Will's Big Day

I'm sorry for my long absence, but my computer has been out of commission. The problem has now been resolved (mostly-I think I have permanently lost some photos, a file I was working on, and my checkbook balance-anybody know a computer geek that can help me?), so I am back!

Anyhoo, we celebrated Will's 5th birthday with a party on Saturday. We once again had the traditional backyard party with the kiddie pool. For some reason, my kids never get tired of this. And who am I to complain? It is pretty much the cheapest party a mommy could throw. Burgers, dogs, fruit salad, cake and ice cream, plus all the family and friends we can cram into a house. This year, Ben decided to make presents for Will. He made a bird out of a seashell and paper, and he made a chain of green paper. Will liked his gifts, and I thought it was very sweet.

All in all, it was a great day. Will told me it was the best party anybody ever had. He sure knows how to melt a mommy's heart:)

The First Day of Pre-K

Will is very fond of saying that he isn't in preschool, he is in Pre-K. When you are newly turned 5, the distinction is important. He is attending the same school he did last year, and will have the same teachers and classmates, except now he will go 3 mornings a week. He loves school, and we are excited about starting a new year. I am proud of this guy!

The annual Daddy and Will First Day of School Breakfast..Going into his classroom...

Ben's First Day of First Grade

Today was the day we have all (at least in my household) been waiting for. The day our first baby went to all-day, every-day school. First grade. Serious business. Ben has been very excited, but naturally, I have had mixed feelings. Yes, he loves school, so I am excited that he will learn so many new things. I am also excited about his teacher this year, who everyone tells me will be a perfect fit for my structured little boy. On the other hand, it saddens me that we can't go on vacation at the drop of a hat (although we never actually did that:) or go to see the grandparents in the middle of the week (which we did).

But I have to say, after the past two weeks, with all three of my children driving each other insane with their pestering, I was beyond ready to send him off to school. I love him, but if he hit his brother one more time (or vice-versa), I was going to scream.

On Friday, we went to Open House to see his classroom and meet the teacher. Ben's only question for his teacher was, "Where is all of your stuff?" Mrs. H and I were a bit confused by this. On the way home, I realized what he meant. His Kindergarten classroom was full of toys. Let's just say that 1st grade is a little bit different. I explained this to him, putting the teacher spin on it about how he might have to work harder, but this meant there would be more time to learn cool stuff like geography and math and reading books (yes, I know I am a dork). He seemed ok with it. We shall see.

Anyway, the first day was a success. He got to sit with some buddies from last year that are in his class again for lunch. He told me all about how important numbers are to everyday life (which apparently they discussed in math today), and he rode the bus home from school. He even was eager to do his homework. He said his favorite part was recess. I am thankful that he is enjoying school.

The annual Daddy and Ben First Day of School Breakfast...

Going in his classroom...

PS: In case you missed my last post, I am still having computer issues, so don't be surprised if I go missing again soon...

Kate's Big Night Out

Strangely, I find myself alone tonight... shocking, I know. Tim was taking the boys down to Mimi's to drop them off for a few days, and Kate kept saying, "Go Mimi's?" over and over again. I kept saying, "No, honey, Mommy and NaNa are staying here. The boys are going to Mimi's." Not the answer she wanted to hear. When I explained to her that if she went to Mimi's, Mommy and Daddy would not be there to put her to bed at night, she decided she didn't really want to go after all.

That lasted about 5 minutes, and then she changed her mind. (A girl always reserves the right to change her mind, after all.) I explained the situation once again, and she said she understood, and she repeated it back to me, in ASL and with words. I said, "I won't be there, so you can't sleep with Mommy." She said, "Sleep Arlie's bed." Hmmm, I'm not sure that Arlie will be thrilled at the prospect of getting kicked out of his bed by a 2 year old.

I called Mimi to explain the situation to her, and of course she was willing to give it a try. (Such a brave, Mimi.) I told her that if tonight is a complete disaster, I will come get her...first thing in the morning:)

In other news, I seem to be surrounded by terrible, horrible news. Not for myself, really, but for some people I know, and for many people that I don't know. Death, sickness, kidnappings, newly united adoptive families being separated by bureaucracy... all kinds of heart wrenching things. And so I find myself crying over my computer and crying out to God. It's probably a good thing that I'm alone tonight. I'm not trying to depress you, but just share what is on my heart.

Last, my laptop is having issues again. Hopefully they will be resolved soon, but until then, I will be largely MIA.

