Paige asked me tonight...
"If Adam and Eve hadn't sinned, would we still have to brush our teeth?"
Humm???
Would our teeth still be dirty?
What do you think?
It's Been a Long Time
5 weeks ago
Monday, September 27, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
3 Weeks Down, 33 More to Go
I probably shouldn't have titled this post that way. It sounds like I want the school year to be over, when that isn't the case. It is hard to believe that we have officially done 3 weeks worth of school. Of course they are always learning, even if it doesn't count as an official week to put down in the books.
There has been a bit of a learning curve this year. The biggest is having two addition students. We are still working on the schedule to get everything in that needs to be covered, figuring out what they can work on by themselves, what can all four do together, what can "M" and Drew do together, and what can Paige and Clay do together and what do I need to individually do each one. We are figuring some things out, a lot by trial and error. I figure by week 34, I'll have it all down. The second challenge is just that we are still figuring out "M" and she is still figuring us out. Authority is a new thing to her, so getting to realize she has to do what I ask, not just what she feels like. She still wants a lot of attention, like wanting me to watch her do everything including erase a letter. I still am learning what all she knows, since I haven't had her from birth or even close to that time and I wasn't around during her few months in Kindergarten, I still am not sure what she has mastered and what she hasn't.
But despite the challenges, we are learning, and I believe we are having fun (of course that may depend on what day you ask the kids).
Today was a day that was rewarding with the older two. (I won't mention the morning with the younger ones) Paige has a few science experiments she is working on, including testing pollution, freezing water and starting a compost pile. She is most thrilled with the compost pile, which she began today. I like it because she is cleaning up leaves from the yard and taking care of all my kitchen scraps. Clay was asked to write a story in first person point of view. So now he is excited to begin a series on "The Monkey Brothers", which is the name of the club he and some other boys started. He published his first story this afternoon and he already has a fan. Paige was delighted with it and said she couldn't wait for the next one to come out.
Some days are hard and there is a temptation to call the school and enroll them all, but that isn't most days, and there are even days like today where they are excited to learn and use their knowledge or skills. I love those days!
There has been a bit of a learning curve this year. The biggest is having two addition students. We are still working on the schedule to get everything in that needs to be covered, figuring out what they can work on by themselves, what can all four do together, what can "M" and Drew do together, and what can Paige and Clay do together and what do I need to individually do each one. We are figuring some things out, a lot by trial and error. I figure by week 34, I'll have it all down. The second challenge is just that we are still figuring out "M" and she is still figuring us out. Authority is a new thing to her, so getting to realize she has to do what I ask, not just what she feels like. She still wants a lot of attention, like wanting me to watch her do everything including erase a letter. I still am learning what all she knows, since I haven't had her from birth or even close to that time and I wasn't around during her few months in Kindergarten, I still am not sure what she has mastered and what she hasn't.
But despite the challenges, we are learning, and I believe we are having fun (of course that may depend on what day you ask the kids).
Today was a day that was rewarding with the older two. (I won't mention the morning with the younger ones) Paige has a few science experiments she is working on, including testing pollution, freezing water and starting a compost pile. She is most thrilled with the compost pile, which she began today. I like it because she is cleaning up leaves from the yard and taking care of all my kitchen scraps. Clay was asked to write a story in first person point of view. So now he is excited to begin a series on "The Monkey Brothers", which is the name of the club he and some other boys started. He published his first story this afternoon and he already has a fan. Paige was delighted with it and said she couldn't wait for the next one to come out.
