4th of July Fun

Samedh's New Memory Game

When "Unfriending" Just Isn't Enough

Not too long ago, I removed a couple individuals from my Facebook list of friends because I just couldn't stomach the daily insensitive remarks about President Obama and the current administration. I'm very active on Facebook, and find it a wonderful way to share updates with family and friends who live all over the world. It's a fun way to keep in touch, and I look forward to reading little tidbits of my friends' daily lives. What I quickly got tired of was the individuals who would use Facebook as a way to gripe about political issues - - not just sharing their feedback or personal opinions, but by ripping people apart in the rudest, most demeaning ways. I'm all for freedom of speech, but this was ridiculous. I'd rather view twenty-odd pictures of their new dog, learn about what they ate for lunch, or read their results of the quiz, "Which Muppet are you?"

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So I "unfriended" (if there is such a word) those folks and felt good about it. No longer would I have to be insulted or disgusted by insensitive comments, and life on Facebook was good again. Until last night. After we returned from the lake, Pankaj was checking his Facebook page and came across some outrageous comments from one of the people I had removed from my friends list. He was even blown away by the remarks, and asked if I wanted to read them. I did read them, but now I wish I hadn't. The negative comments were directed towards various ethnic groups in our community (that is, other than Caucasian) who attended a local July 4th celebration which was promoted as a "multicultural event" in the first place. I will never repeat out loud what I read in that post, but it was a slap in the face for my own multicultural family. My interpretation of those comments is, "God bless America, but only the people who look like me." Pankaj quickly "unfriended" this person, but the damage was already done. Once you read comments like that, they are burned into your brain for life. What saddens me is that this person lives in our community, is someone we run into from time-to-time, and is probably a representation of what so many others in this area believe but never speak out loud. Personally, knowing now how this individual feels about people of different ethnic backgrounds, I hope it will be a LONG time before we run into each other again.

Bal Vikas Reunion

Father's Day Then and Now

This photo was taken on Father's Day many, many years ago. It may have been 1982 because my hair was still long, none of us had braces yet, and it was before the kitchen remodel and expansion. Sure, many things have changed over the years, but some things NEVER change. You'll notice my sister Dena holding a jar of mixed nuts in front of our dad. I'm not sure when that tradition started, but as far back as I can remember, my dad always received some sort of nuts for Father's Day. Mixed nuts from Koezee's. Cashews. Pistachios. You name it.

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This year, Father's Day was a little different because Pankaj, Samedh and I did not spend it with my family. While everyone else gathered at the cottage and spent the day fishing from my dad's new pontoon boat, we elected to stay home and dry out our basement after the weekend's storms and heavy rain (7.5" of rain in 24 hours, to be exact). My parents stopped by this evening though, and we celebrated Father's Day a day late. There was no ride on the pontoon, no bonfire or cooking on the grill, but we did have one thing that was the same as any other year: Our gift. Nuts. Dark Chocolate Cashews to be exact. My dad opened them immediately, and then shared how he also received mixed nuts, pistachios, AND peanuts in the shell from my sister Dena and her family. That's what prompted me to share this photo. It makes me smile. The same smile I see on my dad's face when he receives another gift of nuts...year after year.

All in a Day's Work

Out the Window!

Carpet Padding Has to Go!

Drying Out

Storm Video

I took this video last night just as it was getting dark. It was too dark to take photos of the back yard from inside the house, so video was my only option. We are still drying out the basement, and hope the new carpet (installed only one month ago) will not have to be replaced. Other than finding our neighbor's tree branch in our front yard this morning, everything else is the same. I'm sure others in the area weren't so lucky. I heard that our local area had received over 7 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. Thankfully, the "lake" that took over our garden last night is no longer there. Now I just need to dig through the mulch to locate a few stepping stones...

