Ikea

This morning Amy and I packed up four little girls under six and headed to Ikea.  We had breakfast then tried to drop off the girls at the Ladybug Center, where they can play for an hour while we shopped.  Unfortunately, Charlotte was determined to be not tall enough (dumb) and then we were told it was full.  So, we took the girls up to the children's area and they tested out some of the kids items while Amy watched and I snuck around to pick things up for Christmas.  We stopped back by the Ladybug Center and thankfully Katherine and Reese were able to go play.  We finished up shopping, packed up the car, got Char some ice cream (her consolation prize) then picked up the girls and headed home.  Reese was over hungry and a little over tired so we had a little meltdown but now she is sleeping.  Next we need to bake cookies and make strawberry pretzel salad for Thanksgiving tomorrow!  I am already loving these five days off!

Mouse

We have an imaginary mouse who lives with us.  He has been with us for a while and comes and goes.  Recently, he has been getting in trouble more often.  There is nothing better than having a three year old fresh from the bathtub stop you so she can go back to the tub and yell at Mouse to get out and come with us.  I love that she has an imaginary friend and I wanted to make sure that I don't forget about our little Mouse.

Tricycle Time

We had a little extra time before dinner last night so Reese tore it up on her tricycle.  They have little bikes at school that the kids can ride and it appears Reese has become a master peddler.  

The sun was setting so I was able to get these great shadow shots.

Tooth Fairy

I took Reese to the dentist yesterday because that silly front tooth is very loose and her gums were very red but the dentist didn't take it out.  He said there was no infection and that it would be less traumatic for Reese if it just came out on its own.  This creeps me out more than you will know and I sweat just thinking about it. But last night I got ready by making this little tooth pocket for when her tooth falls out.  

Pattern thanks to Wild Olive.

Pumpkin-head

"Mom, take my picture!" Then she poses like this and all I can think of is Jack the Pumpkin-head.
What a silly, silly girl.

Oz

I didn't even force this on her yesterday!  

She started on the couch and just kept getting closer and closer to the television.  

It must be in her DNA like it is in mine.  

Fashion

Since Reese now wears a uniform to school, I am really lax about what she wears at home.  As long as she has on underwear, everything else is pretty much up to her.  Look at the awesome pajamas she picked out last night!

No more ward

For only the first six months of Reese's life was she not a ward of the state of Indiana.  Everything about her life has been monitored, reported, recorded and discussed by people who were paid to monitor her well-being.  Everyone who loved her had to jump through many hoops just to be able to babysit, visit or stay the night.  Trips to other states had to be approved by a judge and documents carried at all times, just in case of questioning.  At one point this year, Reese and I had an Indiana DCS case-worker, two CASA volunteers,  a foster certification specialist, an adoption family support specialist, and an attorney.  That is a lot of people involved in one little person's life.

I received an email today from my attorney with this quote from the lawyer of Indiana's Department of Child Services that we have been working with "We moved for dismissal based on the documents you sent us earlier and it looks like the Court granted our motion and dismissed the case this morning."  aka Reese is no long a ward of the state of Indiana!  Yes, we saw a judge two weeks ago and I received my certified adoption decree a week ago but now the case is officially closed in Indiana.  

I think we are really done now, finally.  I am not holding my breath though.  

Kicker

Maybe we need to stop playing kick with the big yellow ball outside.  Reese kicked a student at school yesterday.  Incident report, talk to being at risk for suspension, talk about making better choices, talk about what those choices could be, no sleep, talk with her teacher about separating the two students, and lots of praying that today is a better day for her.  Ugh, this is hard.

Aunt Kathy's visit

I'm so glad that during a video chat with Aunt Kathy a couple months ago I mentioned needing a babysitter for Veteran's Day because Reese didn't have school but I had to work.  Veteran's Day happened to be observed on her birthday so as a celebration she decided to come to Arizona for a long weekend. 

 

Kathy and Karen came into town to pick-up Reese on Thursday night (both Reese and I cried when we had to leave each other) then I drove out after the conference on Friday to spend Saturday and Sunday in retirement.

Saturday morning we headed to the playground at a school by my Aunt Karen's house.

It was three stories tall and gave me all kinds of ulcers.

 

Then we headed to Target for some fun browsing and shopping.

Then had a late lunch at Paradise Bakery where Reese and I shared a bread bowl of baked potato soup then she decided she wanted to eat the lemon out of our water.  Her faces were priceless.

On Sunday we headed to the playground again then back for a quick lunch and nap before we headed into Phoenix to celebrate Alicia's 21st birthday.  Reese enjoyed the flamingos in the front yard, playing with Jackson and Ella and the cake.

Then we headed home with Aunt Kathy.  Reese spent the day with her today and had a wonderful time.  It was very hard taking her to the airport and we had to head outside to wave at her airplane as it flew to Chicago.  I am so glad that she was able to come for a visit and I know that Reese was too.

 

AzLA

I was happy to be an Arizona librarian last week when I attended the Arizona Library Association annual conference at South Mountain Community College.  I met up with the assistant librarian from the Heard Museum and a handful of public librarians from Glendale for lunch at The Farm at South Mountain.  It was beautiful with great food and good conversation. 

Reese Quote

Me: Reese what shoes are you going to wear today?

