Rhythm

My Mom had PT this morning by herself, so it gave Keree and I some time just to cuddle in bed and watch educational cartoons together. It was nice to have some alone time. Once my Mom got home, we decided since it was so cool and nice we would head outside to play. Keree swung, watched for butterflies and we talked about all the bees we saw on the clover. After awhile Keree found two sticks and she started using them as rhythm sticks. We ended up turning it into a game, where one of us would play rhythm and then the other person had to repeat the same rhythm. I'm not sure how long we played that before we headed inside. It was way after lunch time at that point. So Keree laid down for a nap but what she failed to do was actually fall asleep. She wandered out of her bedroom, right before it was time for us to leave. We had to head into Cville to drop off her registration for the local Ketchup Pageant that's in a few weeks. More than anything it's just a fun Sunday afternoon event and festival, plus Keree had so much fun last year competing in it. Well the Director who we were dropping the paperwork off to, failed to tell us that the roads were under construction and the usually short 20 minute drive, turned into almost an hour. But thank goodness that everything is now turned in. We then headed to a new beauty supply place that was having it's grand opening. There is a shortage of complete metal double prong alligator clips in my area (literally they have been sold out for months now), so I really hoping they would have some. When we found them, I basically jumped for joy. There prices are cheaper than any of the other places in town plus we got a Grand Opening discount of 20%. We made one final stop before heading home, we decided to treat ourselves to a Slushie from QT. Keree had Orange Dreamsicle, Mom had Pina Colda and I had Black Cherry. I think I ended up drinking a majority of my Mom's Pina Colda because it was so good and refreshing. I told her all it was missing was a little rum. When we got home, Keree and I fixed Bratwursts for dinner. She had so much fun in the kitchen. After we finished dinner, I helped my Mom while Keree played. We let her have the red webbing bandage that was on our arms from the blood drive. She wrapped up all of Kitty's appendages pretending they were hurt. Finally she ended up wrapping up his head pretending it hurt. Then she asked Mom if she would help her wrap her head. I couldn't quit laughing seeing Keree and Kitty with boo-boo heads. We ended our night by changing into our pajamas and watching Toddlers and Tiaras.

Blood Drive & Lesson 17

This morning we got up bright and early, we had planned on going to the blood drive first but when we got there it didn't start till 10a. So we ended up picking up a few groceries and also meeting up with a friend who ended up giving us a ton of fresh vegetables (crookneck squash, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, sweet corn, red onions and patty pan squash). I can't wait to start cooking with all those fresh vegetables. By the time we were done, it was 20 minutes after 10a. We headed over to the blood drive, we signed in, read the book and then sat for the next available worker. It took forever to get back there, of course they checked my iron level and it was below acceptable, so they had to recheck me. Of course I passed that time, so out we headed to one of the uncomfortable rubber beds. Keree was sitting with my Mom who had already started giving blood. Well the Nurse stuck me and hit nothing, she pulled the needle back out and jammed it back in, still nothing. She did this at least 13 more times before she called for help. By then I was in so much pain, which is so weird because I have an extremely high tolerance for pain and my arm was turning all kinds of color shades. When her help came over, it was more of the same, she jabbed the needle back into my arm and hit nothing, pulled the needle back out and jammed it back in. I was trying so hard not to show the extreme pain I was in because I knew Keree was watching from across the room. My Mom said she could see the pain on my face and said at one point I turned pale white, she thought I was going to pass out. They finally called over the Supervisor, I think she looked at me and knew if they stuck one more needle in me, I would never come back and give blood. I was in so much pain, light-headed and beyond sick to my stomach at that point. So they bandaged me up, told me I could come back tomorrow to give blood (I looked at them like they were crazy) and sent me to the juice/snack table. Keree was excited because I got a coupon for a Free Ice Cream cone, she told everyone that it had to be worth $300 dollars......that could be because I tell her Ice Cream is super expensive and that's why we don't eat it very often. When we got home, both my Mom and I was miserable. They stuck my Mom in both her arms and of course they stuck me at least 20 times. We both had to lay down in hopes of getting rid of the nausea, light-headedness and pain. So, Keree and I took a nap together and my Mom laid on the couch. When we got up, I was feeling alot better other than my arm felt like it was going to fall off. Keree was so concerned about both my Mom and I, she kept having to examine our arms and she's was pretty freaked out when they started bruising. We then started working on Lesson 17. It built on the previous letters we had learned but expanded on the Rhyming and Reading sections. We spent quite awhile going over and over the reading section just so she could get the hang of reading multiple lines. We then started the beginning of Lesson 18 but about half-way through Keree decided she was done, so we will cover the lesson tomorrow instead. As soon as school was done, Keree changed into her swimming suit. The water was a little chilly but she couldn't wait to play in it. She played with lots of her toys and we even added the slide, so she could slide into the water. She was having so much fun. We were out there for a little over an hour. We headed in when Keree's lips started turning blue because she was so cold. We then spent the rest of the evening playing before Keree crawled up on the couch and tried to fall asleep. So we carried her to her own bed, where's she tucked in with Kitty Cat.

