Sunday, July 6, 2008
Important paperwork
Life-changing paperwork, even. When you adopt from another country you must get lots of paperwork notarized, then the notarized copies must be certified or authenticated, which means that the Secretary of State where you live certifies that the notary in question is a notary in good standing and the notarial seal is proper. When you get all your paperwork back from the Sec. of State it looks like this, particularly if your paperwork is Texan! ;-)
I sent all of this paperwork to the Chinese Consulate--well, actually to a courier who rushed it through the Chinese Consulate--because the consulate adds another piece of paper to each of these documents that says the Secretary of State's piece of paper is authentic. Once that is done, the paperwork is added to some pictures and sent, by the adoption agency, for translation into Chinese, assuming you are adopting from China. The translator then sends it all on to CHINA!! Our dossier, as it is called, weighed 3.3 pounds according to the FedEx tracking information I received! That's a lot of paperwork! It arrived on 7/3 at the Chinese Center for Adoption Affairs. Hopefully, we will soon hear that our dossier was logged in to their system, although families don't always hear about it when it happens. But in any event, now we WAIT. And WAIT. And WAIT. And watch the Olympics in China. And WAIT some more.
Alex is a TEENAGER!!!
With all these kids around, it's almost hard to believe I am only NOW the mom to a teenager! Alex finally hit the much-anticipated milestone last month. He is now begging for more responsibility and situations to show how mature he is.
His father, much to the dismay of his skitterish mother, thought of a great situation to show off Alex's newly found responsibility--he bought a dirt bike for Alex's birthday! Eek! He's done really well with it, although I think his father's inadvertent but effective wheelie that knocked him off the bike went a long way in teaching Alex not to gun the gas handle!! Way to go, Dad! He's only allowed to ride it on our land, which gives him about 10 or so acres of freedom and fun. Alex is having a blast! I tried to download a video of one of his first rides, but for some reason it wouldn't work. Oh well, I'm sure we can all imagine a new teenager on a new dirt bike!
HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY, ALEX!!!
The life of Vera
While it may not be the life o' Riley, I think she takes a bite out of life! Here she is, below, riding a forklift with the owner of the nursery we use. She greeted him when he came to deliver some pallets of mulch, and next thing you know he's pulled her up on the forklift with him and they're both talking up a storm to one another while he lets her 'help' him place the pallet out back.
Vera was bound and determined to ride a bike recently. John took her out on one of the boys old bikes and within 10 minutes she was riding it! I have a video of her, at the bottom of this post. Pretty impressive for a first bike ride, I think. Of course, the three or four shirts she had on must have helped to lower her center of gravity or something. ;-)
Vera's new haircut....her bangs are really almost integrated into her hair, but I think I'll like it better once it grows an inch or two. She's still such a cutey patootie!
Was Vera hurt by all her bike/forklift riding? NO! She regularly has on a bandage or two, but this particular day she decided on four to cover one new and three old boo-boos. Honestly, I think it makes her feel loved to have access to bandages and a mommy to kiss her boo-boos. Thank goodness for store brand bandages!!
One of Vera's first bike rides--I'm so proud of her!
Vera was bound and determined to ride a bike recently. John took her out on one of the boys old bikes and within 10 minutes she was riding it! I have a video of her, at the bottom of this post. Pretty impressive for a first bike ride, I think. Of course, the three or four shirts she had on must have helped to lower her center of gravity or something. ;-)
Vera's new haircut....her bangs are really almost integrated into her hair, but I think I'll like it better once it grows an inch or two. She's still such a cutey patootie!
Was Vera hurt by all her bike/forklift riding? NO! She regularly has on a bandage or two, but this particular day she decided on four to cover one new and three old boo-boos. Honestly, I think it makes her feel loved to have access to bandages and a mommy to kiss her boo-boos. Thank goodness for store brand bandages!!
One of Vera's first bike rides--I'm so proud of her!
Yep, we sure know how to do birthday parties in my family!
Ear candles are much more fun than those boring, ordinary birthday cake candles, right?
This is my father on his 65th birthday, being given the gift of clean ears! I can't imagine a more fun way to top off his birthday celebration, can you?? My mom invited friends over to eat her amazing homemade ice cream, and I think they got more excitement than they had bargained for!
