Have kids. Will travel.

Ahhh...travel...

My love for road trips began when my folks took my brother and I to copper mines and old growth forests, waterfalls and caves, sand dunes and the S.S. Badger.  We didn't often travel far, but made the most of beautiful northern Michigan and the few long road trips we did go on.  In high school I was privileged to broaden my horizons by going to Hawaii with my family and Washington D.C. with my classmates and teachers.  My first international venture was at the age of twenty when I went on a 5 1/2 week missions trip to Scotland, where we stayed in a castle (yes, really!)  During college there were many road trips with friends; and after college, I traveled to Hong Kong (while it was still in the hands of the British...I first fell in love with the people of HK back then), China, England, Greece, and Paris.   When newly married, Michael and I lived near Baltimore Maryland and loved taking in the historic sites in the area.  After he died, I was determined that my "single mom" status wasn't going to prevent travel.  I took my first huge road trip with the kids when The Philosopher was six and Little Pud was three.  And by huge, I mean nearly three thousand miles.  It was a wonderful adventure!  Since that time, we have taken many road trips, some large and some small.  And of course we have taken two special trips to Hong Kong to add to our family.

Super-T has been a pretty good traveler since he came home, joining us on our first big road trip after being home for six months.  He has his quirks, but over all is pretty good about it.  Unfortunately he has very few things he actually enjoys doing, but fortunately riding in the car is one of them and swimming is another, so if we can get a hotel with a pool after a long drive, we are golden.

Super-T hanging out in front of The Philosopher's tent. 

I have been eager to see how Baby Girl would do on a road trip.  She has two attributes that could make travel difficult:  she is completely tube-fed and she is a TODDLER.  We took our first little "test" road trip this weekend to The Philosopher's Civil War reenactment, and I learned that my sweet and spunky girl is a fabulous traveler!  We drove less than three hours away, so if it was horrible, we could get home relatively quickly, but there was no need.  The tube-feeding went off without a hitch (just took a bit of planning ahead since I am feeding her a diet of blenderized food rather than formula) and even the toddlerness wasn't much of an issue.  Best of all, Baby Girl had fun, slept great, and LOVED the water just as much as Super-T. 

BRRR!!!  It was a COLD weekend!  So cold they canceled the final day.

Although I was very pleased with the success of our little endeavor, I did learn a few things.

Here are my top five lessons learned:

1.  When you are a single mom of four kids, getting everyone ready will take you a full hour longer than you think it will (even when two of the four kids are excellent helpers and the other two are not terrible anti-helpers.)  This proved true both going and coming and getting to an event on Saturday.

2.  Five people need a LOT of stuff, even for just two nights (especially when one of said people is a toddler tubie and another is a Civil War reenactor who doesn't believe in leaving his civilian clothes behind).  Corollary to #2 is that five people make a lot of laundry in a weekend. 

3.  Electronics are your friend, especially when used strategically rather than indiscriminately.  I am so thankful that my mom suggested that I bring my laptop so Super-T and Baby Girl could watch their The Wiggles DVD (a mutual favorite).  They only watched it once each day, but it bought me precious minutes each time.  And I doubt if we could have made it happily through the weekend without Super-T's iPod for his music.  It kept him content while we hung out in the car while I fed Baby Girl.

4.  Get a suite.  Seriously.  With a door that closes.  That way you can have a moment to yourself while the kids sleep in the other room.  And everyone doesn't have to sneak around trying not to wake the baby in the morning.   Bonus if your suite has a full kitchen (ours didn't this time). 

5.  I need to get in shape.  After two days of carrying 25 pounds of toddler around for hours up and down hills and across fields during the day and then swimming with the kids in the evenings, I am sore.  Thank goodness for my Ergo.  No stroller could have gone where we did this weekend, Baby Girl had good bonding time, and there is no way I could have carried her in my arms all those hours.  My back feels fine, but various muscles are really feeling it.

The benefit of having the last day cancelled:  The Philosopher got to stay with us and SWIM!

Bonus lesson:  A trip is not a vacation for mom.  It is fun.  It is educational.  It makes memories.  It builds family bonds.  It is not a break.  I plan to schedule some down time this week to get recharged.  To me it is so worth it to make memories and learn in a fun and interesting way.  

First snow!

