And you?

Things I have done are in bold type:

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a sol(to my kids only)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (The best thing I've ever done!)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance>
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (not my fault)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (my adoption book)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Who's next?

Change is good

As we all know it happened. This is the first election that I can remember where they showed so many people in the streets, so many tears of joy, so much hope. This one person has restored hope without even being sworn in. We have come out of our hole and elected a fine man who happens to have dark skin. I liked him before he won but more after he spoke last night. I cannot wait to see what he brings us in the next 4 years.
Sad also in all this is the prop 8 campaign. The hatred that came out of so many shocked me. They did not want their kids taught about gay marraige in school but they took them out of school to stand on a street corner to wave a sign saying yes on eight. On my way to preschool election day I saw so many kids on the corner yelling YES on 8. What are they being taught?

Now for my family. It is yellow today. Yes yellow as in mustard yellow. I have a son who is loved by all but right now he is on santas naughty list. He found the mustard and managed while I put the baby down for a nap to put it all over the place. I got to go to work and had to clean up a little. Poor daddy had to clean up a lot more.

Are they yours?

I have always thought that my kids looking so different then my husband and I that it would be normal to have people ask if they are adopted. The one question I hate is are they brother and sister. I asked my daughter what people say to her when she is out with them and dont you think they ask " are they brother and sister?". This lead to a great discussion on what to say in front of the kids. I thought a good reply would be, they are my brother and sister as well.
So dont you think today we the kids and I stay in the car while dad runs into Baja Fresh for a quick buritto. He has only two hands and little coordination so he had to make more then one trip. I see this man making faces with Sierra whom he took with him on trip two and though odd. She is not feeling well and wanted nothing to do with him. Turns out it was the mans way of saying something to my husband to open the conversation which went like this.
stranger- Wow she is cute (her head us buried in dads shoulder)
Dad- Thank you
stranger- how old is she? is she adopted we adopted two boys from Korea
Dad-yes she is
Stranger- how old was she when you got her? We wanted to adopt again but we are to old.
Now this is right in front of my car and my son is asking who daddy is talking to. Wanting my lunch I replied without thought " I am sure it is someone who wants to know if your sister is adopted".
And my son says mommy go out and tell him I am too. I felt so much better. He got what I keep telling him. Be proud of where you come from but know that you are still very much a part of your father and I. Adoption is a process but his country is his heritage and I want him to be proud of where he is from.

Terrible or Not

Haa... I sit here trying to type a post about my soon to be two year old. The little girl who was so quiet when I met her and now has spunk and a set of lungs.
Even with the battle of croup that has made from not only long nights but days..
So I took a moment to read a friends blog and she puts my name down and tags me. Seven things wow...

1. I have not eaten meat in 31 years. Do not miss a hamburger and have no memory of eating one. In the old days before chicken or fish at mc Donald's I ordered a Big Mac without the meat. The guy behind the counter would yell "Big Mac hold the cow".

2. I am a boob specialist. Gee wont be telling my kids that anytime soon. Working at Victoria Secret and run the front desk. Not my calling boobs are.

3. My house is a wreck. Trying to organize things has lead to a major mess. You inspire me Nicole. I have enough fabric for dozens of quilts. Time to put one together.

4. I love to bake hate to cook. Will attach my pumpkin bread recipe at the bottom. Make pumpkin pancakes at preschool that the kids love.

5. We are done expanding our family. Tough words but so right for our family. Sierra is meant to be the baby.

6. My dream has always been to live out in the country. A farm with animals.

7. I have 5 wonderful (ok they can be brats) kids and 2 step kids. My step kids have children the same ages of my kids.

Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin Bread

3 cups suggar
3 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs
2 c canned pumpkin
½ cup chopped dates
½ cup chopped nuts
Chocolate chips
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well and place remaining ingredients into the well. Mix and place in well greased pans. Bake at 350 degree preheated oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Makes 3 small or 2 large loaves. 12 juice can.