For the sake of my gentle readers, I didn't post the video of me singing 'Happy Birthday' while the candle burned, but I thought it apropos for the occasion!
This is my father on his 65th birthday, being given the gift of clean ears! I can't imagine a more fun way to top off his birthday celebration, can you?? My mom invited friends over to eat her amazing homemade ice cream, and I think they got more excitement than they had bargained for!
For the sake of my gentle readers, I didn't post the video of me singing 'Happy Birthday' while the candle burned, but I thought it apropos for the occasion!
A few summer pics...
Yes, we're still alive around here...I don't know why I haven't posted an entry in so long, although perhaps when you see our boring lives you'll know why! These are a few pics of the girls playing in the dining room recently. The pattern block set Emma has in front of her are one of our fave toys around here. We've had the set forever and have even purchased two sets to make sure we have enough to go around. I've always made nifty designs on a flat surface with them, so I love how Emma took them 3-D! I'm planning on taking a galllon zip-loc full of them to China in hopes of Dean liking them as much as the rest of us. Plus it's a fairly quiet game!
Vera's a ham sometimes, what can we say? I love that huge smile!
I love Anna's smile, too. It's a bit less ferocious, though. Anna, Vera, and Song are all in the process of growing out bangs. Sigh.
Sweet sisters...well, sometimes, anyway.
Stop the paparazzi act, Mom! 
Monday, May 26, 2008
A little Ella
Someone played a little too hard today.
Ella decided to make her own dinner...nutritious and delicious!
No story. She's simply too cute so I took a picture of her cuteness.
Bad move, Mom! I put the coffee grounds for the compost into the same bowl we always use for ice cream. When Ella saw it she pulled it down to get a sweet treat...OOPS!
Ella decided to make her own dinner...nutritious and delicious!
No story. She's simply too cute so I took a picture of her cuteness.
Bad move, Mom! I put the coffee grounds for the compost into the same bowl we always use for ice cream. When Ella saw it she pulled it down to get a sweet treat...OOPS!
Luke decided to video Ella strumming the bat and singing.
Friday, May 23, 2008
I am copying this letter from an organization call Half the Sky, which has been one of the best sources of information about conditions in the Chinese orphanages affected by the earthquake. The picture is from the orphanage in Chengdu. As you can see, they have set up a huge tent and moved all the cribs outside of the building. If you click on the first link in the letter, there are more pictures.
Dear Friends,Our work in Sichuan is in full swing now and it’s becoming harder to find time to write. Yet I know how deeply concerned you are about the children, so will continue to grab all the moments I can to tell you what we've learned.Since earthquake statistics are so readily available now, I will no longer include them.You will see below that there are preparations being made in many institutions to receive newly orphaned and displaced children. There have been numerous media reports about the thousands of new orphans; we have received dozens of adoption inquiries here at Half the Sky (which has no involvement in adoption!) I really want to stress that many, many of these children you're hearing about will be reunited with family – if not parents, then living relatives. In rural China, especially, workers often leave their children with grandparents so that they can support their families by working in more prosperous areas. Many of the children do have parents – parents who are desperately trying to find their children. The government is keenly aware of this and, while there are many, many media reports of adoption programs and applications submitted for domestic adoption of the children, we don’t believe that any adoption procedures will be put into place before every means has been exhausted to find parents or other living relatives.We, along with Ministry officials, are meeting with the provincial Civil Affairs Bureau on Monday and may have more information about the plans for transitional care of orphaned and displaced children. We are exploring how we can, working with other NGOs, best help care for the children in the interim and assist the government in its efforts to provide for their future.Here is the current situation: Chengdu CWI has been notified to prepare to receive 100 children; they expect that more may follow. At the same time, the orphanage has moved the children out-of-doors out of concern for safety. (photos on ourwebsite http://www.halfthesky.org/work/earthquake08.php) Half the Sky is working with local government and erecting a giant tent that can serve as shelter for orphaned and displaced children for as long as necessary.More news on this early next week. Chengdu 2nd SWI - 35 senior citizens and 10 preschool-age orphans havebeen transferred there from Dujiangyan City. 40~50 more orphans will be arriving soon. They are in need of 50 beds, sets of bedding, as well as the same number of clothes for children between 5 and 7 years old. Before the arrival of those 45, the institution had 100+ children and 500+elderly people already. During aftershocks, they stayed in tents; but now,they have all moved back to the buildings. Chengdu 3rd SWI – Caring for 30 children, all fine, not expecting new arrivals.Wenjiang District SWI, Chengdu – Caring for only 4 children, all fine, not expecting new arrivals Dujiangyan SWI – All of the children are under good care and there is no shortage of food or any daily necessity. 