6 Months!

As I sit here pondering whether to stay awake to ring in the New Year or to just call it good and go to bed,  it seemed like a good time to update the blog. The girls have now been home for 6 months-half of a year.....it still seems like we stepped off of a plane last week, but when I really look at all that God has done in our lives, it is obvious that they have been here for a while.  Since it is New Year's Eve, it seemed fitting to blog a top ten list.  Here goes....

Top Ten Ways that 2015 Will Look Different From 2014 For Team Yoho

1.  I will spend many more Tuesday nights braiding hair while watching a movie.  (I have to actually schedule time on my calendar for this three hour endeavor.  I am slow, not that good, and still learning on this front!)

2. I will now walk around with  the Doc McStuffins theme song (or at least part of it) in my head driving me nuts while I fold laundry and make dinner.

3. I will strive to hold my Haitian daughters and read to them from God's word each night before I tuck them in.  One of them, in particular, refuses to sleep without hearing the Word of the Lord. (thankful for this kid's insistence, especially when I am tired at tuck-in time)

4.  Our school budget will increase because James is consuming books really fast and our two newest students are burning through curriculum at an exciting pace.  

5.  I anticipate that my vacuum will burn out this year due to tiny rubber bands and beads being sucked up from all areas of the house.  Surely it can only take so many assaults before it refuses to work anymore.

6. Since 33% more socks are being worn in the family this year, surely more socks will lose their mates. Just today seven lonely socks came out of a load.  SEVEN UNMATCHED SOCKS IN A SINGLE LOAD!!!

7. The second half of the year will feel really normal because it will be full of "seconds" not "firsts." We will all know what to expect and nothing will be as scary or awkward as it was this year.  (For example, it will be more obvious that we don't throw away all of the decorations after Christmas, we just pack them up and save them until the next year.)

8.  We will begin full-time use of  the currently neglected basement bathroom because 6 children, two of whom are 'tween girls, using a single bathroom seems to be about 2-3 too many at any one point in time.

9.  I will answer at least 50 questions a day from a five year old who eagerly seeks to engage in conversation and to make sense of everything she see around her.

10.   We will praise our God together for the work he has done in each of our hearts.  We will stand in the same house and use the same language to speak praises to our God.  We will marvel at the way that He has taken 8 sinful lives, melded them into one family, and continued to pour patience, grace, kindness, acceptance, and love into out hearts to help us grow together as a team.  We will fail as a team, and we will grow as a team, and we will all experience the forgiveness and great grace of our God together.  And we will thank Him for the hard days because they help us see our need for Him.

Happy New Year!  10:30pm is close enough, I am going to bed!

Christmas 2014

I love Christmas.  I spend as much thought, energy, and time as I possibly can helping my family celebrate Christmas.  We bake, we craft, we read, we sing, and we anticipate.  December is my favorite time of the year.  This year is was sure to be even better than ever because we finally had all of our people in our home!
As we got closer to December, however, the reality of our situation hit me:  my two newest daughters both have birthday in December:  YIKES!  Other realities hit me too:  there are alot of things that they don't know about Christmas.  Aside from our family traditions, which would be all new to the girls, there are lots of other things that would be new too:  Christmas music (though they did come to me knowing Feliz Navidad!), the fact that Christmas is really Jesus' birthday, the cultural elements of Christmas like popular movies and decorations, and the idea of a school break to celebrate something.
There was so much to teach-and we loved using the month of December to expose the girls to all that Christmas means to us.  Ryan and I agreed that our main goal was to help the girls learn what it means to celebrate.  As I sit by the tree as our Christmas activities are coming to an end, I can see that our plans were once again small in comparison to what God had laid out.  Here are a few highlights from this week:
Christmas Eve service-For our family, the main event of Christmas is the Children's Worship Service on Christmas Eve.  This is a total family effort each year and is a great way for us to learn together and worship together.  Joanna joined the preschool choir and was a star-she knew her entire song, did all the motions, and keep the beat beautifully.  Naomi joined the other big kids in the elementary choir which required her to learn at least 7 new songs. Abigail was one of the two narrators and Ryan was the service host and also helped lead the worship portion of the service.  While directing the program there was no room for emotion, but as soon as we were finished the tears flowed.   Here we were, trying to give Jesus a birthday gift of worship, and really He was continuing to give us good gifts.  Having my whole family together, and having all eight of us singing praises to Jesus was a gift I had waited to receive for many longs months.
Another highlight came in the form of the Milne cousins Nativity play.  My girls have learned well what Christmas is about-and they joined with their cousins and siblings to present their version of the Christmas story-complete with costumes!!  Naomi was also able to join in the annual reading of the Christmas story this year at the Yoho family Christmas.  She was so proud to be able to join with the big kids in this family tradition.
Not being a musician myself, I am always thrilled when my brother-in-law pulls out his guitar on Christmas and lea
ds us in carols.  This year we capped off our festivities with several family favorites and were blessed to have Ryan's grandparents (age 94 and 93) join us as well.
There have been so many more great moments, but these are just a few of the highlights from Christmas 2014.

