.......On My Front Porch Looking In

Love Black and White Photos!

2012-02-09T06:59:00.002-05:00

I downloaded a free trial of Lightroom. I have loved playing with it and downloading some free presets. I think I may have to purchase it!!! This is my favorite!

Some more catching up!!!

2012-02-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

Right after New Years Day begins a very joyous time for our family. On January 8th 2009 my husband, my 17 year old son (at the time), and I, embarked on our journey to China. Every year we remember the trip of our lifetimes, the one that led us to our daughter. On Jan. 12th the 4 of us celebrate that wonderful day when we first met. This year we went to Engs ( a local Chinese Restaurant). Shortly after is Sierra's birthday which happens to be the day we left China and arrived home. It is the day the rest of the family welcomed home Sierra. This year as an added bonus Sierra's birthday was also Chinese New Year!!! Since we have a celebration every year for Chinese New Year...we combined the party and had a CNY and Sierra's 6th ( still can't believe she is 6!!!) birthday. It was fabulous and everyone had a great time. Oh and it was football play off time and two of my sons had their teams playing. Here are some pi ctures of our celebraion!!!

Sierra playing the harmonica that my brother gave her!

A very special panda umbrella!

Love it...all of us together!

Sierra getting ready to lead all the kindergartners in the school CNY parade!!

Because He Lives.....!!

2012-01-15T17:17:00.001-05:00

Christ's Church Shamian Island Guangzhou, China

This past week has been full of memories and emotions as we celebrated the three year anniversary of meeting Sierra in China. I love this time as we pour over our more than one thousand pictures and watch the many videos we took. One of my favorite memories is the Sunday morning church service we attended on Shamian Island. I was moved to tears many times that day as we witnessed the fact that the love of Christ is alive and abundant in China. The service was an English speaking one...attended two by both local Chinese and many adoptive families. The hymns were divided, two sung in Chinese....two sung in English. One of the hymns we sang that day in English...was "Because He Lives". I had always liked it and much emotion overtook me as I stood there with my new daughter singing about how she "will be able to face uncertain days..because he lives!!"
As Sierra and I watched some videos this past week...we came across the video I took in the church as we were all singing that hymn. It brought back all the feelings and emotions and I have been singing in my head for days. This morning I woke up and again...the words were there..."because he lives...I can face tomorrow!" Sierra and I got ready and drove to our church. We helped our friend set home for our food and fellowship time after the service. We walked up the stairs...sat in our pew and waited. I opened my bulletin, looked it over and ....gasped out loud. There ...listed towards the end of the service...the last hymn were going to sing...today...exactly three years from the day we sat in that small church in China...were the words...."BECAUSE HE LIVES!!"

I turned to my friend and showed her and quickly told her the meaning. I sat there for a few more minutes and realized I had to share this. I raised my hand and waited for the pastor to notice. He stopped and nodded towards me. I explained about being in that church three years ago...I mentioned how not too long ago sitting in a Christian church in China would not have happened...I told them about how exactly three years ago today, we had sat in that church in China and sang "Because He Lives" ...the same hymn that was listed in our bulletin today. Only God!!! Needless to say when it came time to sing...already my eyes were tearing up. At the first chorus I was unable to sing. The tears rolled down my face and my friend handed me a tissue. How was it that this hymn found its way into our bulletin today...of all days??
No one asked me "Kathie what hymn should we sing today??" But God knew........he was with us that day in a small church in China and he was reminding me...... that he still is with us today!! Its moments like this that I am so happy I have a blog so I can write about these moments in my life and

share with you all!!

Welcome 2012!!

2012-01-01T21:35:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year to all of you!!

I always love this day. It is like you get a freebie...you get a rewind, you get to do it again and maybe this time get it right. You get to make resolutions and even if you don't keep them...you are at least thinking about what is important in your life. You get to reflect about the past year...the good the bad and the ugly! You get to plan for the future and wonder what this year will bring to you and your family.

Three years ago we woke up on New Year's Day with a light heart and great anticipation. We knew that just 7 days later we would finally be leaving on that big ole jet plane and heading for China. It seems so long ago..but we knew 2009 was going to be a great year and it was!!

This year like most, has had its shares of ups and downs. January brought Sierra's 5th birthday. It was hard to believe she was old enough to start kindergarten In February my two year extended leave had come to an end and I had to return to work. For the first time ever, I would be working while I still had a child at home. Sierra attended a preschool that she loved and all was good!! Sadly my first official day back, I had to take a personal day. Our good friend and "Uncle Jeff" to my children had died suddenly from bacteria meningitis. He and Aunt Tammy had recently completed an over 30 day trip to Greece. It was definitely a reminder to us all that we need to not put off for tomorrow whatever we can accomplish today.

In May Scott's Dad received the news that his cancer had spread to his brain. We were spending as much time with him as possible.

Scott Sierra and I had a wonderful camping trip to our favorite Alpine Lake in June. David and Amanda joined us for a couple of days and it was great.

Unfortunately Scott's Dad had returned to the hospital but luckily it wasn't too far from where we were camping so Scott could go and visit.

In August I celebrated my 52 birthday...and on that day God chose to take Scott's dad home. We still miss him but are happy he is no longer in pain or suffering. He suffered greatly towards the end and it was hard to witness. Again it made us realize how important time with your family is.

In August we also had a vi sit from hurricane Irene. Much devastation from flooding was all around us. Since we lost power early in the storm , I never realized how the radar looked at the time Irene hit NY!! We are located at the top of the bottom triangle part of the state!

Sierra started school in September , luckily at the same school I work at!! She loves it and I love being able to sneak a hug during her lunch time!!

We took a few days in September and went camping again. we needed to spend some time together relaxing and sharing special memories of Scott's Dad. Sierra got to try out her new kayak! She also had fun fishing!

At the end of September we celebrated the Harvest Moon Fesitval with our friends, Jill and Steve and their truly awesome children, Noah, Hollie and Izzy. When we took this great photo we had no idea that circumstances would have them moving to Maine by the years end. I do so miss them and can't wait to go visit!!!

October brought the long awaited wedding of my son Paul and his beautiful bride Jennifer. I can not say enough about that day. It is one of my all time favorite memories! Even though it was THEIR special day, they worked hard to make sure that all who attended had a wonderful time. It was an amazing day and I felt like the the most special Mom alive! I still get teary eyed thinking about it!!

Scott has been busy at work. Irene and another flooding storm have reeked havoc with our town roads. They have spent much time repairing and fixing and now we are heading into winter, which will also be a busy time.

The holidays were joyous...spent with family and friends. I think we are getting better at really focusing on what is important during these times. We are trying to get rid of stuff and un clutter our lives. I know that God wants us to live a more simple live and I am trying hard to follow. I recently had a health scare, and it was scary. With god's helps and the prayers of many things, have turned out much better than I could have hoped for.. But it was a reminder to me that we are not in control of all,, if anything, that happens in our lives.

I will end this year in review with a few things that we are looking forward to. Hopefully this spring Scott ,Sierra, David and I will be moving about a mile up the road. We will be moving to the house that Scott grew up in. It is bigger than the house we have now with a lot more closets. (Houses built in the 1800s have no closets.) It will be emotional for me but a good move for our family. I will to see my adult children mature and grow as they make decisions about their futures. Sierra will continue to blossom and bring joy to all she meets. I like playing with numbers so awhile back I started figuring something.

January 12th is Sierra's Forever family Day. Eleven days before she turned 3 she met us and was no longer an orphan. Tomorrow morning , when she wakes up, it will be 10 days before we have had her three years, and..... she will have had a family longer than she has not!!!

Wishing you all a Happy, and very Healthy New Year!!

2011-12-31T21:01:00.005-05:00

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Check out this new blog!!!

The Empty Box

2011-12-25T12:13:00.000-05:00

On this Christmas morning, I am sharing with you a story which happened
25 years ago. I was 27 and had two s mall sons. My mom had died that June and it ws our first Christmaas without her. My dad was only in his 50s but we had been noticing some alaraming symptoms. Things that made us believe he was developing some sort of early onset dementia, It was devastating for us to think that my vibrant, extremely intelligent father was literally slowly losing his mind. We all missed Mom and it was difficult even thinking about Christmas without her. But Dad insisted we carry on. I remember he often said those last few weeks before Christmas that he was out Christmas shopping. He wanted no help...he wanted to do t on his own. My mom had done most of the shopping so this was a pretty new concept!! So on t hat Christmas morning he slowly handed out our presents. He handed me a box wrapped in pretty Christmas paper. It was the size and shape of a clothes box. I opened the box and inside....it was empty. Dad was sitting near by anxiously waiting to see my reaction to the gift he picked out for me. I showed him the box and said.." Dad the box is empty...there is nothing in it."" I will never forget the look on his face, the embarrassment, the frustration, the disappointment. He said"Oh Shoot!!and ran back up stairs with the box. A few minutes later he came down and again handed me the box. Inside was a beautiful dark green zippered sweatshirt. It was perfect. Those of you that know me know that dark green is my favorite clothes color and as the mother of 2 small children, I loved sweatshirts. My Dad on his own had picked out the perfect gift. But he was still feeling bad about the empty box. And truthfully so was i. The fact that it had happened only confirmed what we had already been fearing. The dad we had known all of our lives was changing. There was something going on and we cold not ignore it. And yes, the disease progressed, he was diagnosed with both Parkinson's and early onset demntia. The following years were tough and Dad died at the age of 64 way too young for a man who had so much to give. I still think of that Christmas and of the box that dad handed me...but I know something now...that I didn't know then. The box wasn't empty at all. It was filled with love, the love of a man who knew just the right gift for his daughter, the perfect sweatshirt in her favorite color. I miss my Dad always....but never as mush as on Christmas.

My most favorite time of the year.....(one of them!)

2011-12-10T17:20:00.001-05:00

Today was Christmas tree choosing day. There is a tree farm about 30 minutes away that sits high on the mountain!! The farm has been there a long time and the owner isn't planting anymore trees...but there are tons left. Any tree is 35 dollars. Can't beat it. Paul was away for the weekend but Jenn came...and David and Amanda. We piled into the pickup...singing Christmas songs along the way. The view is incredible and the trees are my favorite...blue spruces! The pictures tell the rest of the story...they show the absolute beauty of the day!!!!! By the way Jenn chose her tree and Sierra chose ours.

Christmas Prelude...a journey to Maine!

2011-12-07T18:44:00.001-05:00

On our honeymoon Scott and I went to Kennebunkport Maine. I love Maine. I love the beautiful ragged shoreline...I love the people...seemingly always friendly and willing to talk...I love the weather....not too hot summers with cool falls and wonderful winters!!! While walking around Kennebunkport and wandering through one of their many shops...I came across a beautiful framed photo. It was of a lit Christmas tree in the middle of town. All the surrounding shops were decorated. There was a light powdering of snow on the streets. It was beautiful. I pointed it out to Scott. Five years later we returned to Maine to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. Right before we left to head home... Scott handed me a large package. In it was the large framed photo...the one I had admired 5 years before. I loved it!!! I secretly wished that someday I could be there when Kennebunkport celebrated their Christmas Prelude.....somehow I could see the tree lit and standing beautifully in the center of town. The problem was...Scott works for the highway department...we never go anywhere in the winter ( well except to China in January 2009...but that was an exception!!) One day last year , as we were celebrating Chinese New Year at our house...I showed my friend Ellen he picture. I told her how I wished I could someday go. She said..."well let's go...let's go in December!!!" "Lets bring Sierra and Gretchen and let's go to Maine!! ( Gretchen is her adult daughter ) So last Friday morning we packed into Ellen's convertible and headed for Maine. I can not even begin to tell you what a wonderful time we had!!! We walked by the ocean...Gretchen and Sierra went IN the ocean! We hunted for sea glass and small shells....we shopped and shopped and shopped for Christmas...and we stood in the center of Kennebunkport.... on a beautiful December night...when the tree was lit !!! Sierra had a blast..She was awesome the entire weekend. I loved sharing my dream weekend with her. I loved spending the time with Ellen and Gretchen! I was sad that Scott couldn't be with us...but I was appreciated the opportunity to have a girls weekend out!!