12 new children were recently brought in, but they’ve been having much success in locating surviving family members and have high hopes for these children as well. Luojiang County SWI, Deyang City – The children are being cared for in a shelter, including 6 new arrivals. They are expecting a 2 year-old and have asked for a crib as well as diapers, powdered milk and rice.Deyang SWI – Has prepared to receive new children per instructions.Nanchong 2nd SWI – They are caring for 27 children and are expectinganother 20. They are sleeping in tents due to concerns about aftershocks.They ask for 10 tents, tarps and beds.Cangxi SWI, Guangyuan City – They have some building damage. They have been advised that they may be receiving children from Qingchuan but this has not yet been confirmed by the provincial Civil Affairs Bureau. I told you that 13 of the 24 children brought to the Zitong SWI had been reunited with family. Today I was told there were 12. Two signs hang at the institution. One says “There are only 20 children from Xiao Ba Primary School in An'Xian in our institution. There are no children from Beichuan. If you are looking for those from Beichuan, please go to (name)Hotel. If you are looking to adopt, please come in 3 months." The other, poignantly says, "Yan: only her mother was home; XianLin & LiGang arebrothers: only their father was home: Cheng: her father is working inXinjiang; Dan: her parents are working in Zhejiang; Jun: about 2 yearsold, parents whereabouts unknown; Zhou: about 1 year old, parentswhereabouts unknown. Needs: Books to read; stable place to live. Emotional needs: their family...their relatives."Mianyang – The Jiuzhou Stadium that houses 20,000 refugees is now,considering the situation, well-organized and, beyond trash bags and disposable gloves, there seem to be no unmet material needs. While there were, at first, about 1,700 children staying in the “inner circle” of the stadium (on the first floor inside the building), most of those childrenhave either been reunited with family or transferred to smaller sheltersin Mianyang. There are only about 130 children remaining. There are volunteer counselors and psychologists for these children. The “innercircle” is strictly guarded by police, soldiers, and volunteers. Mr.Liang JianHua, a volunteer leader and veteran, has been supervising care of the children in the “inner circle” from the very beginning, with the help of about a dozen volunteers. According to Ma Lang, he seems to be an extremely competent, kind, and devoted person.Meanwhile, for children less well-served, Half the Sky is moving goods like crazy and working hard to initiate the next, and most important phase of our efforts – trauma counseling and care for displaced and orphaned children.Thanks to help from dozens of volunteers, we’ve delivered about 100 of thepromised tents, cases of blankets, tarps, clothes, diapers, food and medicines to several institutions. There will be many more arrivals and deliveries over the coming days. We have received permits to enter and provide aid to one of the more inaccesible hard-hit areas tomorrow (AbaCounty) and are working on helping in Li and Mao counties, also hard-hit.We have begun the process of distributing to temporary children’s shelters. We give special thanks to the Sichuan employees of Silk Road Telecommunications, many of whom helped us load and unload trucks and have offered to aid in distribution and logistics all around the province.I’ve got lots more to report but have run out of steam and time. I’ll be back tomorrow with more, I promise.
If you would like to donate to Half the Sky’s Children’s Earthquake Fundyou can do so through Global Giving:http://www.globalgiving.com/pr/2100/proj2086a.htmlOr directly to Half the Sky.
You can donate by calling Half the Sky(+1-510-525-3377) or on our website:http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categories?category=Children's+Eart\hquake+Fund
Many companies have announced they will match employee gifts forearthquake relief. Please note, the Ford Motor Company matching pledgehas been met and is no longer in effect, but there are many others. Please check to see if your company will double your gift!
