Monday, April 26, 2010

Volcanoes and Birthdays

First off, Happy Birthday Kindra! We hope you have a great day! (Your bday acrostic is below the volcano photos).


And now, the volcano!


Camry and I just returned from Kaya's "Volcano Show Down" at school. It was like a scene out of the Brady Bunch, watching each kiddo step up to their volcano, hoping to see it erupt on cue.

Kaya did a fabulous job. Dave helped her engineer it--with plaster and medical tape. They did a test run on Sunday and it was sooooooooo fun to watch.

Love volcanoes.

Good job, Kaya. You are one amazing earth scientist!


Happy Birthday Kindra!

Kind isn't even kind enough to describe you!
I love your eclair cake!
Nothing you can't do. Sew curtains--check. Teach children--check. Change the chorister to the coolest calling ever--check!
Dawn still needs you across the street.
Role model for our daughters.
A great tutu-maker.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Open



Every now and then someone will ask us about our kids' adoptions--how we were able to adopt, what agency we used, what age we were when we adopted (just kidding, they actually ask what age the kids were--LOL!), what prompted us to adopt, how much it cost, etc.

But the question we get asked more than any other is "Are their adoptions open?"

To which I usually say, "Can you please keep your voice down, the kids still don't know they are adopted."

Just kidding.

You know me (or, maybe you don't--ha!), I can't really answer anything in one word. Ever. (Especially when it comes to talking about our kids and the miracle journey we each made to meet each other on Planet E.)

But, in short, the answer to the open adoption question is "Yes, our adoptions are open."

But "open adoption" means different things for different families.

For some families, open adoption means a card and letter on birthdays. A phone call once a year. A meeting every few years.

But you see, open adoption isn't a one size fits ALL kind of thing. It's really more of a "one size fits one" kind of thing.

And even within our own family the openness of adoption varies--ebbs and flows--with each of our kids' biological families.

But here's what all of our open adoptions do have in common:

Dave and I  (and their bio families) ALWAYS try to do what is best for our kids--not the grown-ups in the scenario. 

As long as the openness benefits the kiddos, then we all do our best maintain it. And when the openness does not seem to benefit the kiddos, then we make changes (and try to be understanding).
 
And even though it's not always easy for anyone--the juggling of schedules (and sometimes emotions)--I'm so grateful we have been able to maintain a relationship with Jonah, Camry, Kaya, Paigey, Jr. and LuLu's familias.

We love their guts.

Which leads me to my next point . . . .

This weekend we were able to see Camry and Kaya's bio families--and it was SOOOOOOOOO good to see them!

THANK YOU Grandma Lorraine--for having 5/6 of the grandkids over for dinner, fashion show, mining tour, and park play! We love you! (PS: Gma Lorraine is Kaya's bio grandma. Oh, and she doesn't eat anything processed, so this makes for fun memories for the kids. "What did you do at Gma Lorraine's?" "Oh, you tried soy yogurt and bark?" AWESOME!)

And . . . 

THANK YOU CORY and WYATT--for visiting Saturday. It was GREAT to see you. (Cory is Camry's bio father and Wyatt is her full bio sibling.) (Do I sound like I should teach genetics to a group of 5th graders? Sorry for the detail. I was thinking newbies might appreciate the org chart.)

OH!

And.

The.

Breadmaking.

Continues . . .

(And just for the record, I'm beyond obsessed with the breadmaking at this point. Last week Dave told me I went through 50lbs of flour. I didn't believe him until I realized I didn't have any extra bags of flour in the cupboard. Is that loca? I'm actually waking up earlier than normal because I can't stop thinking about making bread. I'm dyin' here. That photo of me staring into the oven, that is cracking me up.)

Friday, April 23, 2010

Happy Birthday Uncle Mike!



We hope you have a great day, Uncle Mike!

If you were here, we'd make you 40+ kinds of bread! XOXOX






PS: The bread-making obsession continues . . .  yesterday Cam helped me make the brioche dough. I think I may have fallen down my own rabbit hole. But in a good way. (Shelby, Janeil and Miriam . . . your loaves are coming. I have a few kinks to iron out.)

PSS: On today's calendar: Baguettes. I made the poolish and everything. WOO HOO!

PSx3: The bread above is a 1lb Brioche a Tete (with an accento mark). It's a little like Challah. You are supposed to serve it at tea parties and such--with marmalade or lemon curd.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

THANK YOU!

