Student of the Month

We received shocking news last week. Arthur was selected "student of the month" from his class. We were surprised because he has not proven to be the model student--I probably shouldn't elaborate, but let's just say we were surprised. Adaline has been in much less trouble at school this year, so we were surprised that he was selected and not her. Nevertheless, we could not have been more happy about this news. Arthur definitely struggles with insecurity (and it gets worse when his sister is praised), so this was a huge boost for his tender heart. To be honest, the award is no big deal, but our family made a big deal about it to make him feel special. (As a side note, Adaline naturally was so proud of her brother and didn't show an ounce of jealousy. She sang "student of the month" all week and was so happy for him. She is so sweet to her brother!) We told him that we could celebrate in any way that he wanted. His initial idea to have 2 friends over was canceled, so we told him that he could have any meal that he wanted that night for dinner...any restaurant, any home-cooked meal, anything. He thought for a few minutes and came up with this: "Bread. Dipped in oil, with some butter. And broccoli." Later he added sausage and deleted the broccoli. I thought, really? That's all you can come up with? But our little boy loves bread (nice crusty bread) and he loves to give it a "bath" in some nice olive oil with herbs and spices. He was so happy and we had a great celebration together. Here are pictures of the award ceremony. (Oh, and we already got the heads-up that Adaline is in line for student of the month for next month. The teacher alternates girls and boys, so Arthur providentially got it first.)

Here is a catch-up on happenings in May:

My birthday request: camping. We decided to stay in a cabin for the first time because rain was predicted. It turned out to be a good choice. It rained all night.














Spring Fling fundraiser at the school complete with face-painting:















Last art class at Pratt:

Field trip

We had a hot field trip to the aquarium yesterday. Waiting for the sea lion show was brutal, so we passed the time taking pictures. Field trips are always an adventure! Our kids' school is a uniform school, but for some reason on field trip days, they get to wear play clothes. That way they blend in with all of the other kids so that we can lose them constantly. I never looked at one animal--just kept my eyes busy looking for stray children. We were so hot and tired (especially after our stuffy bus trip home), so we decided to play in the playground sprinklers afterward. Very refreshing!

Also, we booked our plane tickets last night. We are going to Ethiopia June 2-14!!

2 weeks!!

Hopefully we leave for Ethiopia in 2 weeks. We can't wait! We are still waiting for our visa interview to be confirmed by the US Embassy so we haven't booked airline tickets. We have learned more about our kids this week. The first being that Solomon is walking! I know that developing well is a good thing, but I have to say that I was sad when I heard the news. I would have loved to see the first steps. Tihun has been described as smiley, not shy, sweet, and friendly. She also likes to draw and is still posing for the camera. Oh, and she doesn't like trains--all girl, they said. Solomon, on the other hand, has been described as "serious" by more than one person. And he is reported to be "all boy" and we were told to get ready. Lord, have mercy on us.

Presenting...

the newest members of the Galt family

Tihun and Solomon


We can't wait to meet you!!

(we passed court and are hoping to travel to pick them up in early June)

Waiting

We are eagerly waiting for the newest Galt arrivals. Our first court date was postponed, so we await court date #2. The only news we hear of our future kids is from other parents who have traveled before us. We have given permission to 2 families (working on 3) to take pictures/video of our kids. It is very exciting to receive these snippets into our kids' lives.

The first set of pictures (and a bonus video) consisted of our daughter hugging and kissing (practically tackling) her little brother. Her personality felt all too familiar (Adaline #2--look out!) and he was very chill. It was sweet to see her affection for her brother and relieving to see his apparent laid-back nature (don't we deserve #4 to be a little calmer than our current experience?).

We recently received the 2nd set of pictures, and they were not so enlightening. Our son is crying in his crib and our daughter is grimacing at the camera. Clearly it was not good timing for them. I still enjoy these pictures because I've never seen my son cry and I've never seen my daughter frown. It is still a glimpse into their lives. Plus, I'm a mom and I am aware that kids cry and kids don't always like to smile at a camera. It's not personal, right?

I was very excited to show these new pictures to Adaline and Arthur when they came home from school. I flipped open the computer and began with the zoomed-in shot of their brother crying. I watched Arthur closely as he is often quiet and thoughtful when he sees his siblings. I watched as his eyes began to water and he had the look of utter concern. Then I looked at Adaline and saw her wiping the tears from her face. Whoa. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.

They were very solemn throughout the entire slide show. They didn't know what to do with the thought of their brother and sister being sad. Adaline wondered if he was crying because he wanted his brother and sister. Later Jamison asked her why she cried when she doesn't even know him yet. She quickly corrected him and said, "We know him. He's ______ (his name)."