Some days are hard and there is a temptation to call the school and enroll them all, but that isn't most days, and there are even days like today where they are excited to learn and use their knowledge or skills. I love those days!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Next Stop: Sullivan, IN
After 3 nights in Kansas, we got back in the car to visit both of my grandmothers in Sullivan, Indiana. The land began to look more and more familiar. Corn fields were becoming more frequent and the humidity was rising. Oh my goodness was the humidity high? We stopped in Illinois for lunch and I was sweating just sitting there. The first morning at my grandma's house, I tried to take video and the camera fogged up! I thought maybe I had weakened in my dry California climate. I grew up in the humidity, but I didn't think I could take it. I was told by several that this summer has been one of the worse ever! So it wasn't just me. Needless to say, I was happy to go back to the dryness I was growing accustomed to. Anyway, we arrived in Sullivan on August 3rd and stayed 3 nights. There we spent time with both my grandmothers, my mom, my sister, and aunts, uncles and cousins. The kids had a great time playing with the children of my cousins, some sort of cousin to them, not sure what you would call them. I was happy to be back in Sullivan, a place a visited all of the time growing up. I indulged myself with Grandma's strawberry preserves (about a spoonful on every bite!)
My aunt bought all the kids a water gun to play with at my grandma's house. They loved it and it felt very nice on the hot day!
My aunt and grandma. So good to see family.
Stay tuned...next stop Indianapolis
All the kids love playing Grandma's piano. And Grandma loves hearing them. No matter what they sound like! This piano was given to my grandma from her father when she was a young girl. I use to play it all the time when I would visit. Maybe "play" is the wrong word. I would push the keys and make some noise. I never did learn how to play anything beyond "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Happy Birthday to You"
My mom brought Legos for the kids to play with while we were visiting the grandmas. My kids love Legos, so many hours were spent creating.
My aunt bought all the kids a water gun to play with at my grandma's house. They loved it and it felt very nice on the hot day!
My aunt and grandma. So good to see family.
Stay tuned...next stop Indianapolis
On to Kansas
After two nights in Albuquerque, NM, we headed to Jathan's sister's home in Kansas. There we spent 3 nights. The kids enjoyed the big yard, playing with cousins and the go carts.
As we traveled to Kansas we went through Texas and Oklahoma, stopping in Oklahoma for a picnic lunch. The landscape was definitely changing from the interesting mesas to dry flat land used for farming then to the green landscape of Kansas.
During our time in Kansas, we were able to do a lot of visiting. Jathan played a lot of basketball with his 18 year old nephew and we all played some board games. The kids were amazed at the huge hay stacks that were taller than they were. From the distance "M" said she thought she could jump over them. Once she saw one up close and saw how much taller it was than her, she realized it was different.
Unfortunately, I didn't take much in the way of photographs and the ones I did take have "M" right in the middle of them, so I can't post them. I did take lots of video, so the memories will stay alive.
As we traveled to Kansas we went through Texas and Oklahoma, stopping in Oklahoma for a picnic lunch. The landscape was definitely changing from the interesting mesas to dry flat land used for farming then to the green landscape of Kansas.
During our time in Kansas, we were able to do a lot of visiting. Jathan played a lot of basketball with his 18 year old nephew and we all played some board games. The kids were amazed at the huge hay stacks that were taller than they were. From the distance "M" said she thought she could jump over them. Once she saw one up close and saw how much taller it was than her, she realized it was different.
Unfortunately, I didn't take much in the way of photographs and the ones I did take have "M" right in the middle of them, so I can't post them. I did take lots of video, so the memories will stay alive.
Before Our Trip Continues
I know that my story of our trip out East has taken a long time. I still have only covered the first stop of our multi-state excursion, and we have been home a month. But that month has been full, so here are just some random things going on in our lives...
1) Most of the first two weeks after we returned home was getting ready for school. As a Homeschool Mom, every year is different and new to me, but this year especially is new and different. First, the younger two joined a charter school. "M" had to in order for me to school her at home and Drew did because I thought I could use some help with him. So this involves learning a new system and having other people involved in the schooling. The benefits are a huge amount of resources and help if we need it. So we are testing the waters with it. I didn't want to enroll all kids before I knew what we were getting into. There are some potential down sides, so we will see. Another difference this year is I went from 2 students to 4. I am still getting use to arranging my day in order to have individual instruction time with each. It is a bonus that they are close in age (grades K, 1st, 2nd and 3rd), I have combined a few subjects.
