takin' a break from Matilda Jane

you know me...I love love love MJ! Love it! Have I said how much I love Matilda Jane?...well, you get the picture! But...for some reason, I'm just not in love with this season...and well, I've decided to skip this season and wait to see what Spring holds! I mean it's not that I've given up on ever buying MJ ever again, Heaven knows, Piper would collapse in anguish if she knew there were no MJ ruffles to wear(her absolute favorite thing), but in all honesty...the kids have enough clothes, I bought a ton of stuff on ebay and at a great consignment store (all from profits from selling the girls old stuff) that I just think they have enough stuff.

WAIT...did I just say that? "have enough stuff"....

The worlds gone mad!

Snowflowers on tourI know I know, I already posted this fantastic photo of the Snowflowers, but I've been in Hospital and I didn't have my photomummy groove on so I wasn't able to capture the girls before they toddled off to Colorado with Nana & Papa for a week of being spoiled rotten.

The grandparents arrived Saturday morning and left on Sunday with the girls. OMG..I was so brave, I mean, they were so brave. I was so worried that they might be homesick but so far they have been doing great with their 'peeps' out in Denver!

Needless to say...I miss them terribly...I haven't been away from Paisley EVER...not even overnight, so 7 days seems like eternity to me. I can't thank Nana & Papa enough though, I'm just not able to take care of the girls properly for at least six weeks, and their help is priceless. Next week...Poppy & Dede are flying in to help.

After that, well Mike will take a couple weeks vacation, and as for the last few weeks with 'lifting restrictions'...well, we don't have any help, but we'll fudge our way through...I hope!

Denver...watch out, the Snowflowers are a force to be reckoned with!

GO TEAM!

(photo by the talented Amy Lemaniak)

Just one final thought before I head for the hospitial this morning...Piper was invited to join the TEAM at Gymnastics yesterday. She doesn't know yet(they ask the parents first and give them ample time to decide). I'm so proud of her, we started gymnastics just over a year ago to help her find her 'physical center'...kind of a 'yoga' for her body with hopes that it would help 'center' her in other ways too. We figured that this kind of exercise would be good for that, and wow we really have seen a boost of confidence and self assurance and physical 'power & stability' in her. Not only does she shine when she is in class, but her whole being seems to come alive when she's out there.

I'm so proud of the youngest team member!

Ten Tiny Toes rocks the shizzle!

My friend Amy is starting her own photography business and I happily offered up the Snowflowers to her for her portfolio...lets just say...the chick has some serious talent!
Of course, Miss Piper come ALIVE like Frankensteins monster in front of the camera...
Paisley, well she prefers laughter over all other things!
Rockin' it 2 year old style!

Glammin' it up for the water shot...of course. This kid could sell ice to an eskimo with that face!

snowflower sisters...too sweet.

If you live in the Twin Cities I highly recommend

TEN TINY TOES PHOTOGRAPHY

Amy is a wonderful photographer with a real knack with the kiddos! I can't thank her enough for these wonderful shots of the girls! I'm suck a lucky Mummy.

TAKING A MEDICAL BREAK...

BACK SOON

THIS MAKES ME HAPPY!

This is the mission statement of Piper's new Chinese Immersion pre-K...it's makes me truly truly happy she will be learning in this environment even if it is only one day a week.

The mission of 'our school' is to prepare young people for responsible citizenship in our global community.

A responsible world citizen:
• understands and appreciates cultural diversity;

• communicates with confidence and cultural sensitivity in more than one language;

• responds creatively and critically to issues that transcend national boundaries;

• expresses empathy for neighbors in the global village; and

• promotes a world view of peace, justice and sustainability for all.

'our program' promotes individual responsibility for the world and its people by intentionally creating a supportive environment for people of all creeds, classes and nationalities.

The leadership, staff and young people enrolled in the programs reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of the world.

Because language education alone does not lead to the formation of world citizens, we teach language in cultural and global contexts.

Geography, history, political science, world religions, natural sciences, arts and international relations are drawn upon, creating learning situations that challenge participants to use language as a tool for understanding the complexities of the world around them and for regarding differences as opportunities for enrichment, not reasons for alienation.

How Will My Child Learn Another Language?
'the program' creates a community of learners in which opportunities to interact in a second language and experience other cultures permeates the program.

The ultimate goal of all programming is an immersion experience in language and culture that motivates participants to be lifelong learners and responsible citizens in our global community.

Can I hear an AMEN!

going private

I am thinking of taking this blog private. It's been a lot of fun over the past couple of years, but now that the girls are getting bigger I really want to restrict access to friends, relatives and some of our wonderful adoption family.

If you would like to follow along, please feel free to email or leave a comment, with blogger I believe you can invite 100 people to view.

Don't worry Mum & Dad...you are first on the list!

whaddya do?Piper has a new preschool. The class time is not my first choice, it's the afternoon slot. I'm really not super psyched about that, but it's okay, she'll manage. It's also not the day schedule I was hoping for...but again...beggars cannot be choosers.

Mon-Tues-Wed 12.30-3.00

Lets just say, it has been an absolute nightmare trying to find her someplace that will work for all of us. There were a few other options out there, but some were out of our price range or had zero availability.