Happy Birthday Naomi

Since she first saw a birthday celebrated here in America, Naomi has been counting down to her own special day. (First we had to master the calendar and how it works, followed by learning that everyone has their own birthday, then learning when hers was, they learning that waiting is hard and requires patience!)   There has been a lot to learn to get her to this special day, but she has endured and was well rewarded today with a family-style birthday party in the Frozen Theme.  There were certain requirements:  a very colorful cake, games, Olaf, as much Frozen paraphernalia as possible, and of course, presents.  (She was even so bold as to tell some of her relatives what they should bring for her!)


These Olaf socks friends seemed like a must for our craft-loving Naomi so we enjoyed creating a small army of these guys.  Who wouldn't want to build this snowman??

Pin the parts on Olaf was great fun but not nearly as entertaining as watching the children battle the grownups in a game of "Sing the next line of this song from the movie."  The kids had that one hands down!

 Happy Birthday joyful Naomi!  We loved celebrating your first American birthday with you today!  You are growing in grace and maturity everyday and it is a great privilege to be your parents.   We look forward to watching how God helps you grown even more in the next year!!!

"I'm thankful for Five!"

The birthday girl!!

On Thanksgiving we always write in a little journal and tell what we are thankful for.  Even the youngest children participate by having their quotes written down. This year Joanna told Abigail to write that she is thankful for five. (by which she meant that she is thankjful that she would soon have a birthday)  Her birthday, celebrated today, is actually tomorrow.  She has been looking forward to turning five for a while now.  This being her first birthday with us, we decided to do up a big themed party with friends and family.  Her only wishes were for Cheetos and chocolate cake.  What an easy girl!!

So, today we celebrated our baby girl turning five with a Minnie Mouse birthday.  When she was asked at church this morning how old she was she replied that she was four, but that after lunch she would be five.  (that is when her party was so in her mind that was the turning point!)  She loved every minute of her birthday party.  She enjoyed the people who came to see her.  She loved having her cousins and friends play party games with her.  She delighted in the fun of musical chairs-minnie mouse style!  And she couldn't have been happier as she ate her cake and cheetos.   She was a champ at opening presents and holding them up for all to see, and made me proud when she used delightful manners to thank her guests personally after each gift that she opened.  All of that was followed up by some time on the trampoline since the weather allowed for outside play time!

Playing games with friends

As Joanna played games with friends and ate cake and had a great time, we praised God for the work he is already doing in her life.   I thanked him for giving her life and health.  I praised him that she knows the love of a father on earth and prayed that one day she would accept the love of her Father in heaven.  I marveled at the crowd of people who gathered around her to celebrate with her-the ones who prayed for her before they ever knew her; the ones who loved her before they ever saw her; the ones who accept her for who she is and who will continue to walk alongside her as she grows.  I thanked God for five short months with her and wondered how things would be five more years from now.  I welled up at the joy of being called "momma" by this little tiny girl that we call Joanna.

Chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream makes for a happy girl

Today was a really fun day of celebrating a really fun little girl.  It was even more fun celebrating with this little girl because she is OUR little girl.  Joanna, we love you to pieces.  You bless our lives-all 7 of us!  Happy birthday sweet girl!!!

Thanksgiving and Five Month Update!

Bundled up to head out for a Turkey Trot

Happy Thanksgiving!  This seemed like a good time for a blog update since we are celebrating Joanna and Naomi's first Thanksgiving and tomorrow will make 5 months since they arrived at home. 

This week I have been so thankful for God's perfect timing in bring the girls home when he did.  As much as I wanted them here last year for the holidays, I can now see how His timing was perfect.  Today we enjoyed a family Thanksgiving at Papa and Nana's house-we shared a tremendous amount of food, followed by crafts and games, and capped off with a Christmas movie in our pajamas with cousins.  It was a wonderful day of time spent together, just the way a Thanksgiving should be.  

The Turkey Trotters

As I watched the kids today I realized that this day was enjoyable because of God's timing.  The past five months have allowed for language mastery that was needed in order to explain what Thanksgiving is.  The past five months have allowed for trust to build so that family traditions held some appeal for the girls.  The past five months have allowed relationships to form so that the girls are comfortable with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and great grandparents.  

Last year I grieved on Thanksgiving because my heart was divided between two countries.  This year on Thanksgiving God is showing me that His plan was perfect.  As I tucked children into bed tonight I was blessed to hear Naomi praying with Joanna and thanking God for the many ways he has blessed her.  It was a gift to hear her thankful heart-and an even greater gift to see that she credits God with her blessings. 

Our thanksgiving preparations included Joanna making a special project in her co-op class for her mom and dad.  Since her mom is her teacher she insisted that it was for dad.  She even made a card to put on the front.  You can't see it here, but it is just a white piece of paper with "Joanna" written on the front in yellow crayon.  As she handed it to Ryan and told him it was for him she also said, "here is a card.  It says I love you dad."    Needless to say her project is on display in his home office.

Another favorite Joanna story came this week as well.  We were debating last Friday night what we would have for dinner.  I had a meal in mind but after a crazy afternoon it seemed that it might turn into a "Dad's night to cook" sort of evening.  Joanna, hearing us debating, made a  sweet offer.  "Can I make it dinner for you momma?"  How do you say no to that sweetness?  She started with a pot of water on the stove.  Then she found an apron.  

She decided she was making spaghetti. I was curious to see what she would do next.  She opened the fridge and looked inside.  Then she turned to me and said, "Mom, there's no spaghetti in here!"   I think she still needs some more instruction in the kitchen!

It was 65 degrees outside but the hat with ear flaps was "necessary."

Naomi and James made a dynamic bagging duo!

Leaf raking also proved to be a fun adventure this week.  We tried to take as many photos and videos as we could when we went to Haiti.  It was good for the girls to see different things that would be new for them here.  

Did you say broom or bag mom?

Fun new way to get the bags open

Had I known how valuable those video clips would have been, I would have taken many more.  It is much easier for the girls to wrap their minds around and event or an idea that is new to them if they can see how it looks.  They were very excited to go out and rake leaves because they had seen a video from two years ago of the kids making piles, jumping in the leaves,and throwing them around the yard.  

The past two weeks have been peek raking season for us so there has been ample opportunity to rake (and much to Naomi's delights, there have even been "rake for money" days!).   All of the kids working together makes for a quick leaf round up!! Way to go Team Yoho!

