Molly's Brave Moment

Big News!!

Kitchen Splurge

I've been spoiling myself with all sorts of goodies. 

First came the New Ninja Coffee Bar System.  The word "system" pretty much says it all.  It's AMAZING and pretty much reminds me that liquid coffee creamer is the equivalent to crack.

However, I don't ALWAYS pay attention.  For instance, I was frothing the cream for Ross' vanilla latte 2 weeks ago and reached my arm across the machine to reach the frothing accessory. 

Little did I realize I'd get a steam burn reminiscent of some funky virus...

I also splurged on a sharp Chefs knife. Cutco, of course.  I mean, if your gonna be a good cook, you've gotta have the tools. 

Merry Christmas to me.

And...

4 days later.

As of Thursday A.M., the school nurse thinks the slab of skin I sliced through is dying. 

So there's that.

Quite the Foods teacher I-35 managed to snag, if I do say so myself ;)

Rip-sticking in the garage with headgear... no words.

Macks 1st semester report card in the United States. 

You go little man!

Teaching Molly to cut one of his favorite foods.

Mom's banned from knives :(

As much as she annoys him, he loves this little squirt.

And at school I'm teaching kitchen safety.  Go figure.

Today activity.  A cooking lab while blindfolded. 

Finger or no finger, gosh I love this life.

Little Roadrunner Tournament

Ross became an I-35 wrestler last fall. 

He was nervous and insecure.  Afraid of looking bad.  Being our first wrestling practice EVER, he showed up in tennis shoes.  Whoops.  I had no idea we were supposed to bring wrestling shoes.  shouldn't there be a guidebook for mom's with these little tips? 

Luckily (?) they had a box of leftover shoes to borrow.  Wrestling shoes were purchased the next day and as the weeks marched by, we learned more and more about how this program worked. Ross also became more and more confident.  Having his good buddies in the program didn't hurt either.   

Tournaments were optional, and Ross being Ross wasn't ready to take that step yet.  However, me being me, decided the tournament held on HIS turf near the end of the season would be an ideal starting place. 

So I signed him up. 

I just didn't tell him until the tournament got close. 

Anxiety is an evil monster we try to avoid whenever possible.

The morning of the tournament, he felt like vomiting.  He barely touched his lunch and as the day wore on, told me he'd give anything if he didn't have to do it.  Totally took me back to high school track meets and the Strawberry Festival Fun Run.

One good part about his nervous stomach was it allowed him to weigh in at 76 lbs.  6 pounds lighter than expected. 

Enough to get him into a lighter weight class.

His first match was a close one, but Ross took the win.  I loved watching his friends cheer him on in the background. 

The second match was against a classmate and neighbor.  This boy has an identical twin (who happened to have a broken arm and couldn't wrestle).  These boys have an older brother who wrestles Varsity and a mom who is the school guidance counselor.  They brought us a meal when we brought Mack home.  It's incredibly hard to cheer for your kid when you want both wrestlers to win.  Immediately after the match, the little guy came over to give Mike and I each high-fives.

Just one more reason I love our small school.

Ross put up a good fight, but ended up on his back.

The final match was against a kid from another school.  Word on the street was this kid was tough.  At first I was worried, but once the other kid starting crying, it was clear Ross could hold his own.

The kid forfeited and Ross won the match.

 Ross and his coach.

 And he came home with a 2nd Place Trophy.

And in the end, I hope he always remembers...

Don't Be Afraid To Fail... Be Afraid Not To Try.

Icy No School Days

We've had 2 no school days due to ice this week.  Therefore, Monopoly it is. 

The boys and I have a pretty intense game going (including actual houses purchased on property) and bets are on for who's gonna bring home the trophy.

Meanwhile, at Hy-Vee this afternoon, Mack asked me if he could have a stuffed monkey which was on display above the leftover rotisserie chickens and hummus.  Not only was this a strange request as Mack never asks for ANYTHING- but strange that my 13-1/2 year old wanted a stuffed animal.  What, like I'm going to say 'No'? 

The whole way home he snuggled it.

Huh?

This monkey business has equaled some major jealousy for Molly who demonstrated her feelings of wanting to hold and play with Macks Monkey (no pun intended) by destroying the Monopoly game more than once today.

On the other hand, I can't help but watch in awe as Mack shaved for the first time 3 days ago, yet snuggled a stuffed animal for the first time today. 

Be still my heart...

Ice Storms and Lost Boyds

Whenever I bring home a 'Summer Fruit", Macks eye's light up- he points and says, "I like".  So when I randomly brought home a watermelon I knew he'd be pumped.

