Thirty Days of Thanks

Well, here we are at the end of the month. It's been quite easy to find things to be thankful for, and most days I have to limit it to just one. Today I have two. :)

Today I am going to say Disney World and their Armed Forces Salute. They are giving one FREE 5-day ticket to military and up to five $99 5-day tickets to family members. (Since John's not here, we can get the family members tickets. The offer expires the day John is supposed to get home. You KNOW we would have waited until John got home, otherwise!) Disney has done this at least one other time since September 11th. I know that part of it is just business--the tourist industry's been hit very hard since then, and Disney World was thought to be a target of that dreadful day. But the cast members are so appreciative when they know that we are military. When we came in September 2002, when John was on his first trip, the cast members (and the characters especially) gave the boys such good attention and told us THANK YOU for what their Daddy was doing.

One I remember in particular was Captain Hook. We bought a Mickey t-shirt for characters to sign for John and they all did. Every last one of them. But Captain Hook gave the boys a special thrill when he pantomimed to his "keeper" (remember the characters who don't show their faces can't talk to the public) that he had seen their Daddy when he pulled into port overseas. My, you shoulda seen that 10 year old and 6 year old light up! And I loved it, too.

Chip and Dale cried because they missed John, and Goofy saluted. Really nice. And every single one of them signed John's shirt. We saw another guy ask them to sign his shirt because he'd seen us get the shirt signed, and he was told, "No way. Theirs is special--it's for their dad who's overseas."
Also thankful for the funds to do this--it was totally impromptu yesterday. We did not have a reservation (they are hard to get!) and we just walked in and they had room. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. And right next to Luci was another little girl, also from China, who lives in Memphis! I had a very nice conversation with her parents. Luci chose Tiana for her character, and she has that newest Disney Princess' outfit on.

Luci and her Minions

Thirty Days of Thanks

I'm thankful today for second chances. (See yesterday's post, OK, so I spoke too soon.)

I'm also thankful for prayer. It is such a calming thing, talking to the One who made everything. When we travel (which includes the 25 minute drives to town on regular days at home) the kids are usually busy watching a DVD, and I pray. Yesterday, the 10-hour trip made for some good praying time.

Today, please join me in praying for Ann, a fellow blog reader. She is having surgery tomorrow, so please pray that it is successful and that Ann recovers quickly.

Ann let me know she is one of our readers after that post on the red dots on the map (see this Thirty Days of Thanks). I also heard from Sarah, who explained how the dots in Israel got there. :) And hey, Brandi and Julie! Remember Ann today and tomorrow, please. Thanks.

OK, so I spoke too soon....

This door is important to today's saga:

Well, the travel today was uneventful, but getting into the car was something else. The boys were doing push-ups in the driveway, if that tells you anything about how our trip started. We didn't even make it to the street--no, we didn't even make it into the van before they had to do push-ups! I nearly unpacked the van and went back inside, canceling the trip. Except that we locked ourselves out and the only extra key had fallen behind a door. (Just the door, it is bolted to the wall--it had the kids measurements on it at the old house and we moved it here and bolted it to the garage wall so we could keep measuring. There it is, above.) It was 30 minutes before Bryan got it outta there, and by that time JT and I had calmed down, I apologized to him, he apologized to Bryan and me, and we prayed (and I'm sure the neighbors went back to sleep after I woke them up YELLING at the boys). Then the key came out, just as I was hunting for a hammer to break the glass in the door to get into the house.

I prayed for calm and peace (not patience, that just brings more difficulties and practice to be patient!) and safety and we set out on our trip. It was a long day, but relatively uneventful. I made JT take an antihistamine before we set out so he'd sleep and that helped a lot. And the absolutely perfect weather was a great help.

A long travel day, but we got here just fine. Tomorrow is just 2 1/2 hours, and then we spend some time at Downtown Disney in Orlando. It is lots of fun, and a makes for a good first day at DisneyWorld.

