Haitian Church 3yr Anniversary

This post is going to be mostly pictures.  Bel and I attended the Haitian Church three year anniversary this past Sunday.  I've missed my Haitian babies so much!  It was great to see them!  I didn't realize how much I missed that place.  It was quite bittersweet.

Bel's brother and Sister-in-law helped lead worship

Ladies trio graced us with their beautiful voices.  I believe I will sing with the angels in Creole one day!

The children performed interpretive dance for us.

Pastor B flew from FL to be with us Sunday.

All of the Haitian pastors in attendence.

My "baby" lost his baby face :(  He is still adorable though! :)

Someone was enjoying the birthday cake!

Have I mentioned that I miss my babies?!

I miss them!!!

The new Haitian baby is the daughter of the Sr Pastor of the church.

Well this is just a bit from our visit to the Haitian church.  I was the former Director of Student Ministries at this church.  This is where I met my daughter.  The church and the people hold a special place in the lives of my daughter and I.  I am so blessed to have answered the call when GOD called a girl...

Introducing "Hansome"

I have a confession to make:  I've been secretly dating someone for a while now.  Because we both have kids and have strong beliefs about faith, relationships, and family, we decided it would be best to make sure the kids were comfortable with us together before we let the world know.

I'm happy to announce that the kids (and the dog) get along great and love having both of us around!  He has a close personal relationship with GOD and strives to be a living witness for HIM.  He is a wonderful father and role model.  He's a pretty good cook too! lol  He has a huge heart and loves to serve others.  He is a blessing, not only to me and my daughter, but to everyone around him.  I thank GOD for making our paths cross!

"Hansome" got his blog name for obvious reasons ;)

This is what happens when GOD calls a girl...and a boy...

Halloween 2010

Well as you may or may not know, I along with other things, I run the multimedia at the church.  The guys were having trouble getting the sound right Sunday.  They wanted to make sure I knew how to fix it so they left me note...



This is what happens when GOD calls a girl...and she has no clue what she is doing ;)


Well my daughter was invited to a birthday party.  She hadn't wanted to dress up so I didn't get her a costume.  Like three hours before the party she told me she wanted a costume.  I had to become creative and thrifty really quickly!  This is what I came up with...




Yes I can do wonders with construction paper :)

I took her to the party and went off to the trunk or treat at the Elementary schoool.  Three area churches put it on and we were overwhelmed by the turn out.  So much so that we ran out of hot dogs, drinks, chips, candy and sno-cone syrup!  GOD never ceases to amaze me!



Me and my Greek Princesses

These are some pictures of me with some of my youth girls!  I love them!!!



My 80's girls

After a night of hectic running around, and my hand freezing in the shape of a sno-cone holder (notice in the pic above), Bel and I went to a friends house for candy and fun.  It was a great Halloween and GOD was glorified!  This is what happens on Halloween when GOD calls a girl...



Candy, Crafts, and Sisterly Bonding

On Friday the kids had Halloween parties in their classes.  Of course they came home with loads of candy!  I'm not sure who Lil' Man's class mom is, but Lil' Man racked up on candy!  Class mom out did herself!  Luckily Lil' Man was more than willing to give some away.  Just the idea of candy makes him hyper.  Bless his heart.

Brown Eyes and I decided to do crafts while Lil' Man was in one-on-one therapy.  I found a shapes owl on http://www.dltk.com/.  Its a great craft to help children associate large/small and shapes.  The photo is of one I did.  Brown Eyes' has his name on it so I can' post it. :/

Brown Eyes and I also played a few games of Bingo and Uno.  Its starting to get cold, so we have to find things to do indoors.

Saturday my sister and I went out for a little sisterly bonding time...or so we thought it would be.  We went to a Roadwarriors Hockey game.  We're pretty much fanatics. :)

The only problem with the nice sisterly bonding time was that we were cheering for opposing teams.  While she was cheering for the Roadwarriors, I was cheering for the Stingrays.  I didn't mention that this was a Roadwarriors home game, so I was one of the only people in the stadium cheering for the Stingrays.  Needless to say, the Roadwarriors ultimately came out on top winning 5-2 over the Stingrays.  I still love my Stingrays though!  We'll get 'em next time boys! ;)




Pre-Game Warm-Up

Yes...we did have awesome seats!  Thanks to my sister who likes to be in the action!  Well this is just a few days in the life when GOD calls a girl...

Accepting "No"

So I've been looking for new things for the boys to do for fun.  I have found that I love the website http://www.dltk.com/!  It is great for crafts, games, and coloring pages.  One of the games/crafts I found on the site was a "Pin-the-nose-on-Bob"!  The boys and I and their mom went to Veggie Tales Live recently, so I knew the boys would love it!  It took about an hour to make, and has been a big hit with the boys, Bel, and other children!

I made Bob the Tomato out of construction paper using the pattern from the site.  I would like to laminate him for durablity, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  The story of my life, right?! lol

(10.28.10) Today in therapy Lil' Man had to go through the book "Accepting 'No'".  He has gotten much better at accepting no, but we are still trying to encourage him to use correct behaviors when accepting no.




Reading "Accepting 'No'"

 When Lil' Man finishes so many tasks during therapy, he is allowed a "break".  He gets to choose what he wants work toward during his break (part of the ABA philosophy).  When this particular therapist is here he always chooses one of two things: either to play a game on the therapists phone, or football.



Playing the car game on the phone

At the end of the day Lil' Man and Brown Eyes like to go outside and play football with the therapist.  Inevitably he quickly becomes a jungle gym.  They are always asking him to pick them up.  One of their favorite things is the helicopter.

We are so blessed to have this therapist with us.  We are blessed that he loves the boys and loves FOOTBALL!  For some reason he is so much better at it than me and their mom. lol  Its great to have someone that the boys can rough house with and play "guy" stuff with!  I thank GOD for him.

After I left the boys house, I was thoroughly impressed by a dinner cooked for me by a hansome young man.  It was quite good and I enjoyed it very much!  He even gave me flowers!  He didn't have a vase so he put them in a jar, which I thought was precious!

This was a wonderful end to great day!   Just a bit of what happens when GOD calls girl...


Stamps, Braids, and Slumber Party!

Ok guys I have been crazy busy and slightly distracted lately with everything going on in my life.  Its great things, but none the less distracting.  This will be a lengthy update, so as to get you up to date on the past week.

I've decided to do a few posts to update you.

Lil' Man's new therapist introduced him to stamping!  He loves it!  He loves to make pictures for his other therapists and Mommy.  Brown Eyes often gets in on the stamping experience. (10.22.10)

Today Mommy even decided to join in...I did as well! ;)  Its quite addictive!

Me and Brown Eyes were goofing off because I knew he was going to Nana's for the weekend and I wouldn't see him.

I picked up Lil' Man Saturday morning.  We were going to get Bel to go play.  We got a pleasant surprise when we picked her up!  On our way to get Bel, Lil' Man pumped my gas for me!  Such a gentleman!

When we got to the church to pick up Bel...we gained an extra two girls!  I did what any good mom would do in this situation...went to McD's to entertain the kids and planned an impromptu slumber party! :)

After everyone had their burgers and ice cream and screamed their heads off in the play place, we headed home.  Home is about 40 minutes away from the McD's we were at, so I was hoping a few kids might take a nap on the way...no such luck.  They were raring to go when we got home, and of course the first thing they ask for when we get there...MORE ice cream.  So because it was an impromtu slumber party and it had been a few hours since their previous ice creams, I complied. :)




Notice how Lil' Man is the only one paying attention! lol

Bel decided she wanted to do all the girls hair for church the next day.  She asked if she could do mine.  Of course I let her!  I'm not gonna lie, it hurts! lol  I love her though and she does a great job!

The next morning Lil' Man busted up in the girls room and scared them half to death!  It was hilarious!  He is so funny in the morning!  He looks pretty rough, but he is precious!




Sleepy Head Sunday morning :)

I took the girls to church then Lil' Man and I went to my church.  I didn't note earlier, but I was awakened Sunday morning by a hansome young man knocking at my door to give me coffee.  Yeah it was pretty much the best!  Well this is was a great weekend filled with fun, games, icecream, and bed heads!  Just a part of life when GOD calls a girl...


Coffee, Princess, and a Hockey Game

I'm sitting at my favorite coffee shop updating my blog and sipping on my favorite drink, an iced coffee based Autum Pecan with Soy milk.  I am an admitted coffee addict!  Its probably my biggest downfall...which isn't too bad, eh?

Well yesterday was quite a busy day, but it was incredibly fun!  I picked up the boys from school, and they both had green cards all day!  That means there were no behavior issues out of either one of them.  With Lil' Man having Asperger's and Brown Eyes being hyperactive, that is quite a feat!

Lil' Man's one-on-one therapists were at home before we even got there.  Lil' Man came in and ate his snack.  He then asked, "When is time for therapy?  When will Miss K be here?"  I told she was already up stairs setting up in his room.  He said, "YES!  This is the best day EVER!"  It was so precious!  He absolutely loves his one-on-one therapy time.

While Lil' Man was in therapy his mom, Brown Eyes, and I decided to take a walk to the park about two blocks away.  There is no play ground.  There are just some garden swings, a large water feature, and a gazebo.  Brown Eyes brings some cars with him and rolls them around the water feature and down the hills.  Because he is a very active boy, Brown Eyes inevitibly got hurt doing boy things.  He layed under one of the garden swings and swung it as hard as he could.  It hit him on his back.  He has quite a bruise.  I can say with certainty though, that he probably won't be doing that again.  Oh, the imaginations of little boys! :)




Sitting on the infamous swing

 After Brown Eyes got some kisses for his boo-boos and cuddle time, he was fine and ready to go again.  As you can see in the picture.

On our way home we stopped at a local thrift store to see if we could find Brown Eyes some pants.  He is growing like a weed, and comes home at least a couple times a week with holes in the knees of his pants.  His favorite thing to do there is find costumes or sports regailia to play with.  He found a catchers mask (which he called a football helment) and ran up to me for me to take his picture.  Because he is so stinkin' cute, I couldn't resist. :)

When we got home, we found Lil' Man and his therapists sitting in the living room floor.  They were playing Lil' Man's newest favorite game...Pretty Pretty Princess.  That is not a typo.  You read it right.  My Lil' Man's favorite game is currently Pretty Pretty Princess.  I had told Big R (one of Lil' Man's therapists) about this new obsession with the game on Monday.  Big R told me that I would never find him playing that game, and that I would just have to leave that up to Lil' Man's female therapists.  Well when I walked in, this was the state I found Big R in:

Its a little difficult to tell in this pic, but Big R is in full princess regailia! :)

After Lil' Man's therapy was over.  Mrs K surprised the boys with a shaving cream balloon fight!  Even their mother joined in!  Sadly I had to leave right when they started their ganging up on Big R with the shaving cream.

I went to see the inagural game of the Greenville Roadwarriors hockey team!  It was a lot of fun.  I love hockey!  The team really came through in the last period, winning 4-1 over the FL Everglades team.  It was fun to get out.  I rarely do that!  I had great company and a great night!

This is just a bit of what happens in the day of a the life...When GOD calls a girl...

Open House, Pretty Hair, and a 100!

Tuesday night was open house at Bel's school.  She was excited because her chorus class was performing.  Does that girl ever like to sing?!  She even sings in her sleep!  She is literally singing from the time she wakes up to the time she goes to bed at night...and then she sings in her sleep sometimes as well.

Sorry for the low quality photo.  It was taken with my phone.  Bel is the third girl from the left.  This was a preview concert for their Christmas show.  That is why all of the girls are in casual clothes.

She did a wonderful job!  Not that I'm biased in any way, but she may have the best voice in the class! ;)

All day Monday and Tuesday Bel was telling me that she needed her hair done before her concert.  She would tell me that she wasn't going to go because needed a perm.  Generally, I would've ignored her manipulating behavior, but she was right.  She desperately needed a perm!

So on Tuesday afternoon I took her to the salon where a friend of mine works.  I had to convince Bel that it would be okay to get a perm from a "white" girl.  For some reason Bel has this preconceived notion that white girls can't do black hair.  Finally she gave in with a bit of coaxing. lol

I personally think my friend did a fantastic job!  My Bel is beautiful!  I love her hair.  Believe it or not, she loved it too!

Since we're on Bel updates, my baby got a perfect score on a recent quiz in Drama!  Drama is one of the two mainstream class she participates in.  That means we celebrate C's in that class.

She was so proud!  Right when she got in the car after school, she handed it to me, and started squealling with excitement!  She said, "Mom, I have to give it to Grandad!"  Grandad (my dad) is her number one!  She loves him!  No one's opinion really counts except his.

I'm so proud of my daughter!  She has come such a long way.  I will update more a little later.  This is just snidbit of what happens When GOD calls a Girl...



Aparently I'm color blind...

Well I went to Bel's class party today.  Her babysitters came as well.  I love them!  I don't know what I would do with out them.

When we went into the classroom Bel introduced her babysitters as her "Mom and Dad".  She introduced me as her "other mom".  I was internally quite upset about being the "other" mom.  They are not her parents at all!  Why should I be the "other" mom?!  If anything they should be her "other" parents!

After I was able to calm myself enough to not be totally mad at the sitters, I realized something...they're black.  I mean I suppose I should have noticed that before, but it wasn't really an issue.  I mean I didn't care if they were black, blue, green, or purple!  I just apreciated that they loved GOD and loved my daughter!

Today however, I noticed that she does notice.  She notices that I'm not black.  That I don't have the same skin color as her.  More over, she notices that EVERYONE else notices that we don't have the same skin color.  So more as a convience than anything else, it is easier to introduce her sitters as her parents because they are also black.  It leaves her with far less questions to answer.  Making for a much easier day for her.

I've caught her answering the question "Why is your mom white?" this way before:
"My daddy is black.  I have his color."

Then she'll look at me and say "What?!  My daddy is black.  I not lie!" lol  She cracks me up!  She is talking about her bio dad.

This answer also leaves her with less questions.  She doesn't like to tell people she is adopted because she doesn't like to answer the "Why?".  That is completely okay with me.  One day she will be able to talk about it...in her time...in GOD's time.

All of this to say, today I learned that there is one thing I can never be for my daughter.  It hurts me to think I can't be everything for her, but this is reality!  I will never be black.  I will never be able to relate to my daughter on that level.  While I was the minority for a while (being the only white person in a Haitian community), I will never truly know what she feels.  I will never understand how frustrating it is to have to use a million hair products to make my straight.  I will never understand how it feels to feel like I have to live up to the white man's expectations of me.  I will never understand how it is to be immediately stereotyped as a trouble maker solely because of the color of my skin.  I will never understand these things.  It breaks my heart that my daughter feels less than because of the standard of beauty which is socially accepted set by the white man.

Reality is all I will ever be is the "white" mom.  GOD please make us color blind!  Help me lead by example!  This is the realties of what happens When GOD calls a Girl...

New at this...

Well I'm new to the blog world.  I've been told my life is pretty interesting, so I thought I'd give this whole blog thig a whirl.  I hope that I'm able to encourage those that are in similar situations, and inspire people that read my blog.  I'm pretty busy, but I'm going to try to keep it as up to date as possible!  Since there is too much to post that leads up to my life now, I'll give a brief synopsis:

At age 21 I was working as the Student Ministries Director of a local Haitian Wesleyan Church.  While there I found out that a couple of my youth should be removed from their home situation.  One was over the age of 18, and therefore not removed.  The 16 yr old was not removed because there were no Creole speaking foster parents.  I went to a lawyer and discovered that in the state of SC I would qualify to take her.  So, at age 21 I became the mother of a then 16 year old.  About three months later a judge made us a forever family!

My precious daughter, who I will refer to in my blog as Bel (Creole word for beautiful), has since turned 17.  She is a sophmore in high school, and I am so proud of her!  Most of blogs will probably be about her and my life as a 22 year old single mom of a 17 year old.

I will also post about my precious godsons.  Whom I refer to as Brown Eyes and Lil' Man.  They are also a huge part of my life, as I care for them 50% of the time.

This picture is of Lil' Man, Bel, and Brown Eyes at one of our favorite parks.  I love my babies! :)

This is the realities of what happens When GOD calls a Girl...