The Aftermath

I am taking down the fragile Christmas decorations. If I don't we will have to keep the pumpkins up as decorations next year. I mean really how much superglue can one person buy? We have had a great and eventful week and a half and through it all Emmanuel did amazingly well. He really tried hard and it is such an effort for him. We met with his teacher today and quickly have realized he

Merry Christmas

We had a really nice Christmas. The kids got up about 7:20 which was not too early. We opened presents and were off to church by 10:30. Here are some highlights.Quotes From Annie:A: Mommy, kids are luckier than Moms.M: Why do you think so?A: Because kids have Grandmas and Grandpas AND Moms and Dads AND cousins and Aunts and Uncles.

Photographic Moments

The Turner Family: Front row, Chase English (4), Annie (4); Second Row Cameron English (6), Grandma Marian, Grandpa Chuck, Owen English (8); Middle, Abegail (8), Emmanuel (5); Back Row; Auntie Caroline, Uncle Mark, Zoe English, Scott, and Sue We arrived home from DC on Monday safe and sound. I actually split up from Scott and the kids because we got stuck in DC. I had to be at work that

2008 Turner/Richardson Family Video

Here it is! Sue's annual family video! Enjoy!

Day Three in DC

We are having a great time visiting with my family in DC. Yesterday we went to cousin Owen's school to see him perform a poem and have a Christmas party. All the kids got to make snowflakes and E-man found the reading corner.Last night was Sundae night, a big hit!Then a game of Santa Says...Abegail and Annie wake up happyA game of make a snowman blindfolded, even Grandma Marian plays.Best Buds

Santa Checks Up On E-man

We have arrived at my sister's house in Washington, DC. We are doing fairly well. Emmanuel got through the flight well and he even did a good job at his first movie with Grandma and Grandpa. So tonight Santa made a visit to congratulate his good behavior and of course see the other kids. Here are some highlights!Meeting AlexandraI was able to go see my friend Sophia and meet her new baby girl

E-man Has A Talk With Santa

Scott says I'm crazy. I don't deny it, I just refuse to stay home because of what Emmanuel might do. For one, I'm not going to keep Annie from those fun memories and I just never think its going to get that bad. That's until I'm in line for Santa in the furniture department of Macy's (because the line is so long) holding 800 coats and E-man's sweat suit, saying Emmanuel every three seconds,

E-Man's Christmas Program

Emmanuel was a shepherd in his Christmas program at Mt Hope Lutheran School where he attends daycare. He was a very spirited shepherd and we had fun watching him Thursday night. The kids are fascinated with how many times E-man's name is referred to this time of year. I told him, do you know it means 'God is with us?' (oh yea, God is definitely with us!)

Thanksgiving in OKC

The kids and I road-tripped to Oklahoma City while Mommy got to stay in Minneapolis and enjoy a Thanksgiving "break." She had to work 3 of the 4 days we're away...but I'm guessing she didn't mind TOO much!!We left Tuesday night at 8pm and arrived Wednesday morning at 7:30. The kids slept 10 of the 11.5 hours...and I must say overnight is the only way to go!Auntie Amber was here with Maddie and

The Season of Thankfulness

I was tired of the kids passing by Thanksgiving and focusing on what THEY want for Christmas. So in a first of its kind experiment for me I decided to teach them that Christmas was about giving, not receiving. I told them they each had to take money from their piggy bank and we would go to the toy store and they had to pick out something for each of their siblings. If they wanted something

Abegail's Thanksgiving Show

The 1st and 2nd graders at Abegail's school put on a musical show the other night and Abegail got to read a bunch of lines all by herself. She did awesome and we're really proud of her!

Abegail's Second Sacrament

photo taken by Scott's cell phoneOur camera broke. (somebody knocked it into the wall) BUT we got it fixed and now its back. In the meantime we were FORCED to take video of the kids. Abegail had a Thanksgiving program at school on Thursday and we hope to post it soon, as soon as Scott figures out how to edit it. I have no patience for figuring stuff like that out. Abegail did make her first

The Election According to the Kids

The African adoption blogs were fairly busy when Barack Obama won the presidency. I let Abegail stay up and watch a little. I knew this was something she would think back on and remember where she was. This is not political. It's about a new identity figure for our black kids. Too often they are seeing black people on the news as defendants in murder and rape trials, residents of homeless

What a country!

So Annie and I blocked off 2 hours this morning when we could go vote. And of course we spent 5 minutes in line...and 5 minutes in the booth! WAHOO!! Annie didn't really vote (no voter fraud accusations please)...but she did want to help me fill in all those circles!! I won't confirm whether or not I let her.Then it was off to Starbucks for me! Free coffee...what a country!!I gotta say...I'm

Happy Halloween!