These are some of my favorite photos

2011-11-24T22:23:00.001-05:00

I am hoping all my family and friends have the best Thanksgiving ever. There is not a day that goes by that I don't stop and give thanks to God for all the wonderful blessings that have been stowed upon me.
This year we were saddened by the absence of Scott's father. We had spent every holiday with him and we missed his warm smile. We are comforted knowing that he is not suffering and is no longer in pain!!!

Years ago when I was a little girl growing up in Long Island, my girlfriends and I would sit and dream about our futures. We would imagine what our husbands would look like, how many kids we would have, and what their names would be. I couldn't wait to be a Mom. I couldn't wait to have babies. I loved being pregnant. And I love being a Mom. So much, in fact , that 17 years after my last child was born, I became a Mom again. And I have enjoyed every minute of it. I am lucky. All my children, even the ones not living home, live with in 4 miles of me. I get to see them a lot. But on Thanksgiving my heart always fills with joy as we meet at Scott's brothers and we are altogether. And to have Paul and Jenn there as husband and wife, it made this Mama proud!!!!

Scott, Sierra and I started out the day with a wonderful walk down along the Hudson River. It was a beautiful November day, bright sunshine, crisp temperatures, and no breeze.The mountains stood out against the sharp blue sky. The only thing to mar the moment was the fact that my camera battery died and I had not brought the other, charged battery. I did get a few shots but not as many as I would have liked. We then stopped at m y brother's house, but he also had decided to go and take a walk. We came home and I called my sister who lives in Maryland. She is actually in Florida and enjoying some relaxing time there. I so miss having her closer for the holidays...but she surprised me with the news that they will be up this way for Christmas!!!!!

We went to Scott's brothers and had a most delicious meal...oh my did we eat....and eat...and eat. I try to remember though, the many children and adults in our world who are going hungry this Thanksgiving.
I know how fortunate we are that during this difficult economic time that we both have decent jobs And we have much family time. Scott and I both work full time jobs but we both pull in the driveway together at 3:35. We both get done at 3:30 and each of us work with in one mile of our jobs. We have lots of time to spend together and have some time for ourselves too.
So I extend a Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and I hope your lives are as blessed as mine!!

2011-11-22T21:45:00.001-05:00

Please click on this if you are interested in doing some holiday shopping and making a donation to some very worthy causes. One of the receiving organizations is Pearl River Outreach. This group of caring individuals help find sponsors for children, many who are from Sierra's orphanage. Through Pearl River Outreach, we sponsor a sweet little boy named Aiden!!!

How great is my love...

2011-11-13T15:42:00.001-05:00

During the past month or so I have been thinking about and rejoicing over the wonderful family that God has blessed me with. The day of Paul and Jenn's wedding was a day I will never forget. A I watched my sons and my precious daughter...my heart over flowed with love for them all. Our family also officially grew that day with Jenn becoming our daughter in law...but she had already been included in our hearts. Many people came to me that day..telling me how special the relationship between my boys is. And how sweetly they treat their little sister. The love I feel for them is like nothing else. The unconditional, no matter what, even though you are all so different, kind of love. As I look at pictures from that day...I see it...I feel it ...all over again...an amazing love I feel for my family.

I used to wonder about the idea of God sacrificing his child for us. I thought I wasn't Christian enough because I knew I could never sacrifice any of my children for anything. I would give my life for them in an instant but I could never send them to die. Well this 52 year old brain finally had her light bulb moment!! I was at our church Women's group meeting the other night and we start with a devotional. My friend was reading scriptures that told us how much God loved us. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son" And then..... I ...finally...got...it! God doesn't want us to sacrifice our children. What he saying is this'''Hey you parents...you know how much you love your children...you love them so much you would do anything for them??? You put them first ...you protect them, guide them, teach them etc. Well guess what...I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE THAN THAT!!!!" All of us...every day...every hour...every minute...every second of our lives God loves us... more than we can ever imagine. Wow...and so to my children I say this...you all know how much I love you...how you have blessed me every day of your lives...how parenting all of you has been my greatest joy..how I have been so proud of what you have accomplished..but you know what...God loves you even more!!!!

2011-11-01T22:19:00.000-04:00

Check out Leslie's blog. I have been bloggy friends with her for over three years!!

http://roomforatleastonemore.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/postcard-special/#more-7186

Sunday Snapshot

2011-10-23T21:48:00.001-04:00

It was a beautiful fall today here in upstate NY, although the colors are not as vivid as usual due to all the rain we have had since summer. Still it was fun to drive up and over the mountains and see the beauty down below!!

Dear Mom and Dad

2011-10-19T16:47:00.000-04:00

Dear Mom and Dad,
There have been many days during the last years that I have missed you both so much. But none as much as yesterday the day of your grandson Paul's wedding . Friday night we sat at the restaurant at the rehearsal dinner and we talked about how it would have been your 55th wedding anniversary.
I woke up yesterday morning....and immediately thought how I wished you were here. Remember Mom, when I used to take you for your radiation treatments and I would bring Paul along. He was less than a year old but he made everyone around him his friend, the doctors, the nurses , the waitresses when we stopped for lunch. He was a people person then and he still is. It was evident yesterday by the amount of people who came to celebrate his joyous day.
Paul stopped by yesterday morning to tell me that he had gone to the cemetery. He wanted to know that he was thinking of you on his special day!! He told me that he knows you would have been proud of what he has accomplished. He wanted you to know how much he loved his soon to be wife.. To tell you the truth , it was me who was so proud of him.
The wedding was beautiful. Tim and David were the best men, Sierra was the flower girl. Beth my sister and Deb sat next to us at the church. Dave my brother played his guitar and sang a beautiful song. The wedding party started coming in. Sara , Tim's girlfriend led the way. Your granddaughter Jamie and our god son Jeremy were also in the party. Jenn was stunningly beautiful as she walked down the aisle. And at the altar waited Paul. I watched his face...saw him smile when he saw how beautiful she was. He looked so happy.
And Mom...as he walked back down the aisle,when the ceremony was over, he stopped to give me a hug . It was an incredible moment and so greatly appreciated by me!I can't begin to tell you how much fun the reception was. All Paul and Jenn's friends, and family dancing the night away. Dad, your brother Perry was there dancing away even though he just turned 85 a few days before! Many people mentioned how much you both would have enjoyed it. We remember how much you liked to dance!! And the food...OH MY!! Simply delicious!!!!!!!!

Mom and Dad...I so wish you were there to see it all. I have to believe you did...somehow you witnessed the absolute joy of the day,... somehow you saw what wonderful men my boys have grown up to be...... somehow you saw the granddaughter you never met, who got to ride in a limo and had the time of her life. Somehow you could feel the love that Paul and Jenn have for each other......and somehow you knew how very much I missed you and wished you were there!! It was a day I will never forget and I so wished I could have shared it with you!

Love you always,

Kathie

Paul and Jenn

Sierra with Mohonk in the background

Sara and Jamie

Love this picture!

My three special sons!

On the way to our room at the end of the night!!!

Wedding bells.......

2011-10-12T22:13:00.004-04:00

So things are getting pretty exciting around here. On Saturday my middle son, Paul, is getting married!!!
It is going to be a beautiful wedding and a great party after!! I can't wait to post pictures. The other two boys are in the wedding and Sierra is the flower girl. I can't wait to see how beautiful Jenn will look walking down the aisle!! And all my guys in tuxes.......WOW!!! What a joyous day it will be!!

Moments to treasure

2011-10-02T21:17:00.001-04:00

A few years ago, before we traveled to China to bring Sierra home, I went to visit my sister for a long weekend. One of the things we did was to go kayaking near her home. I had been in canoes and rowboats but never a kayak. I had so much fun. I loved being so close to the water. I loved how silently the kayaks moved you through the water, so silently that you were able to see creatures that otherwise might have been scared away. I came home and told Scott how much I enjoyed kayaking. We live in an area that has m any water ways so i knew I wanted to get one. Scott surprised me a few months later with my own kayak. And since then, my one requirement for camping, is that the place must have a lake that I can kayak on.
About 5 months after bringing Sierra home. we went camping. She loved climbing in the kayak with me and going for a ride. She is tiny so she could sit right in front of me!

Every time we went camping she came kayaking with me. But as she got bigger it was getting a l ittle tight. She s aid "its OK Mommy" every time I hit her in the head with the paddle. I started researching kayaks for children and found one the seemed perfect. I ordered it from Dicks. It was small, but could hold up to 135 pounds, it didn't tip easily and.....it....came....in....PINK!!!

So over the weekend , we went camping. Sierra got to try out her new kayak. And oh my,....I was not prepared for the strength of the feeling of joy that came over me as I looked to my side and saw my daughter paddling next to me. She did awesome. She had perfect control..... and she loved it!!

I so look forward to many more enjoyable times on the lake!!!! I am so blessed to have this girl in my life!!!!

2011-09-18T21:14:00.000-04:00

Happy Anniversary to the best husband a girl could have!!! I can't imagine my live without him in it. He is an awesome husband and father and works so hard to make sure are family is safe. Thanks Scott for all you do for us. I love you with all my heart!!!!!!

Back in to a routine!

2011-09-15T22:59:00.003-04:00

For the most part I would love to be a SAHM. Or at least a part time worker. But do have to say that now that Sierra is in school, I don't mind working as much. Especially since she is attending the school that I work at. And I do tend to function better with a schedule. So for the most part things are going along pretty smoothly. I have had a run of bad news that has gotten me down a bit. ... the passing of Scott's Dad... many friends ill, many with cancer....a very dear friend may soon be moving out of state....another friend's Mom was killed when a tree branch fell on her head, just yucky stuff that has left me in a bit of a funk. But I'm trying to work myself into a good place. Trying to find out what lies ahead for us. It is no secret that i would love to adopt again. The joy that Sierra has brought to our lives is amazing...I have always wanted a large family...I love being a Mom and I would love for Sierra to have a sibling nearer her own age and I would love to go to China again. So we are thinking and praying and trying to figure it all out.
So exactly one month from today...my son will be getting married to his sweet Jenn. What a day of joyous celebration that will be. The first of the boys to be married. What fun!!!!!

Another thing that has been eating at me , is the behavior of many children in school. I do believe that much of it comes from bad parenting...not all...but much. Many children are not being parented, instead they are the ones calling the shots.Not given the opportunity to problem solve OR being given too many choices about too many things. It is so obvious. Therefore in school they are having a lot of trouble following rules and being good students. I am going to be writing some posts about this. It is VERY scary to me. I told one girl today that i was just trying to help her with a problem (she had started to give me an attitude) and she replied "Oh...I thought you were going to yell at me...I have been getting yelled at my entire life!!" She is in second grade...how sad!! I over heard another parent say to a friend of hers that she had been trying to get her 8 year old daughter to change her shirt for 3 days! excuse me??? who is the grown up?? I think I want to be a teacher of parents!!

On Sunday night we celebrated the Mid Autumn Festival with our friends who have also adopted from China. We had a great time at our house and were able to get this awesome picture!!! I love this family...they were the ones who helped guide us to China adoption. They are an amazing family and we are blessed to have them in our lives!!

