Christmas Lists!

INGA
CDs:
Point of Grace-How You Live
Jars of Clay-Redemption Songs
They Might be Giants (anything)
Books in general for a 9-year-old
DVDs:
Scooby Doo cartoons
Prince Caspian
Little Mermaid (any)

Klutz series (book on craft): room lanterns, window art, stencil art,
Potholders, etc. (not face painting or thick plastic “string” bracelet making)
Shirt that says “Everyone Loves a Brown-Eyed Girl”, size 7
Disney and Me magazine
Necklace and earring combo (clip-on earrings), bracelet, cheap jewelry
A bear you can draw on with special markers (at most toy stores)
Barking, jumping toy dog
Costumes (not princess)
Mermaid doll that you can dress and take off the tail
Transformers (sturdy kind)
A girl lamp
American Girl doll clothes
Lotion (the kind you spray on)
Gum
Cool cup/plate/bowl combo (hard plastic or china/ceramic)
Stationery
Really awesome clothes (shirt, pants, dresses)
i-Fan
Sunglasses
Toe socks
Watch
Special bandaids
Cool PJs
Digital camera
Digital video camera
Kids’ make up (for summer theatre and dress-up)
EZ Bake oven
Bubble maker
Slippers
Scrapbook/photo album
Recess Ball (Princess)
Travel hairbrush
Remote control car

ANDREI (likes all superheros, especially Batman)
Star Wars legos
Freckles (1904) by Gene Stratton Porter
Children’s magazine on comics (Superman, Batman, Spiderman, etc), nature, trucks/machines, coloring, etc
Books on how things work
Curtains for bedroom (blue and red theme)
School desk
Superhero toys (car, superhero)
Recess ball--Superman
Sunglasses
Superhero dress-up—esp. Batman or body armor (size 7/8)
Desk
Superhero clock for room
Superhero car (Batman, spiderman, superman)
Transformers animal (sturdy)
Notebook or folder
Radio-controlled car or helicopter
Books for ages 7 and up
Superhero pillowcase and/or sheets set or blanket (twin size)
Clothes (shirt, pants, shoes) –especially superheros
Baseball hat (Batman)
Cool cup/plate/bowl combo (plastic or china/ceramic)
Cool clock for room
fun fuzzy socks (traction on bottom, please)
Educational games
Special bandaids
Cool PJs
Superhero coloring book
Semi truck with matchbox cars in it
Radio-controlled car

ELENA (likes Strawberry Shortcake!)
Books for ages 6 and up
Dress-up clothes for girls (she asked for Strawberry Shortcake)—size 6-8
Glasses
Toy cat
Notebook or folder
Special bandaids (Strawberry Shortcake)
Money-holding device (wallet, small purse)
Coloring book
Baseball hat
Notebook
Cool cup/plate/bowl combo (plastic or china/ceramic)
Cool Pencils and pens
Really cool cupboard/shelf combination for her to store her own things
Watch (Strawberry Shortcake)
Strawberry Shortcake toe socks
Cool PJs
Cool legos
Wooden kitchenette
Horse things (http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toys/interests/horses/index.cfm?source=google&kwid=horse+toys&gclid=CPz2y86Rv5cCFQECGgodu3KpRw)

ALEX (likes Green Lantern)
Books for ages 5 and up—he is a good reader (esp. beginning reader Superhero books)
Spiderman, superman, and/or batman dress-up clothes (batman with mask, etc)
Cool Cape
Coloring book
Cars
Spiderman web slinger (attaches to wrist)
Batman gun
Folder or notebook
wallet
Pillowcase (superheroes)
Educational toys
Radio car
Special bandaids
fun fuzzy socks (traction on bottom, please)
Boys’ belt holder for closet
Optimus Prime transformer
Sunglasses
Superhero cartoons on DVD
Clock
Watch
Trash can
Toy box
Binoculars
Lunch box
Superhero pencils and pens
Superhero pajamas
Recorder
Instruments for young people (like the use in early childhood music classes…wooden claves and rattles and tambourine, etc)

SAM
Coloring book
Wallet
Cars and trucks
Cape
Special bandaids
Spiderman car (or any superhero)
Movie or superhero action figures (for little kids, age 3)
fun fuzzy socks (traction on bottom, please)
Cool PJs
Really simple transformer
Superhero books
Recess ball
Superhero pillowcase
Watch
DVD of superhero cartoons
--basically anything on the other boys’ lists that a 4-year old “me too!” boy could wish for