2) We had "M's" birthday. She is now 6. So instead of two 5 year olds, we have two 6 year olds, atleast until the end of October when Clay will turn 7, then we will have every age between 5 and 8. Our family has a policy that you get a party on your odd birthday and do a fun family thing on your even birthday. However, this being "M's" first year with us, we decided to have a party. So we had a Mexican Fiesta. It was a bit of work, but I think all had fun. I think we had close to 20 kids.
3) School started. Of course that goes with #2. So far, so good. We are 2 weeks in, just 34 to go! No really, I am enjoying it, a lot.
Our family is still adjusting, although, I think we are adjusting well. A few weeks ago we had our monthly meeting with the social worker and I met with the CASA worker. It brought back the realization that "M" is still not legally ours. It is hard sometimes remember that. I can't imagine our family without her, we are to the point, that honestly it is hard to remember life with out her. So as you think of us, continue to pray. It isn't over until the adoption finalization, that could still be months. Well that is all for now, I think I will post some more vacation stuff.
1) Most of the first two weeks after we returned home was getting ready for school. As a Homeschool Mom, every year is different and new to me, but this year especially is new and different. First, the younger two joined a charter school. "M" had to in order for me to school her at home and Drew did because I thought I could use some help with him. So this involves learning a new system and having other people involved in the schooling. The benefits are a huge amount of resources and help if we need it. So we are testing the waters with it. I didn't want to enroll all kids before I knew what we were getting into. There are some potential down sides, so we will see. Another difference this year is I went from 2 students to 4. I am still getting use to arranging my day in order to have individual instruction time with each. It is a bonus that they are close in age (grades K, 1st, 2nd and 3rd), I have combined a few subjects.
2) We had "M's" birthday. She is now 6. So instead of two 5 year olds, we have two 6 year olds, atleast until the end of October when Clay will turn 7, then we will have every age between 5 and 8. Our family has a policy that you get a party on your odd birthday and do a fun family thing on your even birthday. However, this being "M's" first year with us, we decided to have a party. So we had a Mexican Fiesta. It was a bit of work, but I think all had fun. I think we had close to 20 kids.
3) School started. Of course that goes with #2. So far, so good. We are 2 weeks in, just 34 to go! No really, I am enjoying it, a lot.
Our family is still adjusting, although, I think we are adjusting well. A few weeks ago we had our monthly meeting with the social worker and I met with the CASA worker. It brought back the realization that "M" is still not legally ours. It is hard sometimes remember that. I can't imagine our family without her, we are to the point, that honestly it is hard to remember life with out her. So as you think of us, continue to pray. It isn't over until the adoption finalization, that could still be months. Well that is all for now, I think I will post some more vacation stuff.
Friday, August 20, 2010
First Stop: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Our first stop on our road trip was Albuquerque, to visit some friends from our Indiana days. They relocated to NM the summer before. It was so good to see our friends. Brock and Paige are the same age and have been friends since he was born. When we all lived in IN, they were together all the time. The best of friends. It didn't seem long for them to get reacquainted from the years of living in separate states.
Our families had a great time. We went to the park, visited Old Town Albuquerque and journeyed up to Sandia Peak. Here are some pictures from our adventures:
A very old church in Old Town that we visited.
Around lunch time we headed up to Sandia Peak for a picnic and a hike. It was a bit foggy at first, but soon it cleared to where we could see the view.
On to the hike.
We hiked to a shelter that was built for rock climbers to have as shelter. Boy did it have a view (see picture above.)
As all good things do, our time had to come to an end. After just two nights, we headed to our next stop.
Our families had a great time. We went to the park, visited Old Town Albuquerque and journeyed up to Sandia Peak. Here are some pictures from our adventures:
Jathan enjoying some B-ball with the kids.
The kids had fun at some of the shops in Old Town.
