woohoo! I finally got an email!" when I told him a letter (from the postman) came for him?

Which little love bug:

Said, "When someone loves you, your cheeks get red." (Think he's been watching one too many cartoons?!?!?!?!)
Climbed down from his chair in the middle of dinner and said, "Look! I can chew and jump!," while doing just that?

You know you are a mom when...

2010-01-25T19:33:00.000-08:00

You know you are a mom of preschoolers when you go out for the day wearing this lovely assortment of "jewelry:"

You know you are a mom in the process of adopting when you check your adoption agency's "news and updates" blog every 5 minutes. Today it paid off...on the waitlist, we are now #:

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

2010-01-18T19:33:00.000-08:00

I saw this on another blog and I thought it very appropriate...because today is Martin Luther King day and because one day I will have two children who are considered minorities.

"Rosa sat so Martin could walk…

Martin walked so Obama could run…

Obama ran so our children can fly!"

Picking up steam...

2010-01-14T22:02:00.000-08:00

I promise that at some point this blog will be about something other than our family moving up the waitlist but we are excited and a bit surprised that we moved up three spots in the past two days.

I need to get back to writing about the boys and daily life...if only daily life weren't so time-consuming!

Movin' on up...

2010-01-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

The process of adopting from Ethiopia is very different than China's process. For Ethiopia, adoptive families go on a wait list with their agency, which is working with one or more orphanages. After children are brought into the orphanage and relinquished by their birth relatives, the agencies notify the waiting family on the top of the list that they have a new son or daughter. Everyone else on the wait list then moves up a spot.

On December 16, 2009, we were placed on our agencies wait list at #24. We have since moved up a spot.

And today another child was matched with their forever family. For me, it is always a bittersweet celebration. I'm thrilled that a family has just been matched with the child that they've been hoping for and dreaming of for so long. I'm thrilled that a child will not grow up in an orphanage but instead with a family that loves them. But for every child that gets referred to an adoptive family, there may be a birth family mourning their loss.

We are now #22 on our agencies waitlist...

Adventures in Ethiopian Cooking...

2010-01-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

Scott and I were required to bring an Ethiopian dish to our international adoption class' potluck. Though I am a lousy cook and have never made Ethiopian food before what concerned me most about this request was the fact that there were not one, but two, Ethiopian women in my class. So, I have to make Ethiopian food for Ethiopians?!?!?!?!

After looking over some recipes, I decided to try and make dabo kolo, a small bread type snack. It appealed to me as it only required one exotic ingredient and looked like something the whole family, Jack and Logan included, could make together.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups wheat flour
2 tablespoons berbere*
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons butter, softened (room temperature)

In a clean mixing bowl, combine and mix dry ingredients (flour, berberé, sugar, and salt).

Slowly add the water and mix so as to form a thick paste. Remove the mixture from the bowl and knead it on a lightly-floured surface for a few minutes to form a thick dough. Add the softened butter and knead for an additional five minutes. Let the dough rest in a cool place for ten minutes.

Divide the dough into handful-size pieces and roll these into long "pencils" not quite as thick as your small finger. Cut these rolls into pieces (scissors can be used), each piece no longer than the width of your finger. (Jack and Logan loved helping for this part.)

Heat an ungreased skillet over a medium heat. Place enough of the uncooked dabo kolo in the skillet to loosely cover the bottom. (They may have to be cooked in batches.) Cook over medium heat, stirring periodically, until they are lightly browned on all sides, -- OR -- Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake in a hot oven (350 degrees) for twenty to thirty minutes, stirring or shaking the pan a few times to prevent sticking.
When done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Store in dry air-tight containers.

* Berbere is a collection of finely ground spices including hot cayenne pepper, garlic, sweet paprika, ginger and cloves. I bought mine at a local Ethiopian merkato (market) but you can substitute cayenne pepper if you don't happen to have berbere in the spice pantry.

(This recipe is from Recipe Zaar.)

Luckily, when I was at the merkato buying berbere I bought some pre-made dabo kolo. We had never had it before so it was our control subject. The store bought varieties were very crunchy. Unfortunately, the ones we made were hard on the outside but a bit doughy in the middle. Next time we will try making them a lot skinnier.

