Pre-School: Step Three, First Day!

We did it!!!

Hunter had his first day of Pre-School!

Look at my precious little boy.  I stood by his bed for a few minutes this morning before waking him up thanking God for the 5 years that I have had him home with me.  Asking Him to be by Hunter's side while he was at his very first day of Pre-School.

Graysen had a present for Bubby on his first day of school.  A new Agent P Shirt!  He was very excited about it.

Special chocolate Krispy Kreme Donuts for our special day!

G.G. stopped by before work to do the "Happy First Day of School" Dance for Hunter!  I am crying again right now thinking about how blessed we are to have her in our lives.  She is 82 years old and you sure wouldn't have known it this morning as she was jumping around my living room shaking her hips and singing a silly song for my 5 year old!

"It's my first day of Pre-School 9-1-09"  I hope to take a picture like this on the first and last day of school every year.

On his way into school.  He loved having his backpack with his initials on it!

Daddy was at work, so he wasn't able to take Hunter to school with us, but he called and checked on me a few minutes after 9, (and knew right away when I answered the phone sobbing that I wasn't doing so well) and then asked for me to have Hunter call him right after he got out.  Thanks to Cousin Nel for taking our picture!

Going into his classroom...

Hanging up his backpack...  He knew exactly which hook was his!

He ran right in and sat in his seat.  They had play dough set up for each child with a rolling pin at their seats.  

Of course Sissy had to get a little playing in!

I knelt beside him and told him that I loved him more than anything in the whole world.  I reminded him that I would be right back to get him.  He asked me to wait right outside the door.  (Trust me, I wish I could've have!)  I told him I had a few errands to run and then I would be right back.  He was okay with that.  I asked him if he remember who is ALWAYS with him and he immediately responded "God".  I started to tear up, so I have him a big kiss and Graysen and I headed out.  I didn't want him to see me cry.

We got to the car and Graysen started to freak out.  She refused to sit in her seat.  She just crawled over to Hunter's seat and sat there and cried and yelled "Hunter, Bubby!"  I tried, through my own tears to explain to her that we had to leave him at preschool, but we would be back soon to pick him up.  I finally lured her into her car seat with a tootsie roll...whew.  I'm sure that part of her scene was the fact that I was crying...but sometimes a Mommy just can't stop!  

We got home and I immediately started in doing laundry and dishes.  Surprisingly I got the dishes unloaded and reloaded, folded two baskets of laundry and got 2 more loads at least started!  I knew I had to stay busy!  Graysen and I read a few books.  I laid meat out for dinner.  About every 3-5 minutes Graysen would yell "Hunter, come here" a few times and when he didn't come running she would turn to me and say "Mommy, where Hunter?"  I just kept explaining over and and over that he was at school, but that it wouldn't be too much longer before we got to pick him up.  By the time it was time to go get Hunter she was in full melt down mode and literally sobbed the entire way to the pre-school until I said "Look Graysen, there's Brother's classroom, let's go get Bubby!"  Then she immediately dried up the tears and went running!  I hope that she'll learn that we can have some special time together while Hunter is at school...and not just miss him every time!

Here they are, reunited again!  (Graysen always closes her eyes when she smiles for the camera these days...)

Hunter had a great time.  The school sent home a little note that told us a little bit about the lesson that they were taught today.  That was nice, because if I hadn't been able to prompt him, I'm not sure he would've told me anything at all, except that he got starbursts!  They learned that God has a plan for everyone's lives, and about the story of Moses.  He told me that there was a mean king who was going to kill all the baby boys, so the Mom put her baby in a basket on the Nile River.  (I love hearing his versions of Bible Stories!)  I got out The Prince of Egypt when we got home, and I think we'll watch it as a family tonight after dinner.  He brought home a coloring page, and told me that they played a game where the boys were the grass and one person was the baby.  He said he was disappointed that they didn't get to play outside, but was had a good time and would like to go back on Thursday!

Overall, I would say that today was a success...and I think I'll have a lot easier time on Thursday!  