If you would like a Canadian tax receipt, please donate athttp://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s86248
If you would like a Hong Kong tax receipt, please call us at+852-2520-5266 or online athttps://www.paydollar.com/b2c2/eng/charity/payInfo.jsp?charityId=4947
Once again, THANK YOU, all of you, who are making this work possible!with love,JennyJenny Bowen
Executive Director
Half the Sky Foundation
www.halfthesky.org
Friday, May 16, 2008
My friend Charissa at A Day in the Life of the Urbans has tagged me for a meme...a list of things all about me me me ME me me me. Since I am obviously in a blogging mood today now that school is out and baseball season is winding down, I will try to answer the questions.
What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was mothering my ONE little 2.5 year old child, Luke. We had just sent our dossier to China and had received a newsletter from our agency. The newsletter contained a page with waiting children, one of whom was described as a happy and healthy two year old boy with big blue eyes who needs a family. I called the agency and was told that another family was looking at adopting him, and they would let us know if we would be able to look at his information next. So, ten years ago I was carrying around a newsletter and praying all the time that he would be our child. Within a month we were calling the agency to say that he didn't need a family any more!
5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Catch up on my blogging, apparently
2. Wash my sheets
3. Iron
4. Put up clothes
5. Keep the kids fed!
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Selfish things:
1. Pave our gravel drive
2. Build a pool
3. Decorate my home
4. Add on to my home...another bedroom or two would be nice
5. Hire a housecleaner
6. Travel, a lot!
Altruistic things:
1. Fund The Shepherd's Crook!
2. Fund many, many, many adoptions
3. Donate to the many, many, many charities I love!
4. Start an organization to advocate for children with Down Syndrome all over the world, and start orphanages where necessary
Bad habits:
1. Too much computer time
2. Too little exercise
Places I've lived:
1. Richland Hills, Texas
2. Haltom City, Texas
3. North Richland Hills, Texas
4. Fort Worth, Texas
5. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
6. Waxahachie, Texas
5 jobs I've had:
1. Snow cone stand--maybe my favorite job! I worked several summers doing that...my father even opened a stand so that my sister and I could work there. I never get snowcones anymore, though.
2. Worked for some accountants in a variety of jobs, most interestingly sorting and counting coupons from all the Dairy Queens they owned! I had two other teenage girls with me and we laughed and talked ourselves silly.
3. Group counselor for men who had been court-referred to Women's Haven for abusing their wives/girlfriends--easily my least favorite job!
4. Closing cases for the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee, who was my husband's law partner
5. Closing cases for the Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee, who was my husband; fringe benefits included going out to lunch with him!
What I was doing 10 years ago:
I was mothering my ONE little 2.5 year old child, Luke. We had just sent our dossier to China and had received a newsletter from our agency. The newsletter contained a page with waiting children, one of whom was described as a happy and healthy two year old boy with big blue eyes who needs a family. I called the agency and was told that another family was looking at adopting him, and they would let us know if we would be able to look at his information next. So, ten years ago I was carrying around a newsletter and praying all the time that he would be our child. Within a month we were calling the agency to say that he didn't need a family any more!
5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Catch up on my blogging, apparently
2. Wash my sheets
3. Iron
4. Put up clothes
5. Keep the kids fed!
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Selfish things:
1. Pave our gravel drive
2. Build a pool
3. Decorate my home
4. Add on to my home...another bedroom or two would be nice
5. Hire a housecleaner
6. Travel, a lot!
Altruistic things:
1. Fund The Shepherd's Crook!
2. Fund many, many, many adoptions
3. Donate to the many, many, many charities I love!
4. Start an organization to advocate for children with Down Syndrome all over the world, and start orphanages where necessary
Bad habits:
1. Too much computer time
2. Too little exercise
Places I've lived:
1. Richland Hills, Texas
2. Haltom City, Texas
3. North Richland Hills, Texas
4. Fort Worth, Texas
5. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
6. Waxahachie, Texas
5 jobs I've had:
1. Snow cone stand--maybe my favorite job! I worked several summers doing that...my father even opened a stand so that my sister and I could work there. I never get snowcones anymore, though.
