Dallas World Aquarium

During our Spring Break, which oh so coincidentally coincided with the cousins' Spring Break, we decided to test our luck at the Dallas World Aquarium. What does an aquarium have to do with luck, you ask? You obviously haven't tried to take my three chromosomally enhanced darlings anywhere with a crowd. I asked my mom and nieces to go with us so we'd have more fun and more pairs of eyes on the little girls in question.

The crowd was bad but not overwhelmingly so during the morning. We took a well-deserved lunch at a wonderful Mexican restaurant in the aquarium and emerged to find a WALL of people in the aquarium. My mom and I took one look at that mass and knew we'd be sunk if Vera or Emma wandered away, so we took some stairs down to the entrance.

We made our first crucial mistake about ten feet from freedom. We saw one of the very nice gift shops and decided to go in. Our second crucial mistake was letting Ella out of the stroller. Our third crucial mistake was not communicating clearly who was watching Ella.

You all know where this is going...in a mass of people we lost Ella in the gift shop and literally could barely move around to find her. Within about 5 minutes, Luke found her holding hands with a DWA employee and further tragedy was averted. Needless to say, we left, but only after purchasing a few trinkets for the kids. Sigh.

As I was recounting the story to my husband later, we came to the important conclusion that perhaps since we homeschool we should go to these places at some time other than Spring Break.


During our time there, Vera demanded to push Ella in the stroller. I'm sure those people around us wearing flip flops were not as happy with the situation as I was. If nothing else, it kept them near at hand.

Chandler, Alex, and Luke hamming it up.

Emma, Shelby, Vera, and Ella looking cute.


Emma proudly displaying the shark page she located in the map.

Anna, pondering eternity.

A hammerhead, pondering the thick glass that separated him from some good eatin'.

Alex, a friend, Chandler, and Song couldn't take their eyes off the sharks in the shark tunnel aquarium.

Alex, being eating by a faux Mayan alligator (?) outside the Mexican restaurant.

Monkey see, monkey do.

Last but not least, a happy face. All's well that ends well.

Random pictures

Vera holding one of our new, and unexpected, puppies, all of whom are black.
Song playing the air Guitar Hero, mentally trying to help Luke. Please note that Luke is not, repeat NOT, wearing a Texas Rangers hat. His cousins gave him a Dallas Cowboys hat and a Texas Tech hat and he actually wears them. It's a miracle. He has a rotation of hats now, so we only have to see and smell the Rangers hat every third day.
That Emma girl loves to dance, and she's quite dramatic. Prissy, actually.
More proof that school occurs in our household. Well, at least it's proof that we have a school room, school table, and some books, not to mention some goofy looking students.
Yes, we have tables, but apparently no beds. So, so sad. So, so cute!

Ella looks more comfortable this go-round, and you've gotta love those hot pink boots!
Song, the puppy's greatest champion. I promise she has other clothing besides the yellow vest, but she surely doesn't mind wearing it for several days in a row. Considering how big Mt. Laundry can get in our home, I surely don't mind her wearing it more than once! If only more of the children could stay clean enough...
I thought this was a pretty cool castle that Luke built. We've been studying Medieval history and were looking at castle layouts so Luke had to demonstrate his knowledge of the subject.

Anna's School

I recently 'rowed' A Pair of Red Clogs with sweet little Anna Blythe. Although I would say emphatically that the Five in a Row curriculum is complete, I was nonetheless able to add quite a bit of material to our study. A few years ago, I took the oldest three students on a trip around the world, educationally speaking, and one of the countries we studied was Japan. We therefore had quite a few books to look at, because A Pair of Red Clogs is set in Japan:

We really loved reading all about Japan and the religion and cultures and geography. I had hoped to do a particular craft with Anna, but it involved gathering bits and pieces of plants from outside, and it's been too cold and rainy for me to want to supervise! Maybe later....

See, I really am a homeschooling mom, and not just an adoption addict. Truly.

Jumping for joy!

Anna, Emma, and Alex, acting like the nuts they are!

Ella's Birthday!

Today we celebrate Ella's first birthday in our family. She is a big three year old who has had a big year. She was moved a couple thousand miles from home out of the rain forest, out of Spanish, away from the only mom she'd ever known, into a big family in hot Texas, a new language, and two parents who adore her. She has learned to walk this year and within a day of learning to walk she was trying to jump! I love that about her!



During Ella's celebratory lunch today, I asked the other kids what they liked about their youngest sister. Luke loves her kisses, Anna loves everything because Ella makes her happy, Song loves Ella's little giggle, Daddy loves the way she snuggles with him.

I am including a picture of the first time John held Ella in Cali at the orphanage, Ella's first smile back at the hotel, and a recent picture of our Colombian beauty.

Happy 3rd Birthday Mariella Camila!!! We love you!!!!

