I got a letter in the mail today!  Apparently David’s first grade class wrote letters to their moms for Mother’s Day, and mine came today.  To tell the truth David seemed a little miffed at me when I told him that I got it (“Couldn’t you have waited until Mother’s Day?”).  But it was sweet [...]

Dear St. Joseph, Happy Feast Day!  As you know, we’ll be celebrating your special day in our family.  It’s so good to have a special friend in heaven who knows what life is like for us.  I mean, think about it: You had biological kids and an adopted son You worked hard to take care [...]

David has been complaining about doing his chores recently.  I know, it’s shocking, right?  A 7-year-old boy complaining about his chores… But every now and then, we’ll remind him to do something, and he’ll say, “What am I, the servant?”  I remember saying the same thing to my mom at about the same age. * [...]

Yesterday was St. David’s Day, so David got to pick the dinner (hot dogs, mac & cheese, and salad with ranch dressing) and he got a little present (a crucifix nightlight). March is a great month for saints’ days–in addition to St. David, there’s St. Patrick, St. Joseph, and the Annunciation. All good days to [...]

It’s really cold here.  Single digits, if we’re lucky.  It keeps snowing,  just enough to keep the roads bad.  The kids have been out of school since December 22.  They were supposed to go back Monday, but today is Wednesday and they’re still not back.  Even the kids want to get back school.  The girls [...]

Elf has in the past been one of our favorite Christmas movies.  And just taken on its own terms, it’s pretty good.  I think it’s one of Will Ferrell’s best performances, in the role of the human boy who is adopted by elves and raised as an elf, then leaves the North Pole to find [...]

These come from a 13-year-old, but they were actually said in David’s presence.  We took the kids on an outing this weekend, and the girls got to bring friends (David was promised he could bring a friend another time, since we only had so much room in the minivan).  Oldest Daughter’s friend begins to talk [...]

David’s been getting so good at reading and writing recently.  He wrote me a note tonight that just made me so happy that I kept reading it over and over.  At one point I picked it up again, and he said, “That’s just the same one.”  I said, “I know, but it makes me happy.” [...]

To follow upon a post from last month, David has no learning disabilities.  He’s been evaluated by an occupational therapist, who says he’s great and has no issues.  In fact, he’s made one of the intellectual leaps kids sometimes make, where the day before they were struggling, but now they can do it–whatever it is.  [...]

A situation has arisen in my family that puts me, however tangentially, on the other side of the adoption issue.  My 9-year-old niece wishes to be adopted by her stepfather.  When her mother told me about this, my first reaction was “No!  She’s ours!” Am I child-greedy?  Probably.  I want ours and more.  I want [...]