Everyone's Heading Home

I forgot to put an entry in for Sunday, so this is a Sunday/Monday entry. On Sunday, my Grandparents stopped by, so I could download her pictures from the wedding. We also said our good-byes because they were heading home. While they were still here, my Southern Uncle came by. He was spending the night with us, so we could work through some computer stuff on his laptop. We split our afternoon and evening between working on the computer and talking/telling stories. I fixed crock-pot chicken for dinner along with some stuffing and corn. My Southern Uncle of course made fun of my crock-pot chicken, his comment was that he bet it snapped him in the face. So basically he thought my chicken was going to be rubber with no flavor. Well he had to eat his words, he truly was surprised at how tender and how flavorful it was. We lost total track of time, so Keree ended up falling asleep on the couch because we were still working on the computer. I think it was almost 1am, before we finally headed to bed.

Then on Monday, I was so thankful that Keree actually slept in for once! Sleeping till 8am never felt so good. When we got up we fixed biscuits and gravy for breakfast and enjoyed getting to visit some more. We then helped him pack up and gave him his belated christmas and birthday presents. Which my Mom and I had to laugh because we had forgotten what was inside of them. We ended up getting to talking again and he didn't get on the road till almost lunch time. I have to say we were all really sad to see Southern Uncle go and Keree who will only kiss certain people (me, mom and uncle) gave him a great big smooch. Once he left, we headed inside and ate a small lunch. Keree was begging to go and take a nap but didn't want to lay down alone. So I went in there with her and before I knew it, Keree was waking me up almost 3 hours later. When I woke up, I was feeling awful (sinus infection), luckily Keree decided she was ok to play by herself while I laid on the couch. Late in the evening, I started feeling a little better. So I started helping my Mom on a christmas present project and Keree ended up falling asleep on the couch for the second night in a row. Oh, I was also super excited when I was outside this morning and discovered tiny green peppers and tiny tomatoes on my plants, can't wait till there big enough to eat.