This Halloween, the Richardsons are wishing you a big heart, only nice witches, and you find an easy way home!Baby Watch:Sophia had her baby girl Thursday morning at 1:30. Alexandra Rae Inman weighed 6 pounds and 14 ounces. They are hoping to go home from the hospital this afternoon.Proud Daddy Jack with his new baby girl

Annie Brings Mommy to Preschool

Wednesday was parents day at preschool so Jane's Mommy and I got to be preschoolers for the day. It was also their Halloween party. (so smart not to do it the same day as trick or treating and overstimulate, those teachers know what they're doing!) But Annie couldn't possibly wear her wicked witch costume because she had worn it to her preschool night time party and really what was the point

Abegail Gets Published!

Click on the image to see read the storyAbegail wrote a story in school about her summer trip to NY. She had it published in this month's school newsletter. We of course are very proud. Scott summed it up best, "some of my college papers weren't that long."We are expecting to have baby news about Sophia tomorrow, she will finally be induced!Meanwhile Maya, Mieko's Mom, had a healthy baby girl

Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza

We carved our pumpkins last night with some wonderful friends. Tori's (Abegail's friend) family invited us to their fall festival their church has and all the kids got to carve their pumpkins together. It was a lot of fun and I think this means we are ready for the big Halloween night!Annie has learned to spell and write her name! She is also big on singing the new song she seems to learn

Halloween Fun

Annie's preschool had a Halloween party last night, Abegail was off to her own School's night out. Emmanuel of course found a friend! Emmanuel had another visit from the tooth fairy this week when he lost his second bottom tooth.Sleeping BeautyIt's hard work being a princess!Hair Time!Martu was over today and I jokingly said to her and Abegail, you should do each other's hair. The next thing I

Picture of Papa

A family from St. Michael, Minnesota just brought their son home from Liberia and we sent along a photo album for A&E's Papa. Abegail said to me, "why does he just get to see pictures of me and I don't get to see any of him?" How quickly we forget, there is no camera! So I asked if Bob saw Alexander (by chance) snap a photo. Word travels quick in Liberia and we got our pictures which made

Living History

This weekend, we traveled to Iowa to introduce Abegail and Emmanuel to our good friends the Ogeas. Emma (with Annie above) is my goddaughter and we became close to them when Scott and I were living in Lincoln, NE in 1999-2001. So we met halfway in Des Moines and had an awesome time at Living History farms where the kids could see the difference between a 1700 farm, an 1850 farm, and a 1900

Did You Know?

I was at a school today in North Minneapolis doing a story. Fewer than one percent of the students are white. 99 percent of the students are African American or Hispanic. They are beautiful children with promise in their eyes. 97 percent of them are on the free lunch program. The average income of the families of the students: $14,000. Many are living in shelters. A year ago, the

E-Man's Straight Talk w/ Santa

E-man and I went to Home Depot last night to get some things for Mommy. He spotted a bunch of Christmas stuff all over the store and now wants to me to decorate our house like Clark Griswold's in Christmas Vacation.He also has been bugging me about this Spider Man game that he wants. The other day he was nagging me the whole way home from school about it. And having read the "Parent's Guide to

Harambee Village

Last night we went to the first of a series of workshops at Harambee Village. Harambee Village was started by Deb Reisner, the mother of 6 children, including 4 teenagers. She started it six years ago when she realized white parents with black children need resources, support, and black role models for their children. She says the first meeting they had five families. Within two months there

Mommy's Marathon

It's been five years and three kids since I've run a marathon. So I basically looked at this as my very first marathon in a new body. I made it and was thrilled to finish. It rained hard at times but that made me never want to stop as I knew I would freeze. The kids were awesome making signs and cheering. Scott is always amazing at these things, he's still got it when it comes to support.

Abegail's Mile

The Twin Cities Marathon is tomorrow and the day before, the marathon always puts on a day of family events. So Abegail and I headed out this morning for the Family mile. She said at first, "Mommy I have stage fright," and she was a bit apprehensive but I stayed with her until the start, at which point I almost got run over by kids. Then I went to find her and somehow missed her. We finally

My Psychic Friends Connection

Guess who I got to meet yesterday?? Dionne Warwick. She was in our studios promoting a new children's book. Usually when someone of interest comes by I watch and sneak a peak but never go up and meet them. (lets be honest, I never have a clue who they are) But with Dionne Warwick it was different, I constantly say in conversation, "I didn't renew my subscription to Dionne Warwick's psychic

Martu and Mackie Get Baptized!

