Gypsy Wagons and Tipis

As many of you are aware, Erin convinced me to go on a vacation last week where we stayed in two very unique, but equally inhospitable environments -- a gypsy wagon and a tipi (or tee-pee if on Route 66).  I wanted to make sure to get my version of events in print before Erin jumps in with her Technicolor version, so here is my recounting of the vacation.

First, we spent the end of the week last week at our annual China adoption reunion.  This was, as always, a very nice time.  I actually look forward to this each year, which is surprising for me.  I don't much like people usually, especially those with whom I only share a tangential bond.  But these folks are all A-OK, and we had a great time with them.  (And who am I kidding...I don't much like several blood relatives either, so that bond thing is a lie.)

After leaving the reunion in Columbus, Ohio, we ventured south to the Hocking Hills district of Ohio.  Our first two evenings were to be spent in a gypsy wagon at Ravenwood Castle.  Now in theory, this sounds like kid heaven.  They get to stay in A CASTLE.  But in our case, funding our house, three adoptions, whatever forced us into the adjacent gypsy wagons, which had their own rustic charm.

To Erin's credit, the wagons themselves were not bad.  We all slept pretty well.  My only concern was that the wagon looked a little unsteady on its concrete block foundations, and after Daddy has had too much dinner, I could see that wagon resting on its side while I lie, still scrambling for the door, trying to get to the toilet.

And let's talk about the toilet.  We had our own bathroom down the hill from the gypsy wagon, but it was pretty rough stuff.  Lots of bugs.  I don't want to be too hard on it, as I've already got a dialogue going with the owner over at Tripadvisor, but it wasn't especially pleasant.  And to make matters worse, the toilet wasn't working when we first arrived -- after a long day in the car and several meals since our last potty break.  Let me just say that the two young ladies cleaning the bathroom immediately after I left could have been a little more discrete with their commentary.  Just sayin'.

After experiencing two mostly OK nights in the gypsy wagon, we headed on up the highway to our tipi.  Again -- a kid no-brainer, right?  I checked into the tipi, and my first clue that something was up was when the owner offered me jello shots for the evening.  Why would I need alcohol to get through the evening?  Oh, but little did I know.

For you see, the owner also sold me a small pile of wood to use in the stove in the tipi for the evening, which was slated to be in the low 40's.  After burning myself and busting three (THREE!) lighters trying to get the fire going, this eagle scout headed to Wal-Mart and bought a starter log and an aim-n-flame.  Voila.  Fire.

But the problem was the tipi was still cold.  REALLY cold.  Trent was OK because he was tightly bundled.  Grace was OK because she's a freak of nature and could sleep naked in a, well, in a tipi.  Grant, mommy and daddy froze our hides off.  At 2am, I was shuffling around the woods in my underpants looking for anything that would burn -- wood, twigs, grass, my dignity.  At one point, Erin thought she actually broke one of her toes off when it cracked as she flexed it.  No lie.  Nothing says, "Happy vacation honey!" like the words "Will you check to make sure Grant still has a pulse?" at 4am.

When we woke up (or rolled over frozen) at 8am, I said very calmly to Erin, "Did you get this out of your system?"  There's no native American worth his or her salt who wouldn't have traded a tipi in for a Holiday Inn Express if they'd had the option.  And in the future, neither will this fat kimosabe.

China Reunion Pics (thanks, Georgette for the photos)

Hiking pics... so amazing!

Our lone tipi

Playing Catch Up

Tomorrow we leave for a bit of a trip.  First, we're off to see our China friends (families we traveled with to China when we adopted Grace).  It'll be great--we love these families!  And, we're staying at a hotel.  With waterslides and a splash pad.

Then, we're staying in Gypsy Wagon outside of a castle.  But, there's heat.  And, it's a B&B, so it comes with a great breakfast.  And a private bathroom.

And, then, we're staying in a tipi.  On the ground.  Without even a toilet.  I'm not sure Bret knows about that last part, so I thought I should post a couple pictures and updates, just in case I end up dead left in the forest, you'll have some recent pictures until I return.

Grant
Grant continues to LOVE kindergarten.  I went for his parent-teacher conference tonight, and nothing came as a shock.  Grant is an exceptional reader (they want kids to exit kindergarten at a level C; Grant is already at a level I), but the drawing and coloring skills are so, so, SOOOOO weak.  They try to encourage story telling through drawing, as most kids aren't ready to write entire paragraphs, and you almost can't even tell what anything is on the page!  It looks like a bunch of crazy scribbling.  He has some really weak fine motor skills (and has to get some extra help in that area), so it's hard to know if these fine motor skills are the contributing factor to these pictures... or a bit of laziness (which Grant suffers from plenty).  But, he's expertly behaved, a fine little mathematician, and kind to his friends, so I think we're doing okay.

