The Cast

No show would be complete without the naming of the cast.

Caroline Ingalls, played by me. She is one of my heroes. Of course I'll never be half the woman she was. To think about all she did day in and day out without any modern conveniences just astounds me. If you would have told me 20 years ago that I would be a country-living, homeschooling, stay-at-home-mom of 5 (or a mom of any kind for that matter), I would have thought you had just described my worst nightmare. Funny how life happens when you are making other plans. Truth be told, I couldn't be happier with the way my life has turned out. I love being a mom. I love the freedom of not working or schooling on someone else's schedule. Interests at the moment are yoga, home plans and home building, learning to crochet, whole foods eating, reading and hanging out with my little people.

Charles Ingalls, unknowingly played by my dh. He could have given the real Pa a run for his money. He is so resourceful and can figure out how to do anything he sets his mind to from baking bread to making furniture to building a house. He puts up with most of my latest and greatest ideas of things we should try - that is if I am patient enough. It did take him 10 or so years to agree to the housebuilding idea and the adoption, but they were worth waiting for. He is easy going, open-minded, a fine cook, and an impressive feminist. The latter fact being very important to me, as I now find myself a stay-at-home-feminist (not sure that term actually exists and if it does it is probably as an oxymoron. Regardless, that is how I think of myself). His ancestry is half Greek and half English. Fortunately for me, his Greek half is from his father's side so he has the all important Greek last name which first got him noticed by my "Greek man radar". From the time I was about 10, I decided the only way I would ever marry is if it was to a Greek man. Guess I fell for all of the travel brochure pictures and decided only a man from that part of the world could sweep me off my feet. Of course he hasn't taken me to Greece yet, but some day......

Mr. Edwards played by my soon to be 10 year old son. He is nothing like Mr. Edwards on the show, but Mr. Edwards is certainly his favorite character. My Mr. Edwards is truly one of the most beautiful humans I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is kind, soft-spoken, smart, compassionate, and thoughtful. He is definitely an "old soul". I have much to learn from him. Honestly, when I am having one of those moments where I think I just may lose it because having five children is just too overwhelming, I stop and think What would my Mr. Edwards do? It is just so dang convenient having my very own personal Bodhisattva living with me 24/7 illuminating my path. My Mr. Edwards is also an obsessive-compulsive reader. He always has a book in hand. Once in a moment of lack-of-reading-material desperation, I caught him reading the vacuum cleaner owner's manual.

Mr. Garvey played by my son from Ethiopia. Officially he is 7 soon to be 8. He tells us he is actually 10. In the eight months he has been with us, he has put on 25 lbs, grown 6 inches and is now the same size as my Mr. Edwards. My Mr. Garvey is a motivated student, very athletic, a hard worker, and loves to turn anything into a competition. When he turns his need to compete inward he accomplishes anything he sets his mind to. When he turns his need to compete outward to his siblings, it isn't quite so enjoyable. We are working on that one. Overall he has made a wonderful adjustment and we love having him in our family. When asked what he likes most about America, he will tell you Trick-or-Treating, Christmas, and Happy Birthdays.

Laura played by my 6 year old son. Yes that's right, son. As far as personality, he is definitely spunky and mischievous like Laura. Overall not a bad match even if the gender is wrong. My Laura is a free spirit and definitely the clown of the house. He gets such a thrill out of making others laugh. There is nothing he won't do for a laugh. At the same time he is so in tune with people and their feelings. On Saturday night a neighbor's house burned down. When we saw it for the first time Sunday afternoon, his first comment was, "Seeing their house just makes me want to give them a big hug." He is also funny in the sense that at the tender age of 6 he has figured out that when he grows up he will marry his friend Holley, move to Boston, have four children, two dogs, 1 cat, and drive a blue van.

Mary played by my daughter from Ethiopia. She is probably 7 years old and is nothing like Mary Ingalls. She has little interest in book learning. She is definitely not soft-spoken. She is more a combination of Laura and Willie with a pinch of Nellie. She is very spirited, she knows what she wants and goes after it with abandon. She has had the hardest time adjusting to her new life. She misses her Ethiopian family a lot. She constantly brings me pieces of paper to write down all the names of everyone she ever knew in Ethiopia. I think she is afraid she will forget them. In the eight months she has been with us, she has really settled down. She went from demanding to be taken back to Ethiopia to now only wanting to "visit and then come back to America". I do hope that we can manage a trip back to Ethiopia in the next 2-3 years.

Almanzo Wilder played by my other daughter from Ethiopia. She will officially be turning 4 years old this Saturday. She really wanted to be Laura or Mary, but the older kids talked her out of it. When I asked her why she picked Almanzo, she said it was because she "liked him because he married Laura". My Almanzo has the most incredible smile I have ever seen. All she has to do is flash that smile and the answer is pretty much "yes" to whatever she wants. She constantly makes noise whether it is singing or talking to herself or just gibberish. She is also quite the flirt. She "picks up" men everywhere she goes. She may have to be sent to a nunnery until she's 25.

Thanks for taking the time to meet Ma, Pa, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Garvey, Mary and my gender benders Mr. Laura and Miss Almanzo