Today was Martu and Mackie's baptism day. We were so glad to be with them as they joined the church. Then there was a reception at the church with Liberian food! Congratulations M&M!Annie and E-man's favorite part of church, the donuts!

The Corn Maze

Last year we went to a corn maze and got lost. This year we got smart and went to one with a map and guides walking around to help you if you got lost. Go figure we didn't get lost! We had a lot of fun, probably the best part was going in the corn pool.Annie and Daddy sleeping sweetly!Where's E-man?The other day, Daddy lost track of Emmanuel. He looked around and could hear him but not see

Our New Baby Cousin

Benjamin Eli Simpson or Eli as he will be called (Dallas, TX) was born first thing this morning weighing 9 pounds and 21 inches long. (Lets not waste any time getting this child on the blog) Everyone is well! Congratulations Auntie Amber (Scott's Sister), Uncle Ben, and Big Sister Maddie. We can't wait to put our grubby, germ infested hands all over your sweet new skin. Love, Abegail, Annie,

Annie Goes To Preschool

Annie could not wait to go to preschool. She kept asking me if the leaves were changing because she knew she was going in the fall.She had no trouble finding her name to hang her backpack.Annie gets to go to school with one of her best friends Jane, what a lucky girl!Annie runs up and hugs us all when we pick her up. She says, "we sang songs and wentoutside to play!" She loves her teacher,

Mommy's Photo Shoot

Back To School

Abegail is officially back to school, the weather is turning colder, tomorrow a high of only in the 60's. Annie keeps asking me if it's fall, I keep saying...noooooo..not yet, well maybe pretty soon. Annie went to E-man's school with him today because Daddy was taking a class, so all the kids felt they were part of the action. Annie officially starts preschool next Monday.Bye, Dad, I'm off!

Abegail's 2nd Grade Teacher is.....

Mrs. Agee. (a-jee) We met her last night at the open house and she could not have been more friendly or personable. Unfortunately Abegail's friend, Tori is in a different class. I think I was more nervous than she was. I really wanted her in the same class because her Mom and I have just become good friends, but we will still be friends, get together, play soccer together etc. (the kids will

Sports, Sports, Sports

Abegail participated in a basketball shooting clinic all last week. Tori's (see above, best friend from first grade) father put the whole thing together and did a fabulous job. The kids loved it. Coach Jamie had prizes and tons of fun games. Last night was family night and even the parents got in on the action.Abegail practices her shootingTips from Coach JamesAbegail likes to kick up her

Haley Time

One of our favorite friends, Haley, is moving to California on Tuesday. We've been trying to spend lots of time with her. She is a great friend to Annie and Abegail but it is Emmanuel who I think is most heartbroken. He adores Haley and makes sure she knows it. Haley is so kind and patient with him. Yesterday we went to a park in Bloomington and had a blast.School TimeAnnie had her open

The Missing Tooth

Yesterday Abegail, who apparently didn't want to be outdone by Emmanuel, lost a tooth. (No she was not chewing on a hammer) Unfortunately it got misplaced as Abegail so candidly told the tooth fairy. Good thing the tooth fairy can read. She came and left a dollar.Apple Juice For SaleThe kids wanted to have a lemonade stand on Sunday. Unfortunately we had no lemonade so they improvised and had

E-man SEES His New Eye

E-man is very pleased with his new eye. His look when he got to see a mirror was priceless! Things are still going well, he was very swollen this morning and we were concerned the eye had closed again, but just swelling from the stitches. Now to keep him from running into things!Mommy Runs A Race!It's been a long time since Mommy ran a race. Today I did a 10K with my friend Carol who came to

E-man's Surgery Successful So Far

E-man had an extremely successful eye surgery this morning to correct the ptosis in his left eye which was causing a droopy left eye lid. He was a trooper through it all, excited the whole time to have both his eyes "look the same." We have spent the day telling him not to touch his eye and rip the stitches. We are expecting that to continue for the next 10 days. The doctor says we will probably

Emmanuel Loses A Tooth

Emmanuel lost his first tooth a few days ago on the bottom. He was very scared by this fact and didn't realize this is what is suppose to happen. Then we talked about the whole tooth fairy thing. She did indeed come and brought a dollar. "I have to put this in my piggy bank right now." But he does want to know why a new tooth hasn't appeared yet. We have tried to explain it will take a

On The Road To Reality

We have had a couple of awesome trips the past few weeks, to NY, then to Tulsa, and then to Oklahoma City. Tonight we will hit the road and head back to reality. Mommy goes back to work Thursday. Here are a few final photos from the final day of our awesome vacation!

