Summer's On Like Donkey Kong

Driveway art to welcome the girls off the bus

The Sisters Martini have finished their school year.  I think we're all relieved to get a break.

They also brought home some great artwork.  Ella's birth mom and I love her self-portrait, especially the big smile, big muscle arms, sun, flowers and blue shirt. Blue is Ella's favorite color and her Armenian mom's, too.

And look at my littlest babe... oh the places she'll go.  She traced this by herself and made the coffee filter art.

Happy summer, everyone.

Summer Home School 2016

For the month of June, I will be doing summer home school again with both girls.  In July, they will be in summer school / ESY through the district (Monday through Friday 8:00 am to noon) and for the first part of August, we will have true time off.

Ella’s Summer Homeschool Plan

Daily

*Spell 26 words from the first grade spelling curriculum, practice any words that were misspelled OR write a short story, letter, etc.

*Read at least two books or 20 minutes in the same book, including verbal response to what’s been read to show reading comprehension

*Complete at least one math work sheet

*Practice second grade sight words

*Learn two new words to build vocab

Emilia’s Summer Homeschool Plan

Daily

*Review Kindergarten sight words, add new sight words as appropriate

*Complete one tracing/handwriting work sheet for letters

*Math (how many / more or less / simple patterns / identify and label numbers 11 to 20 / count to 30 / 3D shapes)

*Practice dressing skills

*Read one book with help in Kids A-Z

Weekly for both girls together

SCIENCE

Week 1: The Five Senses, The Scientific Method, Is It Magnetic?

Week 2: Interactions with Water, An M&M Investigation

Week 3: Does It Float?, Elephant Toothpaste, Growing Seeds

Week 4: Save The Apples, Push vs Pull

ART

Week 1: Patterns and shape people

Week 2: Symmetry

Week 3: Crayon rainbow, sunrise/ocean collages

Week 4: Mermaids (Ella’s fave)

COOKING & BAKING per the girls' request

Heart Camp

This year, for the first time, we attended Heart Camp, an event organized by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Heart Institute for pediatric cardiology patients and their families.  Heart Camp which starts on Friday and ends on Sunday is held at Camp Joy in Ohio and was host to 50 families (175 people) this year.  We opted for the Saturday only attendance which we found to be just right for us.  This year, camp was completely free of charge thanks to many generous sponsors.

We arrived at Heart Camp at 9:30 am, checked in and then helped the kids split up into their age groups.  Ella went with the 6-8 year olds who played games and did lots of physical activities.  We placed Emilia and Rex with the 3-5 year olds who went on a hike, played with bubbles, parachutes, toys, etc.  During this time, Craig and I could have attended a parent work shop, but we decided to stay with Rex and Emilia since they can be a bit challenging to manage in unfamiliar situations and by people who do not know them well.  We enjoyed spending time with them and a bunch of other special kiddos.

After these separate sessions, there was a group lunch (quite good and with allergy-friendly options) followed by four hours of free time during which families had access to much of what Camp Joy has to offer. We hit up the petting zoo, did tractor rides, made some arts and crafts, let our adventurous kids do the Swing-By-Choice multiple times, and Ella even did part of the rope course and zip line.

She loves tractors and all other large machinery.

This is Ella on the Swing-By-Choice.  You have to consciously let yourself go to make the first drop.  Rex loved this as well and did it four times, but we did not have him drop himself. Instead, we gave him some major pushes to go back and forth.

The weather wasn't great for a day in mid-May though at least it wasn't raining, but by 5:00 pm, we were ready for a hot dinner at the dining hall.  During the meal, we warmed up, refueled and chatted with others.  I think everyone was happily exhausted from the day's activities, but still saving up some energy for the dance from 7:30 to 9:00.  We hadn't intended to stay that late, but the kids had so much fun.  Rex danced practically the whole time.

YMCA with daddy

Throughout the day, we had many nice conversations with different families and even connected with another adoptive family.  Heart Camp was a lot of fun and we hope to be back next year.