2. Worked for some accountants in a variety of jobs, most interestingly sorting and counting coupons from all the Dairy Queens they owned! I had two other teenage girls with me and we laughed and talked ourselves silly.
3. Group counselor for men who had been court-referred to Women's Haven for abusing their wives/girlfriends--easily my least favorite job!
4. Closing cases for the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Trustee, who was my husband's law partner
5. Closing cases for the Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee, who was my husband; fringe benefits included going out to lunch with him!
Angel League softball
Vera and Emma are in the midst of a big softball season with the Angel League. Vera can't wait for each and every Monday night when they have the big game!
Here we have Emma whiffing the ball!
Song, Anna, Alex, and Luke have all helped their siblings during the games. Basically, each child participating has a helper during the game.
Emma, sliding home! She and Vera are convinced that you must always slide home, even when you have walked to it.
Look at that Cheshire cat grin. She's good, and she knows it.
Oops...missed that one! Vera gets the ball pitched to her, and can really hit it!
I told you she can hit it...watch the movie if you don't believe me. ;-)
Here we have Emma whiffing the ball!
Song, Anna, Alex, and Luke have all helped their siblings during the games. Basically, each child participating has a helper during the game.
Emma, sliding home! She and Vera are convinced that you must always slide home, even when you have walked to it. 
Look at that Cheshire cat grin. She's good, and she knows it.
Oops...missed that one! Vera gets the ball pitched to her, and can really hit it!
I told you she can hit it...watch the movie if you don't believe me. ;-)
This video captures Emma's love for the game, which can easily be summarized as 'not so much.'
Care package for Dean
I'm so excited! One of the moms, who is adopting a child through the same adoption agency, has a business set up to help families send care packages to their soon-to-be children in China. She works with a lady in China who will buy items for your child and translate letters to them and either deliver them or mail them. Because she is in the same city as Dean, and regularly goes to the orphanage that is over his care, she will be delivering the items to him. The real beauty of this business is that it cuts out lengthy and expensive shipping to China, as well as the uncertainty of it actually getting to the orphanage!
So....we asked her to buy him a toy and some candy, send a camera to the foster parents, and print out some pictures we emailed to her. I plan on sending more pictures before we go, and maybe even more 'stuff.' The hardest part of the whole process was writing a 600 word letter to him. What do you tell a 3 year old boy who has no idea his whole world is about to be turned upside down? I basically introduced each of us by referring to the pictures I sent. It was still hard!
For any who are interested, the website for this service is: Ladybugs and Love from Above.
School's out! School's out!
Someone let the monkeys out!
Yes, we're done for the year. OK, not for the calendar year, but the school year, of course. I have big plans, however, for each of the big kids to pick a topic and study it in depth over the summer. I also have big plans to work on some math issues with Song and Luke, but we'll see how that goes. Believe it or not, the kids are fine with doing more work. They like school days at home.
I haven't ordered our curriculum for next year yet, but I plan to do so soon. For the last few years, Luke has always grabbed one of the main history texts and read it for pleasure over the summer and on into the year. Actually, I don't think that adequately explains what Luke does. Somehow, he manages to memorize the book! When I tell the kids what the history topic for the day is, he can immediately tell me which title/page number we will be studying and tell us all about it. It's a little freaky! So, I have disturbed him greatly by reminding him that we're about to have all new books this year and we're going into American history, which he has not studied. Poor baby...he'll have to learn along with his siblings. So, in support of his history habit, I will likely order the books soon so he'll have a head start. Actually, it helps me, as the teacher, to have a back-up brain! Luke not only knows the material, but understands it and sees the connectedness of all the pieces and can easily discuss it with us while we study. I'm sorry for all the bragging, but as the teacher and as his mom it is really fun to watch!
I don't know where he picked up this love for history. I hated it in school. I actually like it now, and I guarantee I'm learning at least as much as the kids! I couldn't have told you what the Magna Carta was until I taught it this year, or the Pax Romana, or even why the Reformation started with Martin Luther, even though he wasn't the first to discern the abuses of the Catholic Church. Now, I know. ;-)
So, school's out for a while, but I'm hoping it's never completely out. We will continue to practice the various Bible passages we learned this year. For instance, all four big kids can say Philippians 2:3-16; well, one of them struggles, but has still learned a LOT. That's pretty cool! Especially since one of the verses is: Do everything without complaining or arguing. And another verse is: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Those are good verses to have handy!