Baseball & Cheer Camp

Well it seems we were so exhausted from getting in so late last night, that we slept in. Luckily the Coach called to remind us it was picture day (which I had remembered) but his call woke all of us up. We had less than a 1/2 hour to get out the door, so we rushed around but we made it to baseball on time. The Coach decided that we would head over and have our pictures taken first. Which was great because it was super hot and I really didn't want Keree to be a mess in the picture. After some confusion on where the photographers would be set up, we finally found them. Whereas, there was 1 Photographer to photograph an entire league....so basically it was 1 Photographer to 2500 Kids. It was beyond ridiculous! I just don't understand why the Parks and Rec puts up with this Photography Company anymore because every time, its the same unprofessionalism. Well, when it was finally time for our team's pictures, we had already been there for 50 minutes waiting. Luckily, I think the pictures turned out pretty good...well at least I'm pretty sure Keree's individual will. We then headed back over to the field where we were suppose to play our game, there was less than 5 minutes left, so they practiced a little bit since the team we were playing weren't there. The Coach, then called it a day. Since it was our treat day, we passed out the Capri Sun and Fruit Snacks we brought. Once we left, we had a few fast errands to run, before we headed home. We had thought the rest of the family would have called to get together today but needless to say we heard nothing. So we decided instead of Keree sitting around all afternoon, we would let her attend the Cheer camp, which was being held by the League she will cheer in this Fall. We didn't stick around the whole time, but did come back while the Girls went to meet the Professional Football Players (Cowboys, Colts & Rams) who were there teaching the Football camp. We got all their autographs and some great pictures of Keree with them. We ended up then hanging around and watched the practice. Keree seemed to do really good, except her Friend kept hugging, pulling and messing with her. I mean honestly Keree knows better than to mess around but it's hard when its your friend . Also, I can't count how many times I heard Keree say "leave me alone" to her. Finally, my Mom called over the Director and asked that Keree and her friend be split up, which did the trick. But unfortunately by then it was too late because Keree hadn't paid attention enough to have learned the last routine. Finally it was time for them to perform, after Keree realized what she was suppose to do, she did the chants and hand motions great. But I was so frustrated when it was time for them to perform with the College Cheerleaders because Keree had not paid attention, so she didn't know what to do. She did do a few of the hand motions, but that was it. When we first signed up, we were requesting to be on her Friend's team but if they are going to goof off together, it's just not going to work. Because even if I get Keree to behave, if her Friend is messing with her, it's going to be a losing battle. And I really hate to do that because I really get along great with her Mom and before now, anytime the girls have a playdate, there is no problems. So I'm really torn on what to do. Once Keree received her certificate we grabbed some dinner and headed home. Of course Keree had her moments of grouchiness this evening because of missing her nap for the past 3 days and not being in bed before 11pm the past 2 nights. So Keree headed to bed early and I'm hoping that will do the trick. Which that is where I need to be instead of writing this.

Going to the Courthouse......

This morning, we were up super bright and early trying to finish up everything we didn't get done yesterday. Once everything got done, I still had a small amount of time to waste before having to head to the bank to have some important paperwork notarized. Finally, I headed out to the bank, I just don't understand why they don't open till 9am. My Mom and Keree stayed behind at the house to finish getting ready. Needless to say, I returned home a little after 10:15a. I was so beyond frustrated when I arrived home. At this point, we are running so late. We hurriedly threw everything into the car and got on the road. We were about half way there, when I realized I forgot to take my allergy pills and I was starving. I joked to my Mom that this was starting to turn out like my Uncle's 1st wedding...where by the time the night ended, we hadn't ate anything all day, we were both sick to our stomachs and beyond miserable because everytime we turned around we were being demanded to do something. So at that moment, I took the next exit off the highway and grabbed us something to eat. I'd be damned if we were going to go the whole day without food. We finally arrived at the Bride & Groom's house, the Bride showed us around before she went to get dressed with my Mom's help. Keree and I just chilled downstairs waiting for our side of the family to arrive. When they arrived, there was little time to spare and we made the short walk over to the Courthouse. We were quite the sight going through Security, especially when they x-rayed my bag. 5 cameras, 1 video camera, extra tapes, extra memory cards, can't even count how many batteries and of course a few snacks just in case for Keree. Also both the Bride & my Uncle have large families (30+ people), plus they will have a blended family of 5 kids together. Needless to say, the Courthouse had screwed up on the time and booked another couple at the same time. Then the Judge showed up a good 20 minutes late. Keree was getting quite restless, along with the other Two 4 yr olds that were there (Cousin Jeb & Bride's Niece). Finally the ceremony started, first came in my Uncle followed by the 3 Sons, then came the 2 Daughters finally followed by the Bride. The ceremony was actually alot longer than we expected and it was really sweet. Before the ceremony started, I gave Keree my purse camera to keep her entertained and quiet during the ceremony since I had 2 camera to manage at the same time. I had to laugh because Keree took a picture of me and I was quite the sight with the video in one hand and my Still camera in the other. Once the ceremony was finished, we started to quickly take the normal wedding group shots. But as much as I love my Uncle and his new Bride, they were quite the handful to take pictures of. I'm just thankful I got the few good shots I did. We then headed back to their house for the reception. Honestly at that point, I was so frustrated from the Courthouse because I could get no cooperation, that I didn't take any until they started cutting the cake. So I took none of the food, food lines, people eating, visiting, etc....Instead my Mom took those pictures. Finally when it was time to cut the cake, I went inside to take pictures. All the 4 year olds, couldn't wait to get a piece of cake, so they all sat down in the floor by the cake table to patiently wait. It was adorable, so was when they all sat down at the piano and played together (Jeb is the oldest, then Keree and the Bride's niece is the youngest). After the cake was served, everyone just sat around visiting until finally their Guests insisted they open their presents so everyone could see them. Luckily the Bride and Groom complied and so we enjoyed getting to see the presents. Before we knew it, it was getting late. My Grandparents was watching all 5 Kids at the hotel and we had all decided to go swimming there. But what we had all failed to realize was how late it was. I couldn't believe it was after 9pm (maybe because the sun was still out). I had promised Keree we would go swimming but there was no way we could go being that late. Keree took the news well and understood we had to get home to get up early for baseball. So we said our good-byes to everyone and started the long drive home. We weren't even out of town and Keree was fast asleep in her carseat.