We were told by one of the Ethiopian women in our class that she makes them without berbere and much much smaller. Knowing how Scott likes to experiment in the kitchen, I'm guessing there are some cinnamon dabo kolo in my future.

A New Christmas Tradition

2009-12-31T07:10:00.000-08:00

For the first time, I let Jack and Logan go to the store and pick one new Christmas ornament each. I showed Logan a retro wooden space ship. He said, "That's mine!" and that was the end of his search for the perfect ornament (which lasted a whole 3 seconds). Jack, on the other hand, looked and looked and deliberated. (He has some trouble making decisions.) He easily spent 20 minutes trying to choose (all the while Logan looked on with amusement while he clutched his ornament). In the end, Jack choose a little glass pig.

I think that the boys picking out a Christmas ornament each year could become a new tradition.

And though I wasn't planning on getting anything myself, these are the two ornaments were calling my name.

You can clearly see where my head is at...in China and Ethiopia.

The Slow Boat to China Takes a Detour

2009-12-17T23:08:00.000-08:00

Imagine my family on a boat. A boat moving very, very slowly. A boat headed to China very, very slowly. In fact, this boat could easily take 8 years to reach China where we are adopting our daughter. So we've decided to take a bit of a detour...to Ethiopia.

It has always been our plan to grow our family through biological and adopted children, specifically two each. After Jack was born, we got pregnant very quickly with Logan and realized that we would be putting off our adoption plans for a bit. About a year after Logan was born we started researching our adoption options. At the time, adopting our daughter from China seemed like the best fit for our family. We became "paper pregnant" on 8/13/08 and estimated an 8 year wait before we'd met our daughter.

Though we knew, intellectually, that the wait was long, we could not guess what the wait would actually feel like. After a year, it was wearing on us and we felt, since we have always planned on adopting two daughters, that maybe we should focus on starting a second adoption.

Two months ago, Scott and I began researching other countries from which we could do an adoption while still “staying in line” for China. We quickly realized that we also had a daughter in Ethiopia. After picking an agency we started compiling our dossier. This time around it only took us 5 weeks (as opposed to the China dossier that took more than 9 months).

Yesterday, 12/16/09, we officially became a waiting family...again! If all goes as planned, we should be matched with our daughter from Ethiopia in 6-9 months. Approximately, 8 weeks after that our paperwork will go to court and approximately 8 weeks after that we should travel to pick up our daughter. So, hopefully, in a year we will have our family of five home! We are thrilled to be starting on another journey to grow our family.

This slow boat is picking up steam to Ethiopia...

My Darlin' Clementine

2009-12-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

"Oh, my darlin'! Oh, my darlin'! Oh, my darlin' Clementine!"

Last year I inadvertently started a holiday tradition...a really yummy holiday tradition! And it was just too yummy to not repeat this year.

Here is a simple and easy recipe for chocolate and coconut dipped clementines. Make sure to get the kids involved...peeling and dipping and whatnot.

Ingredients:

clementines (sometimes referred to as an Algerian or seedless tangerine)

semi-sweet chocolate chips

sweetened shredded coconut

Peel and section the clementines
Fill a glass dish with chocolate chips and microwave in 30 second intervals (to ensure it doesn't burn) and stir
Dip each clementine section in the melted chocolate and then in a bowl of shaved coconut
Put the pieces on wax paper in the fridge to set

See, simple and yummy and fun for the whole family.

I am a Slummy Mummy...

2009-12-14T21:40:00.000-08:00

"Don't you sometimes feel like calling up one of those missing-persons hotlines and reporting your disappearance? 'Help, I don't know where I've gone, I got married, had children, gave up my job, made everyone around me happy, and then disappeared. Please send out a search party.' "

-Slummy Mummy by Fiona Neill

The Girl Effect

2009-12-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

Considering that we are adopting our daughters from a Second and a Third World country (or a Developing and an Under-Developed country), I am very interested in learning more about girls that live in poverty. And I'm open to finding ways to help them that will, in turn, help those around them.

