Perspective

Today, I'm thankful for perspective. I was out all morning with the kids enjoying a really nice time with our friends. It was a great day. I even forgot that the agency was going to call me to let me know if everything was ok with the dossier- until I was nearly home this afternoon.

Long story short, our dossier is NOT ok. There were three documents whose notaries did not properly notarize the documents. They didn't do anything WRONG per se, but they didn't use the official wording that they are supposed to use. Of course, it doesn't say in the booklet exactly what the wording is supposed to be for each document, so I didn't know. The NOTARY is supposed to know the appropriate wording for the type of document, and I foolishly assumed they did it correctly. Any other day, I probably would have just started crying. And I almost did. Will we EVER be done? Will we ever be finally logged in??? Forget logged in by Mother's Day. I'm now saying, I hope to be logged in by 4th of July.....that should cover it. (Famous last words......)

Thankfully, after reading Angie and Todd's blog yesterday, I am calm and I have maintained my perspective. There is nothing to cry about here. Not one thing. Their tears are warranted, not mine. Besides, I know God has one particular little girl he wants for our family, and apparently, she won't be quite ready to be matched if we were logged in in mid-May.

I'm trying to not be discouraged though. Sometimes, it is just a force of will to trust that God has it all in control and it will all go according to His timing, not mine. But, wow, this journey of paperwork has felt like I've been walking uphill in a strong wind and making no progress. I'll be glad when it is over- for SO many reasons.

As for the notaries- I have to go to them and ask them to fix their errors. Hopefully, they will oblige since it was their mistake. If not, I'll have to eat those "logged in by 4th of July" words, because all the documents will have to be redone from start to finish including certification and authentication. Please pray that is NOT the case.

National Geographic

Make sure you check out the May 2008 issue of National Geographic. The entire issue is about China and it includes a nice, big map. I've been really enjoying the pictures (haven't had a moment to read much of anything yet).

A MUST READ Blog

This morning, I quite unexpectedly stumbled across a blog that is one of the most powerful testimonies of God's grace and faithfulness I have ever read. Warning though: I also spent a whole hour crying while I read it (while my kids watched Curious George for longer than I would have liked). You will not be able to read this blog without a box of Kleenex and the rest of the day to just hug and love your kids.

The blog is called Bring the Rain.

It is the story of Angie and Todd and the very short life of their 4th daughter, Audrey. If you listen to the musical group, Selah, you will probably recognize Todd. When you get to the page, there is a link in the left-hand column that allows you to read the story starting at the beginning. However, after you read the beginning, you will not be able to leave your computer because you'll want to read it all. The post you should absolutely not miss (after you've read the beginning) is "A Letter to My Daughter". But, you will sob your way through it....at least I did.

I have yet to watch either of the videos that are posted. But I will. I wouldn't want to miss them.

So, check out the blog when you have some time. I'm off to spend my day playing with and enjoying my kids to the fullest. I never want to take them for granted.

Because I'm a Good Sport! :)

OK- I've been tagged.....again. Twice. Poor you all. Because I am a good sport and I like the people who tagged me, I will play along, but I have NO CLUE who I will tag. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

So, Rebecca tagged me first. So, I'll do her "assignment" first, and to spare you more info than you want to know about me in one large dose, I'll do Sara's assignment later this week (hers is harder and I might actually have to think about it- not a typical blogging activity for me). :)

So, I am supposed to list three random facts about myself, and then tag five more people. I know, I did this not too long ago, but, since I have lots of random qualities about me, this won't be hard.

1. I know all the lyrics to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire". Even more strangely, this particular talent came in handy when taking my National Teacher's Exam. When asked about what year some guy whom I didn't know (I can't recall who) did something I didn't know about, I was able to figure out the answer correctly based upon where his name fell in the song in relationship to when JFK was killed.

2. I am not a TV watcher in general, but since I had kids I haven't seen one entire episode of any sitcom. The only shows I make time to watch are reality shows: Survivor, Amazing Race, and the Apprentice. This year, I also added Biggest Loser to the rotation. Who's the biggest loser now? :) For the record, I am also the only person I know that does not watch American Idol.