Dropping off donations at the Christmas Box House
(the temporary shelter/home for children in foster care)
April 2010


THANK YOU friends and neighbors for donating gift cards, money, pillows, towels, jeans, jackets, toiletries, and games to the Christmas Box House.

In all, our donations totaled over $800.00 ($450 in gift cards and cash donations--and then at least $350.00 in new clothing/supplies).

We love you and appreciate you! It really means a lot to our family to have friends who literally GIVE all they have to support other people. And heaven knows, our family has been supported a lot this year.

Oh! And just so you know, the CBH staff was sooooooooo excited and appreciative of the donations (I think they were stunned). They said thank you a thousand times over. (Oh, and I I think we were able to see a few of the kiddos that were going to be getting new towels and pillows that day! What a great feeling!)

PS: Thank you, too, for giving us the opportunity to deliver the donations in person. I know it would have been neat for everyone to see where there donations went.

For our family, it was really really special to be able to do that--to go to the CBH. That's the place where we first met Jr. and LuLu a year ago.
(And our family was able to tour the facility, see Jr. and LuLu's old rooms, and even visit with a worker the kids remembered.)






Wednesday, April 21, 2010

EpiCute!

Jonah found a great food website for me today and I just had to share a few photos from it:

http://epicute.com

(Thanks, Jonah!)

PS: Still baking bread. Loaf 27 and counting . . . brioche on for tomorrow.



I'm totally doing this next Christmas. Gingy!



For my 39th bday we had rainbow cupcakes--thanks to my culinary friends Mary and Whittney. This year I'm asking for rainbow pancakes. (Well, I'm also asking for Whitt to move back to Daybreak. I think it's the least she can do for her almost-middle-aged friend. Eeek!)



Bento mini-cooper. Or is it Herbie?



I'm not sure if this is cute or creepy, but it made me pause, so I guess that's good.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

One Year Ago Today

LuLu and Jr., April 2009.
(First morning in our family.)


A year ago today we became Jr. and LuLu's foster family.

365 days later, we are no longer a foster family; we are simply a family.

Well, a family with 2 parents, 6 kiddos, 4 pets, lots and lots of schedules, dishes, laundry, homework, and chatter.

I don't think I can really express--in one blogpost--what the last year has done for our family (or what it's been like).

I know that we've experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. But I think that's what a typical year is like for every family.

And as we sat around the counter this morning, all 8 of us, getting ready for the day and talking about "the one year mark," all I could think of was this:

We are better versions of ourselves for opening our hearts/lives to Jr. and LuLu.

And I pray, despite their genuine losses, that they are better versions of themselves for opening their hearts/lives to us.

Each of you kiddos, J, C, K, Jr., P, and LuLu--you're pretty incredible people. God has big plans in store for each of you, I'm certain.

Dad and I love you to the moon and back. Thanks for giving us the blessing of being your mom and dad.




************
PS for Dave:

I am so grateful I married you. I love you.


Monday, April 19, 2010

Recipe for Snicker Bar Salad (Yup, SALAD!)





I was watching a clip on YouTube with Paula Deen the other day (Food TV person) and the interviewer asked her, "How do you eat like this all of the time? It's so bad for you. At a time when Americans are overweight, out of shape, and eating so much processed food . . . . I mean, you make things like Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding and Deep Fried Macc-n-Cheese. How do you justify eating like that?"

To which Paula replied . . .

"Well, the way I see it is everything in moderation. If I were hit by a bus on the way out of this interview, I sure wouldn't want my last meal to have been a salad. I don't want some green leaf flying out of my mouth. No, I want to make sure I've had some potato salad, a burger, cake, somewhere in there."

And then she went on with her life and food philosophy.

She said, there are some things in life you eat or do once a week. Some once a month. Others just once a year. And a few . . . once in a lifetime is enough (she referenced a burger she makes using a donut for the bun here).

Anyway, I love that philosophy!

And I'm adopting it as of TODAY!

So, with that in mind I'm sharing SNICKER SALAD with you today--something you shouldn't eat once a week, but maybe once a year? Once a month?

You decide.

It looks yummy (thanks for giving me the tip, mom.)

Snicker Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 box French Vanilla Pudding (instant) Small Box
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 12 ounces, fluid Cool Whipped
  • 3 whole Granny Smith Apples
  • 3 whole Snickers Bars

Preparation Instructions

Chop apples and snickers bars.
Mix pudding and milk in large bowl. Fold in Cool Whip, Snickers, and apples.
Refrigerate at least 15-20 minutes before serving.