Kids illustrating the First Thanksgiving at Giving Thanks day

Our Thanksgiving preparations also included our annual "Giving Thanks" day.  We take an afternoon to give glory to God for the great gifts that we have been given.  We take a few minutes to reflect with friends on the abundant life that we have and we spend some time worshipping together.  As the kids prayed aloud this year it was a great gift to hear our friend Kendall thanking God for Joanna and Naomi in our lives.

 And, because God is  a father who seeks to give good gifts to His children, Naomi and Joanna got to experience a little bit of snow this week.  Naomi was in love instantly and was ready to stay outside in the slushy 1/4 inch of accumulation that we got for hours (but quickly learned the importance of gloves!)   Little things like this make me rejoice even more in my Heavenly Father.  Not only does He prove faithful in the lives of those who have known him and walked with him for many years, but he also shows love and concern for those who are still learning who he is and have yet to fully trust Him.  I am thankful that He is a God who desires to have a relationship with us-all of us-regardless of our age or our birth country.
  Praying that your Thanksgiving has been a great opportunity for you to give thanks to our Heavenly Father.

Progress Report

I don't usually like to single out a child, especially in the area of academic work, but I did feel the need to write a blog post about Naomi today.  She and I have now spent almost 13 weeks together in the classroom.  When she first came to me she could write three letters/numbers. She could not write her name, did not know her letters, and though she could sing the ABC song, the letters were not clearly enunciated so it was hard to tell what she was saying. Oh, and then there was the fact that she spoke almost no English upon entering the country.   I was a little overwhelmed an unsure of  where to start but it became clear we need to start at the very beginning.  (hear Julie Andrews singing in the background here!)

We've plugged away at learning letters, writing letters, counting, writing numbers and more.  (Leap Frog's "Letter Factory" DVD deserves a shout-out here!)  This week, Naomi blew me away.  She tends to surge in her learning.  We will crawl along and just when I think she is not going to get a concept, she'll steamroll right past me and show that she not only has it, but she is ready to move two steps beyond where I was targeting.
Today she took a spelling test using pictures on the white board. This might seem like no big deal, but this child it was huge!  Let me tell you what it took to get here:  she had to learn the letters, and their sounds as well as how to write them; she had to learn how to say a word slowly and break it into sounds to hear each part; she had to learn the vocabulary needed to recognize a picture; she had to learn to trust her teacher and be willing to try a task without assistance; she had to know that her classmates would not laugh at her for making a mistake; she had to learn that trying hard results in a job well done that makes a person feel good.  I was thrilled to see the white board looking like this today!

Shortly after that she sat with me and read a story-a whole story! (Ignore the weird coding in the picture below-it really is a great reading program!)  The she wrote a little story about her friend Brian (who apparently likes to play football!).  I stand in awe of the work God is doing in her life, and in mine. I truly did not think we would at this point in her learning this soon.

Naomi's morning baord

 Years ago I had the privilege of becoming a teacher.  Though I wanted to be a first grade teacher more than anything, God chose to give me a job working as a special educator instead.  Those were tough years for me. I loved my students but I really struggled with not having this dream of being a first grade teacher fully realized.   An opportunity arose for me to work on earning another degree that would be paid for by my school district.  I jumped at the chance to go back to school part-time and was soon accepted into a special program that trained teachers to work with at-risk first graders who were failing in the area of reading.  Though I was still not in my own first grade classroom, it was one step closer to what I wanted to be doing-teaching little people to fall in love with books and reading.  I spent just one year as the reading specialist at my school.  I loved my job and loved helping children achieve in the area of reading.  After only one year, God showed us that he had a new direction for us and I left teaching to become a mom.

Almost perfect math test today too!!

This week it has become clear to me why I never had that first grade classroom. The skill set that I gained while teaching in Special Education and the knowledge I acquired while becoming a reading specialist have been critical to the work that I have been doing in my classroom for the last 13 weeks.  God is showing me that he had been preparing me  for the 2014-2015 school year for the past 15 years.  He knew long ago that an at-risk reader would enter my school and that she would demand a certain skills set from her teacher.  He prepared me then for what I would need now.  What a great gift!  When I think through this, it humbles me, and encourages me.  On the tough days it is a ready reminder that this is where God wants me to be, and on the victorious days I am reminded that He desires to give good gifts to His children, which sometimes come in the form of academic successes.  So, I guess this blog post is not really about Naomi today.  It is really about how God is using Naomi to show me what a great God He is.

