The Incentive Spirometer

Cami using her incentive spirometer
The incentive spriometer

Cami has been going to a speech language pathologist for the last couple of months due to her excessive drooling. She was soaking through three to four bibs a day and we're pretty sure she's done teething. The speech teacher informed us that she has weak muscles in her mouth. We believe the weak muscles were caused by the large size of the nipple holes on the baby bottles in China. The babies don't learn how to suck properly with such large holes. We've been doing various stretching exercises with her mouth. Part of her treatment involves sucking on straws and blowing. Cami was given the device pictured above to help her blow. She blows into the tube, which causes the ping-pong type ball to rise. There is a gauge on the side of the spirometer to show how high the ball rises. Now we have to keep Collin and Evan from using the spirometer. They think it looks like a lot of fun.

A New Twist on an Old Song

This morning Cami was singing happily in her room. Craig and I were busy doing chores when all of a sudden her sweet little voice caught our attention:

"Da farma in da dell. Da farma in da dell. Hi ho da dairy oh, da farma in da dell.
Da farma needs a drink. Da farma needs a drink. Hi ho da dairy oh, da farma needs a drink."

Craig commented that if the farmer had a bad crop, he probably did need a drink.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Collin and Evan with our homemade Turkey headgear.

Wishing all of you a Thanksgiving filled with God's richest blessings.

The "Ballerina Machine."

The controls which operate the Ballerina Machine and the keys to unlock said controls.
Evan entering the Ballerina Machine
Almost made it in
Evan is now inside the Ballerina Machine
Exiting the Ballerina Machine
Locking up the Ballerina Machine "so strangers don't get inside."

As the weather continues to cool down and the days grow shorter, we find ourselves spending more and more time indoors. The boys used their imaginations and concocted "The Ballerina Machine." They created their machine by pushing together their Thomas the Train playhouse, their toolbench, their picnic table, a set of baby keys and one of Cami's toys. After all these items are pushed together, one must turn the machine on and maneuver through the various segments. I needed to know the purpose of this machine, so Evan and I had the following conversation:

Me: "What's this?"
Evan: "My Ballerina Machine."
Me: "What do you do with the machine?"
Evan: "You go through it."
Me: "And when you come out, have you been turned into a ballerina?"
Evan: "No, Mom. We go through it because it's fun." (Duh!)

I'm not sure where this idea came from. The only thing I can think of is that the boys view ballerinas as the antithesis of masculinity (my apologizes to any male ballet dancers reading this), so a boy going through a ballerina machine is the silliest thing on earth. In fact, this is so much fun, the Ballerina Machine is assembled on a daily basis.

With creative juices like theirs, you can see why I have to cover an abundance of gray hair.

Check It Out!

If you're in charge of preparing the cuisine in your family, you HAVE to check out this website:


www.crockpot365.blogspot.com


I don't know about you, but with three busy little people, anything that can go in a slow cooker is a sure hit with me. The lady who blogs on this site has all kinds of recipes for slow cookers, a cookbook you can order (might have to do that) and she's got a great sense of humor to boot.

Typical Household Happenings

Halloween. It was impossible to get all three kids to look at the camera. This was the best we could do. Collin's eyes were closed.
Cami's in the process of potty training. I put a potty chair in the middle of the living room floor. Collin decided she needed some privacy, so he built a wall out of cushions. The picture turned out blurry, but given the sensitive nature of the photo, that's probably for the best.
Modest? Me? Nah!
Who says you can't wear your swimming suit as a ski mask?

Pretty in Pink

If you happen to have noticed, most planned pictures of our children are taken with the kids posed in front of the fireplace. We're not very creative when it comes to photography. Cami was given this adorable coat and I wanted some photos of her in it before she gets too big to wear the coat. Craig was going to shoot the usual in-front-of-the-fireplace photo when I suggested he take her outside. I think the pictures turned out beautifully, so I hope you don't mind me showing off our little lady in pink.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch . . .

Painting the pumpkins
The whole gang on a hayride.
Cowgirl Cami

While Craig and I were enjoying our break in Lanesboro (see previous posts), Grandma and Grandpa K took the kids to the I.A.G.'s (International Adoption Group) annual fall party. This year, one of the I.A.G. families hosted the event on their farm. The kids got to paint pumpkins, ride ponies and take a little hayride. Grandma and Grandpa reported that everyone had a good time. The photos are courtesy of our wonderful, thoughtful, friend Jeanne H.

Men in Uniform

Collin Sports His Tiger Cub Scout Uniform
Evan's Homemade Robot Ensemble

Collin had his second Tiger Cub Scout pack meeting. This is held at his school and consists of all the cub scouts from his school. This was the first time Collin wore his uniform to the meeting. The pack meeting is not to be confused with the den meeting, which is comprised of a small group of boys. The den meeting usually meets in a private home. I was never in scouting growing up, so I'm learning about this as I go along. Collin and Craig also helped collect food for a scouting food drive. They drove the food to another location where it was sorted. All together, the pack collected 2,000 items, which were in turn donated to the Salvation Army food pantry.

On to other news. Evan has quite the active imagination. This probably comes from being a second child who has had to come up with ways to amuse himself since he has never had 100% of our undivided attention like his older brother at one time experienced. Lately, he's been fixated on robots. He asked us to create a robot costume for him. The above picture shows the results of our efforts. It's no masterpiece, but he was pleased with the results. He does his best to keep his costume out of reach of his younger sister when he's not wearing it.

Bullying Seminar

Last week I attended a bullying seminar sponsored by our local school district. The speaker, Trudy Ludwig, is the parent of children who were bullied during their elementary school years. She has written several books on the subject and speaks all over the country. Here's what I learned from her talk:

-9/10 elementary students have been bullied
-bullying happens once every seven min. on the playground and every 25 min. during class
-kids ages 8-15 rate bullying as a bigger problem than racism, AIDS, or peer pressure to try drugs, sex and alcohol
-bullied children are five times more likely to suffer from depression than their non-bullied peers

-There are three groups involved in bullying: aggressors, targets and bystanders

-There are three types of bullying: physical, verbal and relational.
-Relational bullying involves manipulation in a relationship. Examples are betraying secrets, gossip, the silent treatment, sending nasty e-mails, forming an exclusive club, pretending to be friends as a means to an end, etc. Relational bullying is the most harmful form of bullying.
-Girls target their own friends. Boys go outside their friendship circles.

-Not worried because your child isn't a target? Bystanders suffer the same symptoms as targets.
-Symptoms of bullying include: school phobia, head and stomachaches, anxiety, poor problem-solving skills and feelings of helplessness.
-School absences due to the effects of bullying account for 160,000 absences a day in the U.S.

-Girls with abusive friendships gravitate towards abusive romantic relationships later in life.
-Boys like to exchange friendly insults with each other. A boy who is bothered by such insults often becomes a target.

How to stop the bullying:
(Younger kids)
-Say to the bully, "Stop! I don't like it when you say that. If you do it again, I'll report you." Then WALK AWAY.
-Say, "So? Whatever! Who cares?"
-Act like a three year old and ask, "Why?" Ex. "You're fat?" "Why do you think I'm fat?" "Because you look fat." "Why do you think I look fat?" The idea is to get the bully to give up.
(Older kids)
-Turn an insult into a compliment. "You're fat!" "Thanks!"
-Agree. "You're fat." "You're right, I am fat." ( Be careful what you agree with on this one.)
-Change the subject by turning around and complimenting them. "You're fat!" "Cool shoes! Where did you get them?"
-Use humor to make the bully laugh.

What not to do:
-Fight back. This can just cycle out of control and go on forever or until someone really gets hurt.
-Ignore. They will just increase the level of their insults until you crack.

Whatever tactic is used, ALWAYS WALK AWAY and tell a grown-up.

