Mother's Day 2010- Four children make for one very happy mom!

We had an amazing weekend!  Honestly I could not have had a better time.  We spent the weekend in Glenwood Springs at a fun old hotel, swam in the hot springs and played hard at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park!  We missed Tyler, but considering he was having a fabulous time in Hawaii we were all okay with that.  Morelson has been home three months this week.  To have this Mother's Day with him and to have had it turn out as amazing as it did is the best gift I could have ever received!  He was SO fun and completely engaged all weekend.  He just followed our lead and allowed himself to try new things and enjoy new surroundings.  He has amazing big sisters!  Both Brielle and Lacey love him dearly and he loves them dearly in return.  It was a picture perfect family weekend getaway that I'll always treasure!  It didn't take long to plan or completely break the bank to pull off, yet it was full of all the same stuff "those" type of vacations you hope will bring.  True, lasting impressions, the ones where your kids are having a blast doing something really silly and unexpected.  You buy something in a little shop that truly strikes your fancy and leaves you feeling a bit guilty.  You get to spend some one on one time with your husband and because it was at a place new to the two of you that spark comes back!  I'm happy, my kids are happy, and my husband's happy because we're all happy!  Mother's Day 2010 was just one of "those" days, a day in which every last ounce of you is content.  I started the weekend with excitement and hope, and I end it with immense satisfaction!

75 days home!

Life is really good right now here at the Hilldale household!  Morelson has been home for 75 days after waiting 750 days for him to join us!  Morelson's transition into our family is nothing short of a miracle.  I feel I should call the local news, police station, etc., and tell them that there is a real life hero right here in our town that deserves a huge gold star, a street named after him, heck maybe a key to the city!

In just 75 days we have a English speaking, T-ball playing, hot dog eating, country song singing Haitian American boy!  Talk about gusto, you haven't seen anything like the drive in this 42 lb. ball of energy!  To say that Morelson is happy go lucky would be a gross understatement, he's like every clown in the circus rolled into one!  We honestly have a one man comedy show at our house 24/7.  The kid is F-U-N-N-Y!  Now are there times I would like to tone down the funny, YES!  But Morelson's personality is HUGE, and I'll take that loving, happy, smiling, crazy, all over the place boy over a wall flower any day of the week!

After our first trip to Haiti and our first meeting w/ Morelson, Rob and I always say that we will learn much more from Morelson and Haiti then they will from us!  We have been completely humbled by the strength and courage that Morelson has shown over this past couple of months.  Do we have a long ways to go YES!  His transition has not been perfect but any means.  It has however been much easier than many other families are experiencing and for that we feel very fortunate.  Full attachment takes a very long time, but he is attaching beautifully and we see no red flags in that area at all.  Academically he continues to amaze us.  His desire to learn and challenge himself continually is simply remarkable.  His social interactions are completely on par w/ his peers and there have been no issues acclimating him to school in America.  He is always appropriate around other adults, he doesn't cling or go to others for assistance that should come from us.  He is cautiously trusting, I am thankful for this trait.  Considering he is SO outgoing and social I was worried that he would open up to anyone and everyone, he does not do this.  He has built a good relationship w/ his teachers and let's go with them, but can simply wave or smile to other adults at school and leave it at that.  He doesn't need to engage w/ every adult that pays any attention to him, and believe me he gets LOTS of attention!

Bedtime was a HUGE issue for many weeks, I honestly didn't think we would see a night where he went to sleep w/o us for a long time.  I am happy to report that we have now had a full week of "normal" bedtime behavior.  We play a game, brush our teeth, read a book, give good night kisses and wishes and leave the room.  YAHOO!!  This is  B-I-G!  I am so happy for him that he now trusts enough to fall asleep alone, and I am SO happy for us that we can now have a small amount of down time before we fall to exhaustion at the end of the day!