Hearts at Home Blogger!

Have you ever felt alone as a mom? Lost in your chosen field of mothering?

There is an organization that was created to encourage, educate and equip women in the profession of motherhood.  Hearts at Home  helps thousands of moms love their lives through their many resources including conferences, website, and books.

Recently I partnered up with this organization as a blogger. Over time I hope to share with you the many resources this ministry has to offer (old ones and new). To learn more about the Hearts at Home Blogging team go here.

In the meantime I would like to encourage you to explore their website and blog for an immediate dose of mothering encouragement!

My Public School Concerns

I haven't been shy about the fact that I have lots of concerns about sending my children to public school.  It's not St. James District, please don't believe that I have anything "against" this district.  It's ANY public school system.  Do I have some concerns with some of the curriculum that St. James is using - yes, but curriculum changes year to year, and it's nothing that can't be supplemented at home.  

I have always had a hard time putting into words what I believe I will be like as a school-aged kids' parent.  I have always thought of myself as the "pushy, annoying" one.  The one that the principals cringe when they see me walk in.  The one who all the teachers dread getting my kids because they know that I will be checking in regularly - wanting to volunteer in the classroom and asking lots of questions about the curriculum.  

But...I just read this blog post that I feel really put my stance nicely.  I don't want to be the pushy parent...but I will be one that advocates for my children.  I am not going to blindly send them to school and believe that they are going to be taught in the best manner for them.  I am not going to just trust that they are not going to be taught things that don't mesh with our beliefs in the home.  I am not going to simply hope that their teacher will treat their little soul with the warmness and kindness that they deserve to be treated with.  I want them to receive the best education that they can get; hopefully that will be in the public school system, but how am I going to ensure that?  This blog just answered it for me.  I found it very encouraging for those of us who are preparing to send our children to school in the next few weeks!

Hope you enjoy!

ps - yes, all three links go to the same post - I REALLY want you to read it!  

Immigration Fingerprints

Immigration Fingerprints:  Our last step until our referral!  We love you baby...(and Daddy REALLY loves taking pictures!  hee hee)

"El Destructo" also known as...

Graysen!

I've written before about my daughter's obsession with dumping things all over the floor, but don't believe I've ever stopped long enough to take a picture.  Here it is, proof that Graysen will dump ANYTHING she can get her hands on!  It doesn't matter if it's the entire bag (like this), or just a small bowl...it ends up out of the original container and on the floor or table.  I wonder how long it will be before I start serving her cereal with milk...???

Pre-School: Step Two, Open House

Well, we survived Open House.  As you can see below, Hunter was NOT excited about going...

...until he saw all the other kids happily toting their backpacks and school supplies in!  He ran in WAY ahead of us and plopped down in a pew.  The director did a little introduction and then called the classes off and away the kids headed with their teacher's to their new classrooms.  

Below, Hunter is waiting with his new classmates and teacher!
After the kids left the parents stayed with the Director and talked about some of the "boring" stuff.  Early dismissals, snow days, snacks, etc.  After we were dismissed we got to join our kids in their classrooms!  

Below, is Hunter's hook for his backpack.  ps - that is not the real back pack that he is going to use this year.  His is at the embroider shop getting his initials on it...but this one worked for tonight!

We didn't get to talk to his teacher at all.  I was rather disappointed with that.  We could've stayed around and waited, but she was having some rather lengthy discussions with some parents that she obviously already knew.  One of his teacher's wasn't even there tonight...again, rather disappointed, but I'm keeping my head up.  I want to give this whole school thing a fair shot before I become judgmental!

Here is Hunter sitting in his seat at one of the two tables in the classroom.  He was excited to have a name tag at his seat!
The "theme" this year is Veggie Tales, and here are all the kids buckets...I'm assuming for their school supplies.  None of them were in there, so I'm not real sure what they did with them, but they were all gone out of his backpack, so they must've put them somewhere...  Hunter's is on the bottom row, second from the left.  