I must tell you about this little potty chair from One Step Ahead. It has been a lifesaver for me because it is so handy! Luci usually can "hold it" for a very long time. But apple juice and water flow through her like, well, apple juice and water. Today we had to stop in an undesirable location and this potty chair came to the rescue. She and the potty chair are small enough that they fit on the floor of the van, in front of the front seat and she does her thing. Much better than trying to hold her (and me getting wet) or squatting above a coffee can. This little invention has come in handy on several trips.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I'm thankful our kids are good travelers. We've been all over the place, and they hold up pretty well. Having every electronic gadget that's ever been made in the van with us, helps, too.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

Homeschooling brings lots of challenges. One of them is teaching a foreign language adequately. My "thankful thing" today is the help I've found teaching foreign language. Here is our Rosetta Stone package for Mandarin (Chinese). Luci and I will start that after Christmas. The boys are currently studying Spanish (Latin America). We have the homeschool version of both, which keeps track of scores so I don't have to do that. I love the programs. They are fun. It is almost painless learning!
We also have the Muzzy language DVDs for Luci. They are cute, but not as highly polished as the Rosetta Stone. I watch them with her, with the closed caption turned on so I can translate. They must work because the other day, as we were watching, I was almost asleep and Luci asked me what "(a phrase I can't recall right now)" meant and I said (without even thinking), "It means, 'Where are you?'" and I was right!

We also have several of the Mei Mei DVDs. I like them a lot. Mei Mei sings songs, carries on short conversations with school children, and shows what life is like in some Chinese locations. I just found Vol 7 on amazon.com. It is a trip to Dawei village in Anhui province. I am going to make sure that Santa brings that for Luci. Another of these Mei Mei DVDs taught Luci names for parts of the body. She uses those Mandarin words in casual conversation.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

This photo should have been included when this was posted--it was in the wrong photo file. Santa made a visit to Kabul this week!

I am thankful for my husband, John. He is first, a man of God, second a great husband and father, and third, an American. Here he is last year in Kabul, Af gahn istan, serving either Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner--I am not sure which. (all of these are repeat photos, sorry for that)
This is my favorite picture of John and the kids. This was Mother's Day, 2008, waiting for the photographer at the local volunteer firehouse. In January 2009, in Af ghan istan somewhere. Happy to do his job! John has this for his motto: If it needs doing, just do it. I think Nike stole it from him.
I am also thankful for all the volunteer service members in the US Armed Forces. Volunteers, people! So thankful they are out there, willing to fight the good fight.

Another thing I am thankful for: Xerox. Here is the site: Let's Say Thanks in Support of Our Troops. That website "gives you the opportunity to send a free printed postcard to U.S. military personnel stationed overseas...." You just select a postcard, include a message, your name and hometown, and click "send." Xerox will print it out and send it for you!

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I am thankful for a bag of sugar. Yup, a 4-lb bag of sugar. (Have you noticed they aren't 5-lb bags anymore?) I ran out, and couldn't make chocolate syrup for the little Princess who lives here. Chocolate syrup is a must for milk, you know. So, on Monday morning, after JT's karate class, we headed to Aldi's. No way was I going into Wal-Mart for sugar and coming out with a buggy full of necessities (well, they'd be necessities to JT and Luci).
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But I couldn't find plain old white sugar! I found brown sugar and powdered sugar but no white sugar. Came home disappointed, and ready to explain the facts of life to Luci, as pertaining to chocolate syrup. Before having "the talk," I dug around in the cabinet for the third time and guess what I found? A bag of white sugar!
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Here's the recipe:

Better than Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

this is tweaked from the recipe that came with the Feingold materials.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Mix sugar, cocoa, salt and water in saucepan. Heat until boiling, stirring constantly until everything dissolves. Remove from heat and add vanilla. When it has cooled down, pour into a clean chocolate syrup squeeze bottle.
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For a glass of chocolate milk, add 1-2 TBS syrup. Great on desserts and in coffee mochas, too.


If the syrup has little lumps in it, or develops a foamy top, strain it before storing. It only takes a second and makes everyone happier once it's on the ice cream.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I am thankful for CHRIST, who saved me and gave me an eternity with OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.

I am thankful for videos like this one, which proclaim Christ. One line in this video that I especially like: Christmas is about Christ, and after 2,000 years, He's still intimidating people!

Thirty Days of Thanks...

A Clean Floor

That's what I'm thankful for! Seems silly, but it gave me joy to know that when Luci was potty training, and now, when another child is sick, it is easy to clean the floor. I am thankful that, when we were building this house, John let me choose this pre-finished wood flooring, and skip the carpet all-together. (Mom, I'm sure I mixed all the verb tenses up but I can't for the life of me figure out how else to say it. Sorry.)

Thirty Days of Thanks

As always, I am thankful for the example that my parents and John's parents are. They have had long marriages and are all faithful to the Lord. And they are fun grandparents, just ask our kids. The photo collage shows John's folks on the left--John's dad Olen had a 56 year long marriage with Elrino (who passed away in 2002--you would've loved her, their photo is on the bottom), and is now married to Jeanne (photo on top)--what great folks they are. My parents are on the top right and of course I think they are tops. They've been married for 57 years now. Wow. I had to include the shot on the bottom right--John and me in younger days.