If you ever have the opportunity to hear Trudy Ludwig speak, please go. The hour she spoke flew by quickly. She captures her audience and arms them with practical information.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

When was the above picture taken? This past March perhaps? No. This morning! I'm used to having snow from November-April. Usually it starts shortly after Halloween and we settle in for the winter. Six months of snow is bad enough, but yesterday I received the shock of the year when it started blizzarding sideways around supper time. In the afternoon the temps were in the 40s (cold enough) and the kids and I played in our winter gear in the park. There was a dark blue cloud on the horizon and I assumed that meant rain was coming. Nope. We were in for a good old fashioned snowstorm- nine days into October! Not only did it snow, but it actually accumulated. We were going to the pumpkin patch today, but I'm thinking any pumpkins left are probably mush right now. I brought in the pumpkins we did have from the garage so they wouldn't freeze.

This morning the temp was 20 degrees when I got up. I'm so not ready for this yet. The boys, however, were very excited to go outside for a romp. Where was my husband during all this time? Tent camping! He wanted to take the boys with him, and I nixed that idea when I heard the temps were going to get close to the teens during the night. I'm so thankful I insisted that they stay home.

Collin the Cub

Tonight Collin officially became a Tiger Cub. His first pack meeting was held at his school. I'm fairly ignorant about these things, but I've been informed that this is the first step in the scouting program. He received a neckerchief (sp?) tonight. He's been excited about this for some time. Hopefully, this will pan out for him since our athletic endeavours have not faired so well.

Pics from Lanesboro Trip

No less than seven deer ventured into the back yard of the B and B while we sat outside
Labyrinth in the backyard of the B and B
Preston, MN was a little slice of Americana on the Root River Bike Trail
The Root River Trail is on an old RR bed. This is one of the many bridges we crossed.
They had to cut through some rock for the original RR bed.
Leaves strewn on the path
Waterfall over the dam in Lanesboro
Looking out over the Root River Valley
This is an endangered species.
Typical examples of architecture in Lanesboro
Downtown Lanesboro
This church is on the same hill where our B and B was situated. Notice how high this was compared to the rest of the town.
Looking down the hill from our B and B
Hillcrest Hideaway Bed and Breakfast
Hwy 16 from Lanesboro to the Mississippi Valley is gorgeous
Bridges over the Mississippi in LaCrosse
Friendship Garden in LaCrosse
Fountain in Friendship Garden

An Escape

Well, after two years (I know it's been longer than that for some of you out there), Craig and I finally got away for a long weekend without the kids. We weren't sure we'd be able to go. I didn't pack until the night before because things were looking iffy. In the four days before we left, the following happened:
-My dad got sick (he and mom were supposed to babysit).
-Our truck started making funny noises (mechanic said the problem wasn't critical and we could still drive it)
-Cami had GI problems
-Evan complained of a tummy ache (ended up being nothing)
-The babysitter we'd hired to help my mom on Sunday cancelled
-The babysitter we'd hired to help my mom on Saturday fell ill (she got better and was able to help)

I've decided that from now on, as much as I like bed and breakfasts, I need the flexibility of a motel cancellation policy so we're not out our money if we have to cancel.

Anyway, we drove about 5 1/2 hours to Lanesboro, MN. Check it out at www.Lanesboro.com. We stayed at a B and B with four guest rooms. The B and B was great. The breakfasts were yummy . The hosts were friendly. The other guests were nice. We had a two room suite. The only thing I didn't like was that our room was immediately next to the kitchen where the hosts could see our comings and goings- not a lot of privacy. They had a resident kitty who enjoyed the company of strangers. The B and B was situated in the middle of town on a San Francisco type hill. The road to get up there was basically vertical. The advantage was that it was quiet on top of the hill. Walking up the hill in dress shoes at night, however, was rather interesting.

Friday night we went to see a performance by a professional-grade theater troupe of "The Odd Couple." It was very well done. Saturday we biked 20 miles on the Root River Trail to Preston, MN. The trail took us through meadows, forests, over the river on old RR bridges several times and through cut rock. It was mostly level. Every kind of biker imaginable was out: Serious bikers from the MN Bike Club, elderly people out for a leisurely ride, families with babies in trailers making frequent stops (been there), long trains of ladies more interested in visiting with each other than biking, etc. It was challenging returning up the hill to our B and B with jelly legs from biking. Saturday afternoon we browsed through some of the quirky shops in Lanesboro. Saturday night we ate dinner in a restaurant where we'd never take our kids. It was one of those places where you pay a high price for a small bit of food arranged artistically (sp?) on your plate.

