I Really Like This Poem

You cannot change the truth,
These are your children,
but they came from somewhere else.
And they are the children of those places
and of those people as well.

Help them to know about their past
and about their present.
Help them to know that they are from extended families,
That they have only one parent or set of parents,
but they have more mothers and fathers.

They have grandmothers, godmothers,
birth mothers, mother countries, mother earth.

They have grandfathers, godfathers,
birth fathers, and fatherlands.

They have family by birth and by adoption.
They have family by choice and by chance.

Childhood is short;
They are our children to raise;
they are our children to love;
and then they are citizens of the world.
What we do to them creates the world that we live in.

Give them life.
Give them their truth.
Give them love.
Give them all they came with,
Give them all that they grow with.

Your children do not belong to you,
But they belong with you.
You cannot keep them from what is theirs,
but you can keep loving them.
You do not own your children,
but they are your own.

Taken from Joyce Maguire Pavoa's book "Family of Adoption"

Winter Wonderland!

Well we have gone from having a giant puddle in our backyard to having a rink. The snow is piled high on our deck and at the end of our driveway. Yes, winter has finally arrived in full force and the Klassen family is loving it!

Naomi and Lilah are rapidly getting the hang of skating. Myles is having fun tooting around in his stroller or on the sled. It is so much fun watching them romp around in the snow. A few days ago after our driveway was plowed, the girls decided to use the mound of snow at the end of the drive for tobogganning. What a blast that was (don't mind the booger noses)!

Naomi's class went to the Outdoor Education Center in Port Hope last Thursday (the coldest day this year). She came home raving about her day (despite the frigid temps) and telling us that she tried something new. We were excited for her and tried to figure out what the new thing was that she was describing. Somehow, out of "orange things on my feet with brown around them", we figured out snowshoeing!

Myles is getting more adept at getting around. He's pretty much mastered going up and down the stairs - desperate to follow his sisters wherever they go. He always gets a big grin on his face when he's working on learning a new skill. He is also getting pretty quick at his version of crawling/scooting. We aren't sure if he's refusing the "on all fours" version because he doesn't want to hurt his knees, or if it's because he always needs a free hand for his matchbox cars. His latest verbalization is "vrmm vrmmm" and he can most often be found pushing a hotwheels car around while doing it. It makes me smile to realize how boyish he is, despite the fact that no one has really shown him how.

Myles is also getting very good at calling Lilah's name. He wants to be involved in whatever the girls are doing and they don't cooperate, he yells "LALA". Watching the two of them together is like watching a game of Simon Says. If Lilah is on a Dora chair, Myles climbs on it too. If Lilah bounces on the chair, so does Myles. If Lilah claps her hands . . . you guessed it, so does Myles!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Happy Year of the Pig!

We celebrated Chinese New Year with friends this past weekend at the Families with Children from China event in Toronto.

It was great to see old friends and to share some Chinese traditions! Pictured here are the hóng (red) sisters, Naomi, Jasmine, Vanessa and Sydney. The three eldest all are four years old and attend Mandarin together on Saturday mornings.

The girls also loved the lion dance and were thrilled to be able to be a part of the parade. Watching the unique friendships that these girls have developed is certainly a lot of fun!

Even Myles is mastering the use of chopsticks! His favorite food was the soup (creamed corn, chicken and egg), which ironically was also Lilah's favorite food in China when she was a baby of the same age. Even Naomi (who is normally not an adventurous eater) tried it, and ended up devouring two bowls. As usual, Myles loved the crowd and spent the evening grinning from ear to ear. Folks are always commenting that he's the smiliest little man - and that he is.

Lilah was excited to be able to share CNY with her Gram. She was enthralled with the young singers and dancers that performed during dinner.

Chinese New Year is one of my favorite festivals. It is a time for renewal, a time for thanksgiving and a time to look forward to the future. Three years ago, we began the tradition of celebrating in Toronto with our friends. That year we celebrated our family with the adoption of Naomi. It is hard to believe what an amazing little gal she has become in those three short years. She is a gal who would make any mother proud, but my heart swells to know that I get to be her mom. In fact, I couldn't be more proud of each of my children. I've added a quotation to the header of our blog that really brings home the way that I feel. I am definately holding the evening sky in my hands!