Today Baby Girl experienced her first snow!   She wasn't quite sure what to think of it all, but by the end of our time outside she was smiling and saying "hooray!"

What is this cold white stuff?

The sandbox bulldozer became a snowplow.

It was our cat Luthien's first snow, too.

The Philosopher and Little Pud enjoyed sledding.

Sleds are even fun on flat ground!  (Notice my daffodils coming up in the background.)

Luthien followed us around like a puppy dog.  Both snow first-timers later took long naps in the warm house.

Baby Girl was so bundled up, she could barely stand.

The Philosopher built her a tiny snow wall and lobbed tiny snowballs at her so she could experience her first "snowball fight."  He then helped her throw snowballs.

My only regret was that I had already taken Super-T to school by the time the snow started accumulating.  One benefit of homeschooling is the ability to take the morning for a snow day (it was really wet and rather warm so we knew it wouldn't stay long) and still get school done in the afternoon.  Unfortunately this afternoon Super-T had to be happy with just a short walk through the slushy snow.  His first snow experience was one to remember, though.  It happened just days after he got home.  Jet-lagged and stunned, he still enjoyed the white stuff.  Below are a couple of pictures since I wasn't blogging then.

What is that stuff falling from the sky?

January 29, 2010   Super-T had been home for two days. 

And now I am ready for SPRING!

New Year--New Books!

On January first of every year, each of my children receive a new book.  Sometimes these are special books like The Hobbit or Roxaboxen or Blueberries for Sal; other times they are just cool books that happened to be on sale.  This year I went with the "on sale" theory (or, more accurately, "on-sale-plus-free-shipping-from-Amazon") and ended up with hits all around.  This is a great tradition (if I do say so myself).  One that I started when I discovered that books didn't really pack a huge bang for a Christmas gift, but I still wanted to give them, and the kids really do like them long-term.  Besides what other gift do you get to write a sappy inscription on for posterity to see?  Well, they may not pack much bang on Christmas, but they are appreciated on New Year's Day, when everyone is ready to snuggle down and take it easy.

Tubie newbie

I haven't forgotten to blog!  What I did almost forget is how intense it is to transition a new family member home even when everything is going great.  And it is going great!  We got home on Friday after the LONGEST flight ever.  But that day is behind us now and all is well.  The main hiccup is that Baby Girl and I each caught a little cold.  We are both doing fine, but it wasn't exactly what we wanted for our first few days home.  Fortunately I already had a doctor appointment scheduled for her and the doc said her lungs sound fine.  Poor sweetie was just congested in her head.  She really was only super-miserable for one afternoon (coinciding with the doctor appointment).  She is doing great now.  Just a little left-over cough and slightly runny nose.  The past two nights she slept twelve hours each night!!!  Unfortunately that also meant that no naps were taken.  I think it will take us another week or two to figure out a workable schedule.  Just last night was my first decent night of sleep in weeks (excitement, adrenaline, millions of details, plus jet lag are not a very sleep-inducing combination).  I think we are all on the right track now, though.

The other tricky thing is that I am on the tube-feeding learning curve.  Baby Girl is currently fed via g-tube so I am having to learn all the ins and outs of that.  It is really not difficult, but is taking a fair amount of my mental energy.  Pretty soon I'll be an old pro at it, and hopefully not too long after that Baby Girl will be eating by mouth.  She actually is much further along towards that goal than I thought she was.  There really is no medical reason currently for her to be on a g-tube, but when you are an orphan with feeding problems who lives in a hospital in a first-world country with good medical care, you get a feeding tube (orphans in third world countries in the same situation often die or become extremely malnourished).  I am SO THANKFUL for her tube, but ready to get rid of it at the same time.  Super T had a g-tube until he was about 3 or so I have high hopes.  Super-T is now a champion eater.

So that is the bad and the ugly, but mostly it is all GOOD.  Seriously this girl is AMAZING!!!  I really think that word is over-used by so many people, but in this case it really applies!  We all are crazy about her.  In fact one of the no-nap days was because the big kids had been out seeing The Hobbit with Grandma (for the second time--both saw it on opening day:  Little Pud overseas with our relatives and The Philosopher with his friends and his Pa--yes, I am the only family member who will not be seeing this in the theater, but Baby Girl is oh-so-worth it...there is always DVD) and just had to go visit her when they got back.  She was not quite asleep and that was the end of that nap.