Overall, it was a good evening.  I do wish I could've at least introduced myself to his teacher and talked a little bit with her.  I do wish I could've at least seen the other teacher.  I do wish the Director had seemed more welcoming to the idea of volunteers in the school.  I do wish Hunter would tell me what they did when they got to his classroom.  

But it's going to be okay.  This is a Christian pre-school that has been around for 20+ years.  It came highly recommended.  I'm going to give it a shot.  Hunter seems excited about it.  He told us on the way home that "I was wrong about pre-school, it's going to be fun!"  As long as it's an environment that follows suit with what we believe at home, and he is having fun, I think we'll be okay!

In-Process Update

I've decided to post the updates we get from our agency on here so you all have some sort of update as well!  

8-26-2009

Dear Adoptive Family,

I had a good trip to Ethiopia and am now back in the office. The courts are now closed and the last two groups filed were actually given court hearing dates in October. We will continue to make referrals during the court closure and families whose cases have been approved in court will continue to travel.

Some cases have still not been filed in court and others need to be refiled once the courts reopen. This is primarily due to paperwork problems following rule changes. We regret the delay for these families and children.

We have in-taken many new children in August. Completed files have started arriving in our office and we have begun making referrals. I am happy to say we are now referring baby girls to families whose dossiers went in November of 2008. We have new baby boys in the nursery as well and the next referrals will go to families whose dossiers were sent in mid February.

We have a few new children with special needs. There are two deaf girls, ages 6 and 8 and a deaf boy of 8. There is a girl who had polio when she was younger. She is now 8, is beautiful and works oh so hard for her physical therapist. There is a little girl about 3 ½ who has very mild CP which causes her to limp.

There have been several more cases recently where, after the children were placed, we learned that the truth was not told about their situation when they were placed for adoption. In some cases the “aunt” turned out to be the mother or the children who were said to be siblings were actually cousins or not related at all. To combat this, the courts are now requiring the person placing the child to appear in the local court and state the circumstances. We think this will help. In addition our social workers are traveling to present training to the police and child welfare workers, the ones who intake these children, to help them understand how difficult it is for children who are told to lie and for the adoptive families when they learn the truth. 

The day I left, a holiday was being celebrated, called Buhe. I asked several people and none seemed to know the origin but the tradition is for children to wear their native costumes and go from door to door singing and asking for money. I heard that some children raise their school fees in this way. Layla kids were going from office to office to ask staff for money and they planned to use what they collected to buy music CDs. In the evening there is a bonfire and fireworks. I am always nervous about fires on the soccer field at Layla but no one was hurt.

We have several needs at this time that I want to mention. There is a serious need for plastic diaper covers (plastic pants) and it is impossible to buy them there. If you are traveling and can take some they will be appreciated. We also need a small walker for a 6 to 10 year old child. 

We have had four or five babies hospitalized with pneumonia the past few days. The doctor said that if we had oxygen available at Layla the babies would not have to be sent to the hospital. He says that the cost for the equipment is about $3000. This is equipment that pulls oxygen from the atmosphere and does not require bottled oxygen. If this is something you would like to support financially, we would be grateful. 

By the end of the week we should be ready to send you some very important information about what you need to do to keep your immigration file current. This is the family’s responsibility and it is important for you to pay attention to what is happening with your file. Please watch for this.

Best wishes, 

Merrily

Hilarious!

I couldn't help but "record" this birthday card I got yesterday...I laughed so loud when I read it.  Partially because of the truth to it, and partially because this is sooo Charlie!

"So anyway, I'm standing in line to buy you a freakin' birthday card and the line is like seventeen billion people long 'cause the only thing the dumb teenage boy at the register is thinking about is the dumb teenage girl at the other register, and some dumb lady is turning her purse inside out to come up with "exact change", like she's gonna win some kind of "exact change trophy" or something, and some idiot starts up with his "This item was marking with the sale price" crap, and I just really hope you like this card...

'cause I stole it."

