Go FBI..Go, go FBI! Go FBI..Go, go FBI!
Yesterday, in the midst of all the pre-trip errands and craziness, we were thrilled to find our FBI fingerprint report came in the mail! Woohoo! And yes, it said there were "no records found" for either of us, lol.
While we will still probably plan on updating the I-800A just in case, its still good to not have to think about this for sure. I also felt a jolt of excitement because I know so many of you are waiting to hear from the FBI on fingerprints and this quick turnaround time is definitely encouraging.
So, at the very least, we have all we need to update our home study and file the extension if need be. I know we file the I-800 once we return, but it'll be tight to our expiration date and since the filing of the I-800A extension is free (and we paid for all the fingerprints and the home study update, oy), we figure we might as well plan to do that if need be.
Still, very encouraged that the FBI seems to be humming well right now! Oh well, back to packing, planning, laundry, and errands!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails.....IT'S A BOY!!
As you can guess from the title of the post, we indeed received a referral for a sweet 7 year old little boy! It was back in March we actually got the call from Lina but it wasn't until we had actual travel dates did I feel even remotely confident about posting the news. I think I was being overly cautious and possibly simply scared to broadcast the news in case it fell through (based on how things have been the last year for so many adoptive friends, it seemed possible for some inexplicable reason). Still, now that we have the dates and are on the schedule, I can say that its really happening!
Its funny about the timing too...of both calls. With the first one that actually offered us the referral, it fell almost to the day that our first child would have been born. With the second, it was just when we had started to relax and thought things would happen in a certain way etc. reminding me again, you can't plan life to much and it will always come around to surprise you!
Forgive me if this post is long, but I felt like I wanted to document it all. :)
A little back story.....I was pregnant once before we had Case and at 10 1/2 weeks, we discovered the fetus' heartbeat had stopped. It was devastating. The next day, I had a D&C and we mourned the loss. It was about 3 months later that I found out I was pregnant with Case. The thing is, even though we were thrilled to be pregnant again and to later have a healthy, wonderful child, I never forgot that first pregnancy nor its due date, which was early March. So when we got the call, my thoughts immediately went to that. I wasn't sad though. It just felt surreal and...strangely serendipitous.
The day was a Friday, when Case had his first dance at school. We dropped him off like all the other kids and went to get the car washed (big date night, I know). We then went home because the dance only lasted 1 1/2hrs and we really didn't have time to do much anyway. That was when Lina called and told us about our new little one. To say we were stunned was an understatement. And even when we saw his picture, we didn't have that immediate emotion reaction you hear about- but I think that it was mostly because we were in shock it was even happening. Still, after looking at his picture for a bit and reading his short bio/information, we knew this was right. We knew God was leading us to this very child. There was no doubt. We responded back to Lina within about 30 minutes.
Then the next part- telling Case. We decided before we went back to the dance that we should probably wait until the next day because the following morning he had a district math-a-thon competition and if we told him, he would be totally distracted. It was a hard secret to keep but it made the difference because Case won the algorithms competition for 4th grade in the county and placed in problem-solving, coming in 5th. He was completely relaxed and had a great time.
We decided to tell him once we got home. I cued up the computer so that he could click once, and the pictures Magda sent us would appear. I told him what to do and he did it and while he was looking at the screen, I said "that's your new brother". And then.....he just sat there. I mean, sat there. No screaming, no words, no gasp. No reaction..at...all. I totally expected a huge smile, a yell, or anything since he has been excited about the process. I asked him if he was alright and he replied he was. I said "Are you ok? What are you feeling?" and he said "I'm ok....I just can't...believe it. I mean, we waited so long". My heart just melted for him. Here was this sweet child who wanted nothing more than to be a an older brother and now the moment was truly real! It was actually a sweeter response than I could have ever dreamed because it was so incredibly heartfelt and tender. A really great moment.
I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but instead I felt protective over the information until the details started to fall into place. We formally accepted the referral and sent the notarized papers to Lina and then we had to wait to hear. We were pretty open to travel except for the week right before Easter because we had our Disney trip and just refused to give that up after we had planned it so long ago. Lina said that was fine because the Central Authority didn't do much during the week before Easter so it seemed to work out perfect. We thought we would have about 3-4 weeks notice and it would all fall into place just right, with Case not missing testing and Brian having enough time to schedule surgeries etc. Still, as the days and weeks passed and we didn't get our travel dates, we started to wonder and I started to worry about the trip running into Case's state assessment tests and other end of the year things. And then, the first night we got to Disney World, just as we checked in at Kidani Village in Animal Kingdom Lodge and had literally sat down, we got the call.
Talk about stressful! We were told they wanted us there in 2 weeks!! AND we would have to be there for Monday-Friday. Why? Who knows. So much for a quick trip, lol. Our son-to-be is in foster care so maybe it has to do with their schedule, maybe it has to do with the fact he attends school. Or maybe its completely "just because". Regardless, we knew we had to get there and did not know how we would do it on such a short notice without spending thousands of extra dollars. It definitely made for a very stress-filled time at the "happiest place on earth".
