School's Out!

Today was our last day of school!  What a great year of homeschool! 

Super E started his 1st grade year barely reading.  He was still sounding out simple, 3-letter words.  This week he shocked me by reading a Level 3 Reader and rarely needing my help.  Reading still isn't his favorite subject, but he has done a super job!  His favorite subject this year was Science, with a particular fondness for his unit on Space.  We'll keep working hard on reading over the summer just to keep him challenged and hopefully instill in him a love of reading!  We'll also keep working on those important math facts!

Super C's 5th grade year highlight was probably his History book about the World Wars.  We had a great book with lots of internet links.  My boy definitely has an appreciation for our military!  Perhaps he'll go to the Air Force Academy like his Uncle Todd and Cousin Scott.  Super C also completed 2 years of math in 1 year!  He started out completing 5th grade very quickly and in late January he started 6th grade math.  He still has a few more lessons to complete and he'll have those done by the end of this month.  Next year, we have high hopes of completing both 7th and 8th grade math in 1 year.  Might as well keep him challenged.  That's the beauty of homeschool!  This summer C will keep a writing journal as I haven't been all too happy with the writing portion of our current curriculum.  He already has some fun fiction titles written down.  We thought of even starting a kids blog that your kids could follow.  Stay tuned.

Our co-op was really fun this year too.  Last year it was solely dedicated to weekly PE classes at our local park.  This year, participating moms rotated teaching the group on different subjects.  I had the privilege to teach about Chinese New Year in February and Limb Differences in April.  Both were very well received and I was really impressed with the group of kids we have in our co-op.  My kids have made some good friends who we see multiple times each week.  I'm getting to know the moms better too and that makes our weekly Tuesday gatherings all the better.  While our co-op has wrapped up for the year already (due to the increasing Texas heat outside), we still have our Year End Party on the calendar for the end of May that we're looking forward to.

The plan for next year is to absolutely continue homeschooling!  We'll keep using Sonlight Curriculum for our core and I'll switch to a different writing program for Super C.  One friend is again willing to lend me her used curriculum for 2nd grade and all I will have to look for is used 6th grade curriculum.  What a huge blessing that is to us!

And just so you know, our Quiet Tiger listens in on everything we've learned about this year.  Case in point, on our way into Walmart one day, she just blurted out a story about WWII without any prompting from me or the boys.  We weren't even discussing school at the moment, so I have no idea where it all came from.  She said, "Mom, in WWII, there was the Air Force and they flew in the sky and shot at people and they died.  And they were under water [she was referring to submarines] and they shot at people and they died too.  And we won."  That's a 3-year-old's take on World War II and I think that's pretty darn impressive!  One more funny, just because I can:  On our trip to Chicago over Easter, L insisted that she knew math.  So, Super C asks her what one plus one is and she answers, "2."  Then he asked her what 2 plus 2 is and her response was, "Math."  Yes, my girl, 2 plus 2 is math.  Too smart for her own good!

Our Quiet Tiger will begin some preschool activities at home in the fall but we'll also attend the ABC Club at our local library.  She is excited.

Great job this year, Super E and Super C (and Quiet Tiger too)!  I am so proud of you!

My boys with their certificates of completion!

Meet McKinley

We have a new addition to the family and his name is McKinley!

McKinley "Mack"
Named for Mt. McKinley in Alaska

Let's face it, if I could live at the zoo, I would.  To say I'm an animal fanatic is a huge understatement.  I was thrilled with our 1 American Eskimo dog.  Our Juneau is a love.  I adore him.  But for a while now I've felt the desire to have another dog.  

We live in a nice neighborhood, but break-ins are the crime of choice across this city.  My neighbors across the street were broken into in broad daylight, while I sat at my dining room window that faces their house, homeschooling the boys all day [burglars broke in the back door and that's why I never saw a darn thing].  Having a dog can help deter a burglar in some cases.  

Juneau's recent separation anxiety also made me wonder if he could use a new friend.  It has been about 13 months since Juneau's littermate brother Kenai was killed by something mysterious in our backyard. I'm not sure if dogs can sense those milestones like people do, but the dog that once didn't cry or whine a bit when we left the house, turned into a howling mess when we'd run out on errands.  Perhaps a new canine friend would be good company for him.

To add to that, I like having a little extra security in the house when Jay is gone.  He doesn't travel much for work at all, maybe once or twice a year, but having a big dog by my side makes me feel just a bit more secure.  Again, we don't live in a dangerous area at all, but this isn't the Midwest either, this is a big city!