We were able to get her into the Chinese Immersion pre-school on Friday mornings as well. So, it's going to be a crazy year. I'll be driving back and forwards a lot.

Of course, she still has gymnastics..the one thing that remains constant at this point.

Sadly, because she is in the afternoon program she will miss out on playdates with some of her old friends as they are going to school in the mornings. Hopefully though, she'll make a whole new group of buddies that are on the same schedule as her.

you aint gettin no schoolin'

Welcome to my world..the world of not sending your child off to pre-K in a neatly pressed skirt with gleaming new backpack and shiny black shoes.

Welcome to my world...the world of having spine enough to reject a school that puts a major fast food corporation(albeit a play one) into a place of learning and labeling it a 'creative play area',and reasoning that "we want the children to have something 'familiar' from the community so they feel comfortable"

Welcome to my world...where my beautiful smart child doesn't have 'school' today.

Welcome to my world...where what feels like 100 calls to other schools have netted NADA

Welcome to my world...where we don't have $13000 for pre-k at one of the best private schools around (reggio emilia inspired at that!)

Welcome to my world, the world of 'waitlists' and $800 a month 'alternatives'...

welcome to my big fat stinkin crappy world

but hey, what's going on in your world?

p.s. I posted this drawing of Piper by the magnificent Maia Larkin because it makes me happy, it makes me see that even without pre-K Piper will shoot for the moon, and if she misses she will land among the stars.

dynamo

this child is a miracle. she is wise beyond her years. she is spunky, articulate, funny, cheeky, and willful. She makes up songs, stories, and asks questions befitting of a 10 year old.

watch out world...Piper is coming!

Just to add...the gymnastics team coach called last night and has invited Piper to be part of a new program prepping for the team. Only one other little girl who is 5 will be in this class...the rest are 6-7-8 year olds. We are so proud of her.

FOUR YEARS AGO TODAY

We saw your face for the very first time.

and we fell in love forever.

Vive la Piper!

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

when it rains...it POURS

My baby has cellulitis. She has been complaining of a 'sore finger' for just over a week. She had a littl tear on her cuticle, we treated it, covered it with a bandaid and it healed.

She kept complaining about a sore finger...it looked perfectly fine. She has an addiction to bandaids, I thought she was playing me for more! Today, within 15 minutes her hand went from normal to red hot and swollen. I took her to the pediatrician. Apparently this happens very quickly, she couldn't find the 'entry' wound, it had already healed...

We have to check her at 12pm, 3am, 6am...if it has swollen anymore we need to take her to the ER.

talk about icing on the cake eh

poor Paisley.

SCHOOL-LESS

Most kids would be jumping for joy at the prospect, but Piper is royally bummed out.

As of 5pm today Piper is a child without a preschool. So much for preplanning 10 months in advance. A week before school starts we have made the decision to stand by our ethics and remove her from the school. After speaking with the Director of the preschool program we realized that they really didn't see the harm in the McDonalds 'creative play area' in the classroom and they refused to take it down or change it to something more generic. Because of the reaction to our concerns we feel this probably isn't the best fit for Piper or our family on many levels. Deep down I know I'm a Reggio Emilia lovin' girl, but we just don't have schools locally that follow the philosophies. I've known it for a few years now, it is very similar to how I was taught, how I was trained to teach and how I'd like to see my children learn. There are certain things I'd like to make sure my children experience in life, and I'm sure I'll face more challenges along the road. The moral of the story I guess is

"be the change you want to see"

it may not always work in your favor like in this case, but I hope that it inspires some thought on the matter, some discussion among the educators as to why we felt this was important enough to make a stand on. I have Piper waitlisted at the preschool in an area 15 minutes away, she will be attending the Chinese Immersion program in the same district next year so perhaps it's all for the best. If she doesn't get into the Tues/Thurs class then we will just enroll her in the Friday morning preschool Chinese program where she will be with many of the children who will go with her into the Kindergarten program. Other than that I might take a leaf out of my friend Tiffany's book and do a wee bit of Homeschooling.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Recent projections in the world of adoptions estimate that families who logged in their dossier with China in the latter part of 2006 will wait until 2015 before receiving a referral.

I'm sorry, but at what point in the process do agencies start understanding that the NSN program in China is no longer a viable option. It appears to me that China has opened up it's domestic adoption program considerably and that Chinese people are finally allowed to adopt abandoned or orphaned children.

I think thats FANTASTIC!

So why do they still offer a non special needs program internationally? I don't know? I'm completely and utterly confused by the whole thing.

If you have a potential wait of NINE years don't sign up!

I have a huge amount of sorrow and compassion for people who signed up in 2006 and into early 2007 but in all honesty, I find it hard to believe that the adoption agencies, the State department and CHINA found it okay to accept dossiers beyond that point.

In some countries, they have prohibited concurrent adoptions if you are waiting to adopt from China. Would someone please tell me how this makes any sense?

China still has a long way to go in regards to accepting and adopting it's children with special needs, so until that day arrives I think it's vital we still embrace the waiting child program.

just my 2c today.