We threw around options and did some searches for flights and things were not looking good. In fact, they stunk! Not only were flights filling up and we risked not even being able to sit together, but Brian is 6'4" so we really wanted some sort of extra legroom for the long flight part. But there was simply not much at such a late date and we were looking at spending a ton of money. Lina gave us the name of a travel agent that could help us but I'm not sure if it was a timing thing (since it was the weekend) or something else, but she didn't get back to us quickly and we decided to take the bull by the horns. I know, its probably that we (and by that I mean "me") are control freaks, but I couldn't stand not having plans in place when we were looking at leaving in 2 weeks and flights were filling up!
So Brian and I stayed up late, late, late on last Saturday night and after talking to a wonderful agent from Delta, we got good flights with extra legroom seats that were together, and saved about $900/ticket! It made for a l-o-o-n-g day at Epcot, but it was worth it for sure. For peace of mind, if nothing else. Now, Delta wasn't our first option for flying overseas, but you know what? At that point, I didn't care. It allowed us to continue our vacation at Disney with one less burden and let us focus on Case and the fact this will be the last time we will be there as a "3" some. And that fact brought about two very poignant times during the vacation.
First, during that whole flight scheduling process was when we thought that maybe it might be too expensive to take Case. We were freaking out and I was thinking about being away for him for so long (which I have not done since he was born). It was crazy. But Case was devastated when he thought he couldn't go. When we saw that, we assured him there was NO way we were leaving him home and he would most definitely be coming along. He was so happy and I saw genuine relief on his face. I knew we would have mortgaged the house if need be because it was so very important to him.
The second was when we were leaving Animal Kingdom Lodge yesterday. He said that he was sad to be leaving and I agreed, but that we had alot to look forward to with the trip to Poland coming up. Then he said something I'll never forget. He said "but I just loved the alone time I have with you both and I'm afraid I'll never have it again". I was stunned because he has never mentioned that before, even when I asked him about it and talked to him about it. It kinda came out of the blue and when I looked at him, my heart broke because he had tears in his eyes. By then I did too. I reassured him that we were there for him whenever and wherever he needed us and even with another child, that would never change. I told him he will always be my baby and that we will always share a special bond nothing can break. He seemed relieved and said he felt better, and I am resolved to love him even more during this whole process.
So...as it stands, the plan is to fly out in a week, arrive in Warsaw where we will stay 2 days (counting the one we fly in on) and then head north to Olsztyn to meet our son. We are excited and honestly, a little petrified of the whole excursion. I mean, we are good travelers but I'm nervous about presenting myself well (Brian and Case will be great) and that the little guy will take to us. We got some gifts in Disney for both him and the foster family (as a thank you) so hopefully that will break the ice and he'll love it. Its a Tigger so that has to work, right? I mean, Tigger rocks! Still, the next week should prove daunting as we unpack from one trip and re-pack for another. I need to shop for some clothes, take care of various things, and prepare myself for the biggest change in my life since the birth of my son. Not a small task, but I think I can do it.
Until the next time, take care all!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Fingerprinting UPDATE
Ok, so when I last posted, I was basically complaining (well, there is probably a more accurate word for it but I'll keep the blog rated G, lol) about the fingerprinting process etc but I felt I need to give an update of how the saga played out, and also a mea culpa for something great that happened to us when getting them done.
In the last post, I said I was on my way to get my prints done. Ah, the best laid plans.... I got to our local police station- yes, the same one that had some blabbermouth gossip about us- and after I paid for the fingerprints, they told me that oops, I had just missed the time frame they did them in by a few minutes. Now let me set the stage here. This is NOT a huge city and it is basically quiet downtown like all the time. Its not quite Petticoat Junction, but its close, lol. Anyhow, after the woman behind the plexiglass told I missed their 3pm cutoff by a few minutes, I see that there were 3 cops sitting around inside the office just shooting the....well, I'll say breeze. I said, looking at them directly, "So there isn't anyone available that can help me out?". Without even checking, she just replied "Nope". And then added that they only do their fingerprinting from 10-3pm Tues and Thurs so I would have to wait 5 days to come back. Yea, thanks, that's totally convenient. Maybe I'm crazy and this is totally rhetorical, but how exactly are people that work (ie my husband) supposed to make it down there then to get things like that done with those awesome hours? Anyway, I asked if I could get a refund for the prints (I paid at the clerk's office) and she actually had the gall to say "Ooo, I don't think so". Um...huh?