Like I mentioned before we still have many hills to climb.  Discipline is a challenge as Morelson can push buttons you didn't know you had.  Emotionally he is not 6, yet cognitively he is all of that and some!  This makes disciplining very tricky.  We find ourselves flip flopping between treating him as a four year old w/ many things and then having to raise the bar w/ others and treat him as a 6+ year old!  It's a good thing that Rob and I are a strong team, I don't see how you could do this any other way.

I'm excited and hopeful for what the future holds, it looks VERY bright around here!!!

An Amazing Music Video On The Journey Of Adoption.

One Month Home

 

  

 

It's hard to believe that one month has already passed since we boarded that obnoxious military flight out of Port Au Prince with Morelson and headed home.  A lot can happen in a month and it has!  I will always strive to protect Morelson's privacy and personal story as much as possible, but with that said there are many things that I believe are appropriate to share here as a record of "our" story.  Right now "our" story holds Morelson as the main character and what a character he is!

I will start by saying this little boy has brought some serious fun into our lives!  No I'm not going to try and tell you all that it's been a total cake walk as that would be a flat out lie.  I will say with total honesty that at least 85% of every day is going extremely well!  Bedtime as of today is still pretty U-G-L-Y!  We also struggle some with those oh so dreaded letters of N-O! 

We can see Morelson becoming more and more comfortable every day.  Rob and I had an established relationship w/ Morelson through our many visits and I believe that we would not being seeing the success that we are if we hadn't had that bond. 

ONE MONTH HIGHLIGHTS:

1.   When we don't understand what he is telling us in Creole or very broken English we get this "oh- my- goodness- Mama/Papa!  In his VERY dramatic voice!

2.   His new favorite food is bread.  Not just any bread though.  At first this bread had to be hot dog buns, we have now moved away from hot dog buns to Challah rolls from "Papa's Market" (Whole Foods.) 

3.   We still really like figs (bananas) but are down from a high of 9 to about 2 a day.  

4.   School is bon (good!)  He just this week began really talking to the other kids and since they get a chuckle out of the accent I'm thinking we are going to hear a lot from him!  He already knows every child's name and tells me multiple times daily...  "Mama, T-T-T for Tanner, and K-K-K for Kyla, etc. etc.  He LOVES sharing the beginning sound of words.

5.   Play Planning ROCKS!  It is simply an amazing way to teach children to read and write.  This morning when he discovered that his remote control cars needed new batteries he took a play plan from the stack I have handy and began "planning" our trip to the store.  He drew a picture of himself playing w/ the cars, and then said "I am going to buy batteries," while drawing a line for each word.  When I said "you'll need to read your plan back to me so I can write your letters, he again says "I am going to buy batteries," as he points to each line and says the corresponding word.  I am truly impressed with this after only attending school for a meager 10 days! 

6.   Morelson is writing both his first and last names w/o a model!

7.   He still loves his "musica!"  Our favorite right now is both Classic Rock and Blues, and this boy can both dance and carry a tune!

8.   Morelson LOVES to help Papa cook and he is the best cleaner-uper!

9.   We are discovering that Morelson is ultra competitive!  I'm hoping we can find a way to properly channel this, he wants to play "football" aka soccer.

10.   Morelson lights up the room when he walks in, he has made MANY friends already!  We've got ourselves a little guy with a REALLY big personality!

February 5th was our GOTCHA DAY, Morelson is home!

 

 FEEDING THE STINGRAY'S AT THE AQUARIUM

When an event SO big has taken two years and a tragic earthquake to come to a happy ending  it's hard to find the words to summarize how you feel.  Our little boy is home for good!  The strength and perseverance that it took the two weeks prior to our big day is truly something that only Rob and I can ever really know.  It was a bonding experience like no other.  The two of us shared a gamut of emotions that no one should have to go through in such a short period.  Well more on that later........again our little boy is home!  Morelson is a treasure like no other.  He entered the U.S. with a smile and it hasn't left his face yet!  He could be the poster child for fun loving, inquisitive, infectious laughing "grab life by the horns" kinda boy!  Our family will never be the same and we wouldn't want it any other way!