First Day of Kindergarten!!

2011-09-06T17:16:00.000-04:00

I remember the day we first met Sierra. She was 3 and pretty tiny, I remember being so glad that her birthday was in January because she wouldn't have to start school until she was over 5 1/2. I remember thinking that day was over 2 years away and I remember thinking.." oh but i know its going to go so fast!" I was right...the day came...today! I hated when the boys started school. I was a SAHM and I loved having them around. I did home day care and had a mess of kids everyday. But every morning I put them on the bus and waited patiently until they came home. Them coming home was my favorite part of the day. But I know something now that I didn't know before. Not all kids get to go to school. Many, many children around the world do not have the privilege of an education. If the truth be told, there is a chance that SIerra would not have attended school if she stayed in China. She might have attended a school in the orphanage but not the school out in town. Actually I recently found out that she had been enrolled in the SWIs Open Arms Program ( designed for infants 0-2) only to be removed when her medical condition became diagnosed. She was then placed in a room with other Special lNeeds kids who were taken care of by older girls from the orphanage. Kids taking care of kids. Their room was closed off to visitors. And these kids didn't go to school. So my take on her first day of school was a little different. She is so bright and is a sponge soaking in every bit of knowledge she can. I love that about her...her enthusiasm to learn. So I rejoiced and thanked God for the chance that she has been given. The opportunity to become ALL that she can become!Oh and the other part of her going to school that is making it so much easier??? Did I mention that she is attending the school that I work in??? That she gets to ride ( the 2/10 of a mile) with me up to school? That on this first day, her Daddy did put her on the bus to ride up the hill...but I got to take her off the bus when she arrived at school?? That her teacher said she can give me hugs whenever she sees me?? It really does not get much better than that!!!!!!!

Sierras 2 older brothers stopped by this morning to wish her a good day. David hadn't left for college yet so I was able to get this photo of all my kiddos!!!

Hurricane video

2011-09-04T13:06:00.001-04:00

Turn off song list, at the right, before watching!!

Although our house was spared damage this video is of other areas in our county...which did not fare as well! Please pray that Katia goes away!

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-31T11:13:00.000-04:00

Its already 3 days post hurricane Irene. Living in upstate NY we don't often have hurricanes at all. Usually we get some rain from hurricanes that hit Florida and travel up the coast, weakening as they come closer. But this time it was different. For days we checked the weather every chance we could. Irene was huge and was coming up the east coast. There was a good chance we would get hit with some part of Irene. I stayed awake until midnight Sat. night. Irene was coming, having made it to Atlantic City New Jersey. It looked like we would be getting heavy rain starting around 2:00am. I fell asleep and woke up at exactly 2:00am. I could hear some rain but with our fans on, I couldn't tell how much. Five minutes later the phone rang. Scott was getting called out to work for a tree down. Hurricane Irene had arrived...in the middle of the night...and I was going to be alone with Sierra. A little while later the fire calls began..wires down..possible smoke in a structure.....water in basements. I got out of bed early in the morning. I had brought Sierra downstairs so she wouldn't be alone upstairs. David had slept at the firehouse so they would be ready to respond. It was very rainy and very windy. We lost power around 7:00am. We do have a generator so we were able to have some lights and some plugs and our food was safe. I had a radio which gave updates every 15 minutes or so. The rain and wind continued all morning. We would look outside at the trees bending and blowing and then I would have to look away. We have some huge trees,trees over one hundred years old. I couldn't imagine one of them falling on our house. Sierra was awesome. She found things to keep her busy. She played with a container of Tanagrams. She made the most incredible figures and designs. We played Chutes and Ladders, she blew up balloons and made our balloon family!! She kept herself busy all day long. I so enjoyed the time with her. At the same time I was worrying about Scott and all my boys. They were out in this mess, putting their lives in danger to help those in need. Our small volunteer fire company had over 45 calls on Sunday. Many were people with flooded basements, dangerously flooded, with water 4 and 5 feet high. Scott was working, he works for the highway dept. They were frantically trying to keep roads open and putting barricades up where roads had disappeared. Trees were snapping and falling all around them..not a reassuring picture in my mind. Luckily I could still contact him via cell phone. Even though I could no longer follow, the path of the hurricane, there was no doubt. Hurricane Irene had hit and it was going to be devastating!
Later in the afternoon the skies cleared and the sun peeked out. But the relentless wind only increased. Many trees snapped and were uprooted as Irene pulled away. Scott came home exhausted and concerned. He is the Deputy Highway Superintendent and he knew too well what they would face in the coming weeks. Three roads washed out, many others damaged, bridges washed away, trees down all over. (We still have roads that are impassable.) Directly around our house we were lucky. No trees fell on our property. But after Scott came home we took a ride. I was shocked. The damage all around was devastating. I could not believe the amount of trees down and the extent of the flooding.
Monday dawned , a beautiful day. Sierra and I went up to the firehouse to take a shower. Their meeting room was full of blow up mattresses and cots... a testimony to all those who spent two nights there, answering the record amount of calls! Roads were still blocked, trees still lying dangerously on wires. Not too far from here entire towns were flooded out. People were stranded in their homes , as the water flowed right through them.
It has been humbling. A reminder of how little control we have . A reminder of how comfortable our lives really are. We lost power for 36 hours. Many others around us are still out. They don't even know if they will be able to start school on Tuesday. David's community college has closed for the remainder of the week.
These are the facts. I have struggled with my emotions. I was scared, very vulnerable. I did not like being alone, but with Scott's job and the fact that he is Asst, Fire chief, the reality is that I will almost always be alone during any natural disaster we may have. Not a comforting feeling. I feel so, for those who lost their homes and for those who lost loved ones. One man , not to far from here, went to help his neighbor and was electrocuted. And I know that even though it was bad here, I am sure it was worse somewhere else.

Local flooding

A driveway washed away..right up the road.

Tree on my brother in laws house.. luckily no damage!

Local town park where I run the smmer camp

Usually you have to walk down a steep hill to get to the water. This summer we had very little water to swim in...not the case now!!

Monday.. a beautiful day!

Sierra's tanagram creations...Love the crab!!!!She didn't look at anything to do these!

One of many snapped poles!!

Part of our balloon family!

Although Sierra played happily , somewhat oblivious to what was happening around us, she did say the other day that "Hurricane Irene was bad" Yes it was. I wouldn't want to wish this devastation on anyone else ..but it would not hurt my feelings if it was another 80 years before NY has another direct hit from a hurricane!! As Scott always says when he puts Sierra to bed "Goodnight Irene!!!"

Saying goodbye to Pop Pop

2011-08-19T21:10:00.000-04:00

This has been a hard week. Sunday, Scott and I sat by his Dad's bed while he spent his last minutes on earth. We rejoiced at the moment when his pain and suffering ended but our hearts were broken at the knowledge that his days here with us had ended. Explaining to Sierra that her Pop was gone prompted many, many questions as she tried to comprehend it all. My older sons especially David also mourned the man they have come to love as their grandfather. When I married Scott, his family open their hearts and their arms to my children. His death has left a huge void in our family. His kind heart and generous spirit and his love of us all will be missed. His funeral today was a great celebration of the life he led. Many people from all walks of life came to bid farewell to this man who had somehow touched their lives. Scott and his 2 brothers worked hard to make the day extra special. The fire company ,where so many of our family, including Pop Pop , were members, gave him a fireman's send off complete with a 2 fire truck escort. And as we passed by the firehouse Dad's fire gear sat in a chair outside the door. The firemen's pagers went off with the message that fireman Bob H had answered his final call and then the fire whistle blew. It was a very emotional moment. Sierra, I think today, finally understood the implications of it all and the tears came. Seeing her big brothers and her Dad visibly upset finally allowed her to shed the tears she had been fighting. And the moment I will most remember was at the cemetary when the pall bearers, all 8 of them,( Scott, his 2 brothers, my 3 sons and our 2 young nephews,) so lovingly carried him to his final resting place.
I am glad he is not suffering. I am glad he is no longer in pain. I rejoice that he is safe in the arms of Jesus. But oh how I will miss his smile , his twinkling eyes, and the love he showered on all of us!!

Sierra and Pop Pop on Super Bowl Sunday 2011

Pop Pop as an angel drawn the day Pop Pop died

Pop Pop

2011-08-07T21:59:00.000-04:00

Please keep my father in law and our family in your prayers. My father in law has been fighting his battle against cancer for some time now,. The cancer had spread to his brain in May and all treatment were stopped in June. Hospice is with him and we don't know how much longer he has. We are all heartbroken with the realization that his time and our time with him on earth is soon coming to an end. Sierra loves her Pop Pop as do my boys and his passing will be difficult. But it also has been difficult watching this very active man slowly deteriorate.

New Bed!!

2011-07-28T17:09:00.000-04:00

When Sierra came home at age 3 she continued sleeping in a crib,. She was tiny and felt the most secure there. When she turned 4 moved her to a toddler bed. Recently I ordered her first big girl bed. It is a day bed with a pull out trundle for future friend sleepovers. We finally got it up and Sierra and I went shopping for a new comforter and sheets. It is so cozy and colorful and the perfect place to curl up with a book. Even though Sierra does not like change she told me she loves her new bed!!!

Passing things on!

2011-07-19T15:17:00.003-04:00

I have always loved talking about my childhood to my kids. I don't mean the "when I was a little girl I walked 5 miles to school so don't complain lecture ( and no.... I didn't) but really telling them about the wonderful memories I have stored in me. Not too long ago, Sierra and I got talking about climbing trees. I told her that we lived in a developement ( until I was 12) and didn't have alot of trees. But I did have a favorite oak tree in our front yard that was perfect for climbing. I told her how I used to grab a book ( I was and still am a huge bookworm) and go outside into the front yard, climb the tree and read my book. Sierra said she thought that was neat. A few weeks later Sierra went into her room and came down with some books. She told me she was going outside to read. A few minutes passed by and I decided to see where she was. Imagine the joy in my heart when I discovered this!!!

And I looked at her and immediately thought of my Dad...You see... it was my Dad who used to tell me how HE used to sit in a tree and read. And that is how your family lives on in your children long after they are gone. So Dad, I miss you every day and.... I look at my beautiful little girl, who you never met....who was not born from me, but yet......I so see you in her!!!

Wow...catch up again!!

2011-07-13T15:50:00.003-04:00

I really want to get back to writing regularly...really I do.. But life seems to be getting in the way. So many things going on.
My son Paul and his fiance Jenn are busy making plans for their upcoming wedding. It is fun to watch them getting excited for the big event. October weddings in my book...are the best. They are getting married on October 15th...one day after my parents would have celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. I hate that they won't be here but I know they will be watching with heavenly eyes. Jenn, my niece, Sierra and I went dress shopping a few weeks back. We were able to find a dress for Sierra and one for me too!! It was fun to spend the day with the girls and eating out at the Cheese Factory added to the pleasure!!

Looking at her self in one of the dresses she tried on!!

Jenn's bridal shower was held on June 25th. Unfortunately it was during our pre planned camping vacation. So Scott and Sierra left for vacation on Friday and I attended the shower on Sat. and then headed up to the lake.The shower was a blast.and Jenn was sparkling!!!

Our camping vacation was well needed. Sierra fished up a storm, and swam in both the pool and the lake. David and his girlfriend came up a day earlier than expected and we had a fabulous time with them!!

some more vacation pictures are here

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.250958644914314.73910.100000005427805&l=997a969afb

Now for the not so fun things. Scott's Dad has been battling a recurrence of cancer for 2 years. In May we found out that his cancer had spread to his brain. Not the news we were hoping for. It has been a roller coaster ride the last few months. He had some radiation and was supposed to start chemo,but there have been too many complications and set backs. The doctors now feel that chemo would do more harm than good. He is now at home. We have someone that stays with him 24 hours a day. He lives wit in one mile of both us and Scott's brother. We are spending as much time with him as possible. I admire his bravery through this ordeal. It can not be easy for him to face what he is facing. It is not easy for us either. Please keep him in your prayers.