Frustrated and a little freaked because we need to get these FBI fingerprints in, I did the only thing I could think of- I got on my iPhone and found the number to the Clemson Police Department, the next town over. Now, Clemson isn't huge either but it was a world of difference in professionalism. I called (after leaving a lengthy, non-G rated, rant on my husband's voicemail about our local law enforcement, lol) and talked to an incredibly nice woman who said we could come in on Friday (the following day) and they were open from 8-4:30. Hallelujah!! This seemed like it would work out perfect because we were on our way to Columbia, SC for the Lego League State Competition and we would literally drive by it on our way. My husband was off work so my anxiety eased and I focused on getting everything together for the next day.
Of course....things didn't go as planned. We got to the CPD and it was very quiet and clean in there- only us in the waiting area. I thought "Awesome". And then, the other show dropped. Just as we walked up to the desk, we saw a paper up saying we had to bring our own blue fingerprint card in to have them done. Um, what? I wasn't happy at all since we didn't have to do that previously. To make sure, my husband went up to ask the desk sergeant, Officer Maw, who ended up being our angel.
Officer Maw is a kindly, round-faced little man with a soft southern drawl. He explained that usually organizations that want full prints send you in with the card and so they didn't keep them there because the cards were too difficult to get from the FBI (hmm, see a pattern there?). I said "Well the FBI didn't give us one and we have no idea where to get one. We are adopting internationally and not applying for a job etc so we don't know where to get one even". Officer Maw said, "I'm sorry but you need a card". At that point, I was bordering on potentially falling into a full-on rant- albeit a quiet, controlled one- about the federal government and how it they didn't seem to support local law enforcement, blah blah blah. I told the officer we didn't blame him at all, but that it was really frustrating for people that are just trying to do the right thing and whose only goal is to provide a child with a happy home (as you can see, I was on a roll by this time). He agreed and then asked us to wait a second.
As Officer Maw left the office for a second, I turned to Brian and said "Can you believe this? I can't stand the FBI!" He joked that I should be careful because Big Brother could be listening so I laughed and repeated it again, a little clearer so the mics could pick it up. Ok, we were kidding an trying to make the best of the situation, but we were frustrated.
Then Officer Maw came back in the office with...........................two blue fingerprint cards. He said he went and "scared up a couple" because he could tell we were "good kids". I was literally stunned to silence. After recovering myself, I thanked him profusely and apologized if I seemed frustrated because it had nothing to do with him. He chuckled and said he knew that. I wanted to hug him!
He had us fill them the forms and then took us back himself to print us. Even here, the station was brighter and cleaner than the one in our little downtown and unlike the other station, he didn't make us go to where criminals get printed; he took us to a special area. He did two great sets and was happy and chatting the whole time. He showed Case and us about the different fingerprint markings- whirls, swirls, humps, etc- and was all-around awesome. And he answered an important question I posed in the last post about why they can't just run our prints again. He said not only do people's prints change due to injury or cuts etc (duh, I should have known that), but people actually purposely do things to change them to help them in a life of crime. I looked and Brian and said "See, that's why we would make terrible criminals- that wouldn't even have crossed our minds." We all laughed.
After we got done, I asked him what we owed him. He smiled and said "You don't owe me a thing. This is on me". I almost cried. I told him that we were going to write a letter to his chief of police and tell him how wonderful he was (without going into specifics of course because I don't want him to get into trouble, lol). Brian has treated ALOT of officers in both police departments (ortho problems and injuries in the line of duty), always working them in. Just like them, we are happy to acknowledge and praise anyone that goes above and beyond and this quiet desk sergeant definitely did. He was so humble we would write a letter on his behalf and thanked us. No, THANK YOU OFFICER MAW- you were definitely an angel sent from above!!
So, the fingerprints have been sent and received at the FBI (hopefully the FBI won't reject them) and my faith in human decency is again restored. And I am busy writing a letter to the chief of the Clemson Police Department about one wonderful man who made all the difference in the world to us. I think maybe I'll call too.
In the last post, I said I was on my way to get my prints done. Ah, the best laid plans.... I got to our local police station- yes, the same one that had some blabbermouth gossip about us- and after I paid for the fingerprints, they told me that oops, I had just missed the time frame they did them in by a few minutes. Now let me set the stage here. This is NOT a huge city and it is basically quiet downtown like all the time. Its not quite Petticoat Junction, but its close, lol. Anyhow, after the woman behind the plexiglass told I missed their 3pm cutoff by a few minutes, I see that there were 3 cops sitting around inside the office just shooting the....well, I'll say breeze. I said, looking at them directly, "So there isn't anyone available that can help me out?". Without even checking, she just replied "Nope". And then added that they only do their fingerprinting from 10-3pm Tues and Thurs so I would have to wait 5 days to come back. Yea, thanks, that's totally convenient. Maybe I'm crazy and this is totally rhetorical, but how exactly are people that work (ie my husband) supposed to make it down there then to get things like that done with those awesome hours? Anyway, I asked if I could get a refund for the prints (I paid at the clerk's office) and she actually had the gall to say "Ooo, I don't think so". Um...huh?
