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.

Hanky Alert!!

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

Luci-isms

Finda-my-ing Glass: Magnifying glass

Thor-nob-itdoor: Thermometer

Camouflage: ok, so she gets this one right every time. Must be because she has a daddy who wears camouflage!

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.

It's that time of year again...

It's time for Jib Jab!

I love this story!

Muggers Return Wallet After Seeing Army ID

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee Army reservist's military identification earned him some street cred Tuesday, when he says four men who mugged him at gunpoint returned his belongings and thanked him for his service after finding the ID.

The 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student said he was walking home from work about 1:15 a.m. Tuesday when he was pulled into an alley and told to lay face down and with a gun to his neck. Four men took his wallet, $16, keys, his cell phone and even a PowerBar wrapper from his pants pockets, he said.

But the hostile tone quickly changed when one of the robbers, whom the reservist presumed was the leader, saw an Army ID in the wallet. The robber told the others to return the items and they put most of his belongings on the ground next to him, including the wrapper, the reservist said.

"The guy continued to say throughout the situation that he respects what I do and at one point he actually thanked me and he actually apologized," said the reservist, who asked not to be identified Tuesday because the robbers still had his keys.

The reservist said he asked the men, who all had hoods or hats covering their faces, if he could get up and they said he could before starting to walk away.

"The leader of the group actually walked back, gave me a quick fist bump, which was very strange," he said.

Milwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said the reservist is credible and that officers still were looking for the suspects Tuesday.

The reservist didn't realize until later that his keys were not with him and he doesn't know if the robbers intended to keep those, he said. Still, he said he feels lucky.

"I'm just kind of awe struck that everything was given back to me due to just being in the military, " he said. "I realize in pretty much every other situation that wouldn't happen."

He said he's never been deployed, only having signed up for the Army Reserves about a year ago. He said he is the first person in his immediate family to join the military.

Schwartz said there were two other incidents within 40 minutes in the same area and police suspect the four men were involved in all of them. The robbers were unsuccessful at 12:35 a.m., when the 39-year-old man they approached ran into the street and started screaming.

Schwartz said within 10 minutes of that they approached a 47-year-old man — a convicted burglar who had a Department of Corrections inmate ID in his wallet — ordered him to the ground and pointed a gun at him. They took his wallet, apparently unfazed by that ID.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

Today, as ever, I am thankful for the men and women who have served and sacrificed and made this country of ours GREAT.

John and I both grew up in families where the United States of America was (and is still) honored. Both families have strong ties to the military, with many cousins, uncles, and a few women, too, wearing the uniform.

Now, to borrow a line from my cyber-friend, Monica--

Some heroes wear capes....MINE WEARS COMBAT BOOTS!

my favorite soldier

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I am thankful for cell phones. Mine is in the car--this is JT's pay-as-you-go version. I had never seen the need for a cell phone until September 11th happened. We knew John would be called up; it was a matter of when (we just didn't know how often!). So, the Sunday after September 11, I got a Verizon phone from Radio Shack. A cell phone would mean we could have contact, and, God forbid, I could be reached if anything bad happened. The kids and I have traveled from Alabama to Idaho to Florida to South Carolina and everywhere in-between. Having the cell phone gives me some peace of mind for safety (I've called AAA a couple of times, and 9-1-1 twice) and John is able to call and talk to us wherever we happen to be. Cell phones are wonderful!

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I am thankful for traditions, this one in particular. Every day in November, each person here (even visitors) writes down something he is thankful for and dates and signs the leaf. Every day is something different--you can't say the same thing twice (and for the boys, they can only list one video game all month). Then it's added to our tree. The tree is on our pantry door, affixed with velcro on the inside of the door. We use sticky-tak stuff to stick the leaves on, so we can remove them, save our favorites, and use the tree again next year. This tree has about 40 leaves on it. Imagine how crowded with blessings it will be by Thanksgiving!

Homemade Caramel!

Feingold is so much fun. I've learned to make marshmallows, and now here's caramel sauce. Very simple, too! Here's the recipe I used: Caramel Sauce from Simply Recipes.

There are only three ingredients: sugar, butter and cream.

And today, Luci found this. She's convinced it is a dinosaur tooth (but I don't think so). I love her imagination.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I am thankful for people like Tongginator's Momma, who writes so well on adoption. She has made me think quite a bit. So has Katie-bug's Mom. I am hoping to meet Katie and her family someday; they are actually not too far from us.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

Bryan. My first born. The one who made me Mommy. Bryan is ready to take on the world. He's a great big brother and a wonderful son. He's not too enthusiastic about school work...but let him go on something he loves, like film-making, and he's another Steven Spielberg in the making. We can't wait to see how you are going to change your part of the world, Bryan!

Thirty Days of Thanks

I am thankful for J.T. He has my heart all tied up. He loves his daddy the fiercest of all our children. He has a great love for Luci, too, and plays so patiently with her. J.T. was my cuddly, happy baby. He now makes the best puns and is so creative.

After a week of sun in Vero Beach.

