a wordy girl

Valentine's Day

2012-02-15T07:16:00.004-06:00

Our family had a wonderful LOVE Day. I know many people think Valentine's Day is a contrived and false holiday, and it is! But I like it because it brings every one together in agreement that - even if just for one day - adults should be romantic toward the people they love and children should be nice to their friends.This year PC, V and I worked together to make homemade valentines for every kid

The Year of No Lists

2012-02-06T20:08:00.005-06:00

My name is a Wordy Girl, and I am a perfectionist. It has been 3 1/2 years since I realized my perfectionism was making me miserable - 3 1/2 years since I decided to get over myself. I found an online guru named FlyLady whose system of housekeeping and organizing is like a 12-step program for the chronically over-critical. Following her program for the past 42 months has me to a wonderful new

With the band

2012-01-31T14:49:00.004-06:00

I recently got a chance to play guitar and sing at church, and it rocked! That's me in the photo below playing my Fender Strat (you can't see it behind the music stand) and singing "Reaching for You" by Lincoln Brewster. Playing music again in church was so much fun. I have been playing guitar since I was 12. My dad's family is very musical. My grandfather played guitar and fiddle (as they call

Invitation

2012-01-29T20:26:00.004-06:00

I had the honor of being quoted extensively on a friend's blog last week. Kayla is also the mom of some Haitian kids. Though we've never met in real life, we share many views and experiences. On the topic of race relations between kids we had some divergent ideas, which we decided to share on her blog, Our Mixed Blessings. You're invited to go over and see what she and I had to say, and if you

Stories of winter survival

2012-01-25T18:17:00.001-06:00

Out here in Kansas we're just try'n'a get through the winter. You know, that time when the wind changes from hot to cold. I imagine if there were no wind in Kansas the weather would be 70 degrees and sunny every day (except the one day a month it rains). Our new house has a fireplace - our first one ever! I love spending winter nights by the fire. One night I sat by the fire so long that my face

I got you, babe

2012-01-10T21:30:00.005-06:00

On our last trip to Haiti, V.'s birth family provided us with some baby pictures of her. I can't say what it means to me to have these photos. Vivine has never asked to see pictures of herself as a baby, but I dreaded the day that I might have to tell her sorry, but we didn't have any. I don't know the all of the circumstances or even dates when these photos were taken, but just being able to see

Put me in, coach

2012-01-07T22:14:00.001-06:00

Just before the holidays, I bought and participated in a one-hour parent coaching session. My coach was THE Christine Moers, high prophetess of adoptive parenting. Some of you might wonder why a mom with a family as honest-to-God decent as mine would want parent coaching. I mean, look at this Christmas card. It practically walked off the home page of WeHaveItAllTogether.com.The truth is, PC and I

Hello, 2012

2012-01-05T12:42:00.008-06:00

Coming back from a blogging absence is always so stressful. I feel like I should write about everything I've done since I last blogged so I won't look lazy. I've been busy, dang it! But the thought of that much writing is overwhelming, so I put it off, which only gives me more to write about. Screw it. I'm just going to count it as an "unexcused absence" and move on.So here were are in 2012. A

Lynde Inc.

2011-12-17T13:52:00.005-06:00

We're home from Haiti and in full-on Holiday Cheer Mode. I really love the domestic tasks of the Christmas season: baking, decorating, wrapping presents, making handmade gifts and cooking big meals. This year, I'm having even more fun because I'm not working in a full-time job. I can work on Christmas preparation at my own pace during the day instead of one or two frantic hours each evening.When

Why we go to Haiti

2011-11-30T21:11:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow morning (in about six hours, to be exact) we leave for our annual trip to Haiti. As we prepared for this trip, lots of people asked me, "What are you going to do there?" They seemed to expect a grand answer, such as "We're building a house" or "We're digging a well" or "We're baptizing a hundred people." I feel like I'm disappointing people when I say, "We're going to do some work around

Home sweet twin home

2011-11-27T12:43:00.004-06:00

We've lived in Kansas for two months now. We are renting a twin home. I had never heard of twin homes before we moved here, but they are all the rage in Wichita. Twin homes are identical houses, each with their own property, that share a garage. Our garage is detached and sits in front of the house. With the magic of Google, I can show you much more easily than I can describe it.View Larger MapIn

Style search

2011-11-26T21:29:00.004-06:00

Our latest hair creationI know everyone is just dying to know what happened at the hair salon. Forget Thanksgiving (we ate turkey), Black Friday (we stayed home) or our upcoming trip to Haiti (we leave in five days). Let's talk about hair!Our trip to the hair salon, which I previewed in my last post, did not go well. The stylist who was so nice to me did not give my daughter the same courtesy.