Isn't that the truth?!  You know you laughed...

Ballet Shoes

Graysen loves ballet shoes now!  She received some PJ's for her birthday last year that have ballet shoes all over them.  She loves to wear them and say "ballet shoes" over and over again as they points to all of the pictures of them!  She just got these new shoes that also resemble ballet shoes and she calls them that.  "Where my ballet shoes?"  So sweet...of course this Momma loves it!

Such a beautiful day

My days are all beautiful when I'm surrounded by these two precious gifts from God!

 

Thank you Lord for the two wonderful blessings in my home.  Thank you for smiles, for the laughter.  Thank you for the hugs, kisses, and cuddles.  Thank you for the struggles and the challenges.  Those times make me appreciate the others even more and make me grow into a woman and mother who learns to lean on Your help and grace.  Thank you for the awesome world around us.  Thank you for daily, giving me the opportunity to explain more about you to my children through the nature you've created around us.

Rejuvenation

I'll be totally, brutally honest.  I've been in some need of some major rejuvenation lately.  I need some time to myself without kids hanging on my neck, back, or legs.  I need some other Christian Mothers to encourage me.  I need some time with The Lord.  (What sounds perfectly delightful is a weekend away at a Hearts at Home Conference...too bad I have to wait until March!)  I need some not so gentle reminders of why I am a Stay-At-Home Mom and why it is so important to put my family and home FIRST.  I need someone to help light a fire under me and encourage me to continue to fight The Good Fight.

Tonight I got a little spark of that rejuvenation that I've been longing for.  On the Eve of my 26th birthday I was blessed to spend a few hours with my Mom.  Just the two of us.  She ran me a hot bath in her jacuzzi tub; complete with lavender bath salts and candles.  I laid in that tub thanking God for the warmth and comfort.  I think when we get to Heaven being wrapped in His arms is going to be something like that jacuzzi bath.  Deep, warm, comforting, relaxing, peaceful.  

We were able to sit on the couch and talk about this and that.  We talked about relationships, about our adoption and my kids, about death, about love, and about God.  It was so nice to have uninterrupted conversation with someone that I know loves me unconditionally.

I pray that my kids and I have that kind of relationship when they are 26 years old.  I deeply pray that they feel about me the way I feel about my mom.  I hope they respect my thoughts, knowledge, and opinions.  I hope they crave time alone with me, and feel fulfilled, loved, and complete when they get it.  I hope they think of me as the one person they can trust above all others here on in this life.  

I feel so much better after those few hours with my mom tonight.  I think I'm ready to tackle tomorrow.  Rambunctious kids, laundry, dishes, and all.  

Table Setting for THREE!

Every holiday I get the kids "themed" plates, cups, silverware sets.  I just found these Fourth of July plates and bowls on clearance at Walmart and couldn't pass them up.  I got to buy THREE sets this time - how I pray we have our newest one home by next year...!!!

Hunter wanted to show you all how excited he is to have a new brother coming!

Table Setting for THREE!

Every holiday I get the kids "themed" plates, cups, silverware sets.  I just found these Fourth of July plates and bowls on clearance at Walmart and couldn't pass them up.  I got to buy THREE sets this time - how I pray we have our newest one home by next year...!!!

Five

5 is hard. Really hard. Harder than 4, 3, 2, 1, or infancy.

Apparently it's very difficult to be 5. It's also very difficult to parent 5.

...maybe that's why it's hard to be 5. So confusing. So challenging.

I'm never sure what moments will be good, and which ones will be a struggle. Every day the same activities result in different emotions. It's a guessing game - all the time.

I'm left exhausted - mentally, emotionally, and physically at the end of every day.

Whew.

I read this on the Hearts at Home website...I imagine myself feeling these same things in a year or so...

"Some years ago, the night before her third birthday, I sat in the darkness, rocking my sleeping girl and praying for her. The reality of her birthday, and my absence on that original day, hit me, and I began to cry.

