Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for the food that sustains us...



Family to share it with...



Humor to make our life so much more fun...



Men who don't rub it in (much) when they win a game....



A strong and sensitive husband (pictured holding his very petite mother)...



and warm and wonderful, soon to be in-laws, that we love very much!



We are so blessed. From our gang to yours, we wish you a most wonderful and joyous holiday season!

So thankful for Katie's School

I have spoken about Ethan's school before. We are so grateful to have been placed there as well as with a wonderful teacher that has allowed him to continue to progress towards his potential. I have never really posted about how wonderful Katie's school is. Today, is a good day to post about how thankful we are for this wonderful school community that we happened upon over two years ago.

By a weird set of circumstances, (which is our life) we happened to walk into a temple in our city which is well known for it's excellent preschool. Marc went in while I stayed in the car with a sleeping Katie. Ethan was not yet a part of our family. I asked him to get some info on the preschool while he was in there and when he walked out he looked happy and excited. While talking to the director of the school and after realizing that they are both from New Jersey, he found that she was the best friend to his cousin Gayle in New Jersey. We had heard about Gayle's best friend so many times and here we happened upon her at this preschool...such a small world and such an amazing feeling of "beshert" (The Hebrew word for destiny) Not only was this a highly rated school but a very close family friend oversees it. How much better can it really get?

Katie started just a couple of months later, at age 2 1/2, just after we adopted Ethan. It was perfect timing, as Katie needed something of her own while Mommy and Daddy forged a bond with her new brother. She took to her new school so beautifully and we have been blessed with wonderful teachers throughout her time there. Katie is now in Pre-Kindergarten and is excelling. We are so grateful. The school staff and community have embraced us as if we are family and we work very hard to assist them in all of their endeavors. It is a beautiful marriage and it works.

Today will illustrate why this school is so special to us. Instead of the traditional Thanksgiving Party, which has been done time and again; the story of which is hard for children to identify with at this young age, the school decided to have a multi-cultural celebration celebrating the diversity of it's families. Their reasoning was aren't we all pilgrims to this country unless we are native American? Shouldn't we instill pride in the fact that we all are so beautifully different and so amazingly the same? I loved the idea as did Marc.

So today, off we went with our beautiful daughter who was born in China. She was adorned in a beautiful red dress that we purchased for her there and we brought a couple of artifacts that were also purchased there that have significance to us and could be displayed. We also brought in a Chinese Rice dish to share with the group. We dropped Katie at her class and her pride was shining through for all to see. The great thing was that she was able to experience that pride with so many different children that have backgrounds that cover the globe. After we set up the social hall, we got to watch the children walk in and the excitement was palpable as they found their families and got to check out all of their friends finery. Then they got to sample a variety of very tasty foods from those countries and sing wonderful songs.

It was all possible and absolutely wonderful because of the leadership in the school and the dedicated staff and parents that carried it off.

Later, when Katie came home and she opened up her backpack and there was her report card. The following comments brought us a great deal of pride.

"Katie is a sweet, kind and cooperative child who is very mature for her age. She has adjusted well to Pre-K. Her verbal and motor skills are good and she knows all of her letters and most of her numbers in 4 languages! During class discussions she raises her hand and patiently waits her turn. She is not only at ease with her adoption and her Chinese heritage, she is proud of them and enjoys teaching the class the numbers in Chinese. She is a joy to have in class."

We could not be any prouder of her or her school. We love how they have embraced our daughter and all of the facets of her life. As Katie faces life as a member of a minority race, I am so gratified that the school is on the same page as we are in setting the bar for her sense of self. There is nothing in my estimation that is more important than that!

Here are a few pictures from today's festivities.



Katie's contribution on the table







Here comes the children



















The nontraditional Marc in the traditional head dress of Trinidad

My foot is twitching...That may be a bad sign!

