Little Africa Boy

Yesterday I received a call from the school counselor. I immediately panicked, as that usually means A. my kid is in the ER or B. my kid is in a ton of trouble. Neither were true, which I was thankful for, but he was calling to inform me that there had been an incident on the playground between Peterson and another boy who was chasing him calling him, "little Africa boy." Obviously, I'm aware that my son is a diminutive fellow of African descent and that is one of the many things that make him the boy I love so much. Of course, this child was not intending his statement to be a compliment, but was tauting Peterson. This is not the first time this child has picked on Peterson, but it is the first time he's picked on him for his race and stature that I've heard about.

Seriously, this kid is horrible, but immensely smart, so he plans out his bullying so that he can pick on kids under the radar of teacher eyes. His grandma "Gramzilla" volunteers at the school, and the instant her dear boy is in trouble, she tracks people down and begins the interrogation as to what the little b%$^&*t did wrong. To top it off, this kid goes to church with us, and the sight of him brings about many un-Christian thoughts. Normally, we aren't at the same service, which has probably prevented many assault cases towards this child. The highlight of quitting my job was when I no longer had to pretend to like this kid.

Obviously, I'm jaded, but its hard to fathom why anyone would pick on my kid. He has more moxi and charisma in his little finger, then I will ever have. People love him. I honestly have the owner of Crocs shoes as a friend on Facebook, because he met Peterson in Haiti and likes to see how he's doing. Everytime he performs in a local play, random people join his secret fan club and stop to visit with him when we're out shopping. High school girls are mesmerized by him. Its a little insane. A six year old should not have groupies.

Anyways, the school had a talk with him, but I have my doubts that he will change. We talked about all the cool things that come from Africa, like lions and the African Children's Choir. Then we talked about how he's Haitian, and it was a long, long, long time ago that Haitains came from Africa. We also visited about Peterson may be one of the smallest kids in school, but in Haiti he would be considered average size. I reminded him that I used to feel bad about being so tall. Peterson also remembered how he has bigger muscles then everyone. He seems to be doing fine, and he knows that he has explicit instructions that if this kid says or does anything to him, he needs to seek help at school and tell me right away at home.

So hopefully there will be no more crap from this kid, but if not, I plan to head to the principal and pull out my secret weapon-the wrath of Dad!

Processing Haiti

Our trip to Haiti was amazing. It always is. I love Haiti, and I honestly hate leaving, but after a week, I desparately want to see my kids, who are being extra naughty right now. Traveling to Haiti is always hard too. Its hard to love on tiny little babies who are so sick and frail. So often we hear the statistics concerning children's health in Haiti, but it is another story as you hold a statistic and pray your heart out that this child will receive all that they need to have a healthy and happy life. I got to visit with several kids that I've met multiple times in the past. Its great to see them slowly improve each time that I see them. The creche is moving in a month, so we packed up some of the extra items and loaded them up to take to the new building in the mountains. The crazy thing about moving in Haiti is, there are no boxes. In my 10 moves, every time we decide to move, we hit the liquor store and grocery stores for our personal crap recepticals and load up and move. In Haiti, you scrounge all over for empty tubs, coolers or any other vessel that can be loaded, thanks Spiderman toy box, and then you fill it up and go. With all of the people in our group, the loading and packing part went super quick. We also had time to do some crafts/activities with the kids and paint at the new building up in the mountains. I got to visit with our sponsor kiddo, who has been going to therapy and is beginning to walk some. It was great to see.

I also noticed that for the first time since the Earthquake, noticable progress has been made in housing development. Many of the open areas around the airport, are open areas again. The large park by the palace that housed thousands of people last fall is a park again. That makes me very happy.

I had my first real experience with authentic French food. At the guest house in the mountains, the owner was a trained French chef, and I may never be the same. The food was A.Maz.Ing!!!! I'm considering moving to the mountains just for the food. I also learned that the mountains in Haiti can be cool. It was very pleasant during the day, but at night the temperature drops, except, unlike your house, there is not one bit of heat. The water is slightly heated, which is a great thing, and we all had one sweatshirt, which we slept in, but regardless I froze my tail off in Haiti at night.
I truly was disappointed to leave, but I was eager for a hot shower in Miami. Of course, as my luck would have it, our motel had hot water issues, and we had no hot water, Seriously!!! I could have cried.

While we were gone, Gabriella got an ear infection. Of course, nothing makes you feel like mom of the year when your kid gets sick and your several thousand miles away. She's doing great now, and I still get the joy of dealing with her antibiotic laden digestive system, so I don't feel near as guilty now.

I recieved approximately 1023 mosquito bites while we were in Port-au-Prince even though I was literally dredged in Deet. Of course, several of the neighbors to the Heartline Guesthouse developed Malaria. I don't take malaria medication prior to trips as it makes me sick, but currently I'm winning on the malaria lottery, and I feel tired, but fine.