3. I collect little race cars with eyes.......for my son, of course. We bought one Lightning McQueen before the movie came out when he was 3, and since they've added many more cars to the collection, we've got them all. Thankfully, they are pretty inexpensive at Walmart. Even though we are way past using them as potty rewards, and we have even reached the point where the characters they are making into cars are so obscure my son doesn't know who they are from the movie, I'm collecting them still.......because they are cute. And because I've got so many of them, it seems exciting to have the whole collection. We'll see how long that lasts. My family thinks I'm nuts! I even made a "Race Case" out of a fishing tackle box for Sawyer to organize and keep his toys in. HEY- at least I'm not collecting them and leaving them in the packages just to say I've got the whole collection. My son DOES play with them. :) And his birthday is coming!


So, there's three odd facts about myself. I'm not that weird, so I hope I don't get tagged again. :) As for tagging other people....Mavis, I am SO tagging you. I can't wait to see your answers. Robyn, I'm tagging you because you seem so normal and level headed......I want to hear YOUR oddities! :) I need some other people to make me feel normal. So, that's only two people. What can I say....I need to make some more blogging friends. I can ask my husband to post about his quirks if you are really concerned!

It's HERE!!!!!!

OH MY GOODNESS- I could seriously fly right now!!!!!! I checked the tracking on our return package from the Chinese Consulate late yesterday afternoon- nothing. Again, it was supposed to take 20 days, so I wasn't surprised. But, this morning, I just had to check again. Even though it is only 7:56AM on a SATURDAY, and really, nothing could have happened between when I checked yesterday and this morning, I checked anyway. I'm a glutton for punishment.

Or so I thought! I nearly had a stroke when I saw that not only was it listed- but it is HERE, in Manchester and will be delivered today!!!!! I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry or jump for joy or what!!! We're DONE. Done. Oh my gosh.

This means that Monday morning I can send this all out to our agency and we will be DTC (Dossier to China)- next week? Early the week after? And, logged in by Mother's Day? Oh, I pray we are logged in by Mother's Day........could there be any better gift???

Thank you, Lord, for yet another unexpected speed-up on something that should have taken much longer. Maybe we'll have the same results while waiting for a referral! :)

This is the BEST day.

I Couldn't Resist!

So, I went on the USPS web site and entered the tracking number for my RETURN package from the Chinese Consulate. No record. It has been a week, I was hopeful that maybe it was a slow week there. I guess not! They said 20 days, so I am jumping the gun a bit. Oh, how I am eager to see that it is in the air on the way back to me!!! Thankfully, I have 100,000 other things to do to keep me busy and distract me from thinking about it! Among them, one named Sawyer and one named Chloe. :) I thank God for them daily!

Wordless Wednesday

Thanks for praying!

I just want to say, "Thanks!" to all of you who were praying for my interview last week. I am so excited to report that I am the new Children's Ministry Leader at our church! It turns out that the interview was more a formality than anything, and our pastor made the announcement to our church on Sunday. Talk about a whirlwind week.

I'm really looking forward to the challenge of serving in this way, and I am humbled to have been chosen. However, I would be lying if I didn't admit to being a little sad that my days as a true stay-at-home mom are over (at least for the foreseeable future). I know I will miss being the one who provides 100% of the care to my kids. I didn't realize what a huge part of my identity it has become in just 5 short years. But, even knowing that my mom or my mother-in-law will be caring for my kids, I am just sad it won't be me 24/7. I'll miss them and having our lazy days and weeks to just be together. I also feel a little guilty that Sawyer had me for just about 5 years, and I'm leaving Chloe for 2 days a week when she is only two.

I know this is a good thing though, and more than that, I am absolutely confident that this is what the Lord has for me and for our family right now. So, fears, excitement, and all, I will start May 4th! Hopefully there are a lot of people praying for me. :)

Oh, What a Night!

Thursday night, I had the opportunity to attend a fundraiser for Joni and Friends Greater Boston- an affiliate of Joni and Friends International. If you have never heard about Joni and Friends, it's mission is to communicate the Gospel and equip Christ-honoring churches worldwide to evangelize and disciple people affected by disabilities. I was amazed at the many programs they had to support families (Family Retreats, Mom's Morning Out, etc...) who have a child affected by disabilities and also to support churches in ministering to people and families affected by disabilities. It is SUCH a great need, but one I hardly ever thought about mainly because it is not a need I am affected by, so it unfortunately went unnoticed by me.