ELISSA
—anything! She can always use more clothes, especially leggings, in size 2. She is still very baby-ish, so toys for kids 6 months+ is good, especially if they make noise. Crib sheets are nice, too—the ones she has now are getting worn and are mostly for boys anyway J

ALL KIDS
Little House on the Prairie videos (Seasons 5+)
Leonard Bernstein’s The Carnival of the Animals and Peter and the Wolf (CD)
Sturdy bean bags
Sturdy trucks and tractors
Toy bin or storage shelving for toys for basement



DANIEL
The Netflix Player by Roku (this is what he REALLY wants most)
ipod thing to play it in car radio
**Subscription to Mars Hill audio magazine (ask Jennifer)**
The Case for Covenant Communion Ed. By Gregg Strawbridge
Paedofaith by Rich Lusk
Bookends
Gift certificate to Borders or Barnes and Noble
Gift certificates to Canon Press (www.canonpress.org)
Gift certificates to The Teaching Company (www.teach12.com)
Gift certificates to Blockbuster
Gift certificates to Red Robin, Skyline

JENNIFER
Subscription to The Writer’s Magazine (Brad got me one last year)
Subscription to Locus Magazine (sci-fi and Fantasy)
Footie pajamas (Target, I think)
Photos of people (yes, I stole this off Anne Marie’s list)
Warm fuzzy socks for around the house
Warm practical socks
Comforter (King size)
Salad spinner
Cool trivets
Spoon holder for stovetop
Measuring spoons and cups
Headphones--good quality
Cool candlesticks and candles for the dinner table
Large dining-room type painting
Cool cookie jar
Small but bright table lamp for reading in bedroom
Books
· How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy by Orson Scott Card
· Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
· The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
· The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Giving the Derivation, Source, or Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions & Words That Have a Tale to Tell (out of print, will need to search), by Ebenezer Brewer ISBN 0517259214 published 1988
· The Lost Language of Symbolism:An Enquiry into the Origin of Certain Letters, Words, Names, Fairy-Tales, Folklore and Mythologies by Harold Bayley
· Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language: Dealing with the Origin of Words and their Sense Development Thus Illustrating the History of Civilization and Culture, by Ernest Klein (expensive)
· Books for children on various composers by Children’s Press in Chicago

Music CDs
Brahms Symphonies on CD
Easy French books-on-tape
Carpenters
Cool Celtic Music


THE WHOLE FAMILY
Wooden Sitting/storage bench for hallway, for storing shoes
Towel drying rack (nice, for bedroom and guests)
Family photos sitting and pictures from Olan Mills
Bean Bags!!
Cool cookie jar
Awesome lamps, floor and table (the entire house needs them!)
Harry, Willy, and Carrothead Judith Caseley
Oliver's High Five by Beverly Swerdlow Brown
Drinking glasses (for everyday drinking)
Really cool and memorable throw blankets (to replace our two ratty ones)
Cool doormat
Collage frame

Gift Certificates:
Blockbuster
Borders
Amazon.Com
Home Depot or Lowe’s
Bed, Bath and Beyond
Jo-Anne Fabrics
HomeGoods
Red Robin (restaurant)

Catch-up Post (the guilt edition)

April is such an awesome month...so many births and adoptions to celebrate! Mom, Mandy, Annie, Megan, Sam, Alex, and Sophie were all born in April, and Elena was adopted in April (Alex came home in April, but was officially adopted in March). We of course have to eat some major sugar in celebration of the local occasions, and wish we could do more for those far away. Way more. Like our family for some reason was really swamped this month and I have a major guilt complex for not at least sending a card or something to my brothers and sisters on their birthdays. So I am hoping this blog will make up a leeetle bit for my falling behind on timely enthusiasm for my sisters and brothers and their special days. And I really hope I am not leaving anyone out!


Lena has been home with us now for two whole years. She is a fantastically fun-loving, determined little girl who lights up our lives with her hilarious quotes and views of the world and her all-out love for her new family. Happy Adoption Day, Lena!



Mom is full of fun and still learning to do new things (like taking voice lessons!) at her advanced stage of living :) She is full of character and strength even when things are difficult or she is in pain. I enjoy having such a close and wonderful mother to laugh with, ask advice of, pray with, and just to talk with! Happy Birthday, Mom!!



