Valentine's Day 2013

This picture pretty much describes it all - there were a lot of smiles as they inspected the love shown upon them through their little Valentine surprises.  Narrating this photo - Maddox is going right for the sweetness on the table - powdered donuts; Pryce and Colin are having an animated discussion over the fact that they can finally watch Andy Griffith episodes, something they have been looking forward to for a while - these two always make me smile with the small things in life; and Mason-Kate - MK is thrilled to have received a bright light animal but mostly she is excited to go to school on this particular day because she was assigned class leader for the day, the best duty in the class!

 As an added bonus, the boys and I took the day off from school and headed down to our local Veterans Hospital to visit with wounded soldiers - a very eye-opening experience for the three of us.  And then a Valentine lunch with friends followed by a party with Maddox's class and lastly a cupcake delivery to MK's class!  

 With the day still young, we met our biggest Valentine for dinner and then we all divided up and headed out for the evening - girls with their daddy to get their nails done and some other special stops along the way; boys with their mom to the WinterJam concert in town.  Fabulous day/night had by all!

 The weekend arrived and we began it by celebrating one of Maddox's favorite friends, Mary Cathryn.  Build A Bear was the place to be!

 Once again we are full fledge into Bible Thrills season with church.  C, P and MK are participating this year though only the oldest two will actually compete.  It truly is a sight to see children ages 8-11 given a verse and asked to find it in the Bible in less than 10 seconds.....and even more so, the youth have a mere 7 seconds.  Amazing.

 Bright and early Monday morning, MK and I set out to join her Girl Scout troop on their endeavor to sell the most Girl Scout cookies ever!  There was some dancing and some shouting and some coloring - and, thankfully, some selling but mostly I think there was a lot of fun!

 Fast forwarding to Friday.  Friday, Maddox and I began our day with some very special friends painting treasures and then it was off to lunch to finish off our lovely time together.  Please note, Maddox's lunch was chips, yogurt and a big Easter egg cookie - such nutrition:)

And just like that, the week ended, the children are off with their grandparents for the weekend and Ryan and I will be acting like we are in college again as we enjoy some down time just hanging out together.  

Weekend Favs
Farkle. Reeses Smores.  Living room campouts.  Sunrise Grill.  Birthday parties.  Cinderella.  Trampoline football.  Homemade pizza.  Spoons.  Andy Griffith.  

2013 The Year of the Snake

 We rang in the new year with our favorite Chinese buddies.  12 families present.  A new addition, sweet baby girl, home just two weeks.  A family anticipating travel in the next 3 weeks.  A family paperchasing.  AND, a family who announced their recent decision to adopt from China via special needs.  To say it was a happy night is an understatement.  We love this group - the children and the adults - and we feel so fortunate to walk this adoption road with each of them!  The bonus, of course, is seeing how God's hand has worked in each of their lives.  His work is amazing!

The night ended with a bang.....some forgotten fireworks were discovered and our yard was sparkling.   

A few random thoughts....

I had someone recently ask me if MK knows she is adopted.  She was serious and genuinely wanted to know how we talk to MK and Maddox about their adoptions.  Her daughter is in kindergarten with MK.  And the answer is, yes, MK and Maddox know they are adopted.  They know they were born in China.  They know we came to get them, all of us.  They know they had foster mothers/families.  How much of their adoptions they understand, I question.  And how much they want to really discuss, I question.  Especially with one - anything that singles her out, be it facts or fans, she shies away from.  So that brings me to my recent thoughts.....MK is 6 and Maddox is 3.  The fact that they are Chinese by birth will never change.  Yet, they are being raised in a southern American family in a culture far different from what they knew as infants.  So I wonder, how much will they (and do they) want their heritage to play in their lives as they grow?  We have always said we will let them take the lead and we will follow them when it comes to their interest in China.  Yet,  it is sometimes tough to know whether that approach is the best to take.....we would never, ever want them to be embarrassed or feel as though being Chinese American is a bad thing.....so, all this to say, just as our adoption journey takes twists and turns along the way, our path guiding our girls as they grow tends to follow the same map.  As MK ages, I just know she has to be sensitive when adults whisper questions or say "oriental" or ask her if her siblings are real....she is 6.  She doesn't grasp any of that enough to understand and give grace to their ignorance. ***babbling in my mind can get the best of my typing abilities....I am all over the place probably because at the end of the day, I want to parent right, no mess ups.

Onto another thought.....homeschooling.  My mental picture this week for homeschooling was one morning as I ran around scrambling to get Valentines made and laundry washed/dried, Pryce came to me and asked if he could take a break from his work and play with Maddox.  I said yes.  He proceeded to take Maddox into our garage to ride her bike.  Then he had an idea and before I knew it, his imagination took over and a train was made out of random riding toys in our garage....all this, with his sister and her baby doll.  The ten minutes that I had agreed to for playtime grew into thirty minutes simply because I was enjoying their laughter.....it is the moments like these that I stop and thank God and Ryan for opening up our minds to homeschooling.