These photos are from photographs that are hanging in our "Hall of Fame" here in GreenHill.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

Luci signing her name (she's got "L" showing now) at Helen Keller's house, Ivy Green. This is the famous pump where Helen "awoke" and learned to sign "water." Photo from June 2008. (Luci's still able to wear that jumper and those crocs! Little girl, indeed)


I am so thankful to be here in Alabama, in a state where so many things have happened, and quite a bit close to where we live now. Definitely something to learn around every corner. Yesterday we went to LaGrange, the site where the first chartered college in Alabama stood until it was burned down in the Civil War (and I learned yesterday that some of my homeschool friends are still upset about that and would not let their kids stand on the "blue" side of the photo below).
I'm also thankful that we have indoor plumbing.
Good looking kids, don't you think? I sent John a postcard from this post office.
The infamous blue and gray picture...notice my boys glaring at each other...at least this time they were just acting. During the rest of the field trip they were quite nice.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

Today I went to town (all by myself, gasp!) and got a prank call from a little girl who called herself "Mrs. Cuppy-Cuppy-Cupcake." She told me that I had won a brand new car, and then put her accomplice on the line.

I am thankful that each one of our kids has a good sense of humor.

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o my goodness! There's a red dot on the map from Moscow, Russian Federation!!

Thirty Days of Thanks...

Today's spotlight is on the LIBRARY. Our town re-built the library sometime between JT's birth and Luci coming. Not sure exactly when that transition took place, but wow, it is gorgeous now. Luci has her "school" there once a week. Mrs. Jessica has programs for children of all ages during the week. I am thankful for Mrs. Jessica and her preschool program. Jessica is a natural teacher--it is obvious she loves the children and what she does, and the kids love her, too. Here are some highlights from yesterday.
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The letter of the day was I. Luci brought a Christmas tree ornament with Idaho on it. She was the only one with Idaho! It's fun to try to find things that are unique for the letter of the day.
Singing is part of the fun--and yes, there are 4 big trees "growing" in the middle of the children's section! Really lovely.
Luci showing everyone her item of the day.
After the show-and-tell portion, the children get a little booklet to color, all about the letter of the day.
Of course, one of the best parts of the library time is getting to be with Kalyn and Jack! Here's JT with Jack. JT is so good with him--he followed Jack all around, keeping Jack out of trouble and out of harm's way.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

Luci's idea of relaxing. Now my mom knows that I still throw off my shoes and socks just where ever I happen to be. And so does Luci.

I am thankful for our church, Cross Point church of Christ. They are our family, since we have no family close by. A wonderful place to be. Lots of opportunities to serve.
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I am also thankful for John's military trips because when he's on them, there is extra so we can bless others more than we are usually able to do. Our church helps out each year by providing Christmas presents for some of the foster kids of Agape. Luci and I spent part of today shopping for one of the children. Agape did our home-study for Luci's adoption. So being able to help out, and Agape's help in Luci's arrival are part of my "Thanksgiving" today, too.
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I'm also thankful for Luci's attitude this year as we shopped: Last December, when we also were able to help out an Agape child, Luci wanted to keep everything, not giving any of it up for someone else. I had to remind her over and over that all of those things were for the little girl named Faith. She told me, "I want to be Faith!"
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Today Luci kept reminding me what Madison, our young lady wanted, and put her own interests aside. Very nice indeed to see her heart growing.
this picture is just Luci and JT being silly--but it shows Luci's gorgeous face.

Thirty Days of Thanks

I'm thankful for folks like you who check in to see what shenanigans we are up to. You all have visited from Germany (hi, Audrey!), Japan (Sam, is that you?), Australia and South Africa (I think you are my Weaving Unit Study buddies), Spain and Denmark (maybe families with our Guizhou adopt yahoo group?), Israel, Canada (I know you are my Feingold friends) and from other exotic locations, like Boise, Idaho (hi, Nana and Papa!) and all other points in the USA (hi, Melodie in Virginia!). I love seeing the red dots. Two dots even came from China--wow! Makes me kinda giddy sometimes.
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One thing--I do wish that some of you who are living in someplace besides my house would sometimes leave a message. I'd love to know who you are. I find it fascinating, and so glad that I put that little map up there.

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Okay, now to reward you for checking in: You remember that video of the Walmart commercial, where the little boy asks for something for daddy--see Hanky Alert, below. Luci knows that Daddy is coming home a day or two before Christmas. Every time there is a wish to be made (blowing out candles, or the new star in the evening), she will wish "For Daddy to be HOME!"