EXHAUSTED

That is how I'm feeling right now. The last 17 hours of this day has been a total disaster and here tomorrow is my Uncle's wedding and I feel like I'm 3 days behind because of today. There was one bright and shiny moment...actually it is more of a miracle that occurred about 7:20pm tonight and it lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders, actually my family's shoulders. All I can say, is if things go alright tomorrow morning, I think we are finally crawling out of that dark downward spiral we have been in, Thank You Spirit Above!
Otherwise onto today, since tomorrow is my Uncle's wedding that meant today was Keree's last day of VBS. At the last moment my Out-of-town Aunt and her Daughter wanted us to watch Jeb. They were suppose to be here at 830a, so I could take both Jeb and Keree to VBS and then spend the entire time there. Well when that time came and went, I took Keree to Bible school so she wouldn't be late. When I arrived back home, they had just dropped off Jeb, so I turned right back around to take him to VBS. He got to Bible school 40 minutes late but Keree was thrilled to see him and they were very sweet to let him visit for the day. Well since I had promised my Out-of-town Aunt and her Daughter that I would stay and watch Jeb the entire time, that is what I ended up doing. Today they learned the story of the Loaves and Fishes, it was so cute that at the end they gave them all goldfish crackers to eat. The also finished up their stick horses and they were sweet enough to make Jeb one, that way he wouldn't be left out. Keree was so sad when I came to pick her up because she really, really loved Bible School. I hope that maybe we will find another Free VBS before the summer is over. Once we got home, we let Jeb and Keree play outside on the swing set while we waited for my Out-of-Town Aunt to show up to pick him up. She finally called around 1pm, saying they were grabbing some lunch before picking him up. Well my Mom flew off the handle at that point because we had planned on picking up grocery's after they left, so of course none of us had eaten cause we didn't have any food in the house. Once they got here, my Southern Uncle (my Mom's brother) who was traveling with his other Sister (out of town Aunt), shared some of his lunch with Keree so she could get to eat. He stayed and visited for a few hours, while we waited for my other Aunt to get off work and to pick up Out-of-Town Aunt and Jeb up. Finally, Southern Uncle needed to leave to head up to my other Uncle's house. So my Out-of-Town Aunt called my Aunt who we were waiting on and she said she would be there in a 1/2 hour, it was now 3pm.....needless to say after alot of frustration, she showed up at 735pm to pick them up. Of course our day was totally shot! I didn't get any of my running and errands done, plus I still needed to finish the Wedding glasses my Grandma decided my Uncle needed to have for tomorrow. And on top of it all, I hadn't eaten all day, so I was getting a nasty headache. So I ran to the one store I absolutely had to run to today, picked up Arby's for dinner because it was way to late to cook, started charging all the camera batteries and packing everything we needed for tomorrow. Finally, I sat down at 1230am, to work on hand-engraving the wedding toast glasses. The first glass went fairly fast but the second glass had tons of air bubbles, so my engraver would hit an air bubble and then skip. I was so furious because there was nothing I could do to make it look any better. My Mom said I'm my own worst critic but it really made me mad that they couldn't be perfect. When all was said and done, it's now 256am and I'm finally heading to bed.