Frustrated and a little freaked because we need to get these FBI fingerprints in, I did the only thing I could think of- I got on my iPhone and found the number to the Clemson Police Department, the next town over. Now, Clemson isn't huge either but it was a world of difference in professionalism. I called (after leaving a lengthy, non-G rated, rant on my husband's voicemail about our local law enforcement, lol) and talked to an incredibly nice woman who said we could come in on Friday (the following day) and they were open from 8-4:30. Hallelujah!! This seemed like it would work out perfect because we were on our way to Columbia, SC for the Lego League State Competition and we would literally drive by it on our way. My husband was off work so my anxiety eased and I focused on getting everything together for the next day.
Of course....things didn't go as planned. We got to the CPD and it was very quiet and clean in there- only us in the waiting area. I thought "Awesome". And then, the other show dropped. Just as we walked up to the desk, we saw a paper up saying we had to bring our own blue fingerprint card in to have them done. Um, what? I wasn't happy at all since we didn't have to do that previously. To make sure, my husband went up to ask the desk sergeant, Officer Maw, who ended up being our angel.
Officer Maw is a kindly, round-faced little man with a soft southern drawl. He explained that usually organizations that want full prints send you in with the card and so they didn't keep them there because the cards were too difficult to get from the FBI (hmm, see a pattern there?). I said "Well the FBI didn't give us one and we have no idea where to get one. We are adopting internationally and not applying for a job etc so we don't know where to get one even". Officer Maw said, "I'm sorry but you need a card". At that point, I was bordering on potentially falling into a full-on rant- albeit a quiet, controlled one- about the federal government and how it they didn't seem to support local law enforcement, blah blah blah. I told the officer we didn't blame him at all, but that it was really frustrating for people that are just trying to do the right thing and whose only goal is to provide a child with a happy home (as you can see, I was on a roll by this time). He agreed and then asked us to wait a second.
As Officer Maw left the office for a second, I turned to Brian and said "Can you believe this? I can't stand the FBI!" He joked that I should be careful because Big Brother could be listening so I laughed and repeated it again, a little clearer so the mics could pick it up. Ok, we were kidding an trying to make the best of the situation, but we were frustrated.
Then Officer Maw came back in the office with...........................two blue fingerprint cards. He said he went and "scared up a couple" because he could tell we were "good kids". I was literally stunned to silence. After recovering myself, I thanked him profusely and apologized if I seemed frustrated because it had nothing to do with him. He chuckled and said he knew that. I wanted to hug him!
He had us fill them the forms and then took us back himself to print us. Even here, the station was brighter and cleaner than the one in our little downtown and unlike the other station, he didn't make us go to where criminals get printed; he took us to a special area. He did two great sets and was happy and chatting the whole time. He showed Case and us about the different fingerprint markings- whirls, swirls, humps, etc- and was all-around awesome. And he answered an important question I posed in the last post about why they can't just run our prints again. He said not only do people's prints change due to injury or cuts etc (duh, I should have known that), but people actually purposely do things to change them to help them in a life of crime. I looked and Brian and said "See, that's why we would make terrible criminals- that wouldn't even have crossed our minds." We all laughed.
After we got done, I asked him what we owed him. He smiled and said "You don't owe me a thing. This is on me". I almost cried. I told him that we were going to write a letter to his chief of police and tell him how wonderful he was (without going into specifics of course because I don't want him to get into trouble, lol). Brian has treated ALOT of officers in both police departments (ortho problems and injuries in the line of duty), always working them in. Just like them, we are happy to acknowledge and praise anyone that goes above and beyond and this quiet desk sergeant definitely did. He was so humble we would write a letter on his behalf and thanked us. No, THANK YOU OFFICER MAW- you were definitely an angel sent from above!!
So, the fingerprints have been sent and received at the FBI (hopefully the FBI won't reject them) and my faith in human decency is again restored. And I am busy writing a letter to the chief of the Clemson Police Department about one wonderful man who made all the difference in the world to us. I think maybe I'll call too.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Fingerprinting....again
Well, today I'm off to get fingerprinted again for the FBI. Since we have had no referral activity and our deadline is looming for our I-800A, it appears we are going to have to do an update of our homestudy and file an extension. Because there are truly no better words, this really sucks. I was so hoping that we would have been offered a referral by now since we had such a "golden" dossier- according to the agency- and are requesting an older child- of which, there are many we have heard first hand. So yea, it stinks. I mean, is the $18 per fingerprinting clearance going to financially strain us? No, but its the principle behind it all. Plus, I know there is alot of addition fees for the homestudy update and all the state clearances which just irritate me. ARGH!
And on that note, wth is wrong in our government that we STILL don't have agencies talking to one another??! I would think that when we file for an extension, we should be able to get a second biometric fingerprint appointment (which apparently we will also need since our biometrics will expire before we would complete any adoption) which would provide us both clearances!! But noooo, we have to send one to the FBI and still go to the DHS. Too logical and efficient I guess. DOUBLE ARGH!
