It's official!

Get up early to make the two hour drive to Okalahoma City. The destination? Department of Homeland Security. Now we love to tease the kids about nearly anything. So on the way I tell Maima this is an important day this is to get your U.S. Citizenship and maybe you can shake Obama's hand. We arrive about five minutes early to our appointment, after a couple of additonal requests to empty our pockets we get our way through security we are told to go to room #1 and put our appointment letter in the box at window #3 then take a seat and "they will call you sometime". I'm thinking we will be here forever.

To my surprise the man at window #2 gets up nearly immediately and calls Maima's name. We go up he hands me a certificate with Maima's name and photograph on it and ask me to review it very closely. I am pleased to note they have her new name and birth date all correct. Then he instructs me to fill in "printed, very legibly", her full name on this line, then on the edge of the photograph, then on the back. If you have ever seen my handwriting you would understand why I talk about this in detail. At one point he puts his hand on my arm and says breathe and take your time it must be perfect. Alas, done no mistakes it is unbelivably legible. I breathe another sigh.

Then he hands me another certificate identical to the first one and says, "okay this is the real one, again take your time do not make any mistakes". GREAT! Again, I go through all the steps without error. He gives a big grin and reaches to shake Maima's hand, she had slept in the van and is acting completely disinterested and nearly disrespectful. He hands her an American flag and hands me the certificate and a protective certificate holder. We are done and Maima is officially a U.S. Citizen. We stop to use the restroom and then outside I run to get the camera to take a picture. Maima is nearly refusing to take the photo, still disinterested. A man comes out, obviously Hispanic he walks over and he looks at me, our eyes meet and he smiles. He wants to watch the photo being taken commemorating this proud moment. I can tell he longs for this moment for himself.

Finally, I get a shot and we head to the car. Then I apologize to Maima for not fully explaining the importance of the event. I go into a detailed explaination of how this means she can never be forced to leave America and how people like the man that watched work very hard to get that paper, people run and risk their lives to get into the country and pray they never get caught. How for some people it is all the dream of to be a U.S. Citizen. After about 10 minutes she says "Mommy, where was Obama"?

So, four round trip driving hours and about 9 minutes inside the building Maima is officially a U.S. Citizen and we never did see Obama.

Off to a Halloween Party

This year was like a 3 day long Halloween event. Friday night a party. Saturday trick or treating at the nursing home (big deal here in little Inola) and Sunday (offical Halloween day) we trick or treated with friends in Grandma's neighborhood.


Iron Man, Dr. Pepper, Cheerleader and Winter Bat Girl


Iron Man!

Grandma getting in on the action - maybe cheer coach?

Maima showing us her cheer moves

Bet the folks thought they had been invaded when this group came a knockin'

Maima's 1st Pumpkin

For the typical American getting your first pumpkin at the age of 12 would seem like someone really left you out. For Maima age 12 is the magic number she got to carve her first pumpkin this year! Of course it would not be complete if it did not somehow include Justin Bieber.



J's for eyes... B for the mouth and a heart nose!

JDRF Walk for a Cure

This morning we got up bright and early and took the kids out to do a walk for good! Explaining to Akins the greatness of walking early in the morning is well, let's just say a challenge. We did it and after realizing there was a whole lot of fun stuff to do the kids had a very good time!

The sun was shining it was a beautiful morning!

Akins finding a way to blow some time before the walk starts

The big football toss

Gotta love "Fred"

Akins turns 6!!!

It's seems unbelievable but it is true... Akins turned six years old. He has a friend on his soccer team that always has his birthday party the same day. For the past couple of years we have overlapped party times causing some of the party goers a conflict. We decided to join forces this year and have the party at a skating rink and invite both sets of friends (some combined) and it worked out great! Here are some of the highlights..


Following the instructions to Grandma's card! Stand on your head!

Pick your nose. He was just about to drink the toilet water when he realized..... OH!!!

How old are you????

Crawling the preferred method of getting across the "slippery floor"

The challenge included tears, anger and frustration

His cake was in the spirit of riding his quad

Maima chickened out and did not skate

Wiggly races

Cole got the last fake rock from the cake

The frenzy

In the end we conquer this challenge!


Mommy: Akins good morning Happy Birthday. Guess what? You are six years old now!
Akins: I know I'm almost seven!
Mommy: Okay, yes in 364 more days you will be seven.


Mommy: Maima why do you not do the fun things you are letting your life pass you by.
Maima: I still have a good life. I am just twelve!

Maima's Official Gotcha Day # 1

One year ago on August 28th Maima came to live with us. I remember that scared and angry child coming to live with us. She came off the plane in her pretty dress and her white dress shoes that must have really hurt walking through the airport all day. As she was released to me by the airport personnel her face was frought with fear and uncertainty for a new family and the unknown. That long and most certainly scary day is her official "Gotcha" day! It seems a million years ago now as she is so much a part of our family we could not imagine it any other way today. I am pleased to say these days her face is mostly filled with smiles (and braces).

In celebration of Maima's special day we took the quads and ventured beyond our backyard for the first time with the kids. To make it even more daring we went somewhere we have never been before. When we lived in California (pre-kids) we knew all the great places to go and even though we did not have kids we knew the trails well enough to know those that would be great and safe for kids. Here in Oklahoma, it is all foreign and foreign trail riding is scary, especially with kids! Today was filled with a lot of emotion, fear and tears, joy and laughter and victory as the kids conquered things they have only dreamed of before. Lorea and I were both like mother bears protecting our young. Sometimes that included growling a bit to get them to listen (Akins seems to be especially challenged with this lately)so as not to get hurt. In all, we came away unscathed with the kids bragging a bit about how well they did!


A group shot!

Akins looking pretty tough

and all grown up. Okay, maybe not!

All that ridin', dirt and fresh air makes one hungry for bananas!

Gotcha Day # 3

On August 7, 2010 we celebrated our 3rd year with Akins. This is the day Mom and I arrived in Liberia and in the dark I took this scared little boy away from all he had ever known. It is impossible to explain all we have been through and all that has been learned or accomplished. A friend recently reminded me of the Santa letter I wrote the first year. The letter was intended to support the requests of me and all the other Mom's of kids from Liberia. It was rittled with things like stopping the constant flushing the toilets and incessant needs to flip light switches (without going into detail everyone with kids from Liberia or likely any other 3rd world country know what I am talking about). I have taken that list and revised it to what is remaining on there. Here it is...

• I wish for just 10 minutes each day to elapse without hearing the
bleating cry “Mommy come”.
• I wish to be able to take a shower or use the toilet without an
audience. (working on this one)
• I wish for all hand dryers to be made the same in public restrooms to
eliminate the curiousity as this would be a definite time saver for me.
(we really do need to speak with the manufacturers of these things)

We definately have made much progress!!!



He has gone from.....this sad, scared little boy

to embracing me willingly for our first hug!

to leraning how to ride a scooter during the first week in America

to getting to see friends from Africa all safe and sound in South Dakota just a few weeks after getting here

to becoming an impressive swimmer who can hold his breath forever

to that funny, entertaining boy we all now know

to....this handsome young man!!!