A Moment of Quiet

This morning, after getting Mackenzie up and off to school, then getting Daniel and Markos up, dressed, and fed, I sat at the computer to flip through the various blogs that I follow.  It was an especially loud morning for Markos (and that's saying something because that boy is LOUD all.the.time!)  It really grates on my nerves sometimes.  Actually, who am I kidding?  Most of the time! 

Anyway, I was enjoying a few moments of quiet reading on the computer until Markos came upstairs and began to screech and yell while playing right next to me on the floor.  I kept asking him to be quiet, but that seemed to just make him screech more.  While I attempted to quiet the deafening play, I was reading a heart-wrenching post by Linny at A Place Called Simplicity.  She is in Uganda right now and was posting about an encounter that she had.  Read it here.

Markos continued to yell at my side as tears began to roll down my cheeks.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him notice that I was crying.  He immediately got quiet and began to come closer and closer to my side, his eyes fixed on my face.  I tried, but failed, to stop the tears because I knew that he was concerned.   Then, in the softest, sweetest voice, he whispered, "Mommy, poor."  I picked him up and sat him on my lap facing me.  He looked into my eyes and again said, "Mommy, poor."  He wrapped both arms around my neck and hugged me as tightly as he could,with his head snuggled against my cheek, continuing to whisper, "Mommy, poor; Mommy, poor."

When Markos gets hurt, he rarely cries and if he does, it's only for a very short time.  I want him to learn that it's ok to cry, and now that he has a family, when he does, someone will notice and will respond.  So I frequently scoop him up when I see him fall or bonk his head, snuggle him close, and in an exaggerated, sing-songy voice say, "awww, poor Markos....poor Markos".  

Now, he was attempting to comfort me in that same way, but he had the words just a little mixed up.  I wiped my tears and assured him that Mommy was ok, that I had just read something sad, but I was ok.  He quietly held me anyway and continued to whisper "Mommy, poor".

No, my sweet boy, Mommy is not poor.  She is rich!  Blessed beyond belief to have been allowed to participate in God's Kingdom and bring you into our families' lives!

Sports Overload

Eegads!  I don't know how people with more than one child involved in sports do it - especially single parents!  Kuddos to them, that's all I can say!!  Eric and I have broken our rule of one or two activities for any one child and Daniel is now playing ice hockey, deck hockey, and lacrosse.  Good golly, it's a good thing I'm organized.

The worst part of the whole thing is that both ice hockey and lacrosse practices & games tend to mostly start at 6:00 pm, which means we're supposed to be there at 5:00.  Umm.  That's difficult when Eric's helping with lacrosse, but he doesn't normally get home most nights until 6:30 or 7:00, has an hour commute home from work, and some of the games are "away" games which require us to leave the house by 4:15 or so.

When is a family supposed to eat?!  With one child who is allergic to almost everything and another who hates most American food, this is no easy situation!  But, we're surviving....so far.  Granted, tonight was only the first lacrosse game and this week was the first week of ice hockey.  :-)  My biggest comfort at this point is that lacrosse is a short season and is over the first week of June.  One week down, 8 to go.

Daniel - #19 - ready to start the game

 

Game over - Bethel Park Hawks - 4, Canon MacMillion - 3 -  Woot!

Someone needs a bath (and a haircut!)

Dan had fun at his first game.  He played pretty well given that he really didn't totally know what he was doing.  The team is 3rd and 4th grade, but this year, they allowed 1st and 2nd graders to play on the team.  Dan is in 1st grade.  I was happy that they won their first game.  (Is it bad to admit that I was surprised, too, after seeing their practices!)  ;-)

Daniel is also on an older team for deck hockey.  (They also won their game,  on Saturday in a shoot-out.)  Daniel is 7, but we aged him up this session to play on an 8 - 10 year old team so he could stay with the same coaches that he's had the last 2 years.  (Oy.  Now that I think about it, this might be the season when he finally breaks a bone.  I'm still amazed that this has not happened as of yet!)

Markos wasn't really a fan of watching lacrosse.  Before we left the house, he was thrilled to be going to the game.   I think he was really just thrilled to be going in the "machina" (car).  He loves riding in the van - to anywhere.  He just loves being out and about.  When we first arrived, he was very excited about sitting in his new chair.

That wore off quickly.  Then he wanted to run around like a crazy child.  That wore off quickly (for his Emama!).  Markos threw himself on the ground a few times when I would attempt to restrain him from running out into the field (which he thought was a little funny at first).  His Emama, however, did not appreciate the tantrums or the extra mud that would be going home with us.

Therefore, Markos was eventually banished to his stroller where he could be strapped in.