Week One Run Down:

1. Bananas must be a super food, Morelson has put away over 55 of them in 7 days!

2. The "Machine" is a huge hit, there is NO keeping this boy home he loves to go, go, go!

3. Snow is acceptable, we can't say we love it yet, but it's all good in small doses.

4. School rocks!  M loves the kids, the routine, the songs, the activities and writing his name.

5. Bedtime not so much, other than the nightly bath going to bed is the day's low point.

6. A Big brother and two sister's are the best, ahh...so many people to shower me with attention!

7. Listening to music and dancing to an ipod comes first, lego building second.

8. Morelson has full blown Creole conversations ALL DAY long, I honestly think we have learned more Creole in a week than I ever thought I could learn!

9. The dreaded dog is now a good buddy!

10. Morelson laughs and giggles more than tickle me Elmo, MUCH MORE! 

Morelson early January 2010 at his orphanage in Les Cayes...he had no way of knowing that he would be home in America very shortly.  The earthquake that ravaged his homeland would be the very thing that sent him to us earlier than expected.  His and ALL of the other children's homecoming would turn out to be a bittersweet experience.

Monday, January 18th, 2010- Martin Luther King Day, a day we will forever hold so near and dear to our hearts.  This is the very day that we were told our son would be coming home to us very shortly, probably by the end of the week!  We have waited for this moment for two full years now, and now that it is here it is such a surreal feeling.  My mind is racing....will he come home traumatized by the events unfolding in his country, or will he come home feeling a sense of peace has been granted to him?  We love this little boy with all of our hearts and souls.  He has provided us with so much joy and hope already.  We have longed to have him here with us in our home, his home and soon that will be our reality, our new family will begin to unfold.  This day is marked with a tremendous amount of  sunshine, the kind that warms you right down to your little toe!  We love you MoHi, and our dreams for you on this very special day are as big as your precious eyes!  Mwen renmen ou pitit mouin!

 Dye Mon, Gen Mon.

An old Haitian proverb meaning, beyond mountains there are more mountains.

It is pretty impossible to even know where to begin this post.  It's Friday, the devastating earthquake we all have heard and seen so many horrific images from happened three days ago on January 12th, 2010 at 4:53 p.m.  I don't feel any different today than I did three days ago when first hearing the news coming out of our son's country.  I am bearing a grief that is the heaviest I believe I ever have known, and ever hope to know.  We have grown to love Haiti.  Not in the way you "love" Disneyland or the beach in Mexico, or your favorite hiking trail.  No we love Haiti as the homeland of our dear sweet son.  An island of tenacious people, with the biggest most endearing smiles I have ever witnessed.  A rugged place with a combination of beautiful mountains, bustling cities, oceans and plateaus, a few rich and privileged, and millions of poor.  

Thousands, many of thousands, of Haitians are now dead.  They are being dumped into mass graves w/ miscellaneous earthquake debris thrown right on top of them.  They are not being photograhped or identified in anyway, there is not the time or resources for such a thing.  They are still digging mostly with their bare hands to free the trapped people that have managed to cling to life.  Thousands of people are waiting for much needed medical care at make shift clinics, the majority of the people offering care are typical Haitians w/ no medical training.  There is help trickling in, and although the news channels report thousands of people coming in from numerous countries, the devastation and need is so widespread that the majority have to wait far longer than imagineable for any form of medical attention, and then that attention consists of Tylenol, cardboard splints, and some gauze.

Haiti a country all ready so broken. Tormented for years w/ mass poverty, political unrest, no infrastructre. It's only the hopes and dreams of the Haitian people that keep it clinging, just on the brink, but alive, hopeful and full of smiles, the Haitians have managed to "maintain."

