First Saturday Event

Kevin Daniel’s profile says that he is a “leader.”  I was really curious how that leadership would manifest itself in our family.  I am an oldest child.  Sometimes when my family would describe me as a “leader” they were politely saying I was a little bossy and maybe a little obstinate too!  So far Kevin has been neither.  He’s been very responsive to our instructions.  When we say that it is time to be done with the DS there hasn't been a fight, and he didn’t fuss when I told him he had to pick a different ceramic to paint because the first one was “mucho dinero!”  I do realize that we are still in the “honeymoon” phase of his stay here.  Questioning our authority may follow in the next week or two.  Kevin has demonstrated his leadership by helping our younger children.  When he felt that the girls were getting a little too far into the street at the 4^th of July parade he would gentle lead them back to the curb.   When my 4 year old needed help with his bike helmet and I was busy helping the 2 year old, Kevin got off his bike and helped out without being asked.  I like this kind of leadership! 



Kevin's artwork from this morning.

 It was our first Kidsave event, and we painted pottery at Glazed Expressions.  My oldest son also got a taste of reality today.    The two have been together since Kevin arrived.  My son has completely amazed me in his thoughtfulness toward Kevin's needs.  I warned my son that today Kevin would be with his Colombian friends and may want to hang out with them a lot.   It wasn't necessarily because he likes them better, but because they all speak Spanish.  Kevin didn’t shun him at all, but my son could see how much fun he was having with the other kids.  While it was a hard lesson, it was probably good for him to realize that Kevin Daniel is not his personal playmate!  

I enjoyed seeing him interact with the other Summer Miracles kids this morning.  He says so little at our house that it was fun to see him talk and joke around.  He was not the most boisterous kid in the bunch, but he came out of his shell a bit more than we have seen in the past couple of days.

I have contacted a couple of acquaintances in the local media in hopes that they will help me spread the word about the upcoming Kidsave events.  There are three more chances for families to come out and meet these great kiddos!