Thursday, December 31, 2009
New Years Eve fun… not…
I rolled out of bed this morning around 8:00. 30 minutes later, I rolled right back into bed and that’s where I’ve stayed all day.
I’ve had a fever. It was 101.3 the last I checked.
“Disappointed” doesn’t quite do justice to describe how I feel. We were supposed to get together with friends from church for an evening of food and Wii. Now it looks like we’ll spend the evening at home.
Double confounded drat!
Eliana and Zane have been in their PJs all day too. Eliana seems fine… she was just lazy. But Zane said he hasn’t been feeling well.
Hey… if everyone’s gonna get this crud, let’s get it all at one time and be done with it.
{extended}A short recap of 2009
January
We received our Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for Zane’s adoption on the 5th.
Carmi’s cookbooks for our adoption fundraiser arrived on the 17th.
We hosted a local Chinese New Year celebration at our church on the 24th.
We attended a Chinese New Year celebration at Davidson College sponsored by the Asian Cultural Awareness Association on the 25th.
We attended a Chinese New Year celebration at Wake Forest University on the 31st.
February
Karys turned 4 on the 1st.
We received our Travel Approval (TA) for Zane’s adoption on the 6th.
I officially became the baritone for Joyful Hearts (a Gospel trio) on the 17th.
We received the itinerary for our China trip on the 18th.
Eliana turned 7 on the 20th.
Zane turned 13 on the 24th.
We left for China on the 26th.
March
Zane officially became a Henderson on the 3rd.
Doug turned 46 on the 14th. We also went to Disneyland in California.
We returned home on the 15th.
Zane started school on the 19th.
April
We received Zane’s certificate of citizenship on the 6th.
Carmi turned 46 on the 19th.
Joyful Heart’s first concert was on the 25th.
May
Joyful Hearts recorded vocals for 3 songs on the 7th.
We attended the Charlotte Dragon Boat Festival on the 16th.
June
Zane and Eliana’s last day of school was on the 10th.
Zane started Summer Camp on the 15th.
We went to Hanging Rock State Park in Danbury, NC on the 20th with a local Chinese church.
Maggie Mae joined our family on the 24th.
July
Zane had his first dental appointment on the 3rd.
Sagwa joined our family on the 13th.
We went to Fletcher Community Park in Fletcher, NC on the 18th for a get-together with several families who adopted through our agency.
August
We were in Charleston, SC on the 7th, 8th, 9th & 10th for a get-together with some families who adopted through our agency.
Zane received his school-issued Mac laptop on the 18th.
Eliana received her 2nd-grade class assignment on the 19th.
Zane started the 6th grade and Eliana started the 2nd grade on the 25th.
September
We had our first post-placement visit for Zane’s adoption on the 4th.
Carmi and I started teaching the 7th & 8th grade Sunday School class at church on the 6th.
Zane and I helped at the country fair with our Association’s fair ministry on the 7th.
Joyful Heart’s annual Homecoming concert was on the 12th.
October
Eliana contracted the flu on the 11th.
We participated in our church’s Trunk-or-Treat ministry on the 31st.
November
We went to Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC on the 7th for a get-together with families who adopted through our agency.
Carmi and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary on the 15th.
Joyful Hearts was in the studio on the 16th to record vocals on 2-1/2 songs.
Joyful Hearts was in the studio on the 20th to finish recording vocals on the final 4-1/2 songs.
I attended a Thanksgiving party with Karys at preschool on the 23rd.
Our family walked and rode in the local Christmas parade on the 24th with our church’s youth ministry.
December
Zane worked with the Royal Ambassadors (a missions group for young boys at our church) at the local Soup Kitchen on the 5th.
Eliana and the Children’s Choir presented their Christmas program on the 13th which was also the night of our church’s Christmas banquet. This was a sad day. Our Senior Pastor had resigned a few weeks earlier after almost 14 years and this was his final Sunday with us.
Doug and the Sanctuary Choir presented their Christmas cantata on the evening of the 20th.
{extended}Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sagwa was having a nightmare
Mommy, when are you coming home?
Adios to the first decade
Know what I just realized a few days ago?
In only 24 hours, the first decade of the 21st century will be over and out.
The first decade!
Do you remember what you were doing on December 31st, 1999 at 11:59 pm? I mean, besides fretting over the Y2K bug? Wasn’t that insane?
Carmi and I were in the (now non-existent) Charlotte Hornets basketball arena attending an event called Jubilate. Jubilate was an evening of Southern Gospel music sponsored by Bill Gaither.
No lie. When the clock struck midnight, I almost halfway expected the lights to go out. That is, after all, what the media had warned us about for the previous year or two. Right?
But the lights stayed on. Our water supply was intact. The banking system didn’t crash. And we all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Several personal events really define the last 10 years for me.
My father passed away in May of 2002… just 6 months before Carmi and I brought Eliana home in November. I was so sorry that Dad never had a chance to meet his granddaughter. But even more sorry that Eliana never knew her grandfather - a true American hero, as far as I’m concerned, who served his country in World War 2.