AND a while back I posted about a good friend who is battling ovarian cancer. The good news is that she is doing very well!! Thank you for your prayers.
About 2 months ago another very close friend (my oldest son's godmother) was also diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I could not believe it! I received the phone call from her in person and was speechless. She has had surgery, started chemo and has had some setbacks. She is discouraged and worried. Please keep her in your prayers as well as a few other friends who are also battling cancer. It is all so scary, to say the least!!
I hope all is well with my bloggy friends. I love reading the blogs of families who have adopted or who are in the process of adopting. So if you stop by, leave a comment!! I will try to keep you all updated. I will update this post with photos later on today. I am at the library while Sierra is at story hour and I thought I would take advantage of uninterrupted computer time!!

Happy Birthday America!!!

2011-07-04T20:20:00.001-04:00

Picture taken on the deck of the John J Harvey fireboat!

Her last hope!!!

2011-06-18T10:11:00.001-04:00

http://bergeybunch.blogspot.com/2011_06_01_archive.html

Even though I would love to adopt again...I had never considered an older child....until I saw this sweet girls face. Because she is aging out( in China you must be adopted by age 14) only a family who has their paper work ready can file to adopt her. So I am spreading the word to my bloggy friends...Click on this post and read about this beautiful girl who so wants a family. Spread the word!
UPDATE!!! The family who was advocating for this girl has decided to adopt her!!! Please pray that they will be able to get everything done in time!!!

Prom Night

2011-06-04T14:46:00.003-04:00

David's girlfriend, Amanda is a senior . Last night was Prom. Love how these pics came out and I thought I would share!!

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.229340360409476.69716.100000005427805&l=6e42d0c372

Update

2011-06-02T07:32:00.002-04:00

Scott's Dad is doing much better right now. It is nothing short of miraculous!! Praise God and thanks to all who are remembering us in their prayers!!!

Kind of a lousy day.

2011-05-27T13:54:00.000-04:00

You know the kind of day, when things are overwhelming and you just pray that everything works out OK. Today is like that. And some things are woking out OK and others aren't.
    Two years ago my father inlaw was diagnosed with a reoccurance of the colon cancre he had" beaten" 7 years before. He's been on chemo and had been doing fairly well. Three weeks ago he was diagnosed with a tumor on his brain stem. Not good news. After a week in the hospital he came home and was doing fairly well...until Wed. He was supposed to have surgery this morning to relieve some pressure on his brain...but they decide at the last minute not to proceed. The prognosis is not good and we are all very sad.
   And today a close, dear, long time friend underwent surgery for ovarian cancer. She is the 2nd friend in the last 5 months that has been diagonosed with this very scary cancer. Her surgery this morning went well and the doctors are optimistic about its success. Buts its all so overwhelming and so emotionally draining. I leave it all in God's hands because I have no control over any of it!!

Not a Coca Cola commercial!!

2011-05-13T21:48:00.001-04:00

Sierra is learning this song in preschool for her graduation. It really is a beautiful song!

( just put my playlist on pause!)

Easter Pics!!

2011-04-30T19:35:00.001-04:00

The weekend and following week have gone by so fast but I wanted to post some pics of Easter. Sierra's dress came in a hand me down bag about 2 weeks before Easter. Although I had one already picked out this one was even better. I bought the head band and gloves and shoes at Tarrget!! I did forget to get a picture of her and her brothers that day. BUMMER!!!

Suerra was so excited that the real Easter Bunny

stopped by her house for a quick visit Sat. night!

We've had some rain so the boots were a must for the easter egg hunt!

2011-04-24T20:10:00.000-04:00

Crucified

Laid behind a stone

You lived to die

Rejected and alone

Like a rose

Trampled on the ground

You took the fall

And thought of me

Above all
From "Above All "Written by Paul Baloche and Lenny LeBlanc

Love this song~~~

Also cried in church today when one of the Hymn selections was "Becasue He Lives"
This Hymn was also a selection 2 years ago when we sat in a church in China with our new daughter on our lap. They sang it in English!! A moment one never forgets

Happy Easter to all and remember....HE LIVES!!!!!

Onion skin egg dying!!

2011-04-23T21:38:00.001-04:00

I remember doing this with my grandmother. I don't remember if she wrapped them in onion skins or just boiled down the skins to make a dye. Anyway Sierra and I did it this way and they turned out great!!

Wrapping the skins around the egg

Wrapping them in cheese cloth

Heating up in the pot

Unpeeling them

Beautiuful marbelized color

Finished!

This was so much fun. Sierra did great and she placed most of the skins on the eggs herself. We had much fun unwrapping them. Each one was didfferent! I can't wait to do it again.

Congratulations Dave!!

2011-04-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

I am so proud of my son David. Last night I attended his graduation from his Firefighter 1 Course. In NY state to be a credited volunteer firefighter, you must take this course. David joined the c company as a probie when he was 16. when he turned 18 he started driving the trucks. He has trained most Wednesdays and has been allowed to actually go inside a building on fire (Yikes) . But now he is a certified interior fighter fighter. The course was 86 hours. It started in November and was supposed to be finished in Feb,,,but all the bad winter weather kept pushing it back. So almost 6 months after he started he is finished. He looked so sharp in his uniform as did his brother Paul who is the new chief of our fire company. Scott(my husband, David's stepdad) was there also as Asst, Chief...but not in uniform as we had just gotten done coaching Sierra's TBall team. Anyway we are so lucky to have thse men AND women who give up their time so selfishly. On Sunday they responded to a call that made my blood run cold.. It was a gas explosion in a single apartment in an apartment building. Luckily the renters were away but the firemen didn't know that. They entered the apapartment to make sure no one was injured. They needed to turn off the electric and gas and they put themselves in harms way to protect the other families. Believe me i thank God every time they return safely. Anyway here are some pics~~~
Paul in the middle

David receiving his certificate

A proud brother looking on

Stone Ridge Fire Company's newest(with Scott hiding in the backgroud)

Random cuteness eating her crackers on the back of the fire truck!!

Meeting....again!

2011-04-01T22:37:00.002-04:00

Way back in the summer of 2008, while we were so patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for our LOA I "met" some other women on an adoption forum that were waiting patiently also! One by one they received their LOA while we still waited. I became friendly with a woman who was referred a beautiful little girl, around the same time we accepted Sierra's referral. She too had not yet received her LOA so we supported each other as we waited. She received her LOA around the same time we did and we soon realized we would be traveling to China at the same time. We promised each other we would try to hook up but e were with different agencies, there would be only one week that we would both be in Guangzhou, and we were staying in different hotels. Ironically we emailed each other, tried to set up times to meet, only to realize that our schedules were conflicting. by the last few days I was disappointingly accepting the fact that we would not see each other. The day before we left we, with about 50 other families , were at the US consulate for our swearing in ceremony. The women mentioned the names of 3 children who were celebrating birthdays and Sierra was one of them. The women turned to me and asked me how we pronounced our last name. A few seconds later a woman came up to me and said "Hi Kathie, its me Charissa!!" On the last day we finally got to meet and I got to see her beautiful daughter. I was so happy that I didn't have to come home with out meeting her. You see, adoptive families live all over the US and many times you do not see them again.
So fast forward 2 years. I still visit with people on the forum and I still chat with Charissa from time to time. A few months ago I noticed she had posted to someone that she lived about 2 1/2 hours North of New York City! ........ What??? I realized that I had never asked her where he lived and she didn't ask me. I emailed her right away and said" but I live 2 hours North of NYC...where the heck do you live? I was thrilled to find out that she lives a little over 2 hours from me. And that is doable. If you meet half way its only a little over an hour. So before I went back to work we set up 2 different times to meet.....both times we had snow storms. Recently we set up another day to meet and this time it worked out. You see...we had to do it soon because Charissa and her husband hope to travel soon to meet their TWO sons they are bringing home!! Read about the incredible story here! http://home.comcast.net/~maguire14/

Anyway we had an incredible few hours together. The girls got along great and by the time we had to leave they didn't want to go. Its amazing when I think of how I first met this family in a crowded consulate room half way around the world, and now we hope to get together! At least twice a year. Here are some pictures from that day......

We met at a museum. The girls played in the Discovery Center and then we walked around a little. The final treat was a carousel on the top floor.

Final hug before we all had to say goodbye. I am already looking forward to the next time we meet!!!

So little time

2011-03-12T20:51:00.000-05:00

So I have been back to work about a month. It has gone fast as we have had snow days and says off etc. I have so little free time and my blogging and computer time is really limited. I miss blogging.
Sierra is doing fairly well with being at preschool all day. She doesn't always love getting up but once we are on our way to school she seems happy to be going. She goes to a before school program which is in the gym most mornings.
I will start to try to write more. I would like to do a post each week on some parenting tips. I have been a parent for 27 years now and I think I have acquired some good information I would like to share!!
Anyway I will start that next week.

I am closing with some fun photos!

The many faces of Sierra

This is my favorite. She gets great joy out of the fact that she and her Daddy can do this ...but not me!!!

Love, love to hear and see her laugh!

Such an angelic look!!!

Adjusting...

2011-02-16T21:07:00.000-05:00

So I have been back to work now for abuot 10 days. The first week back we had 2 snow days and a 2 hour delay so I was able to ease back in. Oh yeah On the first FULL day back I got a call from Sierra's preschool that I had to come and get her. Seems she had a reaction to something and broke out in hives. I picked her up and dropped her off with Dad and he took her to the doctors while I went back to work.
It is very hard for me.
I want to be home doing fun stuff with Sierra. I don't want to leave her 8 hours a day. I want to feel her hadn in mine. I want to skip down the sidewalk. I want to stop at our favorite bagel place and visit with whoever stops in ( they close at 3:00:) I don't want to leave her at her school all day. So my mind isn't where it should be. Add to that ....our school district is in dire straits and have to cut 5 million dollars from the budget. And although they are "No proposed administrative cuts at theis time" there are MANY other drastic cuts. At least 22 Teaching Assistants will be eliminated.. If I do keep my job I will probably be moved to another school. They may close an elementary school so I don't even know where Sierra will be. Although we thought she would be attending kindergarten in the school that I work in...that is probably not going to happen. There is alot of stress at work. People are afraid. I am an employee, a taxpayer and a parent. Each decision the district makes effects me in different ways. For me , there is no right answer.

Sierra ,I thought, was doing OK. The school has a before and after school program ( school runs from 9-2). She seems happy and is not cranky in the evening. But...today I received a note from her teacher. Sierra is acting out to get attention. Small things like banging on the table...even when asked to stop. And she smirked when told to go to time out. Not what I needed to hear. It is not OK but it is what I was afraid of..
We talked and I hope tomorrow will be a better day for her. I can't wait until Friday. I so love the weekends!!!!

My Leave is Up!!

2011-02-02T21:08:00.000-05:00

I know I have been blessed. I know that not everyone can take a 2 year leave and have their job back. I know that in September Sierra will start kindergarten, hopefully in the same school that I work. I know that Scott has so lovingly taken on his shoulders the finacial burden of the last 2 years. I know Sierra will be fine at her preschool, after all my middle son Paul started kindergarten when he was not yet 5. I know it all ......but oh I hate to have to go back to work tomorrow as a teaching assistant and spend a good chunk of the day away from her.. My heart truly aches. I was supposed to go back Monday but I had to attend Jeff's Celebration of Life. And then Tues. and today were snow days...so tomorrow it is. I look forward to seeing some of my colleagues and most of the kids. Its hard to believe that the kids that were in kindergarten when I left , are now in second grade!! And I don't know hardly any of the kindergarteners and first graders. So it will be fun getting to know them...and the class that I will be working in. So keep me in your thoughts tomorrow!! I will need the support!