VBS

Keree was so excited to arrive at VBS this morning. She was also so bummed out when she realized that the week is almost over. So for the first hour and a half of VBS, my Mom and I headed out to try finding some new shoes for the wedding. I have to say I hate shoe shopping almost as much as I hate clothing shopping. But to tell you the truth, I needed some new shoes. The shoes I'm wearing currently are sandals and they are over 5 years old. I wore them almost the entire time I was in Vietnam adopting Keree, since them I wear them no matter if it's the summer or winter months. They soles are almost non-existent and I've actually used silicone to build them up so I could keep wearing them. Yep, that's how desperate I was to avoid shoe shopping. So I knew, I was looking for another pair of sandals and within 42 seconds (yep I actually timed myself) I found the perfect pair of sandals, they were so amazingly comfortable. Now trying to find my Mom a pair of shoes took forever. When we got back to the Church we saw that they made paper cowboy hats. They also learned all about Cowboy church. I have to say I found it quite interesting their take on Cowboy Church, since I had already seen a documentary on it. This is what the learned about instead of Bumuva and we also got to watch them work on their stick horses. They also got to bring home a few of their projects they have made thus far in Bible School. When we were driving home, we were reading the digital marquees to see the temperature. The first one said 109, the next one said 115, the next 111, the next 111. So I'm going to go with that it was 111 outside without the heat index, so with 97% humidity that Weatherguy said it felt like 128 outside. All I can tell you is that the single window unit felt like it was blowing hot air and it was just downright miserable. This evening my Grandparents came to stay the night with us before heading up tomorrow to help with my Uncle's wedding on Friday. Keree had a nice time playing with her Great-Grandparents even though it was way too hot really to even move around. We didn't get around to our school lesson because they were here. But we did practice reading sentences out of the book for them.

4 years, VBS & Lesson 16

Even though we were up in plenty of time, I got hung up doing a few projects around the house and we were 10 minutes late to VBS. Not that it mattered because I think half the class was just as late. This morning, I overhead them say that there is 1729 children in VBS this week. That number just totally blew my mind. After dropping Keree off, I headed home because I had some important phone calls to make and take care of. Once I was finished, I asked my Mom if she wanted to ride along to pick Keree up and run to Wallymart. We got to VBS about an hour early, so that way I got to watch some of the activities they were doing. My plan was also to be able to sneak a few pictures. We arrived right after they were being told a bible story and then they made stick horses from a wooden dowel rod, cotton candy (that's what Keree called the stuffing) and a white sock. I then got to watch the video they showed about Buvuma. This time the video tried to teach them a few Buvuma words. Of course again they talked about the conditions of Buvuma and of course Keree focused in on they drink potty water that is really dirty. But I have to say seeing her sit next to another little boy, both of them with their arms linked together, both having their hands in prayer and heads bowed praying for the people of Buvuma. It was oh, so precious and I guess this little boy has taken a real liking to Keree because as I watched that is who she played with and sat by.
After we picked Keree up, we headed to Wallymart, of course it was a total bust other than sending the money gram I needed to send. When we got home, it was past 1pm. So after a quick lunch, I sat with Keree on the bed hoping she would fall asleep. Before I knew it, I was asleep, I think I was asleep for about 1 1/2 hrs. Luckily Keree was still asleep when I woke up. Once we got up, my Mom decided that I needed a new top for my Uncle's wedding on Friday. UGH! Seriously, she's right, she knows my wardrobe and I did need something nicer or at least not stained. But I absolutely hate clothes shopping for myself. I hate having to try on shirts, I hate picking out what I'm going to try on and so on and so on. So I picked out 4 shirts, vowed to my Mom that this was all I would try on and if none of them worked, I would find something in my current wardrobe. Luckily the last shirt I tried on was perfect and I actually liked it. Once we got home, we spent almost the whole evening outside. Keree had fun playing on her swing set. This morning we ended up changing up the swings on it, so she was excited that she has a bucket swing on it now. I swear she flipped herself around in so many positions it was plain crazy. By the time we headed inside, it was after 830p. We immediately sat down for school. I practiced most of last night and today on compound sounds, so that way I could properly teach Keree the sounds. Luckily, the lesson went super easily, probably because she heard me practicing all day. We were going to start Lesson 17 and got half way through it before Keree declared she was all done.
Now on to 4 years. I spent most of the day debating if I was going to write anything about today's anniversary. But then decided I needed to document today even if I decide not to continue. So 4 years ago today, in the midst of the Hell that was Keree's adoption, my paperwork was Logged in, in China. For 4 years, my paperwork has sat on some shelf collecting dust and as those years have passed, so has everyday life. So much has changed, yet I still dream about my Daughter. But after 4 years, I'm not sure she's in China anymore. I know Keree will someday have a Sister but I don't know when, I don't know where from and I don't know how I will add her to my family. She could quite possibly be from China (honestly I pray she is) and that is why I leave my paperwork still Logged In, instead of withdrawing. But honestly if my referral came in the next 6 months, I don't think I would have the funds to finish my adoption from China. Keree's medical bills wiped out any and all of my adoption savings and even though business is going well, it's not to the point I have extra money to save yet. I was disillusioned to think that if my Dad had left me money in his will, I was going to be able to use it to complete the adoption. Well we all know I found out last week that was not happening. So instead I sit here, dreaming of my Daughter who is yet to be and praying for a financial miracle.