Thirty Days of Thanks...

I'm thankful for a little girl who says Luci-isms and Luci-Speak like
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"I got a scrap on my knee." (scrape)
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"Tiana's prince is named Ravine." (Tiana is the newest Disney princess and her prince is NAVEEN.)
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"But mama, we have to go into McDonald's (instead of going through the drive-through) because there are people in there who want to meet me!"

Wow, I love her! Can't imagine life without Luci. What if we'd never gone to that adoption meeting.....

Thirty Days of Thanks

Homeschooling--so thankful that we are allowed to homeschool, and for the support of my husband in this endeavor. Here is a shot of an experiment done yesterday, demonstrating the density of different items. We are using Apologia Science this year. So far, so good with it.

Thirty Days....

I am beyond thankful that John's trips this weekend went safely. He was out on Saturday and Sunday.

John's Sunday Trip

John went out this weekend. Here are some pictures from the Sunday trip. It was somewhere north of Kabul. Most of the photos were taken from a moving vehicle and through that thick safety glass. I thought they were flying in helicopters out to the site--glad I didn't know they were going in a convoy, because I don't think I would have been able to sleep had I known.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

November 2

So thankful today for the GORGEOUS weather.

Thirty Days of Thanks

This idea comes from NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month. I think the 30 days of thanks started last year. I am not really sure. Here is the post that started many, many bloggers to post every day. I'm going to try it; I hope you will, too. If you do, please leave me a message so I can read your blog everyday!

I am thankful to live in a country where I can write whatever I choose, where thinking and speaking is allowed.

Gaahh!! I hate driving in Georgia.

We've traveled a lot. We've probably traveled more without John than with him. But today has got to be the all-time record for misery in the car. One child was loathe to leave Vero Beach. It was not the 5 year old! If you happened to be driving through Orlando around noon, you would have seen us on the side of the Florida Turnpike, with that same child doing push-ups. (Again, not the 5 year old.)

And then leave it to Georgia to have so much freeway construction going on that we had an extra hour of driving.

Luci added an extra 30 minutes onto that by having to "go potty" three extra times. Why did I ever potty train her? I guess it will be good in the long run, huh?

Ares 1-X Rocket Launch

We saw the rocket! What a wonderful thing, even from 58 miles away. Now, to make you all jealous: Luci and I rushed out of the pool to go to the beach to watch the launch. Bryan and JT missed it--they were busy with surfing lessons!

Here's the story: Ares1-X Rocket Launch and a photo from Fox News.

Tuesday at Vero Beach

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Birthday!

Luci turned five on Monday. She proclaimed it "The Best Day Ever."
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After Luci went to sleep Sunday night, JT decorated the apartment and I frosted the cake. We had cake for breakfast!


Luci went to a crafts class.

Campfire at night--complete with silly songs. I didn't know the boys were so talented at singing "A Tooty-Tah-Ta." I thought that was just a Luci thing. The campfire ladies also chose Luci to take part in a song, but then had her go find her mom or dad. Since dad wasn't available, I got to embarrass myself in front of the crowd. Unfortunately, no pictures of that disgrace survived....


Roasting marshmallows....

to make Smores! How did that marshmallow get on her temple??

Sunday at the Beach

What joy! This is the first time Luci has touched the Atlantic Ocean. She is jumping in this picture. You can see the reflection of her feet beneath her on the wet sand.
Why I should be more diligent with Luci about what she eats. We were playing bingo. Prizes were candy and little toys. This was taken about 10 minutes after she started eating one of those Halloween packets of Skittles. She went from calm to pretty wild in that length of time. Thank goodness her reactions seem to be short--she was calm three hours later. Bryan's reactions used to last three whole days! Check out the Feingold diet for help with ADHD-type behaviors.

Good thing I brought the things for Luci's birthday cake with us. Naturally colored icing, courtesy of India Tree food colors. Not such a neat icing job, but cute and just what she asked for: "banilla cake, banilla frosting and PINK dots!"

Yes, we're on our way...

Isn't that the song from Disney's Brother Bear? We will be at Vero Beach tomorrow--with our Disney Vacation Club. We've been planning this since we knew for certain that John was going back overseas--so, since the end of June. We are so ready for time off from everything! Yay! When we got across the Florida line this afternoon, the temperature went up 8 whole degrees! I am not kidding. So looking forward to a whole week of no school, no schedules, no whining (at least from myself).

The Pumpkin Patch

Luci and I went to McGee Farm today. Luci was thrilled to ride on a hay wagon. She went a bit nutty as the tractor rolled into sight. Luci also painted her pumpkin and milked a "cow." Other shots in the collage are of JT swinging Luci around--that one made a neat shadow--and Bryan putting the new license plate on the van. Double-click on the collage to see it larger. (oops. It might not enlarge for you--it didn't for me.)

Heard and Seen Recently

A couple of days ago, at dinner, one of the boys (who shall remain nameless, but his intials are J.T.) was going on and on about what he "needs" us to get him. I said, "(nameless son), it's not all about you." Whereupon Luci pipes up, "Yeah! It's all about ME."