Great Day at Grandma's

Amber, Ben , and Maddie. Baby Eli will join the family on September 18th!It's still hot, another day with 100+ degrees!Grandma winning at SorryIt's wet Aunt Sue Sue!Making cookiesWe had another great day in OK Monday, spending time with Grandma & Grandpa, cousin Maddie, Amber, and Ben.

Good Bye Tulsa, Hello Grandma & Grandpa!

We said good-bye to our new and old friends in Tulsa today. We had a fabulous 2 1/2 days at our reunion. We then headed to Oklahoma City for some time with Scott's family.Bye Kurker, I'll miss youJessica, Brian, Chloe, Oakley, Gwynyth, Diamond, Sophia, Florence, and Giselle from Hinesville, GA on their way to Provo, UT. Thank you Brian for serving our country in Afghanistan the next year.Our

Meet The Mothers...

Here we are the Mothers who undertook African Adoptions. Today was day two of our awesome reunion in Oklahoma!Jessica, (GA moving to UT) Me (MN), Shelby (KY), Karen (UT), Sharon (WY), Lorea (OK), Valerie (OK), and Lori (KY)Shelby, Lori, Ben, Gormah, Kennedy, and Kurker from KentuckyWater Balloon Fight, let's get the boys!We're wet all ready, it feels good in the 100 degree heat!Hay Rides and

Terrific in Tulsa

We are in Tulsa, OK this weekend for a reunion of six families we became close to during our adoption process. All of the families had kids at the AFAA house the majority of the time A&E were there. The kids never missed a beat and were thrilled to see one another. We are being hosted by Junior's family. It is the perfect place for a reunion with a pool, huge property that has an awesome view

Closing Ceremonies

The Turner Olympic Games sadly had to come to an end around Noon on Saturday. The kids were presented with medals and certificates for their accomplishments and said good bye to their cousins. We got home around 6 a.m. this morning after Scott drove the ENTIRE way. Yes, I need to find a medal and certificate for him. The house is again a mess, the laundry is spinning, the dishes are piling up

Grandpa Chuck's Big Day

Grandpa Chuck had a great 68th birthday, a full day with all his grandchildren, swimming, Olympic games, races, we even took them all for a run! We included some other cool pictures from the water, which they loved! We're back on the road counting license plates tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Chuck!

Grandpa Chuck's birthday is Friday and all the kids were busy making signs. The Olympics also continued today at Camp Grandma and Grandpa's. Friday is our last full day before heading back in the car for the long trip home.

Let The Games Begin

My sister arrived with her family from DC tonight. She and Grandma Marian have planned a weekend of family Olympics complete with opening ceremonies which included uniforms, instruments, and a parade (who are these people? I'm sure they are not related to me) The kids loved it and Abegail was a torch bearer. The cousins were here for five minutes and all 6 kids were in the pool. Right now

A Day At Niagra Falls

Fun Few Days

We Made It

We got in around 9:30 Saturday morning. Scott drove 17 of the 18 hours. But we made good time. We had to play an April Fools on Grandma Marian, calling her while we were outside the house telling her we wouldn't make it for another 10 hours. Then we were at her door, Surprise!Quote From Abegail:"Grandma Marian's got quite a place!"Note from Scott: props to the kids! They were really good on

Packing up the car

Well...we're packing up the car this morning and getting ready for our 17+ hour car ride to Rochester, NY. A&E have never been to grandma's house and they're pretty excited!!With high airfare and high gas prices...not to mention 3 kids...I'm not sure which one would be worse. But we've chosen to drive and I'm having flashbacks to my childhood when flying to a family vacation destination was

Mieko's Story

This picture was taken SundayRemembering Mieko: A Big Smile, A Brave Heart MoreOne of our good friends, Mieko Johnson, died this morning. She was four years old, 3 months older than Annie. I work with her Mommy, Maya. The kids got to see her at her birthday party a few months ago. I saw her on Wednesday.

The Big 5!

Emmanuel turned 5 on Tuesday. He was very excited and proud about his birthday. All the kids at his new school made him cards. It was a year ago today we finally got home to start our new life. SCOOTER TIMEHaving two birthdays a week apart, really made it like Christmas in July for everyone!Annie gets African Braids courtesy of Abegail!A police car!E-man gets a dog, now I don't want to hear

Back At The Ball Game

Last Sunday, all five of us had a chance to see the Twins beat the Indians. We went with some great friends. Terrason and E-man have really hit it off and everyone loves Willa! We met Nitara and her family last summer at the pool. Colorful families attract!Quotes From E-man:E: Mommy, my head hurts.M: Why honey, what's wrong?E: I cried too much.M: Imagine thatQuotes From Annie:Scene: she is

Happy 4th of July!

