Learning Sign Language!

Watch Quickly--this is only 14 seconds long!

Luci is able to spell her name with sign language. She has surprised several people. I've heard from friends that they didn't realize her name was spelled with an "i". Pretty gentle way to correct the teacher, don't you think?

Our Backyard and Three Snowflakes

This video is mainly for Mom and Dad. This shows some of our pitiful snow, and also what the side and back of our house and the backyard look like. (Please don't get mad at me for Luci eating the snow off the deck--yuck! I wasn't out there with the kids. And don't laugh at Bryan zooming in on the 3 snowflakes that we accumulated on the deck railing!)

It's one minute long. I love my camera! This was taken with my little camera.

We Had Snow!

We did have more snow! It was flurry-ing all morning. It didn't even stick, but we had lots of fun--you Northerners from all over will think we are so funny, but we go nuts over any snow. John called home from work to see if we had plenty of milk, eggs and bread...the staples everyone here seems to go out and buy every time snow is in the forecast. I'm pretty sure he was just teasing me....

Bryan's self-portrait. His favorite subject, by the way.

Yes, JT is still in his robe....Now, see, don't you all want to homeschool? (really, though, he is dressed completely underneath)
My favorite girl in the whole wide world. I love that hat! (Can you see what her shirt says? "Good looks run in the family")

Snow!

We had flurries last night, and were so excited about that--yes, we are desperate for snow down here! Took this picture through the French doors at 0 dark-thirty before anyone got up. To go outside to take it, I'd have to turn off the alarm, which would wake everyone up...and the snow will be gone as soon as the sun comes up. Just desperate for snow! (What am I doing up this early, you ask? Luci, of course. She did sleep through the night yesterday, but last night she was so congested she didn't sleep well.)

Date Night ??

John and I finally got a date night--sort of. JT and Bryan had play practice at the church building. They had their supper provided for them as cast and crew members. It is a 25 minute trip each way, so going home during the practices is almost a silly idea (and wastes lots of gas). So, whomever takes the boys usually stays there or runs an errand in town. John has been out of town since last Wednesday (got home Sunday night) so I packed up a picnic supper for him, Luci and me and we all went to the church with the boys.

Our Chaperone:Our Chaperone after I suggested Daddy take her to the potty instead of me: John and Luci going upstairs to the walking track:
Woo-Hoo! Big date. Cheap date.
This is what I think of you two hugging in front of my friends:
Daddy with his big girl. Notice her dress (the one from Fiji) and John's heavy coat. She is hot-natured, he is not!

When In Trouble

Rule # 1:
Look straight ahead, Keep your mouth shut and Say nothing!

What Inspires You to Blog?

That's the Question of the Day from Vox blogsite. What's your answer? Here's mine:

I want to keep the Grandparents and my Siblings, all of whom live far away, up to date. Because of this, they are free from my annual Christmas letter! Bonus for them!

In addition, I guess I am a writer-wannabee and this lets me get that out of my system.

Record of our days...it's so fun to look back on the posts from months, years ago. I don't have the space to scrapbook--Luci gets into everything--but when John gets that room built for me, maybe my blogging will slow down.

It is a way to make friends. I am short on friends here in town, but I have quite a few in Blogger-Land.

QotD=Question of the Day

John Came Home and Said...

"Well, I can see that Luci had a productive day!"

I Know This Guy

This is Jay, father of one of Bryan's best friends. He was at a Mars Hill basketball game, really "getting into it." He was "into it" enough to get his picture in the paper.

The boys are glad that John doesn't get that into Auburn football games!

Adoption Stories Updated

John had an idea last night--he wondered if Luci's "he locked me in a room with a key" part of her story was her remembering the part of Cinderella when the stepmother locks Cinderella in her room...Luci identifies so much with Cinderella. That makes lots of sense. Good detective work, John! Thanks for putting my mind at ease.

PS--not all stepmothers are wicked. :) I can think of quite a few who are all right.

Hi, Daddy!

John's on a trip--so here are two of our favorite people saying "HI!" Of course, they couldn't resist mugging it up.
Bryan (another favorite person!) and Luci watching TV today. Love that little foot.

A Dot in Germany, and One in Indonesia!

I love the Map Loco thingy! I wish I knew who you visitors are. I think it is so fun to have you all "show up" in this way. Some time when you visit, leave a message, OK? I'd love to meet you!

Breakfast with a Bride

Don't you love the hair-do?