Well, I am starting to ramble.  I'd better go feed Baby Girl (one benefit of tube feeding: you can feed the kiddo while they are sound asleep) and then get to bed.  Morning comes early around here.


{Sorry no pictures today.  I won't be allowed to post any pictures of Baby Girl's smiling face until after her adoption is finalized (likely a year because of our slow court system in my county...ugh!).  I will take pictures that don't show her face, though, and post them, but not until life has settled down a bit.}

All packed and ready to go...

Suitcases are in the living room waiting to be hauled out first thing in the morning.  I just have a few little miscellaneous small things to pack (like this computer) and the kitchen to clean up, then to bed.

This week has been a whirlwind!  Last Tuesday I received my HCO, but with it news that Baby Girl was in the hospital.  No news (and lots of crying by yours truly) on Wednesday.  I knew travel could be soon, but with no news on Baby Girl's condition I was just a blubbering mess with no motivation to get things done.  Then that happy phone call last Thursday and the flurry of activity began!  With exactly one week notice to travel and LOTS to do, including complicated logistics for the double-booked Philosopher (solved by backing out of an event) and getting people (wonderful people, I might add!) to fill in for my monthly widows' meeting (REALLY hate to miss it especially since we have fun plans and Christmas can be a tough time for widows), I was a bit of a stress basket, but a happy one!

Thanks to a LOT of help from my lovely friends and family we made it!  I am so thankful for the people who helped me out, from the friends who came over to help organize my chronically disorganized house, to the babysitter who was incredibly helpful and had fun with the kids at the same time; from my mom who did many loads of laundry and rescued Super-T from being stranded at school when the bus forgot to bring him home (long story and it turns out it wasn't my fault!), to the friend who made Baby Girl a gorgeous quilt with her name on it; from friends who called with encouraging words, to friends who dropped by with financial gifts and hugs.  It has been an incredible week, full of surprises and provision in every area!  I seriously could not list everything that has happened and still make it to bed at a decent time.  So many things happened with perfect timing...tax refund deposited (WOW!), info on a less expensive therapy chair/high chair, vitally informative books came in the mail (just in time for airplane reading), a dear friend who makes jewelry made me an absolutely beautiful bookmark (you really have no idea how happy that made me...it's the little things!).  Really just so many many things.  It could only be God.

I am so thankful.  And excited.  I am definitely excited, with butterflies in my stomach.  Baby Girl is coming home!

 

Forty-two and scattered

Yesterday was my birthday, however I am not going to blame the scattered nature of this post on my age (as far as I am concerned forty-two is still very young.)  I am going to blame it on the excited anticipation of happy news within the next week.  I have many lists going and much to do and the High Court Order isn't here yet, but it really looks like Baby Girl will be home for Christmas.  I am so excited!!!!  In light of that fact I though I'd do a catch-all post about several things because time will be even scarcer than normal soon (and I'm not exactly known for frequent posting under the best of circumstances.)

First, a reminder.  I am a widow and I lead a young widows' group at my church.  Being this close to so many losses really reminds me of how the holidays are not always happy times for everyone.  Please take a moment to remember and pray for those for whom Thanksgiving and Christmas are just two more huge reminders of loss and loneliness.  My friend Heather wrote beautifully and briefly about this first holiday season without her mom.  I highly recommend it to get a personal perspective on holidays and loss.  Maybe you have a friend who lost a parent, a spouse, a child, or significant other.  Make some time this holiday season to care about them and their pain.

Next up:  now is the time to support Reece's Rainbow's Angel Tree.  Yesterday the kids and I chose our Christmas angels and donated to them.  There is a button over on the right of my blog or use the link above to donate to your own angel.  This grant money will help their family bring them home.  Maybe one of these angels is supposed to be your son or daughter!  What they need most is a family!

Widows and orphans.  My themes.

If you would rather donate to deserving orphans AND have a chance at a fabulous giveaway go visit The Wannderers.  My friend Stori has a wonderful giveaway going on to support her Angel Tree baby and two older orphans, including my sweetie Suzanne, who I have mentioned a number of times on this blog.  Even if you are choosing another angel baby, go to Stori's blog to see the effects of institutionalization on these orphans with Down syndrome.  Heartbreaking.