Change of plans

2011-01-30T19:25:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I was supposed to start back to work after my two year leave. I haven't written about it becasue frankly I don't even like thinking about it. But I won't be going back until Tuesday. Last Wed a friend (and Life Partner of my son's godmothe) died suddenly from bacterial menengitis. He had just turned 50 and was sick less than 24 hours. Tomorrow is his Celebartion of Life. Please remember our friend Tammy in your prayers. She and Jeff have been together 27 years and have lived life in a way we all should. But she is sad about facing life without her partner in it. They have no childdren altough she has been surrounded by a sea of friends.

5 years old today!

2011-01-23T22:10:00.000-05:00

Two years ago a little girl woke up in a hotel in China. She was leaving China that day for her new home in America. She was with her Mommy and her Daddy and her brother, David, but she had only met them 11 days before. It was January 23rd and it was her 3rd birthday. Many hours and plane miles later she arrived at her new house, and because of the time change, it was still her birthday. Family members she had never met before stood around a dining room table and sang Happy Birthday to her in a language she did not understand. When given a wrapped present she did not know what to do with it. But she went to bed that night surrounded by a family who already felt great love for this child.
Today, 2 years later, the same little girl and the same family members gathered around the same dining room table and sang happy birthday . She knew the words to the song now and sang along with them...and when it was time to open her presents, she knew what to do. Much has changed for this little girl. Even more has changed for her family.  And every year on January 23rd we will gather around and celebrate Sierra's birthday and remember the night when a very brave three year old walked into our front door and made herself home in our hearts. Happy 5th Birthday Sierra. We love you so much!!

                                              Sierra's first night home and her 3rd birthday!

Sierra turning 4!

Now she is 5!!!

Forever Family Day ... 2 years!

2011-01-12T12:38:00.003-05:00

Time is such a relative concept. On one hand I can't believe how fast the 2 years have flown by. On the other hand it seems like Sierra has been part of our life forever. It is hard to imagine what our lives were like before that fateful day in China when a beautiful almost 3 year old walked into our lives. To say she has been a blessing is an understatement. Words can not express the joy that she has brought to our lives. And oh how she has changed the way I look at life. People often comment on how much she has learned in such a short amount of time but truly it is me who has learned the most.
Some of the things I have been educated on!

1. You can certainy, absolutely,not even a thought about it, love your adopted child as much as the chilren you gave birth to!! (For those of you wondering and maybe thinking....)
2. 50 is not too old to become a parent to a 3 year old. Yes, I am a bit more tired at the end of the day, but oh what a wonderful, accomplished tired it is!!
3. Staying home with your child as long as you can is the best thing for your child. ( I already knew that, but the time I got to spend home with Sierra has been a bit more of a financial sacrifice then when I was home with the boys. Still, I wouldn't have traded it for anything!!)
4. Your family will love and accept your daughter without a thought. To my familiy and to Scott's...you ROCK!!!
5. Love can transform!!!
6. Gentle words, not harsh, loud ones, are heard much more clearly!
7. Short, shaved hair WILL eventually grow into long beautiful hair!!!
8. Although we may not think of orpanange life as a great life, your daughter will tell you that the kids were her family and she misses them.
9. You have to be patient! (Sierra's words on many occasions. And ,yes, some of the time I was thinking I was exhibiting huge amounts of patience...but you can always be a little more. I hope she teaches this lesson, in a polite way, to her teachers once she starts school!!)
10. Big, tough boys( OK so they are really men!) can turn into big mushes when a cute little sister enters their lives!
11. Laughter IS always the best medicine.
12. One learns by asking questions...many,.... many, .....MANY, questions!
13. Girls are born with a fashion sense!! Just the other day Sierra asked me if I had any dresses. When I asked why she replied "Becasue I think it would be nice if you wore a dress to my gymnastics today. You should look nice." No, I didn't put on a dress, but I did change out of my yucky jeans and put on a nicer pair...with a nicer shirt!
14. GOD is soooo good!!!
So on this 2 year anniversary, as the snow continues to fall, I am again reminded of the many blessings that have been bestowed on me. I will never forget our journey to China.... the places we saw , the people we met and the friends we made. And I will thank God every day for giving me the opportunity to be "Mom" to this very special little girl who I am honored to call my daughter!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

January 12th, 2009

January, 2011

Memories of two years ago!!

2011-01-10T19:39:00.001-05:00

Remember what its like when you are pregnant. And you know and feel that baby growing inside you and you just can't wait to meet him/her. And the time drags on and after 9 months you wonder if today is going to be the day. Well for over 9 months in 2008 I had a child growing in my heart. I knew her name, I new what she looked like...I called her my daughter and I longed to meet her, to touch her, to hear her voice and as I always tell Sierra." I just wanted to know what your tiny hand would feel like when it was tucked tightly into mine. When we left on January 8th 2008 we knew the time was near. We knew that on January 12th , the waiting and wondering would end and a new journey would begin. There were 14 other families with us...some had been matched with thier children only a short time before but had been logged in and waiting for them for years. Others had been matched months earlier and were only now traveling for their children. We arrived on a Friday night and spent Saturday sightseeing. We went t Tianeman Square , The Forbidden City, The Olympic Park and finally, the Great Wall of China. I was overwhelmed that day, with what I was seeing. Years before I never would have believed that some day I would be in China. But we were there and were able to share it with the amazing families that traveled with us. And today as we posted our thoughts and feelings on Facebook, I realizeg how storng the bond between us is. Spread out all over the US we may or may not see everyone again. But we have shared a exoerience that will keep us connected forever...and every year during this week, we will think about that amazing time and want to reach out and share with those who understand!!

read my feelings on that day here:
http://forsomewhereinchina.blogspot.com/2009/01/busy-day-in-beijing.html

New Music!!

2011-01-09T14:47:00.001-05:00

I hope you enjoy some of my favorites. I love many different kinds of music....it always makes me feel better!!

2011-01-07T21:33:00.001-05:00

A snowy day....

and a walk into town

to our favorite bagel place

for a cup of hot chocolate

and goodbye hugs to a friend leaving for college

walked back home

where another friend was waiting

found a patch of ice

and played for an hour (while Mommy shoveled)

back inside with red, rosy cheeks and much laughter

a perfect snowy day!!!

So far behind!!

2011-01-02T19:48:00.002-05:00

I have been so poor at updating my blog lately. I hope I still have some readers left!! I still have some great Disney pics and stories I want to share but I figure I will catch up from the holidays. It was a wonderful Christmas, simple with tons of time with family. Its the way I would like it to be. Sierra was a bit overwhelmed with the attention and was not her usual cheerful self. It only proves my point...simple is better. Sierra had a week off from preschool and we had fun spending it together. I have to return to my full time job on Jan. 31(after a 2 year leave) so I we are trying to have as much fun as possible. I really can't imagine what it is going to be like but summer vacation is not too far away. I have NEVER had to work before my kids were in school but I have been blessed to have these 2 years home with her.( I should clarify that when my boys were little I did home child care for 14 years...so I did work but I got to stay home!!!) The preschool she attends has an all day class plus before and after care and after all.....both Scott and I are done with work at 3:30!!! She likes going for 3 hours a day for now but the change to all day will be tough for her too. But.....
So we have some fun things planned. In 2 weeks we will be traveling about an hour and 15 minutes to meet a family we met briefly in China. We have been cyber friends for a while and just realized that we live about 2-21/2 hours away so we are planning a meeting soon.. Can't wait!!
We hope to visit a nearby Children's Museum with another friend too!
I am also going to re organize my house so that while I am working things will be easier to keep neat. I really need a dumpster to get rid of so much stuff we don't need. But we are planning a yard sale in the spring and much stuff will be there!! Wish me luck on this!!
I am still working at the farm 3 mornings a week and will miss it when I leave. It is fun to work doing physical labor and I won't have as much of that in the school.

Here are some shots of the past week or so. We have had very cold weather, snow, and unseasonably warm weather...all in the same week!! I got some cross country skiing in...so I was happy. Hopefully there is more snow coming this weekend!!

My buried car!!

A winter wonderland!

Sierra's brother Paul has a snow mobile and came over to give Sierra a ride. Again we are so lucky to have over a hundred acres behind our house perfect for snowmobiling and cross country skiing!

Ready!!!

Set!!!

Go!!! And look who is driving all by herself!!

Sierra drew this picture of me the other day. I thought it was pretty good!! I loved the detail in the eyes!!

So I wish everyone a Happy,Healthy and safe New Year!! Please continue praying for my friend. She will need our prayers and support in the coming months!! It is a reminder to all of us that we can not take good health for granted. No one is immune from serious illness.

Christmas and miracles!

2010-12-28T14:02:00.000-05:00

As I sat in church on Christmas Eve listening to our Pastor talk about miracles in our lives, I immediately thought about the birth of my 3 boys. There is nothing like becoming pregnant and giving birth that shows a real miracle. I mean really...everything that must come together in order for this perfect little baby to be born. It is truly nothing short of a miracle. And it blew me away.... every.....single...time!!! And then I turned in my seat and saw this

and I knew I was looking at another of God's miracles. The actual miracle of her birth was experienced by her other mother.....her China Mommy. But the circumstances in which she became a part of our family is a miracle none the less!! I remember the beginning of our adoption story...the part where I had to convince Scott that it is something we should do. And then we met sweet Grace, who quickly transformed Scott's heart and we started the paperwork. And who would ever have thought that we could tackle the mountains of paperwork , and doctor visits, and fingerprint appointments and police clearances and time restraints. But we did...and it was a miracle! And then that call on May 19th 2008, when our adoption advocate said Kathie I think we have a little girl that would be perfect for you. And that little girl turned out to be the most perfect fit for our family. Coincidence??? no... a miracle! And don't forget the miracle of Scott, who had an intense fear of flying...who because of that fear had NEVER flown before, who got on that plane and flew non stop for 13 hours so that he could meet and bring his daughter home!!

And so this Christmas has reminded me of all that God can accomplish. I thought a lot about my children the last few days, and the miracles that brought them to me. I am blessed beyond belief that they are in my life and that I have been entrusted with their care. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!

Prayer Request

2010-12-20T15:04:00.000-05:00

I have a prayer request. I have a dear friend who was just diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She has a huge support system of family and friends but I know she would appreciate all your prayers too! Thank you!

Osbourne Family Christmas-Disney cont.

2010-12-15T19:50:00.001-05:00

The first night in Disney we went back to Hollywood Studios where we had been earlier in the day. Imagine my shock at the transformation. Although I knew the streets would be lit for Christmas I had no idea the beauty that was waiting for us!

Music was playing and the lights were dancing to the rhythm. So was Sierra!!

You have to see it to believe it!

Disney!

2010-12-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

We returned from Disney late Friday night ( really early Saturday morning ). I have wanted to post more but I am just so overwhelmed with all we experienced/ It was my second trip to Disney and Sierra and Scott's first. It is an amazing place and one leaves there with a profound respect for all those involved behind the scenes. Magic, dreams, wonder, laughter,joy, beauty, fun,colorful.are all words that come to mind when trying to describe the feeling of Disney. And to watch your child as she sees for the first time the castle or shakes hands with Mickey or kisses the cheek of one of her favorite princesses,its as the saying goes "priceless" Disney does it right. They make you and your children feel special. They work hard to make their park the best, and it shows. The hardest part is deciding what to do on any given day. There is sooo much to choose from.

