Give Justin a Mr. Potato Head and you'll get

another potato head.

Give J & P two chairs and two brooms and you'll get

an airplane.

Give Justin a pear and you'll get

very, very little.

Adopted, Again

Yesterday we had a court hearing to readopt the boys. Everything went swimmingly. Soon we'll receive their American "Certificates of Foreign Birth." Prior to readopting we only had single Haitian birth certificates for each them. Could you imagine trying to get new ones from Haiti if they were damaged or lost? Scaaaary!

Readoption also made it possible for us to get their names officially changed, to...

Peterson Bates & Justin Clemens

Peterson means rock. Bates means son that suspends the waters. Isn't that rad? Very Moses-y! Justin means fair, just, while Clemens means mercy. We liked the pairing of justice and mercy, but his middle name was also chosen in honor of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, by my wonderful husband- an excellent writer and former English teacher.

Now we anxiously await the boys' third and most important adoption- in to the kingdom of Christ.

Lotions & Potions

Our boys have terribly dry, ashy skin. It "just so happens" I have been a lotion addict since I was 14. I have tried them all. Thus, I knew that certain brands, like Jergens and Vaseline, would be a waste of money on the boys since they did not even work on me. But I have yet to find anything that lasts a full day. Winter is approaching, and they are starting to get itchy. Yesterday we went to put on pajamas and Justin had really scratched up his back. It's not a hyration issue, as he drinks tons of water every day. Petey had little, dry dots on his back, too. I'm afraid they'll both turn completely gray when we finally turn on the heat!

Here are the best brands I've tried so far along with their results:

Eucerin Lotion: lasts 3-5 hours
Curel Natural Healing Lotion: 3-4 hours
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion "for dry, ashy skin": SUCKS @ 30 minutes or less
Palmers Cocoa Butter Cream: 3-5 hours
Tree Hut Shea Body Butters: best so far, 6-8 hours+
Alba Very Emollient Body Lotion: 2-4 hours

Do you have this problem? What do you use to combat it? I'm sick of wasting money on lotions that need to be reapplied every few hours. Creams definitely seem to last longer, but a lot of them are greasy and end up all over our couches, cats & carpets because they don't soak in well. Any suggestions? Please enlighten us.

Never Ending Hope

This is one of many videos on the 143,000,000 orphans web site I linked in my last post. Hope International's idea is simple, yet brilliant. This clip is Haiti-specific, but they work with about a dozen impoverished countries around the world. One of the YouTube commenters put it perfectly- "a hand UP instead of a handout." Please watch it prayerfully. You might not be able to adopt an orphan, but you could help prevent a child from becoming one.

You Go Back, Jack, Do it Again

"You'll see- Once they get home you won't be able to imagine life without them."

I heard that A LOT before the boys' "gotcha day" back in May. And fool that I was, I believed it, literally. Immediate devoted mommy feelings from day one. Never a questioning or regretful thought.

Then they came home. Who were these strange little creatures? What in the heck were they trying to tell us? Why were they crying? What in heck were we thinking when we signed up for this? Did we make a mistake?

I could imagine life without them very well. We had seven years without them. Solitude and husband/wife togetherness & responsibilities for a family of two were all I knew. The transition was actually fairly easy for the boys, but it was very hard for us- especially me. I've heard it said that mothering brings out the best and the worst in you. I felt as though I was only seeing the worst. I had no idea I was capable of such red-faced anger over a Lego dispute. A lot of ugly stuff surfaced in me. I prayed a lot, lot, lot.

God began showing me how to love them. It was not automatic. I had to choose it. And now, six months later, my emotions are beginning to match my choice. The floodgates of my heart opened this week. They are ours! They are so fun! Being a mama is the best thing ever! Now I understand why people want gaggles of kids, even though they are a ton of tiring work. I'm sorry we're not already in the process to adopt more- because the Haiti wait is now closer to three or four years. But maybe it won't be Haiti. There are 143,000,000 orphans worldwide.