Calling for back-up

2011-11-16T21:13:00.005-06:00

Today I will take V. for her first-ever appointment in a beauty shop. Making this appointment, which is just a consultation, has required faith, courage and humility. (Have you ever prayed before going into a beauty shop? I did.) I take pride in my ability to care for V.s hair on my own. I have written before about how hair is a big deal in the African American community. I want V.'s hair to look

Two years

2011-11-09T21:45:00.006-06:00

Two years ago, we went from this:To this:I can't describe my experience as V.'s mom in terms of how amazing or rewarding it has been. I don't think of it that way. Being V.'s mom is woven into the fabric of my life so tightly that I would not be me without her. Sometimes it is good. Sometimes it is not so good. (Remember this?) But good or bad, we are cemented together with a bond so tight that

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:40:00.007-05:00

Happy Halloween! Behold, a little mermaid. (Not The Little Mermaid. She has a boring green tail. This little mermaid is sparkly and pink!)You must be wondering, "Where on earth did that child get such an adorable costume?" Let me tell ya. I MADE IT!!!! I designed it, bought the fabric and sewed on my own sewing machine. I am so proud I could cry. When I worked full-time, I always wished I had

Conquering the yarn hop

2011-10-25T11:30:00.001-05:00

Actually, the people hop toward the yarn, which remains perfectly still.I feel a need to introduce the Central Kansas Yarn Hop with an apology or an explanation. I realize normal people don't spend the day driving 260 miles around the middle of Kansas visiting yarn stores. When I told everyone about my plans to do just that, I received looks of repressed incredulity. Everyone, that is, except my

The conflict within

2011-10-14T18:33:00.006-05:00

One of the bloggers I read regularly (Anymommy) posted an entry last week about the debate over mothers' staying home v. working. For me, her words described the kind of feeling you didn't even realize you had until you read it described perfectly by someone else. Yes! That's it! That is what I have been struggling with for so long, I thought when I read this:The so called “conflict” between

Fitting in

2011-10-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

Off into the unknown...V. had her second first day of school last Monday. She started school in Wichita with much more trepidation than on her initial first day of First Grade nine weeks ago in St. Louis. I think any child would feel intimidated going into a bigger school in a new town where you don't know a soul. There has been a lot angst, dawdling, whining, crying and mountain-making out of

Wichita randoms

2011-10-02T20:37:00.004-05:00

Here is a random collection of thoughts from my first four days as a Wichitan (Wichitanian?)- I love our new house. It is basically the same size as our old house, but with a few significant upgrades. Including (drumroll please...) a garage! An entire room just to hold our cars! See the photographic evidence:Sleep tight, vehicles.We loooove opening the garage door. V. and I have fought over who

We're hee-eerrre.

2011-10-01T22:12:00.004-05:00

We live in Wichita now! Can it be we only arrived two days ago? I worked so hard in those two days (and spent so much money!) it feels like I have lived here a year. Our first order of business after we go town was to go hang out with our family. PC has an aunt and a cousin in town who gave us a wonderful Midwestern welcome, helped us unpack, entertained V. and then fed us dinner tonight. I think

Further up and further in

2011-09-25T21:06:00.005-05:00

Today I said good-bye to my church home for the last seven years. Hope Lutheran was so much more to me than my husband's place of work. It was my church, the place where I went to be in God's presence among beloved friends.I remembered today a passage from "The Last Battle," my favorite book in the Chronicles of Narnia. The Last Battle tells the story of the end of the world, when all of the

In which we all just take a deep breath

2011-09-23T21:42:00.003-05:00

My Bible study ladies last night helped pull me out of my downward spiral into relocation hell. They know me well. They know how I can get so caught up in the minor details of a plan that I forget the one who made the plan in the first place. When I come in the door talking 800-words-per-minute about paperwork and insurance and logistics, they just smile and nod and direct my attention to the

Weeping, gnashing

2011-09-22T16:54:00.002-05:00

This is what it's like right now.Life is just a crazy mess right now. Seven years might not seem like a long time to live someplace, but we made them count. We have millions of roots wound all through St. Louis, and we're trying to untangle them as gently as we can before we move. We have had at least four farewell dinners/parties so far, and we have three more plus V's school party before moving

How she does it

2011-09-14T21:11:00.008-05:00

Ten months ago, I started my first full-time job since V. came home. I am d.o.n.e., thankyouverymuch. (I worked full-time for years before I became a mom, then cut back to part-time for a year.) Our move to Wichita gives me the perfect opportunity to step away from full-time work. I will still make money and contribute to the family bottom-line, but I will figure out a way to do it without a 40-

Countdown to change

2011-09-12T07:00:00.002-05:00

Moving is hard. You take the uncertainty of what will happen when we get there, combined with the loss of relationships we leave behind, plus the disruption of packing, home-showings and meetings with realtors, and you’ve got quite a stew. And we are swimming in it at the Langdon house. That’s not to say that we aren’t still excited about the new life that awaits us in Wichita. But we’re not

We win

2011-09-11T07:28:00.004-05:00

I know this is a day to remember. Of course I haven't forgotten what happened on Sept. 11, 2001. It's just that in the 10 years since that awful day, a lot has happened to me. I graduated college. I married the love of my life. We made a home together. I learned to knit. We found a new calling serving the people of Haiti. We became parents. In between all of those momentous events, we've had

A deeper look

2011-09-03T06:58:00.003-05:00

Here is that post I wrote about earlier in the week, the one that takes a more spiritual view of our move to Kansas. So now I've written about the from two sides - one that is spiritually skeptical and one that is possibly a little over-spiritual. I cannot say which one is right or which one I believe more. I guess it depends on the day. That's the thing about faith. It cannot be articulated; it

What difference does it make?