Tonight I will share with you some pics of our dinner with the princesses. Scott's brother and his wife had arranged for the 3 of us to have dinner with the princesses at a restaurant in "Norway". Sierra was dressed in her favorite princess dress and tiara and her seh excitedly asked me to put her hair in a bun. She wasn't thrilled about the leggings or the sneakers but I am somewhat practical too. There is nowhere to go in Disney without having to walk and it was COLD that day. From the moment we entered the restaurant to the moment we left..our girl was in awe!! What a memory for her to treasure forever. And the last princess to make an apeearance???? Her favorite...Ariel!!

I love how she has an itch and is scratching just as I take the picture! I have another too!

Daddy and Cinderella!

Dadddy's favorite princess

Sierra made the waitresses day when she aked if she could have a picture of her too. She was a student from Norway!

Mmmmm.....dessert!

A night filled with joy and wonder...more magic to follow soon!

We Are Back!!

2010-12-12T19:18:00.000-05:00

What a trip. No one does it better than Disney. Here are a few pics with more coming over the next few days!!

The long awaited first glimpse of the castle

Sierra spotting it for the first time, walking with her Aunt Carol and Uncle Steve!

Note the winter coat and hood!!

More to come in the days ahead!!

Going Away

2010-12-04T17:37:00.001-05:00

I will not be posting for a little while. We are leaving early in the morning to go visit some friends!!!

See you all when we get back!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T20:33:00.009-05:00

This is a day that I so miss those not with us, my parents, my grandparents, Scott's Mom,..... but I can not help but me thankful for all the blessings that have been bestowed on me. The love of God our Father, who is there through it all: my husband, who is my friend and confidant: my 3 older sons who are maturing into men that I am sooo proud of:, the girls in their lives, who have added more happiness into our lives; my sweet Sierra who has filled my days with the most unimaginable joy; my brother and sister, who are the 2 people I can count on for ANYTHING; Scotts family who has become so much more than "in-laws";friends who really know the meaning of friendship; an employer who has let me take a 2 year leave of absence and has given me my old job back(come January); health insurance which right now is still good with very little cost to us; continued good health for Sierra; a roof over our heads; enough food to eat; a free preschool program for Sierra; and a country where men and women are willing to risk their lives, to save it all for us!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all and I hope your lives are filled with abundant joy!

Sierra's Baptism and a Celebration of an Engagement

2010-11-16T20:34:00.001-05:00

Sunday wa a very emotonal day for me. We had Sierra baptized at our church Since she was older then the infants my other children were when they were baptized, I really wanted her to understand what it was aboutm hence why we didn't so it sooner. She was excited, especiallly to have all her brothers and Pop Pop and her Aunt and Uncle and cousin, and other friends who came to witness this special event. The moment where I stood and promised to raise this child as a believer in Christ and all He stands for , was a special moment indeed. 4 other children were baptized and our Pastor had tears in his eyes as he laid his hands on eavh child's head. He has always said baptisms were his most favorite.. Sierra looked beautiful and even sang a duet with the pastors wife. Sierra has always said she wanted to sing with her and we thought Sunday would be a good time. She was nervous but stood up in front of the entire church and sang Jesus Loves Me. It brought tears to many eyes, including my own. It is not lost on me that if she had stayed in China she may never have learned about Jesus at all!

In the afternoon we attended an engagement party held in honor of my son Paul and his fiance Jenn. Again it was a wonderful time. A day spent with so much family is always top notch in my book. They radiated happiness and we are so excited for them. The wedding will be next October..a fall wedding...my favorite!!

Here are some pics

Pastor Paul

Our friends the Kelly's who are Sierra's godparents

My favorite 'from the back" photo

Paul and Jenn

All the boys and girls!

Thank you!!

2010-11-11T18:47:00.001-05:00

We went to Lowes today and they had these stickers at every checkout. Nothing on the back, no advertisments, just a simple thank you. And so I send .....to all my bloggy friends who have sons, daughters, husbands, wifes,brothers and sisters serving and defending us.....my heartfelt and sincere THANK YOU!!!!

Black and White with color!!

2010-11-08T15:16:00.000-05:00

I have been playing with a new program that I downloaded free. Its Paint.Net. I have always loved this kind of picture and did not know how to do it. Paint.net uses layering to create this effect. So much fun!!!
Still learnign how to use the magic wand effectively but am having a great time learning!!

Leaf Waxing

2010-11-04T12:27:00.000-04:00

I was reading through some of my favorite blogs and came across this neat idea. http://4ourkiddos.blogspot.com/2010/11/school-candy-fun-project.html So today I stopped at the hardware store and bought some wax. When we got home Sierra and I went leaf picking. We chose our favorites and brought them home. we melted the wax dipped the leaves in and laid them on wax paper to dry. I tied them on thread and hung them from 2 windows!! I can't wait to do this agian next year when the colors are at their peak. It was great fun and Sierra loved dipping the leaves! Special thanks to David who ran and got me more wax paper !!!

Still some beautiful color!

Taking a walk to look for leaves

Finding and choosing

Melting the wax

Carefully dipping

Leaves waiting to be dipped

Drying

Hanging in the window for all to see!

This was a great activity...can't wait to do it again earlier next year!!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-11-01T15:48:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a great Halloweeen!! This day has a new meaning for our family. 2 years ago after months of waiting, we finally received, on Halloween the final approval for us to go and get Sierra. So now it ranks up there as one of my favorite holidays. On Friday Sierra had her preschool celebration. It was awesome!! On Saturday she attended a Halloween Party that her Mimi puts on. And Sunday she went trick or treating and then to Jenn's parents hourse who really do up Halloween!! Of course there is now way too much candy at our house and no one wanted to get up this morning, but we had a blast!!

My favorite Halloween Cat!!

From Jenn's parents' yard

From one of the haunted rooms at pre school

Happy 25th Birthday Paul!!

2010-10-30T17:25:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday to my middle son Paul!! I can't believe it was 25 years ago that you so quickly came into my life!! My other 2 labors were long , painful and drawn out. Not Paul's...a mere hour after arriving at the hospital he was here!! He was a baby and a child that everyone loved; happy, smiley, easy going, tiny!! One of his teachers told me once that if she had a daughter she would want her to marry someone like Paul!! Quite a compliment and it sure made this Mama proud!! Whenever I hear people make comments about boys always being there for their Moms, I think of Paul. He is probably my biggest protector and although our similarities in personality can sometimes cause flare ups, we always can talk things out. I am so excited that in one year's time he will be marrying Jenn. He will be a great Dad as he is an awesome big brother to Sierra. He has made me proud in so many ways! I love you Paul!

Never Give Up!!!

2010-10-27T21:06:00.000-04:00

One of the things that has amazed me with Sierra is her determination to master a skill that I (or others)think may be too difficult for her. She learned to tie her shoes at just 4 years of age, she mastered lanyern making at summer camp( which many 5th graders could not do), she cracks eggs for me better than I do, and today she finally was able to keep the hula hoop spinning around her. She had been trying, stopped for awhile and then found her hula hoop today and started over. I asked her how she finally did it and she said" Becasue I kept trying and I never gave up!" Mmmmm ...words to live by spoken by a 4 and a half year old!! I'll let the video speak for itself. An added story...today she found a package of balloons. She wanted David to blow one up and she wanted to blow one up. After David blew his up he turned to me and said "Mom, she'll never be able to do it" My answer?? "Don't ever tell your sister she won't be able to so something.!! As of last count she has blown up 10 balloons. The first one took her almost an hour!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2010-10-27T21:04:00.002-04:00

A Change of Plans!

2010-10-21T22:50:00.002-04:00

Today I had all intentions of picking up Sierra at preschool when I was done at work and then come home and do some cleaning in my house. It desparately needs it. But it is fall and what so often happens to me during this season...I got side tracked. Sierra had taken a little nap at school and she was ready for an adventure. So I said the heck with the cleaning and we went on a walk. I am so blessed to be surrounded by some of the moxt beautiful countryside ever. We don't have to get in a car and go...we just walk out the door and and we are there!!! So instead of cleaning this is what we did:

Explored the softness of an opened milkweed pod

wondered what animal lived in this hole

rested,

found a hidden pond,

walked with a friend,

cam across some corn flowers that survived the frost,

and even after we returned to our own yard the beauty continued

the view in our backyard

So after about 2 hours of being outside Sierra and I went in. Shortly thereafter my son Paul called to tell us to look out our kitchen window. Sierra and I ran outside! It had started to sprinkle and the sun was still shining and we were treated to a double rainbow!!

The sky changed and we ran ito our neighbors yard and got this!!

So...the house is still messy, the clothes still piled up,but this afternoon, shared with my girl, will be forever imprinted in my heart and mind!!!

Sunday Snapshot!

2010-10-18T09:37:00.001-04:00

My father came from a rather large family. He was the 2nd to youngest of eleven brothers and sisters. Unfourtunately my Dad died at the fairly young age of 64. I miss him terribly. But I have been lucky enough to have lived next door to his brother, my uncle , for 20 years. He holds a very special place in my heart. He is 84 years old and still works semi full time as a landscaper. He still climbs trees to cut them down. In the winter he shovels sidewalks for some of his customers who are decades younger than him!!About 10 years ago, my aunt and uncle traveled to China and loved it!! They were thrilled when we told them we were going to adopt a little girl from there!! Sierra and Uncle Perry have hit it off! We stopped by the other day to wish him a Happy Birthday. Sierra had worked for over an hour to make him the perfect card. One with lots of flowers because Uncle Perry loves flowers!! The card made him cry.Here they are sitting at Uncle Perry's huge outdoor stone table, sharing a moment together!

Sierra's First Field Trip!

2010-10-15T22:09:00.006-04:00

It was a picture perfect autumn day, filled with

a petting zoo

a hay ride

apples

tractors

slides

brilliant sunshine

colors

favorite teachers

and the conquering of the tires!!

On the drive home we caught

(although sometimes blurry, because Mom was driving,)

the absolute beauty of the day!!!

HOME!!

Sunday Snapshot 10-10-10!

2010-10-11T15:32:00.002-04:00

Sierra has ben playing soccer for a few weeks now. She told me she really wanted to score a goal. I told her to keep trying and she might! Yesterday she scored her first goal( and then 2 others after it) The joy of the moment was recorded forever on film. Scott had the camera yesterday. The little boy was kind of in the way but take note of his faces too.

Sierra is sometimes clumsy but she tries so hard and never gives up and usually accomplishes her goal. The look on her face is one I will never forget.

I don't know if you can tell but she was jumping up and down. In this pic her feet are off the ground!

This was her asking Dad if he saw her make the goal!!

No words needed!!

Happy Birthday Tim!!

2010-10-06T19:28:00.000-04:00

It is hard for me to believe that 27 years ago today, I became a Mom for the first time!! Although motherhood has had its ups and downs, it is, by far, the best ride I have EVER been on!! Tim was the easiest baby anyone could ask for. He woke up happy, rarely cried, you could take him anywhere,and if it was his nap time, he would just fall asleep!! I fell so in love with him from the moment I saw him, even though it was a very long and very hard labor. The first thing I noticed about him was that he needed a hair cut. (He got one too at only about a month and a half old!!) He had beautiful hair that started out dark but slowly turned golden. I always said his hair looked the color of wheat!! Happy Birthday to the one who called me Mom first!!!

Newborn picture! 10/06/1983 Checkout that hair that hair!!

Tim is the one who hates the camera the most so it is hard finding good pics of him. This was taken lasst year. He adores his little sister!!