So far we've done a parade and a carnival, fireworks tonight! Notice Abegail's new hairdo courtesy of some very nice friends of ours!

E-man and The Short Bus

When Scott and I first met he used to say I rode the short bus. He didn't mean to be mean, he meant it in the most endearing way. But lets just say my hair is naturally blond. We were talking about Emmanuel going to school and they told us he would be picked up for his new school in a van. Emmanuel told both Scott and I, "I want to ride a short bus." The first day when the bus showed up,

Remembering When.....

It was about this time (Liberia is 5 hours ahead of us) one year ago we met A&E. What a year its been! Today is also Annie's birthday. We are laying low, three of us, (not the children with the immunity of horses which would be A&E!) have the stomach flu. Yuck. But Annie already appears a bit better and I had to sit up for a while. It's hard to remember our lives before Abegail and Emmanuel.

More Party Pictures

Happy Birthday E-Man & Annie!

We held a birthday party for the "twins" Saturday and had a wonderful time! We played with water balloons, busted open two pinatas, rode around in the Cadillacs, had cake, and each of the kids got new bicycles!! Annie and E-man rode around and around w/ their training wheels...while Abegail, with a little help, was riding her bike WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS!!! I've never heard of that before.

Party Preps

It's a Princess/Car theme for tomorrow's birthday party for Annie (7/1) and E-man (7/8), who I will now refer to as "the twins." Everyone is very excited. We have the cakes done, in case you can't tell, Annie's is a butterfly. A year ago tomorrow we were leaving for Liberia, or trying to rather, we didn't actually get there until a year ago Tuesday.Quotes from Abegail:A: Mommy, did you get

E-Man's Goals

Perhaps it's my fatherly pride, but each week I simply feel the need to tell you all how many goals E-Man scored. He's just so proud of himself at the end of the game that it's hard not to be equally as proud.To help you all understand how these games go, we FINALLY got some video of his game. Unfortunately our video camera is broken - so we had to take these videos with our regular camera so

Abegail Goes To Camp

I have been talking to Abegail about going to camp since March. She at first wanted to know why anyone would go out into the woods to walk around or have fun. Finally I convinced her to go to the YMCA camp and as the day got closer she said, how about if I just don't go the first day. I said you are going. Monday I picked up a very excited girl, who HAD A FABULOUS TIME! Mommy, I want to go

Medals Day

Today was the medals day at E-man's soccer. Next week is the last week and we are all so sad. It's been so awesome to have an hour each week where E-man is proud of himself, he's cheered on, and he's not naughty. Today he scored five goals (Scott insisted I write that, they don't pass much at this level) and after each one he ran to Scott to get a high five with a huge grin on his face. You

Surgery Set

Emmanuel's eye surgery is set for August 15th. He will have the muscles tightened in the eye that has the ptosis, the droopy left eye lid. No word if he'll dress himself and wear his church tie, his winter boots, and his summer shorts on that day!

Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness

"I am Black," Jane Lazarre's son tells her. "I have a Jewish mother, but I am not 'biracial.' That term is meaningless to me." She understands, she says--but he tells her, gently, that he doesn't think so, that she can't understand this completely because she is white. "Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness" is Jane Lazarre's memoir of coming to terms with this painful truth, of learning to look into

More Updates: Jacob and Mardia

Remember Jacob and Mardia, two of our favorites from the AFAA house. They've been home since November with a wonderful family in NY. Here are some photos of them from the past few months.E-man had another great soccer game today. Abegail has recovered from leaving Mr. Suzuki although she cried all the way home from school. Today she and a friend played on the playground at their school

Bye Bye Mr. Suzuki

You can not even talk to Abegail about school ending or being a second grader. Her last day is tomorrow and she is so sad. She is having a sleep over with one of her friends to soften the blow tomorrow. We too are very sad about leaving Mr. Suzuki. We could not have asked for a better teacher for Abegail's first year in school. (Oh and he is not teaching kindergarten next year, staying with first

Soccer May Just Save Us

Today was the first day I had an opportunity to see E-man in action on the soccer field. Emmanuel was very excited I was coming to his game, Scott was probably more excited I was coming. I do not have a subscription to psychic friends network, but I predict we will be spending a lot of time on the soccer fields in the next ten years. Emmanuel did score two goals again today and he is lighting

I'll Get You My Pretty

Practicing their meltingWant some fire scarecrow?Few things are funnier than hearing my kids sing commercial jingles with a Liberian accent, "save big money at Menards." But lately they are obsessed with The Wizard of Oz. My sister brought it to them when she visited. They have this whole elaborate scheme of how we are all going to dress up as the characters for Halloween, it includes several

Memorial Day Fun with the Zabinskis

Last Sunday we had a great Memorial Day picnic at a very fun park with Martu and Mackie's family. We even rented a couple paddle boats.Happy 6th belated 6th Birthday to cousin Cameron!Quotes From Eman:"Daddy, how come you don't drive a pick-up truck?"