2011-08-29T21:33:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post examining the spiritual reasons that PC and I decided to take the call to Christ Lutheran in Wichita. I had planned to post it right after we announced the decision at church, but the past few days a question has nagged me and stopped me from publishing that post. So what? So we took a new job. We're moving. Families all over the country do the same thing every

A new adventure

2011-08-28T13:00:00.001-05:00

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. - Helen Keller While the blog stayed mostly silent this summer, a big change was brewing for our family. PC has taken another call as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kan. We're moving to Kansas, y'all! We announced it to the congregation this morning. Grief, excitement and uncertainty billowed out of us like smoke. But there was also

Old and new on the first day of school

2011-08-10T17:56:00.006-05:00

V. started First Grade yesterday. Just look at her with those earrings, bracelets and long, sweepy bangs. I might as well have dropped her off at middle school! So much has changed since her first First Day of School at Hope Lutheran Church Preschool. First day of preschool On the first day of preschool, I was still buckling her seat belt, lifting her up to reach the sink and translating

Summer scrapbook

2011-07-27T20:02:00.004-05:00

I have been working on this blog post for three weeks. It will blow your mind!Not really. I've just been busy enjoying summer - too busy, in fact, to write about it. Let's go straight to the evidence:We celebrated my grandmother's 90th birthday with all the kinfolk in Robstown, Texas. Robstown is waaaay down there. It is so far away, in fact, that when I told V. to take her allowance money on the

That hair thing

2011-07-08T07:39:00.001-05:00

This is not particularly timely, but I hope it will be a resource for other moms who want to learn how to care for their daughters' ethnic hair. Much of what I have learned about hair comes from the Web site Happy Girl Hair, which is also where I got the idea to write a post about my definition of "healthy hair."When we brought Vivine home a year and a half ago, I was determined to take

Take that, arthritis!

2011-06-29T21:20:00.003-05:00

My last update on my ouch-a-rific wrists was in early May. Since then, I have acquired two things that have helped me battle, though not completely defeat, the arthritis that developed at the base of my thumb.The first is a completely awesome splint. And by "completely awesome" I mean super geeky. I refuse to wear it outside of my home or cubicle. When the doctor told me to wear it "as much as

My guy

2011-06-18T16:31:00.003-05:00

Last week I got a taste of single motherhood. PC had a week-long mission trip in Oklahoma. Last Thursday, V. and I flew to Dallas by ourselves to spend the weekend with my rellies. Then we spent the week at home just the two of us. All week long, I was on my game as a mom. I medicated, fed, washed, transported, entertained, disciplined and cuddled on eight cylinders and didn't stall once. I also

There goes my baby

2011-06-04T06:58:00.003-05:00

Kindergarten if over. OVER! It seems like just yesterday V was learning her last name and phone number in preparation for her first day of school. Now she knows how to read, write, add numbers together and explain scientific things, like how recycling works. One of the many end-of-year-activities at her school was the Talent Show. V managed to get one of the coveted spots. She picked jumping rope

A moment like this

2011-05-30T20:31:00.004-05:00

The plans for my 30th birthday came together over the course of about three years. First, I wanted a big bash at Busch Stadium. Somewhere along the way, I realized I had more friends than we could afford to host at a Cardinals game. Then I thought about how nice it would be to get away for some "girl time." But my closest girlfriends are either pregnant or have newborns and probably wouldn't be

My next 30 years

2011-05-29T11:43:00.001-05:00

Today is my 30th birthday. Last night I had to say goodbye to my twenties. I'm proud of everything I accomplished in the past 10 years. I had a short but successful career as a journalist. I married a good man. When circumstances forced me to change careers, I started over in a new industry and worked my way up to high-paying position of influence in a short amount of time. I got a masters degree

Hair night!

2011-05-18T21:10:00.004-05:00

Tonight we had a good old fashioned hair night. It took me back to June 2010, a.k.a. the age of the cornrow. Back then I thought of cornrows as the penultimate hairstyle - the "Rachel" of little brown girls, if you will. I had to master them. Master I did, but we abandoned cornrows when we realized that the swimming pool turns them to wild frizz in 2.3 seconds. Then school started, leading to

Low-hanging fruit

2011-05-13T21:29:00.004-05:00

The last...2 weeks? a month? I dunno - however long it's been since I posted...have been everything I talked about in my last post, but more. More achy wrists - I went to a hand specialist today. I don't have Carpal Tunnel! I just have severe inflammation where my thumb joins up to my wrist, which happens to be one of the most used joints in my body. The good news is that it will get better

Randomization

2011-05-02T20:12:00.005-05:00

- PC and I have been quite occupied helping V improve her behavior in school. I have had phone conversations with the teacher and principal. I have gone up to the school for lunch. We have goals posted on the fridge. Television has become a rare and cherished privilege. I won't lie, it is hard for two Type-A, first-children overachievers to understand what would possibly make a child want to defy

Easter thoughts

2011-04-24T06:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter, y'all! I did it - I read the Bible every day during Lent. I would like to say that daily ingestion of spiritual nuggets left me feeling full, warm and comfortable. But instead I feel less comfortable. The Word of God has a way of pointing out your flaws. It also shows you God's grace and makes you appreciate it even more. But the it strips away your pretenses. I can't read 1st

Achy-painy

2011-04-21T20:39:00.001-05:00

My doctor thinks I have osteoarthritis, brought on by too much strain on my wrists. Knitting and I are on a break. The home laptop and I have agreed to just be friends. My wrists are feeling better, but still not cured. Once I get through this bout of pain and agony, I've got to work on my posture while doing wrist-crunching activities. I'm on a bunch of cooky sounding supplements, and my

Amazing love

2011-04-20T20:02:00.002-05:00

We have a contemporary worship service Sunday evenings at our church. V calls it "gym church" because it's in the gym. I call it perfect for an energetic 6-year-old who can't sit still and a worn-out momma who just needs to unwind. Last Sunday V decided to pick up some palms and express herself. I let her do her thing. Her dance blessed me, the people there, and, I'm sure, the angels in heaven.

Ouchie!

2011-04-13T21:03:00.003-05:00

I might have met my match in the finicky nerves that run through my wrist and up into my fingers. Between the working, knitting and obsessive Internet surfing, I've about done in my poor hands. I'm not ready to say the words "carpal tunnel." I'll leave that to the doctor I'm seeing tomorrow. In the meantime, just typing this short post has me going, "ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!" If I have to have

Re-entry

2011-04-02T06:55:00.002-05:00

I guess its time for re-entry into the blogosphere. Shortly after we got back from Haiti (over a month ago!) I posted the Lenten Challenge, a.k.a. Textperiment 2011. Then things got really Lent-y around here. I wrote last year about the suffering and slogging that always seem to accompany Lent. This year, The Lenten Challenge turned My Lenten Challenge, a series of episodes

Yarn Braid-ology

2011-03-20T07:46:00.005-05:00

Cute, but uncooperative at picture time.V's yarn braids came down recently after four weeks. I loved the style because it was so low maintenance. Four weeks without a single hair night was such a treat! V loved it because it gave her "whippable" hair. After we took the braids out, V missed them for a little while. She kept saying she wanted straight hair that "went down" instead of poufing out. I

It's still Lent! Or, How I got to be such a Bible thumper

2011-03-12T20:38:00.001-06:00

I cannot remember a time when I didn't believe in Jesus. I remember feeling kind of bummed at Christian summer camp in high school because I didn't have a dramatic conversion story. So many of my peers had testimonies about how they used to drink or smoke pot or let boys feel under their shirts but then they got saved and turned their lives around. I never really "got" saved; I just always was

Reading the Bible: Where to start?

2011-03-12T07:30:00.005-06:00

Lent is one week over, and I have kept my commitment of reading the Bible every day. I have finished 2nd Timothy, Titus and Philemon, and I'm starting on Hebrews. This new daily discipline has shown me just how little I was actually reading the Bible before Lent. I find myself getting into bed at night going, "Crap! I forgot to read the Bible. Better do that real fast now." Then I question myself

Getting intimate: a Lenten challenge

2011-03-09T19:14:00.000-06:00

Every year in the month of February, one of my favorite bloggers leads the Sexperiment, a challenge to couples to, ahem, enhance their relationship. PC and I participated. And during the challenge, I learned a lot about God's gifts to me and why I don't always, er, indulge in them.Sex, like many of the good things in life, takes a little bit of effort. But, if you're doing it right, (and a

Learning to speak the language

2011-03-08T16:54:00.004-06:00

PC is teaching a 5 Love Languages class at church right now. We both read the book long ago, but while sitting in class Sunday morning, we heard something old in a new way. Gary Chapman (via DVD) was talking about speaking the Love Language of Quality Time by giving his children his undivided attention. PC and I looked at each other with a knowing glance. We were both thinking, "Aha! That is V."I

Disturbed

2011-03-01T16:15:00.005-06:00

PC came home early yesterday. After about 10 minutes he said, "You're really angry today.""Am I? OK, I will try to simmer down," I said. I was in the middle of rant about the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, which announced a grand plan to rebuild Haiti over the weekend. I think that most of the plan is splendid and long overdue. But there are parts of it that bother me because the plan seems

Trip recap

2011-02-25T21:11:00.003-06:00

Our trip to Haiti was amazing. I keep writing blog posts about it in my head, but they all get so long and deep that I feel overwhelmed when I actually sit down to type them. I've got one post going about reuniting V. with her birth family and what a wonderful experience it was. So many people have asked with skepticism how V. handled the experience, as though it would have damaged our

Later, gators

2011-02-17T03:29:00.002-06:00

We are off to Haiti today! Please pray for our protection and for our ministry to the people at House of Hope. See you soon!

My first yarn extensions

2011-02-13T19:56:00.006-06:00

Eat your heart out.I mentioned in my last post my plans to do a special style in V's hair for our trip to Haiti. I put yarn extensions in her hair Saturday. I have been wanting to try yarn extensions for a long time, but I kept waiting because of my general dislike for fake hair. I think all women with African hair should love and show what God gave them! However, I was really, really curious

Hair night!

2011-02-10T17:33:00.004-06:00

Last night was one of the longest hair nights we have had in a long time. It all started with last week's hair night. V had worn her hair in pigtails, braids and twists since the beginning of January. I figured her roots were pretty stressed out from all those styles, so I decided to keep her hair loose for a week. Also, I needed to trim her hair, and I wouldn't have time to trim and style in one

Apparently...

2011-02-07T20:29:00.006-06:00

Ever notice how people use the word "apparently" when they find something to be true but nevertheless horrible? Like this: Apparently, my company no longer has casual Fridays. (Not true, but illustrates the point.) Or, apparently, you have to pay a cover charge at Starbucks now. (Also not true.) Or, apparently, my daughter is getting a hamster. That one is true. See how I acknowledge the truth of

Motherhood rules! (except when it doesn't)

2011-02-04T16:19:00.016-06:00

I am going to reveal a shameful and shocking truth. Most people already know it. They feel the same way. But we tiptoe around it, hide it under a blanket and pretend like it doesn't exist. In fact, I am so nervous about putting it in writing that I'm going to write about it in the third person plural instead of the first person to make it a little less scary.There are things parents would rather

Faith lessons from my friends

2011-01-29T08:35:00.008-06:00

I mentioned in my post a few days ago that a friend of ours recently died of cancer. R. was 78. Though you can't expect a person to live forever, all of his friends wished we could have had just a few more years with him. Before he died, he wrote us a letter bequeathing the treasures of his great faith in Jesus. He wrote:It's only during the last 15 or so years of my life that I have come to have

Blue period

2011-01-28T15:55:00.003-06:00

No motivation. None. Zero. Zilch. January has been a long, snowy slog through life. Bloggable stuff happened. V. lost a tooth. We went to an ice carnival. I started cooking vegetarian. We lost a dear friend to cancer. Through it all, I wrote many-a blog post in my mind. But the thought of taking time to type and publish seemed overwhelming, like so many other things this past month.I have written

Hair night!

2011-01-12T19:18:00.004-06:00

Why can I never remember to close my junk closet before taking a photo?Wednesday nights are hair nights at our house. PC works late leading youth group, so I take the evening to wash, comb and style while V. catches up on her Nick Jr. shows. I usually start around 6 p.m. and don't finish until after 9 p.m.! Around 8 p.m., we take a break so V. can put on her jammies. She lays her head in my lap,

Mwen sonje Ayiti

2011-01-11T21:27:00.003-06:00

Father of two girls at House of Hope, stopping by our orphanage in the days after the quake to make sure they were OK.Please remember with me. Haiti's troubles are far from over. Read more hereandhereand especially here.

Heirlooms in the making

2011-01-08T20:29:00.003-06:00

I started knitting five years ago after seeing an article in Martha Stewart living about how eeee-zeeeee it is to knit your own Christmas stockings. I decided to make the world a happier place with hand-knit Christmas stockings for my whole family. Since then, I have knit scarves, beautiful lacy objects, baby sweaters, socks and even a set of Christmas stockings for a different family. Finally,

My kid had a good day!

2011-01-02T20:41:00.005-06:00

PC and I rang in the new year like we always do - in Texas with my folks. We left the Monday after Christmas for a much. needed. vacation. This Christmas was, to say the least, challenging. I might or might not write a blog post about the admirable way we survived Christmas 2010, despite the Enemy's many attempts to demoralize us. (You bet your inflated holiday butt it was THE Enemy. When sewage

Still

2010-12-25T00:24:00.003-06:00

I have been singing one Christmas carol over and over all season. "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" reminds me that Jesus's compassion and love are as present in today's world as in the world of 2,000 years ago. He is still all about hanging out with sinners, healing the hurt, feeding the hungry and forgiving cheaters and liars. I sometimes forget that the compassion he showed to those poor people

For childless women at Christmas

2010-12-21T20:16:00.004-06:00

Who wouldn’t love a holiday that revolved around a pious pregnant woman, her earthy natural childbirth, and a perfect baby who was welcomed to the world by angels? Infertile women, that’s who. I don’t want to let this Christmas pass without saying something to my sisters who feel the sharp sadness of childlessness. I’ve often tried to write about my own experience with

Sugar and spice

2010-12-20T14:43:00.004-06:00

I really want to write a post about the enormous fit my daughter threw at church yesterday morning. I want to vent about how her behavior made me feel belittled, embarrassed and powerless. I want brag about how I devised just the right consequence for the situation. I want to explain to curious church members why I joined the Christmas play, walking and singing alongside my daughter as she rolled

Look how I've grown

2010-12-12T06:53:00.004-06:00

I can tell how much I've grown as a person each year by how well I handle the Christmas preparations compared to last year. Sure, last year I did an awesome job, but I was on this magical thing called FMLA leave, except with a 5-year-old instead of a baby who had to be nursed and changed all the time. She and I just elved around town for a few weeks, and Christmas seemed to get itself ready. This

Not too real

2010-12-04T15:44:00.006-06:00

In years past, I made personalized ornaments for all of our extended family members and used them as tags on their Christmas gifts. I'm pretty sure I saw the idea in a holiday issue of Martha Stewart Living. It started the first year PC and I were married, when I worked part-time and had little else to do besides create beautiful handmade ornaments/gift tags. Then I got a full-time job. Then I

Now we are six

2010-12-02T15:23:00.003-06:00

When I was one, I had just begun.When I was two, I was nearly new.When I was three,I was hardly me.When I was four,I was not much more.When I was five,I was just alive.But now I am six,I'm clever as clever.So I think I'll be six,now and forever.-A.A. Milne*At some point in the middle of the night, V. got out of bed, padded into my room and asked, "Am I six?" "Yes, you are," I mumbled sleepily as

In the dog house

2010-11-28T21:36:00.004-06:00

Sometimes, right after I come home from somewhere, I open the back door for my dog and leave it open. I'm lazy like that. Why close the door when he is going to want to come back in as soon as he is done peeing?Tonight after church I opened the back door, left it and went down the hall to shoo V. into bed. I heard Bear come back in and decided to look in on him. He was sitting on his little couch

Where in the world are the Langdons?

2010-11-27T19:58:00.003-06:00

Last weekend (Nov. 19 -21), we flew down to Texas for a family reunion on my dad's side. Forty-eight hours in the Hill Country with 41 relatives. We all had a ball. Vivine had birthday party No. 1 with her grandparents and cousins, a mere 12 days before her actual birthday. Vivine's birthday, much like Christmas, is more of a season than a single day. On Monday it was back to work and school for

Grainy, but happy

2010-11-17T15:34:00.004-06:00

I have been baby-stepping through holiday preparations for the past month or so. I procrastinated on buying Christmas cards, though. I just couldn't find the right design for our annual photo card. I'm only slightly picky.Then I heard about this awesome promotion on Shutterfly.com where I can get 50 free Christmas cards if I write about them on my blog. I already know about Shutterfly because

Happenings

2010-11-09T20:24:00.004-06:00

I know, I know, it's been a long time since I wrote something on the blog. If you were here, you would understand. Here is what has been going on:On Sunday we celebrated the one-year anniversary of Vivine's homecoming. All day long I worked on a sappy blog entry in my head to commemorate the event. But, at the end of the day, I decided to stay up late with Vivine and watch video from our

Candy is the reason for the season

2010-11-01T20:53:00.004-05:00

In the greater St. Louis area, Halloween is more of a season than just a holiday. Someday I will write a post about how batty folks in St. Louis get over minor holidays. This year, though, I got all swept up in the fervor. Here is our Halloween season, in photos:At the elementary school Fall Festival Trunk-or-Treat. The theme of my trunk was "Vivine's Pumpkin Patch." The idea was Kiki's, but I

School choices

2010-10-29T19:00:00.004-05:00

Soccer has ended. Ballet/tap will soon begin. Halloween is this weekend. V. is going to be a fairy. Time is just a'marchin', you know? Everything is happening faster than I can blog. I WILL get caught up with soccer pictures and school pictures and Halloween pictures. Eventually.We had our conference with Vivine's teacher this week. V. is doing well in school. Not "well for a kid who spoke no

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

2010-10-19T20:24:00.003-05:00

Words cannot express my gratitude to the dad who made this video for his daughter and for all the brown daughters out there. Just five minutes before we watched it with V., we were in the bathroom getting ready for bed. I told her she was a princess, and she said, "But I can't be a princess because I'm brown and princesses are peach." And I said, "Nuh, uh, Tiana (from Princess and the Frog) was

The End-All-Be-All

2010-10-14T22:12:00.002-05:00

Tonight we took V. to the Fall Festival at her school. She dressed up like a “Pink Princess,” wearing her ballerina outfit, a pink wig and a pink plastic tiara. I decked out my car with balloons and garland for “Trunk or Treat.” At 6 p.m., the children starting flowing in like an impatient tide. While I handed out candy, I watched V. flit through the crowd from friend to friend. She was blur of

Buh, buh, buh

2010-10-08T20:44:00.004-05:00

Ever since Kindergarten started, I feel like I am just barely meeting all of my responsibilities. The real kicker is that now V. has "responsibilities," too. Which really means that I have double the responsibilities I had before kindergarten since I'm responsible for making her meet her responsibilities. At the same time, I took on more work hours when her school started. So I have more work

School Days

2010-10-01T13:13:00.005-05:00

Holy Moly, it's amazing how much V. has learned in the first six weeks of Kindergarten. She loves to think of words and sentences, sound them out and write them on the nearest piece of paper, which is often the back of her homework or an old telephone bill. Here is a note she wrote me earlier this week:It says:I WL B YR FMLE.I will be your family.I WT TO D GO TO MCDONALD!I want to do go to

The Magical Me Hour

2010-09-21T19:55:00.003-05:00

The last week I have asked myself so many times, "Is this how it's going to be until V. grows up?" Don't get me wrong, life is good. Life is happy and joyful and all that stuff. But it's not my life. At least, it's not my life that counts. It's all about V. Is she healthy? Is she happy? Did she have a good day at school? Did she eat all of her lunch? Is she having regular bowel movements? Did I

Family getaway

2010-09-16T17:31:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we hopped a plane to West Texas for some family nuptials. I still have not recovered from all the fun we had. V. played hard with her cousins, danced her booty off at the wedding reception, and, on top of it all, got nice and spoilt by her grandmas.Mayhem ensued at Great-Grandma Gran's house when Grandmarie broke out five new Play.mobil playsets, which the little girls (V. + 2

The gospel according to V.

2010-09-08T20:38:00.004-05:00

Today after school V. and I went to the Christian bookstore to get some Bibles to give as gifts. V. found one of those Precious Moments Bibles and started to beg for it. I said no because, dude, we have about a 12-to-1 Bible-to-person ratio in this family. V. personally owns two already. She said she wanted a Bible that was "like a chapter book with no pictures." So when we got home I got out her

The "R" word

2010-09-06T07:26:00.003-05:00

In the comments of my last post, my cuz Angie brought up an interesting question: "I wonder why race is such a huge issue in the States, the supposed Melting Pot." Boy, I have a lot to say on that issue. My education on race started in earnest in 2006 when I started studying the Bible with a group of African-American women. PC and I had not yet talked about adopting from Haiti. Now I can see how

Paper dolls and the big, bad world

2010-09-02T21:03:00.005-05:00

Today Vivine and I worked on her first homework project. She has to decorate a paper doll with images that represent her. First, she colored the doll almost entirely pink. Then she slapped on a bunch of Dis.ney princess stickers and 3D fish stickers. After drawing on the face, she decided to glue on a photo of our family and a photo of her birth family in Haiti.Vivine has been talking a lot more

While I was out

2010-08-27T07:10:00.005-05:00

For the past week I have not been able to type on my laptop because of a double-walloping of lower back pain and carpal-tunnel-like syndrome. It has been hard to abstain because I have tons to say. But when sitting at the computer gives you shooting pains up the arm, down the spine and all the way to the foot, you learn to keep your mouth shut, if only for a while. The good news is I'm recovering

Probing questions

2010-08-18T19:51:00.001-05:00

In the nine months since Vivine came home, almost every moment of her life has taken place in the comfortable shelter of either home or church. School was at church. All of her friends were at church. And her family was present for any outside activities. That shelter protected her from having to explain her adoption, (read: her different-ness) to anyone.I have to pause here and give props to our

The Wormies

2010-08-17T13:14:00.004-05:00

My daughter's beloved pets are dead, and I do not have the guts to tell her. Two weeks ago, Ms. V. became the proud caretaker for of a school of SeaMonkeys. We got her the SeaMonkeys to replace another dead pet, well, pets really. This whole tragedy started when V. discovered mosquito larvae paddling around in our rain barrel. She had been asking us for a pet of her own for a few weeks. V. has a

From the @ - on keeping adopted kids bilingual

2010-08-13T14:16:00.004-05:00

My cousin-in-law Angie started an interesting discussion about language learning over on her blog. Here is what I had to say in response to her query about our experiences with bilingualism:I could say a lot about my life with languages - I majored in Russian and at one point was fluent. I also was functionally fluent in Creole for a short period. But I'd rather focus on my daughter, who has

First day report

2010-08-12T20:16:00.004-05:00

According to Vivine, her first day of kindergarten went well. But this day wasn't just about her. It was also my first day of kindergarten. First day, posing in the midst of her pumpkin plant.I love and foster my daughter's shoe fetish. More on that later.Nice shot of her first-day hairdo. Cornrows on top and box-twists with beads in back.From Haiti to kindergarten in nine months!Last night we

Time for a change

2010-08-12T13:25:00.005-05:00

Don't be alarmed. Yes, there's a new blog template. I'll probably make adjustments over the next few weeks. You know, the old template and I had been together a few years and it was just time to move on.I'm ready to make a commitment. This blog has never had a theme other than "my life." Nowadays, though, "my life" is all about a Haitian-American kindergartner who has given me the most meaningful

Blast-off

2010-08-11T23:01:00.004-05:00

Vivine and I made this fun Kindergarten Countdown a few weeks ago. I wanted to help her prepare mentally and emotionally for the transition to Kindergarten, which happens *gasp* in about 10 hours. (Yes, I am losing sleep over it. Hence the late-night blog entry.) We had lots of fun making the countdown, and it helped her learn her numbers a little better. I wrote an activity on the back of each

Flex!

2010-08-10T13:25:00.005-05:00

We signed V. up for soccer for the fall. It seemed like the perfect sport for a child who runs laps around the gym at church for fun. We were at the first team meeting on Saturday when the head guy of the league asked for a volunteer to manage the team. "It's really just paperwork, scheduling and making phone calls," he said. Shoot, I thought, I could do that in my sleep. So I signed up.On the

Hair love

2010-08-04T20:38:00.004-05:00

A few weeks ago I found a wonderful blog about caring for African hair. I have been doing great styling Vivine's hair, but I still had lots of questions about caring for her hair. Sure it looks good when I braid it, but is it healthy? How do I know? Her head is the only head of African hair I've ever touched, so I don't have any basis for comparison.Based on what I learned on Happy Girl Hair,

The Sippy Cup Strategy

2010-08-03T18:31:00.004-05:00

I can't believe how much thought and analysis I put into the placement of a sippy cup in our refrigerator. I promised two posts ago to share more specific information about dealing with Vivine's emotions and behavior. We have had problems with Vivine whining and crying in the mornings. She starts whimpering as soon as her feet hit the floor and keeps it up until one of us walks out the door to

The darndest things

2010-08-01T21:18:00.001-05:00

Lately Vivine asks me frequently about how much I love her. It's typical kid-testing-parents stuff, but it has led to some interesting conversations. This one happened at the dinner table yesterday:V: Do you love Bear more than me?Me: No. Not even close.V: But you love Daddy more than me.Me: It's different. I have loved Daddy longer. And I couldn't be your mommy if I didn't have Daddy to love

What I've learned from RAD moms

2010-07-29T07:00:00.005-05:00

I have a confession. I love reading RAD blogs. For those of you not immersed in the adoption world 24/7, RAD is Reactive Attachment Disorder. I am going to give a very non-clinical, unexperienced definition of RAD based on my limited experience with it. (*Read* Please do not diagnose anyone based on what you see here.) All adoptive kids start out unattached to their adoptive parents. Being moved

Today in thankfulness

2010-07-20T21:27:00.004-05:00

- VBS. I know I already thanked God for VBS, but that was sort of a pre-emptive, this-is-going-to-be-awesome thank-you. Tonight is my oh-my-goodness-this-is-even-more-amazing-than-I-dreamed thank-you. VBS = two hours of peace for Mommy each night. Thanks to VBS, I have gotten to run the last two nights. I also got started on cleaning out my basement. Tomorrow night I am having a friend over just.

Catch up

2010-07-18T21:22:00.003-05:00

I promised hair pictures and stories of thankfulness. It took a few days, but here they are.This was the hair style for a wedding we attended last weekend. Cornrows going back into braided pigtails.Close-up of the cornrows.I hardly ever leave her hair loose for fear of dryness and tangles. But I have come far in the last 8 months and have gotten braver, so we tried this 'do for a weekend at

When it gets dark

2010-07-14T20:50:00.005-05:00

Many of you know how sharp I can be with the wit. How I love a smart-ass joke at someone else's expense. My criticism of others, however, has NOTHING on my criticism of myself. And lately, the volume on those negative voices in my head has been maxed out. I guess that's why I haven't been blogging much. I sit down and write something about some unpleasant experience I had that made me feel like

Summer of fun

2010-07-10T12:07:00.003-05:00

Life feels like it's happening so fast right now I don't even have time to think about it, let alone write about it. Somewhere over the 4th of July weekend, PC's little sis had a baby. Vivine saw a photo and said, "Oh, she's really, really little!" (The baby is actually a "he," but Vivine still uses only feminine pronouns.) Then she said, "Can we go to her party now?" Next weekend we will head up