143,000,000

That's some number! Grab a pen and make 143,000,000 dots on a sheet of paper. If you start getting tired, motivate yourself by repeating the words, "When I get to 7,150,000 I'll be 5 percent done." Now remember that each dot is a precious, real child, created in God's image, just as in need of love as two darling former orphans that now fill us with intense joy and thanks every day.

I hope that we are not even close to done being fruitful and multiplying. And so this blog, which I've been considering shutting down since our adoption was finalized, will remain. For who knows what the Lord has planned for us?

I now rejoice in the losses and the barren womb that brought us to this place. I rejoice in the agonizing wait. My heart is forever changed. I trust God to provide. I expect it. Suffering, though I always fight him, is a trustworthy friend.

Goodbye Two

Those soft must-kiss-'em cheeks. His head just reaches the kitchen countertops. His hilarious LOUD, flat voice and the way he giggles and says "yeth" when I ask if he's my baby waby pumpkin pie. I am going to miss Peterson, age 2, with all my aching heart!

English, or Lack Thereof

I'm totally discouraged. Why is their English so poor? My language expectations were way too high. Five months home and they have yet to use a pronoun or a verb (except for EAT!) They say "Truck Papa store." I respond, "Ooooh, Papa is going to the store in the truck?" I say that sentence, with different nouns, two hundred times a day. I have them repeat it correctly each time. And 12 seconds later... "Justin car Wal-Mart!"

"Justin like spatula. Justin like bowl. Mama, salt, Mama. Justin like saute pan. Justin like onion. Mama, butter, Mama. Mama, zucchini, Mama. Justin like sweet potato. Shallot delicious! Justin like spoon. Mama, beef, Mama. Mama, lid, Mama. Mama, pepper, Mama. Mama, glove, Mama. Justin like soap." This is how it goes with Every. Meal. I. Cook. Constant comment on every ingredient, every tool, every step I take, every dish I wash. For five months. I have tried hard to be patient because learning a new language is hard! But this is stuff they know well. Backwards and forwards. I've said, "I know you like... You don't have to tell Mama every time." I've tried to change the subject. "Justin, what color is your shirt? Where is your baby? Is he sleeping?" He answers that his orange shirt is green and that his baby, who is right next to him, is "this one." Before he can answer the third question he says, "Mama, banana, Mama. Justin like water. Sausage delicious!" Nothing helps. If anything, it's getting worse. How should I respond to this? "You like the spatula? Gee, that's terrific. Please excuse me while I go bang my head against a wall."

This is not just a food thing. It applies to all of life. Folding laundry, for example, sounds like this: "Mama pajamas. Peterson underwear. Papa pants. Justin sock. Justin pants. Mama shirt. Peterson shorts..." I do about three loads of laundry per day. Not one towel goes unmentioned. Not. One. EVER. And if I don't at least nod or say something like, "Yes, those are Peterson's shorts" the unacknowledged item will be repeatedly, loudly, forever, until I do. "Justin pajamas. Justin Pajamas. Justin Pajamas! Justin Pa-Ja-Mas!..."

I seriously believe they're not learning anything new because they're too busy repeating the same stuff they learned their first month at home over and over (and over and over) again. Can you help us? Please leave a comment if you have any ideas. I am very anxious to hear from you!

The Great Outdoors

For the last few days I've been sending the boys outside to play... without me. They both took it personally at first. They'd just stand out there, looking hurt- staring at me through the living room window. My response was to turn away and wash the dishes. After a bit they started to play. Yesterday they stayed out a little longer than the day before. Today, Peterson asked to go outside. Hallelujah! And Justin hesitated for only a second before joining him. They played on the patio for about 15 minutes. It may sound silly, but it's a big deal to venture outdoors alone when you've come from an orphanage where 24-hour supervision by at least one adult is the norm. I love watching them become little men.

Brrrrrr!

We had a "cold" snap this Sunday. The boys were delighted to wear fleece-lined jackets and blue jeans. Peterson put on his royal blue snow boots. It was about 65 degrees. Notice that both their noses are running. I think we're going to need some long underwear for RI!