Sorry for the venting, but seriously- I. Am. Ticked. Its bad enough that my son is super disappointed that he hasn't met his brother yet and we haven't been able to plan a real vacation in....well, a while; but to be charged alot of extra money too because things slowed down due to some people that decided to screw with the process and try to undermine our awesome agency? Look at me- I'm so mad I'm writing horrific run-on sentences!!
Ok...positive thinking....positive thinking....
On the flip side, I have to say I'm a little happy we aren't currently in Poland right now in the prolonged bonding period. Apparently, there have not only been blizzards across much of the country, there have been floods too. My husband has a patient that said the Danube on Poland's southern border flooded, froze, and then rose again breaking off huge ice chunks sending them downriver and destroying bridges, riverside businesses and restaurants, etc. Wow. Although it does stink to not have met our son yet, I must say weather-wise I'm happy to be enjoying 70 degree weather today in the South.
Silver lining, right? Well its still a little tarnished for now but hopefully it'll shine soon enough. Until then, I'm off to the police department for prints....
And on that note, wth is wrong in our government that we STILL don't have agencies talking to one another??! I would think that when we file for an extension, we should be able to get a second biometric fingerprint appointment (which apparently we will also need since our biometrics will expire before we would complete any adoption) which would provide us both clearances!! But noooo, we have to send one to the FBI and still go to the DHS. Too logical and efficient I guess. DOUBLE ARGH!
Sorry for the venting, but seriously- I. Am. Ticked. Its bad enough that my son is super disappointed that he hasn't met his brother yet and we haven't been able to plan a real vacation in....well, a while; but to be charged alot of extra money too because things slowed down due to some people that decided to screw with the process and try to undermine our awesome agency? Look at me- I'm so mad I'm writing horrific run-on sentences!!
Ok...positive thinking....positive thinking....
On the flip side, I have to say I'm a little happy we aren't currently in Poland right now in the prolonged bonding period. Apparently, there have not only been blizzards across much of the country, there have been floods too. My husband has a patient that said the Danube on Poland's southern border flooded, froze, and then rose again breaking off huge ice chunks sending them downriver and destroying bridges, riverside businesses and restaurants, etc. Wow. Although it does stink to not have met our son yet, I must say weather-wise I'm happy to be enjoying 70 degree weather today in the South.
Silver lining, right? Well its still a little tarnished for now but hopefully it'll shine soon enough. Until then, I'm off to the police department for prints....
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Night at the Wax Museum
Ok, this post has basically nothing to do with the adoption but I felt like blogging about it :)
The other night, Case's 4th grade had their annual social studies night at the school. Over the last month or so, the kids have been studying the Revolutionary War and had chosen an important person from that time frame on which to write a report and give an oral presentation in class. They had all the usual suspects- Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John or Abigail Adams, Betsy Ross, Paul Revere, King George III, Benjamin Franklin- as well as some lesser known ones- like Mercy Otis Warren, James Otis, Mary Ludwig Hays, Phillis Wheatley, Peter Salem, and Samuel Abraham- Case however chose that rabble rouser, turned protester, turned patriot, turned statesman Samuel Adams- great choice for him!
From the get go, he has been totally into the assignment, researching a bunch on the internet and in the library. After writing their reports, the project culminated in the "wax museum" during social studies night. So what is a wax museum you ask? Basically, the kids dressed up as their special person and became a "statue" that would give short speech, when prompted, about their character. The kids arrived all dressed in various costumes and looking so cool. The parents waited in the cafeteria while the teachers got them in place throughout the hallways in the school. The kids stood still, held out their hands with a "button" (an orange circle of styrofoam that said "Press here"etc), and when people pressed the button, they recited their little speech while in character.
It was awesome and Case ROCKED Samuel Adams! He as animated, funny, and personable when his "button" was pressed and couldn't be broken when he was standing still as a statue (and lots of kids and even his teachers tried to get him to smile!). When we talked about how you do it, we told him to just think of Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Musuem when he morphs back into a statute at dawn. He totally nailed it. In fact, he was so still and statue-like that one time he locked his knees and started to feel faint (he was so into acting his part to perfection!). Luckily, we realized he looked a little pale and we opened a window and had him take some water sips and he was fine. But even then, I had to press his "button" before he would move to take more sips, lol. Talk about dedication! Maybe we'll have to get him involved with some plays in the area because he had a blast!
Here are some pictures from that night:
The other night, Case's 4th grade had their annual social studies night at the school. Over the last month or so, the kids have been studying the Revolutionary War and had chosen an important person from that time frame on which to write a report and give an oral presentation in class. They had all the usual suspects- Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, John or Abigail Adams, Betsy Ross, Paul Revere, King George III, Benjamin Franklin- as well as some lesser known ones- like Mercy Otis Warren, James Otis, Mary Ludwig Hays, Phillis Wheatley, Peter Salem, and Samuel Abraham- Case however chose that rabble rouser, turned protester, turned patriot, turned statesman Samuel Adams- great choice for him!