Sue on The Early Show & The Weather Channel

For those of you up early this Memorial Day, you may have seen Sue on CBS' "The Early Show" or The Weather Channel this morning. For those of you who slept in (like the kids and I) I've embedded the CBS story below.Sue was able to drive by Loren's home this morning and it looks to be in good shape. Although, there was lots of hail damage in the area to go along w/ the tornado's

How Much is Gas in Your Town?

Gas Prices Worldwide in US DOLLARS: Friday before Memorial day we're at $3.85/gal in MinnesotaLondon $8.32Iceland is $7.91Ethiopia 7.50 Norway $6.82Hong Kong $6.25 Beligium $6.16Liberia 4.50 Brazil $4.42India $3.71 Saudia Arabia $0.91 Kuwait $0.68 Nigeria $0.35 Venezuela $0.12

Soccer, School, and Success

Abegail's First Soccer GameFrom ballet to Soccer. Abegail has started her season. Yes, she was going to play baseball but Mommy can't figure out all these extracurricular activities which is a world in itself and I signed her up for the wrong team. It turned out great though, now she's on a team with her best friend from school. Abegail's team won their first game!Daddy and Annie have fun

Ballet Beauties

Today was the last day of ballet until fall. Abegail and Annie were very proud of the first medals they've ever gotten!

E-Man's World

Quotes From Annie:At the dinner table Abegail asked what everyone wanted to be when they grew up. Annie never shows negativity toward her brother and sister who she seems to adore no matter what they do to her. But we got a hint of her true feelings tonight!Annie: I want to be a doctor!Daddy: That's great, we are so proud of you!Mommy: You can do it too!Annie: Then I'm going to give Abegail a

I don't like to be black

When we were preparing for A&E's homecoming, we mentally prepared for a lot of stuff, a lot of hurts they could come with. But we thought enough love could solve everything.Ten months after they arrived I admit I was far less prepared than I thought. So many things I didn't think of including a conversation with Abegail that's been common recently.Abegail: Mommy, I don't like to be black.Mommy:

Happy Mother's Day

E-man gives Mommy a great Mother's Day Present!We had a great time visiting Scott's cousin, Loren in Hugo yesterday and meeting his new wife, Kelly and very fun kids Carter and Tori. Then we got a special treat to see Scott's Aunt and Uncle, Lyle and Lola. Loren has a new granddaughter Katie. The kids really love to see a baby! Not sure if the baby felt the same.

Soccer Update

E-man's team, now named "The Lightening"...is now 2-0. They won 3-2 on Saturday. And of course, E-man scored all 3 goals again this week. He's really enjoying it and it's so good for his self-esteem!!After scoring his 2nd goal yesterday he came running over to me and said, "Daddy, I'm going to score THIS MANY" as he held up 3 fingers. I said that sounded good...but that it was his turn to sit

The Three Piggie Opera

Abegail's first grade class performed the three piggie opera this morning. Each kid had a line and they all did spectacular!!!Quotes from Abegail:Scene: we are walking to the bus stop, I'm wearing one of my best sweat suitsAbegail: Is that what you are wearing to my school?Mommy: Um, maybe, why? Do you want me to wear something nicer?Abegail: Yes, nicer. Maybe you could wear pink with black

E-Man 3 -- Blue Team 2

So we decided we needed to get E-man into SOME sort of sport. Originally it was baseball, but the standing around, throwing of hard spherical objects, and swinging of aluminum bats just didn't seem to be the right fit for him.So we went w/ SOCCER! And am I glad we did!!!! Oh yeah, E-Man had a good time too...We got there and I tried to teach him the rules, but you know how that goes. He just

At The Old Ballgame

Annie and I got a great opportunity last night to go out onto the playing field to watch batting practice. It was really cool...probably more for so for me than her...but judging from her smile I think she had a pretty good time, too.

Little Miss Sunshine

The last picture is a drawing Abegail made for me after a day I wasn't pleased with her. Click on it to see it enlarged. Emmanuel is really struggling with his medication and she gives him no leeway. I was very touched by this and so proud of her.Yesterday I took E-man by himself to the grocery store as a reward because he had three good days at daycare. He was so out of sorts. By the time we

Mashed Potatoes

There's been a lot going on with us and I know I've been bad about updating. It's been over a year since we started this blog and I wonder often, should I keep it going? Does anyone really read it? But I do know this will be the kids baby book or life book as they call it for adopted kids so I better keep at it.Emmanuel: We have decided to delay kindergarten for Emmanuel for a year. This

Grandma and Grandpa Heaven

Grandma Marian and Grandpa Chuck came for a visit this past week. Grandpa Chuck and Daddy had a big project putting together a new playset, or as I like to call it, the get out of my house, run off your energy, and leave me alone play mobile. The kids love it and finally we got to 70 degrees so the kids put on their suits and pretended summer had finally arrived.