Take a look at this very powerful video, The Girl Effect, to see what I'm taking about.

I've read Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time and am currently reading Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. Now it's time for me to act. And I think women, especially moms in America can make a huge difference. Interested in joining me?

Who's who?

2009-12-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

Which little monkey:

Always asks me the tough questions while I'm driving (like "do parents ever die before their kids?")?
Wouldn't stop watching TV though his show was over because he couldn't turn the TV off and if it's left on with no one watching it he considers it wasting electricity?
Draws his mama treasure maps where "X" marks a treasure chest with cookies?

Which little love bug:

Went out for an after dinner walk in a huge winter jacket, a pair of shorts, a baseball hat, an adult length scarf and Elton John style sunglasses (though it was after dark)?
Said his mama was "the best toast maker in the whole world!"?
Loves to vacuum and do laundry?

November in review

2009-12-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

November was both a slow but momentous month for our family. We didn't have much planned and the weather was still gorgeous so we spent a lot of time at parks.

The rest of our spare time was spent researching adoption agencies and getting paperwork together. Huh? Yes, we are pursuing another adoption though our first (a daughter from China) is still years away. We are excited to be getting back on this crazy rollercoaster to adopt a daughter from Ethiopia. More details to come soon...

In the meantime, here are a couple of photos from November.

The Sneaky Blogiversary

2009-12-02T18:43:00.000-08:00

I missed my blogiversary! I guess it's not terribly surprising considering how little I post nowadays...

A year ago, if you had told me that I would be faithfully writing 5 days a week, reading countless blogs, "meeting" friends online and even would have another blogger fly 2000 miles to stay with my family, I would have thought you were insane. But, that is just what happened...for about 8 months.

And during that time, if you had told me that I would stop reading my new friends' blogs and only write very sporadically, I would have told you were insane. But, that is just what happened...for about 4 months.

Blogging was a large and fulfilling part of my life. And I very much want to get back to it. I'm not sure what the hold up is though.

In any case, I wanted to mention my blogiversary...even if it is a day late.

The other side of the camera - School morning

2009-11-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

_______________________________________

School, glorious school! It seems wrong to say, but everything is better when school is in session. We are like a well-oiled machine...good eating, good schedules, good time apart, good time together. The kids are happy and I'm happy (which means that Scott is happy).

Here are the boys and I in front of their school on two of my workdays.

(Logan needs a little help in the "say cheese" department, huh?)

One of the best parts about schooldays actually takes places afterschool. Several moms and their kids stay on the playground for more than an hour. We are able to watch our kids easily in a very familiar environment while having some much needed adult conversation (even if 99% of it is about our kids).

October in review

2009-11-02T21:38:00.000-08:00

I used to be a rather dedicated blogger, writing 5 or 6 nights a week. But then I started having lapses... Somehow I'm a one month on, one month off kind of blogger now. And this is my month on but I'd still like to document the past month.

So, here it is in a photo nutshell.

What October would be complete with a trip to the pumpkin patch?

Let's not forget my favorite time of day...naptime!

After all that rest it's time to play! My little athletes:

We were lucky enough to have a visit from my parents. Ever patient Nana is always good for reading a book or yet another game of checkers.

Introducing...Super Granddad!

What trip from the grandparents wouldn't be complete without pony rides, mini-trains, beach picnics and a planetarium visit.

If it's October then there must be costumes and candy. Logan was a fireman and Jack wanted to be Batman. But because I don't think that character is age appropriate for a 4 year old and I'm too cheap to buy licensed character costumes, I encouraged Jack to invent his own superhero. Here he is as Super Lava Boy!
Whew! Now it's a fast moving train to Thanksgiving and Christmas...hold on tight!

More blogging, less candy...

2009-11-01T18:31:00.000-08:00

Someone somewhere decided that November was NaBloPoMo. (For those of you clueless (like I was moments before googling NaBloPoMo) it stands for National Blog Posting Month.) Apparently, the goal is to write a blog post every day in the month of November. Why would someone invent such a thing? I have no idea.