Luke, my first student

I have been pondering exactly how to introduce my first baby....long-awaited and miraculous to us! I think what is most amazing to me about Luke is his heart. You look at him and see a baseball/Lego/history loving boy and it is tempting to categorize him as just another 11 year old boy. Then, out of the clear blue sky, you remember that this child has a heart as big as Texas. I was reminded again as I was reading over one of his latest emails to his new penpal. Luke wrote about all the members of his family and I am going to copy it here (with corrected spelling):

Alex, 12, adopted from Russia, my only brother is four months older than me, he likes to sing, and likes video games, his favorite sport is tennis, but he isn't in a league. He's short, fast, extremely skinny, and can get annoying.

Song, 9, she is adopted from China, she likes animals, and plays softball and soccer, she's skinny(not as skinny as Alex) she's the right height for her age, and also likes video games.

Vera, 8, she has down syndrome(ask your mom what that is), adopted from Russia, and thinks she's a boy , she always wears mine and Alex's clothes, and thinks it's always her birthday! She's cool, and loves baseball, if she didn't have down syndrome, she would throw 50mph. She is short for her age, chubby, and very sweet, and entertaining, she makes us laugh!

Anna, 7, she's was my second sister, my first blood sister, she's chubby, a bit over weight, but hey me and Alex are her role models, that can be fun. She plays softball, and loves it! She likes action movies(like me), and likes movies if they have blood......weird for a girl.

Emma, 6, down syndrome, very funny, she's a 'prissy' girl as my mom puts it, she and Vera put on shows for us, which are always cute, and would be very smart if she didn't have down syndrome, but I like her with down syndrome, same for Vera and Ella.

Ella, 2, adopted from Columbia, down syndrome, our new family member, she's very cute, but don't let it fool you she bites pinches, and pulls hair, but she still can be sweet, she's now starting to walk, which is good, how could someone resist adopting her?

Jill(mom), 38, She is a great mom, I don't know how she keeps up with us? But sometimes she does get angry but she still loves us.

John(Dad), 45, My favorite person to play catch with in the world! I could talk to him about sports for hours, he loves football, but most of all he loves us, and that's what matters!

Luke(me), 11, and your penpal, I love baseball, like Lego's Video games, and I have two great parents, 6 wonderful siblings, and a fun penpal!

Ok, so he's funny and honest, too!

The first time I realized he wasn't just some ordinary little boy was the time he asked me why Vera's parents had abandoned her to the orphanage in Russia. When I told him they had put her in as soon as they found out she had Down Syndrome, he yelled at me, "There's nothing wrong with having Down Syndrome! Why did they do that to her! There's nothing wrong with her!!" And he strode angrily out of the room brushing away hot, mad tears.

John and I regularly say to each other "Luke is a dream." After three years of infertility we were ecstatic to have him. His names mean God's gracious gift and bearer of light, and both of those fit him perfectly.

Luke is my most interested student. He reads some of our history books for fun. In fact, he often reads ahead and helps me teach! I can't even count the number of times I have been talking about something and before I know it he has jumped up and found a book, gone straight to the page and is showing us the perfect illustration. Thank goodness he's in a homeschool...I'm not too sure a teacher at a school would think this was as wonderful as I do!

And one last thing....that Rangers hat on his head has only been off for church, special occasions, and sleep for the last 2.5 years (since November 14, 2004) and is slowly decomposing. Some kids have a blankie, Luke has a hat. He even carries it in the car when we go to church so he can wear it on the ride home.

Anna Banana

My firstborn baby girl came to us four months after returning from China with her big sister, Song. Anna often tells us she remembers China because she "peeked" while she was there in her mommy's belly.

Anna is a free spirit and very independent. If she didn't look so much like her father I would think the mailman left her for us. She is great about finding things to do around the house. Her favorites are playing with "Target animals." These are little animal figurines by Schleich that are now sold at Target. For a long time her favorite was a penguin, although the horses are not far behind. I will often walk upstairs to find herds of animals out all around the balconies.

Although she is independent, she is also a snuggler, much to her father's delight. On cold winter nights she makes a date with her daddy for snuggling in our warm bed after dinner, and she is relentless until he keeps the date!

Anna is also very concerned that she is included with the big kids of the family, whether by thought or deed. Although for years she was my girly girl, she decided that was just too babyish and traded in pinks and purples for greens and blues. When we adopted Vera, who is 10 months older, Anna was not very happy about having a big sister until we assured her that in our minds she was Vera's big sister. Once that was settled in her mind she was fine!

Anna has lately taken on the mantle of big sister in new and sweet ways. I find her frequently taking Emma and Vera to the school room and setting them up to draw and color. She speaks to gently to them, spending lots of time coloring alongside them. She tries to remind them of the rules of the house in a kind way, too. Her mommy could certainly learn from her!
I have no idea who took this picture, but it's so Anna! She always makes us laugh!!

You are beautiful, my sweet, sweet Song

I love this girl, my first daughter and self-appointed deputy-mom. Actually, I think I am often demoted to deputy-mom status and Song takes over, which would be a problem except that she does such a great job! I look forward to the day when she can flex those parenting muscles on her own children. I daresay they'll be an orderly bunch.