Sweet Suzanne, where is your mommy?

Now on to happier thoughts, and why I advocate for orphans...last year at this time Super-T officially and legally became a member of our family.  Here was my birthday post from last year.

Super-T banged the judges gavel on the microphone.
Good thing the papers were already signed.  Ha! Ha!

One final super-happy thought!  Last year I was advocating for one specific little girl, "Jovie" on the Angel Tree.  I set up a separate blog called Joy Down in My Heart for that.  Early in the Angel Tree, Jovie was place on the "My Family Found Me" page.  

I am THRILLED to announce that sweet "Jovie" is now home with her new family!!!    

They just got home last week!  How do I know?  Because Jovie and Baby Girl were in the same orphanage.

The place is emptying out!!!

Baby Girl, mommy is coming SOON!!!

It is so exciting to see God putting families together! 

Won't you say "yes" to whatever "yes" He has for you?  

It could be adopting.

It could be sponsoring.
It could be encouraging those who are adopting.

It could be bringing a meal to a family who just brought their little one home.
 Won't you say "yes" to whatever "yes" He has for you?

Down syndrome awareness month

October is Down syndrome awareness month.  Obviously people with Down syndrome (two in particular) are near and dear to my heart.  Baby Girl and Super-T have that extra chromosome that makes them uniquely special.  Fortunately, their birth country has the resources and compassion to provide excellent medical and educational care for individuals with Down syndrome.  In many countries children with Down syndrome are placed in mental institutions, not provided with adequate medical care or nutrition, and sometimes outright abused. 

Over at Zero the Zeros there is a post that grabbed my attention.  It is called "Brokenhearted."  Go check it out for yourself.  This is unimaginable, but it is real.

Meanwhile today on Facebook this lovely article from 2008 has been circulating:  http://cnsnews.com/news/article/football-legend-would-pick-his-down-syndrome-son-over-normal-child

What is the difference between Gene Stallings' son Johnny and the children whose pictures are in Brokenhearted?  Think about it.  I think one major difference is the love of a parent.  Even Super-T, who had great care and people who loved him, blossomed once he was in his own family.  When I saw the changes in him I was astonished.  To think that a child who had good medical care and love and a good school and opportunities to go on outings and consistent care and travel and birthday parties and Christmas presents and love (almost all of which are completely unknown to most orphans with Down syndrome around the world), to think that Super-T blossomed and thrived after joining his very own forever family, imagine, just imagine, what it would do for these little malnourished unloved children.  Come to think of it, you don't have to imagine.  You can see for yourself.  Here is Katie's adoption story.  http://theblessingofverity.com/2012/10/the-story-of-katies-adoption/  Katie was 9 1/2 years old and weighed 10 pounds 9 ounces when her mother brought her home last November.  See what eleven months with a family who loves her has done for this precious little one.

If you are interested in helping orphans, Katie's mom has a post on what you can do to help.
Or you can support one of the many families or children on Reece's Rainbow, a wonderful ministry that advocates for orphans with Down syndrome and other special needs.  Also Buddy Walks for Down syndrome awareness are happening all over the country this month.  Join one and see what fun we have!

My own precious waiting sweetheart with an extra chromosome is walking and loves books according to a family who visited her this week.  Although her country won't let me show her face, I can show you her plump little arms and adorable shoes.  I can hardly wait to see how she will blossom even more when she is finally home with a sister and brothers and mommy of her own.

I'm in love!

Yesterday I received a surprise package from my agency. In the package was an updated child study on Baby Girl, new photos, and an eighteen minute video of my sweetie!!! (Just filmed on Monday!)

This is the first time we have seen her in action. It is also the first time I have seen her smile (all of her previous pictures were serious, sad, or with an irritated expression. A lot of them were also blurry, and now I know why.

She is amazing and beautiful, smart and active, funny and strong! I am just stunned that I get to be this adorable little girl's mommy! I think I'd better go re-childproof my house, though. She is going to keep us on our toes! She is standing on her own and can even play the tambourine and/or dance while standing unsupported. Her child-study says she can take about four steps unassisted, but the video didn't show that. What it did show was her scooting on her tush, crawling, standing, dancing, playing, looking at a book, laughing, smiling, responding, and so much more. The whole family is absolutely in love with her. The waiting hadn't gotten painful at all before yesterday. Well, suddenly it has. The three to four more months I will have to wait stretch out in front of me. I feel I could go crazy, but I won't...I'll enjoy my current kiddos, spend as much time with them as I can, and rethink the storage in the lower cabinets in my kitchen.

