Good-bye John Hughes

Thanks to my good friend Mrs. B, who linked to this wonderful post on her blog "The Dreamers & Me." John Hughes films were very much a part of my high school years - Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller... the list goes on. Please click below to see a bit of the person behind the very talented and famous man.

http://wellknowwhenwegetthere.blogspot.com/2009/08/sincerely-john-hughes.html

Wonders of the World

This is just one of the great images I have from our daytrip to see Niagara Falls!

My friend has lived in Buffalo for almost four years and had never been to see the Falls on the American side ... she'd been told by many native Buffalo residents that it wasn't worth the trip, just go to Canada. She was very pleasantly surprised by the lovely Niagara Falls State Park. We had great views and wonderful walking paths. We were able to go out to Luna Island, which is in between Bridal Veil Falls and American Falls - it felt like you could reach out and touch the falls!
Plus we both learned some really cool information - Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest state park in the U.S., established in 1885. And Goat Island, located in between Horseshoe Falls and Bridal Veil Falls was named that because of a farmer who left his animals on the island to get supplies and when he returned, the only animal left alive was a goat!

Boys -vs- Girls

I've been surprised this week to see how Faith interacts with my friend's two boys. She plays with both boys and girls at school so no worries there. At home she is busy with art, stuffed animals, dolls, lots of creative activities. Here she has had no problems joining in on wrestling matches, tug-of-war, Lego construction - and is having a blast! So is it nature or nurture?

Countdown to the airplane!

We are off to visit one of my good friends in Buffalo on August 2nd. Faith is sooo excited about riding on an airplane - she doesn't give a patooty about seeing my friend and her kids, going to Niagra Falls, or anything else! It's all about the plane ride!!

The Same Place

Dan and I sat down last night after Faith went to bed and really talked through all of our options about how to procede with the adoption plans. It has been so crazy around here lately that we haven't been able to find the time to really listen to each other and make sure we both understood what the other person was saying. It was so nice to feel connected again. Sometimes life is so hurried that we forget to take the time to really listen to each other. I feel a lot better about everything today. I was feeling so torn and so much like I've been on a rollercoaster for years - and Dan feels exactly the same way. When we took the time to tell each other what we were feeling and really listen, we found that we are in the same place. And that feels very good.

A Possibility

We had an email from our adoption social worker this weekend. Our agency is working with an online listing of waiting parent profiles (http://www.parentprofiles.com/). We can join for just a (fairly significant) monthly fee - but because of our agency connection, we don't have to pay listing or sign up fees. It might be a really good idea. It would definitely increase our visibility beyond Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. We can list our social worker as the contact person. I actually think it would be kind of fun to create the profile and I've certainly had the experience after creating this blog and a classroom blog and a classroom wiki this summer.

On the downside, there is the monthly cost. It's not impossible to find the dollars, but it would mean some changes. Of course, adding another child to our family would also involve some changes! We could end up with an interstate adoption - meaning figuring out two (or more) states adoption laws, travel and possibly a long stay in another state, and a myriad of other things some of which I'm not even sure of!

We'd actually looked at this site last year but decided not to go forward as there were very few waiting families from Wisconsin and none with our agency. Now that our agency is involved ... I'm not sure what to do. Dan is even less sure. I think we need to think and pray a bit before we make a decision. Which is not something we've had time to do this weekend with all of our extended family chaos and committments. But that is another story.

Scared ... by mom

I'm trying to decide if I was a good mom or a bad mom yesterday. Dan and Faith went bike riding in a big park near us on Saturday and he happened to mention that she walked along a trail for awhile where he couldn't see her. I oh so casually managed to say, "Oh really?" To which he replied, "Yeah, I was kind of thinking that wasn't such a good idea."

I had to restrain myself from answering him, "YOU THINK!!!!!"

We then calmly talked and decided that we needed to reinforce the "within eyesight" rule with Faith for public spaces...something she has never really liked to follow. This is the child who delighted in escaping from me at stores and hiding within the circular clothing racks while I went, "Faith! Faith! I know you're hiding - where are you?" in an increasingly panicked tone. And then she would pop out and yell "SURPRISE!" and we would promptly leave the store for a talk in the car.

So... on the way to church on Sunday, I seemed to have found the perfect opportunity to revist this policy. And managed to scare the be-jeebees out of my daughter. All I did say that her dad and I needed to be able to see her, so we could help her if something bad happened. You know, like falling down and getting hurt, having a bully come up to you, be grabbed by a child molestor, or otherwise needing us in some way.