So, I had been searching for a Samoyed for a long time.  The nearest Samoyed rescue to us is an 8 hour drive away and they wouldn't allow us to adopt due to the great distance.  Other rescues charged as much as a purebred puppy from a breeder.  That angers me.  I understand that rescues have costs that can add up with large vet bills, but I firmly believe that rescues shouldn't be charging hundreds of dollars for adult dogs, especially if these are strays pulled off the street.  

I had hoped that we might be able to find a Samoyed in Illinois when we go home for Easter.  There is a large rescue right there in the suburbs near my hometown.  But that rescue never emailed me back when I asked questions about a couple of their available dogs.

Then after a weekly Petfinder search, I found a Samoyed mix right here in our city.  His pictures made me smile and his described personality sounded like it would be a good fit with our family.  And the rescue's small adoption fee was right in line with my wallet too.  So on a Sunday afternoon we went to an adoption event at a local pet supply store to meet him.

Petfinder Photo #1
Love the one ear up, one ear down.

Petfinder Photo #2

Petfinder Photo #3
Love the blue tongue!

Love at first sight!  He walked beautifully on the leash with me and the boys.  He was very submissive.  We stood and talked to his foster-mom for quite some time and asked all the appropriate questions.  She had me fill out an application and told me to take him home for a trial period to see how he'd get along with Juneau.  Honestly, to my surprise, we left with the dog!  I really had intended to just go meet him, leave him there and head home to pray about it for a while.  But when we learned that we could take him for a trial period without spending a dime, we left with him.

And we're not sending him back!  

Juneau has to learn how to play again because Mack just wants to play with him.  And Juneau gets territorial and jealous, but it's very trainable behavior.  Mack needs basic obedience training because he was once a stray and has no indoor manners (he is house trained though), so I have to teach him not to go after shoes and the kids' toys, etc.  And he needs to learn his new name (he didn't even respond to his given name at the foster mom's home despite living with her for 2 months).  But he is so trainable!  In just 2 days he learned that he cannot go upstairs (yet).  He looks, but he doesn't follow me up there.  Of course, I knew he'd be a great dog, when on Day 2 in our home, he followed me into the bathroom.  Ha!

We're not sure what Mack is mixed with.  We do believe he's part Samoyed but he has one ear that flops down 95% of the time and both ears are tan.  His fur isn't as white as a Samoyed's would be, so he could be part Chow Chow, maybe Golden Retriever, Akita, something brown.  And he has that blue tongue, which Samoyeds don't have.  He's big!  I can't lift him.  And he has a warning bark that makes me feel secure, but his play bark is surprisingly high pitched!  He is very affectionate too and loves to be hugged.  He's a great dog just as he is!  When he's trained he'll be awesome!  

Welcome, Mack!

Happily relaxing together in the kitchen.

Valentines 628

I read an article once that said it takes an adopted child the same amount of time in the home as they spent in the orphanage for them to fully feel like a true family member.  My daughter, from the time she was found at about 8 weeks old, spent 20 months, plus a few days in an orphanage in China.

To be exact, she lived in the orphanage for 627 days.

Last week I was doing the math, accounted for leap year and realized that officially, as of today, our Quiet Tiger has been with us, in our care, in our family, longer than she lived in the orphanage.

Today, on Valentine's Day 2014, she has been in our family for 628 days.

The days have ranged from good, to awesome, to bad, to horrible and back around again.  Raising a child from a tough place is tough business.  Adoption is not for the faint of heart!

But I pray that as we continue to move forward, our Quiet Tiger will feel more and more like a member of our family, that the scars from her broken past will be completely healed and that she will be happy and proud to be in our family!

You Did It!

Well done, good and faithful servants!

Check out the ticker above!  In just one month's time, you raised OVER $1000 for the Marquis family and their adoption of their waiting daughter in China!

The "Anonymous Donor" has matched your $1000, dollar-for-dollar and has made a deposit into the account this morning that should show up later today.  That's $2000 to help with the remaining adoption fees.

I speak with Hilary fairly regularly, almost weekly, A LOT and each time I made a plea for your help, you stepped up and she saw it happen.  In fact, we were on the phone yesterday when that last donation came in, taking the total over $1000, and we did our happy dances in our respective kitchens together, choking back tears.

And each time, 

she was floored by your generosity!  

Most of you kept your names private, so Hilary and Tim cannot personally thank you for your generosity.  Hilary and Tim want me to thank all of you who donated either by name or anonymously!  They are so very grateful!  As donations rolled in and Hilary thought of all of you giving so generously, I could hear the lump in her throat as she begged me to...