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Bryan has been wearing a bracelet--you know, those rubbery things that are so popular now--that says, "Army Strong." He's had it on since John's trip started up again at the end of June. He says it is in support of his Dad.

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JT has been practicing his paint ball moves in the field out back. He's ready to take us all on when John gets home.

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John told me I could go look for a camera for my Christmas present, so I did. I now have a very nice Nikon D3000. John is so good at picking out gifts. Here's a photograph that I took today, after about 45 minutes of learning how to use the camera. Luci is trying to blow the fuzz off of a dandelion.

You might be Homeschooled if....

Luci-isms

Vamplier--Vampire
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Glip Gloth--lip gloss (and no, she does not lisp at all)
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Jacklyn--one of those pumpkins that makes a face like this:

Science Experiment--From Alpha Omega Publications

This fun fall science experiment that teaches children how to see the rainbow in a leaf. An easy project that only requires simple household materials, this leaf chromatography experiment reinforces why leaves turn different colors in the fall and other fascinating photosynthesis facts found in LIFEPAC® and Switched-On Schoolhouse® sixth grade science lessons from Alpha Omega Publications®. Plus, your child will also gain a deeper understanding of God's marvelous design of a leaf.

Materials:

Assortment of green leaves

Small jars (baby food jars work great)

Jar covers, aluminum foil, or plastic wrapRubbing alcohol

White paper coffee filters

Shallow pan

Hot tap water

Tape

Pens

Plastic knife or spoon

Kitchen timer

Scissors

Notebook

Procedure:1. Gather two or three large leaves from several different species of trees. (Maple trees and other trees that have dramatic fall color changes work best). In a notebook, designate a page for each of the leaves and record the different colors you see in each of the leaves.

2. Cut two long, thin strips of coffee filter paper for each jar. Use half of the coffee filter strips to label the jars with each tree's name and location.

3. Tear or cut the leaves into tiny pieces and put them into separate small jars.

4. Add just enough rubbing alcohol to cover the leaves in each jar. Carefully chop or grind them into the alcohol using a plastic knife or spoon. NOTE: Isopropyl rubbing alcohol can be harmful if not used correctly. Read label warnings and directions carefully.

5. Loosely cover the top of the jars with lids, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil.

6. Place the jars into a shallow pan filled with one inch of very hot tap water.

7. Allow the jars to stand in the hot water for at least a half hour (longer if necessary) until the alcohol has become colored (the darker the solution, the better). Gently swirl each jar every five minutes and replace the hot water if it starts to cool.

8. Uncover the jars and remove them from the water.

9. On one end only, label the remaining coffee filter strips with each tree's name and location.

Then, place the strips into the appropriate jars, so one end is immersed in the alcohol, and the labeled end is wrapped around a pen suspended across the top of the jar. Secure the piece of paper with tape.

What you'll observe: The alcohol will slowly begin to travel up the paper, bringing the colors in the leaves with it. After an hour or two, the colors will travel different distances up the paper as the alcohol evaporates.

Depending on the type of tree, your homeschooler should see different pigment shades of green (chlorophylls), yellow (xanthophylls), orange (carotenoids), and red (anthocyanins) from the leaves.

10. Remove the strips of pigmented paper before the alcohol reaches the top and allow them to dry. The finished paper strips are called chromatographs. Tape them to the pages of your notebook and record your observations. How many colors are visible? Could you see the same colors in the leaves before the experiment? Based on your fun fall experiment, which tree leaves do you think will turn the brightest and least bright this fall?

Retail Therapy

Oh, my goodness! I had such a nice time today. Luci and I ran off to Huntsville to the Build a Bear Workshop. The boys were supposed to be doing their schoolwork while we were gone. Suffice it to say that they are doing their schoolwork now. Luci and I had a grand time chatting about lots of things (almost all of her choosing, of course--there's only so much you can talk to a four-year-old about). After choosing the perfect (purr-fect?) Hello Kitty and a camouflage bear for JT (we named it Daddy Bear, of course), Luci and I had lunch in the food court. She loves the mall. Any mall. But this one had escalators and an elevator (which our one-story mall does not) and she was in hog-heaven.

5 Reasons to Love Halloween

5 Finally, a no-cook holiday. Woo-Hoo!

4 Raiding--er...inspecting your kids' candy.

3 Calling your sister's kids "little devils" won't start a fight.

2 Cobwebs are considered decorations.

1 Three words: chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.

taken from First for women, 10/26/09

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

Today is the Harvest Moon Festival in China. Luci fell asleep before the moon came up tonight. Luci's nightly ritual is to blow kisses to the moon for Daddy and catch the kisses Daddy sent up the night before. (Another thing to help with Daddy's deployment.)
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We skipped the real moon cakes and had moon pies instead. Moon cakes are an acquired taste.
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This website has some interesting tidbits about the Moon Festival. Here is a real moon cake recipe and here is one place for ordering, if you are more adventurous than we are.