Four Sunday Blessings

Belated Mother's Day gift

Jack brought home some coupons today for Mother's Day. Apparently he forgot them last week ( and everyday this week until today.) I have to say it was adorable but I noticed an underlying theme. Let's go through the coupon book.



Now we have strict rules about Nintendo DS time- only on weekends and with time restrictions. I love how he says this is the way he can give me a break. Is this a coupon for Mom or Jack?

Anyone else noticing the recurrent theme? I have to give him credit, he is really working it!

What a sweet boy, he will take his plate to the sink. But notice how he conveniently crosses off "I will eat all my vegetables." No way he can leave this clause in, I might make him eat string beans.

But how can I resist the help with Anna and Carter. And I have to say he really means it and is the best at playing with them when I need him to.

This is the true heart of this boy- his favorite thing to do with me is "cutle" or cuddle. I love that he still loves to sit in my lap and snuggle and actually asks for this time with me often. This is the best belated Mother's day gift ever!

One month

One month ago Brian and I were driving on the way to the adoption center to meet Anna. I was amazed at all I saw around me, getting a little sick in the van, and SO anxious about the meeting that was about to take place. It is so hard to describe but it will be a long time before I forget that feeling. And here we are a month later. Anna is totally integrated into our family. I am amazed how much she has learned and how much she understands. Sometimes I catch myself talking to her along with the other kiddos as if she understands everything I am saying. The funny thing is, I think she gets almost all of it. Her English is coming right along as well and she actually sang Happy Birthday, in full, to my brother yesterday. She knows the routine and will let you know when you stray from it. She loves her siblings and literally squeels with delight when she sees of of them after they have been at school or away. Sometimes I feel she has been with us for such a long time and then there are times when I am reminded that she is still so new, to us and our life.
I know people talk about bonding and attachment with us a lot. I really think the bonding process for her is slow. She does not like to be held, or cuddled so one on one time is rare. She almost prefers her siblings over me. She is still leary of Brian (and all men in general) and I keep telling Brian that this is normal and it will take time. She still needs to be at my side in our house and screams if she loses sight of me. But when we are outside she is fine wandering around a playground without knowing where I am. She loves to play with other children. She is doing great with eating. I've noticed that she is starting to be able to leave a small bit if food on her plate. She used to eat every last drop and I was trying to be careful on her portions so she wouldn't eat until she got sick. (She had done this twice!) She is very observant and definately wants things EQUAL between all her siblings. If one gets something, she wants the exact same thing. She has done great sleeping. She takes a short nap and sleeps through the night in her big brother's room so they come paddling in to my room together in the morning.
Anna is full of personality. She is rarely shy and very outgoing. She is such a happy girl. She knows how to throw a good tantrum and be extremely stubborn too. I can't even imagine what another month home will bring. I can't wait to see.

Carter looks pretty pleased with this arrangement.

I love baking and now we have an extra little helper. She was excited about licking batter once she figured out she could stick her little fingers in.

Two pees in a pod, unless they are fighting with each other. It's love/hate. The best is when they are having an argument and Carter is yelling at her in English and she is yelling back in Mandarin. I don't even think they realize they aren't speaking the same language. They are speaking frustrated 2 1/2 year old language which they certainly understand! T-shirts read brother and sister.

Having a little ice cream for dessert. Who doesn't like ice cream!

Anna playing with her cousin Morgan. Morgan was lifting her up over and over and she loved every minute of it.

Anna with her Nana. Once my mom got to China I realized the difficulty with having Anna learn her name and calling my mom Nana. They sound so much alike. Even Carter calls Anna "Nana" although he obviously knows the distinction. My Mom has been a Nana for too long to switch so for now Anna may be confused about the name but that's O.K. We usually use Anna's first and middle name and call her Anna Ting.

Anna and Callie. (Yes I am a sucker for matching outfits. My boys have been matching for years.)

The crew.