Thank you God, for caring for me enough that you would allow me to have a temporary disappointment in life in order to realize bigger dreams later in life.  Thank you for giving me the perfect opportunity to teach my little girl to fall in love with school and with learning, and thank you for giving her great success this week.

Way to go Naomi!  I am so proud of your work and your diligence!

!

Four Months

Tomorrow marks four months since the girls came home.  A lot can change in four months.  We brought home two little girls who were sullen, quiet, reserved, and nervous.  One of them was struggling with a heart condition that sapped her of strength and energy and the other was struggling with how to let herself be loved and accepted without conditions.

Preschool under the watchful eye of big brother

We were braced and prepared for the worst, knowing that the girls would need time to work through grief and change.  We were counting on six months, at least, of not feeling like a functional family.  We were allowing for an entire year of adjusting to new things and of pulling out of "normal" life in order to walk this dicey road with Naomi and Joanna.

When everyone works together, the science gets done!

We had prayed, waited, prayed, waited, and prayed some more for these very days which we knew would be difficult.  We read every book we could find by credible authors, we took online classes, sought out the counsel of other adoptive families and braced ourselves for the worst.  If I were to draw a cartoon of us it would have resembled a huddle mass We thought we were prepared for all that was coming our way as, terrified but hoping for the best.

Middle girls agonizing over math together

What I can see now is that what we were not prepared for was allowing God to so fully and incredibly bless our socks off as we all learned together how to make this nervous hoard into a joyful family.  Where we had fear, God had great plans for our future.  But isn't that exactly what we are promised as His children?  


There are moments that are tough, but not whole days anymore.  The Lord has been showing me that this is really just a picture of HIS relentless pursuit of me!  When I fail, his love abounds.  When I run from Him, he chases me down.  When I sulk, He sticks close.  When I am frustrated, confused, and angry, He provides peace and understanding, and even joy.  I am so blessed to be learning more about my God while I teach Noami and Joanna more about theirs.  Not every moment feels like a scene from a Hallmark movie, but the Lord continues to show me grace as I navigate the good and the bad.  Even Naomi noted tonight at bedtime that we have all been really happy lately.

Joanna and her playdough self

The biggest marker of the fourth month has been how much learning is taking place.  We discuss the Bible, how our actions affect others, what good choices look like and how our heart attitude defines our decisions.  But we talk about a lot of practical stuff, too.  This week I had to explain why you can't play with the hair of someone you do not know, or just pick up the iPhone of a spectator in the stands at the baseball game.  I also had to explain that all people start as babies and they grow until they become adults (no I don't have baby pictures of you, but you did grow in your mom's tummy....all people do).  We covered the difference between fridges and freezers (and the fact that playdough does not need to be stored in either), why we don't drive fast in neighborhoods, why windows can be open but screens have to stay closed and why it is important to go potty before bedtime.  

sister love!

Oh, we also talked about the difference between pork and chicken,  and why telling people they need a haircut is a little bit rude.  Then there was the moment I had to explain that when you see money in your sister's room you can't take it (even if you intend to put it in the jar where you are collecting money for our church missionary).  We spent some time on the idea that there are many things available in a store but not all of them are for us.  We covered how some voices are for inside and others are for outside, and then we discussed the reason why flip-flops (which she calls floop-flops) are no longer seasonally acceptable footwear.

For the last three years we have watched the pages of the calendar turn and we had wondered what life would be like when the girls were finally home.  Now we know.  In a word, it is GREAT.  During that time we also wondered how much longer it would be until the girls were with us.  Though we tried not to, we hung our hopes on holidays, birthdays, seasons, and other special family events.  Now, after all this time, we are receiving the gift of experiencing all kinds of new things with the girls.