That is what it has come to this November. My self imposed "daily blogging for a month" experiment has just about pushed me over the edge. It really was a small shove to get there. I am the one that has made my own life resemble "The twirling tea cups ride" at Disney World. I seem to have lost the ability to say no, but even worse, I have lost the ability not to volunteer in the first place. I have so many projects on my plate in addition to work, being a mother and a wife that I find myself looking at my size ten left foot quivering and wondering what I can do to make it stop. To add to my anxiety is two sick children and a dog that is looking a bit sick herself.

It sure would be nice if I could think about it on vacation, while sipping a chilled adult beverage.

I do know one thing. It is a good thing that I have the most supportive and involved husband that I could have ever dreamed of. There is no way that "stress would be as fashionable as black" without him.

OK, enough venting, I have to go do some Internet research as to how to stop this twitch. If Katie's coughing is not keeping us all up tonight, then I sure as heck don't want it to be my foot that does! *SNORT*

There is quite a bit of power in that tiny package!

It was a crazy busy weekend and to be quite honest, I am exhausted. I usually have great stamina and can go days without a lot of sleep and really be no worse for the wear. Today is different though. After a weekend of non stop action and in addition Katie fighting the beginnings of asthma, there has been no rest for the weary.

I thought about what I wanted to post today and one thing kept coming back to my mind and that is the DD's very good friend, Erin.

Erin is the daughter of Tammie and David, two wonderful friends of ours that came into our lives through what I always call the "miracle of adoption." Since the moment that Erin met both members of the DD, they have had an amazing connection. Erin has an especially strong connection with Ethan. Tammie told me that from the moment she saw his referral photo she said to her mom that "he was hers!" She feels very protective of E and it is a very common sight at most of our FCC gatherings to see Ethan in Erin's arms. she totes him everywhere. This has become much more difficult of late as he is getting bigger and heavier. Erin is as petite as she is beautiful. As strong as she is, the little mama is going to have to let him walk on his own soon *SNORT* Here are a couple of photos that I found that will show you what I am talking about. In these, she has E on her lap.





Erin is smart, strong, compassionate and loving. Marc and I always marvel at all of her wonderful qualities and we know that the devotion of her parents has played a huge role in nurturing this amazing little soul.

OK, now that you have the background on Erin, it brings me to what stood out in my mind this weekend. During our FCC Picnic, Erin and her Karate team gave our group a demonstration of their skills.

There she was, this little seven year old spitfire, adorned in her blue belt, not only keeping up but excelling with children several years senior to her. You could see how the other kids felt towards Erin and how much she respected them as well. When they performed, I was so proud for her, her family and for us. How lucky are we to have this beautiful child in our lives. She is truly a role model for the children that are coming up after her.

I caught all of the action on my camera. These are the raw images but I really wanted to get them on here before too much time had passed. You can see Erin here from introduction through the finale. There was even a demonstration of her skills when attacked from behind by a much larger girl.

Erin; our pride and respect for you is immense. We love you sweet girl.

waiting to start

very patiently

Let's get this party started!





















Being introduced after the demo and then leading the ending ritual





That went well!

Who is this celebrity?

This celebrity was attending a wedding that we attended today. She is a good friend of the bride and groom. She was a singer that began her career in the 50s. Her real name is Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, she was married four times and has lived quite a tragic life. One of her many memorable songs was "Who's crying now?" It was also the title to her autobiography. Can you guess?

This is her with Marc and I today.



This was her back in the day....



BTW, We had a blast at the wedding. We sat with a group of really good friends. We had so much fun and danced ourselves silly...literally!

It was a very good day!

FCC- South Florida National Adoption Month Picnic

Today is National Adoption Day. Our FCC chapter, of which I am President, hosted it's third annual adoption month picnic. It was awesome!! We had warm, sunny weather, good food, entertainment for the kids and the adults and camaraderie with the most supportive FCC Chapter in the world, as far as I am concerned.

When you are amongst friends who have also adopted, it is like coming home. There are no questions, no weird looks and no explaining about the way that you have chosen to form your family. I love all of my friends but it sure is wonderful to be around my dear adoption friends.

I have a kadjillion pics to go through but here are a few of my kiddos and hubby in the meantime. Some were taken by me and some by my dear friends.