VBS & Lesson 15

When I got up this morning, it was hot, bright and sunny and within 5 minutes, it grew eerily dark and windy. I expected that at any moment we would get slammed by a storm but instead as quickly as it got eerily dark and windy, it cleared up. We got ready for the day and headed out for Keree's first day of Vacation Bible School. Growing up, church was not apart of our weekends because my Mom was always working. But she did read Bible stories to my Brother and I by Kerosene light. I also knew when Summer came, I would get to go to VBS. I remember all the fun we would have and all the cool craft activities we would do. So a few weeks ago, we got a flier in the mail for a Free VBS at the local Baptist Church. Which trust me a Free VBS is rare, most churches charge now anywhere between $40-$60 for the week long, 3 hours a day of fun. So I signed her up and we have eagerly talked about it. So this morning, when we arrived at the Church, I was blown away at how many people were there. The parking lot, which holds over a 3,000 cars were packed, every parking space was taken. Outside the main doors was a gigantic billboard with an alphabetic listing of the child and what room they were in. We found Keree's name and headed inside. I had hoped they would have signs directing you to the room numbers but no such luck. I asked directions because I wasn't going to wander around the 67,000 sq ft complex on 44 acres trying to find her room. Needless to say, the people who were suppose to be the ones directing and helping people get to where they were going, didn't know there way around either.....we got told wrong directions twice. Finally, a nice Lady helped us to Keree's room, of course as we walked she told us all about her 2 yr old daughter adopted from South Korea. I got Keree checked in, put her bracelet on her and then she panicked. I promised her I would stay for awhile but since there was no room in the classroom, I had to stand outside looking in the window. I watched as she worked on her 1st project which was making finger prints and then looking at them closely with a magnifier glass. I then watched her as she moved around to the different games they had set up. I watched through the glass window for almost an hour, before my stomach grumbling got too loud. So I left for about 10 minutes to get a Sweet Tea and a breakfast sandwich. When I got back, Keree's class wasn't in their room, it turns out they rotate rooms and do different activities along the way. When her class finally got back, I waited a few minutes before I went and peeked back in. They were learning about Buvuma, when I got home I looked it up and it's actually an Island in the middle of Lake Victoria in Africa. Keree was so excited when I came to pick her up, somewhere along the way all the kids got feathers (hers was yellow) but she was disappointed that she didn't get to bring home her craft activities. Luckily since I got to see some of the things they were doing, I was able to ask her questions. She told me they sang songs but they sang them different than she sings them. I asked her what she learned about Buvuma, the only thing that stuck in her mind was that they go Potty in their water and then they drink Potty water. Needless to say we had a lengthy conversation on sanitation and drinking water.