What a blessing to pray with and for my girls 

On Sunday it was our great joy to stand before our church family and participate in the Child Dedication ceremony.We had watched at least 4 or 5 of these and wondered how much longer it would be until we would stand up with our girls.  What a joy that our time had come.   It was even sweeter that Noami and Joanna were able to understand the significance of standing before the congregation and having them commit to praying for the girls and to helping us as we train them up to know Jesus.  Each of the girls came home with a Bible and a special Bible story book which they have poured through by flashlight for the past two nights.  God continues to heap great gifts and immeasurable grace upon us.  It's funny, but I always tell new mommies to give themselves four months to really adjust to a new baby in the house. I have always found that to be the amount of time it took to really get into a "groove" and to operate smoothly (or at least to have clean clothes to wear and reasonable food on the table). Here we are at the four month mark and I feel like we've hit our stride.  Thanks be to God!

Another first....camping!

Girls Only Popcorn Party in the tent!!

When we introduced the idea of camping to Naomi and Joanna they were simultaneously excited and hesitant.  Naomi's initial response was, "Sleeping outside?  No, the monkeys are gonna eat me!"   However, when her sisters explained that it was safe and that we would sleep in a tent ("little house outside") she warmed to the idea.   All day Friday the girls were giddy with excitement, especially since this was a girls-only outing.  We packed the car and drove off to the campsite with eager faces pressed to the windows who asked  every 5-7 minutes, "Is this camping?"  Nope.  this is the highway.  "Is THIS camping???"  Nope.  This is traffic.
They really had no idea what to expect, but once we pulled up and they saw their cousins, a fire, and their "little house" they were thrilled.  Abigail and Elizabeth were enthusiastic big sister as they helped set up the tent and teach their little sisters how we do camping.  After dinner and Uncle Dean's amazing cobbler and ice cream (yes, we took ice cream camping!)  we broke out glow sticks and decorated ourselves.  Immediately the girls were ready for bed (mostly they were excited to hang out in their tent) so we moved into  the tent just as the rain set in.  The glow sticks became tent decorations and we invited cousin Lydia over for a popcorn party.
As we settled in for the night, I encouraged the girls to listen carefully to see what they could identify  as we snuggled into our sleeping bags.  Naomi loved the quiet of the night and the sounds of the bugs, frogs, and other night critters that we could hear.  "Oh mom, its beautiful.  God made all of that!"
We expected rain not just because it was foretasted but because it always rains when I camp.  What I did not expect was that that the girls would sleep right through all of it without stirring all night. (Which is more than I can say for myself due to the tree root under my right hip!)
The girls were all smiles as they woke up.  Joanna sat straight up and said to Abigail, "Where's my mom?"  ( I love that she always refers to me as "My mom.")

A few rounds of pre-bedtime UNO before the rain set in

After breakfast we enjoyed a time of worship with all of our fellow Trailsmen and AHG troop members.  "How Great Thou Art" sounded amazing with my girls all around me in an outdoor amphitheater as the sun broke through after a long night of rain.  The best part was that Naomi told me afterward that she knew that song and I was able to tell her that God knew she would be there for that very moment and that HE gave her the gift of a song she knew.  Her face lit up at the thought of a God who loved her enough to provide a familiar song in the midst of this unfamiliar experience.
I have to say that I am proud of my two youngest girls.  They stepped out to try something new and were all smiles the whole time.  I never heard a complaint, a whining voice, or a request to be doing something else. Manners were amazing, good choices were made, and the sisters bonded even more.  Though this could have been met with resistance and fear, God blessed us with peace and trust.    Their trust earned them a new favorite pasttime......a camping we will go!!

3 months!