Just recently, he came home with an assignment based on the book Officer Buckle and Gloria, a book we have at home too (thanks, Kathy... I can read this book in my sleep).  The assignment was to write or to draw a family rule.  I asked Grant what others put on their paper.  He told me that many kids wrote about bike helmets, brushing teeth or washing hands.  Grant's paper read: Stay clear of sigarets (cigarettes).  He cracks me up!

Oh, and in case you didn't know, Grant is a tad bit near-sighted and sports these new specs!


Grace
Grace--is without question--the most helpful child God ever created.  She loves to help.  She will do anything I ask her to do, with a smile on her face, and a "I'd be glad to do that for you, Mommy" comment on the way.  I couldn't be more spoiled by such a hard worker, and my days will get infinitely more difficult when she heads off to kindergarten next year.

Grace loves preschool, and she is sooooo confident now that it's hard to believe.  She loves to talk to strangers, to run tasks for me all over town, and she does it all with seldom a whine!  She's something special, that one.  She spends most of her day coloring, painting, taping, cutting and doing other crafts.  She almost never plays with toys, as she's just too busy being crafty.  She self entertains for hours (the sheer opposite of Grant), and I almost feel guilty that I don't "plan" more for her to do!

She draws the cutest things (doors that walk, octopuses that juggle, and unlike her brother, I can tell what every single one of them is... well, okay, the door that was walking was tricky... because it looked--well, like a door walking).

Here are some pics of Grace from this mornings pumpkin patch field trip (it was soooooo cold that I wanted to cry, but I thought that made me look pretty weak in front of four-year-olds, so I held in the sobs).

Trent
Trent is one fussy baby--except for his mama, who he adores.  He's finally warming up to daddy, but everyone else in the known world can "take a hike" (and he'll give you the look to prove it).  He's the only child of mine where I am regularly greeted at the door to his childcare room (at church or BSF) with the "he had a rough morning" speech.  But, for me, he's pretty easy.  He just went to the doctor on Monday, and he's officially short, fat and big headed (percentiles: 34%, 65% and 80%, respectively).  But, he makes up for it all by being really cute and pretty darn sweet!

He has no tricks yet, and I think he's going to be slow to master the gross motor skills (sitting, rolling, crawling) like his big brother.  He loves his jumpy thing and exersaucer for a bit (not long enough... ), and he seems to enjoy being outside more than anything... yeah for that!

Recently, we've started heading to a local nursing home to visit residents there.  My parents have been great about this for years--often with the kids tagging along--, and I've been looking for a service that my kids can do now, not when they're all grown up, that will teach them to care for others.  And, they are simply amazing, even with the memory patients who ask the same question 15 times.  The kids are so patient, so loving, so thoughtful, and I get teary to watch them bring such joy to these people (or "old people," as the kids call them).  I have prayed that God would make my kids' hearts soft for the forgotten people of this world--and now, once a week, we all get a chance to put that into practice!!  Here is a picture of Trent making Eddy's week (maybe her month--she LOVES babies), followed by a picture of Grant doing the same... even when he was a baby (he already has five years of serving these people under his belt!).

 

Okay, that'll have to do for a bit.  We're going to be out of commission for a bit.  The places we are going don't even have cell service (haven't told that one to Bret either), but we'll make sure to post pictures and updates upon return!!!

Tired Baby

Grant LOVES kindergarten, but Mama's not so sure!  My baby is sooooo tired ALL the time!  But, we're adjusting, slowly... Grant was picked as the Student Ambassador for his class, and he told me he was selected, he thinks, because he likes to help people.  So sweet!

Here's a recent pic of Grant: all smiles on this particular morning!

I'll post more soon, but I am sooooooooo tired (maybe it runs in the family!)....

Banner Weekend

1. Yesterday went to the pistol range.  Dinner=great Chinese in Fountain Square.  Great start to the weekend!

2. Our fourth annual Chinese Festival today.  Dinner=great Mexican in Fountain Square.  Can't say enough about how much I love Fountain Square!

3. Worship tomorrow at the best church ever.  So excited!

Grace at her first Indianapolis Chinese Festival about a month after she was home with us!

Does it get better?  Trent says it does: eating cereal is WAY better than bottles...

