2016 Summer Vacation

This summer, we had lots of little weekend getaways, such as a trip to Mammoth Cave and the Bulgarian Adoption Reunion and the annual camping trip with Craig's extended family, but our big vacation led us to South Carolina in August.  As always, we rented a house in walking distance to the beach and with the golf cart provided, we went from door to water in about a minute.  We had six beautiful days of doing nothing but swimming, sunning, playing, eating, watching movies, and sleeping.  

Here are some photos.

Craig decided we were ready to drive rather than fly.
All I'll say is potato chips, lots of them.

My wave runners

Ella's and my Enchanted Forest

These guys had a ton of fun together

Pretend boogie boarding...
which Emilia called "water boarding"

The mermaid

Ella's first attempts with chop sticks

Pleased as a peach after a lunch of nothing but bacon

Craig took Rex and Ella on a helicopter ride over the beach front

Silly sisters on the way back to Ohio

Home sweet home

As always, I am so thankful that we have the opportunity to take our family on such vacations and to spend quality time together away from the daily grind of our home life.

IAC 157 - 164

The following referrals were issued in IAC 157 held on May 5, 2016:

1) Luxembourg dossier from April 2012 referred a female child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status and a family history

2) Swedish dossier from April 2013 referred a female child aged 2 years and 4 months with features in health status

3) US dossier from August 2015 referred three brothers aged 8 years and 2 months, 6 years, and 4 years and 2 months

4) US dossier from April 2016 referred a waiting child (# 3052) with a profile on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC 158 held on May 12, 2016:

1) Spanish dossier from January 2011 referred a male child aged 1 year and 7 months

2) Italian dossier from February 2013 referred two children, female, aged 7 years and 8 months and 5 years and 11 months

3) Swedish dossier from November 2013 referred a female child aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health status and a family history

4) German dossier from March 2015 referred a male child aged 2 years and 4 months with features in health status and a family history

5) German dossier from June 2015 unspecified referral

6) US dossier from May 2016 referred a waiting child (#2923) with a profile on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC 159 held on May 19, 2016:

1) Dutch dossier from January 2011 referred a female child aged 4 years and 2 months

2) German dossier from March 2011 referred a male child aged 2 years and 1 month with features in health status

3) Italian dossier from May 2011 referred two sisters aged 6 years and 11 months and 5 years and 3 months

4) French dossier from February 2012 referred a female child aged 2 years and 3 months with features in health status and a family history

5) French dossier from August 2015 referred a waiting child (#3190) with a profile on the MOJ site

6) Italian dossier from January 2016 referred siblings, male and female, aged 7 years and 9 months, 6 years and 9 months, 4 years and 11 months

7) US dossier from May 2016 referred waiting children (#2305, #2306, #2877) with profiles on the MOJ site

8) US dossier from May 2016 referred waiting children (#2882, #2883) with profiles on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC 160 held on June 2, 2016:

1) Spanish dossier from February 2011 referred a female child aged 2 years

2) Italian dossier from June 2011 referred a female child aged 5 years and 11 months with features in health status

3) Italian dossier from December 2015 referred two waiting children (#3238, #3239) with profiles on the MOJ site

4) US dossier from February 2016 referred a female child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status

5) French dossier from April 2016 referred a brother and sister, aged  8 years and 11 months and 7 years and 10 months with features in health status and a family history

6) US dossier from May 2016 referred a waiting child (#2924) with a profile on the MOJ site

7) US dossier from May 2016 referred a waiting child (#2188) with a profile on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC 161 held on June 9, 2016:

1) Dutch dossier from March 2011 referred a brother and sister aged 3 years and 4 months and 1 year and 11 months

2) Spanish dossier from March 2011 referred a female child aged 1 year and 11 months with features in health status

3) Spanish dossier from March 2011 referred a male child aged 2 years

4) Spanish dossier from March 2011 referred a male child aged 1 year and 8 months

5) French dossier from March 2012 referred two brothers, aged 3 years and 5 months and 5 years and 7 months with features in health status and a family history

6) US dossier from November 2012 referred a female child aged 1 year and 2 months with features in health status and a family history

7) French dossier from February 2013 referred a male child aged 4 years and 11 months with a family history

8) US dossier from July 2014 referred a female child aged 1 year and 2 months with features in health status

9) Italian dossier from August 2014 referred a male child aged 8 years and 3 months with a family history

10) US dossier from June 2015 referred a waiting child (#2901) with a profile on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC 162 held on June 15, 2016:

1) Cyprus dossier from July 2012 referred a waiting child (#3255) with a profile on the MOJ site