First apple picking trip

This weekend marks three months since our girls came home.  Hard to believe that is was only 90 days ago that we were collapsing into bed, exhausted, after a whirlwind trip to pick up Naomi and Joanna.  It is amazing to see how far they have some since then.
 Here are a few notable changes.....
1.  Creole is sometimes sung, but no longer spoken by either of the girls-it is all English all the time.  Since singing is such a big part of who they are, the girls are still acquiring enough English songs to fill their queue.  Creole songs still flow off the tongue pretty easily. Naomi even has a hard time coming up with a Creole word some of the time.

Annual "everyone jump in the air at the same time" photo with friends

2.  When Naomi came home she could write three letters and one number but did not know the names of any of them. She could count in English to the number 6. Today she can write every letter of he alphabet, name most of them, recite sounds for nearly all of them, writer her name and the names of almost all of the members of the family, She can write numbers 1-30 without help, can read most numbers and has started simple addition.  She tries hard when given a school task.  Oh, and she colors and cuts beautifully!
3.  Joanna's default facial expression is a wide smile with bright eyes.  (Previously it was a sullen or blank stare).
4.  They have each grown 1-1.5 inches taller.
5.  They like fruits and even a few vegetables.
6.  A plate sometimes comes back to the kitchen with food on it-not because it wasn't liked, just because they are full.
7.  The names of friends here in America have replaced the names of friends in Haiti when we play house or play "family"for the most part.  (Stephanie and Stephania will always be close to our hearts)
8.  We have officially documentation that the girls are full citizens of the USA (along with social security numbers after a painful 3 hour trip to the SS office this week!)
9.  Both girls are in love with ballet and can't wait for their class each week!
10. This is home now....and we are all loving being home together.



Unrelated to the previous list, but still a neat experience.....

Last week as a special treat, we rented a movie that Naomi had enjoyed watching in Haiti. "Three Ninjas" was previously unknown by the native Virginian Yoho children so we decided a rental was in order.  As soon as I told Naomi that we were going to watch it she was giddy with excitement.  She immediately rounded up all the kids and started to tell them about all of her favorite parts.  She reenacted several scenes and was literally jumping up and down as she recounted how much the kids would all LOVE this movie.  It was really neat to see her enthusiasm, but the best was yet to come.  We all settled in with popcorn and  as we watched it was hilarious to see Naomi's response to the film.  Though she had seen it many times before, this time she had quite a base of English language under her belt.  She laughed at parts that she never knew were funny before because she had not understood the words.  It was a real treat to see her discover this movie all over again.  We had a three day rental so, of course, the kids watched it three days in a row and since then they have been reenacting the film as a group......this was such a joy for me.  I know it might seem silly, but seeing all of the kids enjoy the same movie together, and seeing Naomi be the one who had the prior knowledge this time was just a great gift.  The Lord continues to provide for us in the big and in the small things.  I love the way he is making us a family.  I love the way he is helping us to find comfort, forgiveness, courage, joy and contentment in each other.  Looking forward to what the next three months will bring!

First day of homeschool co-op!

A Picture Is worth a Thousand Words

This simple picture was invaluable to me today.

1.  For the first time, when we came home from co-op today Naomi had an "agenda."  She was tired from a long morning of meeting new people, taking new classes, and trying new things. A month ago she would have gone to rest in her bed, worn out from so much new-ness and unsure of how to pass time.  Today she had a "down time" agenda for when she got home.  For the first time she went to play at HER house with HER stuff in a way that suited HER.

2.  Her "down time" activity was playing school!  No big deal.  Every little girl does it, right? When she was teaching her dolls to write letters and numbers today it showed that she likes school.  It was something she enjoys doing and something she was willing to model in her play.  (and she is a very kind and gentle teacher).

