LAST DAY OF HOME SCHOOL!!!!!

Can I get an "Amen"!!!??? Yes, today is our last day of homeschool, and I must say; I am probably more excited than the kids! It's been an interesting school year to say the least-----in fact, it's been an interesting year period! June 5th marks a year living in St. Louis---what an unbelievably eventful year for us. 2 MAJOR events in our lives in the same year--relocating and adoption! Oh yeah, let's not forget homeschooling 3 kids for the first time. All in all--it's been a good year and I'm glad we have all survived it. St. Louis has brought us many blessings. We like our church and have built some special friendships here. Though the school system is one of the top systems in the country, homeschooling is a very popular choice here and so much is offered that we can't possibly do them all. We love our neighborhood--we live on a cul-de-sac and there are lots and lots of children. As it gets warmer parents and kids sit out together on one of our driveways until dark and just relax and visit while the kids play. We all look out for each other and help out when someone's in need. The only one of us who hasn't adjusted as well is Emma. She has had the hardest time with the move. She has refused to make new friends because she feels it "replaces" her old friends. At the same time, I think it has been especially hard to make friends because of the stage of life she is in. She is on the cusp of teenager (turning 13 in July), but not like other girls her age at all. We are glad that she is not "boy crazy" or overly concerned about wearing the "right" clothes and that she wants to stay a kid as long as she can. However, that sets her apart from every other girl her age and she has felt quite lonely at times which breaks my heart. She wants to do everything with Gabe who has never found difficulty finding friends---in fact, he is the most popular kid no matter where he is, but he is getting tired of Emma "riding his coat tails" as he puts it. We are contemplating sending Gabe to public school for several reasons: he is very interested in going for one and it might be a good thing for Emma and he to be separated for a while. Gabe also does better in school than Emma which causes more heartache for her. Anyway, we are praying and praying to make the right decision. Meanwhile--I'm looking forward to the summer and all that it will bring to our family!

Thanking God for my 4 blessings

I know it's been a while since I last posted---it's hard to get a lot of "extra" things done these days. Everyone is still sleeping this morning (miracles do happen), so I decided to take a moment to update. A few weeks have gone by since my last post---a lot of ups and downs have occurred since then. We had a few tough weeks with Grace---she finally began grieving her loss which caused her behavior to be pretty difficult. By her "loss" I mean the loss of the life she had before--her country; her language; her friends; her "home"; her food; her smells and sounds; etc... It's a completely normal thing for an adopted child of this age to experience--especially one that has completely changed cultures and countries. We were also concerned that she might be exhibiting characteristics of attachment disorder and have been given the name of a therapist that specializes in this. However, at this point, we may have turned a corner. We are now in the second week of a much more pleasant and normal atmosphere. Grace's tantrums have lessened and are more like a pre-school child's would be and she seems to be falling in to a routine with us which has made school and piano go a lot better. It's also been better for the other 3--they were having a hard time dealing with the tantrums and the upheaval for a while there. All of these things are normal and to be expected, but it still makes life difficult at times for everyone. I have had to keep my eyes on the Lord more than ever these days to remain focused on the task before me and I have realized that, DUH, I should be doing that EVERYDAY anyway!! As Mother's Day has just come and gone I am reminded how incredibly blessed I am to be a mother to these four wonderful children. Each child is unique and wonderfully made by the Lord and I am so grateful to have been given the gift of raising them and watching them grow. Happy Mother's Day to all of you and bless you for the awesome job you are all doing!

Playing "Dress Up"

Hayden is being a good big brother in these pictures playing dress-up with his little sister. These are treasured moments, so I had to capture it in pictures. They are still "working" on their relationship, but I am praying that one day they will be the best of friends. I have to say Hayden is very tolerant about the whole thing--it's Grace who can get pretty mean with him.
The last 2 days have been difficult---Grace is really testing us by being extremely strong-willed and throwing major tantrums when she doesn't get her way. We are now categorizing her tantrums like hurricanes are categorized---last night's tantrum was a Category 4--she screamed and cried for 30 solid minutes. Today was a Cat. 5--she screamed and cried for what she wanted for 1 hour and 10 minutes. My friend, Amy, has found all of these website forums where others have adopted children this age from China and we found that this behaviour is perfectly normal. She is wanting to control her environment since everything she has ever known is different now, and this is the only way she knows how to do it. It's easier to say then to live it, but we are making it. It does make homeschool hard though! After the Cat. 5 storm, she has been as compliant as can be which is rewarding!

Week 2--Was I really just in China 2 weeks ago?

I have a second to update--literally! Things are fine--we are adjusting. "Adjusting" will probably be the word that best describes us for a long time. This week is, of course, going better than last week; so I guess we are going in the right direction. This past weekend our family drove to Indianapolis for LTC--Leadership Training for Christ. Emma was in chorus, drama, and puppets; Gabe was in puppets; and I was a coach for chorus and drama. I was VERY apprehensive as to how things would go with Grace i.e...how she would do in a carseat for 4 1/2 hours; how she would behave during performances; how she would do with all those people. I have to say she did GREAT! She was only fussy on Sat. afternoon when she was so tired and once she finally took a nap, she woke up much happier. We got home Sat. night and unfortunately, she took a bad fall down the stairs. It was very scary--we called the DR. and she helped us determine that it was just a bump on the head. We are now blocking the stairs, much to Grace's dismay. I started homeschooling (a modified schedule right now) and teaching piano again this week. So far so good for both--we keep Grace occupied with play-doh and puzzles during school and the older kids play with her during piano. I feel like we are making amazing progress. She has also slept through the night for the past 2 nights which is a great thing for me! I have been going on little sleep for weeks! Hayden and Grace and making progress together also--slow--but progress. They are both jealous of one another--Grace cries anytime I show him attention, but doesn't seem to mind me paying attention to the other two. This week I have tried to champion Hayden a little more because I can see how he feels less important and probably less loved in his little mind. It's a balancing act---I certainly feel like a ringmaster at a circus---balancing school, piano, household duties, being a good wife, emotions of children, attachment and bonding of our new child, maintaining bonding with the other kids--I could go on! But God is good as always as is the support and love of my friends and family!

Home Sweet Home

Some of you have let me know that you were anxiously awaiting an update---sorry it took so long; I don't get much computer time these days :). Well, I'll start from where I left off. We left the hotel in Guangzhou around 5:45 am to go to the airport. Our first plane left at 8:00 am for Beijing (3 hour flight). Grace has never been restrained before so the seatbelt was a huge issue and she threw a couple of fits, but we made it through. We then had a 5 1/2 hour layover until we got on the plane from Beijing to Chicago (12 hour flight). That's a tough flight whether you have a 4 yr. old or not, but it went pretty well, considering. Grace slept a total of 8 of the 12 hours. We then had a 4 1/2 hour layover in Chicago before boarding the plane for St. Louis!! We arrived at 9:45 pm CST---28 hours after we left the hotel in Guangzhou. Mom, Dad, our kids, and my friend, Amy and family greeted us at the airport with balloons and signs--it was soooooooo incredible to see them!!! We got home close at 11pm and, of course, no one was ready to go to bed--especially Grace. I think she slept about 3 1/2 hours that night--as did we--we were exhausted!!! Jet lag is a killer! The kids and Grace meshed together miraculously--it was perfectly clear that Grace had been their sister all along. She also fell in love with Mia and Pops right away as they did with her. Grace took to her new home as if she had lived here forever--she is the most adaptable child. We've been home now 6 days--it hasn't all been perfect, of course. There have been and will continue to be challenges. I liken this experience to bringing home a newborn and all the challenges and changes that go with that. I'm up at night again; the former baby (Hayden) is a little jealous of the new baby; and life as we knew it before is VERY different. It's all very much like it was each time I gave birth to a new baby--except this baby is much bigger and can throw BIGGER fits! From what I hear from my "adoptee buddies", everything we are going through is perfectly normal, and soon we will find our normal routine and we will wonder how we ever lived life without Grace! I'll post some new pics soon!

Last day in China

Well, we have spent our last day here in Guangzhou. We spent the morning packing and figuring out how we were going to bring home all that we have accumulated during our visit. Then we walked around and visited a few last shops until it was time for our appt. to the U. S. Consolute. We got to the Consolute at about 3:30 with about 50 other families. We were talked to as a group about all the paperwork that we will bring to immigration when we land in the U. S. and were given directions on all that needed to be done. Then we all stood up and raised our right hand and took an oath--it was quite emotional for me. Grace is REALLY ours and once we land in Chicago she is automatically a U. S. citizen with freedoms and rights she would have never had if she were to stay in China. Along with having the opportunity to live in the greatest country in the world, she will also now have a real family to love her forever and ever. And even better than all of that, she will now be able to know her Saviour and the blessings that He has in store for her!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear Lord, for allowing me to be a part of this unbelievable experience---I am grateful beyond words. And thank you to all of you who have "accompanied" us on this incredible journey-for all of your prayers, your words of encouragement, your love and support. We love you all!

Countdown--second to last day in China!!

Today we walked through the weird and bazaar market again with our group and ate at McDonald's---here they don't sell apple pies, they sell tara pies which is some kind of potato like thing. I ate it and it was very good-but the only other thing I would eat was the fries because it's all I felt safe with. After lunch, Dave, Grace, and I ventured off by ourselves and did some shopping in the city. It was the first time we were off the island without our guide and we did very well. I have learned to communicate using gestures and charades--you should have seen me trying to make the salesperson understand pull-ups! Speaking of pull-ups-we decided to put Grace in them when we are out and about. I am taking her to the bathroom about every hour no matter where we are (and believe me, we have had to use some pretty unbelievable squat toilets). Today in the mall, there was a line and she cannot hold it so she pee pee'd on me right there in line. She may have regressed a little, which is very normal and what we were prepared for. Tonight we ate Thai for the 3rd time--the food is great here, but eating out everyday got old long ago! As we put Grace to bed tonight I am reflecting on our time here and what an extraordinary journey this has been--and God has been right here with us every step of the way. We are blessed beyond measure and give all glory to our Father.