2) Italian dossier from April 2014 referred a waiting child (#3209) with a profile on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC 163 held on June 23, 2016 (countries not specified in this session's results):

1) Dossier from August 2010 referred a female child aged 2 years and 9 months with a family history

2) Dossier from March 2011 referred a female child aged 2 years and 6 months

3) Dossier from May 2014 referred a male child aged 4 years and 1 month with features in health status

4) Dossier from March 2016 referred a waiting child (#2013) with a profile on the MOJ site

5) Dossier from June 2016 referred a waiting child (#3219) with a profile on the MOJ site

The following referrals were issued in IAC 164 held on June 30, 2016:

1) Spanish dossier from June 2011 referred a male child aged 7 years and 6 months

2) US dossier from June 2015 referred a male child aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health status

3) Italian dossier from January 2016 referred a male child aged 8 years and 10 months with features in health status

4) US dossier from February 2016 referred three siblings, male and female, aged 5 years and 11 months, 3 years and 9 months, 3 years and 9 months with features in health status

5) US dossier from June 2016 referred a waiting child (#3170) with a profile on the MOJ site

One Week Down

My kids have completed their first full week of the 2016/17 school year.  I am proud of all three of them.

Ella has been doing a wonderful job following her new morning and afternoon routines - improved and adjusted after learning from first grade - and Emilia and Rex have transitioned well into their Kindergarten classes.

I received this email from Emilia's teacher midweek: I know I am repeating myself but I am just very impressed with Emilia.  She has been an excellent listener, transitioned well from each activity and has stayed focused on academic tasks (brain breaks have helped. :).  

Today she said, "I need help please" in a full sentence while at art center. What amazing gains you have made with her due to your dedication and hard work.  I am so happy she is doing another year of kindergarten because I feel as though she is comfortable in this setting. Today on the playground she asked me to play. :)  

We sing as a class throughout the whole day and like you said, she is very focused during those times so I will definitely keep that up!

And this was Rex's note on Friday:

Thankful for the teachers they have this year and how smoothly we have moved back into the school rhythm.

The Mermaid Is 8

Since Ella's actual birthday fell onto a weekday this year, we had a few surprises for her outside of her party.  She woke up to our traditional birthday table with all of her presents and the breakfast of her choice: icecream.  The outfit she decided to wear for her special day was a birthday gift from her birth family, handmade by her Armenian mother.

In the evening, we left Emilia and Rex with a trusted sitter and took Ella to a movie, her first ever in a theater.  We saw Pete's Dragon which was really a perfect selection for experiencing the sensory impact of a big screen for the first time.  The movie theater we chose has big comfy recliners and serves dinner right there while you watch the movie, so Ella had pizza, fries and a strawberry lemonade icee and Craig and I had wraps.

Ella, now you're eight.

Daddy and I look at pictures from just two years ago

and cannot believe how much you have grown and learned and matured.

You're a most stubborn, competitive, argumentative little girl,

strong, determined and fierce and not afraid to speak your mind.

You're a thrill seeker and adventurer, a worrier, a chatterbox,

and a prankster who lives for anything outside of the daily routine.

Debate team, drama club and swim meets are in your future.

We love you just the way you are.

You’re our treasure and our joy.
Happy birthday!

First Day Of K

Today's the first day of Kindergarten Take 2 for Rex and Emilia.  They will be in different classrooms across the hall from each other.  It gives me some peace of mind that they're close and will see a familiar face in the halls.  Ella said, "Don't worry, Mama, I'll take care of my siblings.  Everything's gonna be okay."  Nothing like an eldest daughter comforting a bawling mother at the bus stop.

First Day Of Second Grade

... for our bright and beautiful eldest child.  She said, "Mama, I am not nervous as a cucumber."  Gotta love that ELL!

Tuesday's Top Ten Repeat

Today...

*My daughters decided that markers are a great substitute for make-up

*One child pooped 8 times into diapers

*I learned that my home/family present a hostile work environment to treatment providers

*The girls thought stripping down in the yard and rolling in mud pits was totally the right thing to do an hour before the school open house

*The school open house - I give you two guesses how I feel about these events

* I did not have breakfast or lunch unless a few handfuls of tortilla chips and half a cupcake count

*Someone asked to use my guest bath which was in a total disaster state

*I let one child play with the water/hose for a full two hours (connect to bullet point four) - shame on my environmental conscience

*We set off our fire alarm

*I discovered a mystery rash on one of the kids

And now, if you'll excuse me, I need some Eierlikoer.