Unraveling the Past

Miao baby with her silver crown. Photo from Tribaltextiles.com

Just some thoughts here:

I am looking at Luci's official papers from those white folders we got at the end of the adoption in China and it says she was found at the doorway of the All-Around Shop in Saji Town, of Liupanshui City. And it lists the name of the man who found her! Here it's been 2 1/2 years since we got her and I never even noticed the name of the man who turned her in. It even lists the name of the shop where she was found. Those items were not in the referral we received before adoption. I guess I was in a daze when we got all this info while in China, and I don't pull it out, ever. (Except to carry to the basement safe room when there's a tornado--but I don't read it when down there!) Bouyei baby on her mother's back. Traditional headgear has some silver on it, too. Tribaltextiles.com. This baby looks a lot like Luci did when a baby, but the mother has a face that is not as round as most Miao faces are.

Hearing all the latest on the Bouyei people on the Guizhou yahoo group makes me really wonder about Luci. She looks so much like the Miao women in the photographs at the Minority Museum in Guiyang. I wonder if she is half-Miao and half-Bouyei and that is why she was given up? That would make sense to me, since she looks so much like Miao (with a round, flat face.). Not giving her up, I mean--but that they don't usually like children who are "mixed," and that might be the parents' reason for letting her go. Besides the fact that the Bouyei villages are very poor and a son could provide for their later years.

What a pity. If they'd only known what a pretty, smart, nice little girl she is, they never, ever, ever! would have let her go.

Luci with the silver crown her daddy and I can afford.

Spacing!!

I hate the spacing part of this blogger. The post about Sleep Issues was not double-spaced, but it appears quadruple-spaced! The Raised with Brothers wasdouble-spaced, and it comes out all mashed together. Sheesh.

Raised With Brothers

I could have called this "Raised by Wolves" and it would probably have the same meaning...

The boys have taught Luci how to sit, beg and roll over and play dead. They've also taught her how to go after the bad guys hiding underneath the dining room table.

Today

Bryan: Luci, go shoot Mama.

Luci: No! She's my friend.

Word Verification

I've had to add "Word Verification" to my comment page--it just adds one of those little groups of letters you have to type in to make things a little more secure. I saw someone (or a spammer?) leave a bug (or something that looked suspiciously like one) on someone else's blog. I hope you will still comment. It just takes a second to copy the letters.

Word Verification:
This will require people leaving comments on your blog to complete a word verification step, which will help reduce comment spam.

Sleep Issues; Adoption Stories

In the last week, Luci decided that she does not want to cuddle in my lap anymore to go to sleep. I sorta thought this would be sad news for me, but it isn't. She's 3 years and (almost) 4 months and she's been cudding with me since August 2005. Quite a long time. I am ready to let her sleep on her own. Well, not quite on her own--she wants me beside her. When she falls asleep, I sneak away to my bed. Her mattress is still on the floor next to my side of the bed. So, I guess we need to get the old bed out of the Man Cave and clean it up, paint it, and put in her room. It won't be long before she is sleeping all on her own, in her own room. (I hope. So does John.)

Trying to sleep??

Buffi, mom to Sadie from China (and two other adorable bio kids), asked me just how much of Luci's story have we told her? and how much should we ask the children about their past? and is it better to talk about the past or not? and is it traumatizing to them?

Here are my answers, based on my observation of Luci:

• It all depends on the child. I dont think that's a cop-out.



• Since she was in our arms, we used the A word (we are so glad we got to adopt you!). I finally came up with a fairy tale to tell Luci about her adoption--in a later post-- (recommended to us by International Adoption Clinic) and as she gets older, tell it with more detail. This may be where she gets some of her "locked up" story--maybe it is just fabrication, meaning she was not able to get free until her mommy and daddy got her? The book Shaoey and Dot tells Luci's story. That is a really good introduction for those whose children were abandoned as babies. It's on amazon.com. There are several really good titles on adopting from China.



• Only recently have I asked Luci anything specific. Usually, when we watch a DVD or show about China, I'll ask her something non-specific, such as, "Is that like your China?" and (since we watch only positive things about China) she'll almost always say, "Yes."



• I think it is better to talk about the past. It takes the sting and mystery out of it. It is just a topic after a while, and not so emotionally charged. At first, you can use general terms, and that makes it easy on you and the child. Then you can go into more detail. It is a natural progression. Sort of like those sex-talk minefields--you take it as it comes, and plow through when you need to, taking cues from the child. (If you haven't gotten to that sex-talk point in your kids' lives yet, haha! It is so much fun, she said sarcastically.)



• And if it is traumatizing to them, by all means call a therapist who knows adoption. Kent Brand is in Florence. He used to be the director of Hope for Children, our adoption agency. We love him. Also, International Adoption Clinic in Birmingham has so many resources and takes insurance.

We sent Luci's orphanage a disposable camera before we got her. We asked them to please take photos and return it on Gotcha Day. We had those developed (at Super Walmart in Guiyang, China! A whole 'nother story!). When we got home, Luci got very upset seeing those photos. Then, a year later, no problem looking at them. I need to pull them out again and see how she reacts.