And lastly, MK.  She will finish up her Kindergarten year in May.  In June, she will begin her first grade year at home with us.  She loves school.  I asked her if she thought she was going to miss it next year and she said, "Yes.  Well, no, not really.  But I will miss Mrs. Duncan."  Sigh.  She is just like her mother, hates to say goodbye, especially when it is to someone extra special.

Today Maddox and I were in Target getting last minute supplies for Valentines Day.  She was squirmy.  She began going through my purse and wanted my lipstick so she could apply it to her face.  I told her no several times.....the last time she put on lipstick, I left the store with her looking like she was ready to join the circus.  So I was firm and told her no.  She protested.  She looked at me with those big brown eyes, tears and all, and said, "God no like meean."  I was shocked.  I thought she said, "God not like me" to which I was wondering exactly what she was learning in church.  I questioned her and she said it a second time only this time she clearly said, "God not like mean."  And I said, "Who is mean?" and I wasn't shocked when she said, "You being mean to me.  God not like that." This, all over lipstick. Needless to say, the Target worker who overheard the entire conversation was giggling under her breath.  Me, I of course apologized to Maddox for being "mean" but explained to her that it was my job to teach her obedience because God does like obedience....I am sure it went over her head but the remainder of our trip was much more pleasant.

Wow, what a day!:)

Mason-Kate had a special day with her favorite man - her daddy!  

 From the moment they met, they held a special bond that only daddies and daughters can share.  

 The pair began their day at the circus with MK's kindergarten class, front row seats!  Then, Ryan picked MK up from school and whisked her off to get her hair done - she chose to have it straightened and felt just like a princess as she watched Miss Hanna perform her magic:)  Then it was off to dinner, MK's choice - Chick Fil A.  And finally, they landed themselves in dreamland - the Father/Daughter dance.  

 In addition to spending the evening with her daddy, MK loved seeing all of her friends all dolled up and dancing the night away!  Miss Addison is one of MK's favs from school and she also teams up with us at Girl Scouts.  They have become the best of friends!

 Meanwhile, I spent the day with two of the most handsome boys ever!  They were looking sharp as they approached the capital building all prepared to present their bills to the awaiting crowd.  They participated in Teen Pact - C's second year, P's first.  It is a one day event held each year for homeschool children at the capital.  

 We were joined by friends and thoroughly enjoyed our day in the mock legislature.  These guys are all set to change the world!  Bills were presented anywhere from pesticide reduction to statewide donut day - take one guess who presented the statewide donut day????  Of course, P!  Everyone was in favor of that becoming a law immediately!  And C, on a more serious note, presented his bill to instate a law that would allow homeschool children to participate in local public school extra curricular activities.  Some states already allow this, Georgia does not.  

 With these future lawmakers, anything is possible!  

And, Maddox, well she spent her day with the undivided attention of Ryan's parents, G-Mom and G-Dad.  When I asked her if she cried at all during the day, she replied, "No, I just laugh and laugh!"  So thankful her grandparents were here for the day!  It was most definitely one of those days that could not have been done without help!

C finished up his basketball season on Friday.  Though their season was less than stellar, we all had so much fun cheering them on during their final game.  At halftime, they were down by something crazy, like 30, and by the end of the game, they were on fire and brought the game back to a three point margin.....there was a lot of crazy cheering and excitement in the stands!  Way to go C!

P's basketball season is in full swing and winning is their name.  My moment with Pryce this week was on Tuesday....and basketball was not involved.  Instead, it was a schooling moment.  P is involved in an intense writing class.  Last year, my favorite part of schooling him was watching him create his stories and share them with me.....he was so proud and excited about his accomplishments.  This year has proved to be a bit more challenging with the content and though he has continued to excel, he hasn't expressed the excitement about his work.  Tuesday was different.  The joy was back.  He could not wait to share his latest work with me and the smiles and proud face was back in full gear.  So fun to see success through a child's eyes!

MK....oh how I love this girl.  I miss her and cannot wait to have her with us next year during school.  She is having a fabulous time in Kindergarten though and her teacher is smitten.  Again, I watched her swim this week and I just stand amazed at what she is capable of and the determination that surrounds her.  She learned how to do the Butterfly stroke and she is killing it.....6 years old, amazing.  My most proud moments are watching her with Maddox.  Their relationship continues to grow and MK can be so loving and caring towards her little sister - she really likes to help and encourage!

And Maddox....to live a day with Maddox is to experience life from all angles.  She is so sweet.  She, out of the blue, will say, "Mommy, I love you more."  I must say I love the early morning snuggles, the tight hugs at school when she says goodbye, the running into my arms when she sees me.....she is just so stinkin sweet.  Yet, there is spice.  And she is not always nice.  And she will tell me ,"NOOO!!!" in a heartbeat if she doesn't agree with what I have to say.  Recently, she has started to write letters, trace her name, count to 25 - sometimes higher....she is thriving!