Alex is joyful and energetic, quick to see where others need his help and so caring when others are hurting whether it is physical pain or emotional. What a beautiful spirit lies within this sweet son of mine. Happy Birthday, Alex!


Sam is my childhood companion and champion, full of wisdom and learning and quick to empathize in times of need. I love playing duets with you, Sam--I only wish you were closer so we could share the every-day sort of stuff that comes with being in the same time zone! Happy Birthday, Sam!


Mandy, I am so glad I got to hang out with you last summer and get to know the adult "you" better than by just reading your blog. You are so thoughtful and caring, and your patience with living in the same house as 5 summer-soused children was amazing! Happy Birthday, Mandy!!



Annie, I can't believe you are graduating next month!! You have grown so mature in the past year, so thoughtful and sensitive of others. Your notes of encouragement to the kids and to me are still on our bulletin boards, and those bandaids are still in full use! Your enthusiasm for life is, in my opinion, your best quality and your most unique one. It is infectious, and I look forward to experiencing it more as you head my way for college. Happy Birthday, Annie!





Megan, you are a wonderful companion and sister, always making time for a quick phone conversation and caring for the kids so sweetly. You are thoughtful about the things that are gong on in my life even though they are so far from your own, and quick to visit whenever you get a chance. I love to see the person you are becoming. Happy Birthday, Megan!


Dearest Sophie Eleanor, I can't wait to get to know you as you grow and mature and become the person God has for you to be. Your future is limitless; so amazing, so humbling for those who will be involved in your life and influence you as you grow. I hope I can be a good Aunt to you. I hope your cousins will be good examples for you. Happy Birth Day, my newest niece!

The difference a year can make

Tomorrow is Sammy's first adoption day. He has no idea what it means, but he is really excited about getting to pick out what kind of cake and icing he will get to eat. And ice cream. Don't forget the ice cream, beloved.

It is amazing how he has changed during this past year. For some reason I have noticed the change in him more than I did the others because he had such a difficult transition into our family. He fought like a wildcat when we first brought him home, hitting and biting whenever he was frustrated, which was all the time. He threw constant temper tantrums of the classic variety, which involved throwing himself onto the ground and pounding anything available with hands and feet while screaming so hard and so long he would turn purple and do that "silent scream" thing for up to a minute until I was sure he was going to pass out. Nothing would calm him down, and he is very strong for his age so he could really hurt people and he did. My other children often sported several bite marks, some that would bruise up nastily and last for weeks. Sam was so frustrated at losing his language, unable to communicate with us and with his world and as a consequence he would become angry beyond reason. He refused to share, he took everything he saw might be important to others, and he put everything he touched into his mouth, even if it was dangerous. He often choked on things. He drooled constantly, he was afraid to be lowered onto a changing table or placed on his back under any circumstances, and he is the only child that has peed directly on me...several times. He would wake up screaming throughout the night, about every hour, and be nearly inconsolable despite all we could do to comfort him. After his afternoon nap he was so completely grumpy as to put a whole new level to the phrase "woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Nothing but nothing would snap him out of his dark mood. When we went out in public I would get stares from strangers and occasional haughty comments from those who thought my parenting style was in question to have produced such an ill-behaved child. I would apologize and then make a point of kissing him, and he would kiss me back sweetly if he was in the mood, and this would mollify their instinct to lecture because who can berate a mother who is being kissed by her wayward child? That is one thing that Sammy did well...cute gentle baby kisses. I held on to that for a long time as the only way we could connect, and it gave me hope.

Fast forward one year. Sam is a sweetheart, charming everyone he meets with his ready smile and his sunny disposition. He can still become frustrated easily, but pulls himself back from his personal thundercloud when reminded and wipes his own tears away. No more biting, no more hitting (well, almost), and he actively loves his brothers and sisters and is very concerned if anyone is hurt or upset. He sleeps through the night most of the time, he no longer panics when I lay him on his back to change his diaper, and he hasn't turned purple with raging suffocation in months. He talks a mile a minute, he tells stories, he is deeply passionate about superheros of any variety (most recently he is obsessed with Yoda), and he dresses up in any pajamas that have a logo on it that he can find. During the day. Right before we need to leave to go somewhere. Especially if we are late already. He is a wonderful helper, cleaning up the kitchen with Mommy and making muffins or pudding or whatever he can stir. He follows directions in gymnastics and is now mature enough to be in a class without his Mom to help. He is full of laughter, quick to smile, and a very handsome little boy who delights everyone he meets. I get compliments on how well-behaved and smart he is, and people go out of their way to come play with him or talk to him. He still kisses me, but now he says "I love you, Mommy," and it is clear that he knows what that means and that he means it with all his heart. He is loved, he loves, and he will be loved forever, and I look forward to celebrating that tomorrow with him whether he understands it or not (although of course he will understand the ice cream!). What a difference a year makes!