From the get go, he has been totally into the assignment, researching a bunch on the internet and in the library. After writing their reports, the project culminated in the "wax museum" during social studies night. So what is a wax museum you ask? Basically, the kids dressed up as their special person and became a "statue" that would give short speech, when prompted, about their character. The kids arrived all dressed in various costumes and looking so cool. The parents waited in the cafeteria while the teachers got them in place throughout the hallways in the school. The kids stood still, held out their hands with a "button" (an orange circle of styrofoam that said "Press here"etc), and when people pressed the button, they recited their little speech while in character.
It was awesome and Case ROCKED Samuel Adams! He as animated, funny, and personable when his "button" was pressed and couldn't be broken when he was standing still as a statue (and lots of kids and even his teachers tried to get him to smile!). When we talked about how you do it, we told him to just think of Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Musuem when he morphs back into a statute at dawn. He totally nailed it. In fact, he was so still and statue-like that one time he locked his knees and started to feel faint (he was so into acting his part to perfection!). Luckily, we realized he looked a little pale and we opened a window and had him take some water sips and he was fine. But even then, I had to press his "button" before he would move to take more sips, lol. Talk about dedication! Maybe we'll have to get him involved with some plays in the area because he had a blast!
Here are some pictures from that night:
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| Case as "Samuel Adams"- he was channeling his inner Night at the Museum |
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| Captivating his audience! |
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| Case's friend and soccer buddy Trey as "King George III"- he was awesome! |
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| Another friend, Joshua, as George Washington |
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| Case's best bud Davis aka "Francis Marion, 'The Swamp Fox'" |
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| Hallway shot |
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| Hallway shot |
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| Taylor aka "Abigail Adams"- she was precious! |
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Going to State!
Hi all!
Today was a super exciting day for Case! All day today, his elementary school Lego League team competed in their regional competition. They competed against other elementary schools, middle schools, private Christian schools, and even a group of homeschoolers.
As you may have read in my post last week, Case and his team (the Mr. Nicer Nisins) have been working for about 3-4 months on their project and the accompanying robotic challenge where you use legos to build the obstacles etc. In fact, he has stayed after school until at least 5pm every night for the past two weeks working on this. Well, it obviously paid off because they came in FIRST PLACE today in the project presentation and scored very high on both the core values and the robotic challenge.
Here is a great picture one of our parents got at their moment of victory in a robotic heat (Case is the one with both hands raised on the right)!
Holy cow, we could not be more proud of this team and especially of our little man's contributions! It was his research and understanding of the composition of a fairly complex biochemical bacteriocide (for 4th grade!) and its actions and use that helped them beat everyone! The look of pure pride, absolute joy, and total accomplishment was the best!
The challenge this year is called Food Factor, and focuses on our food chain and how to get food safely from "field to fork". Teams have to choose some aspect that is problematic, research it, and then come up with a viable solution and again research to back up their ideas. It's a theoretical application, but they learn so much. This fall, after the cantaloupe scare and Listeria outbreak in Colorado, they decided to look at how they could make this fruit- its crop, harvest, and storage- safer. The idea they developed is so cool, utilizes an naturally occurring, organic compound that has been proven safe for humans, and is totally cost effective. I won't go into it, but suffice to say, its a great concept and the judges were blown away today! They were awarded first place and that vaulted them on to the State competition in Columbia, SC! We are thrilled for him and grateful he has these types of experiences at his elementary school. The downside is, I'll probably never eat cantaloupe again, but that's ok :)
Here are the Mr. Nicer Nisins (complete with their cool hats, beads, and buttons they made and traded with other teams):
Until next time,
-L :)
PS:
I posted videos in the last post about what FIRST is, of which Lego League is the first step. If you didn't watch them, please do- they are really interesting! Its for boys AND girls (there was an all-girl team that moved on to State as well today) and I highly encourage you to get your kids involved if there you have a local team!
Today was a super exciting day for Case! All day today, his elementary school Lego League team competed in their regional competition. They competed against other elementary schools, middle schools, private Christian schools, and even a group of homeschoolers.
As you may have read in my post last week, Case and his team (the Mr. Nicer Nisins) have been working for about 3-4 months on their project and the accompanying robotic challenge where you use legos to build the obstacles etc. In fact, he has stayed after school until at least 5pm every night for the past two weeks working on this. Well, it obviously paid off because they came in FIRST PLACE today in the project presentation and scored very high on both the core values and the robotic challenge.
Here is a great picture one of our parents got at their moment of victory in a robotic heat (Case is the one with both hands raised on the right)!