Now their strength and courage has again been shaken, shaken by that of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.  How will they recover from this?  A "full" recovery, and I mean a recovery that could even take them back to Tuesday afternoon before the quake hit.  An afternoon that was still riddled w/ poverty that we don't have any way of truly grasping, you don't, don't even try. It's harsh, foreign, so far removed from anything we can deal with, and yet it's better than what they have now.  I wish we could go back to Tuesday afternoon, as dire as it was, it's better than it is today.  But of course we can't this is the new reality for Haiti.

This "new" post earthquake Haiti has left the Island of Hispaniola needing to find a renewed norm of surviving amongst such despair.  How or when will the government rebuild?  Will any kind of infrastructure be able to emerge?  Where will the children go to school?  What will happen to the most likely thousands of newly orphaned children?  Will our already matched children be able to leave Haiti and make room for more needy children?  We aren't going to have answers to these questions for a very long time I fear.

Life in Haiti will go on, and it will again be full of those beautiful smiles we have grown to love.  Our son is safe, all of the children that we consider to be his "siblings" are safe.  Marie the orphanage director that is a strong, resourceful woman is safe and will care for our children in this roughest of times.  Our dear friend Veniel and his beautiful family are all safe, their guesthouse is destroyed and although five people lost their lives in the rubble at Wall's guesthouse that horrific day, they too will pick up the pieces and their spirits and find a way to survive.  Our hearts are heavy, but our hopes are yet again high.  I don't know what the future really holds for the only land our son has yet to know, but I do know we will NEVER forget, we will continue to love, and support and maintain pride in our hearts for this island of people that have granted us the most precious gift on the face of this earth!

Four New Haitian-Americans Joined Their Forever Families This Week!

Welcome To America!  We know that 2010 Will Bring Home Many Of Your Friends!

Lise Home In New Mexico!

 

Erickson and Lovekender Home In Kentucky!

 

Lovely Home in Wyoming!

 

 MORELSON'S LETTER TO SANTA!

YOU HAVE TO VIEW THIS IT'S JUST TOO DARN SWEET!  THANK YOU STEPHANIE FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER AFTER VISITING WITH OUR GUY EARLIER THIS MONTH!

http://smilebox.com/playEmail/4d544d794d5459334f544a384e7a59324e4451324d513d3d0d0a&sb=1

Sean Tuohy, Michael Oher and Leigh Anne Tuohy

The Tuohy's are the family depicted in The Blindside released this week.  They are played by Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw and Quinton Aaron.  

As an adoptive mom to be of a son of African heritage I read all of the hype centered around this movie based on the book The Blindside: Evolution of the Game, by Michael Lewis.  I'll begin by saying I didn't think I would like the movie, I figured along w/ plenty of others that it would carry a "tone."  That tone being one of "Only white people w/ money of the do gooder sect could possibly turn around and "save" a black boy from the wrong side of town."  Well that is ultimately what happened!  Whether you like it or not, Michael Oher is partly who he is today thanks to the Tuohy's.  Reality isn't always what we want it to be or wish it weren't!  Yes the movie comes across as very touchy feely, and I'm sure that not every single thing in the movie is absolutely 100% accurate down to each word, hug and look.  Yet in every single article or interview I've read when Michael himself is asked about the book and movie he agrees w/ everything that has been published or portrayed with the exception of his IQ.  If that is the only piece that is up for debate than I would say both Mr. Lewis and Hollywood have done an admirable job! 

Michael Oher was brought into this world under conditions that no child should ever have to know.  Born to a crack addicted mother of 13 who wasn't even sure who his father was at the time, he ended up living in many different foster homes, staying with whatever friend would take him in at the time or being left to find a warm floor to sleep on.  

