The Five of Us, Spring 2014

The Five of Us, Spring 2014

A-camping We Will Go

Well, actually, we already went. And we had a splendid time. It is just so relaxing to kick back around picnic table next to tents and let your children run amok in the woods. :) We went with several other families and I am convinced that this is the way to camp (unless, of course, you are sans-children, and then the way to camp is in a B&B). The children entertain each other and take care of each other. They become a kinder, more caring Lord-of-the-Flies-esque band of wild ruffians, and somehow, this causes their behavior to be impeccable. No sibling squabbles, no complaints of boredom, no whining about the Wii. Bliss.

Here are a few snapshots of the good times (in almost completely random order).
Punk (still in his jammies) with a friend (who wore those clothes to bed) out for a (late) morning hike.Some of the gang walking the plank, er, boardwalk, er carnivorous plant walk.At the end of the carnivorous plant walk, the kids discovered this vine to swing on. We could have spent AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL day here, except that the adults were getting hungry!Another view of vine-swinging. Aa and a mom were helping organize the turns and the tree climbing aspect of the adventure. Safety first!Oooh! Look! A carnivorous plant! A venus flytrap, to be exact. The rangers told us that these plants only close 5-6 times in their lifespan and they exert quite a bit of energy to do so. So, teasing them to close is very rude because they get no nourishment for all their effort. Poor little carnivore.Some of the girls in one of the gang's main hangouts. They called this the "ditch" though it was more of a crater. See how little they look in there!Back to the CPW. Can't recall what they were looking at here.Dexter enjoyed his outdoor excursion too!BANANA BOAT!!!! Need I say more? We taught this family about banana boats and they shared the joys of mountain pies with us. Like I always say, food is the best part of camping!The wildlife in this park was breath-taking! ;)Yes, these children are roasting marshmallows. Yes, it's broad daylight. Actually, you can see from the shadows that it's still pretty early in the morning. Yes, morning. Yes, marshmallows. When will you people learn that the food is the best part of camping?! ;)And the results of such coal-mastery? Look at that face! Look at those hands! Yes, look at those hands! Goodness!

Yep, we're definitely doing this again!

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My Man and Me

My Man and Me
married 7/7/2001

Punk

Punk
ours through biology, born 7/25/2004, home 8/1/2004

Pea

Pea
ours through adoption from Liberia, West Africa, born 7/15/2005, home 10/25/2007

Pup

Pup
ours through domestic adoption, born 1/15/2011, home 2/10/2011, final 8/3/2011

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Round Two Timeline

  • 9/24/08 Home study update home visit for Ghana adoption
  • 10/15/08 Dossier sent to AOHG
  • 10/15/08 I600A application sent to USCIS
  • 10/30/08 First heard about possible domestic private adoption
  • 11/18/08 Last spoke with contact about possible domestic adoption; expected to hear back about meeting with birthmother
  • 12/3/08 Withdrew application from AOHG
  • 1/6/09 Found out another family had been chosen for possible domestic adoption
  • 1/21/09 USCIS fingerprinting appointment
  • 1/8/09 Received USCIS fingerprinting appointment notice
  • 4/11/09 Sent Pre-Application to Covenant Care Adoptions for Domestic Infant Adoption program
  • 6/8/09 Social worker visit to update home study from International to Domestic
  • 7/24/09 Received completed home study update
  • 8/25/09 Went "on the list" for birthfamilies to choose from
  • 4/28/10 Found out a birth mom had chosen us
  • 5/8/10 Met the birth mom
  • 5/11/10 Got the call that birth mom changed her mind
  • 5/19/10 Birth mom's scheduled c-section
  • 11/30/10 Visit from DSS sw about foster parenting
  • 11/30/10 Got the call that another birth mom had chosen us
  • 12/21/10 Met with the birth mom
  • 1/15/11 @1:42 PM BB was born!
  • 1/19/11 ICPC (interstate) paperwork sent to GA for approval
  • 1/31/11 ICPC Clearance Approved
  • 2/10/11 Placement Ceremony and Pup comes home!!!!
  • 8/3/11 It's Official! Pup's Adoption Decree was issued