Since I can't post a picture of Baby Girl, I will post a picture of the other three taken just after The Philosopher got back from his first Boy Scout high adventure trip. He spent nearly a week canoeing the Minnesota Boundary Waters! We sure missed him, but he had an incredible time. Maybe someday I'll actually post about the fun stuff we did this summer, but right now my brain is all in the future, and it seems that future isn't coming fast enough.

The money post

Here is the long-promised money post with a general adoption update at the end. This is a relatively low cost adoption. Almost the only way to adopt with lower expenses is to adopt through the foster care system in the U.S.

For anyone who is interested, here is the breakdown of Baby Girl's adoption costs:

Application Part #1..............................$50 (paid 10/25/11)
Application Part #2............................$300 (paid 11/18/11)
International Adoption Seminar........$85 (paid 11/30/11)
Program Management Fee #1......$2500 (paid 12/27/11)
Home study fee (Hague)................$1750 (paid 12/27/11)
Program Management Fee #2......$2500 (paid 3/6/12)
Refundable deposit..........................$500 (paid 3/6/12)
USCIS fees........................................$720 (paid 3/7/12)
USCIS fingerprinting fee...................$85 (paid 3/7/12)
Post placement fee........................$1400 (paid 8/8/12)
International fees...........................$1500
Travel................................approx. $5000
Finalization.......................approx. $1000
USCIS N-600 (citizenship).............$550

The total comes to just under $18,000, but doesn't include physicals for everyone in the family, background checks, extra adoption education, printer ink (!), Fed Ex fees, etc. I would estimate the total for all the miscellaneous has been about $500 for this adoption, BUT you'll notice the refundable deposit up there (already paid). I will receive that back once Baby Girl's adoption has been finalized and she has her citizenship. So the grand total, still is under $18K.

The Finalization fee will be paid directly to an attorney after Baby Girl has been home for six months and after our court date. Remember that with Super-T? And AFTER that can we apply for her citizenship, so $1550 of the total is a LONG way off (possibly as much as 2 years). In fact the other $7900 is still quite a ways off, also. Most of it will be paid at travel (some even after travel), so likely in early 2013. The front end costs of this adoption are all paid! Yippee!

Now the general adoption update: I received new pictures and a tiny update about Baby Girl. She is growing and starting to pull up to standing. She is out of the hospital and at a great child care facility where she is getting therapy and lots of love (very unusual in orphan situations). I wish I could share her cute pictures!

On this end of things, I am almost to the end of the "second trimester" of this paper pregnancy. I am about to enter The Long Wait. Next week I have my fingerprinting appointment, shortly after that I should have immigration pre-approval (don't worry I'll let you know when I get it), then the WAITING begins in earnest. Good thing I have a bathroom remodel to keep me busy.



P.S. Less than two more days to add to the stew! See the Mulligan Stew button on the sidebar. And only 4 more days to get a deal on StelCon:Infinity on Kickstarter. That button is on the sidebar also.

Game Geeks

My eldest child, The Philosopher (formerly known as LOTL for Lord of the Legos) is quite the chip off the ol' block.  He is my late husband's mini-me.  I have had the unique opportunity to experience some of the nature vs. nurture debate in real time, up-close-and-personal.  

You would be shocked to know the random things that appear to be inherited rather than taught. (Incidentally, this is also fascinating to me as an adoptive parent.) I wish I would have written down all of the little things that appear to be genetic, but this post is about one that I found out about over the past two days.  You see, The Philosopher was just two and half when his daddy died.  Michael and The Philosopher enjoyed a very close relationship, but two and a half years is not a lot of time for teaching things like strategy board games.  

Michael had a great love for all games, especially Axis and Allies and similar strategy/war games.  The Philosopher has begged me for YEARS to teach him how to play Axis & Allies.  Although I have played a number of times myself, I am hardly qualified to teach it, especially when our set is missing the rules.  The Philosopher ended up dragging our beat-up old game from the attic and making up his own rules for the little planes, soldiers, and boats.