Sunday we drove to Winona and went through the neighborhood where I grew up. We were going to stop and knock on the door of my old house, but it looked like the owners had company. I'm awed how the neighborhood had changed from a pasture-like setting to a wooded setting. Trees grow a lot in 30+ years! We drove past some other nostalgic locations in Winona and then drove along the Mississippi to LaCrosse for lunch and shopping. Craig fell asleep on a chair in the mall while I shopped. We then drove down to the Mississippi and walked along the river. We took the scenic ride back home.

Lanesboro is beautiful. It is located in hill country. The hills are covered with trees just beginning to change into their autumn hues. It's a completely different atmopshere from where I live now- which was just what I needed.

Grandma and Grandpa basically survived with the kids. Let's just say that Evan got a DQ treat for good behavior and Collin was not so fortunate.

I'll post pics later in my next post.

Beverages for the less refined individual

Thursday evening we were at a party. Craig was getting the boys something to eat when they announced they were thirsty. Craig asked them what they wanted to drink and Collin replied, "HICK juice."

"Hick juice?" Craig asked. He had no clue what Collin was talking about. "I've never heard of hick juice."

But Collin insisted that there was indeed hick juice and that he wanted some. Finally Craig asked him to point to what he meant. Collin led Craig over to an assortment of boxes of Hi-C fruit juice.

Collin is in first grade and it's been drilled into him for a long time that when he doesn't know a word, he should sound out the letters to figure out what the word says. So, to him Hi-C should be pronounced "hick."

We got a kick out of this.

Pretty as a Picture

Last Friday was picture day at school. Not something you'd normally expect to happen the first week. It's caught me off guard in the past. This year I wisened (is that a word?) up and got the boys' hair cut the week before school started. I wonder how long it will be before they protest the concept of matching outfits?

Cami is Terrific Two

A pink princess cake for the little princess.
Cami dives into her cake.
We did a little ice cream cone pinata bashing.
We had a few takers for face painting.
Evan is enjoying the gift opening more than Cami.


Cami recently celebrated her second birthday. We kept things pretty low key for her first birthday so as not to overwhelm her right after she arrived from China. So, this year we had a party at a shelter house in the park complete with a pinata bashing. The weather was chilly, but still decent by our standards. Due to the approaching darkness and the ease of transporting unwrapped gifts to the van, we opted to open gifts the following afternoon.

To my disappointment, something went awry with our digital camera in the park, and very few pics came out clear.

I wonder where Cami was born two years ago. I wonder if her birth mother is thinking of her today. I wonder if she knew before she was born that she'd have to give her up. I wonder how much time she was able to spend with her. I thank her for the gift of Cami Chen Chen.

Two Firsts in One Day

Evan's First Day of Kindergarten
Of course, Collin had to have his picture taken, too
My big boys go to school
Evan's first day of soccer

Yesterday was a day of firsts. It was Evan's first day of morning kindergarten. I thought he'd cling to me when it was time to line up, but he surprised me by getting in line like a big boy. After hearing "I don't want to go to preschool" all the way to preschool for the entire first semester last year, I was shocked to hear "I LIKE school" when he flew out the door at 11:30. Daddy took him today and reported that he RAN to get in line when the bell rang. So far, so good.

Collin had his first day of first grade. He now has to go to school all day, so he was apprehensive about this. Lunch, in particular, was a scary prospect. He balked about getting in line until I walked away to help his brother. Then he got in line when there was no audience for his mini-meltdown.

After school, Evan had his first day of soccer. He can't run very fast, but his heart seems to be in it and he tried hard. We ordered the smallest shirt size possible, but it still looks like he's wearing a dress with leggings. We won't tell him that.