It is an amazing ride to bond with these kids from afar. To wait for them, yet still go on with normal life. To wonder what the wait is like for them (they don't even know about us yet and won't until we pass court). Clearly Adaline and Arthur already feel a connection to their brother and sister--even though they haven't met them. They specifically prayed for them for months, and they "know" them because God has specifically given them to us. We cannot wait to see the many blessings they will bring to our family!
*Bonus pictures: Easter celebration. We had 20 people gathered around long tables in our living room. Very fun!

Saying goodbye to the Galt twins blog

Settle down, fans (Moms), I'm not getting rid of this blog...I'm just going to have to change the name. The twins will no longer be the only center of attention in this blog because our family is about to grow. And keeping with tradition, we are growing by two! We like to keep the numbers even, I guess. We have been in the process of adopting from Ethiopia for over 2 years, and we just received our referral a couple weeks ago. We are happy to announce that we were referred a 3 year old daughter and a 6 month old son. They are absolutely beautiful and we can't wait to introduce them to you all. All of this is pending court date approvals, etc. (at which time we can share their names and photos). We hope to travel to bring them home in around 4 months or less.

Arthur and Adaline are thrilled to have a little sister and brother. They have been telling us for over a year that we should adopt from Ethiopia. (We might have fed them a little information for them to come to that conclusion.) The only difference in our vision for our family is that they were hoping for many more brothers and sisters--as many as 20 were mentioned. We're sticking with two. They have been praying every night that God would give them a brother and sister from Ethiopia, and now they thank God every night for answering their prayer. We can't wait to meet the newest members of our family!

So in a few months, we'll have to say goodbye to the Galt twins blog. What should it become? "Two by two"? "Keeping it even"? Any suggestions?

*The picture is of Arthur in a traditional Ethiopian outfit and Adaline with her Ethiopian dolls. Jamison brought her the first one last year. Recently a friend traveled back to Ethiopia and asked the kids what they wanted from there. Adaline said that she wanted another doll so that she could give it to her baby sister. So sweet! Arthur wanted pajamas :)

Winter Break

The kids had last week off of school, so we decided to pack in as much fun as we could. I miss all of the adventures that we used to take together in the city. Now that they are in school all day, we spend most of our time recovering and staying close to home. I guess that is not unusual...just an adjustment. Here is how we decided to spend our week together:
Monday: Empire State Building. We can see this building from our front stoop, and the kids are often asking to go up in it. So we finally geared up for the long tourist lines and did it. It took about an hour of waiting, and the kids were ready to leave after 15 minutes. We dawdled as much as possible, but soon headed to a Korean restaurant for lunch. Yummy! Adaline ate these tiny whole fish--we were impressed.
Tuesday: Sledding with friends. We had a wonderful time in Prospect Park sledding with lots of friends.

Wednesday: Swimming. We just joined the local YMCA and went for our second swim. I must take a picture of the kids (but not me) in the mandatory swim caps. Hilariously cute.

Thursday: Bronx Zoo with friends. There were not many animals outside because of the cold, but there are so many indoor exhibits that there are plenty of animals to see. And the kids get exercise wandering around the huge place. They always love the bug carousel.

Friday: Play dates. We had two play dates with school friends that were supposed to happen at the same time, but ended up being back-to-back. We practically had to drag the second friend out of our house at bedtime because our kids were melting down so heavily. She was insisting on a sleepover, but we stood strong. It was definitely one of those moments when you realize, "Have we done too much this week?" They had fun, nevertheless!
Saturday: Art class at Pratt. We signed the kids up for an art class because it is close to home and fun, but also so that we could partake of the practically free adult art classes that coincide. Unfortunately, the adult class filled quickly, but the kids enjoyed their second class this week. This is us admiring the sculptures on the campus:

Saturday bonus: Birthday party at the ice skating rink. I cheated and took the kids out with my boots on. I didn't get caught until the very end, and the referee or whatever you call him was very angry with me. It was worth it because I do not care for the knives-in-my-feet sensation that I get when I ice skate. Jamison couldn't help because he twisted his ankle a few weeks ago and it is still healing (ice skating is not so friendly on the ankles, either). The kids eventually were able to skid along by themselves. Arthur started to get the feel of pushing off with his foot--moving from "walking" on skates to actually skating--right before we had to leave. He is hoping to go back soon.

We ended up at neighbor's house after the party until late last night--topping the week off with a bang. The exhaustion and tantrems today have been lovely. I can't wait to see how the kids do going back to school tomorrow. We might need another week off to recover from this one :)

Oh, and that picture at the top is a big mound of snow on Pratt's campus...all black and nasty but still fun to play on!

Snow days

Arthur and Dad have been sick all week, so it was up to me and sis to play in the snow. The first day was pretty rough because the snow was falling so heavily (see picture #2). The next day was sunny and beautiful. I had to continually convince her to sled because she kept wanting to build snow houses. And I don't have an excuse to sled unless she's with me :)

This is so frustrating!

