My Leave is Up!!

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

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!

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!

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!!

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!!

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

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!!!