Sunday snapshots!

2010-10-04T11:26:00.006-04:00

Sierrra let her Monarch butterly go. It sat in the bushes for awhile and Sierra really got to study it!! She tells everyone ,now its on its way to Mexico!!

Sierra and Scott came to my work on Saturday and we took some time to go gather some pumpkins and Indian corn. It was a fabulous day!!

The weekend ended with a little soccer!!!

I LOVE FALL!!!!

Costume birthday party

2010-09-30T14:37:00.001-04:00

My 2 yougest boys attended a costume 70s birthday party. I couldn't resist sharing the photos.

Here is Paul and Jenn. Paul is Austin Powers

This is David and Amanda!!! Those of you who know David know that this does not look like him at all. I laughed and laughed and still laugh when I see it!!! Check out the pants!!!

Notice the hairy chest!!!

A Little Bit of Catching Up.....Again!!

2010-09-21T21:42:00.000-04:00

First day of preschool Daddy met us there and helped walk Sierra in!!!

Soccer game!! Pictures with friends!

5 day camping trip with Scottm Sierra and I. Fun fishing,kayaking, campfires and relaxing!!

Sierra caught this but it was too big and heavy for her to hold!!

The evening sky reflected in the water!!

Simply beauty by the hand of God!!

Remembering 911

2010-09-11T22:21:00.000-04:00

Its just one of those days you will NEVER forget. you will always remember where you were and what you were doing. It is a day to remember...and to hug your family a little tighter. And its a day to remember those who left their houses in the early morning and did not return to them as expected.
Shortly after 911, when we were thinking about Christmas presents I wanted to do something for Scott for Christmas. I wanted to make a donation in his name to a NYFD. The problem was I didn't know what company to pick. There are so many and so many lost members on that day. As some of you know our local Fire companies have a number. Our Fire Company's number is 58. So I went online and searched to see if there was an Engine Company 58. And I found that there was......and they had lost one of the Lieutenants at Ground Zero. So I sent a donation and a note explaining why I had chosen them. And on Christmas morning I told Scott about the "sister" station in NY,
Almost a year later we received a beautiful hand written note with Engine 58s logo on it. We framed it and hung it in our living room....as a reminder of both the good and the bad of that day.
So fast forward almost 9 years. I have met lots of NYC firemen but never anyone from Engine 58 ( I always ask). I am at Kelder's Farm working and a family comes in. The man is wearing a fire co.. tshirt from another state but he is a NYC fireman. I ask what company is he with and he answers "Engine Company 58" I got all prickly and emotion stuck in my throat. I explained what we had done 9 years ago. I told him that the card had a picture of a bull dog on it and he showed me the tatoo on his leg...the one with the bull dog!
He told me a story of that day. He told me that there was a probie fire fighter who had just started to work there. He said when the call came that a plane had crashed into one of the towers a Lt. Nagel turned to the probie and said "you don't have to come. You can stay behind " the probie said"No, I am going" They rushed to the tower. Shortly after they arrived the first tower began to fall. The Lt. told them to get out of there. They all ran, but not too far away. Soon after they returned to the scene and looked for their Lt. to give them further direction. They could not find him. He had disappeared beneath the rumble.
The probie that day nine years ago was the man I met at work. The husband , now father whose first fire as a NYC fireman , was 911. The Lt. that died that day was Lt. Robert Nagel, the fireman whose family we made the donation to. I was honored to meet a fireman from that company...even after all this time.
And today I think of all the firemen who bravely lived AND died that day. I think of all the people who died who were not firemen but just men and women doing their jobs in their offices or going somewhere on a plane. I think of the children from a school in Washington DC who had won a trip to California because of academic excellence. I think of that plane that went down in PA because the brave men and women who would NOT let it crash into another building. I think of a women from our community whose sister was on one of those planes. I think of my friend Robert who recently died from a illness he received from the aftermath of 911.In one 24 hour stretch the world was shown the absolute worst of humanity and the absolute best. And I believe the best far outweighed the worst!!

Yippee!!

2010-09-09T20:01:00.000-04:00

I am going to see ( and HEAR) Steven Curtis Chapman on Sunday night!!! I can not wait. He is an awesome Christian singer who has adopted girls from China. His songs are amazing!

The Pain of that Day

2010-09-05T21:17:00.001-04:00

Quite a few years ago I remember sitting in front of the TV watching as a young 2 1/2 year old child was put screaming into the back of a strangers car. He had just been taken away from his adopted parents to be returned to his birth parents. They had been fighting in court since he was born and the final decision had been made. It was extremely painful to watch. I remember thinking how could this happen? Who would ever want to take a child away from the people he or she had known since almost the day of their birth??

Fast forward many years to a small room in Guangdong China. A child was brought to and handed over to complete strangers. She was quiet at first, ate some cheerios and then started screaming. A scream so loud and so sad that I will never forget it. A scream not unlike the boy's on the TV.... because it was a similar experience for the child. This little girl was taken away, 5 hours before, from the only home she had ever known. This little girl was Zhan Wei Xi , our precious Sierra! Oh how I think of that day and how she must have felt. I remember our travel advisor saying to us before our trip "It may be one of the happiest days in your life, but it won't be in hers." He was so right. I can not imagine the pain she felt that day. I can only, maybe, liken it to what would it feel like if someone came now and took her away from me. Maybe then I would really understand.

I know the pain of that day has left a mark. Maybe one that I can not see but a wound just the same. A wound that will heal but one that will never entirely go away..one that will leave a scar. How much that day will affect her in the future I can not say now. But I will be there for her in any way she needs. I will accept that she was hurt by the action of us adopting her. As much as I know that she now loves us and her life here, I know that it cost her to come. And I will continue to love her as only a mother can love her child. I may not be able to kiss it and make it all better...but I will be there.

Favorite Fairs!

2010-08-30T15:42:00.001-04:00

we so love going to our local county fairs. There are 2 that we try to attend every year. One is our small Ulster County Fair which is a regular ole county Fair with animals, vegetables, lots of 4H exibits etc...and a midway!!! sierra and I rode the ferris when and oh she was so excited!!.

right after we got off we ran into my son Paul who decided to try to "ring the bell' for Sierra...

and he did!!

The other fair we attend is the Dutchess County Fair. It is a fair on a much larger scale. Many, many exibits, many many people and tons of fun!!

Scott and Sierra trying their skills at the squirting game

SUCCESS!!

Next Scott aand Sierra were playing a game where they had to throw rings at bottles . It really was too hard but Sierra had fun trying. All of a sudden though she stopped and walked a few feet away. She had heard this roller coaster an wanted to check it out. She just stared at it, didn't say a word and watched it go around and around. Then she went back to playing.

One of her favorites and mine too. The first time Sierra and I rode on a carousel together was in China. She always gets excited wehn the horses go up and down!

And finally this look of pure joy. I get teary- eyed everytime I witness it. Something we take for granted.....flying down a hill with the wind in our face!!

It doesn't get better than this!

Just some more summer pics!!

2010-08-17T21:51:00.006-04:00

Sunsets and storms from over Lake Ontario

Float from the Children's Day parade

Sierra in the barn sitting on hay!!

Catching up....again!!

2010-08-17T20:42:00.010-04:00

A picture from early summer. It is hard to get Sierera to smile a natural smile. For some reason she was really laughing when I took these pictures. I just love it!!!

Summer is such a busy time. My six week summer camp program has come and gone. What a delight it was to spend my days at our town park with 40 or so kids from ages 6 to 13 and the high school counselors who work with me. My friends Linda and Annabel have been working with me for the past 10 years or so. I started at this camp when my son Tim was 10 months old and now he is almost 27 years old. I took a few years off but not many!! The best part is that Sierra gets to come with me.She learned many things watching the older kids. She watched them and watched them until she could make her own lanyards. There were 4th a 5th graders who couldn't get the hang of it but she persevered until she could. Its a half day program so we still have time to do real fun summer things! Sierra has learned pretty much how to swim on her own. Its amazing to watch her!!

David competed in his last year as a 4H er in the County Fair. It seems like just yesterday that he was watching his older brothers and couldn't wait to show his own cows. It has been fun and a great learning experience or him. He will miss the excitement of spending a week at the fair!

Sierra is all set to start pre school in the fall. I can't believe the time is here already. I don't have to return to work unitl January 31 so we will still have lots of time to have fun in the afternoons. I am thrilled that I get to spend another Fall home. I will be working part time at the farm while she is in school but that is as much fun as it is work. Today I worked 4 hours and Sierra came with me. How blessed am I that I can take her to work!!!

Our friends jsut returned home from China with a sweet little girl who turned 2 on Sunday. This family has suffered a loss that is most unimagineable but through God's grace, has adopted another little girl. We look forward to spending lots of time with their family!!

For all you would be Moms who think you are too old!!

2010-08-08T21:54:00.003-04:00

So maybe its because I am quickly approaching my 51st birthday, Or maybe its because I really want to go back to China and adopt again. Or maybe its because my youngest son just turned 19. Or maybe its because my middle son is now planning his wedding. But whatever the reason, I have been thinking a lot about being an "older Mom" Now let me say right off...I don't feel old. I am told I don't look "that" old ( gotta love THAT comment ) and I am pretty healthy. I could be in better physical shape but really...I can still run, I like to swim, ride bikes, go camping and for the most part I can easily keep up with my 4 year old daughter. i do admit that I am often very tired at the end of the day..but I sleep really well too, which wasn't always the case!! I seem to have more patience for some things and maybe a little less for others. I so love seeing the world through a child's eyes again and I try not to rush her or I through the day.

But those dreaded time restraints often get in the way and I am known to exclaim"hurry up Sierra!" Where she usually quickly answers back " you have to be patient Mama". So if any of you over 40s out there are thinking about becoming adoptive parents, especially ...go for it!!

Believe me , the child you are adopting will not care that you are not 25. They will care that they have found a Mommy who has tons and years of experience behind her and one that will know how to love them forever!!

Sierra and I on vacation this summer!

Side Tracked

2010-07-28T21:41:00.003-04:00

Although I am trying so hard to increase my amount of patience..one thing that Sierra does drives me crazy. She is so easily distracted when trying to complete a task. Now...I get it..Its still a whole new world to her..she notices everything But she can not stay focused on her task if something catches her eye.I send her in to put on her shoes and I go in and she is reading a book..or putting together a puzzle etc.

While on vacation I had the perfect opportunity to snap a picture which totally shows what I am talking about. We were sitting outside the camper and Sierra was playing. Pretty soon she started showing signs of the "potty dance" We told her to go inside and use the potty. She went inside and about a minute and a half later she came back to the door.....

Like this ....

and said....

" Look Mommy..I found 2 pillows that are the same. They match!!"

Nope...she had not gone to the bathroom yet...and Yup this picture pretty much sums it up!!!!

2010-07-23T19:34:00.003-04:00

Some of you may remember that back in November I posted about our dear little friend Grace who died after contracting bacterial meningitis. She was adopted from China and the main inspiration for us adopting Sierra. Our hearts still have trouble coming to terms with the loss of her although we know she is in heaven and as Sierra says" Is probably jumping on the clouds!" At some point her parents made the unselfish decision to donate Grace's organs. Recently they have received letters from some of the recipients. I do not wish to share too much but I did want to take this opportunity to remind people how very important organ donation is. I would hope in such a time of grief and despair that I too could remember to pass the gift of life to someone else. The 2 people who received the donations were in a terminal state and Grace and her family literally saved their lives. So in memory of Grace, please fill out your donor card and make your wishes known to loved ones!

Sunday Snapshot!