Emmanuel's Story

It has been suggested to us to put Emmanuel into therapeutic daycare which basically means a couple hours a day where E-man is not the naughty boy and can get lots of one on one attention. While there is a long road to get everything set to start that program, we had a very productive meeting with a counselor from our county's program today. It was so nice to hear, "wow he's been through a lot!"

Abegail's April Fools

From the day we met her she has been pulling pranks on us. She has snuck up and scared Scott and I so many times I'm surprised one of our hearts isn't lying around somewhere. Even Mr. Suzuki has told her to stop scaring him. So we've been dreading April Fools Day. At first Abegail was trying to play a joke on me with Scott. Lets borrow someone's dog and tell Mommy we bought it! Ah, not

We Will See You Again

When we left the AFAA house in July of last year both Martu and Mackie were crying along with Abegail. I kept saying, don't cry, we will see you again. We will see you again. Today 8 and a half months later on Easter Sunday, I kept my promise. Martu and Mackie got home to Minnesota on Friday after the longest trip I've ever heard of and Martu made it all the way with the chicken pox. But

Pink Easter Eggs

We dyed Easter Eggs today, for some reason most of them turned out pink! Very fun and messy!Martu And Mackie update: We have heard all the kids made it to Chicago. We assume the Zabinski's are on their way home now. Abegail asks me every five minutes, when are they going to be here? When will we see them? Call them, see if they are here yet. For some reason the answer hasn't changed the

Good Morning!

I woke up this morning to Abegail's yelling up the stairs, "Daddy! Eman's outside shoveling!"Ug. More snow. Ok, it's a pretty snow...but still SNOW! I quickly searched my mind to think of all the things that could go wrong w/ this scenario.1. Eman probably had to move my tool boxes to stand on them to get the shovel.2. He probably dumped everything out first.3. He probably forgot his hat and

Take Two

M&M will now fly out of Liberia on Wednesday. When they will get to the states is anyone's guess. Travel had to be rearranged for 15 people, 11 kids and 4 escorts after they were all pulled off the plane by immigration. Cheryl got the immigration issues resolved today . Apparently after all the kids were on the plane an immigration official pulled them all off saying they couldn't be escorted..

A&E Await M&M

UPDATE: All the kids got pulled off the flight from immigration after they were in their seats on the plane! Immigration says they can't be escorted, after they had passed everything! Stay tuned, a lot of disappointed families. We're hoping for Wednesday now. Cheryl is there trying to sort it all out.Tomorrow's the big day. Today we made welcome home posters for A&E's cousins, Martu and

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Yesterday was Scott's birthday, the kids get so excited for birthdays! Today we say Happy Birthday Grandpa Arthur.

The Cousins Are Coming

A&E's cousins, Martu and Mackie are coming home at 5:35 on Monday night. We will be at the airport waiting for them. Everyday Abegail asks me, "Mommy, how many more days until M&M come?" Yesterday she announced, 7 more days!!! Yesterday it got up to 40 degrees here. I let the kids ride in the car with the windows open. Today it will be 40 for the first time in 106 days. But the major announcement

The BUZZ at Abegail's School

Abegail's school put on an awesome play yesterday!! All the kids were in BUG costumes and singing fun bumble bee....picnic...and stink bug songs. Lots of fun! Sue got to go in the afternoon and I got to go in the evening. There were about 200 kids singing...all 1st and 2nd graders from Washburn Elementary.Here are the highlights. I wasn't able to tape the entire concert...so here's 30

A Whole New World

Emmanuel finally got his glasses. He seems to like them! Although they were not the magic, cure all our problems, suddenly become angelic glasses we were hoping for.I finally figured out how to get the names of my kids on their shirts, name them after a Movie.Abegail tries on Eman's glassesQuotes From our Americanized Abegail:A: Mommy can I have P....B....(thinking) J?M: PB&J???A: Yea, PB&J,

The Ballet Bug

Abegail went to Annie's class twice before she insisted she needed to take a class too. So today was her first day. She's in the class right after Annie and loved it. Now Emmanuel says he needs to take a class, um how about karate buddy?YMCAThis year my lifesaver has been the Y. The kids can go and play and get all their energy out in the kids gym while I go work out. They have