My thoughts on the film are it can a teachable moment.  Let's not make it out to be a slam on the black community in the sense that they can't "save" their own.  In Michael's case he happened to be part of an immediate community that really was incapable of intervening.  That certainly doesn't mean that all members of the black community are unable or unwilling to adopt, foster or offer help to black children in need.  I don't think that the movie left people believing that is the case.  There are bad seeds in every walk of life.  People of all color, race and religion are capable of doing wrong by their children.  We have all heard of many cases where the black community has stepped  in and raised other people's children.  In Michael's case this just wasn't one of them, it's that simple.  The Tuohy's stepped up, saw a child of this world in need and did what it takes to make him successful!  That's where the teachable moment comes in:  when you see another fellow human being in need, and you have the means to meet those needs and your heart is in the right place, irregardless of color, religion, society's norms, etc.. you need to go for it.  It's no more complex than that.  A human being is a human being, and we all have far more in common than we do not in common.  


I have done a ton of reading on trans racial adoption and realize there are a mountain of things to be aware of.  I would never be so naive to think that as a white mother I can solely arm my black son with all that he needs as a black male in today's world.  In Michael's case his basic needs were not even being met, we can not fool ourselves into thinking that we can continue to ignore the fact that this is the case for millions of children world wide.  First let's give the world's children a safe, loving home, three nutrional meals a day, a predicatable routine, a solid education and an arsenal of extended community members that can help foster the child's whole being.  When that is being done on a large scale that's when we can pick and choose the homes these children in need go to, that's when we can really worry about whether a black family vs. a white family is best for any particular child.  Meanwhile we don't have the right to decide that a black child or hispanic child or asian child is better off being raised in a abusive home, foster home or orphanage because a family that shares the same skin color or cultural identity isn't stepping forward to raise them properly!  Nor should we worry about "saving face" of those that are abusing, neglecting, or in anyway harming the total well being of a child because it's politically incorrect or potentially damaging to a particular group of people.  


Watch the movie, enjoy the success that Michael finds and realize that the Tuohy's have learned much more from Michael than he will ever learn from them! 

Here is Morelson's November Smilebox.  He is getting SO big!  Our boy needs to come home!

http://smilebox.com/playEmail/4d5449304e5459794d6a42384d6a45324e5451314e44673d0d0a&sb=1

Winter Fun Has Begun!  First big storm hit October 28-29th.

IT'S OFFICIALLY A NO SCHOOL DAY!  THAT'S RIGHT IT'S ONLY OCTOBER 28TH AND OUR FIRST SNOW DAY HAS BEEN DECLARED!  SOMETHING TELLS ME WE ARE IN FOR A LONG WINTER!  

 

I look outside my window
and what do I see?

Six inches of fluffy snow
waiting just for me.

School is cancelled for one day.
Buses cannot run.

That’s ok with me because
I’ll have lots of fun.

I grab my boots, coat, and hat.
I run, jump and play.

Scoop it. Toss it. Crackle. Crunch.
Snow Day! Snow Day! Yeah!

We awoke to snow on Saturday morning here in Denver! This was the scene in our front yard. A scarecrow and pumpkins sporting winter's white is typical, but always a sad reality that fall isn't a season we get to have around for very long :(

Capitalism!

It doesn't matter where you stand politically or if you have a stand at all, this movie is a must see! You have to realize that we are in a mess as a country, we the people allowed and created this mess and the time has come that we the people play clean up!

The definition of capitalism:

Economic system characterized by the following: private property ownership exists; individuals and companies are allowed to compete for their own economic gain; and free market forces determine the prices of goods and services. Such a system is based on the premise of separating the state and business activities. Capitalists believe that markets are efficient and should thus function without interference, and the role of the state is to regulate and protect.

Here is the deal folks we have ALL allowed capitalism to run a muck! The idea is great! Create a free market, promote healthy competition, and sit back and reap the rewards of our hard work and ingenuity! Sadly that is only happening for the top 1% of our population. Did you know that those on the very top have more wealth then the combined worth of the rest of the 99% of us? This isn't because they are SO smart and have worked SO much harder than us, it's because they have pulled the wool right over our eyes and we have become defenseless against them thanks to the twisted interests of the good ol' U. S. of A!

