Halloween 2009

This year Jackson went Trick or Treating as a Football Player (doesn't he look scarey?). His costume was easy as his jersey was from his Flag Football team.
I had an idea about Madeline going as Little Red Riding Hood -- orginally I thought Jackson could be the Big Bad Wolf, but he wanted to be a football player - kids! Any how, one call to Aunt Cyndi and voile' Miss Madeline becomes Little Red Riding Hood. Thanks Aunt Cyndi!

Here is another shot of her taking the cape off - or trying to put it back on :-)

Happy Birthday Madeline Jayne!

Our little girl is a grown-up two years old today! She is a spirited, fearlessly independent toddler who likes to dance, sing, giggle, cuddle, wrestle with her big brother, move and eat, move and eat, and move and eat. She is simply a delight and we can't imagine our lives without her.

Two years ago today Maddie was born at 11:03 pm and weighed in at 8 pounds 3 ounces. Her birthparent's caseworker called a little after midnight to let us know "the baby" was here - and she was a GIRL! This was my heart's desire and (although it would have been perfect if she had been a he) it was God's plan (or Alla or the universe) that this child be entrusted to us to raise...just as he had entrusted us to raise our son. Somehow they both found our light and I couldn't be more thankful.

While her brother came into the world in the morning (10:59 am) she came in at night. Funny that this little girl outweighed her brother at birth (Jackson was 7 pounds 11 ounces). Even in their personalities, they remain my ying and yang - she jumps right in while he cautiously approaches everything.

From the beginning it was evident that he is the big brother - carefully holding her and taking care of her - and she is the little sister - adoring her big brother and trying to test him at every turn.

I've said it many times since even before Maddie joined our family - my greatest wish is that my children grow up being the best of friends.

Our family wouldn't be complete without Madeline. We are thankful to her birthparents for choosing life for Maddie and for being loving, strong and wise enough to choose what they wanted for their baby. And we our thankful that they picked us. We love our Madeline Jayne.

Bright-Eyed Jackson

When Jackson got home from school today, I snapped a quick shot of him - up close and personal. He is enjoying school. He has a math aptitude, but I wondered how he'd do with reading. What an amazing skill to watch unfold! He has gone from answering any question posed to him with a clue such as, "It starts with an nnnnnn (sound)" to reading Dr. Suess books aloud and as he does so changing the intonation of his voice. It is impressive and comical at the same time.

Jackson seems to have the girls following him at school. In the morning and in the afternoon the number of girls flocking around him is crazy! They are in Kindergarten! He asked me the other day, "Why does McKenzie try to kiss me every time she sees me." I told him it's because she likes him...like a boyfriend. He looked at me with that expression like DUH! and then said, "Of course, because I'm a boy and I'm a friend." Boys are so clueless...right from the start. His friend Zeta sends home drawings for Jackson with hearts on them. She has begun hugging me in the morning while we adults chat until the first bell rings and the kids go in...already trying to butter up to the Mother-in-Law - smart girl. :-)

Jackson started T-Ball this year...so far it's just been practices; Saturday is his first game. It's like watching 12 kids doing their own thing and then every once in a while it's their turn to catch the ball or hit it. The games should be fun to watch.

Other than that Jackson comes home after school, has a snack and does his homework and then he's out playing until dinnertime. The other day I counted 12 kids in our backyard - boys and girls from 4 years old up to age 11 ...good thing we got the swing set! The nice thing is that they all seem to get along. It should be a fun summer!

Hoppy Easter!

After helping our kids find the goodies left for them by the Easter Bunny, Rodney and I grabbed our same gender child and raced to see who could get Easter outfits on (selected and purchased by Grandma Franco). The boys won, but with "Mommy" (i.e. me, Terri) still in a vicadin fog while recovering from a root canal (not so bad) and tooth extraction (OUCH!), Rodney had an obvious advantage. Here are the three of them ready for Easter service at St. Luke AME.

Grandma Franco (GF) proudly showed off her grandchildren. It was Madeline's first time at Grandma's church and she apparently "stole the show" according to GF.