I don't know about Daniel or Markos, but needless to say, I'm exhausted after his first lacrosse game!!!  If only Daniel didn't LOVE to play sports SO MUCH, then maybe I could say no.  But when your child plays hard, loves every second of it, is getting lots of exercise, and celebrates his shoot-out goals like this.....



how can you say no?

When Boys Play Dress-up

Both of our boys drive me slightly crazy (er, even more crazy) when they insist on seeing pictures on the camera every.single.time that I take a picture.  Seriously.  It's annoying.  I've decided recently though to just embrace their silliness in an effort to at least get the occasional really good picture in the midst of the silliness.  I have to admit that it's better to take four "silly pictures" for every one serious picture while they enjoy themselves, rather than deal with grumpiness, tears, anger, and flat-out refusals to have their pictures taken - which is what we dealt with (...and continue to deal with) with Mackenzie.

Tonight, the boys got into all their "dress-up" stuff.  They were insisting that I "take a picture", "take a picture", with every new outfit and every silly idea that they came up with.  I must say, the pictures are not the super adorable, sweet pictures that I have of Mackenzie when she was their age, wearing her little princess outfits, her dress-up shoes, her purses, hats, and necklaces, but they ARE cute....in a boy sort of way!  ;-)

Here they are, in all their boy-ness!

Markos as a knight

The obligatory "silly picture" following the knight picture

Daniel as a TMNT

Kenzie trying to get a hug

Daniel - still being a turtle

Daniel as a ??soldier??

My favorite of all the pictures!  Oh, the faces that Markos makes!!

I swear Daniel really isn't a violent kid, he just plays one in pictures!

Doesn't everyone feel the need to shoot firemen?  :-)

hee hee -- Another favorite

Do you see how happy Markos is about stopping the silliness for another hug?

Hmmm.  Interesting competition.  Hockey player vs. Knight

Take that!  A guitar to the head.  Thank goodness for helmets!

Yea.  They only pretend sleep.

And Markos doesn't really even pretend sleep very well!

But Markos DOES find Daniel to be hilarious!

The drama King

Do you see how concerned Eric is with all of this violence?

Homework I'm Happy Not to Help With

The older that Mackenzie gets, the less capable I am of helping her with her homework.  This is why (er, at least one of the reasons why) I'm grateful that I have a very smart husband who is a wonderful compliment to me.  You know -- I'm organized; he's creative.  I'm responsible; he's fun.  :-) 

Seriously though, given the fact that, for some reason when Daniel gets home from school, chaos breaks out every day and continues straight through until bedtime, I'm very happy to have a husband who is capable of and willing to help Mackenzie with things like projects and advanced math (which, just for the record, I could do back in the day.  However, my brain is now fried and it would take a lot of 'remembering' for me to be able to do it again, which means I'd definitely need more than 3 hours of sleep on average each night in order for it to happen and unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon!!)

Recently, the two of them have spent many hours out working in the new shed on her big science project which is due on Friday.  They're doing a physics unit and were required to design and make a Rube Goldberg machine.  If you don't know what that is, Wikipedia describes it as:

A Rube Goldberg machine, device, or apparatus is a deliberately over-engineered machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction.  The expression is named after American cartoonist and inventor Rube Goldberg.  Since then, the expression has expanded to denote any form of overly confusing or complicated system.

 As I read that definition, I have to chuckle just a little thinking that this was the PERFECT project for Eric to help with.  :-D

Anyway, they did a great job and had fun working on it together.  Dad/daughter quality time at it's best!  Mackenzie designed it, they tweaked her design together, came up with how to build it, and then went to work together.  It turned out very cool and they managed to get their first successful runs tonight and were able to videotape it for her class.  Good thing the teacher allows them to videotape any large projects or projects that can't easily be moved to the school.  I don't think they'd want to risk the mess with Mackenzie dropping Mentos into Diet Coke in the classroom.  Yep, leave it to Eric and Mackenzie to incorporate this into the machine.  It's cool, but if you ask me, a waste of some perfectly good Diet Coke.  (See?  This is why it's good that he helps with these things!)

And there you have it!

My Sweet Boy, Emama's Not Going to Starve!

 Just a short update on Markos' adjustment in the eating arena.  Thankfully, week by week, things are getting easier.  He's still extremely picky, but at least the fear of starving and the panic it brought about has disappeared.  I no longer have to continually offer Markos food.  He will come to me if he's hungry in between meal times.  He will also stop eating if he's full instead of cleaning his plate every time he's given food.  He will even choose playing over eating at times if he's having fun.