I told her how much I wish I had been there from the beginning.
I wish I had felt her little feet kicking my bladder, pushing on my ribs.

I wish I had been the one to feel the labor pains.

I wish I could remember and tell her about it.
So sorry I missed that precious time.
~
Then the praises started.
The same praises I'm singing now.
~
I am so very grateful to the woman who did feel the kicks, the pain; the woman who holds the memories.
So very thankful for our darling girl, who lights up our everything.
Thankful to our God for thinking I'm up to the challenge of being her mom.
Thankful He trusts us with her.
Thankful she is who she is, because of her past, her heritage, her history.
Thankful the God of all creation was there, He saw, He knows, He cares...
Thankful she has a future...

Thankful I'm her mom."

My dear child and his birth mother - I pray for you every single day. How I wish I could be there to hold your hand as you give birth to this beautiful child who I will someday call my own. I long to see your face, to touch your skin, to hear your voice. I long to have a story to tell our child. May God watch over you all the days of your life. May you feel His peace and presence in your heart. Our love is with you.

Happy Birthday Poopa!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Charlie, Happy Birthday to YOU!

Happy birthday to a great man in our lives. We appreciate everything you have become to our family. We are so blessed to have you be a part of it! I'm excited about celebrating with the WHOLE family tonight!

Another Awesome Giveaway!

HERE is yet another awesome giveaway!!!

Go read the post...talk about a fun party - I wonder how you throw one of these?  I want all my girlfriend's opinions of which jeans fit me best!!  :0)

Totally cool!

Chance to Help

Attention everyone!

Lincoln works with a man whose house just burned down. He has three sons - sizes 18 mo, 3T and 5T...if you have any clothes or shoes in that size range, or would like to purchase something for them, please let me know...Lincoln is taking in what we had here at the house tomorrow, but could get things to him at any point during the week. I know that they are not wanting to ask for help, but would be very appreciative of anything that we could do to help them.

I realize at times like this how blessed we are to be safe, healthy, and whole. I am so glad that we can help this family out even in a little way. It's nice to be able to extend God's Love and Mercy to them in such a time of need!

Give me a call, shoot me an email, or comment here and let me know if there is any way you can help!

We are ALL adopted!

We are all adopted aren't we? WE ARE! God adopts us into His family - every single one of us who wants to join are welcome...He's willing to adopt us all! How lucky.

I read a sweet story on another family's blog tonight. One of her biological sons was looking through pictures and commented on one where she was pregnant. He said "Mom, I think you're adopting someone in your belly here". How sweet is that?

It made me think - we are really all adopted...some through our own bellies, and some through another Mommy's belly. Our children are all on loan from God...none of them are really "mine" anyway!!

I get the question fairly often (believe it or not) - "Do you think you can really love your adopted kids as much as your own?" My own?! Like our next child / children will not be our own?! Amazing people...think, think, think before you speak!

Will there be some differences in our home after our new one(s) join us? Definitely - we will be more aware of the world around us. We will try harder to help those in need. We will learn about Africa and Ethiopia. We will celebrate some of their holidays, we will eat some of their food. We will notice that some of our skin is light, and some of it is dark. We will learn to have each other's backs at all times. We will help educate others on what a family REALLY is.

So will it make a difference to me which children are biological and which are adopted? Not at all - they are all adopted into my family for our short time on earth until we're with our REAL Father in Heaven!

We are ALL adopted...

We are all adopted aren't we? WE ARE! God adopts us into His family - every single one of us who wants to are welcome...He's willing to adopt us all! How lucky.

I read a sweet story on another family's blog tonight. One of her biological sons was looking through pictures and commented on one where she was pregnant. He said "Mom, I think you're adopting someone in your belly here". How sweet is that?

It made me think - we are really all adopted...some through our own bellies, and some through another Mommy's belly. Our children are all on loan from God...none of them are really "mine" anyway!!

So will it make a difference to me which children are biological and which are adopted? Not at all - they are all adopted into my family for our short time on earth until we're with our REAL Father in Heaven!