Holy cow, we could not be more proud of this team and especially of our little man's contributions! It was his research and understanding of the composition of a fairly complex biochemical bacteriocide (for 4th grade!) and its actions and use that helped them beat everyone! The look of pure pride, absolute joy, and total accomplishment was the best!
The challenge this year is called Food Factor, and focuses on our food chain and how to get food safely from "field to fork". Teams have to choose some aspect that is problematic, research it, and then come up with a viable solution and again research to back up their ideas. It's a theoretical application, but they learn so much. This fall, after the cantaloupe scare and Listeria outbreak in Colorado, they decided to look at how they could make this fruit- its crop, harvest, and storage- safer. The idea they developed is so cool, utilizes an naturally occurring, organic compound that has been proven safe for humans, and is totally cost effective. I won't go into it, but suffice to say, its a great concept and the judges were blown away today! They were awarded first place and that vaulted them on to the State competition in Columbia, SC! We are thrilled for him and grateful he has these types of experiences at his elementary school. The downside is, I'll probably never eat cantaloupe again, but that's ok :)
Here are the Mr. Nicer Nisins (complete with their cool hats, beads, and buttons they made and traded with other teams):
Until next time,
-L :)
PS:
I posted videos in the last post about what FIRST is, of which Lego League is the first step. If you didn't watch them, please do- they are really interesting! Its for boys AND girls (there was an all-girl team that moved on to State as well today) and I highly encourage you to get your kids involved if there you have a local team!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
New year but nothing new on the adoption front
Hey all!
Although I said it before, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! As you can tell from the post title, still nothing new on the adoption front. But its encouraging that we hear Poland had few working days in December due to religious and other holidays (gotta love us Catholics!) so maybe we'll hear something soon.
Meanwhile, we had a great holiday season and have been concentrating on getting back into the swing of school these past few weeks. Case had a super short vacation (only 12 days!) so we tried to make the most of it. The weather was basically great for Christmas (in the 60s) and Case had a blast playing one of the three wise men for the children's Christmas eve mass. Good thing he showed up too because he was the ONLY one of the three kings to remember or show up. What in the world? I guess we are some of the only parents that believe that if you sign up your child to participate in something, you need to follow through. Regardless, it was cute and he rocked his costume and was a great magus (singular of magi and yes, I had to google it to check, lol!). Christmas itself was great and the playroom still looks like a Lego store, lol. New Year's was uneventful- just my boys and me- but we did celebrate Lucky's 3rd birthday on Jan. 1. He's the stray we rescued and we love him to pieces.
Case started back to school January 2 (I told you it was a short break!) but since it just didn't seem fair the kids had to go on a day everyone else had off (including Brian), we were naughty and picked him up at 1pm so he could come home. He loves college football and wanted to watch the bowl games real bad and we thought why not! We had toyed with the idea of going to the Sugar Bowl to watch Michigan (my alma mater) on January 3 or the Orange Bowl to watch Clemson (our local team and who Brian takes care of) on January 4, but both New Orleans and Miami just didn't seem the most child friendly cities and he had school. Instead, we opted to watch them all on tv and enjoy our time here. There will be plenty of other bowls :) Of course, if it had been the Rose Bowl, we would totally have been there! I marched in 3 Rose Parades and performed at 3 Rose Bowls in the Michigan Marching Band and its a fabulous trip! Best. Bowl. Ever! And we were very happy that Michigan won an exciting Sugar Bowl and that Clemson....well...got to the Orange Bowl (the final score was u-g-l-y!).
In the last couple of weeks, Case has been extremely busy with Lego League and getting ready for their upcoming competition in mid January. They are doing a Food Challenge this year and have to devise a new, innovative way to enhance or ensure food safety. Their team is called the Mr. Nice Nisins and if you don't know what nisin is, google it. Ok, I'll save you time- nisin is produced naturally from lactococcus bacteria and was discovered in the 1920's. Its used as a food preservative and is completely safe to humans and our digestive track (unlike other pesticides or preservatives). Case's team decided to take that idea and develop a theoretical usage for it. They want to help make cantaloupe safer using nisin-enriched fertilizer and/or a nisin wash during growing and harvest. This is especially important after the most recent Listeria outbreak this fall (nisin kills Listeria which can be deadly for humans). The team came up with the ideas on their own (with their coach's guidance) and it is a seriously cool idea using a natural substance. And although theoretical in nature, it has real possibilities in food science research. I can't believe this came from 4th and 5th graders, but that is what FIRST Lego League encourages, outside-the-box thinking for modern-day problems.
If you don't know anything about FIRST Lego League, you should check it out. I was kinda skeptical about the whole thing, until I saw the CNN report abut what participating in this program can do for kids and why it is important for the future of our country. And most importantly, FIRST is geared for boys AND girls, so anyone can compete. Here are the links: parts 1-6. It'll take a little while to watch, but you'll be sooo happy you did.