Did Carmi and I have any idea once Eliana was home that we would have not 1 but 3 children by the end of the decade? Don’t think so. But Karys came home in September of 2007 and Zane joined our family in March of 2009.
What do the next 10 years hold? Could at least one more child be waiting for us?
This same time, 10 years from now, Karys will be in middle school, Eliana will be a senior in high school and Zane will probably have graduated college.
If anyone cares to slow down Father Time, I would be forever grateful.
{extended}Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Karys visited with a little friend this afternoon and I took Zane and Eliana to see Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.
Oy vey.
Eliana and even I loved the first movie that came out in 2007. The movie has been watched numerous times on DVD at our house.
So we couldn’t wait to see the sequel. Unfortunately, as is normally the case with sequels, this one wasn’t nearly as good as the first in my opinion.
Oh, the kids really liked it and I suppose that’s what’s important. Even Zane laughed out loud on several occasions.
But I found myself almost dozing off a time or two.
{extended}Morning read
Eliana stumbled into our room after Carmi left for work, hugged me and crawled up into our bed with Magic Tree House book #7.
She received #‘s 7-12 for Christmas but they won’t last long at the rate she’s reading.
Sometimes they surprise me
Sometimes they surprise me and actually get along…
Monday, December 28, 2009
Do the booty dance
I had to take the 3 kids with me to the “car hospital” today right before lunch.
We walked into the garage and… well… it looked and smelled like a garage. Car parts and tools were laying everywhere and the place was v-e-r-y dirty.
Leading the way in, I turned to the kids and said, “D-o-n-o-t-t-o-u-c-h-a-t-h-i-n-g!”
I guess the place was too grimy even for our tomboy. Eliana muttered with a look of disgust on her face, “Why would I want to touch anything???”
Later this afternoon, Eliana and I were playing Wii Sports… specifically bowling and then tennis.
I really like tennis and get very competitive. Yes, even with the children. And I have this tendency, when I win a tennis match, to dance around the room and shake my rear (AKA booty). You know… to intimidate the opposition.
So when Eliana and I were playing our first match of 5 games, I was up 2 games to 1 and was serving the (potential) winning point of the 3rd game for me.
Eliana said, “Oh great. Go ahead and do the booty dance.”
She paused and then added, “Just don’t do it in my face.”
Ahhh, Eliana. I love that girl.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Off to the car hospital
Remember the little accident back on January 21st where I was backing out of the garage and destroyed the passenger-side mirror on our minivan?
Well…
We were on our way to eat out with friends after church tonight when a pizza delivery car crossed the center line, sideswiped us and took out the driver-side mirror.
Of course the driver of the other car didn’t stop. But I’m counting our blessings because the situation could have been m-u-c-h worse.
Now we have a matching pair of side-view mirrors. Or maybe I should say a lack of side-view mirrors.
Guess we’re “off to the car hospital” as Karys says.
We’re out
We needed to run by Target and return a couple of items as well as pick up a few things in the grocery section.
My mouth began to water.
I had received several Starbucks cards for Christmas and couldn’t wait to wrap my lips around a coffee purchased with someone else’s money. Stuff just tastes better when someone else buys it.
So we walked into the store.
Carmi, Zane and Eliana were ahead of me (Karys was in the buggy). Carmi turned left to head for the Customer Service desk and the 2 older kids automatically veered right in the direction of the Starbucks counter.
I have them trained right.
Just as we bellied up to the bar, the barista looked at me and said, “We’re out of white mocha.”
“No white mocha?”, I asked.
My immediate thought was, “Is this April Fools? If so, this is a sad joke. If not, this is a really sad joke.”
My lip quivered.
She responded compassionately to my stunned look by adding, “Sorry”. But then she went about her business by filling the next customer’s request.
A small tear started to swell in the corner of my right eye as I turned and walked forlornly away.
Maybe tomorrow.
{extended}Jesus, Light of the World
Several weeks ago, our Worship Pastor asked me to lead the music at church today because he wanted to take his family on a short after-Christmas get-away.
We planned for the choir to perform a song from our recently-completed cantata. However, there were only 10 choir members present when there are 25-30 on a typical Sunday. So… we opted instead for a familiar and loved chorus from the hymnal.
He also had asked me to sing.
I’ve sung the same song the last couple of Christmas’s and wanted something new. So I searched and searched and found a track for this gem from a contemporary group called Third Day. Listen to their song entitled “Jesus, Light of the World”.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Opposites
I thought this photo captured the essence of our 2 newest additions.
Maggie Mae is the more active of the two cats. She’s not “wild” but is usually wide awake and rarin’ to go.
Sagwa, meanwhile, is much more laid back and never hesitant to take a nap (much like me).
They are certainly opposites.
Togetherness
Best money that she spent
All 3 kiddos received scooters for Christmas. Carmi says it was the best money that she spent.
She and I get dizzy watching them make loops through the kitchen and living room in our house.
We went to Mom’s for lunch today and they wanted to take their scooters with them. Well… Zane didn’t take his but he still couldn’t resist a trip around the front yard on Eliana’s.