Fast forward to earlier this week.  We have a family friend who is a game designer.  I have known Russ Rupe for almost 30 years (he and my brother were in school together and have been great friends ever since, and Russ is like another brother to me.)  Russ emailed me to see if The Philosopher would be interested in learning how to play Warlords of Europe.  They were planning on coming to town for spring break, Russ thought it was time to teach his son to play, and wondered if The Philosopher was interested.

Of course, The Philosopher was ecstatic about the idea, and Tuesday was the day.

The Game-Designer; his adorable, witty, and super-smart son; and The Philosopher

Warlords of Europe is a game designed by Russ and his partners.  I sat in for some of the instruction, and Russ's brilliant wife, a doctor of The Pregnancy Companion fame, also learned to play at the same time he was teaching the boys.  The shocker came when they were doing initial placements.  Russ actually used The Philosopher's visual planning (photo captured below) as an example of "what to do."  Hmmm...the boy didn't get that from me, but I have seen Michael do something very similar many times.  Heredity?  Maybe...

I didn't get to hang around for the whole couple of hours they played, after all I have two other children who don't seem to have the strategy game gene, but I was there for a significant part of the teaching, which turned out to be a good thing because my dad decided to purchase a copy of Warlords of Europe for The Philosopher right then and there.  Thanks, Pa!

Guess what we did ALL DAY yesterday?

Wonderful tiny plastic guys all cozy in their 2 mil sleeping bags. 

For the record: the boy's got skillz.  He trounced me.  It only took from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.  I stayed in my flannel pj's All Day Long.  Yep.  One of those.  Good thing it was raining all day to set the proper mood and eliminate garden-guilt.  And good thing the other kids were unusually mellow and happy to play with Super-T's iPad (thanks Mission iPossible!) and listen to audio books most of the day.  And Conquest Gaming has incredible customer service.  Within minutes of posting a rule dispute on Russ's Facebook wall he called me on my cell phone to settle it (okay, so maybe that was a bit of a special case, but they are a GREAT small company and if you are a gamer you should consider supporting them.)

My guys are the red dudes.  Apparently they didn't practice their fighting skills because the dice sure didn't roll in my favor.  That, in addition to some tactical blunders, did me in.  The Philosopher was the massive green/black army below.  This was right before he took my last castle at 5:00 p.m. 

In spite of the horrible luck and wimpy strategy I displayed, it was a really fun game.  I truly enjoyed it and look forward to playing again (and no, it won't take that long every time...we were in learning mode and had to stop to read the rules a lot, plus we did take some breaks to play with Super-T and Little Pud--the other kids weren't totally ignored).

But the best part?

  

The BEST part was spending the day with my son, seeing his father in him as he thought through some seriously complex strategies, and listening for the rest of the evening about how it was "The Best Day Ever."

...of course, now The Philosopher wants a copy of Stelcon: Infinity, Russ's next game... 

P.S.  A huge THANK YOU  to Russ Rupe for teaching my boy this game.  As a single mom, it really meant the world to me that my son got to learn something that his dad would have taught him if he was here.   I surely do appreciate the men in our lives that step up to do things like this for my kids.  It is GREATLY appreciated!!!

A bloody mystery

We interrupt our regularly scheduled post to bring you this hideous mystery that occurred late last night.

Around 11:30 p.m., when I opened the door to the garage to bring in the dog for the night, I was shocked to see a huge pool of blood on top of the dryer.  I stepped down into the garage for a closer look.  Sure enough, puddling around the hammer, bicycle helmet, baseball mitts, and other garage oddments, was a large amount of bright red blood.

Immediately thoughts started flashing through my mind.  Is the dog okay? (Never mind asking how his blood would get on top of the dryer.)  Yes, the dog is fine...  Maybe a critter of some sort is lying behind all of that junk bleeding to death...Eewww!  Could the dog have attacked something without making a ruckus?

I stepped in even closer and tentatively reached out.  I smelled something...hmmm...something sweet and fruity.

Then I see it: a five-pound bag of formerly-frozen raspberries that I set on the dryer "for a few minutes" the night before while I rearranged the chest freezer.

Nothing like a late-night mystery turned clean-up project to cap off a Saturday.

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And because the above episode went sadly un-photo-documented.  Here are a few pictures from our fun earlier in the day.  (All the while, unbeknownst to me, those berries were bleeding all over my dryer.)