I guess it's all about America

Hmmm...I guess I knew this already. Thanks, Mandy, for the idea.

I've been sick recently, really sick. Fever, exhaustion, lying in bed and unable to teach or do much sick, for a week and a half. The kids have been awesome, taking care of me by bringing me books and fluffing my pillows (on the couch) and stroking my head and I have responded by allowing them to watch movies. A good deal all around. Andrei actually got antsy that he was missing so much school and he asked me to teach him math from the couch. He's such a great kid!

I've been reading the book Anne gave me for Christmas (thank you, Anne!!) by Barbara Kingsolver called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle--it's really great. It puts me in the mood for Spring because it is all about buying local food (and organic) and preserving varieties of vegetables and fruits by thinking outside the box and growing your own stuff which gives you more options than the "chosen for travel hardiness" varieties available from California. It also discusses what the "big corporate business" mindset means when applied to food and this involves pesticides and massive amounts of corn and soy which is turned into wonderful products such as high fructose corn syrup etc. which is of course in a lot of pre-prepared or fast foods Americans eat and which gets into the whole "overfed but undernourished Americans" discussion. Sorry, long sentences with total run-on issues but this illness has fried my brain as well as my body. I am so ready for Spring, now!! Anyway, I have been leaning more and more toward local produce recently anyway but this book does an excellent job of putting into words all of the thoughts that have been running around my head since we first started our elimination diet craze.

Reading this book has also made me think a lot more about buying American, and what that means in the big picture. I'm still figuring it out, but this ties into my thoughts on getting a larger van in the near future...can't help but buy American there, since there really aren't any other options. So count me in for being patriotic!

I remember

Tomorrow is January 21. She was beautiful, smart, quick to laugh, full of love and kind acts, and very intelligent. Happy Birthday, Susan.

Deadbeat Day

Today was an amazingly deadbeat day. Nothing happened of significance, nothing got done that should have gotten done, the house is a mess and so I am procrastinating by doing this blog entry so I can finally feel like I got something accomplished!

We had a snow "storm" yesterday (by Maryland's standards), and so the school opened late today. We all spent those extra two hours sleeping in. Then I taught strings class, which happens before school, only I was wrong about the start time and we ended up having a half hour more time before school started than I thought we would. This would normally be a good thing since our concert is not too far in the future and we could use the extra rehearsal, but I had made a doctor's appointment for Inga since she is in pain and acting like she has bronchitis, and I had scheduled it based on when I thought class would be over. Somehow Dan knew school started at 10:30 instead of 10:00, so he didn't show up with the rest of the kids until it was too late to make the doctor's appointment on time. So I had to reschedule the appointment, take everyone home for 10 minutes while I picked up some letters I needed to bring with me, and then off we went to the doctor to find that Inga does not in fact have bronchitis, it just sounds like it. But they gave us medicine for it just in case it turns over the weekend. Then we all got the flu shot. That was probably the most productive part of my day--holding screaming children while the nurses systematically performed acts of torment with needles on them. Boy was Pavel mad, because he wasn't expecting it (even though he went last and he was in the room the whole time...what goes through his head?). So we went home and had lunch and Inga insisted I take her back to school because she wants to get a perfect attendance record for the year. So I took her, came home, put Pavel down for a 45 minute nap (he usually naps for 2 hours), made an attempt to clean the house but really, nothing happened, woke him back up (again, mad child, mad, mad child) and got everyone in the van to go pick Inga up. When we got to the school I taught a student for half an hour, then we all went home, had snacks as fast as we could while Andrei and I changed into our Do Boks, and then we all went to Tae Kwon Do. Dan met us there, and the children watched Andrei and I take our separate classes. They are such a good cheerleading squad for me, even though they really should just sit quietly. The instructor worked me hard. I could barely move by the end of class, but neither could anyone else. At one point he said whoever gets to the other side of the room first didn't have to do ten push-ups and I was first. I hate push-ups, with a passion. Plus the flu shot in my arm was bothering me because I am a wimp.