Staying Together

God has done it again. We've found a reasonably-priced place to stay in RI! Actually, it's downright cheap. With the boys AND all the kitties! I am so very happy. I was absolutely dreading the first quarter of 2010. I thought I might lose it in a tiny garage apartment with two toddlers, three cats and NO sweet husband to refill my sanity cup at the end of the day. Greg had zero days off this past weekend and one day off the weekend before that- I barely survived. How was I going to handle 10 weeks apart? And what on earth would the boys think as the days passed, one after the next, and Papa still was not home? Would it damage their trust? Would they worry he'd be gone for months every time he left home thereafter? Well, I needn't have feared. God knew such a long split would have been more than we could bear, so He mercifully prevented it.

But that's not all. For we are not just moving to some junky apartment for that time. We'll be living in a house that was built in 1890! The whole second floor will be ours.

There's a spiral staircase leading up to our floor:


Look at the boys' bedroom door! It's beautiful! It has a glass door knob!


We'll have a claw foot bath tub!


Here's our beautiful living room window:


This is the view from our bedroom. Do you see why I've chosen this particular room for me & Greg even though the other one has the cool door?


If you guessed- because we'll see that GORGEOUS old fridge first thing when we wake up in the morning- you are correct! Look at her. Really, just take a minute and drink her in. Have you ever felt such fluttery feelings in your heart over an appliance? I haven't. It almost feels scandalous!


Aaaah... Can you imagine the food photography opportunities? I am already framing chowder shots in the Le Creuset in my mind. The old stove is actually very cool, too, but it's hard to see it in the pic. I am SO GLAD I didn't sell my white linen embroidered days-of-the-week dish towels on eBay! They will be too perfect in this kitchen!

Oh, and whole place is currently being remodeled. New floors, paint, etc... The owner was going to replace the stove and fridge, but I talked him out of it. :) Once again, God has provided- far, far above anything we could have asked or imagined. WHY oh WHY is He so good to us?! We don't even deserve an outhouse and a freezing cold shack! I could just fall on the floor and weep.

Dready or Not

The boys are learning our language, culture & rules- That's a lot for little kids. It drives me to want to learn to care for their hair, and not just by keeping it cut short. So tonight I started Petey's first dreads.

I popped Madagascar II in the DVD player, washed two ridiculously huge bowls of grapes, and sat down to work. First, I fluffed Petey's hair with a pick. Can you tell someone loves a big bowl of grapes?


Step 2- I chose the brush rubbing method to start the dreads because his hair was only about an inch long. It was easy. I just rubbed his head in clockwise circles with a soft-bristled brush. After several minutes I had these small, natural sections.


Then came the wax. I have no idea how many little sections I twisted and waxed, but we finished Madagascar II, made popcorn, and then watched Wallace & Gromit's The Curse of the Were-Rabbit in it's entirety. I guess the whole process took about 4 hours. Peterson sat through the whole ordeal without a complaint. He is a lover, you see. He'll take all the affection & attention we can dish out, which is the only reason I even tried this on a (still just barely, *sniff*) 2-year-old! Here's how it turned out.


He was thrilled when he saw himself in the mirror! I could NOT get him to stand still enough to take a more clear picture, but I wasn't about to hassle him after all that sitting. Of course, by now it was bed time, so we put on pjs. I was anxious about how the newborn dreads would hold up overnight, being so small & delicate, but they still looked great the next morning.


According to my teacher, Professor Internet, these should start to lock up in one to two months (with lots of care & maintenance!) Will they come to look like they were made by a white lady who can't even French braid? Only time will tell. I was such a blessing to spend this time with Sweetie Petey that I don't really care. But I'm going to try very hard to keep them healthy and get them established, because I think he's just so stinkin' cute with them. Of course, I would think this boy was scrumptious in a skunk pelt and a mauve do-rag, because he would be!