Yesterday afternoon we went to an area-wide Campfire event.  The "rope" bridge was a favorite of the day.

 

Little Pud enjoyed the archery.  (The Philosopher, in all of his Boy Scout "I'm-getting-an-archery-merit-badge" glory thought the very nice Campfire volunteers treated him like a kindergartener.)

We all always enjoy a good "nature" hike, especially when the area is full of fun stuff like giant suspended spools and tires (so natural!)

Did you have any fun times or unusual happenings this weekend?

School daze

Ha!  Ha!  I'm so clever.  Did you see that title?

Seriously though, people, I have been homeschooling for about seven years.  From before my first child was born, my husband and I planned on homeschooling our children "differently."  You see, the educational system was not a good fit at all for Michael and he knew we could do better.  I was sympathetic to this because, although I did well in a traditional classroom setting, I knew many people who were very intelligent, but did not do well there.  I also had been a high school and junior high math teacher and had seen first-hand that my most brilliant students did not always make the highest grades and some of my "low" students would have probably done fine if they hadn't been damaged by years of being taught contrary to their style of learning.

--I am in real danger of digressing here, but I am going to reign myself in and not go into the eight hundred other thoughts I have on this topic.--

It turns out that I was super-fortunate to be able to stay home with my kiddos after my husband died so I have had the opportunity to live our dream.  I'll save what it looks like to homeschool "differently" at our house for another post, but suffice it to say that my research and theories and God's guidance are paying off and The Philosopher and Little Pud are thriving in our unorthodox style.

Enter Super-T.  Of course I planned to homeschool him as well.  He will learn like the other children, just a bit more slowly...right?  Well, come to find out, teaching Super-T is a whole 'nuther ball of wax.  (Where did I get that expression?  Is it a real cliche' or did I make it up?)  I kept Super-T home for nearly two years.  The first few months were all about bonding and learning to live in our family and also contained The Great Language Explosion (where Super-T went from having a vocabulary of about 25 words he said/signed to having around 100 words.)  We then moved on to reading, but still the focus was really on becoming a family and dealing with some sensory issues.  What I found out is that for Super-T learning does not come as automatically as it did for my other children.  He is happy to just zone out and/or listen to music.  He also can be quite resistant to learning even though he is very smart and learns super-fast when it is something that interests him.

After praying about it, I finally knew it was the right time to put Super-T in school.  I never thought I'd have a child in public school.  Ever.  It has been a whole new world of IEP's and assessments.  And do you know what?  I have had to eat humble pie.  Super-T is THRIVING!  He has now been in school for eight weeks.  He is currently going half days, which is great because it lets me still work with him in the afternoons without him being exhausted.  He loves school and his teacher told me he is like a sponge, learning so quickly.  And I am seeing the difference in what we do at home.

I have always said that schooling is a decision that each family needs to prayerfully and informedly make for themselves.  Now I am living that belief.  Homeschooling is not for every parent or every child or for all time.  Neither is public school or Christian school.  Each child, each parent, and each situation is unique.  I know without a doubt that I am doing right by all three of my kiddos and my horizons have been widened.  For that I am thankful.


P.S.  For those of you who have asked.  Our first Widow's Might meeting went great!  Thank you for your prayers and ideas for the future of this ministry!

P.P.S.  I think I may have coined a word: informedly...is this a real word?

Celebrate good times!

How did we celebrate Super-T's second Family Day?  

Field trip to our friend's farm:

Super-T loves animals! The goats were his favorites.

Tiny baby calf...so soft.

This piglet was a super squealer!

This cow was friendly and wanted us to pet her.

Little Pud loves horses!

  Quick stop to fill up with gas:

Okay, so this wasn't so much a part of our celebration as that I happened to have the camera with me on our way home from the farm and couldn't resist capturing my girl's unique style and love for helping mom pump gas.

Dinner at a Chinese restaurant:

Although the food was good at this "authentic" restaurant (much better than at the typical Chinese mega-buffet), it couldn't compare to the delicious food we ate in Hong Kong.   We sure enjoyed it, though.  These kids clean up pretty good, don't you think?

Making Valentines for veterans at Campfire:

It was a perfect day to celebrate my little Chinese-American boy!  We love you, Super-T!