Ten Years Ours

It's been ten years since we walked Rex out of an orphanage and into our family.  I am at a loss for words to adequately describe the experiences and knowledge all of us have gained over the last decade. The feelings sit deep yet loom large; their complexity presses heavily and their intensity can be overwhelming.  We are changed to the core because of this child.  

It's been a journey unlike we could have ever imagined on this road less traveled which leads on.

You are the bows 

from which your children as living arrows are set forth.

The archer seeks the mark upon the path of the infinite,

and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies, 

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

~ Kahlil Gibran

Keep aiming toward your mark, most beautiful boy.

We love you, love you, love you, love you, love you.

Independence Day 2021

After so many months of keeping family safe by staying apart, we were thrilled to be able to gather together again this past weekend. We enjoyed a birthday party plus fireworks at Craig's sister's house and a pool party at our house, both with grandparents and cousins.

Red White & Blue

Grandparents and grandkids (ages 23 to 11)

Happy Birthday, USA!

Student Of The Week 3

This is our Student of the Week. Today he completed fourth grade.  He's never been a fan of going to traditional school and his progress in that setting was pretty limited, but we sent him for a social experience he himself neither sought nor appreciated and actually, in the big picture, wasn't even receiving.

When the pandemic hit, he became a home schooler and he has never been happier.  He loves working one on one with his teachers and enjoys the flexibility and freedom of truly individualized instruction. It's been such a joy to see his success as well as some interests emerge from academics.  For example, instead of receiving a stack of empty white papers we were told were his art projects at the end of each public school year, we had a student who liked arts and crafts and made many conscious choices while working on such projects.  No longer were we presented with empty canvases, but proudly handed colorful, often geometric-inspired creations instead.  Plus we noticed his creativity blossoming in something akin to found art.   

Being at home most of the time also led to much improved fine motor and self-help skills.  For example, without even practicing, our child began to get his own drinks and snacks, taking care of bathrooming, and picking up after himself and others.  And let's not forget to mention that this amazing boy taught himself (yes, himself through observation, trial and error, and lots of practice) to ride a two wheel bike and to swim since the start of the pandemic.

Here's to the end of fourth grade and to the beginning of what we hope will be a wonderful home school education.

Indianapolis Weekend

Last weekend we headed to Indianapolis to attend a picnic reunion of families with children adopted from Bulgaria.  It had been two years since we'd seen most of these friends, so it was really nice to reconnect over a hot afternoon at the park.

After the picnic we were ready to cool off and rest at our AirBnB.  We try to rent in ways that allow us to experience things that are unique about the area we're staying, so I was excited to find the Oliver Keeley House built in 1880 on lovely Lockerbie Square in Indianapolis.  We even had time for a little history lesson by seeing the Athenaeum and the Murat.

We stayed in this yellow house

The next morning we grabbed some breakfast and met with an old friend and her new daughter at yet another park. It was great to catch up and finally be introduced to the sweet little one.

Colts Canal Playspace

Rex had done a phenomenal job throughout the weekend even though some of our adventures were not his favorite.  So when he let us know toward lunch that we was ready to go back home, we honored his wish.  Even though it was just a short trip, we had a good time.

Student of The Week 2

This is our Student of the Week. Today she will complete sixth grade.

It's been a tough year for our big girl with everchanging conditions from a late start to teachers coming and going to stretches of virtual learning and restricted access to friends, but she managed to hang in and move herself forward academically.  She did very well in her home school school classes and held her own at the tutoring center as well.  Among her strengths is an emerging and powerful voice of a poet that we have watched bud with a certain degree of awe.

This year she also became independent in doing her own laundry and making her own breakfast.  She tries hard to keep her room clean without reminders.

We're so proud of her perseverance and tenacity through this trying time and are looking forward to what Junior High has in store for her.

Student Of The Week

This is our Student of the Week.  Tomorrow she will complete the fourth grade.  

She has made tremendous academic and personal progress this school year.  She has acquired knowledge that I am not sure would have even been presented to her had she remained in the public school system along with skills that wouldn't have been fostered or valued there.  She has overcome many anxieties and challenges that she had developed in response to traditional instruction and thereby she's broken down barriers to her own success.

She has also, through home schooling, shown her capacity for learning targeted new material fairly speedily which prompted a re-assessment of her needs/diagnoses and, in the end, led to greater opportunities for the coming (home) school year.  We're immensely proud of her hard work and accomplishments over the last ten months and looking forward to more growth in 21/22.

"That's called differentiated instruction.  That's called personalized learning.  That's called special education law.  That's called effective teaching." - from Lost at School by Ross W. Greene

Sixth Grade Service Project

You may remember Ella's fourth grade service project in 2018 and last year she was part of a social justice class at school that raised several hundred dollars to help combat human trafficking.

This year, we hadn't thought about a service project yet until we were working on a craft for fun and it occurred to us that we could have a little sale of Ella's creations to support Dream House Autism Therapy Center in Armenia.  The idea quickly grew into a plan.

1) Ella emailed her art teacher at school to ask if classmates would be allowed to help Ella decorate necklaces in the art room using the myriad of supplies there.  The answer was a resounding yes.

2) Ella emailed the school leadership to ask if she would be allowed to set up a sale on school grounds one day over lunch to hold her fundraiser.  She got another yes.

3) Ella and I cut out a lot of amulets from air-dry clay which her friends in art class helped her decorate in early April.  Later we added the necklaces and price tags.

4) Ella and her group of friends from school held the sale and raised $74 for Dream House.  Through some additional sales Ella made on her own, another $19 were raised.  Finally she received a $20 donation.

5) We spoke with the director of Dream House to find out what needs there are at the center at this time.  She asked for wobble cushions/wiggle seats, so we got multiple of those and then added a balance board, an aqua doodle mat, a floor piano mat, and two really big floor games because we know the OT and PT at Dream House like to be very active with the kids one on one and in small group settings.  We can't wait to see those items in use, but unfortunately, they probably won't arrive in Armenia until the fall as the next SOAR container isn't slated to ship for a couple of months.