Our government is not doing what is said above, they are not "regulating and protecting" they have fed us to the lions! It's been happening for a very long time now, and it will continue to happen until we let them know under no circumstances are we going to allow it to continue. We can do this you know, afterall we do live in a democratic nation right? Oh, wait a minute we actually live in a "bought" union one where money equals power and the more power one has the more they want so they use more money to "buy" more power and it goes on and on and on!

Our politicians are owned and operated by corporations! The key to unlocking this ownership is to have total and I mean 100% set in stone campaign finance reform! The days of a presidential candidate taking millions of dollars from puppeteers needs to stop. You know the old saying "he who has the gold makes the rule!" By allowing our politicians to be bought and therefore controlled by these corporate Goliath's, because let's face it, that's exactly what is happening, we have opened our entire country and all it's citizen to their way or the highway!

This movie is not about putting fear where there is none. You honestly can't watch this movie and not question what you are hearing, it's impossible unless you simply can't think for yourself!

The sad truth is none and I do mean NONE of our political leaders are above the ugliness of this blood sucking game! I voted for Obama and to this day I really, really like the guy! I still feel that he has the potential of doing some good. I'll even go so far as to say that I bet he wishes he hadn't had to be a sell out to get where he is, but the truth is he wouldn't be president if that were the case. If Obabam hadn't taken the mulitple millions of dollars so easily placed into his hands by people such as Goldman Sachs for instance he would be back in the windy city today singing the blues with the rest of the folks sad about not getting the 2016 olympics!

You can't take money like that from corporations and not be expected to play their game, that is the simple truth folks. Money = votes = power. It's certainly not a complex formula! We have dealt the corporations that run this country, yea, the same ones that ran the economy into the toilet due to NO REGULATIONS OR PROTECTION A "FULL HOUSE!" They are gloating that CAPITALISM has allowed them to mascarade an army of unethical, immoral behaviors that if anyone of us were to behave in the same manner we would be utterly ashamed of ourselves!

Please watch the movie. Don't watch it without question, do question, question every last bit of it! Do your homework, read, research, seek the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth! I can promise you it won't be pretty. It's embarrassing what we have allowed this great nation to become. We are loathed around the world becasue we don't know when to leave well enough alone. We can't educate our children good enough to compete in a global market and we can't provide quality healthcare for millions of our own people. But we can produce a free market where the top 1% control and manipulate the other 99% of us all in the name of CAPITALISM!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORELSON!

WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU SO MUCH! WE ARE SO SAD THAT WE COULD NOT BE TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE THIS YEAR. WE CAN'T WAIT TO GIVE YOU A HUGE PARTY NEXT YEAR WHERE YOU WILL BE HOME WITH US FOREVER! YOU ARE SUCH A SWEET BOY, OUR HEARTS ACHE FOR YOU! WE ARE SENDING YOU HUGE HUGS AND KISSES! HANG IN THERE BABY WE ARE COMING FOR YOU THE DAY THAT VISA IS ISSUED!!!!

JWAYE ZANIVESE, MWEN REN MEN OU!!!!!!!!!

Our September Pictures from Haiti have arrived! See Morelson during his birthday month, a few of his buddies and Marie the orphanage director all dressed up for a Haitian wedding! It appears as if the barber had just visited, the boys have NO hair!

I just got off the phone with my very best friend of 28 years now! We met and quickly became best buddies at the ripe old age of 13! We've been through a lot together! First loves and all those that followed, crazy high school antics, both getting married way too young, living worlds apart and still trying to stay connected, giving birth, parenting, adoption, divorce, re-marriage, the death of my mother and now today the death of her father.

Losing a parent is never easy no matter their age, circumstances, having warning or it being sudden. I lost my mom 19 years ago at the incredibly young age of 40! She had a heart attack in her sleep. She did have a damaged heart as we found out three years prior. We were told all was good- do this and this and this and you'll live a full life. She did all of those things and more and we still lost her.