"Please, please, please 

thank everyone so very much!"

So thank you, friends!  

I thank you.  

The Marquis family thanks you.  

And one day, when she's able to comprehend it all, 

their sweet daughter will thank you 

for giving her a hope and a future with an 

amazing forever family.

Please keep praying.  And please keep giving if you can by clicking here.  The adoption fees are FAR FROM OVER!  Their 20 year old car is dying and might not make it.  If you know of anyone looking to donate a vehicle, this family could really use it!

This family really needs your support!

Happy New Year!

January 31st was the official Chinese New Year!  Welcome Year of the Horse!  I'm a little late in posting our celebration because events covered a number of dates and I wanted to include it all in one post.

After Christmas I began really trying to organize the house.  Although I didn't specifically do this with Chinese New Year in mind, it is certainly among the holiday tradition to clean house -- to clean out the old year, the bad luck and be fresh and clean for the new year and the good luck.  I organized closets, the pantry, the laundry room and even the garage which honestly had never been cleaned since we moved in.  It was left very much in "dumping ground" state.  It is now beautifully cleaned and organized and labeled!

My friend Sheri in Nebraska told me about a paper mache lion that we could order for $10 with profits going towards anti-trafficking efforts in Vietnam.  It is simply awesome and it's the centerpiece on our dining room table.  The only thing I really wish I had were some authentic, nylon, red lanterns.  I'll order some online next year.

As you can see, I couldn't be more excited about this lion head.
The tail is easily 3 1/2 feet long!
I adore it!

Thanks to my daughter's attitude problem and temper tantrums that threw me over the edge, I held off our holiday feast until January 31, rather than serving it the night before as tradition would have it.  Our Chinese New Year feast consisted of dumplings, noodles and tangerines.  Delicious!  For dessert I made a Chinese rice pudding filled with fruits and red bean paste.  Too bad L didn't like the dessert, which really surprised me.  It was okay, but I probably won't make it again if she doesn't like it.

Dinner is served!

On Sunday we went to church, our Quiet Tiger dressed in the new qipao that I bought her for Christmas online (my plan every year), visited the local Asian market and their annual New Year's celebration which is always a HUGE hit with our family!  This year I remembered red envelopes with singles for tips for the awesome dragon dancers.

This year I opted for an aqua blue dress because the color is
absolutely scrumptious on her!

On Tuesday I taught about Chinese New Year at our homeschool co-op.  This was my first time teaching the group and I think it was well received.  It was a small group but the kids were really attentive and I think they really enjoyed the craft.

First, I read from a picture book that I ordered on Amazon.  It explains the holiday (albeit a bit more Cantonese than anything, which would not be my daughter's heritage) and customs in a very simple form.

My First Chinese New Year
by Karen Katz
A good book that does speak of celebrations relative to Southern China,
but still a good idea of what the holiday is like.

Then we made paper lanterns for our craft.

The boys with their paper lanterns.

Then we had snacks.  I had Goldfish crackers to symbolize the whole fish eaten at Chinese New Year, a clementine for each student in lieu of the tangerines, and a fortune cookie with a Bible verse inside (I know they are American and not Chinese, but they are fun and certainly explained that).  I also had made horse cookies, which was my own touch, but the glaze didn't dry in time for me to take them, so we have plenty of horse cookies to share at home!

The red and gold horse cookies that didn't dry until after our co-op.

So now that it's all over I can relax.  Happy New Year!  Here's to a wonderful Year of the Horse!

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Called to Action

Friends, I have a story to share with you.  And while the beginning of this story is sad and hard to read and may make some of you mad honestly, I ask my followers to kindly stick with me and read this to the very end.

One of my very best friends in the whole wide world traveled to Chin@ a few months after I did and brought home her daughter M home from Southern Chin@.  She has been home for a year now and is thriving.  But something happened while they were there.

While my friend and her husband were there, they met a sweet baby girl from their daughter's orphanage who was later disrupted.  Disrupting an adoption means that an adoptive family declined to adopt a child after meeting said child in country.  I cannot imagine what an agonizing decision it must be to go through months, maybe years of paperwork and waiting, and tens of thousands of dollars spent on an international adoption, then traveling to meet the child in their home country, only to reject that child in country and return home childless.

It happens.

The family has their reasons.  I may or may not agree with their reasons.

But it happens.