3.  It showed me that even though this was a tough week, that God is providing growth and grace in each day for us.  I was very overwhelmed earlier this week.  It was hard for me to see how this was actually going to be a sustainable system (the educating of 6 children).  I was overwhelmed with how much work was not getting done and how I would continue down this road for the next 29 weeks and somehow have all of my students know all that they need to know (and have a clean house too).  I realized that the source of most of my stress is that it is hard to project how things will be going two weeks from now or a month from now.  I don't know what we will be ready for.  In talking with a friend this week I likened this to when you have an infant.  Their schedule and capabilities are constantly changing.  Just when you think that you will never be able to make it out the door in a timely manner, their routine changes and all of a sudden you can go anywhere and often even be on time!  I feel like we are in a constant state of flux right now.  What might overwhelm us this week will be easy next week.  The language we didn't have three weeks ago is now fully in place and serving great purposes this week.  That constant change is a great gift.  It means that when things are tough, they will change.  Today I was thankful that this change brought about a quiet and contented spirit who enjoyed an afternoon at home in the way that every little girls should!

First Family Vacation!!

We were very blessed last week to be able to take our first family vacation with Naomi and Joanna.  We have been waiting for a LONG time to be able to stuff our Suburban full of kids and luggage and head off to one of our favorite vacation destinations:  The Outer Banks
Over the years we have enjoyed many family vacations with our siblings and cousins and parents at the beach.  It is one of our favorite ways to spend time with the extended family and we had looked forward to the time when we could teach the girls all of the fun traditions that have formed.  Though we were unable to get to the beach with all of the extended family, we did rope the 4 grandparents into joining us for the week.  We looked forward to them getting to know the girls better, to the kids all having fun making memories as siblings, and to a week just to play together without the pressures of normal life.  Our week did not disappoint us in any way.
The week could not have been more fun or relaxing.  We loved every moment of introducing the girls to the ocean.  Naomi had no fear of the water and spent hours digging in the sand. She fit right in with the crew whether they were jumping waves or digging tunnels.  Joanna preferred to sit neatly on a blanket and have snacks fed to her, but after a bit of coercion she was happy to run in the shallow waves and dig for hidden dinosaurs in the sand.  Though she might have preferred to be other places, she was a happy little camper as long as she was with the family.

The pool in the backyard provided hours of fun as well.  Joanna and Noami have become water bugs this summer and even though the water and air temperatures were a little on the cool side, they both loved being able to be in the water any time we were back at the house.  We even got them to enjoy time in the hot tub (or, as Joanna likes to call it, the "hot pool!")

Another favorite family tradition is running on the dunes at Jockey's Ridge State Park.  The cool weather made this a very enjoyable outing for all of us.  Though the climb is a daunting, the run back down the dunes is always worth the work!  We were treated this time to a unique experience.  The rains from the night before created ankle-deep pools that we were able to wade through on the way back to our shoes!

Our week was a great way to learn even more about each other, build trust, and just have fun together, There were shared experiences which helped Naomi, especially, to feel even more a part of this family.  One of the hardest things about adopting an older child (in  my limited experience) is that you want so badly for your child to jump in and feel loved and feel a part of the family.  You want them to  embrace the family right away.  However, that takes time and it takes shared experiences.  We needed to grow together through making memories and creating things in common.  The beach was the perfect place to work on trust and also to build common memories.

We are grateful to the grandparents who came along to spend the week with us all.  We enjoyed watching the kids enjoy their grandparents and we also benefited greatly from the help they provided as we ferried wagons full of chairs, boogie boards, and toys to the beach each day.  We loved playing Hide and Seek in the house, several rounds of UNO with whoever was willing to play, mini-golfing in the side yard and also watching the Washington Nationals play each night.  Thank you for watching movies with us,  finding ways to engage with 6 differently
personalitied children in a way that was meaningful to them, and for helping us fly kites.   Thank you for loving our family exactly as it is right now.  Thank you for taking the time our of your schedules to show Naomi and Joanna what being in a family feels like. Thank you for allowing us to parent in the way we feel is best and for supporting us in this journey.  We are blessed to have you as role models in our lives and I know that our children will be blessed through your Godly example in their lives.