Hello Spring!

This was last Saturday.

And today we woke up to this.

Baylie came in a couple days ago and told me, "I'm ready!"

And biggest news of all...

WE'RE MOVING TO SOUTH CAROLINA!

David just got accepted to USC. He's really excited because they have a strong choral composition program, which is where his interest lies. I'm excited because they have good sports (hello, Steve Spurrier??). I also really like that part of the country. I'm nervous to move clear across the country and I'm going to miss my family more than I can think about right now. I don't know what Baylie will do without Grammy, Asher and Ava. It's a good thing we still have our flight benefits!

Master of Music

Yesterday David graduated from Brigham Young University with a Masters Degree in Music Composition. Today was the graduation ceremony from the College of Fine Arts and Department of Music. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments. He has worked so hard. I have been especially impressed with the fact that he has managed to spend quality and quantity time with our family while pursuing his studies.

He was not very enthusiastic about the fact that the graduation color for music (tassel and hood) is pink. (That's actually funny since he loves to wear his pink button down shirt that I think looks very 80's.)

David's thesis looks like reformed Egyptian to me. It's a 12 minute piece for a 16-voice choral chamber and explores all the sounds you can make with the human voice, without using words. It also incorporates some electronic music. Pretty amazing.

The kids also got into the graduation spirit. (Thanks to Grammy and Grandad for coming to both graduations. I could not have handled the kids without their help.)

I made David this awesome cookie-shaped musical note. Yep, I'm quite the cook. It looked awesome while still in dough. I did salvage it somewhat by cutting a musical note out of the fiasco and covering it with chocolate.

I also made us all matching BYU pajama pants as David's graduation present.

Mom's Day Off

Back when I used to work full time, I would always take a vacation day on my birthday and just spend the day by myself. It was such a rejuvenating experience. I've been asking David for a day off for almost two years and he finally decided that the time had come. So, yesterday was my day off. It was an excellent day.

The day actually started during the night since David got up for all of Jalen's feedings. I got to sleep all night and didn't wake up until 9:00 a.m. Heavenly!

Then I started off the day by eating at a new restaurant called Molly's. They only serve lunch and are open Tuesday-Friday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. It was the perfect place. I was looking for somewhere I could have a light lunch and sit and read a book without being rushed. Molly's delivered! From the minute I walked in, the service was so kind and helpful and the food was fantastic. I had a spinach salad and a tomato basil pie, which is one of the best things I have ever eaten. When they learned this was a birthday present to me from my husband, they threw in a free desert. I chose bread pudding - also incredibly tasty. You can read a review of Molly's here.

Next I walked over to what used to be the Albertson's shopping center, but is now Market Fresh. I had a pedicure at New Nails. The service there was also great. I sat in the massage chair, got my pedicure and watched "The Blind Side." I was having such a great time, I stayed for a manicure. Baylie is a little freaked out by the fingernail polish. Everytime she goes to hold my hand, she asks "What's this?"

After my pampering, I went to the dollar movie (which in Provo is actually nice). First I saw "When in Rome." It was a cute movie and I really enjoyed it. When it was over, it was only 4:00, so I decided to see another one! I saw "Valentine's Day." It was cute too, but not nearly as good as the first movie.

Then I walked home. It was an excellent day! Very relaxing, and walking outside was a bonus. When I got home, David had done a great job with the house and kids. He said everything went smoothly. I'm glad they had a good day, but I had hoped the kids would give him a run for his money.

For example, why couldn't Baylie have done this yesterday instead of today? Not only was she fully clothed, but when I got her undressed, she had a poopy diaper. Mercy!

At least she took a good nap.

Contested Adoption

Stories like this one make me sick to my stomach. I don't know the details, but I know that the story is never told from the point of view of the adoptive parents. They are portrayed as kidnappers when in reality they were probably never told about the birth father until after they had bonded with the little girl. I also think it's wrong to blame the state of Utah since Virginia has very specific laws about birth father rights and their responsibility to sign up with a birth father registry. There are always two sides to the story and unfortunately the birth father has decided to take his to the press.

See this for an alternative point of view from a birthmother.

Secrets of the Mountain

I have copied the below information from the text of a letter received by a fellow adoptive mom. I think it would be very important to support this movie. It's on NBC tonight. See the trailer here.

The Parents Television Council is the nation's most influential advocacy organization protecting children against sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. That's a big job. Much of what Hollywood considers "entertainment" today is offensive and even harmful to children -- so that most of what the PTC does is alerting parents to the negative programming on TV.

Secrets of the Mountain is a delightful movie of the kind "they don't make anymore." It's a fun, adventurous romp that the entire family can enjoy. It's filled with action and suspense, but also has a lot of positive family messages in it. Best of all, it's completely free of sex, profanity, and disturbing violence.

For years now, Americans have been aching for entertainment appropriate for families. Survey after survey has shown that Americans want family-friendly entertainment. ..and movie box office results prove it. Clean, safe entertainment nearly always outperforms movies with extreme sex and violence. But those in charge of the TV networks have consistently refused to listen.

During the Alliance for Family Entertainment symposium last year, the Association of National Advertisers told TV writers and network executives that the lack of family-friendly programming on TV represents the biggest missed opportunity in Hollywood today. As has happened so often, those in charge of creating new programming ignored them -- so the sponsors decided to do something about it themselves!