Then home, with the five kids, while Dan went back to work (Dan usually works late on Thursdays because parents get a grade update on Fridays in his class and so he has to actually grade all those assignments he gives them. He has a reputation for giving the most work in the school). I fed the kids, and put them to bed immediately because no one had naps today and everyone was exhausted from doing nothing all day.

Usually I can say at the end of the day, "I got laundry done," or "the children are all bathed and clean," or "I wrote a little in my book today," or "we got a lot of good homeschooling done," or at least "I paid some bills." I need to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, no matter how small. All we did today was what we had to in order to survive, and I'm not used to that. It's time for some chocolate chip cookies (although I count that as negative productivity because, really, I'm going to be the one to eat most of them and how many calories is that?!)

Now I am going to force myself to go down to the kitchen and clean it, and before I get into bed tonight I will think over the day and at least I will be able to say I posted to my blog.

Don't Hit the Potty!

I have had so many ideas for posts that I no longer know what to say. So I'll say a little bit of everything:
Ben, Happy Birthday! Enjoy your last year of the 20's...you are yet young. Although in many ways it doesn't seem like you are my "little" brother any more. At some point in the last couple of years I ceased to feel like your "big sister" and instead I simply feel like your sister, an equal and comrade in sibling-ship. Does this make you older or me younger? I hope you have had a wonderful year and enjoy many to come!

Dad visited with Sandra recently, and Mom came shortly after. I was afraid when we moved here that we wouldn't be near anyone so no one would come to visit us. Instead we are ON THE WAY for everyone and we get one-nighters with lots of traveling relatives. Way fun!

Inga loves school, and she's good at it. Her teacher told us last week that she and another girl are the top readers in the class. That's pretty amazing, since she only really learned to read around a year ago and boy, did we struggle to get there! But when she got it, she got it.

I was telling Lena that I would love her no matter what, trying to hint around the idea that no matter what she looked like or what parts she might be missing this in no way affected my devotion to her. She wanted to know if I would still love her if she got her legs chopped off. I assured her I would. Then she asked about her ear. Of course, I would still love her. I got enthusiastic and asked her what if her nose got chopped off? She gave me a horrified look and said, "Oh, no, Mommy, then all of my boogers would fall out!"

Big huge topic of the month: should we have a sixth kid? It's Fall, and as Ben K. can attest I seem to start adoption paperwork right before Thanksgiving (and call him with the onerous request of picking up my Ohio marriage license from a usually over-crowded Department of Public Health or some such important location), so out of habit I am starting to think toward that direction. No answers yet. Just lots of questions. And yes, there is a specific child in mind.

Annie, thank you for the awesome letters! I haven't had time to write back, but the kids loved them and I loved my birthday letter. You have an amazing way with words. I can't wait to see you at Thanksgiving!!

Mandy asked if I got my quote at the top of the blog from a forum. Umm...what's a forum? Since I don't know, I don't think so. But I did steal it off someone else's quote on their website. It was authored by anonymous, according to this person. I like the quote...I want to have that attitude, and most days I achieve it (at least usually I have to take a shower the next morning).

There is a port-a-potty at the end of my driveway. They are re-paving our whole area (called Hernwood Heights) where we live and the workers chose our little neck of the woods for their loo placement. The problem is that they put it right opposite our driveway, so when we back out I almost hit it, every time. I have trained the kids to remind me by saying, "Don't hit the potty, Mommy!" every time I start to back out of the driveway. So far, I have avoided spilling the contents of the port-a-potty all over our little dead-end street. When the tractors finally made it to our part of Hernwood this morning I was all happy. Surely they would be finished with their project soon and not only would we have a newly paved street with a more level sewer connection but I would also no longer have to be worried about inadvertently destroying state contractor temporary toileting facilities. They did move the port-a-potty this afternoon before they finished for the day...and left a large bull-dozer sort of thing with a caterpillar attached to it...right across from my driveway. This is much bigger than the Tardis-sized toilet box. I must now put our van through several contortions to get out of my driveway--that is, if I remember to do so instead of simply plowing into the thing before checking in my rear-view mirror.