I was so touched by the stories that were shared, and made aware of the great need for so many more people to find out about this great organization- either because they need the support, or because we can be providing support especially as a church body. I was really challenged to find a way to be a part of their ministry. I sat there realizing that due to the increased interest in the China adoption community, that this ministry would be of enormous help to many, many Christian families who are bringing home waiting children affected by disabilities. I hope that if you are in the process of adopting a child affected by a disability, that you will check out your local chapter of Joni and Friends. I know they will be a tremendous source of information and support!

As for me, I am praying about how I can be involved. I was made aware of the need for volunteers to assist with Family Retreats this summer. I am specifically praying that I might be able to bring my family and we could all minister to these families (many who are desperately in need of a break) together especially since there are several families at our church who are affected by disabilities. They attend the Family Retreats each year, and I think that having other church members help out is just another small way we can show our support. Besides, I think I have a lot to learn in this area, and what better way to learn it!

Successful Send Off

Today, I put all the documents it has taken me months to compile, and though the postal worker almost had to pry the package form my hands ("You haven't ever heard of anyone LOSING one of these, have you?"), I mailed it off to the Chinese Consulate in New York. After reading Rebecca's post about her dossier post office experience, I took her wise advice and went without my kids and without any sort of refreshment! :)

So, start the sand timer..... according to their web site, it should take 20 days.

So far, at each turn of this process, several steps that should have taken a long time (getting passports, our I-797C, etc...) ended up taking less thant half the time I expected. So, I'm praying that will be the case with this as well.

It was strange, I got pretty emotional sending it off knowing that, really, this is the last thing I have to do to complete our dossier. (I'm not even thinking of all the updating we'll have to do during our wait.) After this, it is all about getting it to CHI and them sending it to China. I imagine I'll probably be crying when I drop that package in the mail. It is like the feeling of finding out I was pregnant each time: "Wow...this is really happening, and I am SO happy!"

Fun, fun!

Who knew a trip to the state house could be so much fun? We headed up to our state house this afternoon- a mere 20 minutes away- to get all of our documents apostilled (sp?). It was a gorgeous day, so while we waited the kids ran around the grounds and admired all the statues. When we went in to pick up our documents, they needed a little more time, so we looked at all the war time flags on display. We also gave ourselves a self-guided tour of the state house. My kids were so well-behaved even I was impressed.

While we were sitting on a bench in the hallway waiting, the governor came walking by. He was quite gracious. He stopped to talk to us, and even sat with my kids for a picture! (Thankfully, I had grabbed my camera at the last minute so I could snap a picture of my kids in front of the state house.) He didn't seem the least bit rushed or put out (you know how people can be sometimes). Even after the picture he asked us questions and congratulated us on our adoption.


All in all, it was a really fun way to spend the afternoon. Even better? Our documents are ready for our LAST STEP. Tomorrow, I'll mail them off to the Chinese consulate in New York for authentication! HOORAY!!!! We're SO CLOSE!!!!

Humbled

Thank you to you all for all of your encouragement last week. It is SO great to know that there are others who feel the same way and have the same thoughts now and then. Adoption truly is a unique experience (especially if you are in the China program these days), and I'm glad to have others along the journey with me.

You know, part of my thoughts and prayers last week focused on the wait. My question to God went something like this, "WHY, oh, WHY would you have us wait for years and years for our daughter? I know there is a reason, but if I knew what it was it would be easier for me to wait!"

(Yes, I DO sound like my 4 year old who wants to know WHY instead of just trusting that I know best for him.)

But, God is gracious. Even when he did not have to answer my question he did- and immediately! My last post was Thursday, and Thursday evening I got a call from our pastor asking if he could meet with me the following morning. I had a LOT to do that day dossier-wise, but I went wondering what was up. I do some coordinating for our elementary Sunday school programming, so I figured something needed more attention or tweaking or whatever.

Now, our church has been wanting/needing to hire someone to oversee children's ministry for a bit, but with having just built a beautiful, new building (and all the extra expenses involved in that), the money just wasn't there. However, this past Sunday, someone approached the pastor and donated the money for the salary for a children's ministry leader. The pastor called to basically tell me this interesting piece of info and ask if I was at all interested in the part-time position.

I think I spent the rest of the meeting in a complete daze. Basically, the one of the biggest worries I had in all of this waiting is that it would mean that I wouldn't be able to go back to teaching for SO much longer than we had planned. Living in New England on one income is tricky, and the longer we have only one income, the harder it is to save for college, etc.... But, we knew God had called us, so we tried not to worry about that.