New CSA

As I mentioned before, we chose a new CSA this year which is located about 30 miles from our home.  My main reasons to switch were that this CSA offers fruits and veggies (as opposed to just veggies with our supplier last year), that I can customize my box with what's in season (as opposed to having to accept whatever was chosen for our weekly box) and that they deliver to our door (as opposed to going to a pick-up site at a certain time).  I also really appreciated the farmer giving me a lot of her time over the phone as I asked her about their growing practices etc.  She invited our family to come out to the farm any time to see where our produce is grown.

Yesterday our first box arrived.  It was quite exciting. I had said no to chard, asparagus and green onions because I'd be the only one here eating them. Instead, I doubled up on lettuces and snap peas and tomatoes from their green house.  So our box included four of these packages of snap peas, two of tomatoes, and four really big bags of mixed baby salad greens, and spinach.

Showing one of each

And today I ate my first locally grown salad of the season for lunch.  Yum.

The Week Of Three Dates

Yes, you read that correctly.  A little while ago, Craig and I pulled off three dates in one week which means we have basically doubled the number of dates we've had since Rex came home in July 2011.

First, we played hooky one day and went clothes shopping as both of our wardrobes needed a bit of an update.  This may not be a date for some, but we let it count because we could talk uninterruptedly on the drive and sing along to our favorite songs.  And I can't tell you how efficient and relaxing it was to be selecting and trying on clothes sans children.  It felt like a mini vacation.

A few nights later, the kids attended a Prom Party with Special Olympics and had a wonderful time.  Meanwhile, Craig and I enjoyed a quiet dinner at a favorite Indian restaurant where we always eat too much and then a little spring drive through a large park.

Finally, we celebrated our wedding anniversary early by going on an eight mile bike ride on the Little Miami Trail followed by a delicious dinner.

At the half way mark of our ride

Yes, I ate the whole piece

While we had fun, Ella, Rex and Emilia were in good hands with our trusted and highly qualified sitters - though that word does not do them justice - Ms. Rie and Ms. Ariella.  Together, they flew kites, made crafts, went on a walk, etc.  But despite so much undivided attention and excitement, the kids were happy to see us when we came back home after five hours away. And that's simply the best.

Keepin' It Real: Friday Night Dinner

Most nights around here we have a nutritious homemade dinner, but every once in a while a day is so busy and my preparation so poor that it's grab what you can all the way. Tonight was that night. Here's what everyone ate.

Craig: half a leftover hamburger with raw kale and half a chicken salad on rye sandwich
Ella: peanut butter and nutella sandwich with a tangerine, potato chips and string cheese
Rex: gluten-free chicken nuggets
Emilia: regular chicken nuggets and apple slices
Me: yogurt herb dip with potato chips, apple slices, Greek yogurt, and a slice of rye toast

The end.

What's On Tap For Summer 2016?

This summer looks to be a busy one.  Here's what's already scheduled:

*Oma will be here for five weeks
*Camping trip with Grandma & Co.
*Beach vacation
*Summer home school
*Summer school / ESY in the district for the girls
*Rex's graduation from his PreK/K program
*Cousin Adrian from Austria will be here for three weeks
*My sister and her family will be here twice for a few days each
*Six medical appointments already scheduled
*Bulgarian Adoption Reunion
*Heart Camp

I know it's going to be nuts, but we will have lots of fun.

IEP / 504 Season

From late February to early May, our family experiences IEP / 504 season.  It's a pretty stressful time for me personally as I collect information about the kids necessary to advocate for them for the best possible placement and services in the coming 12 months.  We just finished this season once more and here's where everyone is.

Ella: Ella is moving on to second grade.  She continues to have a 504 for some physical as well as instructional and assessment accommodations.  She is performing at grade level in all but one content area and has already been receiving Tier 3 small group intervention for that area since January.  Her test scores have gone up since then.  In addition, Ella has outgrown her daily ESOL class and is therefore being moved to the more challenging reading and writing intervention group that will direct the support she receives away from English as a second language and more into line with the material that is being studied in the classroom.  Ella is very excited that she is going into second grade with her friends, but understands that she will have to work hard to keep up.

Rex: We're still waiting on therapy insurance approval which will not come until mid-July, but if everything goes as expected in this matter, Rex will be in half day Kindergarten at our dedicated public elementary school where the girls attend.  He has a wonderful IEP with lots of weekly therapy services, academic intervention, door to door transportation, and a 1:1 educational aide.  At the start of the school year, he will also be evaluated for adaptive PE and he will be part of a program that gets him out into the community for bowling, swimming, etc. twice a month.  In the afternoons at home, Rex will have 1:1 private ABA therapy.  We're quite excited to try this combination for Rex, but also totally prepared to change course if it doesn't work out.