Yellow

It began not long before the boys came home. I bought a yellow dress. Not mellow, buttercream yellow either. It was bright. With a few gold sequins, even. I was so surprised when I felt inclined to try it on at the store. I've always considered yellow to be annoying. A color for people who whistle all day long and rattle off Romans 8:28 without a shadow of sympathy when your house burns to the ground. I tried it on anyway. Mainly because it was cheap. I found that I liked it. Even on me. I wore it for the first time to our baby shower at church. I've worn it many times since. And when I broke a strap on it recently I was truly upset about it. I actually took the time to repair it instead of letting it hang lopsided on the hanger forever. (after a month or so) The boys have awakened something in me. For years I've been all about blues, greens, grays & browns- The somber shades have always been my closest friends. Lavender-gray skies before a storm soothe my soul, and I love the glossy, charcoal streets after the rain. But since a month or so before the boys came home I've been shaking the heavenly realms of Cara clearance shopping. I recently bought an orange purse. Orange! What the heck? And an orange scarf. And brown shoes- with orange stitching. In fact, I made orange my official accessory color for the year. Ask my mother how weird all this is. She knows I never colored a picture in my entire life with a yellow crayon. I didn't dislike orange, but it was never a favorite. It was yellow's cute, but irritating, little brother. An odd force has overtaken me. I think it might be happiness.

Justin informed me this evening that Thomas the Train likes ghee. So does the box car, whose name I do not know because it's not mentioned in the library book. Can someone help me out with that?

Also tonight- "Wok, wok, wok," said Peterson. I asked, "Wok? You want Mama to cook in the wok?" (It was close to dinner time.) "No- Wok, wok," he continued. I asked him to point at the wok and he showed me the new Maxwell cd. Apparently Peterson wanted to ROCK! Ha, ha! Papa gets 100% of the blame for that one.

Joyful yellow and orange are starting to suit the Greens. Here's a pic of me and Petey today. I think my sunny, Mama heart is showing.

Quick Update for Friends & Family

We'll leave here November 30th and head to TX. We'll stay together in the Houston area until January when Greg will leave for RI. Unless God has a miracle up His sleeve me, the boys, and the cats will stay in Houston for the duration of the internship. That's ten long weeks without Papa. Please pray for us! Our family will be reunited in late March in FL for graduation. Then we'll all go to TX and start phase 47 or so of our crazy lives!

Thank you, Meemaw!

Justin took his birthday money from Meemaw to Target and picked out a puzzle, a monkey t-shirt for himself, and a truck shirt for Peterson. Aaaaaaw. He loves the card it came in, which plays "Celebration." In fact, the boys fight over it frequently. I've tried to video them dancing along but the song absolutely refuses to play if the card is opened while the camera is on. How does it know? I'll keep trying...

Happy Birthday, Justin!

Justin turned four today, and it was a GREAT day! By the grace of God our beloved little monkey was HOME for his birthday, not in an orphanage. Hooray!

I spent two hours designing, coloring, making copies and cutting out template pieces for an awesome Chicka Chicka Boom Boom cake, and two more hours melting & coloring gummy bears to perfectly match the colors in my plans. I intended to cut out the pieces with an exacto knife and then assemble them on a plain, white cake. Everything was going great 'til I tried peeling the cooled goo from the waxed paper. It was stuck like Chuck! I was so annoyed (to put it nicely), fresh out of gummy bears, and just not up for another hour-long round trip to Wal-Mart. My dear hubby stepped in and saved the day by grabbing a couple tubes of that awful, ready-made frosting gel stuff (thank goodness I had them, though!) and squirting out a quick rendition of Winnie the Pooh. Thank you, my love! And Justin was very happy with the Pooh cake. He did find my original plans in the trash, though, and he took them out and carried them around for a couple hours. {{sniff!}} Well, at least he enjoyed the drawing.


Justin got some cool gifts, but his favorite, far and away, was his own set of pots and pans from Grandma. I think the boys played with them for about four hours straight yesterday. They cooked jelly, beef, chicken, potatoes, broccoli, butter, and much, much more. They are constantly saying, "15 minutes, Mama!!" and, "very, very hot!"