Storm Photos

Mehndi Mayhem

I've been brushing up on my mehndi, and the examples above are my latest creations. I find it so much easier to make the designs with a marker than squeezing a mehndi cone. I wonder if anyone has ever created a "mehndi marker"? I'd have so much more control over the design that way! The full size drawings actually span across an 8.5x11 sheet of paper, and I intend to turn them into iron-on transfers for t-shirts. Right now I'm debating whether or not I should add color to them and re-scan or simply keep them black and white. I read online recently that you can use black fabric "puffy" paint to trace a picture in a coloring book, and then transfer the design to a t-shirt using a hot iron. Once the image is on a shirt, you can add permanent color with fabric paints, markers, rhinestones, etc. Kids can also use washable markers to color the image. The the color will disappear after each wash, and they can use different colors each time. If the method works with a coloring book page, it should work with my own designs on a sheet of paper.

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Samedh has been creating mehndi designs of his own lately. He uses sidewalk chalk to color his hands and arms and then shows me his work. At our Bal Vikas Reunion last summer, all the kids had mehndi done on their hands. It was a big hit, and Samedh is looking forward to getting his own design this year. He wants an elephant design and asked if he can go first. Sure he can go first, but now I have to come up with an elephant design! Last year, kids asked for all kinds of designs including dragons and such. I'm afraid if I make an elephant, I'll get all sorts of requests that I won't be able to accommodate. I did try making a peacock yesterday and it looked OK. Maybe if I can perfect an elephant and peacock design within the next week, that will be enough to satisfy the kids.

See Ya' in Chicagoland!

Our count-down to Chicagoland has begun! We have just under three weeks left before our very special reunion of India adoptive families. Last summer, nine families met at Homewood Suites in Schaumburg, IL for our group's first official "family reunion." Now we are preparing once again to make the journey from various parts of the Midwest so our families can spend a long weekend together - - most of us reuniting from last year, and some who will be meeting for the first time. None of us are blood relatives, but we are family all the same. You see, we all have one thing in common: our adopted child(ren) from Bal Vikas Orphanage in Mumbai, India.

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This year, we are expecting a total of seven families, but are certainly welcome to more if schedules allow! Only a few weeks ago, our group was convinced that this year's reunion would be much smaller, with only four families able to commit. But thankfully, the schedules of a few additional families opened up during the past week, and our numbers are growing strong! Best of all, Samedh's good buddy Anish (whom we met over Memorial Day weekend) will be making the trip with his parents, which is news we just learned yesterday.

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As one of the event coordinators, I have a lot of organizing to do in the coming weeks. Thankfully, I have a lot of supplies left over from last year (craft items, table covering, table ware, mehendi cones, etc.), so it's just a matter of hauling totes out of storage and preparing for the road trip. Like last year's reunion, I am planning a very special keepsake for the children. Because a few of our BV families are readers of my blog, I can't disclose what I have planned for this year without spoiling the surprise. Everyone will know soon enough, though:)

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I'm sure the time will fly by, and the end of June will be upon us before we know it. This weekend we have the Race for the Cure in Holland, next weekend is Father's Day, and the following weekend will be our big road trip! It's hard to believe that it's been almost one year since our group of families last met. It will be fun to see how much each child has grown, and we probably won't even recognize the youngest members of the group who are already 2 years old this year!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_tent_caterpillar

Samedh and I were in the back yard on bunny patrol tonight (a frisky pair has been frolicking in the yard all day long) when we stumbled upon a little caterpillar in the grass. We coaxed it onto a stick and Samedh observed it close-up, even daring to touch its soft hairy back. After a while we let it go, back onto a similar blade of grass in our yard. Within one foot, we immediately saw another one. Samedh was so excited and suggested that these little guys will eventually turn into beautiful butterflies. I wasn't so sure, but told him we'd search the Internet to read more about this kind. Well, here is what we found out: Eastern Tent Caterpillar (see link above). They can do quite a bit of damage, so if we find more in our yard we'll be sure to direct them elsewhere. But all in all, it was a good learning experience. Every little bit of nature Samedh can experience up close is a treasure. Tomorrow's nature experience will surely start with bunny patrol again, but we'll be on the look-out for our caterpillar friends again as well.