I no longer have to load his plate to overflowing with food, most of which I knew he wasn't going to like and therefore wasn't going to eat.  When he first came, he insisted on "tilick food"  (big food) every time I fed him.  If I only put a small amount on his plate for him to try, he would cry; insist on "tilick, tilick"; get angry; insist "NO TINNISH!"  (no little); swing at the table, at me, at his plate.  Now, he understands when I say, "try it and see if you like it.  You can have more if you like it."  He has even stopped checking, "tinnish, more?" when I do that - meaning, 'I will try just a little but I can have more, right?'.  I can now bargain with him over the foods that I know he likes to get him to try new things - ie. if you eat one bite of broccoli, you can have more baked beans.

Here are some of his favorites:

• bananas
• chicken nuggets & fries from Chick-fil-A (but ONLY from Chick-fil-A!  He "no like different chicken" - aka chicken nuggets from any other fast food restaurant)  :-)
• waffles (breakfast EVERY morning)
• dabbo (bread - but only the whole grain wheat bread or cinnamon bread)
• sega (meat - plain, cut up hamburgers)
• shy (hot tea - which he drinks every morning also)
• apple juice (thank goodness that we have been able to transition him to apple juice from the super thick mango juice and papaya juice that he drank when we first came home)
• Ethiopian food (I have almost used up that which I froze before we left so I guess it's time to make some more or to go back to the ET restaurant!)
• corn chips with spicy salsa (I have resorted to counting this as a vegetable.  If the schools can count ketchup as a vegetable, then I can count salsa!  I actually buy the all natural, organic salsa which contains nothing more than tomatoes, onions, peppers, vinegar, and spices so I think it's justified!)
• chicken with rice
• baked beans

He still hates:

• all things vegetable!  (seriously, I haven't found a vegetable yet that he will eat - aside from the previously mentioned 'salsa vegetable')
• most things potato (potato chips even repulse him, but he will eat fries)
• all dairy (he won't eat cheese, won't drink milk, doesn't like yogurt)
• onions and garlic (with a passion!!  He smells almost everything before he eats it and I am not kidding, if it has garlic or onion, he almost always wrinkles up his nose, makes his yuck face, and refuses to try it.  Only exception thus far - the salsa vegetable!)
• most new things or things that look different

So, it's going ok.  I'm praying it continues to get easier and he starts eating more soon because with Eric's food allergies and all of Daniel's food allergies, I really don't need another picky eater in the house.

But, here's the interesting thing that I have picked up on over the past few weeks.  Markos gets very concerned if I don't eat when he eats.  I noticed it a while ago, but didn't really put it together until recently.  If I give him lunch, and I'm not hungry but sit with him at the table, he will keep insisting, "Emama eat".  Even if he's eating his very favorite food and is hungry, he will try to give me some of his food.  "Emama eat!".  A week ago, I got out a bag of Twizzlers and there were only 3 left.  I had already eaten one before he came over, so I gave him the 2 that were left.  He was totally excited and happy to get the two, until he saw that there were none left.  Then, with a sad face, he gave me one of his, insisting, "Emama eat".  I told him it was ok, that he could have it, but he kept insisting, "Emama eat".  I told him I already ate one, that it was ok, but he was still insisting, "Emama eat".

I can see the fear and the hurt in his beautiful eyes when he says it - "Emama eat".  He knows hunger.  He's lived it.  He's had one Emama give her food for him and his brothers and sisters to eat.  He lost her.  He doesn't want to lose another Emama, so he'll give his food now.  Oh my poor sweet boy, this Emama's not going to starve.  Trust me.  I could stand to skip a few meals, but I'll be sure to do it when you won't notice so you won't worry about me.  I'm always happy to eat some chips and salsa with you!!  After all, it IS a vegetable, so it's healthy, right?!

Say Yes!!

Oh, how my heart breaks for children who don't have a family.

Say Yes!!

And this.....

Can become this....
 

This....

Can become this...

Say yes and be blessed!!

Blog Change & Brag Alert!

Here's the deal:  I realize this blog was started to allow our friends and family to follow along with our adoption journey.  Well, as of this past Thursday when I drove to the Social Security office with Certificate of Citizenship in hand and had Markos' official status of his Social Security number changed to that of "citizen", our adoption is now complete.  Therefore, the way I see it, there are 3 options: 

1) End the blog.
2) Only continue to post about Markos' adjustment and life with our family (which hardly seems fair when I have 2 other children!), or
3) Switch the entire blog focus over to being about our family as a whole.

Because I find that blogging is kind of fun, and it is a very easy way to share pictures and videos with our family and friends, and if I ever get inspired to start writing again, it will give me an avenue to do so, I figure that we'll go with Option #3.