After seeing this special and Case going to a Lego League camp this summer, I was totally sold and it has been a very, very good experience so far. It may seem dorky at first, but when you see the calculations, academic requirements, and time this kids put in in this video, it will change your perception. And if you are still skeptical, there was recently a report of a FIRST high school robotics student that came up with an idea for a medical innovation that has earned her $100,000 towards college! Now there's incentive!
So we continue on and await news of a referral for our son on the adoption front. Please pray for us and we continue to pray for all of you waiting or in the midst of completing your first or second trips. Special shout out to Heidi, David, and Molly who have welcomed Alex and Amelia officially to there family! They are still in Poland but in the home stretch now and we're so happy for them!
Until next time peeps! Take care and God Bless!
Although I said it before, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! As you can tell from the post title, still nothing new on the adoption front. But its encouraging that we hear Poland had few working days in December due to religious and other holidays (gotta love us Catholics!) so maybe we'll hear something soon.
Meanwhile, we had a great holiday season and have been concentrating on getting back into the swing of school these past few weeks. Case had a super short vacation (only 12 days!) so we tried to make the most of it. The weather was basically great for Christmas (in the 60s) and Case had a blast playing one of the three wise men for the children's Christmas eve mass. Good thing he showed up too because he was the ONLY one of the three kings to remember or show up. What in the world? I guess we are some of the only parents that believe that if you sign up your child to participate in something, you need to follow through. Regardless, it was cute and he rocked his costume and was a great magus (singular of magi and yes, I had to google it to check, lol!). Christmas itself was great and the playroom still looks like a Lego store, lol. New Year's was uneventful- just my boys and me- but we did celebrate Lucky's 3rd birthday on Jan. 1. He's the stray we rescued and we love him to pieces.
Case started back to school January 2 (I told you it was a short break!) but since it just didn't seem fair the kids had to go on a day everyone else had off (including Brian), we were naughty and picked him up at 1pm so he could come home. He loves college football and wanted to watch the bowl games real bad and we thought why not! We had toyed with the idea of going to the Sugar Bowl to watch Michigan (my alma mater) on January 3 or the Orange Bowl to watch Clemson (our local team and who Brian takes care of) on January 4, but both New Orleans and Miami just didn't seem the most child friendly cities and he had school. Instead, we opted to watch them all on tv and enjoy our time here. There will be plenty of other bowls :) Of course, if it had been the Rose Bowl, we would totally have been there! I marched in 3 Rose Parades and performed at 3 Rose Bowls in the Michigan Marching Band and its a fabulous trip! Best. Bowl. Ever! And we were very happy that Michigan won an exciting Sugar Bowl and that Clemson....well...got to the Orange Bowl (the final score was u-g-l-y!).
In the last couple of weeks, Case has been extremely busy with Lego League and getting ready for their upcoming competition in mid January. They are doing a Food Challenge this year and have to devise a new, innovative way to enhance or ensure food safety. Their team is called the Mr. Nice Nisins and if you don't know what nisin is, google it. Ok, I'll save you time- nisin is produced naturally from lactococcus bacteria and was discovered in the 1920's. Its used as a food preservative and is completely safe to humans and our digestive track (unlike other pesticides or preservatives). Case's team decided to take that idea and develop a theoretical usage for it. They want to help make cantaloupe safer using nisin-enriched fertilizer and/or a nisin wash during growing and harvest. This is especially important after the most recent Listeria outbreak this fall (nisin kills Listeria which can be deadly for humans). The team came up with the ideas on their own (with their coach's guidance) and it is a seriously cool idea using a natural substance. And although theoretical in nature, it has real possibilities in food science research. I can't believe this came from 4th and 5th graders, but that is what FIRST Lego League encourages, outside-the-box thinking for modern-day problems.
If you don't know anything about FIRST Lego League, you should check it out. I was kinda skeptical about the whole thing, until I saw the CNN report abut what participating in this program can do for kids and why it is important for the future of our country. And most importantly, FIRST is geared for boys AND girls, so anyone can compete. Here are the links: parts 1-6. It'll take a little while to watch, but you'll be sooo happy you did.
After seeing this special and Case going to a Lego League camp this summer, I was totally sold and it has been a very, very good experience so far. It may seem dorky at first, but when you see the calculations, academic requirements, and time this kids put in in this video, it will change your perception. And if you are still skeptical, there was recently a report of a FIRST high school robotics student that came up with an idea for a medical innovation that has earned her $100,000 towards college! Now there's incentive!
So we continue on and await news of a referral for our son on the adoption front. Please pray for us and we continue to pray for all of you waiting or in the midst of completing your first or second trips. Special shout out to Heidi, David, and Molly who have welcomed Alex and Amelia officially to there family! They are still in Poland but in the home stretch now and we're so happy for them!
Until next time peeps! Take care and God Bless!
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