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So after seeing that commercial, I ask her what she is going to ask Santa to bring her, knowing she will say "Bring Daddy HOME!"

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Wrong. She wants Santa to bring her a costume. What?! No Daddy?!

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"No, mama--Daddy will already be home!"

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Smart girl. Doesn't want to miss out on any presents.

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and one other--this one had me laughing so hard!

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JT had his karate class at the YMCA yesterday. I walk into the child watch room (the babysitting room) to get Luci. She had 3 of the kiddy chairs all lined up, and was lying on them, like they were a bed. With the other kids all around her.
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I asked, "what are you pretending, Luci? "
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"I'm having a baby."
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oy.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I am so thankful for this book, Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child. I don't know who first pointed me to it, but I am forever thankful.

We are dealing with separation anxiety with Luci--she's always been wary and often fearful when I leave her, even at Sunday school where she knows everyone, (nearly) everyone knows her, and where she's been going for four whole years and 2 months. The anxiety is greater with John gone, as you can imagine. Some folks, well-meaning I'm sure, tell me to let her cry it out, she'll get used to it, I'm being over-protective, ______ (you fill in the blank). Turns out listening to my gut on this was the best thing for Luci, and I will do what's right for her even when those well-meaning folks start rolling their eyes and giving me more advice. I'll roll my eyes right back and try to not tell them off. Or, at least I'll try to be civil when I'm giving them my opinion of their opinion.

I started out in this book looking at the chapters that deal with age she is now and back-tracked to the beginning. So far, every page has been helpful.

I made the "3 picture story" of her beginnings (yes, I know it has more than 3 pictures, and the Picasa site added one to make the collage even out). Some are taken from the TV set, as the video of her being handed over played. I made extra copies to laminate, as the author (Patty Cogen, M.A., Ed.D.) suggested--because the children are sure to lose them, rip them up, stuff them where they cannot be found, etc. So extras are needed for those eventualities.


The reaction she had to it was very interesting...she looked at it, listened to her story, and dropped it. Ran off. Even acted sort of upset about it. One point of the book (so far, I'm not done with it) was to bring up her adoption (not wait for her to bring it up!), because it is always a part of her, always on her mind, even when she is very quiet about it. So Saturday night, in passing, I asked her if she was mad that we took her away from China. A very small "Yes." We've been talking about her China-mama and China-daddy and her orphanage off and on ever since. Wow.

I wish every person who had anything to do with my daughter had to read this book.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

Neighbors! I am thankful for our neighbors. Yesterday they took JT and Luci for the afternoon, and I got to be by MYSELF. (Yeah, Bryan stayed here, but he was in the Man Cave playing a video game, so it was the same as being by myself.) I couldn't decide whether to take a nap or go grocery shopping. Or, go take a nap at the grocery store (that one had strong appeal!). I ended up getting some groceries and spending less than I normally do (another thing to be thankful for, little helpers were not sticking extra things into the buggy). Thank you, Butler Family!

In this same vein, I am thankful for all the people who've made this trip of John's bearable: the folks from church who were responsible for The 12 Days of Christmas last December; Diane, who took all three kids; the Cook's Pest Control people who made right on our mailbox; and several trips ago the people who helped empty our basement when it flooded (the Delano's and Woods' deserve golden crowns for that!), and JoAnne and the Hambly Family for taking children so I could have a little peace and Christmas shopping. And last, but certainly not least, the men who did the Bush Hogging in the field next to us on Wednesday, Veterans' Day--They did not charge us anything for our portion of it. Nothing. They just said "Thank you" to John for serving our country.

Our hill before:
and after, ready for a good snowfall and some sledding!

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I'm thankful for Tang Soo Do, that our YMCA offers it, and that JT has found something that he loves. He is really good at this. His instructor and the other black-belts who have gotten to know JT respect him (even at such a young age) and enjoy watching him perform. Today JT had his first pre-test for earning his black belt. Tang Soo!

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I am thankful that our kids get along.
Most of the time.
In public, anyway.

at a field trip--Indian Mound Museum, Florence.

making a movie
this is a pre-production meeting

being silly for mom

wearing Dad's army berets

before a soccer game

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I am thankful for friends I've met through blogging. Some I've actually met in person, like Denna. Others are on "the list" to meet, and are close enough to someday get together, but we are just too busy...like Monica and Katie's mom (their blogs are private, or going private). Others are folks who've adopted daughters from Luci's province in China, or are using the same homeschool curriculum that we are, or are on the same Feingold diet for ADHD/ADD. All have taught me to be a better person, or entertained me, or allowed me the privilege to watch their families grow...sometimes, all 3 things happen at once.