But I needed motivation to start writing again. So I'm taking up the NaBloPoMo challenge. With my track record of late though it more likely to be the NaBloPoEv3rdWe challenge...which would be National Blog Posting Every 3rd Week!

So, what does someone write about on the first day of November? Their adorable kids on Halloween and the whirling sugar-addicted dervishes they turn into the very next day, of course.

I had grand aspirations for what we would do with all the candy the boys got from trick-or-treating. I even started a blog post in September offering my readers suggestions for donating it, trading it in, leaving it for the Halloween fairy and doing science experiments with it. What is it they say about the best laid plans? The post never got finished and I never even followed through on the suggestions myself.

Today we tried the "eat all you want whenever you want" method for the second year in a row. For one day only we dump all Jack and Logan's candy in a huge bowl and set it on their little table. The only rule is that they are to sit on the chairs at the table to eat the candy. They don't have to ask if they can have something. They are allowed to eat whatever whenever for the whole day.

Last year this method worked great. They would take one lick of a lollipop and move on to try another flavor. They quickly realized that they didn't like the gummy body parts and tossed those in the trash. They liked the packages with multiple pieces of candy (M&Ms, Skittles, Nerds, etc.) and would open packages and dump them with other candies in small bowls and use their fingers to mix the different kinds together barely consuming any of it. I don't think they ever finished a whole piece of candy last year.

In the end, I considered it a success because though they may have eaten a ton of sugar in one day, they consumed way less than if I had doled one or two pieces out over the course of a month or two. In that scenario, they would have eaten those nasty gummy body parts because they would have been their one and only treat for the day. They would have finished each and every lollipop even if they thought there might be a better flavor out there. They would have eaten every package of M&Ms, Skittles and Nerds instead of being hypnotized by the bright colors and different sizes mixing together.

Today, the boys consumed way more candy than they did last year and there were way more tantrums than last year. I better get a new plan for next year. The only good thing is that all the candy will be gone at the end of the night and I didn't have to listen to my boys whine all day that they just wanted to eat one piece more.

Who's who?

2009-10-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

Which little monkey:

Was re-telling me about the time he went swimming in a river and said, "Mama, I saw a whole school of fish! But I didn't see their teacher"?
Gave his special sticker from his teacher to his brother because his brother didn't earn one?
Got so excited when my tooth (crown) fell out because he thought I could put it under my pillow and get a visit from the tooth fairy and then was so disappointed to find out that grown-ups' teeth have to be put back in their mouths?

Which little love bug:

Exited school, took off his baseball hat and offered me the cucumber that he had been keeping on top of his head since snack time?
Refers to the new kids at school, less than a year younger than him, as lil' fellas?
Whenever he is called to make a wish (on a star or with a coin in a fountain), wishes for a steak?

The Idiot's Guide to Gardening

2009-10-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

I'm quite sure that if I head over to Amazon and do a search for "Idiot's Guide" and "fruit and vegetable gardening," I'd find a book (or two or three) that would mention my husband and I by name.

Months and months ago, maybe even a year ago, Scott built two 4x2 foot raised containers so we could do some square foot gardening. Without doing any research about what would grow in our area and when, we set out with the boys and purchased seeds. To keep a short story short, I'll just say that possums, squirrels, our dog, the boys and myself contributed to the garden's demise. Sorry Scott...

After Logan recently decided that some chopped peanuts were really watermelon seeds and was desperate to plant them, did we decide to revive the garden. Once again without any research we set out with the boys and purchased seeds and seedlings. We spent one morning planting basil, peppers, lettuce, cantaloupe, broccoli, carrots, strawberries and a few others. The next day the boys made their own watering cans.

This was an activity I was planning on writing a Summer Survival post about. I'm a couple of months late but here it is:

Homemade watering cans:

This is a project that I like for a couple of reasons...it reuses trash and saves me money because I didn't have to buy new. The watering cans are made from plastic milk jugs. After cleaning them well, you'll need to use a hammer and nail to poke holes in the lids.

Then the kids can get their hands on them to decorate them. We used markers and foam stickers.

Fill them with water and the they are ready to go!

After a little less than two weeks (and some watering help from Papa), this is what our garden now looks like: