Family

Family

Yesterday, just before our social worker arrived at our house for our 6-month post-placement visit, Isabel asked me in Chinese "why did I come here?"  She was referring to coming to join our family, since I had--just minutes before--explained why Daddy hadn't yet left for work since he was waiting for our social worker to come and talk about how things were going with Isabel in our family.

"Why did I come here?"  An interesting question, to be sure.  One that most children never need to ponder or ask their parents. 

So, I turned off my hair dryer (I was actually taking the time to do my hair before meeting with the social worker...summer ponytail on hiatus for 24 hours), squatted down to Isabel's eye level, and told her she came here because we loved her.  We had seen her photo and read about her, and knew that in China she didn't have a mama and baba and we really wanted her to come and be our daughter.  We wanted to be her Mama and Baba.  And so we worked really hard at all the paperwork and were so excited when China told us we could come and meet her and bring her home.

Isabel soaked all of these words up, looking me straight in the eye with a sheepish smile, and leaned into me.  "I love Mama and Baba" was her response. 

Family. 

We have had a lot of time with our families this summer, and it has been wonderful. 

A week at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland with my family was a fabulous blend of outdoor fun, yummy shared meals, late night card games for the grown ups, and just doing life together with cousins and Aunts and Uncles and Nana and Pap Pap and the "grand-dogs" for a whole week.  We had our own "red neck spa"--a blog post in and of itself for another day--but let me just say that spending time picking nits from little girls' heads with your family brings bonding to a whole new level.

Jared and Joshua's night to cook--tacos!  Well done, lads!

We pulled it off--despite the rain--everyone dressed and smiling!

AUnt Ollie and most of the girls...they LOVE their Aunt Ollie!

My girls and me...I am so blessed.

Everyone got in the water--even the dogs.  No wait, Nana didn't get in!



After a week at home to do laundry, recover from our vacation, and finish up Anna's summer swim league meets, the kids and I headed north to drop Anna off for a week of camp at Mount Gilead--a Christian girls' camp in Pennsylvania at which two of our nieces are currently counselors.  The drop off at the camp was easier emotionally for Isabel than the drop off for Jared earlier in the summer, since she had seen Jared happily return home three weeks later and she now better understood the permanence of our family. 

After dropping Anna off, we headed to Grammy and Pop Pop's house in New Jersey, where the kids and I spent the ensuing week hanging out with Uncle Jer and Auntie Em, Peter and Naomi, and Grammy and Pop Pop.  We also got to see several other cousins and other Aunts and Uncles. We had lots of fun doing summer things--like the County Farmer's Fair, swimming at a local lakeside beach, swimming in the pool, shopping for back-to-school shoes, and a fun day of hiking for Jared and me at a place called Hawk Mountain Preserve.  During the week, we got to watch how family cares for family as Pop Pop had knee replacement surgery early in the week--and Grammy stayed at the hospital for many hours with Uncle Jer and Aunt Judi taking turns checking in on them there.  And we got to be amazed by Pop Pop's determination to bounce right back and faithfully do his PT exercises to strengthen his leg.   Most of all, we got to simply enjoy *being* with our extended family, something that many years of military moves all around the world has made scarce.

"Tank-full Tuesday"

Many bloggers use weekly titles like "Wordless Wednesday" (to post photos only) or "Thankful Thursday" (to talk about what they are thankful for). 

I was just struck this morning with the many different things for which I am extremely thankful.  So, in the vein of Thankful Thursday on a Tuesday, it's "Tank-full Tuesday" because I am thankful and the tank of my heart is full of gratitude.

• Jared survived his 3-week stay at SALT--where the boys were challenged physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  He learned a lot, made some good friends, and rose to the occasion for the many challenges they threw at him.  And it's so good to have him home again, bug-bitten and weary as he is.
• Lilly and Isabel are, most of the time, really a lot of fun together.  They crack each other up and when they smile at one another, my heart melts.  Even though we are working on behaviors and attitudes in many areas with each of them, I am thankful these sweet little girls get to grow up together.
• Anna is maturing and is becoming a hard worker at home and a helper at church.  She is helping the preschool teacher for this week's vacation Bible school at church and is really enjoying it.  She is also enjoying her summer league swim team which is a little bit less intense than her year-round team.  She is dropping time on all of her swims and is one of the fastest girls in her age group, which is a nice change from being middle-of-the-pack during the winter season.
• I am thankful for healthy bodies and minds, for an extended period of an infection-free Lilly, for a church family where we are making new friends and hearing solid Biblical preaching, for neighbors who are friendly and fun and helpful.
• I'm thankful for a partner in Tom--for shared love, vision, and commitment.  Even though our lives are so full and time for us to be alone or "date" is limited, I am thankful for the fact that Jared and ANna are old enough and responsible enough (and Bella is comfortable enough already) for us to head out to run quick errands or grab a quick bite together now and then.
• I'm thankful for our families and the upcoming opportunities we're going to have to spend time with each of them this summer.

Tanks for reading!

On Another Roll...More Language Lessons...

I love the ball of yarn we get wrapped up in around here sometimes with language.  Lilly oftentimes needs me to translate what Bella is saying in Chinese (and even more often, I have to translate the reverse direction for Bella regardless of who is talking to whom.)  Today, our conversation went like this:

Lilly: "Mom, what does "ting bu dong" mean? (Chinese for "I don't understand (what you're saying)")

Me: "I don't understand what you're saying."
Lilly: (more loudly and slowly) "MOM!  WHAT DOES 'TING BU DONG' MEAN?!"
Me (laughing): "it MEANS 'I don't understand what you're saying!'"

