Keeping Busy and Other Ramblings

I've previously posted some of our summer fun activities..from the park and riding bikes to playing in our little wading pool and enjoying watermelon. Here's some more summer fun activities from the last few weeks.

This new area of the zoo is part of their Kangaroo exhibit - the kids enjoyed writing on the stone wall with chalk

WHEE! Train ride...Hannah's lovin it, Sadie's trying to love it! She actually did enjoy it a lot - not sure why her hand is up in this picture.

Driving the tractor at the zoo - just for the record, we do actually visit some animals when we go to the zoo. But all the other fun activities are what my girls really love, especially the water fountains and the new "foam fountain". Check it out if you live close enough!

Sadie likes to feed her babies.

Uh, well, let's see. We're only in here because..uh..well..we're NOT eating the snacks and we're not doing anything we're not suppossed to! Really!! And How did you know we were in here? We only giggled a little!

Chore time! (sort of). They washed all their plastic dishes outside and had a blast! They did this for almost an hour and switched back and forth between buckets with no fighting or whining and shared dishes, and splashed water on the pavement to watch the patterns it made..so fun! We'll have to pull this out again soon I think.

This week, Hannah's in Vacation Bible School during the mornings (one of two she's signed up for this summer) and having a great time. She must be listening well, because I'm hearing all kinds of things from her that she's learned in the afternoons. The first day the topic was "obey". I'm fairly certain they talked about obeying God..maybe they also covered obeying parents. But that afternoon Hannah was playing with Sadie and got a bit frustrated. She yelled out to me "MOMMY!!! Sadie's not OBEYING me and that makes me frustrated!" Ah - Hannah, while being a GREAT big sister, does have moments where it bothers her that she's not "in charge". She so hoped to be "in charge", even though I repeatedly told her that no, *I* was in charge of both of them. Well, Hannah's reached her own solution to give herself peace. She announced that I could be in charge of her and Sadie. She (Hannah) would be in charge of the ants and the ants would have to obey her. Now I know that sounds crazy, but it really does diffuse some disagreements around here..when Hannah gets a bit bossy and I remind her that she is not in charge, she will back off and let Sadie be with the comment "I know - I'm in charge of the ants". One day, she even went outside to find some ants to give directions to (her idea). This girl is a hoot!

While Hannah's learning and having fun at VBS, I am enjoying having some special time with just Sadie this week. WE've been visiting the park early after I drop Hannah off and then heading home for some playtime when it starts getting too hot. She is doing very well. She is talking more, mostly imitating, but sayinig a little spontaneously. She is also remembering and using a few signs as well. She's still sleeping great - which is a huge praise! And by the way, Hannah continues to sleep well too - which is also a huge praise since it took a year for her to sleep through the night in the first place. I'm so thankful all the transitions around here haven't affected her good sleep. They need the sleep, but really..it's a selfish gratefulness. I'm happier and a nicer person when I get a good night's sleep. I feel so unbelievebly more rested than I expected to at this point! Of course, it's not perfect. Hannah's at the age/stage where she's starting to outgrow naptime..I'm a bit sad and in denial over that..but it was bound to happen sooner or later! Back to Sadie..her interactions with me seem very appropriate and affectionate. She is also beginning to discrimate between me and others by choosing to not go to others at times. Or, she'll allow someone else to pick her up, but immediately turn and reach for me. That's good - and what we hope for. You know how babies hit that stage about oh, 9 months maybe where they all of a sudden seem to not go to anyone but mom? It's a healthy part of the baby's emotional development. Well, being in an orphanage, Sadie never went through that. So, while other children learn that mom is different than just anyone else at a very young age and other children learn to really trust that parents will meet their needs, Sadie is just learning that now at 2.5 years old. When I got her, she would go to anyone who seemed "nice" to her. She was delightful and charming and oh, so very precious and would have been happy to walk into the arms of anyone she saw in the grocery store or on the street. Now, she's still delightful and charming and oh, so very precious - but she's beginning to *not* go to just anyone on the street. I think it's an area we still need to work on some, but it's coming and there's progress. And once Sadie truly truly reaches that point of being very securely attached..then, it'll be good for her to branch out again and learn to trust other people too. It's a process I was prepared for thanks to great social workers and the great staff at the adoption clinic. But, it's not a process I had to go through with Hannah. Being in foster care for most of her life, Hannah seemed to just understand at some level all this. She clearly had a concept of family being different than just "all the nice-seeming adults I might come in contact with" from the beginning. And only time will tell how much of it is personality difference too. Sadie just seems very laid back and easy-going. I'm interested to see how that takes shape as time goes on. For example, although Hannah's basic personality never seemed to change, there were aspects of her personality that took more time to emerge and other characteristics that were very present in the beginning seemed to fade as she got more comfortable. I remember telling her preschool teachers after about 5 months home that I felt like we were just seeing her true self emerge. It's so fun and awe-inspiring to really watch these girls literally begin to become who God created them to be...and I imagine it's a process that will continue through childhood (through life? - I think I'm still becoming who I'm meant to be too!) What a blessing it is to have a role in watching that develop..and what a responsibility too!