We looked at our Gotcha Day video over the holidays--this was the first time we'd seen it since 2005. Luci was delighted at the baby on the video. No trauma. Every child is so different--here in town we know of several adoptees who have had a terrible time adjusting. Buffi, I would guess just play it by ear.

I Agree!

CoCoRaHS Weather Station

We are now officially part of the CoCoRaHS (pronounced Co-Co-raws) network. CoCoRaHS stands for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network. Here's our rain guage. It comes from the CoCoRaHS office, on the website linked above. It has a central tube that measures only one inch of rain--you can see it measures in hundredths of an inch. If it happens to rain more than one inch in a 24-hour period (you record and empty the guage every day), the rain overflows into the big tube surrounding the 1-inch measuring tube. Very complete instructions for measuring the extra rain come with the rain guage. Also, if your area gets snow and hail, there are instructions for those weather conditions, too. Check out the map below to see if your state participates.

It's fun being a weather geek!

Luci's First Dream

Luci had a dream that she remembered Saturday night. It was her first to remember. Unfortunately, it was a bad dream. She woke up crying, saying that "She won't let me hold the baby!" That went on for a few minutes. It was not a sleep-terror, she knew where she was and was responsive. She was very upset for that little while. She could not tell me who "she" was.


Those of you with adopted children, especially those from China or other foreign adoptees: Have your children told you stories that you wondered about? I know Mom2-4Treasures has a child who remembers things that are not good. Luci was 9 1/2 months on Gotcha Day. Pretty young. She began telling me this story about a month ago: "In China they lock me in a room and I can't get out until my Mommy and Daddy come get me. They use a key and I can't get out."


Here at home, the boys sometimes lock their bedroom doors to keep Luci out of their stuff. But never, ever has she been locked in anywhere by us. I'm not sure what to make of her story. I think maybe she is making up her own Gotcha Day story.

Here are a couple of pictures of Luci sleeping in odd ways....


naptime

When Your Daddy Is an Army Guy....

...carrying around a smoke grenade is par for the course. Luci's holding up a smoke grenade leftover from New Year's. Just because she carried it outside, doesn't mean she isn't scared of it.
JT, however, is braver.

Mom! Do You Remember This Outfit?

When we were paperchasing for Luci, Martha Stewart's Living Magazine had an ad from K-Mart with a cute, cute little Asian girl modeling this outfit. Mom and I got the outfit together for Luci, thinking we were bringing home a three-year-old! We actually bought this outfit before Luci was born.

Two parts came from the Boise K-Mart and one part from our K-Mart here. Little did we know it would take two years for this outfit to fit! (and I still need to take up the skirt, Mom!)

I love it, Nana!

Sweet Baby

I found these photos when I was going through some discs looking for pictures for

Bryan's Lots of Love dinner. These are all from the old house.

Look how bald my baby used to be!

(Luci says, "I look like Papa!".) This is a fake cry, believe it or not.
Buckets are good things.

My Funny Valentines

It's a little late, but this was taken on Thursday.

Bryan

Bryan's Lots of Love banquet was quite nice. Our "worship center" is really a big gym that we move chairs into and out of as needed. We use it for all sorts of things, not just as a gym or worship center. It's called the ROC (Recreation Outreach Center). Anyway, it was decorated in a most pretty way for the banquet. Hooray to whomever thought of doing it! The dinner was very good, too--thanks to Laura Hester and her crew.

Here are John, Luci and Bryan...we sent Luci off to her class before the dinner began.
Bryan left Thursday afternoon for Winterfest in Gatlinburg. It's the furthest and longest he's been away from home without at least one parent. I'm sure he's having a ball! (But Mama is kinda concerned.) We hope he comes home with more of a sense of what his Mission is here on earth. Here he is on the bus with Josh.

Getting a last hug from Luci.
Luci praying for the travelers.
103 people were signed up for this trip! That includes at least 23 adults. Here is part of the crowd before they took off on the TWO big buses. You can see what the gym/worship center looks like normally.

Mike Huckabee's Alter Ego

I don't know what you think of Mike Huckabee, or what you think of Campbell's Soup, but what I think is the guy on the commercial and Mike Huckabee look a lot alike! Apparently I am not the only one...here is a video from youtube, it is only 17 seconds long.

The guy in the commercial is Matt Servitto. He has a long list of credits here (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0785854/) but I don't know him by any other thing than this sea salt commercial.

Clean Your Computer Screen

Click here for a great way to clean your computer screen--all types! It works great!

My, How They've Grown!

Bryan has a banquet at church tonight, and I am supposed to bring photos of him with family. Here are some I found:

Every year I try to get a photo of the kids in front of the hutch.

The first Army dinner after September 11. This was Christmas, 2001 in Birmingham.

Hilton Head, January 2006.

Hilton Head, January 2006

Bryan climbing in the doorway. 2001?

JT and Bryan in Yellowstone Park, June 2002