My kids have very different responses to this feeling. Last weekend I was working with Arthur on a 3-D train puzzle that was quite complicated. After an hour of laboring over this project, Arthur proclaims, "This is so frustrating!... I love it!" Huh? He is so motivated by complicated, detailed, and precise projects. He becomes obsessed with them and is unwilling to give up no matter how difficult (and annoying) they get. He isn't necessarily having fun, but he is challenged and learning--two things that my son loves. He is a little scientist, through and through. He needs to know the answer to everything, and he always requires a good explanation for why things are the way they are.

Adaline is quite different. If an activity even sniffs of difficulty or challenge, she is on to the next project. Her response to frustration is "oh, it must not be for me" (spoken in a princess voice). She feels no remorse over giving up, no insecurity that her brother is able to do something that she is not. She can't imagine participating in something that is not oozing with enjoyment and pleasure. She watched Arthur and I build that train for 3 hours (yes, I'm serious) with utter confusion. I think she felt sorry for us, really. She was happily painting and drawing on her own terms with no instructions or expectations hanging over her. Ahh...freedom.

Adaline is comfortable and aware of her differences with her brother. "God made me different, Arthur, and I don't really like doing those things like you do." Arthur, on the other hand, is perplexed by his sister. I secretly listened in on a conversation the other day that they were having after bedtime:

Arthur: Adaline, I just don't understand why you say that you see fairies.

Adaline: I do see them. All of the time. Everywhere.

Arthur: But if you say that you see them, then you are saying that they are real. And that is a lie. Why are you trying to make me believe in this fake stuff? (getting pretty agitated at this point)

Adaline: You don't have to believe in fairies. I believe in Santa Claus and you don't.

Arthur: You can't believe in all of this fake stuff. It isn't real. You can't say that you see them. That would mean that they are real. You are lying! (downright angry now)

Adaline: Arthur, let's just not talk about it.

Arthur: This is so frustrating! (mommy intervenes and calms him down)
--------
Unfortunately for Arthur, his sister does not come with an instruction manual, and she can not be easily manipulated or controlled. This is one frustration for which he is going to have to learn a new skill. And it is more of an art than a science. Good luck, buddy!

Merry Christmas!

I'm not actually extremely late on the Christmas post since we celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. I'm only a day or two late, depending on how you count :) Anyway, we had a wonderful Christmas season this year--the Eve was spent with friends who made an extravagant Indian feast, morning was with Uncle Marshall, Xmas dinner was with friends at our place, a few days after Xmas was spent with family from NJ and WA, New Year's Eve was at a neighborhood party, New Year's Day was spent at a party with lots of friends, plus we hosted several fun play dates and had an enjoyable break from school. Dad was busy working and out of town, but he was generally more available in the evenings, which was a special treat for Mom. The season ended last night with our make-shift Epiphany Party (our celebration with friends was cancelled due to illness and my king cake did not get made because an appointment lasted longer than expected.) Jamison bought some "famous" red-velvet cake from our neighborhood and stuck a baby Jesus in one slice. Adaline was king for the evening (Arthur handled it like a gentleman.) And I threw together some meatballs that ended up being plain-old spaghetti meat sauce after I mutilated them :) Oh, well. Our theme for celebrating the 12 days was people and food. We enjoyed celebrating and feasting during this happy season!
Arthur's big present (from Grandma): A violin!
Adaline's big present (free from neighbors): A bike! (You might remember that we gave both of them bikes last Christmas--Adaline's was sold due to lack-of-interest, so this is round 2...she's ridden it once. But it will be hard to sell a free bike!)
Christmas morning with Uncle Marshall--orange rolls are our tradition. (But maybe not for long because I can't make them as good as my mom, and they are too much work if they aren't going to be good.)
Our gift to our kids (given on Epiphany): Marble maze. Very detailed and precise, which means perfect for Arthur, annoying for Adaline. Gifts are tricky with Adaline because she doesn't need ANYTHING to have fun--just give her a stick and some space and she's in fairy land in a second. Throw in some art supplies and dress-up clothes, and she is happy forever!

December catch-up

Blogger and I are not as close as we used to be...and if there is a silence in blogging, then the pictures and events just pile up and I get overwhelmed. Oh well, here are a few updates on life in the Galt family. Pictured above is the kids' winter concert--they sang "Frosty the Snowman" and enjoyed every minute of their time on stage. (They are on the back row on opposite ends.) The kids have loved their new school and have met lots of friends. They were happy to return to school today after a 2 week break. Adaline woke up early this morning giddy about seeing her teacher and asking if we could have him over for dinner.



We had some nice snow before Christmas. We played in it in our neighborhood and then further enjoyed it outside of the city at a house with friends. We did some amazing sledding and the kids got to try to ski for the first time. We had a wonderful time!

*We especially enjoyed having our own personal "chair lift" to take us back up the hill after every ride down. It was our pastor driving some all-terrain vehicle back and forth for us. That's him in the fuzzy fur hood--thanks Pastor Matt!