In other news, Sadie had her hearing test last week (she hears fine) and her vision test this week (she sees fine too - just a bit nearsighted but the dr. wasn't concerned and just wants to see her back in 2 years). Next week she will have her appointment at the pediatric orthopedic clinic about her hands. The following week, I have a dentist appointment and Sadie has her 2nd adoption clinic appointment. And the week after THAT - Hannah has a follow-up with the adoption clinic for speech / language. And the week after THAT - both girls have a visit to our regular pediatrician (shots for both this year I'm sure!! fun, fun!) Then we have a couple weeks free before Hannah has a dentist appointment at the end of July and the next week, we start school! whew! I'm just so thankful I have the summer to get all these appointments in...it would have been really hard in the fall to have managed that. Just another example of God's perfect design in the timing and everything else!

And speaking of God's perfect design..you may remember that I received a grant at the very end of my adoption process (like, I got word of the grant while I was actually in China). Well, with that processed and with the last couple checks / bills written..my debt from this adoption comes down to.....drum roll....ZERO!! That may or may not seem like a big deal, but it is a big deal to me and it's an answer to a very specific prayer request. And you know what else is *really* cool about that? I will have a little left over...not a lot..but enough to basically pay the medical bills not covered by insurance this summer. I have great insurance - but there are a few of our appointments that while important due to the factor of being newly adopted interantionally, they are not considered "medically necessary" by insurance. I knew this and was prepared - but how cool is it that God basically paid those fees for me?

So, as I'm feeling all grateful these last few days, I have had a neat opportunity present itself. One of my co-workers is leading a junior high camp at camp sumatanga next week. Their theme is "Listen! God's Calling!". Anyway, she e-mailed me this week and asked if I would come up to camp one evening next week and speak to the youth about following God's call as it relates to my story of adopting my girls. So, all three of us will be heading to camp next week. Well, just for a few hours. I'm excited about sharing, especially on this particular topic, but I'm also excited about visiting camp with Hannah and Sadie. Camp Sumatanga is our conference's United Methodist camp and it's a place with many special memories from my college and slightly-beyond college days. I participated in numerous types of retreats there back then and made some great friends who remain close friends to this day. I was never a camper there during childhood, but I hope Hannah and Sadie are interested when they get old enough to be campers. It'll be fun to give them a brief introduction to Sumatanga. I don't know that we'll do that much - they are still so young and camp is in session afterall, but we may take a walk by the lake, throw rocks in the creek, play in the dirt, or drive up to the cross on the mountain (I know - you're suppossed to HIKE up to the cross not take the easy way out- but well..I do have not only a 4 year old but a 2 year old who can't go up the stairs yet with me - so we'll take the easy way out this time! Even though in China we did climb 382ish stairs at some mausaleum..but I think we were just insane at that moment!) Maybe I'll take a frisbee or ball and let them run around and play in the famous "chigger bowl" at camp, armed with plenty of bug spray and long pants of course! Hmm..any of you old college buddies reading this willing to admit to me yet how my car got in the chigger bowl during college what, 3 times? anyone? Ah - fun times! :-)

Well, I have rambled on much longer than I expected..this was suppossed to be a short update with a few pictures. well, so much for that! I do have a few more pictures of some of our "creative" activities I'll try to post soon..I've been on an artsy kick the last few weeks and we've been having lots of fun. Coming soon...