Jackson and Madeline tried their hand on the old church organ.

Jackson looks like a "natural" tickling the ivories.

After church, we enjoyed an Easter dinner with just our family and GF and Grand Dad. It was low key which after my dental run in was a welcome relief. Here is a picture of Maddie's dress without her shrug; I think the dress is cuter without it. I think Maddie is cute whatever she wears :-)

Bath Tub Fun

After spending a fun and rather dirty day up north, it was bath time! Jackson is at an age where he complains about having to get in the tub and then he complains about having to get out of the tub. I decided to grab the camera and take a few shots of the kids waiting to get into the tub and then the classic siblings in the tub shot. I still remember taking baths with my little brother Jim. He was a great play companion in general. At bath time, one of us would suds up the other's backs and then "write" letters. The other would have to guess the letter written. This was our entertainment! Really quite a sweet memory, especially when I watch my own two...speaking of...

I SO wanted to include the photos of them waiting to get in - their little bodies are simply beautiful, especially their little bums as Grandma Dee calls it. I made an effort keep these published photos rated G. Remember YOUR bathtime as a child...

In the shot below Jackson hams it up for the camera (what a surprise, huh?) and Maddie blows kisses.

In the end they were clean and snuggly and ready for bed. Oh, to be a child again...

It's Raining, It's Boring...

I think this look says it all - It's raining, but I want to go outside and PLAY!!

New Bunk Beds

Over the summer I found two dressers on Craigslist that I really liked for Jackson and Madeline's room. Both the dressers are the same - a dark wood craftsmen style. Since then I've been watching and waiting for a set of bunkbeds that match to become available and as luck would have it, it finally happened. We took down the crib and put up a toddler bed for Madeline...then we took down the twin bed that Meredith loaned us over 5 years ago and put up the bunk beds and... (as Jackson would say) voila, a new bedroom!

We put Aunt Cyndee's quilts on the bunks - they both look good next to the dark wood. My thought is that Jackson can sleep on the bottom bed until he's a little older and then he can either sleep on the top bunk or we can "unbunk" the beds. I truly pray that we are not in this house THAT long, but I'm planning for the scenario non-the-less.

Jackson loves his new bed...and Madeline seemed to enjoy her new easy-to-climb-into toddler bed; however, as you can see by the photo below, the novelty of new beds quickly wore off -- they were both in Mom and Dad's bed by the morning. Maybe someday...

Or maybe I'll look for a king size bed for our room :-)

Early Reader

Today I was able to get the pantry cleared out and cleaned while Madeline slept. After she woke up, I rearranged and returned items to the pantry. On one trip I discovered Madeline had crawled up to sit on the first "step" with a book and was "reading."

This is one of the delightful moments of being a stay-at-home-mom. I stopped working and just watched her before grabbing the camera. She "read" for a while...

...and then tried unsuccessfully to get off the steps. Those short, little legs couldn't quite reach.

I grabbed the step stool and set it against the bottom stair, but she couldn't get down and she let me know it!

With help, she finally made her way off the step and then spent another 15 minutes going up and down. What fun it was to watch her!

Cousins

We went to Aunt Steanie's birthday party today at her church. Her grandchildren (Rodney's cousins Melanie and Holly's children) participated by holding up a letter and reading a word to describe their grandmother. Even "little" 2-year old Timmy participated. They are a great bunch of children and we feel so lucky that our kids have cousins on both my side and Rodney's side of the family.

Pretty in Pink

I thought I'd post a quick photo of Maddie in her pink overalls and pink headband. NEVER in my life did I think that I'd actually be dressing my child in pink - my how a sweet, little girl can change your life :-)

We Are Our Brothers' Keeper

On our way down to Spirit of Hope church today, Rodney told me that the unemployment rate for black men in Detroit is 50%! I'm not sure where he got that statistic, but I suppose he's not far off.

Spirit of Hope church provides a lunch meal every Saturday to the homeless and those in need in Detroit. An old co-worker of Rodney's sponsored the day and was able to get about a dozen of us to help with the food preparation and serving. In addition, a Korean church routinely sends a half-dozen or so members to help serve and bus tables. In a small section at the back of the basement dining hall there are a few sturdy coat racks and tables on which to house donated clothing for those guests who need to add layers or upgrade to a warmer (or cleaner) coat.