So, here was our pastor telling me he would like me to consider applying for this 20 hour a week position- a position that would allow me to still be home the majority of the time with my kids (and allow them time with their grandparents on the days I'm at the church), but would also allow me to add to our family's income and serve the church with my talents at the same time. I could not have come up with that plan if you had asked me to!!!!! "How Great is Our God" indeed.

Now, I don't have the job yet. I'm interviewing for it tomorrow, but I have a complete peace about it either way. I just know God has something for us in these "waiting years" that will prepare us in some way for our daughter. I just have to REMEMBER that!!! I'll keep you all posted!! :)

OH- We also found a REALLY fantastic poetry book buried in my old teacher stuff. It is a book of animal poems by various poets and it is illustrated by none other than the amazing Eric Carle (my absolute favorite). My son LOVES, LOVES this book, and so do I!

My Verse(s) for the Day

I'll admit it, I woke up doubting this morning, wanting to run to the computer and fill out that other application. You know, I could just be being short sighted....what is a month right now when in the long run the other agency would be better, safer, complete with a really great "Plan B"? Maybe I'm just wanting to be logged ASAP in in spite of clear "signs" that we should be looking for a wiser place the facilitate this adoption God called us to. After all....He called us to adoption, not to a specific agency, right? And we're supposed to be good stewards of our resources too.......we'd save money at the other agency- even with the extra costs incurred in the switch.

I'm a piece of work-make no mistake.

So, here are my verses for the day. Every time I start this ridiculous train of thought, I'm going to grab these and read them.

* Isaiah 46:11- What I [the Lord] have said, that will I bring about; What I have planned, that will I do.

* Habakkuk 2:3- The vision is yet for the appointed time...Though it tarries, wait for it; For it certainly will come, it will not delay.

* and that same verse in another translation (I'm not sure what translation, but I like this version) Habakkuk 2:3- But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, Steadily, surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, be patient for it will surely take place. It will not be late by a single day."

* John 14:27- Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Another Lesson for Me in All This

I am so thankful that my friend, Erin and her girls came to our house today to play! First of all, this is so rare for us. Since we live in a different town from where my son goes to school and from where we go to church, we so rarely have people come to our house for play dates. My kids were thrilled. Secondly, It took my mind of the stress of figuring out this whole agency dilemma. I didn't think about it once all morning.

But, then, our friends left, and I immediately had a splitting headache. After a call to the agency we were thinking of switching to, I was crying. She basically said that we'd be set back a whole month because we'd have to fill out all their forms. So, that means re-doing financial, medical and various other forms. I just did not feel peace about that at all. At all. I called the director of CHI's China program and basically just laid it all out for her and asked every question I had in great detail. I was again reminded of how much we really love CHI.

Thankfully, my husband was in the car on the way to his next call and had time to really talk. He is good in a crisis, and he had a much cooler head than I did. He reminded me of how the Lord truly directed us to CHI, and how I have a tendency to set up a plan "B" when plan "A" doesn't seem to be going my way. He lovingly told me that that's what I'm doing and I'm basically creating this stress for myself. He has felt all along that Lord wants us at CHI, and that part of His call to us to adopt is for us to trust Him and learn some things. He suggested patience and surrendering control may be a couple of them for me. I'm sure he is not wrong.

Interestingly, today I also got an e-mail from my husband's cousin who is struggling with some medical issues and facing a serious surgery. What he wrote about what the Lord is teaching him struck me. It was no coincidence I got this e-mail today:

"I just wanted to say what the Lord has been doing in my life......I was at small groups this past Friday and we were talking about some deep issues and I do not know how it came up, but [a friend] confronted me about being fearful. I never knew this, but I was not walking in the confidence and truth the Lord had spoke to me in the shower a few weeks ago. It is amazing when the Lord breaks through to your spirit and then 5 days later you forget it and are fearful again. It hit me like a ton of bricks that I was not walking daily in what God had spoken to me. I had thrown up my hands and said, "Thank you Lord for talking to me. Now I can relax for the next month until surgery happens". I was dead at that moment. I broke through that wall on Friday, praise the Lord.