Secrets of the Mountain was financed by Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart. Two of America's biggest advertisers have stepped up to the plate, and put their own money on the line to create programming appropriate for families and children.

This movie is very much a "trial balloon" for family-friendly programming. If Secrets of the Mountain gets good ratings and positive comments from viewers, it will send the message loud and clear that audiences care about decency, and that they want -- and will watch --programming appropriate for families!

Russian Adoption Tragedy

You may have recently read in the news about the little Russian boy whose adoptive family put him on a plane and sent him back to Russia by himself. If not, you can read about it here. I have found this story very upsetting. I know that many international adoptees have attachment issues, but I can't imagine putting a 7 year old on an international flight all by himself, and especially without anyone waiting for him on the other end.

I think the part that bothers me the most is from the mother's letter to the Russian government that states, "After giving my best to this child, I am sorry to say that for the safety of my family, friends and myself, I no longer wish to parent this child." So apparently, she doesn't consider this little boy part of "my family." It breaks my heart that first this child had to be removed from his alcoholic Russian mother and now he's been abandoned by his American family.

Perhaps worst of all is the fact that now Russia has suspended all adoptions for American families. You can sign a letter to President Medvedev and President Obama asking that both presidents ensure that intercountry adoption continues uninterrupted and to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone involved in the abuse of children. You can sign anytime, but doing so before Tuesday night would help get the letters to both presidents before President Medvedev leaves the U.S. Click here for more information.

Differences

It has been really interesting for me to note how different my kids are even at such a young age. Here are some of the major differences:

Baths: Jalen loves them, Baylie hated them at his age
Tummy time: Jalen loves it, Baylie hated it at his age
Sleeping: Jalen sleeps 3-4 hours at a time, Baylie slept 4-6 hours at a time
Spitting up: Jalen does it every time he eats and sometimes between meals, Baylie never spit up
Crying: Jalen has a slow warm up, Baylie was instant diva scream

Both my kids are so mild mannered and pleasant. In most ways they remind me of each other. I love how they respond to each other.

Baylie's latest thing is that she always wants to do the dishes. I think it's more about playing with the water. Yesterday, we found her like this:

I'm saving this picture for when she's a teenager and doesn't want to do the dishes anymore.

I wrote several poems when Baylie was born and realized that I haven't written any for Jalen. It's always scary for me to post my poems, but here's one for Jalen.

jalen

sleep shattered
by a small cry
insistant and desperate.

crawl out of bed
stumble to crib.
try to soothe
while making bottle.

heavy with exhaustion
look down.
rewarded with
a toothless milky smile.

worth it.

Cast Off!

Baylie was very excited to get her cast off today. We talked about how the doctor would use a saw and it would be loud.

The doctor and the nurse were impressed that Baylie didn't cry.

She was mostly just interested in what was going on.

Yay! The cast was off!

When I looked in the cast, I found this wood chip and some playground rubber. I can't believe Baylie never complained about it being in there.

When she woke up from her nap, the first thing she said when she came into the living room was "Cast off!"

She still favors the arm just out of habit. I think she'll be really excited tonight when she gets to soak in the tub for the first time in four weeks.

Happy Easter!

On Easter Sunday, I think it's appropriate to take a minute and bear record that I believe in Jesus Christ as the literal son of God. I believe He was resurrected and made it possible for me to live again. I believe that through His experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, He felt my pains and took my sins upon Himself. I love Him. I feel a little strange writing this in a blog, but I am not ashamed of this testimony and on this special day think it's good to share.

I hope that each of you had a beautiful and special Easter.

Graduation Announcement - UPDATE

David recommended a bigger photo and this is the announcement he decided to go with. Since it's his graduation, I guess his vote counts the most!

I've designed two announcements for David's graduation. Which do you like best??

Child of Many Colors

David and I are one of 16 families featured in a new book about transracial adoption called Child of Many Colors. It's a compilation of the adoption stories of some of the families in our transracial adoption group. Each family tells their story in their own words and everyone's story is a testimony to the fact that our families are not accidents, but meant to be together.

The book was written prior to our adopting Jalen, so unfortunately his amazing story is not included. Also, since Baylie's adoption is closed, they didn't include a picture of our family. The book is only $9.99, so you might want to check it out.

Family Fun

I love my family! I have been blessed to grow up in a very tight-knit family. We have our drama from time to time, but mostly we just love and support one another. Last week my sister Tiffani came from Las Vegas to meet Jalen. We took advantage of her visit to have lots of family fun.

We went to the zoo where getting my nephews to all look in the same direction and smile at the same time was as impossible as usual. The rhino was equally enthusiastic.

Baylie had a blast with her twin cousins. She calls them ClaraLauren. I'm not sure she realizes there are two different names.

Jalen loved his first zoo outing (although he slept through most of it).

Then, while Jalen chilled out,

the rest of us colored eggs.

Or better said, we broke eggs,

and colored hands.

Unfortunately, Baylie and her cousin Asher also played in the garden. Note to self: afros and rocks do not mix well.

The highlight for Jalen was spitting up all down his daddy's neck. (Most of us thought it was hilarious.)

The girls loved singing and dancing.

I'm afraid Baylie will be bored now that the girls are gone. Good thing she still has her boy cousins close by to play with her.