A very old church in Old Town that we visited.
When we got back from Old Town, this little thing was on their driveway. Thankfully Jill saw it before she ran over it. It happens that it was a runaway from the neighbors. But the kids enjoyed playing with it for a short time.
Around lunch time we headed up to Sandia Peak for a picnic and a hike. It was a bit foggy at first, but soon it cleared to where we could see the view.
I am not sure if Brock got quite the view he was hoping for :)
On to the hike.
We hiked to a shelter that was built for rock climbers to have as shelter. Boy did it have a view (see picture above.)
As all good things do, our time had to come to an end. After just two nights, we headed to our next stop.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
I'm Still Here
I know that it has been a while since my last post. But there is a good reason. We've been gone, on a really long trip. 4500 miles of traveling in our minivan. So there really wasn't time to blog and several times I didn't have internet access anyways. The trip was great, though. Jathan named it our "Meet 'M' Tour". And boy did she meet a lot of people. We stopped in New Mexico to see friends that had relocated there from Indiana, stopped in Kansas to see Jathan's sister, Sullivan, IN to see my extended family including grandmas, cousins and aunts and uncles, then to Indy to see Jathan's parents and several of our Indiana friends. It was so nice! I will post more about the trip later along with some pictures.
I have to admit that I was a bit nervous before the drive. I loved traveling by car when I was growing up, and my dad and I drove across the country when he helped us move here, so I was so excited to take the kids on the trip and really see some of the country. Then I started thinking or rather realizing, traveling just me and Dad in a minivan is way different than Jathan and I with 4 kids. So the nerves got a little tight. But it went beautifully! Seriously, I really can't wait for another road trip. I have to share the beginning of our trip with you. We were just getting the final things packed in the minivan and the kids were dying to get in. I told them we would leave soon enough, to just get some more wiggles out, by the time it was time to go, they were already in their seats very excited. So then we were off. We hadn't even made it to the freeway, which is about a mile away, when Clay says from the back seat "I am really enjoying this trip" Jathan says, "Yes, the first two minutes have been great" then he turns to me and says "They have no idea what they are in for".
But seriously the best part of the trip is that after the start of the traveling "M" started calling us Mommy and Daddy all the time. I haven't heard Melissa from her since our first day of the trip when she called me that once in Albuquerque. That is such a praise. It may not sound like a big deal, but it helps the bonding so much!!! It wasn't always easy thinking of her as my daughter when she called me Melissa. So we are Mommy and Daddy all the time! She really did well. She didn't seem to get overwhelmed and as my grandma said, she seems to have been in the family forever. We are truly grateful.
I have to admit that I was a bit nervous before the drive. I loved traveling by car when I was growing up, and my dad and I drove across the country when he helped us move here, so I was so excited to take the kids on the trip and really see some of the country. Then I started thinking or rather realizing, traveling just me and Dad in a minivan is way different than Jathan and I with 4 kids. So the nerves got a little tight. But it went beautifully! Seriously, I really can't wait for another road trip. I have to share the beginning of our trip with you. We were just getting the final things packed in the minivan and the kids were dying to get in. I told them we would leave soon enough, to just get some more wiggles out, by the time it was time to go, they were already in their seats very excited. So then we were off. We hadn't even made it to the freeway, which is about a mile away, when Clay says from the back seat "I am really enjoying this trip" Jathan says, "Yes, the first two minutes have been great" then he turns to me and says "They have no idea what they are in for".
But seriously the best part of the trip is that after the start of the traveling "M" started calling us Mommy and Daddy all the time. I haven't heard Melissa from her since our first day of the trip when she called me that once in Albuquerque. That is such a praise. It may not sound like a big deal, but it helps the bonding so much!!! It wasn't always easy thinking of her as my daughter when she called me Melissa. So we are Mommy and Daddy all the time! She really did well. She didn't seem to get overwhelmed and as my grandma said, she seems to have been in the family forever. We are truly grateful.
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