Calumet

We returned yesterday from our annual trek to Camp Calumet in New Hampshire. This is my absolute favorite place in the world...have been going since I was 12 yrs old. I was a camper for several years and then worked as a counselor for several years and now we go camping there every summer. Peter and Devin have been going as campers to resident camp and next year Logan can go. This year I was blessed to have my friend Heather join us for most of the week. Our friendship began at Calumet many many years ago. We had a great time and I loved getting to know her daugters, Olivia and McKenna. I look forward to next year when they will be up for the whole week. Our friend Amy was up with her family also. Our goal is to get the whole gang up.....a difficult feat but as far as I am concerned...mandatory. Pictures will be coming soon....I just haven't downloaded them off the camera yet.

Keira

This is a recent picture of Keira. She is the daughter of my former step-daughter. What a cutie she is!

Also my favorite color...sort of

Your Aura is Blue

Spiritual and calm, you tend to live a quiet but enriching life. You are very giving of yourself. And it's hard for you to let go of relationships. The purpose of your life: showing love to other people Famous blues include: Angelina Jolie, the Dali Lama, Oprah Careers for you to try: Psychic, Peace Corps Volunteer, Counselor

What Color Is Your Aura?

What kind of shoe are you?

You Are Flip Flops

You are laid back and very friendly. Cheery and sunny in disposition, you usually have something to smile about. Style is important to you, as long as you can stay casual. It takes a lot to get you to dress up! You are a loyal and true person, though you can be a bit of a flake. You tend to "play hooky" and blow off responsibilities a lot more than most people. You should live: By the beach You should work: At a casual up and coming company

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

I'm Done!

Carolyn is very specific about when she is done eating....this is her typical face when she is finished and I try to give her another bite.

Don't come any closer with that spoon!

Kick-a-thon

Peter and Devin participated in a kick-a-thon on June 7th to raise money for St. Jude's Childrens hospital. It was brutally hot that day and all the kids ( and parents) were happy to be done and to get inside to the AC.
This is Peter:

Devin is in the back:

Peter in mid-air...he is the one on your right:

The gang:

It shoudn't take so long to come home

One of the men on our team for our Haiti trip is in the process of adopting a little girl from Haiti. Jacob and his wife started this process a year and half ago and it could take up to another year before they get to bring Nancy home. We were so lucky to be able to witness there first time meeting each other and then to have Nancy spend a few days with us. She is such a sweet little girland will be 7 in a few months. We also got to visit her orphanage and spend half a day there playing and cuddling the kids there. There were 47 of them and they all have adoptive homes to go home too. Jacob and his wife have also adopted a daughter from Taiwan, Mei. She is 2. They have a biological son named Ethan who is 3 and half.
Here are some photos from this day:

Visions of Haiti

Haiti

Peter and I are back safely from our trip to Haiti.....There is nothing I can say that will make anyone understand what it was like...unless you have been there. Its a totally different world and I am so thankful for all I have and for what my children have. I will be posting pictures here and there to share with you...will probably put together a slide show at some point. My heart has been broken for these children.....

This is Peterson...he was sent to the orphange 2 yrs ago because he was taking to long to die in the hospital after a failed shunt due to hydrocephalus. I spent 4 days caring for him. He smiles and laughs. He is fed through a tube in his nose. His eyes have cataracts...but I know he can see out of one of them..if only light and dark. He is on his back 24/7 and consequently has open wounds on the back of his head. I explained that he needs to be turned on his side ...they know...but its not done. I just wanted to pick him up and put him on my shoulder...but his head is just too heavy. I held him in my arms and after 10 minutes I had to put him down due to the weight of his head....He loved having his arms and legs and belly rubbed. The socks areon his hands because he pulls out his NG tube in his nose. When I fist saw him he had old mittens on his hands...one of them was taped. It had been a long time since they had been taken off...they smelled. I took them off and his nails were so long and the skin just rubbed off his hands. I cleaned him up...cut his nails. He was so happy to feel his hand in his mouth. I wish I had a picture of his tongue. He loved to stick it out so I could grab it. I left him with clean socks in his hands...who knows when they will be changed again. He loved any touch that I could give him. God has a plan for Peterson.....

update...finally

So much for keeping up with this blog on a regular basis. I envy my friend Susan in Georgia...she is great about her blog and has a new post almost daily. Our lives are busy here..it's baseball season for Peter and Logan and Peter and I are getting ready for our mission trip to Haiti next week. I will have lots of pictures to share when we return. It's brutally hot in Haiti right now so I hope we don't melt.

Carolyn continues to be a very happy girl...she is crawling and pulling herself up on the furniture. 4 teeth have emerged and she claps her hands. Yesterday was her 9 month check-up and the doc said she is doing great. 22 lbs 14 ounces and 29 and 3/4 inches. A big girl for sure!




Peter was confirmed on May 10th. Here is a picture of him with his mentor, Mike.

A gift

I received something in the mail today. A baby picture of Devin. He was 9 and half month. I just keep staring at it...I'll post it here but I am not sure how the quality will be as I had to scan and crop it.

For those of you who don't know, Devin came to me when he was a month and half away from being 4. We had no pictures of him before that time. His bio-mom was asked for one long ago but she said she didn't have any. I got a call the other day from the boys old social worker asking if she could send it as bio-mom had sent it to her. She also included a letter. I don't know at what point I will share this with the boys but it won't be now. They also do not know about the picture yet. I want to have it enlarged professionally so the quality is good.

The dress

I love this dress! My friend Sue bought this for Carolyn and she wore it to church yesterday. Such a pretty girl!

My goofy oldest son

Multi-tasking? Holding sleeping baby and playing video games...Such talent!

Carolyn loves to jump and probably spends at least half of her awake time jumping in some form or another. Here she is in the johnny jumper...gives my arms a break.

Peter decided have a fashion show with some baby clothes. These were clothes I was passing on to goodwill. I can't believe he actually got them on his body...they are a size 18 months. Such a goofball!

Carolyn

Here is the newest addition to our family. Little Miss Carolyn is a happy baby and she slept through the night on her first night here....yeah!!!! We don't know how long we will be blessed with her but for now we are enjoying her. She just loves the boys...the can really get her cracking up.