My dear friend's dad was taken by ambulance from the doctor's office 6 days ago and lost his life today surrounded by his wife and four children. He was 72 and had lived a full life. This doesn't ease the pain though when it's your dad, husband, brother, grandfather. It hurts and you struggle and question and worry and then learn to cope.

Karla and I discussed why it is that you can't take a "pass" on the life going on around you when something like this takes place. It just doesn't work that way. She still has two children to care for, a full time high pressure job to deal with, a depressed, uninvolved ex husband and a mourning mother and siblings. As the oldest child she has always been the take charge one, and now she again will take charge as they go to the funeral home tomorrow morning.

I love you Karla and I hope you find the strength and courage to carry your head high as you always have! I'll miss your dad and his sense of humor! I sometimes miss the young ladies we were growing up around him. You know those silly, idealistic girls who just knew that they would find their knight in shining armor and your dad that just sat and listened probably both laughing and yet hoping all of our dreams would come true!

Rest in Peace Bill!

Many thoughts on many things!

My many thoughts on a variety of things......

Lately my brain has been a whirlwind! I have had thoughts all over the map. These various thoughts take me from my sweet beautiful Brielle turning 18 last month all the way to why such the ridiculous fuss over our president talking to school kids? Then there is the EVER looming & all consuming Haiti thoughts! Like when will Morelson finally get home, or is he really coming home, or how much of a delay will we encounter with this year's hurricane season?

My list of random thoughts in NO particular order whatsoever!

1. Why do we still have such an enormous military presence in the middle east?

2. Why do Preschoolers ramble on about meaningless things that are completely and totally off topic even when politely asked to stop and save it for later?

3. Why did a friend of my daughter's say that she couldn't wear anything with the
peace sign because it's "a broken cross?"

4. Why did I think it was a great idea to get a dog?

5. Why do some people find Jay Leno funny? And are there really enough of
these people to support a prime time show?

6. Why do I say I'm not snooty or judgmental and then have a hard time being
around people that aren't like me?

7. Is Sarah Palin REALLY going to get the Republican nomination in 2012?

8. Could I survive in Haiti for a month, 3 months, a year, two years or longer?

9. Would my kids honestly say that I'm a great mom if they knew I wouldn't ever
hear their answer?

10. Am I completely capable, deserving and all around strong enough to bring a
child into my life and expect him to call me his mother? How does one
possibly prepare for such an awesome undertaking?

Today my kids and thousands of others went back to school! Our two oldest are both at the same college this year! Tyler is majoring in education and Brielle in nursing. Lacey started the 8th grade at a very non-traditional school this year. Her new school focuses on experiential learning. We are very excited for her as traditional school wasn't her cup of tea! Now she will be given the opportunity to travel all over the world as part of her studies while addressing all areas of growth and learning! Our youngest is of course still in Haiti. It was sad today as I watched the Kindergarten parents drop off their children right across from my classroom, I was supposed to be one of those parents! Morelson should have been taken to the store with a school supply list in hand, excited to fill the cart with crayons, glue and a new backpack! Instead he continues to wait for us at his orphanage. I know he doesn't really know anything different, but this boy was taken to the orphanage over 3 years ago and as only left for a total of about 18 days during our four visits to Haiti! He doesn't have school outside of the orphanage to look forward to each day, or trips to the park, ice cream store, or museum. He remains within the same four walls day in and day out, waiting for these people that have told him are his forever family. It puts things in perspective doesn't it? I complain when the line at Starbucks is too long, or they get my order wrong at the restaurant or my favorite tv show doesn't air due to a news special.

The biggest lessons we learn don't come from those taught at school. Of course school is valuable, as knowledge is power, but Morelson has taught all of us more than we could have ever imagined and he hasn't even stepped foot in our house!

We love you sweetheart, miss you and ache for you. What a happy day when you are standing at that classroom door, backpack on and smiling that Haitian smile as your mommy is crying with joy!