A Memorable Weekend

Pics from our holiday weekend in Novi and Toledo....

Not the Best Place for a Nap

This is a first! I just found Samedh napping UNDER a table in the living room. His snoring lead me right to him, and when I lifted the table and set it aside, this is how I found Samedh...curled up with his thumb in his mouth! He and I had been working on last minute preparations for a weekend trip to the Detroit/Toledo area, and I guess he simply had enough. Just ten minutes ago, he was with me while I printed out Mapquest directions to our friends' house and to the Toledo Zoo. He was working on puzzles, but must have slipped away quietly to the living room while I was printing. Why was he under the table? My guess is he thought he'd hide from me there, but the quiet coziness lulled him to sleep instead. He hid from me under the same table only one hour ago, and we laughed about how wonderful of a hiding place it would be when his cousins visit and play hide-and-seek with him. And here I thought without an afternoon nap, Samedh would simply sleep in the car this evening. But this isn't too bad. A light nap now will allow him to be awake later during our scenic drive and dinner on the road.

Samedh's School Year

Today was Samedh's last day of preschool. There was a short program of songs they've learned, followed by a small ceremony where each student received a certificate and hug from the teachers. Afterwards, the kids had snacks and then played on the playground for the remainder of the time. I can't believe how fast the school year flew by, and just how much Samedh has grown and matured. I saw some of his biggest changes just today as he ran around the playground. He attempted new playground equipment that he never was interested in before, and even went down the big curvy slide by himself a few times. Even he knew the big slide was a huge step for him because he kept telling me about it. He was so proud, and I was proud of him too! I have a feeling that he'll grow and mature even more this summer, and maybe even become a little more daring on the playground! Overall, he had a wonderful year, and we are all looking forward to September when he'll attend preschool three days a week at a new location.

Meet Our New Neighbor

Samedh and I enjoyed watching half a dozen goldfinch pairs zipping around the back yard today during snack time. We also saw a number of starlings and mourning doves snatching up twigs and decorative grass clippings for use in their nests. We've set up a cozy spot in the dining area right in front of our slider door, which we refer to as our "sun room". While it's not an actual sun room, it certainly feels like one when you sit in a comfy chair right up close to the full window. Samedh often sits at his little table during snacks or meals, and can enjoy a full view of the various birds eating from the feeder on our deck as well as in the garden below. It's been a great way to teach him about the different species of birds who visit our yard. Now and then, we'll see a hawk fly through the back yard, or watch beautiful great blue herons fly over head.

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Just when you think you've seen just about every back yard bird there is, someone new shows up. This morning, out of the blue, a brown thrasher landed on our deck for a couple of minutes before disappearing into our garden. It stayed long enough for Samedh and I to get a good glimpse from the kitchen window, where I made a mental note of its size, shape and markings. Samedh's first impression was, "It's a hawk," simply because of its color and size. It was definitely larger than most birds who come to our deck, but it was not a hawk. I went straight for my Birds of North America guide book (an excellent bird identification book by Kenn Kaufman) to make the proper identification of this bird who was "new to us". In my mind I could clearly see the large bird who was reddish brown on top, striped below, and had a long beak and long tail. I quickly found its match in my book, a brown thrasher, who is also pictured above.

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Now we don't have a lot of trees in our back yard, but some of our neighbors do. We've been trying to change that over the years by adding blue spruce trees, arborvitaes, etc. Most of our resident nesters are mourning doves, house finches, goldfinches, robins and sparrows, but I hope that will change as our landscaping matures and offers more cover to other species. Maybe this brown thrasher was just passing through, but it was a real treat for us today. Makes us wonder who will be stopping by next!

Sunday: Action & Relaxation

Samedh's action on the court...

One of my favorite tulips of all time!

Busy Weekend

This is a photo collage from Samedh's Trike-A-Thon held Saturday morning.

Springtime photos taken Sunday in our front yard...

Turtles, ducks and frogs...just a few of the creatures we saw during our Sunday hike at the nearby wetlands.