Therefore, I bring you the first Brag About Mackenzie post!  :-)  If you were only here to read the adoption details, attempt to discern Ethiopia travel tips, or determine what you might be dealing with if you choose to adopt an older child, you might want to stop reading now.  If, however, you just like to read about other people's lives, families, kids and their accomplishments, read on!

Mackenzie is our oldest child.  She is super smart (as in, took the SATs as a 7th grader and scored higher than almost 60% of all college-bound Seniors in the state of PA); and she is very sweet (was just voted "Friendliest Student" by her 8th grade class for the yearbook).  She is also very quiet and shy, and, like her mom, HATES being in front of people or the center of attention.

Mackenzie started taking piano lessons in kindergarten.  She took for a few years, but then, due to a combination of dislike of practicing and a dislike of having to participate in recitals, she stopped taking lessons (much to her father's and my disappointment because she was very good and we loved that she was learning to play).  Thankfully, back in December, she decided that she wanted to start playing again.  We were thrilled.  Her previous instructor did not have any openings in her lesson schedule, so we found a new teacher.  Mackenzie is doing wonderfully and really enjoying playing again.  No longer do I have to nag at her to practice; Eric bought her a full-sized keyboard for her room so she was thrilled; and Mackenzie really likes the new teacher.

We made a deal when she started back - naively I said, "I really just want you to learn to play piano.  If you really, really do not want to participate in the recitals, we won't make you."  (honestly, I really didn't think that a lot of the teachers had recitals, so I didn't think it would be an issue.  Ha!)  So, we go to the new teacher's studio for the first lesson and after talking to the teacher and reading through all the materials she gave us, we discovered that she has not one, but two recitals a year AND she is a member of several different piano teachers' organizations and music organizations and therefore asks some of her students whom she thinks will do well, to participate in competitions throughout the year.  I was honest with her and told her of Mackenzie's dislike of performing in front of people and she assured us that she really tries to make sure that it's all very low-key and non-stressful.  (ummm...apparently, she doesn't know people who have a tremendous fear of  dislike being up in front of people like Mackenzie and I do).

Wouldn't you know that Mackenzie pretty much picked right back up where she left off with her lessons and, in less than a month, finished the lesson book that she was on and moved up to the next book.  So, her teacher asked her to consider participating in the Junior Festival held by the National Federation of Music Clubs and then tried to comfort her with the knowledge that, "well, you may as well, because our spring recital is the next day so you'll already have to learn two pieces to play for that the next day anyway".   (uh oh.)

Actually, I did honor my original proclamation and did tell Mackenzie that if she didn't want to do it that she didn't have to (although I might have urged her a LOT little to go ahead and do it).  I am happy to report that given her teacher's assurance that she would do very well and my encouragement (?) to go ahead and do it, she decided to participate in both. 

Yesterday, we drove to Westminster Presbyterian Church where she competed in the "solo piano" and "theory" competitions at the festival.  The theory portion was a written test on music theory.  For the solo piano portion, she had to memorize and play 2 pieces chosen from a list of acceptable pieces for her skill level and then she had to go into a room with a panel of 2 judges (neither of which was her piano teacher) and play the 2 pieces for them.  They then rate her in several areas and provide comments and feedback on her playing and give her a "rating".  Each rating is assigned a certain number of points, and as the students earn points through the years, they earn "Gold Cup" trophies of varying sizes.  The competition is only with themselves, for them to grow as musicians, NOT a competition against other musicians who are participating.

I went with Mackenzie to the festival and was allowed to go into the room with her.  I thought she did fantastic.  The first piece sounded perfect; the second piece had a very small error near the end, but it was not a glaring error at all and, being a non-musical person, I wasn't even certain it WAS an error, it sounded more to me like, 'hmmm, that sounded a little weird. I wonder if it was supposed to sound like that.'  She assured me that she was "horrible" and that "she messed up".  (yep - she got her perfectionism from me, too.  Poor thing.)

Today, we had her recital at Bethel Bible Church in Peters.

Mackenzie's recital

Thankfully, the instructor divides her students into two separate recitals so we don't have to sit through several hours of piano playing by a large number of students with a wide range of ability levels.  :-)
Kenzie did a great job again.  You can listen for yourself.




And, best of all, her teacher had the results of yesterday's festival already.  Mackenzie received the highest possible rating, "Superior", in both Theory and in Solo Piano, receiving the highest number of points possible for 2 events.  She only needs 5 more points to earn her first Gold Cup.

Kenzie receiving her "Superior" award certificates

OK, this proud momma is finished bragging about her daughter for the night.  (Although, in my defense, I was asked and did assure my mom and dad that I would record the recital for them to see, and besides, you didn't have to keep reading, YOU WERE WARNED!)

Mackenzie and Mrs. Priano relaxing after the recital