Reese: Remember, Mom, I'm making a pattern.  Yesterday I wore my sparkly heart shoes and today I's wearing my gold sparkle shoes, then tomorrow I'm going to wear my sparkly heart shoes again.  It's called a pattern.

It's official!

I have a faxed copy of our adoption decree in hand and will pick up the certified copy tomorrow!

"It is therefore ordered granting the Order of Adoption.  The petitioner, Lindsey Powers, and said minor child shall and do bear toward each other the relationship of parent and child."

Tea Party

Last night Reese and I played outside when we first got home, then had a quick dinner of leftovers. 

Then it was time to have a tea party!  

Please note her little finger is up, on the other hand :)

Grandpa's Visit

My dad was able to fly in Halloween night and stay through the weekend.  He was able to be there for our adoption hearing and celebration pancakes afterwards.  Reese loved having him here.  It has through a wrench in the reality that we have known because now she wants to live back with him Sophia and the dogs.  It hurts my feelings but I understand that she doesn't truly understand what is going on. 

We spent First Friday down at the Museum where we fed imaginary apples to Ponder, the horse.

And colored masks for the Day of the Dead.

 

On Saturday, Dad took Reese to Brian and Randi's where they are Subway and went swimming, while I went to the Author's Luncheon with a few docent friends.  I have been for three years now and I glad I was able to go again this year.  The authors were amazing this year!

 

Sunday my dad played with Reese while I took care of all of the household duties.  It felt good to be able to get things done here and know Reese was having fun while I was.  It was a quick trip and it is hard on Reese to understand how this works but it was still nice having him here.

Adoption Day

November 1, 2012 at 9am was our adoption day. 

I had a feeling that something was not right and sure enough when my lawyer arrived she asked to speak with me alone.  She said that Indiana refused to FedEx a letter that was needed so we did not have all of the correct paperwork for completion that day.  Thankfully, the judge chose to take our case under advisement instead of canceling. Now we are just waiting for that letter to arrive so the judge can sign the correct documents and we can be official.

Reese was a doll as we waited but as soon as we went in, she couldn't stop talking.  She said she didn't want to be a Powers and that she needed a snack.  The judge was soft spoken so I did not hear a word he said.  I dreamed of this magical moment when the heavens opened and the angels sang and I would know that Reese and I were a family, but instead it was real life. 

I had someone say that this was bittersweet but no it was not.  This was all sweet.  This all stopped being about my sister a year ago and finally started being about Reese and what she needed.  For all of Reese's life, I have kept my life on pause.  I have always needed to be ready to fly back to Indiana to care for the girls at a moments notice.  Everything has been waiting to react to the decisions of an addict because the girls deserved it.  It has been a roller coaster, at times infuriating and the times with the girls filled with laughter.  Now we can move forward and take my life off of pause.  My life is completely different from when I paused things.  I have a solid career now that I am so proud of and now I am a mother to the most amazing little girl.  We are so different but made perfectly for each other.  I am ready to move forward now, knowing  that life will never take me where I thought it would and that the universe is out there making the most perfect decisions for my life.

Amy told me recently that while Reese was in utero I said under my breath at work "I'm going to have to raise that baby."  She of course at the time did not know me like she does today and judged me but I feel like somewhere in my bones, I knew that Reese was my baby.  I remember being at the ultrasound and seeing this squirming little person and thinking to myself  as I cried "Okay, it is me and you kid.  I will do anything for you."  I will stand by that until my last breath.  She is my world.

Doesn't the judge look like a wax statute back there :) 

Adoption court or Madame Tussauds?

Here I was telling Reese in the parking lot that we were now a family forever and always.

We celebrated with pumpkin pancakes at Ihop!

Then took some pictures at home.

And danced in the backyard.

I love her more than words can express and am so proud that I get to be her mommy!

Lindsey and Reese Powers, a little family at last.

Reese Quote

 

We were outside in the driveway playing kick with the yellow ball before my dad had to go to the airport last night and someone in the neighborhood was grilling.  Reese stopped and said "I can smell bacon from heaven."

Halloween

Halloween is the best day of the year to be a staff member at Phoenix Art Museum.  After two years of going solo-style, I joined my old membership crew to be Princess Peach from the Super Mario Brothers.  They did a great job decorating the Clubhouse and even had a Wii so people could play old school Mario Bros.

Camille is fantastic!

The Education/Marketing crew dressed up as Mad Men.  They took best group in the contest.

Someone stole Sandy's stolen Vermeer :)

Jelena as Charlie Chaplin

 

John and June teamed up as the witches from Macbeth.  SOOOOOOOO scary!

 

I could not stand wearing the wig and the gloves were very debilitating.  I was ready to get out of that costume by the end of the day.

 

Also, I couldn't wait to get home to get Jessie ready for trick-or-treating!

 

We picked up burgers and ate quickly so Reese could get in costume.  I sprayed her hair red, just like Jessie and drew on some freckles! 

 

Yeehaw!

 

The Wazny's were our first trick-or-treat-ers!  K as Merida, Char as a butterfly and V as a hungry, hungry caterpillar.

Amy made her costume!

Lani and Jessica came over to pass out candy so I could take Reese around.  We went up and down the block then headed home to pass out candy.  She loved giving out huge handfuls of candy to all of our trick-or-treat-ers.