I had this fabulous idea that once we arrived in Miami, we should go check out the IKEA. We have never been to one before. In hindsight, when you are trying to reconcile all the injustice in the world, maybe that's not the best time to visit the IKEA. Seriously, how can we be surrounded by so much, when so many people are desparate for food and shelter. I was thoroughly impressed by IKEA and we wandered through there lost and in awe, but I did find a handy gadget to frothe my coffee whenever I feel like it.

We arrived home Saturday night and collapsed into a pile of exhaustion. Yesterday we celebrated Adlerson's birthday and I heard those eight little words that make my heart bounce, "Mom, I have a science project due tomarrow." Apparently, Aurrora's class was assigned science fair type projects while we were gone. I find it great that the kids were only given a week to complete this project. We had no guidelines as to what this project was supposed to encompass, so I did what any good mom does. We did a project that I entered in the 4th grade science fair, and yes my Grandpa did it all for me back then. I made her to most of it, and I sent her off to school full of confidence that all would be well. Tonight she tells me, her teacher publically ridiculed her project. Yes, I am one angry mom, and the e-mail to the teacher is heading off soon. Seriously, 3 kids demonstrate their project a day, and she knew we were gone, and yet Aurrora still is chosen to demonstrate on the first day and then her project is used as an example of what not to do. So yeah, this angry mama bear needs to go take care of a little business and possibly bathe my children so I'd better sign off.

Ready to Roll

The bags are packed. The house is clean. The snow is shoveled. Its showtime, literally. Aurrora and Peterson perform in their show tonight, and then somewhere around the kid friendly hour of 10:00, their show is over and we will take all the kids to stay at Miss Anna's house while we are gone. I'm not sure what's more cruel; leaving her with our four kids or leaving them for her to put to bed at 10:00 at night. Mike
will then be getting me up at the ungainly hour of the middle of the night as he wants plenty of time to get to the airport through the snow. I'm pretty sure that he'd be willing to walk the 60 miles to the airport and shovel the run way to go. We have a day to play in Miami before we head to Haiti. After shoveling 7000 feet of snow, I can't begin to describe how excited I am to go to the beach. I'm also super pumped to work in Haiti and see the kids again. I will try to post while I'm down there or at least when I get back.
Have a great week all.

Happy Birthday Dr. King

Today was our first annual birthday party for Martin Luther King. We had tons of fun reading books, watching YouTube clips and creating a MLK themed art. We had some great discussions about how Dr. King stood up for what was right, even though he faced many difficulties for doing so. We also talked about how change was creating in a non-violent way, and how we can use non-violence to make a stand. We even joked a little about how we boycotted school, since our schools don't recognize the holiday.



The kids were coloring Martin Luther King coloring pages, and then we did a project about our dreams and illustrated it. Peterson and Aurrora technically did most of Adlerson's dream project, as he dreams of his mom never making him craft again :)



The finished projects



Whats a party without party food? You will notice that we have integrated cake pops in the Fisher Price bus, and Yes, in
case your wondering, Mike did make those. They look too cute to be something I concocted. Peterson put up a pretty convincing arguement that he was certain Dr. King must have loved hot dogs and he was hoping we could have them for our party. Sadly, hot dogs repulse me and they are rarely in our house, so he had to settle for pizza and party mix.

We had a great time and the kids learned tons. I think the MLK Party will become a new tradition for our family.

Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Two Years Ago

Two years ago Haiti was forever changed as a massive earthquake struck the island. The earthquake will always be a 9/11 moment in my life. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news. The feeling of pure despair is just as raw today as it was two years ago. We instantly began hunting for information on the news and Internet simultaneously. The next few days were a confused blur of seeking information and trying to do anything we could to help those affected. Somehow in that time frame, I managed to go to and function at work and feed the kids, yet I don't remember doing much of either.

My heart breaks for the over 200,000 people that were lost and their families. Over 1.6 million people were left homeless. Personally, I think its easy to let the numbers overwhelm you, but when we truly think of the people that those numbers reflect, its mind boggling.

I recently read that after the earthquake many life-saving amputations had to be performed without anesthesia, because it wasn't available. I think of one very special boy that I met in one of the orphanages that C4C supports, he was orphaned and lost his leg below the knee from the quake. How I hope that he had someone to hold his hand and comfort him as he lost so much.

In the blur that became the days after the earthquake, I had a co-worker tell me, "I just had to shut the TV off. I couldn't stand to see it anymore. It was just too hard." Words could not express the anger and frustration I felt at that moment. Those troubling images are someone else's reality.

We were one of the few lucky adoptive families after the earthquake. Several months later we did receive word that our boys' birth mom survived the quake. Many, many families do not know. Sadly, some families will never know.

