A Hot Day at the Point

Here are the pictures from our day at Cedar Point, America's Rollercoaster this past Thursday. Ashleigh went up for the week and stayed with my parents in the RV. They have been doing this since she was in kindergarten although it began as just a few days and has grown into a week. Kory and I call it "Camp Cedar Point." She has a blast and these are memories she will always have. Kory and I took Thursday off work and traveled up Weds night. We stayed the night in the RV. After a very peaceful night sleep, we arose for a day of fun and sun. Cedar Point campground has very a nice bath house...something we look for when we camp since we have a pop-up. I don't like the showers in the RVs...too small. After showers and breakfast, we headed out. We debated about taking the wagon and are sooo glad we took it. Thursday was hot but I'm not complaining. I've been complaining all winter about the cold! Cedar Point gave away free water all week so that was nice. We started in Camp Snoopy, one of three children's areas. There is a small roller coaster there for kids. Jay-R loved all the rides and us adults took turns riding with him. None of us like the kind that spins you around and around. Ash and I rode the Gemini and the Iron Dragon while Kory and Jay-R took a break. Jay-R was too little to ride the water rides, so we took him and Ashleigh to the bridge at Snake River Falls where he delighted in being drenched. Ashleigh chose to stand back a little ways instead of right in the deluge of water. We headed back for a little lunch. Kory went down with a migraine so Mom, Ash, Jay-R and I headed back to the park. Dad chose to stay back and relax some. We rode the bumper cars and then watched the Snoopy Ice Skating show. Jay-R had never seen ice skating and loved it. I kept dozing off but his eyes were glued to the show. My mom was laughing...she said she looked over and I was nodding off but his eyes were completely glued to the skaters. After the show, we took a ride on the sky ride. The plan was then that Ash and I would ride roller coasters and Mom and Jay-R would spend some time in Kiddie Land. Just as Ash and I were seated on the BlueStreak, one of the oldest roller coasters and one of my favorites because I always fly up out of my seat, the phone rang to say all rides were being shut down due to weather. So, off we went. We were told we could wait or leave and give up our spot in line. Considering we waited 1 minute in line, we chose to find Mom and Jay-R. Good choice as the rain came down soon after. We hung out in the Snoopy store where there is a kids play area. It stormed for a good 2-3 hours. After about an hour and a half, we called my dad and he came and picked us up. I didn't have the camera in the store, but I used my mom's camera to snap some cute pics of the kids in Snoopy land that I post later. I love Charlie Brown...they even had the pumpkin patch! Our original plan was to leave for home at 8 pm but Ashleigh really was disappointed about not being able to ride with me so we waited until 9 pm. Mom called the park and by then the sun was out and most rides were open. Kory was feeling better so all 6 of us headed back for one more hour before park closing. Kory, Jay-R, and my parents headed toward the Ferris Wheel (which I hate!) and the kiddie rides. Ash and I made it to the Magnum and the BlueStreak. I really wanted to ride the Raptor but it was closed. After our BlueStreak ride, the Raptor was opened. We got up to the top to load, and they closed it due to mechanical issues. Ugg! We were determined to ride something else, so with 7 minutes til closing, we walked fast and made it on the Corkscrew, the original upside down coaster which we both hate, at 10:02...last ride of the night. It wasn't too bad but I remember why I hated it...it jerks your head back and forth which is kind of painful with earrings. We finished our night watching the laser lights show. It was a wonderful day. Jay-R was asleep before we were out of the parking lot. Ashleigh stayed there and came home Saturday. We are going to try and go back one more time in the summer for their starlight hours 5pm -close. It's cheaper and that way Ash and I can ride more coasters. I didn't think my stomach could handle all that, but I guess I'm still okay. Hey, I'm not old yet...I'll be 30 on Tuesday but that's not old! :)

Filipino Spaghetti and other random thoughts...

I've had some questions on Filipino spaghetti. While American spaghetti is rich and tomatoey (is that a word?), Filipino spaghetti is sweeter. Just like spaghetti here, there are different variations in the Philippines, too. W added sweetened condensed milk to hers. My Filipino co-worker says the banana ketchup makes it sweeter. At the orphanage, the spaghetti we were served was baked and had little hot dogs in it. If you missed this link from an earlier post, here is a Filipino spaghetti that uses both banana ketchup (found at Asian grocery stores) and hotdogs:
http://visualrecipes.com/recipe-details/recipe_id/506/Filipino-Style-Spaghetti/

To answer another question that was posted regarding how to start the general adoption process, first you need to do lots of research to decide whether to do domestic vs. international and then if international you need to research the individual countries as they all have different requirements. All adoptions require a homestudy completed with a licensed social worker and different states require different things as well such as parenting classes. Each country has its own requirements as well such as psych evaluations if doing Filipino adoption. That's the basics in starting the process.