He was more than willing to share how he learned to cut a watermelon in China.  I was shocked to find out this watermelon tasted like heaven this time of year.  I think Mack was more impressed with how fast our family, his mom can plow through one of these suckers.  Maisie could barely hold herself back either.

Pay no attention to the lighter on the counter, nobody is smoking.  The boys are just into starting fires OUTSIDE.

I was in the baking mood, therefore I went straight for my Bundt.  I decided banana bread was in order as we awaited the approaching ice storm Sunday night.  This was the remaining Bundt within 20 minutes of being cool.  Within 12 hours it was down to a quarter.  There's nothing like GG's banana bread recipe.

As I mentioned, an ice storm was brewing.  An hour or two before dark, the boys decided to take their new lighters down to the creek and build a fire to keep warm. 

Time ticked and darkness and freezing rain rolled in. 

No boys.

Mike took the 4-Wheeler into the woods to find them. 

30 minutes later, no Mike. 

Flashbacks to the TV series "I Shouldn't Be Alive" and "Strange and Curious Deaths" crept into my mind.  I had no choice but to head into the woods on my own.  I was one mom, with a flashlight and a dog, who had a limp and ended up puking a deer spine Monday afternoon in the garage- but that's beside the point- on a mission to bring home her boys. 

As the sleet hit my cheeks and I tried desperately not to slip and break an ankle (physical therapy isn't cheap) I screamed for my boys.  Finally I heard Mike respond "I have the boys". They were in a hole, laying by a fire and hanging out.  Seriously?  

That's when Goose started going bonkers.  I shined my light and discovered Goose had treed a possum.  Ross (who's been super-obsessed with Where the Red Fern Grows) decided to shake the tree until the possum fell, allowing Goose to take the kill.  I cheered as the possum dropped and Goose had the possum still.  Ross grabbed the possum by the tail, yelling "I've got myself a coon dog!", and carried the possum back to the fire.  On the way, he kept telling me how the possum tail was curling around his hand.  I told him it must be muscle spasm from the dying process.  Let me just remind you the walk to the fire was treacherous.  At one point I was crawling on the frozen creek to get underneath a barbed wire fence in the freezing rain in the dark.  Good Lord.

We made it.  But that's when Mike noticed the possum breathing.  He was quick to remind us,  "Possums are notorious for playing dead". 

Well crap.  The teeth on this thing were not cool. 

And that tail gives me the heeby jeebies.

But my boys were safe, and in the scheme of things, what more could I ask for? 

In other news, Maisie was invited to spend the night at a friends house Saturday night, I took the opportunity to visit Shoe Carnival with Molly for new boots.  This girl is clearly related to her sister and can't stop thinking about her new footwear.

This is Molly (I was in the process of teaching her to make coffee), before the rest of the house had woken on Monday morning.  She's a little obsessed.

Later in the day, (can I mention we didn't leave the house Monday due to the ice storm) Molly was.mimicking my every move as I created a weekly organization chart.

A girl can dream, right?

I thought I'd cloned myself with Maisie.  However, Molly may look like Mike, but Molly is my sidekick 100%

As I was baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies, Mack looked in the mixing bowl and said, "Ewww.  Why you do that?"  I told him I was making cookies and asked if he'd ever tasted cookie dough.  He hadn't.

I offered him a taste and snapped a photo of his reaction. 

Chinese people don't like creamy things.

Mack isn't a fan of chocolate chip cookie dough... yet.

The Age Post

I've been working on this post all week.  Typing, then deleting it.  Typing another way, then deleting. It's hard telling someone's story through your own eyes- especially when the story you've been told is confusing.

Macks file stated he had been abandoned on a street in Northern Shandong province at the age of 5.  Found by a reporter the same day. He stayed with this reporter and his family 2 months before being taken to the orphanage.  Some of you have been told of Macks background prior to this, and some of you haven't.

Turns out, none of us knew what truly happened.

Every now and then, Mack volunteers information about his life in China both before and after being orphaned.  Information that tests my ability to 'Not look shocked' as he shares it.  His details of arriving at the orphanage contrast greatly to what his file claims.  I asked Mack to read his written file.  His response with a very confused face; "Not true".

I know Mack has suffered trauma and loss.  However, I trust Macks word much more than a Chinese orphanage file.  Orphanages are in the business of moving kids out for a fee.  When a file isn't moving, something needs to be added to the file to GET it moving.   I posed the question to other China Adoptive Mamas and the response has been astounding.  Sounds like phony files are created ALL THE TIME.  The details of his background are Macks to share, yet this also means the accuracy of his entire file is now in question.  Including his age.  I asked Mack if he was interested to find out how old he really was.  