Musical Beds

Normally my kids are great sleepers. If they weren't, I would be a lot more grouchy than I already am. However, they occasionally play musical beds. It goes something like this-

First, everyone starts out in their own beds, and everyone is happy. About 1 am one of the children (last night it was Kate), wakes up upset and can't get back to sleep. Again, usually they go right back to sleep, but sometimes it just isn't happening. Last night Kate was very upset, and I stayed with her for over an hour. Naturally, I dozed off hanging off the bed, and I woke up with a crick in my neck. At that point, she was still awake, and I was sore, so I took her to my bed where she slept on top of me for another hour or so.

I finally got her rolled off of me and fell asleep myself, when Will comes in the room to tell me he's had a nightmare. Could he get in bed with us? If I had been more conscious, I would've taken him back to his room, but I just scooted over and let him in. It only took a matter of minutes to figure out that four people in a double bed was not going to work.

So I got up and went to Will's bed. It really is the most comfortable one in the whole house, so I was glad it was a nightmare, rather than an accident, that had woken him up. I was just dozing off, when I feel someone standing over me. I refused to open my eyes, but I heard, "Get outta my spot." Grrrrr.

Fine, I will go back to my own bed. I go in to find Kate sprawled out on my side. Reverse, go to Kate's room. Fall back to sleep around 4:00 or so. Thankfully that was the end of the game until 8:00, when it briefly started again.

I should be thankful. There have been nights when all five of us are involved, and no one wakes up in the right bed. Sometimes the kids end up in our bed, and we end up in theirs. Oh well, this too shall pass. But for now I just want a nap. By myself, preferably.

Summer Lovin'

There are so many things that I love about summer time. I love the heat, the lazy days, the thunderstorms (is it me, or are they bigger in the summer?), and the late sunsets. But I think my favorite part of summer is the food. I love all of the fresh fruits and veggies that are everywhere. I hardly ever use a canned or frozen food in the summer because everything is so plentiful and yummy. And you know there are foods you only eat in the summer, because they just taste better.

Recently I was craving one of those foods. Blackberry Cobbler. Oh, yeah. When I was a kid, there were blackberry bushes across from our house, and we would go out and eat the yummy things until we were sick. Then Mom would make a cobbler with the ones we didn't eat. Mmmm. When we lived in Versailles, I had a good friend who showed me the easiest cobbler recipe in the world. Beware, the sugar content alone will send you over the edge, but it is sooo, so good. And totally worth the calories. I mean, it's not like I eat this stuff year round, right?

Janet's Blackberry Cobbler
3/4 stick of butter
1c self-rising flour (or if you are like me and only keep all-purpose, add 3 1/2 tsp baking powder & 1/2 tsp salt to all-purpose flour)
1c sugar + 3/4 c sugar
3/4c milk
1-2c berries

Melt butter in the bottom of a medium baking pan. In a bowl, mix 1c flour, 1c sugar, gradually adding 3/4c milk. Pour into melted butter. Add berries. Pour 3/4c sugar over top. Do not stir. Bake @ 350 for 45 minutes.

Best served warm with vanilla ice cream...yum.

My Sweet Girl

My relationship with Kate NaNa has definitely been a process. It's been over a year now since I first saw her face. At the time, I just knew she was my daughter. I loved her even then, in the way that you just know you are going love someone, even though you don't know them very well yet, or even why you will love them. But little by little, bit by bit, our relationship has grown.

When we met, my love grew to a protective, mama bear kind of love. She really did not like me at first. I wanted her to feel safe, to feel love, to smile. Fearful of scaring her, I took my time getting to know her. I would sit near her until she burst into tears at the realization I was there. It was a dance of sorts. I would take two steps forward, one step back, until finally she allowed me to hold her, comfort her, love her. Even then, she still held me at arm's length, only giving affection on her terms.

Once home, she realized I was the one who would meet her daily needs. I fed her, put her to bed, and held her when she cried, even when she pushed me away. My love for her grew to a you are my child, and I can't believe how much I love you kind of love.
As time went by, her personality emerged. We began to see how funny she is, how much she was dying to talk to us and express herself, and how much she loves music. And I began to love her for who she is. I was getting to know her better and better, just like I know my boys. Naturally, at this point I was beyond in love with her. I no longer had to hold back my hugs and kisses, but often when I touched her she would pull back just a little, hold off just a bit.
Today I laid down to nap with her, and she was especially huggy. She wanted to hold my hand, and she kept rubbing my arm. After she dozed off, she kept scooting closer and closer, even though she was asleep. She is beginning to react to me in ways that are similar to the ways that my boys respond. We have come such a long way.

Some of you are probably shocked that it has taken so long to get here. But the reality is that it often takes a long time for adopted kids to learn to trust someone. We have tried very hard not to get anxious about it all, giving it over to God in prayer. Giving her to God. We have asked Him to help us know how to respond to her. I'm sure we haven't gotten everything right, but she is such an amazing, resilient, brave little girl. Loving a child -any child- takes a lot of time and consistency, but it is so worth it.