We have been enjoying the early summer heat wave with plenty of time in the pool which is now over 80 degrees Fahrenheit (that's 10 degrees warmer from last week!) And we spent yesterday at Cedar Point, America's RollerCoaster. I have a lot of picture to post but I am too tired to do that tonight with last night's short sleep night. I will try to post those this weekend and share in more detail about our trip to "the Point"as Jay-R called it. Kory received a phone call at 7 am this morning telling him he wasn't needed at work today. So, his three weeks off work officially began today. He'll go back mid-July. We'll go camping part of that time. He'll get to be involved with 4-H judging this year, too. Overall, things are going well. Oh, the adjusted hospital insurance paperwork came yesterday. I can breathe now!!!!

Saying our Good-Byes

Last night was a fun yet bittersweet night. We traveled to the home of the Coordinator of the Exchange student program that we have been working with. My mom met her at a AAA Travel show. They had a booth set up and my mom seeing that they worked with students from the Philippines mentioned to V, the coordinator, that we were adopting from the Philippines. The student at the show happened to be a student from the Philippines. We first met with her and V before we even travelled to learn more about the Philippines. After coming home, they came to our home shortly after our return. Jay-R chatted in Tagalog with her and played with her. On their second meeting three weeks, while he didn't speak in Tagalog with her, he understood everything she said in Tagalog and answered appropriately only in English. He had fun playing with her and singing some songs in Tagalog. Fast forward to last night. We enjoyed a fun night complete with Filipino spaghetti which was wonderful. Jay-R and W played some, swang on the sing, and chatted. We snapped a lot of pictures so he will always have those pictures. When it was time to go, he hugged her really tight as V told him, "The next time you see W, you'll be all grown up." The thought of that makes me sad in so many ways...to think of Jay-R all grown up and then to think it will be that long before we see W again. We plan to stay in touch with her through email and written communication. V has told us she is committed to finding Filipino students in our area every school year. The student for next year still needs a host home. Kory and I are thinking next school year (10-11) we will be ready but now with Jay-R starting school this fall and Ash starting middle school maybe it would be a bit too much. We are going to pray about it. W and V created the International Sibs Society to connect exchange students with internationally adopted children. This has been such a blessing for our family and for W as well. We are so thankful...she is such a loving, sweet girl with a beautiful smile. We will miss her but we wish her well as she returns to the Philippines. V is also accompanying her and they will go visit at White Cross, Jay-R's orphanage. I can't wait to hear about those experiences!

My $15,000 Surprise

I came home from work yesterday to a relatively quiet house minus one loud barking black lab. I had every intention of taking a nap. I knew I had about 45 minutes until Kory came home with the kids. (He takes them to my parents on Tuesday and Thursday before he goes to work). Routine led me to the mailbox first. I had a junk mail flyer and an insurance statement. Since Jay-R has been home and Kory was told he has 13 cavities, insurance statements in the mail are a common occurrence. We have decent insurance, so no big deal. I opened the insurance statement. For the hospital portion of Jay-R's surgery-supplies, operating room, and recovery room, it was over $15,000. You can imagine my surprise when the covered portion read: $0. My heart stopped beating for a moment. What!!?!!! I quick called the insurance and explained how we had been told insurance would cover this and it was medically necessary to have this procedure done in a hospital rather than the dentist. I was put on hold to listen to wonderful health facts. I did learn that more Americans suffer from eating disorders than Alzheimer's. That was interesting given my field of working with older adults. Anyway, the very nice, caring customer service rep came back to apologize to me and told me it was processed incorrectly and I would receive an updated statement in 7-10 days. That was an answer to prayer. Overall, his surgery cost was around $18,000. This shocks me to no end. I work in healthcare and I know things aren't cheap but I usually don't use healthcare services beyond a routine visit to the doctor or dentist. Kory's hernia surgery about 4 years ago was only around $7,000. Crazy...I understand how one health condition could drive a person into financial difficulties. If oral surgery is this much, I hate to guess what open heart surgery is! Really, I'm not complaining or fretting over the cost, don't get me wrong. He needed the surgery and he is so much better off because of it. I was just a little, okay a lot, shocked by that insurance statement. Needless to say, after that phone call, the last thing I wanted to do was nap. I chose to jump into our not so warm pool and enjoy a refreshing solo swim. That was exactly what I needed!

Girl Time in the Windy City

Ashleigh and I enjoyed a day out in Chicago yesterday. A dear friend of mine treated Ashleigh and I to a bus trip to see the Broadway play Mary Poppins in Chicago. It was a long day but a fun day. We boarded the bus at 9 am for the 3 hour drive. We enjoyed a narrated tour of Chicago once we arrived in the city before going to the theater. Mary Poppins has always been one of my favorite Disney shows and Ashleigh loves it, too. When she was 4, she met Mary Poppins at a Disney breakfast with my parents on our Disney World trip. The play was excellent. I especially enjoyed Burt the chimney sweeper walking along the wall and then upside from the ceiling. Mary Poppins also flew into the audience. It was a lot of fun! We couldn't take pictures inside the theater so Ash and I took a cheesy self photo at McDonald's on the way home.