Also, Dad had preached this past Sunday about David and Goliath, and how everyone on the Israelite side had a gripping fear among them for this giant Philistine. Their fear was human, for they were looking at Goliath through their physical eyes and saw the task impossible. David on the other hand had trust in God. Unwavering trust that made him confront this giant of a man. In 1 Samuel 17:36, David says to Saul, "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" When in fact David was in front of Goliath on the battlefield, David RAN towards Goliath. Now I don't know about you, but I would not run towards a 9 foot warrior champion with my little slingshot if I was looking at him through human eyes. But David knew that God would prevail, for Goliath defied God.

Then, Dad said something that cut me to the core. He said, "If you look at your life, can't you see where the Lord has broken down, broken through, and broken free these issues in your life that kept you bound. Then why do you doubt now? Why do you doubt that the SAME God who has never left you so far, would leave you now?"

Well, that hit me. I'm walking in fear....specifically fear of the unknown in the adoption process. I'm trying to line up a Plan "B" just in case the plan God has doesn't work out. It seems so ridiculous when I write it down in print, but it's so true in my actions and thoughts.

So, thanks in part to Scot and his cousin's e-mail today, I realized that I've created this stress for myself. We have prayed diligently about each decision along the way in this process, and I'm not going to second guess all that now- Hague approval or not. I'm essentially being one of the Israelite spies looking into the promised land and seeing only the giants, and not trusting the promise God gave them. And, I SO do not want to do that. So, again I am reminded that when I am not being diligent about being in God's word, I resort to being fearful and focusing not on God, but on my circumstances. I wonder if I'll ever learn.

So, we're staying with Children's Hope, and we have complete peace about that- even though to some that makes no sense. I'm thankful that we can move forward in confidence, and I am praying that I will remember this lesson over the long years of waiting ahead.

It Arrived!!!

Our I-797C (immigration approval) arrived in the mail today a mere 8 days after being fingerprinted!!! Of course, that took me completely off-guard because we thought we had some more time to decide on a new agency. Well, we don't. In fact, now switching to a new agency will set us back. So, I was thrilled to see it, but spent the rest of the night stressed out. I've been trigger shy about the new agency switch, but we can't afford that anymore.

So.....tomorrow is the big day! We'll apply to a new agency (and beg and plead that they fast-track our application) and I get a copy of our I-797C notarized. That way, once we are on board with our new agency and they've looked over our documents to make sure they are all set, we can be ready to take them for certification and then send them off for authentication! So, it's exciting and stressful all at the same time! I can see the finish line, and I'm wanting to dash for it, but it's like I have a cinderblock chained to my ankle! Will we EVER be logged in???

On a happy note, it was a beautiful, warm day (that's 57 degrees here in NH- no jackets and I saw many people in shorts!) and we were able to get outside! That did wonders for us all!!

National Poetry Month-Part 2

We've been enjoying our poems on CD. On the nights when routine takes over and I forget to play the CD, Sawyer always reminds me! I'm not sure he totally "gets" the idea of a poems yet, but that just is added reminder to me to use poems more regularly in our reading.

Anyway, I wanted to include my favorite poetry for the "Under 3" population! The majority of board books for young children use poetry (Sandra Boynton being my ABSOLUTE favorite), so they are generally exposed to poetry regularly. However, I wanted to share two of my favorites because they tend to be overlooked.

My Many Colored Days is my absolute favorite book by Dr. Seuss. If you don't own this book, run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore and pick it up!! The poem is brilliant, the artwork gorgeous (and not typical "Seuss-style"), and to top it off, it helps kids understand the range of emotions they feel during any given day. We frequently reference it around here: "Are you having a "black" day?" or "I'm feeling really 'yellow' today" (for me that is code for stressed out!). In fact, that's what I want to re-name this blog: "Our Many Colored Days". I'm still thinking about that!

Mice Speak, We Speak is the poetry book Chloe would recommend if she could. She LOVES this book, and so do I. Again, this book is associated with a very well known author, Tomie DePaola. Although he did not write the poem that is the text of the book (Arnold Shapiro did), he did all the artwork. The artwork is very captivating, and the text is sparing, but just right for any child under 3! This is particularly perfect for any child learning animal names and sounds. This is one of my go-to books for baby gifts. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out for sure!

Referrals!