Although they expected about 250-300 people, the extremely cold weather kept the numbers down to about 160. According to Keith - a man who shoulders the cost and preparation of the Saturday meals when churches, groups, or individuals don't host the meal - many of the homeless population will not move from a "warm" spot in such frigid weather, even to get a free meal. I was humbled by my conversation with Keith. I gathered that he often is the "host" and doesn't mind putting the food on his credit card to ensure these folks have at least one hot meal a week. He, his wife and son have picked up the baton at the zero hour when those slotted to sponsor the day renege - once feeding 250 people at the last minute for less than $140. Although I never saw him help per se, I got the feeling that he was there as a safety net - not for us, but for the guests.

I appreciated the direction that a gentleman named Norm - a man who is a church employee, but could easily have been one of the guests - gave me and two other ladies as we organized the coats on racks and clothing on tables. It didn't seem like much for the scores of folks we anticipated, but I thought, "Wow! God does provide" as a group of about 20 men walked in 30 minutes before the lunch hour was to start with bags and bags of warm clothing including some very warm coats. We happily scrambled to incorporate everything into our "item type and size" organized racks and tables.

Right before noon, an old-timer came in and sat at the "ticket" station where guests signed their first name when they come in. Norm told us that he was going to go outside and bring in those folks first who needed to get warm - and warmer clothing. Some of those folks and a few others that I met stand out:

• An 82-year old woman asked me to help her "elderly" friend, Vera, find some clothes. She informed me that Vera would not disclose her age and try as I could, Vera wouldn't tell me. She cried as she told me that everyday she cries because she is no longer independent, never had children, and has no one to help her. When I said that she must be thankful for her friend she laughed and said that it is she who helps her friend. I wanted to do something for her; I hope that I will get a chance in the future.
• When this middle-aged man walked in wearing no coat, I had to literally stop myself from gasping. His skin was red from the cold and wind. How he was surviving, I don't know.
• A nice-looking man in his early thirties just didn't seem to belong there. He was polite, engaging and looked me in the eye while I brought him items that we thought might work for him. He had cleverly found safety pins that he said he could use to make some long underwear work for him. He didn't want to take anything that he couldn't use. I told Rodney that he was someone that could have been working at the desk next to me last week. I wish that I had gotten a chance to have a conversation with him.
• At the end of the lunch time, Norm told me to grab some lunch and take a break. An older woman allowed me to sit across from her. Her name was Potter, well her last name is Potter; she doesn't tell her first name. We chatted mostly about the number of children people have while we both ate. She is one of eleven children. My mom is one of ten. She had six children, but one is deceased. Same with my mom. She has several grandchildren. Her oldest son never wanted children and therefore never had any. Same with my sister. It was an easy conversation for two people who just met. There was something we had in common. We knew people who had children and people who didn't.

Before I took my break, only a handful of items remained on the tables. Those folks who took clothing were polite and thanked us. Some we had to encourage to take another shirt to layer. Hoodies were the hot commodity. We saw mostly men, but there were a few women although not many clothes for them. I saw a few children, but was so busy that hour and a half that I didn't get a chance to really check them out...that might have been a good thing. I don't know if my heart could have taken that.

When people left they were free to take any of the nearly 400 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that we made earlier. We were told that some people would take several since they weren't sure when they would eat next. The remaining sandwiches would go down the street to the homeless shelter. Some guests took none; one guy took many. When I handed him a bag, he was a little embarrassed until I said, "There is plenty - take a few more." And so he did, it was as if he needed that permission.

When the day ended, I knew that we'd be back. It was one of the most rewarding things I've done in a long time. We hope to do this on a quarterly-basis. We hope to be able to help more as our economy continues its stall. And how could we not. After all, we are our brothers' - and sisters' - keeper.