Jay-R did okay for his daddy. It was the first time Kory picked him up from daycare. I work one minute from the center so I always pick him up. He did okay with the pick-up but Kory said it took some convincing to get him to come inside the house when they got home. He wanted to wait in the car until Mommy came home. Once in the house, Kory cleaned while Jay-R enjoyed some cartoon time. They had dinner and Jay-R took a bath. He also received a surprise phone call from our exchange student friend. He talked to her some in Tagalog. He fell asleep on the couch at 9:30. When we got home around 11, he woke up long enough to say, "Mommy." I carried him up to his room and he was out! He was one tired little boy! Overall, it was a great Mommy-Daughter day and Daddy-Son day.

"It's Tagalog!"

Ever since this past weekend at our Camp Mabuhay experience, it's like Jay-R has internalized in his mind that it's okay to use Tagalog again. During the camp, he looked at me and said, "Jay-R's Filipino." (The other day, he had told us he wasn't Filipino, wasn't American, but was a dog...the words out of children's mouths!) Kory and I just had a discussion a week or so ago whether Jay-R still knew and understood his Tagalog since he refused to use it. We were discussing this in the context of if we decide to adopt again, would Jay-R be able to help with understanding the child when we first meet him or her? (For those of you wondering, we have not made a decision regarding whether we will add more children to our family-we're open to whatever God calls us to do).

Tonight, Jay-R and I were reading "Filipino Friends." It's a great little story about a boy who returns to the Philippines to live. It's written in English but it has many pictures all labeled in both Tagalog and English. Jay-R pointed to many of the pictures and told us the Tagalog words for them. He commented, "It's Tagalog." We have never ever discouraged him from using his Tagalog. In fact, we have tried to encourage him by watching youtube videos, having conversations with Filipino people we know, and asking him for the words in Tagalog. It's like he had decided he didn't want to be different. I think that spending time at Camp Mahubay made him realize it's okay to be Filipino in his new home. When I first opened the book tonight, he said, "They're Filipino, like me."

Our goal as Jay-R's parents is to not only help him integrate into American culture but to keep his Filipino culture alive for him. This is a vital part of who he is and is important to him in helping to create his sense of identity. Food is important in this, too. I need to make some pancuit for him and Filipino spaghetti complete with banana ketchup and hotdogs like we had at the orphange. I found a good recipe for anyone that's interested:
http://visualrecipes.com/recipe-details/recipe_id/506/Filipino-Style-Spaghetti/

So again, for so many reasons, our experience at camp was great. There are longer Filipino heritage camps in Maryland and Colorado we may consider attending as he gets older.
So for now..."Mabuhay"...long live!

Camp Mabuhay!

Enjoying his pancuit

Weekends go by so fast! This weekend went by super fast but we had a great time. We left after work on Friday and headed toward Kokomo, Indiana. We got there about 9 pm and enjoyed swimming. The water was warm the way I like it and they had a nice hot tub, too! It was relaxing before bed. We were up bright and early on Saturday morning. We met several people attending camp at our hotel before we even left for camp. This in and of itself was exciting for us because we don't know anyone locally who has adopted from the Philippines. We followed the caravan of cars to the church out in the country where camp was to be held. After registration and family photos, camp started. The theme was "Manila." They had chairs set up and the leaders were dressed like airplane pilots. They had a computer screen that simulated a plane taking off, and we were on our way to Manila. The kids were divided by age and the parents had their own sessions. The sessions were on dance, a walking museum with many picture displays the older kids had made on the Philippines, language/song, a sari sari store, and a craft for the kids and cooking session for the parents. We learned the subli dance which is a dance that men and women do usually to honor someone. The kids did a neat jeepney craft. Kory and I learned how to make fried bananas...they were good. You can't use table bananas-you need the plantation type and they get rolled in sugar-they used the Sugar in the Raw variety of sugar since it isn't as processed. That was my job-rolling the bananas in the sugar. We also learned a rice planting song that we sang in Tagalog while we "planted" rice. The sari sari store allowed the children to barter for Filipino items with play pesos. The big kids went first and bought out the store...next year the little ones will get to go first. The adults were able to purchase Filipino items with US dollars...all proceeds help with camp costs. The lunch was awesome-we had pancuit, madauno (spelling???), chop suey vegetables, chicken adobo, fruit, and cake. We were able to network and meet other families so that was great. This camp is also designed for Filipino families residing in the US who want to expose their children to their heritage. It was a great experience and we are planning to attend next year. So many Filipino people volunteered their time and talents and they were so nice and willing to share about their culture. If anyone is interested, Camp Mahubay is being held Saturday, June 12, 2010 in Kokomo, Indiana. We ended our day with pizza by the river. Jay-R tried the pizza and claims he liked it. We'll see next time.