I clearly remember watching Peterson, face to face with the TV, taking it all in. My heart broke, as he watched his country in so much turmoil. He had only been home for a few months, and his English was still progressing at the point. I tried to talk with him about what he was feeling, and I was met with a sad stare. Finally, I asked him, "Ou pa tris pou Ayiti" (Are you sad for Haiti) "Wi," his only reply. I hugged my heartbroke little boy, and wished more then anything that it was just a bad dream. Somehow we soldiered on with more resolve to stay involved and do what we could to help in Haiti.

Two years later, half a million people still live in tents. More people then the population of Wyoming live in tattered Colemen tents with frayed tarps on top. More people then the population of Wyoming live with the constant threat of violence and disease that permeates the tent camp. I have been back to Haiti 3 times since the quake, and I have seen tents pitched in the median of busy highways. Can you imagine living their with your children. I have seen tents placed on top of rubble, most likely with the remains of a family beneath the rubble. Sean Penn's tent camp is situated on a former golf course, and 56,000 people live there. Honestly, my animals have better accomodations then many people in Haiti. It should not be that way.

I understand that Haiti is hard. Seeing the images on TV is hard, but knowledge is power, and if we all truly knew, we would work together to create change. Seeing the great needs that are still unmet in Haiti can easily overwhelm a person. I believe that's why many people become apathetic to the situation in Haiti. One person or one organization will never be able to fix Haiti. However, I do believe that God uses many people and organizations to create positive change. So, I urge you, become involved and do what you are able because "anpil men, chay pa lou" Many hands make a light load.

Thanks Dysfunctional Childhood!

I've mentioned before that my childhood was far outside the norm. I don't mention it often, as I like to keep my blog fun and upbeat, and I prefer to let the past be the past. Occasionally, there are some unexpected benefits that come with a lifetime of baggage :)

Growing up, we lived in an assortment of shabby trailer houses. They were HOT in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. We routinely had pipes freeze every winter. It was truly a delight. To combat that problem, I was taught how to use the fireplace, our only heat, at a very young age....like 6. Yeah, as an adult, I can look back and see that it may have been a bad idea to have an insomniac first grader starting and maintaining a fire, but what doesn't kill you, or burn down the trailer, does make you stronger. And to think, I can almost trust my 6 year old to pick out his clothes, and do a decent job brushing his teeth.

Consequently, since I've had over 26 years of fire building experience under my belt, I'm really good at it. I am definitely a handy one to have around on camping trips because I can keep a fire going, even if its rainy. The downside is that I'm automatically pegged to be lifetime fire tender at home too.

I love campfires. I HATE wood heat. Over the course of Mike and I's 12 years, we have lived in 10 houses, 2 of which we've had to heat with wood. Yeah, I know those are pretty good odds, but it my ideal world, I'd never have to mess with wood heat, because if the mess and the hassle weren't a big enough pain in the butt, I'm allergic to smoke too. Actually, in my ideal world, it would always be warm, so I'd never have to turn on the heat anyways.

Technically, we have electric heat in this house too, but after two consequtive months of $300 dollar electric bills, we decided we'd better buck up and use the fireplace. This house isn't old, or incredibly large, but for some reason its a pain to heat. Handy for us, our neighbors gave us a bunch of firewood before they headed to Houston for the winter, so we have no excuses not to use the wood stove, and even though the fireplace doesn't want to draw, my extroidinary fire skills have overcome. So, yeah, we're warm and cozy by the fireside, and maybe I'll just teach Peterson to take over fire duty and all will be well.

Crazy Busy

Life around here is always busy. I mean, I do have four kids. However right now, things have become super, crazy busy. Normally, we are the kind of family who might have activities going on once or twice a week in the evenings. I like it that way. I like to gather my children at the table at supper time and visit and hang out. At least that's what it looks like in my mind. In actuality, my Walton dinner times consist of the parents continually reminding the kids to, "chew with their mouth closed and don't eat with your fingers." The kids at a nice mix of toilet humor to our dinner scene and its complete.
Aurrora and Peterson are acting in a play so they have two busy weeks of long play rehearsal. Our kids, especially Peterson love to act, so I put up with the schedule crazies, and continually remind myself that, "its only two weeks!"
Of course, the kids still have their crapton of homework and there's 4-H, to add to the mix. Oh yeah, and have I mentioned that we're heading to Haiti in a week and a half-AWWW!
Honestly, getting ourselves ready to go is the easy part. We have most of our donations packed already, and it doesn't take long to pack the keens and the shorts. The biggest job before leaving is packing the kids up, especially the baby. How can one little 14 lb person need so much stuff.
I know that we will get everything done and all will come out fine. Sure, our kids may have a gourmet meal of cheese and crackers one night, but they will do fabulous in the play, and we will get to see it, right before we leave.
Maybe this trip, I will be so tired, that I can manage sleeping on the plane. Every cloud does have its silver lining.