I love this time of the month, but this month is even better because a family I have been following for some time got their referral today! This will be their first child, and when I read their blog this morning and saw that they got the news, I started crying. That's weird even for me, but because I have been following their journey for a bit, I was anxiously awaiting referrals this month. I guess the anticipation built it all up for me. I can only imagine what it must be like when it is YOUR referral. I'll probably have a stroke! :) I'm just so happy for them, and since they live in the Boston area, they seem close, so that's somwhow more exciting.

Anyway, you can follow their journey and share their joy here.

They don't have a picture yet, but hopefully they will by the end of the day! I can hardly wait.

On another topic.....it SNOWED here again this morning!!! Do I live in Alaska or New Hampshire? These days it is hard to tell. If this craziness doesn't stop soon, I'm going to start walking to Florida! :)

Who Needs Webkins?

I should start by saying that my son recently figured out what a webkins is while seeing his older cousin "take care" of hers online. He has since explained to me repeatedly how they work: "Mom, you take care of them online." (Like he even knows what that means!) Thankfully, he's pretty good about not asking for stuff. Directly. But, we've heard a lot of, "Wow! Webkins are really cool." or "Maybe I'll get a webkins for my birthday." Probably not as we really have no intention of buying him one. It's just not our thing. Not to mention, he thinks it is cool because his cousin was using it, but I don't think he'd really understand or enjoy it all that much.

So, last night, my husband (who works for a pharmaceutical company) came home with these stuffed animals for the kids. They are the characters used in advertising for Actos, a type 2 diabetes drug. My son wanted to know what their names were (and I wanted to know WHAT they were supposed to be). Unfortunately, my husband wasn't sure which character was which either. He suggested Sawyer and I visit the Actos website to find out because they are featured there. Here's how the conversation went from there:

Sawyer: "You mean they are WEBKINS?!?!"

Me: "Well, not really. Let's look at the website."

*I type in the web address and there they are. You click on them and they introduce themselves and tell why they are an important thing in relationship to type 2 diabetes or to good health in general.*

Sawyer: "See, mom. They are a webkins!!!! They are online. I got 7 webkins! I'm going to bring them to school to show the class when I am the leader!"

Scot and I exchange looks and try not to a) burst his bubble and b) burst out laughing!!!! I can just imagine him standing up in front of his preschool class and the teacher being perplexed as he shows everyone his new webkins: Pancreas, Muscle, Stomach, Kidney, Trigyceride, HDL-C, and Liver. His favorite one is Muscle, by the way.

Then there is the fact that my daughter rocks the Triglyceride, whom she calls "Stinky" for some unknown reason, and sings "Jesus Loves You" to him.

I'm thinking maybe a webkins would have been a better choice!

Wordless Wednesday

National Poetry Month

Happy April! April is National Poetry Month, and I am really looking forward to it! I love children's literature. It is the only thing I collect really, and I SO enjoy reading to my kids. When my friends are looking for a book for their kids or for a gift, they call me. I'm always excited to help. Much to the chagrin of many a child, I only give books as gifts. Kids have enough toys and crayons, but they can never have enough books. The thing I miss most about teaching is reading to the kids in my class, and it brings tears to my eyes when I bump into them and they say that's what they miss most about me! I love to read in general, but books for kids are a passion of mine.

So, it was bound to spill over into this blog sooner or later! :) With the dossier preparation winding down to a series of small tasks that require a lot of waiting in between, I am realizing that my love for children's books can be something I can incorporate into my blog while we wait for our daughter to come home, and I am SO excited!!! Actually, I thought of it while reading another blog, Digging To China, when she posted a list of 100 Best Children's books as voted by the NEA (National Education Association, the teacher's union).

So, in that spirit, I am offering my first book recommendation to kick-off National Poetry Month. It is called Poetry Speaks to Children edited by Elise Paschen. The best thing about this book besides its fantastic mix of poetry (old, new, goofy, thoughtful), is that it also comes with a CD featuring 60 tracks of poetry from the book being read- many times by the poet! Each night this month, we are going to listen to two poems- that takes us right through the month- and there will still be poems in the book that I can read to them. There is just something about hearing poetry read by the poet- it is different than just reading it yourself. I also love that the artwork is simple and spare so that my kids have the opportunity to create their own picture of the poem in their head. That's a rare opportunity these days! Sawyer is SO excited about it- any chance to listen to a CD at bedtime is somehow exciting for him! I try not to be insulted! :)

I hope you too will enjoy National Poetry Month with us!