Salsa Party!

      Salsa Party       

Adoption Fundraiser 

                    Saturday, September 8^th                   

  Hosted by Ed, Kris, and Audrey Chew

We are throwing another salsa party to raise funds toward our second adoption.  Come celebrate our first and anticipate the next with us!  Bring your family and friends along too.  (10% of this year’s proceeds will go to the MICAH Fund, a grant organization for minority domestic adoptions).

1:00 – 6:00:  Blacksmithing

Pound some red hot iron!  After an introductory session, you can try your hand at forging the old fashioned way:  hammer, tongs, and anvil.  Bring your long pants and shoes that cover your feet (no sandals please).  We’ll have safety glasses on hand for your use. (Suggested donation $10)

3:00 – 6:00 pm  Salsa Making

Using fresh ingredients grown here and at neighboring farms, you can chop and design your own salsa or use our recipe, then bottle it up and take it home – bring your own containers or purchase jars at the farm.  (Suggested donation $5/quart)

4:00 – 6:00  Kids’ Scavenger Hunt

For the kids and kids at heart, follow the hidden clues around the farm to find the hidden treasure!  (free)

6:00 till you’re full:  Supper and Open Mic

Enjoy one of our favorite meals; Pozole, a Mexican stew (vegetarian and omnivorous options).  Salad, salsa, etc.  (Suggested donation $6 per adult)                                                     

 Come with a song to share and step up to the open mic! 

Throughout the afternoon:   honey,  garlic, and handmade soap will be for sale 

Around 7:30:  Epic Bonfire  

 

We're expecting!

Due date unknown.

Yes, we're at it again!  As appealing as was the thought of a paperwork-and-hustle-free year, we climbed right back on the adoption treadmill.  Knowing how long the process can take, we decided we'd better get working on the next member of the family as soon as we could.

Back in early January we interviewed with Lutheran Social Services for a spot in their 2012 domestic adoption program .  At the time, we were a couple of weeks away from finalizing Audrey's adoption.  During our interview, the social worker informed us that we could not start on seconds until we had finished our first, so we spent a couple of weeks on pins and needles awaiting our court date, hoping we could still get in to the LSS program this year.  As soon as we got home from our visit with the judge, I was on the phone to LSS, and well . . . we got into the 2012 group by the grace of God and by the skin of our teeth.

So, here we are! having jumped through all of our hoops already, the initial paperwork pile behind us.  Spring and early summer were loaded with trainings and writings and scrapbook making.  We breathed a colossal and combined sigh at the end of June when all of our papers and portfolios were submitted.  We were approved and placed into the book of waiting families.  (Many thank yous to all who helped us out with references, scrapbooking, and prayers!).  And now, once again, we wait to be discovered by the birth mother of our future child.  They say to be ready at any time, but that we should be prepared to bide our time for 2 years.  We're hoping that it won't be quite such a long wait, but at the same time, we're tickled to already be on the waiting list.

And now that we are officially a waiting family . . . it is time for another

                        SALSA PARTY! (adoption fund raiser)

Saturday, September 8th

Blacksmithing workshop, salsa-making, Mexican posole supper, bonfire, music, kids' activities

Details and schedule will be posted here shortly 

For a look at the 2010 Salsa party you can check out the first entry of 2010 in this blog. 
The 2010 flyer is at ironwoodsalsaparty.blogspot.com

For those who are wondering how Audrey's doing, here's a look at a few of her recent firsts:

first steps

first birthday

first teeth

first swim

The Final Word

Now that I'm thoroughly absorbed my role of Mom, I'm finding less time for, well, just about everything I used to do pre-motherhood, (except maybe laundry). All the blog-worthy material has just had to simmer on the back burner. Seeing now that it has been 5 months since our last entry, it is high time for a quick note.

January 23rd, Ed, Audrey, and I loaded into the car and drove a little too fast through a snowstorm to make it to our court date at the Barron County courthouse. We had a brief appointment with the judge, who I found to be seriously intimidating. I had been told how much the judges enjoy adoption hearings, considering the weighty nature of most of the hearings they preside over, so I had expected a little less gravity. It didn't help that I missed the "all rise" when he entered the courtroom. I was busy changing Audrey's diaper in the back.

Wisconsin adoption law requires that an adoption can only be finalized after the child being adopted has resided in the home of the adoptive parents for at least 6 months. Up until the finalization, adoptive parents are licensed as foster care providers for the child. The judge asked us a bunch of questions, making sure we understood the nature of taking on the responsibility of permanent parental rights for Audrey. We managed to answer all the questions correctly without smarting off, so the judge saw fit to approve of Audrey remaining under our parental oversight as a permanent member of our family -- for keeps.

After all the official business was over, the judge did lighten up a bit and made some conversation with Ed about farrier work. Then it was over. Regrettably, I was still too intimidated to ask for a picture with the judge to mark the occasion. So, we gathered our coats and car seat, ambled out of the courtroom with a sigh of relief, and headed to an office to fill out one last stack of papers. We celebrated by going out for breakfast at a local cafe.

This day, I had expected a huge wave of rapturous joy and delight at the clearing of this final hurdle. I expected tears. Instead I just felt quietly glad that we were done with all - well, almost all - of the paperwork and the homework that comes with adoption. I was relieved to have it established once and for all that Audrey is truly and legally our daughter now. We had been on this road for a long time and it was good to come to a happy end. But that court hearing did not really change our daily life together that we had been doing for the past 7 months. It didn't change my love for this sweet baby nor my gratitude to her birth parents. It did change our legal status, which is no small matter. However, I am finding that the heart doesn't always respond on cue to an official stamp on a piece of paper. Instead of predictably arriving at the high points, the delights and joys and tears of parenthood continue to surprise me by showing up on the unmomentous days, when we are just living life together.

Now, a couple of months out, I can look back on January 23, and see that the day does hold a special weight in my heart and mind. Because of that day, we can say with triumph -- Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Audrey's adoption is final!