MISSING PIECES

The other day Abegail happened to mention that her parents had a baby boy before she was born who had died. She said she never knew him. I gave her the third degree just because I was curious. What was his name? How did he die? How old was he when he died? To all of these questions she did not know the answer. We finally found out the Davis' had a boy names Levi who they called Lee. He was born

Mr. Suzuki's Birthday

Friday is Mr Suzuki's Birthday, Abegail's first grade teacher. Since about the end of January she has told me she wants to get him a present. (For those of you who don't know Mr. Suzuki is the best first grade teacher in the whole world) I said that's fine what do you want to get him? She says, "I want to get him a new pair of shoes." I said oh, does he need new shoes, are his shoes worn out?

Camp Caroline

My sister, Auntie Caroline, came for a visit this weekend and she let Scott and I go on vacation. It couldn't have come at a better time. We are so grateful for our 20 hour stay in Minneapolis (the weather was much the same as it was in Bloomington). We actually talked without being interrupted. We ate a meal without cutting someone else's meat. We showered without an audience. Meanwhile

Welcome Auntie Caroline!

E-man and the Billionaire

So E-man and I headed to TwinsFest this weekend. It's a 3-day festival with everything Minnesota Twins. There are lots of players, autograph sessions, games, kids' hitting clinics, auctions, and tours of the Metrodome clubhouse. We ate hotdogs, saw TC the Bear (Twins mascot), and learned how to throw a baseball!But the highlight of the day for ME...was when Carl Pohlad, the 92 year old owner

What are they doing??

The U.S. figure skating championships are in St. Paul this week. We were able to go Wednesday during the pairs short program. Emmanuel had never seen ice-skating before and when they took the ice to warm up, he just laughed and laughed. What are they doing? Is that ice? We had really good seats (media night) and the kids loved seeing the jumps and sparkles up close but the person who was

I have a dream......

Abegail had to write a letter to Dr. King in her ESL class; She is very curious about Marin Luther King Jr. and I think it has hit her she and Annie wouldn't be in the same house without him:Dear Dr. King,Thank you for the world. I love you. Thank you for leting us go to the same school. Thank you for leting us go to the same bathroom. Thank you for bringing pace to the coutnry. Thank you for

Bye Bye Emmanuel Johnson

The time has come for Emmanuel Johnson Jr. and his mom Lopu to go back to Liberia. Emmanuel came here for a life saving surgery that will allow him to live pretty normally and not have a colostomy bag. Last night we said good-bye and wished them well. He has grown a lot since he's been here and can now take about six to eight steps on his own! Thanks for all your prayers for them.As promised,

Fun in the Frozen Tundra!

Sue did probably the FUNNIEST Live Shot I've EVER seen her do today!!! And keep in mind, I've been critiquing her live shots for almost 10 years!It's soooooo Minney-soh-tah...and cold weather is probably her LEAST favorite thing in the world.CLICK HERE & Enjoy!

Lessons from Dr. King

Abegail came home from school and said do you know Dr. King? She preceded to tell me all the things they learned in school about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She said, "you know white people and black people couldn't go to the same school or the same bathroom." To my amazement, she had absolutely no idea that blacks have been treated so poorly in this country. I don't know why I thought she

Party On Abegail

Abegail had a great birthday party today. Scott and I felt like we had flashed back to the eighties! All Abegail really wanted to do was skate with her friends, she is really good and E-man even picked it up a little.Annie started ballet today. With all the excitement with the party I erased the pictures of her frontwards. I must say there is NOTHING cuter than eight 3 and 4 year olds in

Abegail Is Eight!

Abegail said this was the first time she had ever had a cake on her birthday (or presents for that matter). I let her pick out what kind of cake she wanted and she said angel food. So I made an angel food cake and she came home and said, "oh chocolate cake!" I said no honey, its just burned. But everyone ate it anyway. It's amazing what frosting can cover up! We went to KFC (her new

Abegail's New Do

Abegail has a big week coming up, she is turning 8! And today she asked about going to a salon, so I said absolutely you should look your best. It turned out amazing. I will never be able to get her hair to look like this. And unfortunately I wasn't able to learn a thing since I was trying to keep E-man from petting the fish and running a chair into a pregnant woman. (Scott is away this

6 Month Point, Apparently, We're "Normal"

We had our six month visit with our social worker today. I was very anxious to see Judy because I can tell her just about anything and get a straight answer so I started;Sue: The kids are still extremely needy is that normal?Judy: Oh yes that's normal.Sue: They have no patience to wait for anything, Judy: Yes, that's normal. I bet they have no respect over property and break everything and