Here is something many adoptive parents do not know (I didn't know it, my friend didn't know it):

Often times in Chin@, when a child is rejected and not adopted, that child is labeled "unadoptable."  When that happens, the child is denied the chance to thrive in a forever family, denied the chance at knowing safety, security, health, provision and love.  A disruption is seen as a failed adoption, a failure in the eyes of the Chin@ government and a failure that makes the orphanage look bad.

Remember, this does not happen in all Chin@ orphanages!  It does happen in some.  It did happen to this particular little girl.  And it's a shame.

In many cases, the only way a disrupted child can be adopted is if a family knows the child is there, has the necessary information on the child, and if the orphanage has a director who is willing to take the chance again and process the child's paperwork.

But how can a disrupted child be known if their paperwork is pulled from the Chin@ adoption system?

The child simply gets lost in the fold with no hope, no future.  Everything gets swept under the rug.

This is what happened to the sweet little girl in Chin@ that my friend met in person.  The rest of the story is theirs to tell and you can read their story at the link at the bottom of this blog post.

In the meantime, we are thrilled that our friends are stepping up to adopt this once disrupted child.  They cannot turn their back on a child who was rejected once by birth parents, then once again by adoptive parents.  They cannot let this child be swept under the rug and forgotten forever.  Because they met her and know her story, they have fought for her.  They have told Chin@ that they will adopt her and have asked the orphanage director to re-issue her paperwork into the Chin@ adoption program.

Now she has a hope and a future and an amazing family already in love with her and actively pursuing her with everything they have!  And here's where you come in, friends.

Like us, the family still has debt from their last adoption.  Yet they cannot quiet God's voice to adopt this next little one.  They need help - financial help - and they hate asking for money!

An anonymous donor has offered a MATCHING GRANT to help bring their daughter home!  From today until February 15 (that's precisely 1 month) this donor will match every donation, dollar-for-dollar up to $1000.

There is a link on the family's blog (link at the bottom) where you can donate.  And all your donations are tax deductible, per their fundraising website.

So please, prayerfully consider clicking the link below, read their story, share their story and find the link for "Adopt Together" to donate on the righthand side of their webpage.  If time is a constraint for you, I'll add the link to their direct donation page below as well.

I'll create my own ticker on the top of this blog in the days to come so we can track the progress of this matching grant, so check back for updates.  Does $5 make a difference?  Yes, you bet it does!

And above all, please pray for their sweet waiting daughter, their adoption process, and the entire family.

Let's bring their daughter home!

Sweet waiting girl in China.  Twice rejected.  Nearly lost forever and forgotten.
But now with hope and a future!

Read their story on the Family's Blog:  Hannah Joy Long

Donate immediately by clicking the Adopt Together Link:  Adopt Together - Marquis Family

Proverbs 24: 12

Don't excuse yourself saying, "Look, we didn't know."

For God understands all hearts, and he sees you.

He who guards your soul knows you knew.

He will repay all people as their actions deserve.

Merry Christmas 2013

I debated about sending out Christmas cards this year.  I didn't do it for the 3 years we were in the midst of an adoption.  I didn't send them last year because we weren't spending any extra money on any little thing since Jay had just started his new career.  This year, I just want to keep things simple and free even though I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE receiving Christmas cards.

I'll recap our annual highlights and lowlights quickly for this year's Christmas card/blog.

JANUARY
was a good month.

HIGH:  We were pleasantly surprised by amazing fireworks all across San Antonio on New Year's Eve.  We have one of the best spots, up on a bit of a hill where we can see great fireworks from our back deck.  Local friends, come join us on New Year's this year.  We have lots of extra space for friends to camp out to avoid driving with the crazies after midnight.  It's Jay's favorite holiday, so come on over!

FEBRUARY 
was a bad month.  A VERY BAD month. 

LOWS:  A car accident for Jay (he was okay, but our Ford not so much), followed by the loss of our dog.  We were shocked and traumatized by the sudden death of our 4 year old American Eskimo dog, Kenai.  We think he was bitten by a snake or a scorpion or somehow poisoned.  He was acting funny at bedtime and less than 2 hours later was dead in my arms near midnight.  Worst night ever.

Kenai in back.  Juneau in front.
One of the last pictures I have of Kenai just days before he died.

MARCH 
was a great month.  WOO HOO!!!

HIGHS: My mom and stepdad came to visit and we celebrated an unplanned event when Super C chose to be publicly baptized at our church after Easter services.

An Easter visit from Grammie & Rand.

Jay baptizes our son at Oak Hills Church!

APRIL
had it's highs and lows.

