Happy New Year

Happy New Year! I am so grateful the world did not end in 2012 and we can all continue on with our normal lives, unless, of course, you are superstitious of the number 13, then you may have some problems for the next 365 days. We decided to celebrate our survival of Armageddon by heading to Pasadena for the Rose Parade. The first New Year I spent in Southern California, I went to the parade, camped all night on the street with friends and vowed never to do it again. Well, that vow only lasted 10 years. 

This past summer a group of students from Duke University spent their summer volunteering at Adolf’s orphanage in Uganda. One of the volunteers is from Pasadena and was home for the Christmas holiday. She invited our family and Uncle Laine (a Duke alumnus) to sit with her family during the parade. It was perfect! They saved us seats, a parking spot, and breakfast. All we had to do was show up before the streets closed at 8am. She even held a sleeping baby Hayden for most of the parade! Eva loved the floats and wanted me to take pictures of every entry for her scrapbook. My personal favorite was Tow Mater! Uncle Laine introduced silly string to the kids and they had a great time squirting each other. Thank goodness he didn’t buy one of those loud trumpets! Although, it was cool in the morning, it turned out to be a beautiful day and enjoyed by all, although, I was missing my husband who was away on Navy duty. There was one float carrying a recently reunited military family that was particularly hard for me and made my heart ache to be with him. 

Hunter and Adolf waiting for the Rose Parade to begin.

Eva enjoying the Dole Pineapple float

My favorite! Tow Mater!

Before my husband left for Navy duty, we were planning on renting a cabin in Tahoe for the week so we could introduce Adolf and Eva to the snow. Even with Uncle Laine joining us, I still didn’t feel comfortable taking such a big trip without my husband, so we decided to stay home and enjoy our time together here. The kids entertained themselves with all their new Christmas toys. We also spent lots of time at the various parks in our area. Adolf LOVES going to the park. I think it reminds him of the open countryside he enjoyed in Uganda and the ability to roam free. (Well, not completely free, but the kids spend a lot more time outdoors there than they do here.) He also got a new scooter for Christmas from one of his classmates. He still can’t bend his knees so he has been unable to ride his bike, but he has been zooming around all the trails at the park on his scooter. 

My boys enjoying a beautiful day at the park.

Eva loves her babies!

Baby Hayden enjoying the swing

Hunter, Kelly, Maverick, and Hayden on the big teeter-totter. Adolf was riding his scooter around and wouldn't stay still long enough to get a picture!

Eva trying out Adolf's scooter in our driveway.

Adolf taking the scooter for a ride on our sidewalk.

For Christmas, we bought Eva a Learn To Type program. She has been a very studious student and practices everyday. Learning to use a computer was one of her goals during her visit.

I tried to keep the kids occupied this week, but there was a lot more down time than they are used to during the school year and I think it made Adolf really miss his friends in Uganda. It also didn’t help that he and Hunter were arguing a lot and getting on each other’s nerves. Last night after baths, stories, and wresting the five kids into bed, I crawled into my bed to enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation. Ahhhh….peace and quiet until…knock knock at the door. I opened it to find a sobbing Adolf. (Just when you thought this blog post was going to be happy and uplifting!) I sat him on my lap, hugged him close and he wept, “I want to go home. Right now.” I replied, “Adolf, if you want to go home, you can; however, you are here to get your legs fixed. I know it is hard, but if you go home now we will not be able to finish fixing your legs. What do you want?” He looked at me with solid resolve in his eyes and said, “I want to fix my legs.”  I then tried to distract him by showing him the pictures of Uganda that Uncle Laine had posted on Facebook and he told me about each one: the people, buildings, trees, activities. After about an hour, I took him back to his room and sat with him until he fell asleep. That night, I didn’t get my relaxation time, but I got something much more important. I got to express compassion and love to a heartbroken child. That is a memory that will last much longer than any episode of Honey Boo Boo.