And, for my friends who read this blog but who are not on Facebook to have read this earlier today, Lilly was so tickled today.  This afternoon, Lilly came running over to me beaming and said "MOM! I talked to Bella in English and she answered in ENGLISH! That makes my heart so happy!" The question she had asked Bella in English was "Are you my BFF?" and Bella's answer was "Yep."

Blogging (er, or not) at the Speed of Life

It can't be done.  Not at the speed of our lives these days.

NOT blogging, well that pretty much defines the speed of our lives these days.  Maybe you'd noticed?  Or maybe no one even checks anymore to see if there is anything new (ok, I know at least Donna still does...:)) 

Nearly every day at least one thing happens or one thing is said that sparks a blog post idea in my little mind, but the moments pass and the days pass and the weeks pass and the thoughts get all jumbled and I forget all the profound and funny things I had wanted to share. 

It's easier just to not try to capture it all or, instead, to put up a Facebook status update...the instantaneous way to share little snippets with so much less thought or effort right from my trusty little iPhone.  Besides which, the laundry piles up (again), the dishes get dirty (again), the floor and table get sticky (again), we run out of milk (again), the little girls need baths (again)...I rarely sit down in front of a real keyboard to attempt to write.

Until I realize that is really HAS been about six weeks since I've recorded anything here and that amounts to fully HALF the amount of time that Isabel has been home.  And that, my friends, is unacceptable.

Blogging, you see, is my way of processing our lives.  This blog is really my own selfish little therapeutic vehicle.  And it's time for some writing therapy.

Since all of the potential blog posts are now a mish-mash in my feeble brain, this blog post will itself be a random mish mash of thoughts...be forewarned.
Mothering Four:  Let me start with a saying I've heard that "a mother is only as happy as her saddest child."  I've also heard it said that "to become a mother is to forever have your heart walking around outside your own body."  Both of these sayings ring true with me.  So with 4 children, I have a pretty good chance of feeling angst at any given time.  Especially when their age range means that I have someone in high school while still having a preschooler at home with me.  Juggling is not an adequate word for what I do every day. 
Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays:  June is a big month for us!  Isabel turned 6 and Anna turned 12.  We celebrated Bella's birthday with cupcakes and ice cream sodas on the front lawn with neighborhood friends, and Anna will have her kids' party this Friday--a "Dramatic Fanatic" mystery party.  Last weekend we had my folks here for a celebration, and it was SO much fun to see all the little girls together.  SO good, too, to have some time to catch up as a family. 

Sisters and Friends: Oh my goodness are Lilly and Bella ever two peas in a pod these days.  I know Bella is excited to have Lilly home for the summer.  They play together--usually really nicely--ALL the time.  Their favorite place to play is in our front yard...they take a blanket and what seems like ALL of their toys outside and just play play play.  They most often play with their babies, and recently set up birthday parties for all of the baby dolls outside with some creative props.  Frequently neighborhood kids come over and playwith them, which they (and I!) love.  Take a look:

Lilly lost her first tooth...the tooth fairy broke with tradition and actually showed up the very night that she lost it.












School is OUT! The school year ended with the usual crazy few weeks filled with end-of-year field trips, concerts, musicals, plays, performances, parties, and--in Anna's case--her second elementary school graduation in as many years. (Florida's elementary school ended in 5th grade, Virginia's elementary schools extend through 6th).

I am so proud of each of the kids for making it through their first year in a new school system--in Jared's case his first year of high school, in Anna's case a year at the top of a school where most of the kids have been together for 6 years, and, in Lilly's case, her first year of full-time school with 3 surgeries in one school year. Witness the transformation in Lilly this year:

 

First walk to the bus stop...looking unsure...

Here comes the bus for the first time...downright terrified (mama's heart breaking here)...

Proud kindergartener on her last day of school, heading to the bus stop...what a long way she has come!

Lilly and her beloved Mrs. LaDestro...Isabel is hoping she'll be her teacher next year.

Summer Plans:

"I like the things that summer brings, it brings so many many things..." Dr Seuss.

We have many fun things planned for the summer, and I know it is going to fly by.  Swim team, a few summer piano lessons, a week of vacation with my family at a lakeside cabin, a week of summer camp for Anna, Vacation Bible School, and--for Lilly--another expansion surgery ahead in August.  Throw into the mix some fun day trips I have in my mind to do, and it could be a really fun summer.

Jared started his summer vacation by heading off to the hills of West Virginia yesterday for 3 weeks of SALT--Servants' and Leaders' Training--at a Christian camp.  He is pretty excited about it, and we are excited for the ways God might use this experience to draw him closer to the Lord and mold in him a servant-leader's heart.  Isabel had a really hard time saying goodbye--sobbing after we prayed over him and said our goodbyes. "Where will he sleep?" and "What will he eat?" seemed to be her main concerns...made me wonder if she thinks we're leaving him at an orphanage. I assured him he is very excited, and that he will have plenty to eat and he likes to sleep outside in a tent, really.  After dropping him, we enjoyed Father's Day in the great outdoors, hiking along some gorgeous trails...

All for now!!  Another post for another day...Isabel's medical testing, educational testing, and prospects for her growth and development.