We did take Anna for her medical appointment with our pediatrician and we have all labs back and everything looks great. We feel so lucky and blessed to have such a healthy little girl. As I have written about in the past, Anna's special need is that she has a malformation in her brain. We were given the findings from her brain CT and MRI and age 4 months and again at age 2 in her file. I was fully expecting our pediatrician to write the orders for another MRI now that we have her home. Anna seems to be functioning so well on all levels we just don't see an issue with her brain. That obviously doesn't mean there isn't something there. Our pediatrician suggested we wait and get her a little more acclimated because the MRI requires being sedated. While part of me feels the need to know about Anna's brain, I certainly respect her thoughts about it. So for now, we are waiting.

Happy Mother's Day

I am extremely fortunate to be surrounded by incredible women, mothers. We share this title among all aspects of our lives- work, church, school. These women are strong, faithful, kind and giving, dedicated and devoted, tireless, smart, creative...the list could go on and on. They are friends and family. I admire them, learn from them, rely on them, and enjoy my time with them.

Mother's are unique. I love my mom and am so lucky to have such a close relationship with her. She is one of these women. Thank you Mom for everything. I wish I had the words to really explain how grateful I am but words are not my thing.

Now that I am a mother, I am often in thought about how to build such a strong relationship with my daughter, now daughters. How to raise a girl to also be one of these confident and kind women. Teach by example is the best thing I can think of which means I need to work harder to be a better person. Self reflection and self improvement are never ending processes. I want to have daughters that look up to their mother and value how I have raised them.

I also can't not think on this day about a mother on the other side of the world. The mother that gave birth to my daughter. There are just so many questions. Did she hold her baby to her chest after birth and think, I love you? Did she ache when she left her only 3 week old daughter right outside the orphanage? Did she say goodbye and walk away or hide to see if someone would find her? Did she leave her out of choice or necessity? Does her heart ache not knowing what happened to this little girl? We will never know the answers to any of these questions. But I am thankful for her bravery which I know she must have had. I am thankful for the opportunity to be the mother to this little girl. I can only hope that somewhere in her heart she knows this child is safe, and loved.

Happy Mother's Day.

My mom, myself and Anna in China.

Wordless Wednesday

Welcome Home Anna party

My best friend and her family threw a wonderful welcome home Anna party for us this past weekend. They rented a pavillion at the park and everyone had the best time. We kept it to family and close friends because I was not sure how Anna would be so soon after being home and it all worked out perfectly. The kids had the playground, the baseball field and Sara brought bubbles and chalk which were a big hit. The weather was perfect and little Anna had a great time. I've said this before but we are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends who have all been such a big support for us. I am humbled by the outpouring of love, support, encouragement and food! that have been given to us by family and friends and we are so grateful and thankful.

Anna's favorite thing to do-eat! I had to cut her off or she would have sat and ate the entire time. Once again, the girl goes for Cheetos. Can't say I blame her, I love them too.

Callie found a frog earlier that day so he had to come to the party too. I don't go near anything without fur but she is fearless and loves to play with all creatures big and small.

I tried to take as many pictures as I could and thanks everyone for allowing me to be in your face.

Anna has no shortage of older girls that are thrilled to play with her and meet her every need. And yes, she was back to the food table.

The guys manning the grill. Those were some yummy burgers!

The kids....

A friend of ours made this great banner with the header from my blog. The kids loved seeing themselves all over it. I did learn that Anna still calls herself Guan Ting. When she was pointing to herself on the banner, she used that name.

Thank you Runge family for an awesome welcome home party! It was the best and we love you.

Play ball

Callie has finally reached the age where she can play ball, like her big brother. Watching t-ball practice brings back memories of what t-ball is really all about- everything but playing the game. It is very entertaining- watching the kids pick flowers in the field, talk about the airplane flying overhead, discuss what snack they get at the end of the game, needing ANOTHER water break. They are 5 years old, what more could we expect, And I'm always up for a good chuckle.

You must have the proper attire in Callie's world to go to practice, a skirt and pink shoes.


Suh-wing, and a miss. Try again.

"Mom, why are you the only one out here taking pictures?"

In the meantime, I had 2 little monkeys on the playground. Thank goodness it is right next to the field.