He was interested.

A couple phone calls led me to schedule a bone-age-scan at our doctor who would determine his true age better than any other method available.

Within 24 hours we learned his official birthday was off by 9 months.  Mack's bones are 13 years 6 months... A July baby.

So now what?

The Vital Records department of Iowa told me the process to change his birthday would be extensive... and probably expensive.  Amendments would need to be made and citizenship records would need to be adjusted.  This all takes place with a lawyer, judge and court system. 

So now what?  I not sure, but were taking suggestions on how to celebrate his birthday.  When I told him the results, his response, "I already knew that, because....."

Again, so now what?

I asked him to pick a date in July he'd like to celebrate his birthday.  He chose the 11th.

Hmmm, again.  Now what?

Below ate our guesses as to when we each thought Mack's birthday would be.  The winner would receive a candy bar.

Molly won.

And of course in the meantime, life goes on...

For instance, this is one way to get the receptionist to call your name faster in a waiting room...Does that old lady look pissed or what?

and another use for oven mitts.

Mack's obviously practiced this look before, because he rocks it and it's creepy.

After taking our neighbor girl to the mall to have her eyebrows threaded (because that's how I roll), Mack became curious about having the hair on his upper lip threaded. 

I explained it might hurt more than an eyebrow and we'd talk to Dad about it at home.  

The solution?  

Shaving cream and a razor.

Mike taught Mack how to shave Thursday night.  A milestone I was so grateful he learned from his dad- verses some random at the orphanage. 

Mack didn't say it out loud, but from the skip in his step, it was clear he was feeling pretty awesome about shaving a moustache at 13 ;}

Ratatouille

I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats to find out what Molly's lifelong goal drawing was of...

It was a teacher, of course. 

So obvious.

And why wouldn't she? 

Just today her mother witnessed her first mouse running across her classroom as she taught a lesson on healthy snacks.  Her mom screamed and jumped aboard the nearest chair.  Two of her students became flushed and jumped onto a table (not knowing what happened, only that their teacher was freaked).  Two other students stomped over the oven (where the mouse ran) and attempted to find it.

The mouse didn't appear- although I know the little squirt was in there.  Why?  Because upon my students observation, the oven drawers had breadcrumbs and mouse turds in them. 

Sick.

During the last half of class, I told the students they were on mouse duty.  Ovens were turned on and the students were to watch for movement.  One student even grabbed knives for the pursuit.

At the end of the day, the mouse was still in hiding.

These students won't remember how many calories are in a serving of chips, a mini-Snickers bar or what the combination of the two mixed with Strawberry pop smells like in the blender (okay, maybe they will), but I have no doubt they'll forget hunting down Ratatouille in Mrs. Boyds classroom.

Feed Me, I'm Yours!

In the Spring of 2006, I was introduced to baby food.   I'll never forget that poor bag of frozen peas I tried to steam, pulverize and freeze in ice cube trays as "homemade baby food".  Pea skins don't soften and were so tough Ross couldn't help but gag with every attempt to swallow.  Poor thing.  

I also can't forget the desperate attempts Aunt Heather and I made to get Maisie to take a bottle before my maternity leave ended (Shot glasses were even utilized).  

With Molly came another desperate attempt to try my hand at steaming and pureeing more produce.  Good Lord. 

Mack is the only one I haven't bent over backwards and sideways to get nourished.  Apparently,  mom's have an internal craving to nourish their babies in some way or another.  And when they don't show up until they are nearly teenagers, that craving still exists.

Therefore, while the boys spent Monday afternoon in the woods doing guy things...

I tried my hand at a dumpling (aka Pot Sticker) recipe Mack told me he ate for Chinese New Year in China.

First step was to grate some ginger, chop some green onion and mince some garlic.

That combo gets mixed with ground pork, Asian sauces, white pepper and salt.

The mixture is place in won ton wrappers,

moistened on the edges and folded into a triangle to seal.

Then the corners are folded up and stuck together with another dap of water.

Did it work.  Yep.  He thought they were delish.  Were they what he expected.  Nope.  He told me the wonton wrappers weren't right.  They were supposed to be thicker and round shaped.  Therefore, my folds were all wrong and the filling was not a secure as it should have been.  He also told me he knows how (and can help me) to make them more accurate.

Wish he'd have told me 3 hours earlier.

The things we do to make our babies happy.

The girls and I then spent the remainder of the afternoon beautifying.  We did nail spa, make-up tutorial, hair cuts and finally Biore strips as we danced on the mantel before bed.

A final salute to Christmas Break.

On January 3rd, Molly came home from school with this lifelong goal in her backpack.  Any guesses?