Alive and well

Well, it's been a long time.  And time sure does fly.  I often feel like there are never enough hours in the day.  Me and a million other moms.

But I count my blessings. 

I can honestly say that I can now feel a sense of peace with our family unit.  Nathan has completely adjusted.  And Avery truly loves her big brother.  My husband is as wonderful as ever.  And each night I thank my Lord for the gift of another day.

Vacation

We are in beautiful Sanibel Island. This is the life. The kids have shelled, swam, gone shopping, as well as various other snazzy stuff. Fun in the sun. And it is HOT.

We are having a nice family vacation.

Life is good.

Nathan's Baptism

One week ago, Nathan was baptized. We had a celebration at our house afterwards, with catered Chinese food in Nathan's honor. It was a very good day.

Slowly, things are becoming a little easier as we all continue to mesh as a family of four. It has been challenging, because in a lot of ways Nathan is just as needy as a toddler. He gets very jealous when I spend time with Avery. I need to stop and think that he has been through so much in these six months, and that it will take more time and energy and effort to guide him. And, God willing, I've got the time.

I keep having flash forwards in time, when my kids are older, and then I find I will take moments to stop doing the dishes (and countless endless other tasks) and sit with them. Living in the moment. I will never get this time back when they are small. And although there are bumps in the road, our lives aren't meant to be perfect. And as much as I want things to be well with us, I've found that the hardest times in my life have given me determination and wisdom. So, as Thanksgiving approaches, I am very thankful for my family. And God's beautiful plan. Bumps and all.

Wish lists already...

Yes, we are all still alive. Every moment of every day is busy. I didn't know that life could be this busy. And I only have two kids...

Nathan started out school with excitement and optimism. Just a few weeks into it, he became so frustrated that he internalized a lot of anger. He is a perfectionist, and that coupled with the fact that he is trying to adapt to a brand new culture and language would put any young child into a challenging state of affairs, to say the least. He has periodically grieved his losses, and recently he has really been really turning the corner in a positive direction. His demeanor has changed for the better, and he generally seems to be, day by day, becoming more comfortable with his family and his new country.

He got to go fishing with his Papa recently, and he caught 2 blue gills. Although he likes to catch the fish, he expects them to bite right away. We had a good time.

And Avery just loves her cat Abby. I think that Abby follows her around in the mornings especially since she knows Avery will patiently scratch her cheeks until the cat has had enough of the scratching and leaves. Avery just adores Abby. It is really nice to see her love her kitty so much.

So here is a picture of the kids looking at the Toys 'R Us catalog, you know, the Christmas edition. And seemingly Nathan knows just what to do and how this whole Christmas thing works. Seems to me he already loves that jolly 'ole fat man. He was bothered at the thought that St. Nick would be getting his carpet wet with snow. So I told him not to worry, he'll wipe his feet off before he delivers the presents under the tree. He is so concerned about a mess. He is his father's son.

Soccer begins....

We took a chance and signed both of the kids up for soccer right after we arrived home in May, not knowing what our lives had in store for the future. Thankfully, Nathan is pretty easygoing, and likes to try new things. And so far, so good.

We have practices every Monday and Wednesday, and the first game was this past Saturday. Avery was daydreaming a lot of the time, and also being a stinker too to her momma, which got her a talking to after the game. I'll plead the fifth on the specifics.

Nathan, who had been a little unsure of what to do all through the practices, completely brought his "A" game, and scored a goal and an assist! It was amazing to see the confidence in him, and to experience him growing in so many ways day by day.

Tomorrow, the kids go back to school. I just can't believe it. Nathan is starting first grade, and I know he'll do fine. I pray that his teacher will be understanding of this brave child who has been through so many changes in these past three months. He has come so far with learning our family unit, our language, and what is expected of him. He still holds back most of the time with his affection, but he seems happy and content, and we do get an "I love you" at night from him (after we tell him of course, but we'll take it any way we can get it).

I can only imagine what the future holds for him, and how he will be in another three months. We decided we will send him to Chinese school, which starts at the end of the month.

And our Avery, she continues to amaze me every day with her vocabulary, reasoning, and negotiating skills. She is a funny, funny girl, and sometimes, she'll say something, and we are cracking up until she makes a sort of snorting sound, and then, well, we laugh even harder. We've discovered it's fun to have "girl parties" and paint our nails and do the things that girls like to do. And she insists on locking her bedroom door during these parties to make sure that no boys get in...

Long weekend vacation

We took the kids to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin recently for a last minute getaway before I went back to work. The first night, we stayed at an indoor water park, which had a "countryside view" of horses. It was so calming watching the horses graze in the distance. Avery absolutely loved watching them. She was squealing with excitement when she first saw them - adorable. After we checked out of the hotel, we went to a petting zoo and also let Avery ride a pony. She was a little scared, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Nathan is talking more each day. I feel like every day he says something new. Here are some of the latest things: "Can you find a fish?" and "What are you talking about?" and "I have something for you." And last night he told Avery, "Get outta my room!" Yes, he was mad. Avery knows how to press every one of Nathan's buttons and she had harassed him, and he had had enough. Gotta love the sibling fights. It happens to all of us who have siblings. They both really need to start school, so that they can focus on something other than tattling on each other. Sigh. And life goes on....

Beach and boat ride

We are fortunate enough to have some good friends that have a boat. We spent the morning at the beach, and in the afternoon, we took a boat ride. Both of the kids got to drive the boat (with our friend Jeff behind them) and they were very excited.

Avery is our thrill seeker, and clearly you can see she is loving life. Nathan was probably concentrating on not trying to hit anyone. It was a great day.

Tomorrow, I go back to work. I am thankful for my time off with the kids. There were some amazing days, and some very tough days. And I would not change a thing.

I feel that Nathan has grown so much since we met him 2.5 months ago. His English continues to amaze me, and he is keeping up his Chinese with our sister-in-law. Avery has struggled at times not being the only one anymore, but slowly she is understanding what having a brother is all about. Next month, Nathan will start first grade and Avery will go back to preschool. They are both ready, and I think that the structure will be good for them both.

So the coffee pot is set to brew at 6am. Yes, caffeine is my friend.