She was really quiet on the rest of the way to church and then was showing VERY poor church behavior - of which I know she knows better. I thought might be because I was sitting with the two of them instead of singing in the choir (summer break) but no she was mad at me for scaring her and this was how she choose to tell me! Words convey so much more clearly what's going on - how was I supposed to put together that sassy mouth and refusing to things she's asked meant that she was scared and wanted a hug?

So ... good mom or bad mom? I can't decide.

Far Away Friends

I had a great night last night. I met one of my best friends ever just to hang out. She lives in Buffalo and doesn't get home but once a year. You wouldn't think that bra shopping and going to Costco could make for a fun evening, but when you're with a best bud - anything can be fun!

It's interesting about people that you meet in life. Some people are super close to you for awhile and then they drift away; while other people are always in your life whether they live near or far. I wonder if technology makes it easier to stay connected to people or if it just fosters more superficial feelings of connectedness? Can you really be "friends" with all 300 people you might be linked to on Facebook or Myspace?

I have a few close friends that have been in my life since elementary school. No matter how far apart we've lived, we've been connected and a part of each other's lives. Over the years I've added and subtracted to my friend base but that base has always been there for me. Just wanted to say to all of you - it's appreciated!

Summer School

Yesterday was Faith's first day of summer school in our home district. It's a really great program - they have tons of enrichment classes, the teachers and topics are quite nice, and it is very affordable. The only down side is how rapidly the classes fill up - online registration starts at 6 pm one night in March and by 6:05 some of the more popular classes are full!

We had a hard time getting up yesterday morning for the 8 am class. My youngest sister had her final home marching band show on Sunday night and none of us got to bed before 11 pm. I was actually considering letting Faith stay home yesterday but she decided that she would feel more awkward starting on day two.

So off we went to try and find her classes in the summer school building. This year Faith has classes in three different buildings, but for the first two weeks they are all in one. This is the building where I attended first through third grade and seventh/eighth grade (an elementary and middle were combined into one building about 10 years ago). A few things have changed but I could still identify things like the old principal's office, the old library, etc. Faith seems to like her classes so far - the one she has for four weeks seems to be winning the "favorite" title at the moment! In that class she gets to learn about a new country each week. Her other two classes are about space and writing about animals. The other great thing is that she found another girl who is all three of the same classes - so I'm hoping that by the end of the week they will feel confident about walking from one room to another inside the same building and I won't need to show up every hour and a half to walk them from one spot to another!

Joys of Summer

I have to admit - summer is not one of my favorite seasons. While I enjoy having time off of work, I don't appreciate the higher temperatures, higher humidity, body baring clothing, and the all pervasive too cold air conditioning.

Last night though, was one to be enjoyed. My sister and her kids are visiting from MN and we went to our local summer festival together. Faith just loves her cousins - especially my niece just two years younger than her. This was the first year we got her a wristband for the rides - ride all rides from 5-10. I swear it was like she had died and gone to heaven! She and my niece were bouncing EVERYWHERE they were so excited! From the really big slide, to the mini-rollercoaster, to the bumper cars, to the carousel, and repeat. Thank goodness Dan came along to help supervise - my older nephew wanted to go on bigger kid rides, the girls were joined at the hip, and my little niece and nephew were still mostly stroller bound.

The only thing I regret is missing my brother's ball game - good thing it's a tournament so he's playing again - though that will mean more time on the rides for Faith! I wonder if it will as much fun without her cousins with her?

The Joys of a Cardboard Box

Well it happened today. What you ask? The joy of a cardboard box. Still confused? Think back to your own childhood ... when the mail truck would actually pull into your driveway and the carrier would get out of the truck with a cardboard box. It didn't really matter what was inside the box ... the joy was in the special fact that the mail carrier came to your front door.

The doorbell rang during lunch and Faith went flying to see who was there. She was so excited to open the door and bring in the package - didn't really care the slightest what was inside (new sandals for both of us and a new school bag for me in the fall). As soon as the mysterious cardboard box was open and emptied, creativity took over.

"Can I have this box, Mom?"

"Why?"

"To make a doll house."

So far the doll house has three stories, an elevator, a satelite dish, red bedroom carpeting, two beds, two recliners, and a trampoline. Plans for a mermaid pool and a fairy garden were being discussed at bedtime.