We are rapidly approaching Song's eighth Adoption Anniversary. This year has a new twist, because I am taking Song and her best friend/little sister Anna to Chinese Culture Camp for the first time, and it begins on her anniversary. We will be enjoying four days away from the hustle and bustle of life with seven children and really enjoying each other. Already we're dreaming of swims in the hotel pool, going to movies and out to eat and maybe even shopping!

Song is the resident naturalist of the family; she has always loved animals of any kind, with the possible exception of snakes. She truly believes she has a special rapport with our dogs and with her uncle's horses, and I'm not so sure she's wrong. She has great patience with them and tries to study them. At one point, her goal in life was to be a dolphin trainer, but I think the true goal was to get to spend time with her beloved dolphins.

Song is truly my right hand gal at home. I couldn't leave out the picture, below, of her with two of her charges, Emma and Vera. She always jokes that she "stole" Emma from me, and has worked hard to "steal" her newest little sister, Ella, from me, too. I think she has succeeded, as Ella often leaps from my arms into Song's sweet embrace.

Song's name is my favorite. I shouldn't play favorites, I know, but perhaps it is permissible with names. We had originally chosen a different name for our first daughter, but when we received Song's referral and found out that her name was Li Song Yue, I knew right away that Song should be her name, because it matched the song of joy that filled my soul when I first laid eyes on her referral picture. I love the way it has shaded the meaning of so many of the songs I hear, like the one mentioned in the title. Our sweet Song has endured many (bad) singings of "Song, song, blue" and "Sing, sing a song", for instance.

Song is a true little lady, a precious gift from God, and a beloved daughter, and one day soon, we pray, a sister in Christ.

Alex, my newly minted 12 year old!

Yesterday, we celebrated Alex's birthday. He was born twelve years ago in Vologda, Russia, the youngest of six children. He is now the oldest of seven! That sure adds up to a lot of siblings in the world. Alexander means "helper of mankind" and Alex has always lived up to that, and is a great helper of womankind, too!

Nine years ago, we received a huge packet of information about Alex, including videos and lots of pictures. Through tears I watched this little boy on the video, yearning to tell him "Happy Birthday--your family has found you and we're coming!!" I wish I could post those pictures here, but we certainly didn't have digital photos then. Just imagine a much rounder face and huge blue eyes.

Alex loves his birthday and talks about it as much as we'll let him as the day approaches. Fortunately, our family realizes just how important it is to him and they rally to celebrate it with him. Last night, we asked our whole family over and they all came, even the teenagers who normally have better offers! Alex was beaming, showing off his gifts to anyone and everyone who would listen.

The last year has been one with lots of growth in Alex as a student. His reading exploded and he spent hours and hours reading, something we never thought we'd see during those early years of struggle. He has willingly taken on more responsibility around the house, working diligently and with great care, as usual. He has discovered a love for ceramics and is thrilled to be taking a clay class this summer. Oh, and his hair has grown, too! I never thought I would let him have this longer hair, but he looks so cute in it that I find it hard to chop it off.

His greatest growth has been in his understanding and appreciation of the Bible. He has been eagerly waking each morning and rushing to read his Bible chapter and tell me all about it.

I can't wait to see what this last tween year holds in store for my oldest baby!

Another student of mine

This is my Emma. That's what she calls herself--My Emma, although it often sounds like My EEEEEmma. She was born to us six years ago in Calgary, Canada. As you can see in her picture, she is full of sugar and spice, sometimes heavier on the spice! She loves to pose with attitude!

Emma loves her sisters and brothers, and is a content little girl. She is so interested in learning her letters and numbers lately, and impresses me regularly with her knowledge of colors and shapes and life in general.

Emma is an enthusiastic helper, too. She like to help set the table and will occasionally even get us all water for dinner. Her motto in life is: Me, too! Nothing motivates my little girls with Down Syndrome more than an older sibling who's having FUN!

If Vera is the sparkle in our home, then Emma adds the sweetness. Her entry into our family paved the way for our adoptions of Vera and Ella, and for that we are eternally grateful to the Lord for His vision for our family.

One of my students

I just love this picture! Vera is convinced that she is a boy, and so I treasure any pictures of her girlish beauty and sweetness. She is my little czarina, adopted from the Russian Far East.


When Vera was 5 years old, we had the unspeakable privilege of flying three-fourths of the way around the world to scoop her up and bring her into her adoring family. We would not trade her gorgeous smile, stubborn ways, and infectious antics for anything. She is the sparkle in our family!

Vera is the Russia word for faith. Vera is not a name I would have chosen for my daughter, but I love its meaning. Vera is short for Veronika--true representation of God. Her life is a beautiful picture--representation--of God's grace and mercy. She was a seemingly hopeless case, a child with Down Syndrome living in a poor orphanage in a poor city in the middle of nowhere, destined for a hellacious mental institution. But God had a different trajectory in mind and we praise Him for that.

Now for the real Vera, covered in mud after an afternoon of playing in the sprinkler.