2010-07-12T07:10:00.003-04:00

Sierra looked at herself in the mirror and said "Look Mom, I am stylish!"

Above All

2010-07-11T21:25:00.003-04:00

Sunset from last night...

words from a song sung in church today

"Crucified, laid behind a stone,

You lived to die, rejected and alone

Like a rose trampled on the ground

You took the fall

and thought of me....above all!"

Much has happened!!!

2010-07-09T21:16:00.006-04:00

I am so happy...I have been having trouble posting on blogger and am finally using the old post editor!! So much has happened in the last few weeks. I find myself not wanting to post because I always want to post pictures too. But I am not going to worry about it any more. I will post pictures when I can but I miss writing about my thoughts and sharing my experiences.
So..... on June 25th David my youngest son, graduated from high school. I am so proud of him as school was difficult for him and he has worked really hard the last few years. He will be attending the community college which is less than 2 miles from our house in the fall!! We celebrated with a dinner at a local place and were joined with about 20 of our family members. It made me cry when Jenn told me that Sierra turned to her and said. "Jenn, I am so happy, my whole family is here!!!"

And that brings me to my son Paul and his FIANCEE Jenn. On Sat. June 26th Paul took Jenn to Mohonk Mtn. House(very beautiful and romantic spot!) and asked Jenn to marry him!!! And she said YES!!! So next fall we will be having a wedding!!! We are all excited and happy for both of them.

On that same Saturday, Scott, Sierra and I left for a camping vacation near on Lake Ontario. We had one whole week of just relaxing and enjoying each other. We missed David's company but he had to work that week. I will post some pictures of all our trip and the Graduation.

I have started my summer camp and have already completed one week. We hold it at our local Town Park and I have about 50 kids from age 5 - 11. I love working with the kids and the teenagers who are my counselors. Sierra gets to come with me and she has a ball. We only have the program from 9 until 12 so after 12:30 I am free to do what ever.

I also found out that I will be returning in January to the elementary school I have worked at for the last 10 years. When you take a 2 year leave you are guaranteed a job but not necessarily at the same school you worked in. I really wanted to go back there because its 2/10 of a mile from my house AND its the school Sierra will be attending in the fall of 2011!! So unless something changes I will be going back!! Not that I will be ready but I know I have been blessed to have been able to take so much time off.

So that is a quick recap and I will be posting more often again. There is much going on in this head of mine!!!

Paul and Jenn at David's graduation...less than 24 hours before they got engaged!!!

Pet Picture!

2010-06-29T11:11:00.001-04:00

Although Emma, our Australian Shepherd ,is a bit on the crazy side, we do love her. And I have to admit she is a beautiful dog. I love this picture. She loves the snow so doesn't mind being out in it. I like how the snowflakes are on her head and with the white snowy background you can see how striking she is!! So this is my entry for I Heart Faces pet challenge.

The theme is teens!

2010-06-21T20:37:00.001-04:00

This week's I Heart Faces theme is teens. I love this photo of David and Sierra. It was taken at the Civil Affairs Office shortly after meeting her for the first time. She bonded with David quickly. By photograpy standards it isn't anything spsecial but just look at the happiness on Davids face and the trust on Sierra's!!

Lucky? Not so....

2010-06-15T22:15:00.002-04:00

There used to be a time when I thought it was my dream to live on a mountain far away from everything. But as I became an adult I realized that the dream was not me. You see, the problem is I like people too much. All kinds, young, old, male, female, worldly, not worldly, just people in general. I believe that everyone has strengths and weaknesses and you can learn something from everyone. I also know that people aren't perfect, and people come from different backgrounds, and people don't always say things that I agree with. There are times when I speak my mind against something that is said to me and there are times when I let things roll off my back.
This is now the time for me to speak my piece. Since we have been home with Sierra I have heard the following phrase too many times to count. "She is so lucky!" Let me start by saying that I know what people mean. Really.. I do.
I was there...I know too well the differences in her life now as compared to before. But to say that she is lucky???? Is it lucky to be abandoned at the age of 1 day old? Is it lucky that her birth parents, for what ever reason, felt they could not take care of her as she needed? Is it lucky that she spent the first 3 years of her life in an orphanage with all that it implies? Is it lucky to have strangers come and whisk you away from your birth country, your culture, your friends and everything that is familiar to you???? And if people mean she is lucky that we went to China and adopted her does that not imply that she might owe us something in the future? That is my greatest fear. That if Sierra hears that particular comment enough she may feel that she will have to repay us in some way for her "Luck" Yes she joined our family through adoption not through birth. She WAS adopted but it does not define who she is. She is Sierra, my daughter , as Tim, Paul and David are my sons. And although I expect them to have grateful thanksgiving for all the blessings they have received in their lives, I don't expect any of them to feel they owe us. So if you are friends or family that see Sierra, please try and refrain from telling her, what a lucky little girl she is. Because truly it is our family , who are the blessed ones!!
Again, I know people mean well...I know where they are coming from...honestly it didn't even bother me in the beginning, but now I worry about the implications.
Thanks for letting me speak my piece!!!

Memorial Day!

2010-06-14T21:56:00.001-04:00

I love our community's parade! It goes right by our house. It's definitely small town USA. My husband and sons are very active in the local fire department. Its a big thing to me...giving back to your community. I am so proud of them. This year David carried the flag, Paul wore the white hat of the Assistant chief and Sierra ran out to give her Dad a kiss as they went by our house. And all the time we were remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country...and for us!!!

Water Play!!

2010-06-07T21:27:00.001-04:00

This week's contest theme is Play! I love this picture of David throwing Sierra in the air. I love the look on her face and her clenched fist. Notice the look on on Daivd's face. And then there is all the water droplets! I never expect to win these contests but oh how I love looking back at all my pictures!!!

Prom 2010!

2010-06-05T20:43:00.000-04:00

The last game!!

2010-06-02T10:11:00.001-04:00

It was more than just David's last baseball game of his high school careeer. It was his last game of any kind wearing his high school colors. For me it was also the end of an era that began when his oldest brother started playing Little League almost 19 years ago. 19 years filled with many baseball, soccer, and football games, track meets, ski club trips and many other sporting events. And then when they reached 7th grade they could play wearing the same blue and white colors that I did over 30 years ago. ( Yes, my kids attend the same high school that I did!!). I wanted my kids to play sports for many reasons. It teaches you discipline, it teaches you to try your very best, it can teach you good sportsmanship, being a team player, how to lose gracefully, how to WIN gracefully and it helps keep you healthy. My boys learned alot of these lessons. We didn't go crazy...we didn't do any expensive travel teams. We didn't spend weekends away from home, mostly it was school sports. My boys learned alot of the lessons I wanted them to and some I didn't. The coaches weren't always the role models I hoped them to be and neither were some of the parents. But that was a lesson in itself. And then there was the painful football season that wasn't this year. Our school cancelled the season when not enough kids showed up!! (But I am happy to report that our school made a bold decision this week...they told the old coach, the coach who had won them a state tournament who was also the same coach that no one wanted to play under, that his services were no longer needed and they hired a new coach!!!) I loved watching the boys play and a few times the two older ones played together. But now David has played his last high school game. And as it will be awhile before Sierra will get to HS we will have a period of time that will be gameless. And I am one Mom who will miss it!!!!

David up at bat

Playing shortstop

His biggest fan

After the game( which they won ) Sierra is trying to find David in the crowd of players. She can't find him. ( He is the one who took off his jersey and has the gray and blue shirt on)

I wanted to get this picture all year. David is 10 his brother Paul ( the asst. Coach) is 11 and the Coach is 12!!

Very last baseball shot of the year!! And look who had to be in it!!!

Barefoot!

2010-06-01T19:49:00.000-04:00

Thiis weeks non competive challenge is barefoot or foot related. I love this picture especially because David is holding his little sis' tiny sandals!

Computer woes!!

2010-05-30T12:23:00.000-04:00

I have not been abducted by aliens and taken away!! I am, however, experiencing computer difficulties. Hopefully will be back on line soon!!!!!!!

I Heart Photo ....YELLOW!

2010-05-25T11:02:00.000-04:00

This weeks theme is yellow. And it has to have a human face. I just love this little human's face coming down the yellow slide!!!

Referral Day!

2010-05-19T11:07:00.000-04:00

I will never forget this day in 2008. I was working as a Teaching Asst. in a 2nd grade class. We had recently switched to the SN program of China. We were hoping for a match. On May 19th the teacher I was working with sent me to the copy room to copy a map of China. I remember looking at the map wondering where, in that vast counttry, would our daughter be from. I walked back to the room. Laurie said that there had been a phone message while I was gone. It was from A Helping Hand (our adoption agency) I called right back, got Dana our advocate, on the phone and heard the long awaited words "Kathie I think we have a little girl for you". I remember crying and saying something about the timing. You see, my good friend Christine had died on Friday May 16th following a courageous battle with breast cancer. She had so wanted me to get our match. Some how I knew it was all part of the plan. I ran home to pull up Dana's email and this is what I saw:

We accepted the referral and the rest is history as they say. What a day and what a joy we have in Sierra!

Please remember Chrissie's family in your thoughts and prayers. It was announced on their blog this morning http://www.allarepreciousinhissight.blogspot.com/

that Chrissie has gone home to dance with Jesus.

Flowers and faces!

2010-05-18T10:00:00.003-04:00

This weeks theme at I Heart Faces is flowers. I love this picture of Sierra and the tulips. We planted these tulips the day after Sierra's friend Grace died with the hope that in the spring these flowers would be a reminder of Grace's bright life!! We call it Grace's Garden!

Happy 40th Birthday Scott!!!

2010-05-10T09:51:00.000-04:00

Scott,

Today is your birthday and I hope it will be a special day. Every day with you in our lives, is a gift. You are the best husband I could ask for and the best father to my boys and to Sierra. I look foward to a long and blessed life with you, although you are getting old now!!( Ha Ha ) Have a great day!!

Love

Kathie

4 Reasons!

2010-05-10T07:42:00.002-04:00

The 4 reasons I love Mother's Day!!

Jump on it!!

2010-05-08T21:26:00.002-04:00

Could not resist sharing this with all of you. Sierra , her oldest brother Tim and his girl friend Sara dancing the Fresh Prince of Bel Airs "Jump on it"

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

So much life around!!

2010-05-07T15:06:00.001-04:00

Wow this has been a terrible week..... My last post mentioned a friend who died from complications from surgery. Well since Sunday night our small rural community has lost 3 wonderful people...all too soon and all suddenly. Our former school secretary had a massive heart attack while walking the beach in Florida and early this morning another dear friend died from a massive stroke after a seemingly successful surgery. It has been tough to come to terms with it all. Last night I was majorly bummed. I knew Alice had irreversible damage and her family was by her side. I thought""Enough already!" Enough sadness and death. And although I know death is not something to be feared, it is still hard on the families and friends who are not expecting it. I woke up this morning feeling like I got punched it the stomach.. I kept asking" Why so much death now??" I took my usual walk out along the field. It was not long before the answer became apparent to me. Yes , there has been alot of death this week, but as I walked along, listening to the birds chirp, watching the turtles sun themselves on the log in the swamp, seeing my dog Emma chase a chipmunk, noticing the new tiny beginnings of corn popping up in the dirt rows and thinking of my beautiful little girl asleep in her bed with her awesome big brother in the next room, I realized that there is so much more life around then death. The problem is we don't always take the time to notice the things that are right there in front of us. God's beauty and light fills our lives every single day..it's there and although death often takes our breath away, so too should the life all around us. Goodbye Robert, Donna and Alice...I know you are all in a better place. I will miss you all but I will try to remember to notice, not only the death but LIFE. Thank you for this gift!