What a sad week. It actually started over a month ago when our obnoxious neighbor called animal control. See we are abusing our dog the one we love. Let loose in the house and whom the baby think is a big stuff animal. His weight loss came fast and with kids under tow and teenagers I noticed it but did not find the time to run to the Vet. We did take him in and spent $500 to learn little. He had lost weight (since we told them first do they charge less?) and they took blood that did not look awful at all. We went home and spoiled him. Hot dogs, puppy food, love and care and more weight loss. I panicked and asked Chuck to take him in. See he can manage the kids and do and any news much better so why not? Back to the vet and $500 more and still nothing. They tried to x-ray him but he got to excited so they asked us to bring him in early and let him relax before they tried the next day.
I took him in Friday morning and she wanted to just take an x-ray. I said no he needs to relax first as the doctor ordered so please don't stress him out. I am thankful I did as when the call came I was with my kids and able to fall apart in company. They said the cancer was everywhere. I was asking about worms in his stools and if that could be it how could it be cancer and we were losing him. How long? and it only gets worse. It was time now. We asked if we could take him home and say our goodbyes ( this is with huge tears as I type this) and we did. We a family of loving children held, cried, fed and just enjoyed our last hours. Our sweet baby is gone. At peace but gone... He passed 16 years to the day that I lost my sister. What a tough day...

Do children know? She is wiping his eyes did he know? We bid you goodbye for now but we will one day be together again...

A Childs Rights Campaign

Do you even think this came from our agency? Not at all...

May 21, 2008
Dear Families and Friends, Simply put, the orphaned and vulnerable children of Vietnam need your help. Please join us on June 2nd by contacting Members of Congress and urging them to join the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Co-Chairs and sign their letter to Secretary Condoleezza Rice in support of the recommendations found in A Child’s Right Campaign for Vietnam."
A Pending Crisis
The U.S. Department of State has expressed concerns related to corruptive practices associated with intercountry adoption between the U.S. and Vietnam. In response to their concerns, the Department of State will allow the functional closure of adoptions on September 1, 2008 and thereby end one of the most basic of human rights: the right to a safe, permanent and loving family.
Not only will those orphans eligible for adoption continue to suffer the detriments of orphanage life, so will thousands of other orphans and vulnerable children. This is because the service providers engaged in finding U.S. families for Vietnamese orphans also provide a myriad of services to the most vulnerable of children.
As a result, the end of intercountry adoption with Vietnam also brings the end of social services such as family preservation and counseling. It also marks the end of humanitarian services such as educational sponsorships, clean water programs and many health related initiatives.
End Corruption, Not a Child’s Right to a Family
While Joint Council shares in many of the Department of State’s concerns, we believe the solution is not the termination of adoption and elimination of a child’s right to a family. Joint Council, its Member Organizations, NGO’s including Ethica—a leading voice for ethical adoption, the Vietnamese government and Members of the United States Congress firmly believe that the solution is a rational child-centered approach designed to strengthen services, regulate providers and prosecute violators.
A Child’s Right Campaign for Vietnam
In response to the looming crisis facing the children of Vietnam, Joint Council today--May 21, 2008—initiates A Child’s Right Campaign for Vietnam. A Child’s Right Campaign for Vietnam proposes a series of rational recommendations that
address the issues of abuse, protect the integrity of Vietnamese families and ensure the right of every child to a permanent, safe and loving family. The overriding goal of this campaign is very simple: to end corruption, but not a child’s right to a family.
As part of this campaign Joint Council delivered a letter to the Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA) Co-Chairs: Senator Mary Landrieu; Senator Norm Coleman; Congressman James Oberstar and Congresswoman Ginny Brown- Waite requesting their immediate assistance. We have asked the CCA and all Members of Congress to support the recommendations found within A Child’s Right Campaign for Vietnam and to work with the Governments of the United States and Vietnam to ensure that an MOA is in place on September 1, 2008.
The Department of State has expressed intent to negotiate and implement a new MOA with the Government of Vietnam. Joint Council applauds the long-term goals of the Department of State, yet finds the short-term path unacceptable. It is clear that the intent is also to allow the current MOA to expire while seeking a new agreement sometime in the future. By all estimates, the Department of State’s current path would result in the functional elimination of services, including adoption, for two years or more!
Finding such a scenario intolerable, we ask for your immediate support of this Campaign. The following page details how you can help us avoid this pending crisis. Only with your active participation will the children of Vietnam have a right to join a permanent, safe and loving family through ethical, professional and legal adoption.
On behalf of the orphaned and vulnerable children of Vietnam, those of us who work to serve their needs and the Joint Council on International Children’s Services, we extend our sincere appreciation for your coming efforts.
Sincerely,
Thomas DiFilipo
President / CEO