We then stopped quickly by home to pick up my Mom before heading to PT. It was a struggle for Keree to stay awake during PT. Our session did go alot smoother then last weeks and I was relieved. Our PT also let us know that she will be gone for the last week of June and all of July. So we will have a SubPT, which we met once for about 30 seconds. I'm hoping the sessions go smoothly. We had some running to do afterwards, so while we waited for my Mom to do a few errands, I decided to call my Grandma. Now I haven't talked to my Grandma since before my Dad died and honestly the way our relationship is with her, I didn't expect her to pick up and of course she didn't. So instead, I ended up calling her Older Sister, my 96 yr old Great-Aunt. It amazes me that she is 96 because she is still sharp as a tack, drives and is as active as any 20 yr old. I thought, I could just make a quick call but instead it was over an hour. I knew whatever I said to her, she would repeat back to my Grandma, so I stressed to her that if my Grandma cuts contact with us the only person she is hurting is Keree. I'm hoping my Grandma gets the hint. Once we got home, it was almost dinner time. Keree and I started Lesson 15, which was actually a review and went super quick. Keree was pushing me to start the next lesson but I was having trouble making the compound sound correctly to teach her. I found a video of someone pronouncing it and hoped after hearing it a few times, she would pick it up correctly and not need my help. It didn't happen, so we will just do Lesson 16 tomorrow. We had a late dinner and before I knew it, it was bedtime, which is where I really need to be right now.

Reflections on Father's Day & Lesson 14

For a few hours today, Keree got to spend Father's day with her Godfather aka my Brother. He honestly loves and adores her more than any actually Father could love a child. I mean how many under 25 Uncle's would have set-up a college fund for their niece/nephew. He took off a 1 1/2 yrs between his Bachelors and Master programs and I can't tell you the countless hours he walked the halls of our house with her in the middle of the night because she was in so much pain from her legs and to give me a little time to sleep. I also know that his Girlfriend is quite jealous of Keree because she comes first, even before our Mom. No, I didn't ask my Brother to be this protecting. Honestly he was a little hesitant and not very keen, when I started the whole adoption journey. He had his reservations and had no problem letting me know them (oh, the arguments we had). But the minute he held Keree in his arms, it didn't matter anymore, he would move Heaven and Earth for his Niece. Keree had picked out a few things to give him for Godfather's day. Of course her favorite thing she picked out was the mug but she was disappointed because it had ice cream and fish on it and she really wanted it to have ice cream, shrimp and cats on it.
After we said good-bye to Brother, we were suppose to head to a one-time evening camp for girls 4-15. Well I was contacted right before the event and was told Keree didn't qualify because of her age.....WTH? I go, I'm sorry I don't understand, she's 4 years old. The catch was she had to be a 4 year old born in 2005. Downright ridiculous if you ask me, so we ended up spending a quiet evening at home. We did cover Lesson 14, where of course we learned a new Letter, the sound it makes, rhymed, read words, read a sentence and then sentence/story comprehension. I have to say that I really suck at knowing what a single letter is suppose to sound like, I'm so thankful there is a parent cheat area at the front of the book. I was also excited that I meet someone else last week who used the same system we are using and her daughter (who is younger than Keree) is reading. So I'm confident that this will work. I'm still looking for a good Math book. As I said earlier, we were sent the wrong Math book and then when I tried to exchange it, they don't have that book. They gave me back my money, after weeks of hassling. But now I can't find the book at a reasonable price. So until then, I've decided to work in those Math workbooks they sale at the Dollar store because why would I pay Wallymart prices for nearly the same book.
Otherwise today I remember my Dad and my Grandpa who have passed on and spoke to one of two Grandpa's who are still alive. I have to say that a few months ago, I was really excited for Father's day to come around. I had planned on buying Grizzly tickets (awesome Sunday coupon you pay $6 for 4 Box Seats), so my Dad, Brother, Keree and I could go enjoy a game together. It was going to be the first Father's day, my Brother had spent with my Dad since he was 2. It's sad to think, my Dad always had Custody of us on Father's day and he never came to pick us up. I remember being dressed in our best, sitting on the steps of the wooden porch with our handmade Father's day cards and presents, waiting for him to show up. And then watching the clock tick by. We did this every year for years, until finally we just gave up because we knew he wasn't going to show up. He would drop out of our lives completely for years at a time and then reappear. We would have a few good months/years and then he was gone again. He always tried to blame us as the problem, we screwed up his life, he hated having to pay child support, he wished we were never born, we were never good enough but all we ever wanted from him was to love us. Then at the end of last year, we really thought he had turned a corner....well I thought he had turned a corner, I thought he had saw the light, I thought he was a changed man and I thought he was finally capable of love. Now I'm not so sure......

