Madison's Thanksgiving Birthday

November 20 was a busy day! The birthday girl awoke excited to spend the entire day celebrating the first day of her 6th year. It was a warm day and she picked out her own outfit that met the needs of the First Thanksgiving production, PE, and birthday celebrations. Here she is on her way to school.



Kim and I joined dozens of other parents in her kindergarten class to watch the First Thanksgiving production. It was very cute and every child was just precious. Here is Madison with many of her friends, some of whom are still in costume.






A Thanksgiving "feast" followed the production and we enjoyed turkey and mashed potatoes with other parents in the classroom. Maddie loved having us there, and little Morgan too. Kim went back to school and I raced to the airport with Morgan to pick up Nanny, who hasn't seen Morgan since she was 3 weeks old! Talk about exciting! Nanny had a fit over the baby and Morgan just beamed. We took Nanny to lunch and then back to the kindergarten class for the first of two birthday celebrations. There was even a child in Maddie's class with the same birthday! So there was double the celebration! Here are the two birthday girls.




Thursday was a lot of fun, but not nearly as much fun as Saturday's birthday extravaganza on the cul-du-sac! The moonwalk arrived early Saturday morning, much to the children's delight and gave me a chance to "test" it without too much embarrassment. I figured if 10 40 lb children could get in there and I am a mere fraction of that weight, certainly I could jump. So I did. It was fun, despite having to crawl through an opening only slightly larger than the birth canal! Fortunately, there are no pictures of this so let that dream go. Here are some pictures of Maddie with her Mt. Sinai pre-school buddies.





It was a great day and here are random pictures of her new friends, our friends, and the neighbors.








We had hoped to win $100,000 on America's Funniest Videos with a pinata, but it went beautifully. I hope to have video soon to share with you. The kids had a blast and we are forever thankful to Aunt Becky Bumpass who was able to hang the pinata from a tree. Plan B was to have someone far thinner than me to hold it for the kids to hit. Not!



Our friend, Leigh, brought her daughter, age 2, to the party. Madison loves Lija because she is small enough to be a doll, but not too small to seriously injur. McKenzie and Lija had so much fun at the party and I plan to get them together more often.




It isn't very often that anyone takes my picture, since I am usually the one with the camera. However, Misty took control of the camera when presents were being opened so I could visit with some parents I haven't seen in a long time. She caught this sweet moment with McKenzie and I am truly thankful to have these images. I love my children more than words could ever express and I think you can see it here.

Peas and Carrots

Madison and McKenzie are truly sisters. They fight and then love each other in the blink of an eye. The two of them can play so sweetly together and then rip each other's hair out. I can't imagine one without the other now. I can't remember a time without McKenzie, though I know it wasn't too terribly long ago.

Now we have Morgan, who is showing us everyday what a sister she will be. Only Madison and McKenzie can make this baby howl with laughter, by doing the silliest little things. Kim and I can stand on our heads while juggling fruit with our feet and she smiles. Maddie and McKenzie can hop up and down or wave their arms and Morgan can barely catch her breath!

Here is Morgan sitting with McKenzie on the couch in what appears to be an artistic consultation.





Eventually, Morgan went to sleep. Here she is holding thev very first doll Madison ever had. It was a gift from Nanny and we re-discovered her this weekend while cleaning out the game room. Ain't she sweet?

The Last Day of My 5th Year

As Madison prepared for bed last night and we discussed the coming day's events (today), she pointed out that today would be her last day as a 5 year old. Apparently, this was exhausting because she fell asleep at dinner tonight!




She is very excited about turning 6 and believes she will immediately be advanced to the 1st grade. I hope she isn't too disappointed tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, it is going to be a big day! Nanny is coming! Nanny will get to Austin around noon and will miss Madison's performance in the production of the first Thanksgiving at her school. That is ok because the entire day will be action packed. The line up looks like this:

Thanksgiving Production at school
Thanskgiving feast in cafeteria
Pick up Nanny
Birthday party at school for Madison
Birthday dinner with Nanny

I am exhausted! My goal is to just get out of the car at some point tomorrow! I am so proud of Madison and the young lady she is becoming. She isn't perfect, but she is damn near close. And funny too! I love her more and more every year and I am thankful beyond measure for her place in my life. Happy Birthday Baby!

The Weekend

I visited a new church this weekend with Madison and McKenzie. We have always loved St. James Episcopal Church as they sponsor our Parenting Across Color group. We know several members of the church and decided to give it a try on a Sunday. I felt so guilty visiting another church since MCC has been our home for almost 10 years. Our family has grown so much and our needs have changed a lot over the years. St. James has a very strong Christian education program and more diversity than I have seen in a while. The congregation is predominantly black, upper middle class, with both gay and straight in the pews. D-I-V-E-R-S-I-T-Y. Of course, Maddie wanted to know why the service took 2 hours. Welcome to the black church. I loved every minute and am looking forward to going back. There is a children's choir too!