Emilia:  Emilia has made wonderful strides in language and social skills as well as her independence this year in her half day class and thoroughly enjoyed herself.  However, her academic gains have not been as noticeable as during the previous years of home schooling.  Emilia has a lot of diagnosed sensory/attachment/trauma-related challenges and a unique learning style that cannot easily be accommodated in a mainstream classroom.  Therefore, Craig and I have decided to have her repeat Kindergarten in a full day setting and put home school or an alternative (private) school option on the table for the 2017/18 school year or if things should not be progressing as we hope prior to that time.  Her IEP for the next school year includes door to door transportation, SLP (180 min/month), OT (90 mins/month), and PT (90 mins/month) as well as 20 minutes a day in a small group instructional setting with a special education teacher.  She will have an educational aide 1:1 for any time during the school day that she is not working directly with another professional.

I am so glad IEP season is behind us now and we have nine months of just letting the kids do their thing and show us what they can do.

May 5, 2014

Two years ago today, we met Ella for the first time.  Together, we've come a long way since then and, together, we'll keep walking the road ahead.  Love wins.

April

I thought after Rex's spring break April would be rather calm, but it wasn't.  We've tumbled quickly into spring and been busy.  Here's a quick run-down in no special order.

*Had our first campfire of the season with friends.

*Rex learned to ride a bike with training wheels.

*We ended vision therapy for Ella because the homework load was not manageable.

*I was able to help SOAR and Hopscotch Adoptions raise $8000 for Rex's orphanage.

*Craig's weight loss challenge ended and he lost 17% of his body weight.  He is now back to what he weighed when he was in high school.  Now to keep it off...

*Ella, our trickster and wanna-be jokester, left a nice little surprise for us in the fridge, adorning the hot sauce.

*I organized another t-shirt fundraiser for Rex's small school which sold over 100 shirts and raised $150.

*Attended the Festival of World Cultures at the museum center where we had the opportunity to hear a Japanese choir, watch Chinese and Latin American dancers, make origami, dance and sing along to Appalachian tunes, taste Korean candy and Bulgarian treats, and even try our hands at wood-turning.

*We selected a new CSA farm which will deliver to our door weekly, starting this month.  Unlike our CSA last year, this farm not only grows vegetables, but also fruit.  We'll likely have strawberries in our first box.

*Got accepted into Heart Camp, a full day of fun and free activities designed specifically for pediatric heart patients and their families.  More on that after we go.

*Celebrated the diversity at the girls' school at International Night where Ella performed an Armenian song on stage in front of about 200 people.  She did great, but got shy at the end when the applause started.  I didn't hit record when she began singing, but still got most of it, but the video is apparently too big for blogger.  Also, our local Bulgarian friends came and set up a table to represent Bulgaria on Emilia's behalf which was fantastic.

April out.

Nappies For Nork 2016 Success

I am thrilled to announce that Nappies for Nork 2016 raised $8000 to help with the diaper supply at Nork orphanage where Rex spent the first 2.5 years of his life.  With this money, SOAR will be funding a monthly diaper delivery that will provide one additional diaper change per child in need per day for the next 52 weeks.  Thanks to all of you who gave so generously to make a difference one little bottom at a time.

And the raffle winners are...

Gift card #1: Hildret B.
Gift card #2: Maria and Peter J.
Gift card #3: Talar H.
Gift card #4: Gagik P.

Greeting cards from Zadik Orphanage #1: Sherry D.
Greeting cards from Zadik Orphanage #2: Karen H.
Greeting cards from Zadik Orphanage #3: Kirby B.

Bzerk Reloaded by Michael Grant: Paulette K.

Handmade ornaments with antique Armenian stamps #1: Sheila J. and Doug C.
Handmade ornaments with antique Armenian stamps #2: Molly S.

Martini Family Recipe Book: Carrie O.

Original photograph by Beth Shepherd: Whitney W.

SOAR and I will be contacting the winners directly with details.