Yes, we're done for the year. OK, not for the calendar year, but the school year, of course. I have big plans, however, for each of the big kids to pick a topic and study it in depth over the summer. I also have big plans to work on some math issues with Song and Luke, but we'll see how that goes. Believe it or not, the kids are fine with doing more work. They like school days at home.
I haven't ordered our curriculum for next year yet, but I plan to do so soon. For the last few years, Luke has always grabbed one of the main history texts and read it for pleasure over the summer and on into the year. Actually, I don't think that adequately explains what Luke does. Somehow, he manages to memorize the book! When I tell the kids what the history topic for the day is, he can immediately tell me which title/page number we will be studying and tell us all about it. It's a little freaky! So, I have disturbed him greatly by reminding him that we're about to have all new books this year and we're going into American history, which he has not studied. Poor baby...he'll have to learn along with his siblings. So, in support of his history habit, I will likely order the books soon so he'll have a head start. Actually, it helps me, as the teacher, to have a back-up brain! Luke not only knows the material, but understands it and sees the connectedness of all the pieces and can easily discuss it with us while we study. I'm sorry for all the bragging, but as the teacher and as his mom it is really fun to watch!
I don't know where he picked up this love for history. I hated it in school. I actually like it now, and I guarantee I'm learning at least as much as the kids! I couldn't have told you what the Magna Carta was until I taught it this year, or the Pax Romana, or even why the Reformation started with Martin Luther, even though he wasn't the first to discern the abuses of the Catholic Church. Now, I know. ;-)
So, school's out for a while, but I'm hoping it's never completely out. We will continue to practice the various Bible passages we learned this year. For instance, all four big kids can say Philippians 2:3-16; well, one of them struggles, but has still learned a LOT. That's pretty cool! Especially since one of the verses is: Do everything without complaining or arguing. And another verse is: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Those are good verses to have handy!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Tough!
That's my boy all right...tough. He was hit in the eye with a baseball during practice because two balls were thrown at him at the same time. These pictures were taken shortly after practice, but the shiner got much worse. We couldn't even put his contact lenses in for several days. 
Can you see the seam marks from the baseball on his cheek? His AWANA teacher asked him if he would stop playing baseball. He was horrified at the thought! No way will one little baseball to the eye keep him from the love of his young life!!
Can you see the seam marks from the baseball on his cheek? His AWANA teacher asked him if he would stop playing baseball. He was horrified at the thought! No way will one little baseball to the eye keep him from the love of his young life!! 
Song is in double digits now!
I can't believe my eldest daughter is now 10 years old! How the time flies when you're busy!
Song is growing in leaps and bounds, not only in height, but also in awareness and maturity. I've said before that she believes she is deputy mom, but she is starting to use that power more for good than evil. ;-) Song is gaining a larger appreciation of friends and loves to spend time with her friends.
Song still loves horses, too. I am constantly in the dog house for not having bought her a horse for her birthday, although she was happy to accept the iPod. Perhaps I should have loaded it with songs about horses.
Happy Birthday my little girl! I love you, Songbird!!
Song is growing in leaps and bounds, not only in height, but also in awareness and maturity. I've said before that she believes she is deputy mom, but she is starting to use that power more for good than evil. ;-) Song is gaining a larger appreciation of friends and loves to spend time with her friends.
Song still loves horses, too. I am constantly in the dog house for not having bought her a horse for her birthday, although she was happy to accept the iPod. Perhaps I should have loaded it with songs about horses.
Happy Birthday my little girl! I love you, Songbird!!
Monday, May 5, 2008
More Easter pictures
The kids had a great time searching for eggs at NaNa's house after the Easter service at NaNa's church. This is the first year that the boys thought they were too old for egg searching, so they helped with egg hiding. We had several hundred eggs. That's plain old hard to hide!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Blogging via email
I'm trying to figure out how to blog from my email so I can use this feature while in China. 
Here's a cute baby picture of Dean that I don't think I've posted before...
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