LOW:  The catalytic converter on my van decided it needed replacement.  Over $2000 down the drain. I hate my lemon of a van with a passion!

HIGHS:  We drove up to Austin for the wedding of some Willow Creek friends.  Then my Super E turned 6 at the end of the month.  I love this boy so much I feel like my heart could burst!

Great to see my old boss and his wife at their daughter's wedding in Austin!

Me and my boy on his SIXTH birthday!

MAY 
had some pretty BIG extremes.

HIGH:  We were honored to attend the retirement ceremony of our friend after years and years of service to our country in the US Air Force.  We finished our 1st year of homeschooling!  We marked our Quiet Tiger's very 1st Gotcha Day Anniversary (enjoy a link to the video I made for her).  We spent Memorial Day with Jay's cousins on Lake LBJ.

LOW:  My dad had a heart attack in Illinois.  He is recovering well, but it wasn't as minor as originally diagnosed.

After the retirement ceremony at Lackland AFB.

Celebrating Gotcha Day all day long.  A yummy freeze pop after lunch.

Sending my dad a get well care package complete with photos.

JUNE 
brought the drama.  Too much drama.

HIGH and LOW:  Jay's summer regional event with his new company and he won the prestigious Ted Jones Prospecting Award.  But at this event our Quiet Tiger experienced her first major trauma of being left with sitters at the resort during the regional event.  She clearly thought we were there to abandon her.  It was a good weekend away for Jay but it was a completely hellish weekend away for me.

At the Regional with his award.

Ready to swim at the Summer Regional event in Horseshoe Bay.

JULY
brought some fun.

HIGHS:  We celebrated July 4th with our friends Brandy & Steve.  We celebrated our daughter's 3rd birthday and we topped the month off by my Super E losing his first 2 teeth in one night!  Excitement all around.

Happy Independence Day 2013!

Happy 3rd birthday, Quiet Tiger!

Super E loses his first 2 teeth on the same night.

AUGUST 
brought anniversaries.

HIGHS:  Jay and I celebrated 12 years of marriage.  And then I realized that it was 20 years ago that month that I left to study in Akita, Japan.  Twenty years.  WOW.

August 18, 2001

Minnesota State University - Akita, Japan
August 1993

SEPTEMBER 
was good.

HIGHS:  We were diving into our second year of homeschooling.  Super C turned 10 years old -- double digits, folks!  This boy has my heart.  We made a day trip and explored a tiny piece of the Texas Gulf region.

Super C and his minion cake that I made for him.

The beautiful Texas coastline.

OCTOBER 
was filled with adult decisions and kid-type fun and games.

HIGHS:  We had to make a tough decision on Jay's office location -- either staying where he was working with another financial advisor, waiting for an office to open back in the Midwest (preferably Minneapolis), or taking an office here in San Antonio.  Decision made and Jay moved into an office of his very own on the North side of the city.  He's enjoying it and doing quite well.  For the rest of us, we secretly set up Jay's home office while he was out of town on business for a week.  We celebrated Jay's birthday and then my birthday.  The kids went to their first birthday party for friends.  Halloween was fun for all.

The new office!

Halloween fun.

NOVEMBER 
flew by.

HIGHS:  Our Quiet Tiger is successfully potty training!  She can't be trusted quite yet to remember what to do every single time, but she's getting there and even has had a good number of nights when she has stayed dry through the night.  The kids and I were extras in a movie along with friends of ours.  That was fun!  We thoroughly enjoyed Thanksgiving with friends Brandy & Steve and a couple of Air Force Basic Trainees.  We replaced one of the Christmas trees that were left behind in our Nebraska home and started to decorate for Christmas.

On the set of The Adventures of Pepper and Paula.

We found a cheap tree and we went with the "family tree" this year
instead of my usual silver snowflake "formal tree."
Hope to find our formal tree on clearance after the holiday.

DECEMBER
has already been quite busy!

HIGHS:  We're already busy with holiday parties for Jay's work, Rotary and our homeschool co-op.  I have yet to bake any Christmas goodies for our family but have done plenty for events.  We finished week 19 of homeschool -- just over half way done with the entire year!  I plan to take a couple of weeks off from school to enjoy the holiday.  We've seen the cousins at the lake and we'll see Jay's mom on Christmas Eve.  Hoping for some New Year's fun and good fireworks again.

Early Christmas on Lake LBJ.

Have a very merry Christmas 
celebrating the birth of our Savior!  

With all our love 
from our family to yours, 

Jay, Brooke, Super C, Super E, Quiet Tiger

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