DEF flashmob(noun) -  a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse. I really had no plans for Karis's birthday yesterday. Life has been crazy, and I always think that first birthdays are more for the parents than for the clueless babies. I mean, let's be honest. Karis is just as happy playing with the pots and pans drawer as she would be at some elaborate fete in the backyard that would deplete my . . .

Today, my little baby turns one year old.  Karis is truly a joy.  She is such a happy baby.  She seems to find delight in every situation, whether she is laughing at Kembe's dancing or trying to feed me her bottle.  She is a bundle of cuteness. I love this stage, for all the wide-eyed curiosity and unbridled enthusiasm for the world.  At the same time, she's entering that precocious toddler stage, hallmarked by the dangerous combo of mobility + lack of reasoning.  . . .

This afternoon I experienced the worst fifteen minutes of my life.  I knew India was mad at me.  She often is.  Today's rage was over the fact that I refused to buy her a dollhouse at a nearby garage sale (since she already has one), and the fact that I added a few kernels of rice to her black beans, when she specifically ordered "beans only".  She was giving me the stinkeye after lunch, and threatened to run away several times.  She threatens to run away quite . . .

I am not one of those moms who does a lot of fancy stuff for the holidays.  It just seems like a lot of unnecessary work.  At Christmas, I'm lucky to get a tree up.  Every year at Easter my mother-in-law takes pity on the kids and dyes eggs with them.  On Valentines Day she makes heart-shaped waffles with them.  She always buys them cute seasonal shirts.  I'm beginning to see a theme . . . But I am the mom who then forgets about the cute seasonal shirt . . .

In all of the adoption books we read in preparation for Kembe's homecoming, the experts described a honeymoon period, which would be followed by a period of limit-testing and acting out.We had a wonderful first couple of weeks. Oh my word, it was lovely. Kembe was happy and exuberant most of the time. He and his siblings got along so well. He was sad on occasion, but he just cuddled into us, so it was cute and endearing. We were trying to minimize his transition trauma, so we were letting . . .

Well, will you look at that?Guess who's sold on ice cream?Now all I have to do is get him to fall into a tv-induced coma for the 30 minutes that Diego is on.(And to stop calling the soccer ball a football.) Then our family indoctrination will be complete. . . .

Chapter 3827 in Kristen's series entitled"OMG These Kids Are Growing Up So Fast"(India's first haircut)Totally sad, but totally necessary due to the tantrums after every bath when we had to comb it.I had her sit in the high chair. I cut it myself. I tried to remember watching my mom do it.Goodbye, cute ringlets of blonde.Goodbye, baby curls.Hello, shorter 'do and easier brushing.When I told India I was going to cut her hair, she asked me to cut it just like Kembe's. So I put it into two-strand . . .

Kembe takes his role as "helper" very seriously. Sometimes I have a hard time believing this kid is the same age as India, because he acts like such a little adult. One of his favorite pastimes is sweeping. I promise - he does this of his own will. And he is remarkably good at it. My other two kids like to pretend to sweep - they sort of push the broom around and then call it a day. Kembe is serious about it. He edges in from the corners and even uses the dustpan. And then he grabs the . . .