Rain-out, Garage Sales & Lesson 13

Well I got up bright and early this morning to put together everything we needed for Keree's baseball game and they were also getting team pictures done. After I got everything together, I woke Keree up, dressed and fed, of course right as we were heading out the door, the phone rang. It was Keree's Coach, it had rained a little last night and they were calling the games. They cancel games this week but last week when there was standing water on the fields, they don't call them? It makes no sense at all. My Brother had came in from out of state for a wedding today, but he was making time to go to Keree's game. So I called to let him know and of course he was disappointed because he didn't make any of her games last year. We decided to head out to a few yards sales and Brother asked us to look for him a new suit for today, the one he currently has is more for fall/winter/funerals. Our first stop was a Subdivision yard sale, of course my Mom and I didn't recognize the name, because otherwise we wouldn't have wasted our time. Literally this subdivision has 200+ houses but anytime they have a subdivision yard sale maybe 4-5 houses participate. Which of course was the case yet again this year. We left empty handed. We were going to hit a neighborhood sale but decided to just try a Church Rummage sale in hopes of finding a Suit for my Brother. Well when we got there, it turned out there was no clothing. Now I did find some amazing vintage books and books with records. I was so excited to find The Goodship Lollipop and Snoopy vs. the Red Barron records, with their original cardboard covers. All the books and records were 25 cents and I got $3 worth. I also found a really cute Milk Glass Vase for 25 cents. Keree found a bag of what looked like nearly Brand New Mr. Potato Heads, there are 2 of them with tons of accessories, I paid 75 cents for the bag. My Mom got a new calculator, hanging file folder frame, a wine cork tray and 4 vintage pillowcase, each one of them was 25 cents.
Since we still hadn't found a suit for my Brother, we headed to Goodwi11. I gotta say that there high prices blow me away, plus they now take out all the size tags on Men and Women's clothing. Needless to say no size tags made for a very interesting hunt. It finally came down to my Mom trying on the jacket and then holding it up to my broad shoulders to see if it would fit him. We settled on two sports jackets and found complimenting pants for both of them. Without sizes, all we could do was hope they would fit him properly and luckily whatever didn't fit we would return. While there, I also took a short look in the baby/girls clothing. I found 2 super cute dresses for Keree I paid $3 for both of them. One of them is Laura Ashley and great for Fall/Winter and the other dress is Hartstrings and perfect for this summer, plus it's reversible. I also found 1 really cool platter and 1 really cool plate. The Platter has small pictures of all these places in Europe and Asia. The Plate has a small picture of Asian women. Now usually I wouldn't pay this much for a platter and plate but I really, really liked them so I splurged. I paid $2 for the platter and $1 for the plate.
Once we got home, my Brother tried on all the clothes we got him, luckily the tan jacket with just a few modifications fit him. We also lucked out and the two pairs of tan pants also fit him. So while he got ready, Keree watched me as I removed the buttons on his jacket and resewed them. When we have more time, we are going to modify it into a double breasted jacket. I also tacked the sleeves, so they weren't so long. We snapped a few pictures, before he headed on his way to his girlfriend's friend wedding. We had some chicken and macaroni salad for dinner, we then ended up spending the evening watching the Hallmark Channel. Seriously, like I needed to sit here bawling my head off to the point I got a headache. After getting Keree tucked into bed, I came back out to work on some bottlecap images and of course write this blog post. I'm heading to bed now.