Marking A Historical Day

Since Rodney and my mother-in-law were in Washington, DC to see history made in person, I invited my 76-year old father-in-law to join my mom and the kids for dinner last night. It was an interesting dinner guest list -- and older, black man; an older, white woman; a middle-aged white woman; a bi-racial young boy and a tri-racial baby girl.

Of course our dinner conversation was about the historical nature of the day - the Presidential Inaugeration of Barack Obama - our first president of color. When my father-in-law said that he really still couldn't believe that Obama was elected, I had to agree. Being married to an African-American man certainly allows me to hear and view things that I probably wouldn't have if I had married a white man. And somehow this white girl has become the keeper of historical data about the Williams Family. It really is fascinating.

Mr. Williams' (yes, I still refer to my in-laws in this formal fashion -- even after almost 15 years of marriage) grandparents were the first of his ancestors born free - Sam (1872) and Fannie (1874) Williams - after slavery was abolished in 1865...just 100 years before I was born.

He grew up in Mississippi and moved north to the Chicago area when he was a young boy so he wasn't there in the mid-fifties as the Civil Right Movement began when Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat on the bus. He joined the Army with the permission of his mother at the ripe young age of 16. He remembers traveling south with a white friend and seeing for the first time signs (Whites only) meant to ensure that the races did not mix. He shared one story of watching a young man at the "wrong counter" (aka, white counter?) who could not get anyone's attention to get waited on. Once he moved the "right counter" (aka, black counter?) the same folks who wouldn't wait on him, greeted him as if he had just walked up and then proceeded to wait on him. I've always wondered how parents explained this to their children - it's heart-breaking to me to think about having to ensure my children were institutionally taught at an early age to protect their lives!

My in-laws met and married at the justice of the peace almost 45 years ago. Mr. Williams was able to secure a loan to buy his house with some good, old-fashioned tenacity even though he didn't yet have a formal job. I just learned that not only were he and my mother-in-law in Detroit during the riots of 1967, but it was his after-hours joint (refered to as a blind pig) that was raided and where things got out of hand and spilt onto the streets. I'm not at all surprised that he was involved :-)

The Williams wanted a better life for their boys and were one of the first families to move into the mostly white suburb of Canton, Michigan when Rodney and Reggie were still young boys in the early seventies. Rodney talks about the ignorance he encountered while beginning to play hockey, not so much from the kids, but from their parents! It is a testament to their entire family's strength and character that they were able to live in Canton the length of Rodney and Reggie's school years. And it is a testament to the fact that the times, well they were changing, that so many of the kids and their parents that he played sports with embraced their family. Rodney remains friends with these guys today.

As I watched President Obama walk the hall and steps down to take the Oath of Office, I felt the pride of our country - everyone in our country - and the aguish of those who have lived through racial violence, tension, and prejudice that they still question whether their eyes have deceived them and that they have lived to see this day. I said to my 76-year-old father-in-law, "It is amazing, isn't it?" And even though I haven't lived through what he has, I think he knows that I do understand.

Happy Birthday Rodney!

Today is my dear husband's 43rd birthday! (He's the one on the right.)

When Jackson awoke this morning his very first thought seemed to be that it was Daddy's birthday...not that it was Friday (hurray!) or that he gets to be a 'milker' at school on Friday's (this is big for a 5 year old). He hunted Rodney down in the house to wish him a mighty, happy birthday. He LOVES his father and it shows more and more as he gets older and begins to identify with Rodney more.

On his part, Rodney had already laughed as he told me that he was receiving tons of birthday wishes via email. I jokingly wondered aloud if someone at work had sent out a massive email reminder. None-the-less, what a great way to start off the next year of life!

Madeline at nearly fifteen months wasn't sure of what all the whooping and hollering was when Daddy arrived home and three boys (Matthew and Joseph from next door joined us for dinner and desert) commenced to give Rodney one BIG You-Are-Finally-Home-Happy-Birthday-What-Took-You-So-Long-Can-We-Have-Cake-Now welcome.

So Happy Birthday Rodney. I certainly hope that you enjoy 43! Here are two of my very favorite pictures of you - of course, they are with each of the kids when they were babies :-)