Here are my babies dressed in their Sunday best!



It has been interesting to discover how often we get Morgan to laugh vs. how often Madison and McKenzie get her to laugh. Kim took this video over the weekend of Madison making Morgan laugh sitting in my arms. The same scenario played out this morning with McKenzie, but we didn't get it on film. What a ham!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Adoptive Families Magazine

Great news on the home front! The article I wrote entitled Thursdays with Mary is going to be published in Adoptive Families Magazine in the January/February edition. I am so excited! The article is about meeting Morgan and McKenzie's birth mother and getting to know her over a period of 4 weeks. This was an incredible experience for me and one I will never forget. I would love for this to be a book someday, to help adoptive mothers know that birth parents aren't always scary. For now, the magazine article will do. Adoptive Families Magazine is sold in book stores and you can also read articles on line. I promise to keep you posted on the progress of this project.

Maybe it will help another mom or give comfort to a child who feels caught between the two. Mary isn't my enemy. She never has been. On the contrary, she is a funny lady who I like very much. I see McKenzie's personality in her. I worry about Mary a lot and think of her often. There was a rumor she was pregnant again, which had me and Kim sweating bullets. The case worker just e-mailed me that she talked to Mary this morning and she is not pregnant. Mary had lots of questions for the caseworker about the children and I am feeling incredibly sad for her. She wants to know if we will always live in Texas and can the children look for her when they are 18. The answers are yes, of course.

I wish I could make Mary's life better. I wish I could find a home for her, get her clean, take care of her health, get her tubes tied, find a way for her to earn a living legally. I wish, I wish, I wish. I feel so maternal with her because she is intimately connected to my children and in need. I pray God keeps her safe. I pray she finds peace. I pray she always knows how much the children she created are loved. God bless you Mary.

Hope

It is 11:18 Pm on Tuesday, November 4. I have just watched Obama become the presidential elect of this country. My limbs are covered in goose bumps. I have cried until no air can pass through my nose. I have watched history unfold tonight and my children know it. The excitement is everywhere and the girls cannot sleep. I finally call them into the game room where I have sat watching the elcetion coverage for the last few hours. I explain to them that Mr. Obama won the race and he is now the first brown man to be the president, or the boss, of this great country. This means Madison, McKenzie, and/or Morgan could someday be president. They can do anything they want. Of course, Madison took this to mean she didn't have to go to bed. NOT!

I am watching Barak wave to the crowd. Everyone else has left the stage. You can see the feeling all over his face. Michelle waits for him at the edge of the stage. I wonder what they said to each other when the news came in. I wonder what they whisper to each other as they embrace. I wonder what it feels like to change the world.

I am so full of hope. All the things that have been weighing on my mind have disappeared. Anything is possible. Everything is possible. I feel so proud to be an American. I feel so proud to send Obama to foreign countries to represent my family. Today is a great day. Today is a day my children will study in school. Today is the day hope came back to America and hope returned to me.

Trick or Treat Smell My Feet

Halloween 2008 was hands down the best ever in part because I was in town to participate with the kids. We had so much fun!! The festivities began Thursday night with a work party at Kim's school made even more fun with the rental of a bouncy house for the staff kids. It was in the bouncy house that Madison's 2nd tooth came out with far less drama than the 1st one. She was so excited and we were amazed she A) felt the tooth come up B) didn't swallow it C) was able to put her hands on it. She put her tooth in the new pillow we bought her earlier this month and the tooth fairy left $1, which Madison plans to spend at the dollar store this afternoon.




McKenzie had a fabulous Fall Festival at her school and Morgan did too. I brought Madison and McKenzie by Kim's school to take part in the Halloween party after school on Friday. The costumes were precious, but none cuter than my Princess Morgan.








This little girl was a close second for sure.



After the party at Kim's school, we came home for a quick bite to eat. Lisa, Karen, and Rebecca (exactly half of The Village) came over to trick or treat with the girls. Karen, however, proved her absolute devotion to the children by dressing up as Daisy Duck. What a trooper!




The next stop on the Halloween Party Train was neighbor Hillary and Jessie's house for some pre-trick or treating fun. We had wonderful drinks and eats with the neighbors on the cul-du-sac. Lyn and Lucy enjoyed their first Halloween in America, adding a fresh perspective on our time honored traditions. We were officially invited to share Boxing Day with their family for a little exchange of culture.



Finally we got down to the business at hand and went trick or treating. In addition to Madison, McKenzie, and Morgan in the stroller, we had Kylie and Payton (daughters of Hillary and Jessie), Lucy, and Sean with his dad Allen.




After going door to door for an hour or so, we returned to Hillary and Jessie's house where we stayed until almost 11 Pm, telling stories and laughing. We had so much fun! Everyone of us collapsed in the bed when we got home. It was by far the best Halloween ever. I am so glad we moved to a place with such wonderful neighbors!!