Computer Issues

Apparently my computer is going through the electronic version of "the change" and is having issues with overheating. So it is off to the shop tonight to get a new fan (or something) before the service contract runs out on Tuesday. So for the next week or so, we will be picture free for sure (and possibly not posting at all) But please check back soon...

And since I just heard someone in the playroom say "X you can't fly" I am sure we will have lots of fun stories when we return....

Happy Birthday A

Here are the pictures from A's NINTH birthday (I would have posted them sooner but they were playing hide and seek in my hard drive, the rotten little electrons).

Next year will be double digits (which sounds a lot more exciting when you are approaching the big 1-0 and not the big 4-0 like some other people here)

He didn't want a cake "cause I don't like cake" so he compromised on the decorated chocolate chip cookie, which apparently he also doesn't like. Not that it matters- I just needed something to stick the candles into for these photos. And, although A wasn't a big fan (who knew?) I liked it but sadly, so did the dog.

This is a book about the new favorite show in my house "Emergency"- yes the one from the 1970s. In a bizarre coincidence A had, not a few hours before opening the presents, said that he wished someone wrote a behind the scenes book about Emergency. Now if he could just wish I win the lottery.....

Things I Wouldn't Know if I Didn't Have Kids

That ice cream sprinkles are as much, if not more fun, without the ice cream

Last night I used up some grant money I had remaining from a work grant to buy (among other things) toppings for ice cream. The program I received the grant to do concludes with a parent/child pizza and ice cream celebration. I had alot of grant money so I thought I'd buy some extra of the things that can be stored long term (like ice cream sprinkles). I was in the process of sorting out the grocery bags when the phone rang. After about 5 minutes on the phone I realized, mid-sentence, that no one was yelling "Mommy, Mommy" and climbing all over me. Now you know why. That is 3 large bottles of sprinkles with a jar of crumbled Oreo cookies for good measure. And B wonders why our central vac canister seems to get full quickly.

On the plus side, K's occupational therapist wants her to start practicing putting small items into bottles and I did have an uninterrupted phone call.

Looking for a Good Cause???

This is our agency's program in Ethiopia.  They try to keep families together if at all possible, and if not they find loving homes for the children who need permanent families.  They do so much with very little, but the need is so great, and ever growing in light of the global economic decline as well as an increasingly serious famine.  They are a great agency and you can be sure contributions will help the children and families who so desperately need help right now.

http://www.holtinternational.org/ethiopia/famine.shtml

From Famine to a Bright Future Rescuing Children in Ethiopia We have committed to help more than 3,000 needy families get back on their feet and STAY TOGETHER. In addition, hundreds more children have lost their families and need loving homes. With the completion of our first full year in Ethiopia, this is our fastest growing program because of the HUGE NEED. Loving families have stepped up to adopt 70 children so far. Our goal is to find forever homes for at least 150 more children this year. Few of us can take the huge step of adoption, but all of us together can help rescue these children! Our clinic is the only medical facility in a region of 250,000 people.Besides stabilizing children coming into our care, the staff helps desperately poor families and connects them with services to help them stay together. Your gift today helps keep starving families together and finds loving homes for children already abandoned. 1 out of 8 children die before the age of 5 in Ethiopia for lack of basic food and medicine. No wonder desperate parents are bringing their children to us. Hunger is driving many families to give up.They want a brighter future for their children, free from starvation and sickness.

This Better Be the ONLY Time I Appear in Court with These Children

Friday we appeared with the girls in our local probate court to finalize their adoptions. For D it was just a formality in order to get her a birth certificate in English. As much as I enjoy the looks on people's faces when I hand them her 4 page Chinese birth certificate, especially since page 1 is completely in Chinese, things will be easier if the birth certificates are in a language there is a chance your average American can read. For K though, this is the next stop on her route to becoming a US citizen. We legally changed her name from her Ethiopian first name (which is now her middle name) to the name that we have been using all along. Next we apply for her Certificate of Citizenship (which costs a small fortune by the way) then a social security number then a passport (then taxes and FICA and all the other fun things we get to do as citizens) And it all needs done by August so we can pay OUR taxes. But it is finally done (I won't mention how long D's paperwork has been sitting unfiled in my "to do (eventually)" box. The girls now have the same legal standing as the boys.

Hanging out in the hearing room before the magistrate comes in.

Officially a family in the eyes of every governmental body that could possibly have an opinion on the matter.

Our Magistrate was a good sport about posing for pictures with us. I did have to bribe D with a sucker so that she would pose in the photo. Did she take my lesson about never being in court again seriously? Those of you who know her in real life can assume that she didn't.

K already has ambitions of being the one behind the bench- she is ready to work on those files just sitting there waiting for someone to "sign" them

Is This What They Mean By "Cement POND"?

Last year at the end of the summer we had a little wind storm that blew about a million (okay a thousand) leaves into the pool, as well as knocked out power for a while. By the time the power came back on, the leaves had all settled to the bottom and blocked the pump which ran dry for awhile before I realized this horrific noise in the backyard was the pump and shut it off. So B decides to deal with it all in the spring. Yesterday he pulled the cover off the pool and it is a little more "pond-like" than I normally like in a swimming pool. However- we have 2 guest at the pool who find the water condition to suit them just fine. (We call the pool guy on Tuesday to order a new pump)

It Matters to Me Because It Matters to My Kids

I found this photo on another blog I follow- it is from the White House and it is the President of the United States allowing this child to feel his hair to see if it feels "like his"  I spend alot of time educating people, particularly White adoptive parents, about race issues and often feel like I am banging my head on the wall trying to get some of them to understand why it is so important for children to see their color valued and validated.  Whether it is something as seemingly trivial as why doesn't Disney have a Black princess to what the President's hair feels like- plain and simple- IT MATTERS!  It matters not only to my kids, but to all the children who need to see themselves reflected positively in our world.