Plotting

Daddy's asleep.  The older crazies are watching TV downstairs.  And my Mommy is in the office making unchangeable reservations that include staying in a castle and a tipi.  Someone might want to stop her before she has gone too far...  

Too late (I think she just typed "off road ATV tours").... yikes!

A Few More Pics

What a blast the kids had being a part of Kate and Clint's wedding!  They loved it!  

Here is Grant doing Ninja moves... because that's what you do in a tux...

Grace finally stopped long enough to grab a decent pic!

Coming down the aisle (my favorite pic of the day!)

The recessional.  Couldn't be cuter!

A tired girl on the way to the reception (or as Grant called it, "The place we get food").

Trent spent his first two nights away from Mommy for the occasion.  The Christmas jammies: well, he's almost out of 6-9 month clothes... so I had to go digging in my tub for 9-12 months...  little bruiser!

A great weekend!

The kiddos at Kate's wedding

Official, Official`

So thankful... 

The Joys of an Older Sister

This is how I found Trent this afternoon!  At least Grace didn't break out the nail polish, make-up or glitter hairspray.  That would have been difficult to explain to the judge tomorrow!

My Morning Cleaning Partner

Snow White showed up this morning to help me clean... complete with high heels!

All is Quiet

Today, I dropped Grace off at her first day of preschool for the year (she did JR. Pre-K last year, so she's quite big stuff now--in her estimation--that she's in Pre-K).  She was--per her standard--courteous, independent, and excited.  I guess it helped that she was the snack person today (didn't know THAT detail until I arrived), which means she's the special helper all day--a task Grace takes a little too seriously.

But, that leaves a napping Trent and Mommy until 11:30.  What's a girl to do?  Clean the house?  I should.  Paint the office?  I really should.  I'm going to settle for bake some cookies and drink a long cup of coffee while watching something on HGTV.  Every girl deserves a moment!

Like father, like son

Glad my kids have such a great guy as a role model--even on lazy Saturday afternoons.

Hanging Out

With Grant at school, mornings are quiet these days.  Trent hangs out with Grace and me for about two hours before heading off to nap.  Grace and I spend the morning "doing preschool pages," cleaning up, cooking, and crafting.  Today we cleaned up the deck, and Trent brought his super smile!

And, here is Trent doing tummy time, which isn't blog worthy except for the fact that I took pictures of Grant doing tummy time at the exact same age.  I think Trent has Grant schooled on the neck strength!

Independence

A while ago, I read a book that really challenged me when it came to my parenting: Free Range Kids.  I can't say that I agreed with all of the book, but it did make me consider some pretty ingrained tenants I had about raising kids.  The basic concept is this: kids used to be allowed to do a great deal for themselves (imagine riding bikes with the neighborhood kids to the pool or walking home by yourself from school for lunch), but we have, because of the incorrect perception that they are not safe, started holding our kids hands through much of life. And, I walked away from the book promising myself that Grant and Grace (and now Trent) would have the opportunity to become wonderfully independent.  I've always told myself that every day they are with me is one day closer to the day that they won't be with me... and I need to prepare them and prepare them well.

So, I do things I'm not sure other parents do (I say this because I often get some pretty bad looks).  I let my kids take the stairs while I take the elevator.  I let them play in my un-fenced backyard without me outside. I send Grant into the post office to buy stamps, into the pharmacy to pick up pictures, into school to pick up forms, and I make my kids order their own food when dining out (if you don't order it, you don't eat it: that's my motto).  Essentially, I lose sight of my kids--on purpose--a lot.

And all of that preparation makes today quite significant for both of them.

First off, it's Grant's first day of kindergarten.  From this day forward, he will never be without an obligation in life.  He will begin to understand what work is (as life isn't all play, after all).  He'll begin to transition from home being the sole place of his universe.  And, this morning, he was more than ready: all smiles... never looking back... able to handle anything that came his way.

And, Grace, for whom today marks the third year of her arrival in our arms, is also quite independent.  I'm not sure I would have guessed that our timid toddler would become so insanely capable of navigating life all on her own.  She, too, runs errands, at just over four years old!  She, too, talks to anybody, uses manners with fierce commitment to them, and told me today that I don't even need to walk in the preschool building in a few weeks when she starts (how did the "you can drop me at the corner" start so early).

It all makes this mommy a little teary.  They are growing up so fast, and they need me less and less.  But, that's good: because this mama ain't raising her kids to live in the basement playing video games when they are 26!