Learning Together at Home — Page 26 — Adoption, Faith, & Education at home… & away

1
Jun

Puddles and Giggles

June 1, 2010

We drove and drove and took detours and ran at rest stops. We also seemed to outrun the rain so far. Although, we managed to find a really nice motel to stay in last night rather than set up the tent and take it down in one night.

I loved how the kids paired off, giggled, and generally got to know one another better yesterday. James and Faith giggling over air hockey and goofy music. James and Grace whispering and …gasp!… actually chatting together. Garnet showed us his dimples a LOT!

Favourite memory:

Garnet running right through a LONG puddle in his quest to win the race to the far garbage can and back. Even better was the sight of him giggling as he ran right back through that puddle towards us again. LOL! He offered me a “daisy weed” as a peace offering.

Garnet - puddle & daisy

The kids loved feeding possibly aggressive, ginormous squirrels some neon coloured goldfish crackers at Green Lake in Seattle yesterday.

Yesterday a.m. started off rough and got much better by its end.

And yes, next post I will not forget my camera in the van and will actually try and upload some photos.

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28
May

Everyday Randomness

May 28, 2010

I know random is the tween catch all descriptive, but these days it just fits our lives. So, in an effort to catch up on my blogging before our big adventure begins, here goes…

“I guess we’re all done training wheels in this house…” Said by Steve. Reason enough for both of us to pause momentarily and feel a little nostalgic. Grace and Garnet have officially figured out how to ride their two-wheelers. We tried and tried to help them (including several on and off manoeuvres with the training wheels) and then one day they both took it upon themselves to figure out how to balance and pedal fast. Braking came next. Only a few band aids later and there has been no turning back. The two of them are a force to be reckoned with when they work together!

Happy Birthday Grandma! The family put on a fun weekend for my Mom’s big birthday a couple of weekends ago. The weather was beautiful. The cousins were happy and had a tremendous time playing and dousing Grandma with water balloons. Other than a smoky restaurant and a few shrill chirps from a smoke alarm, the whole weekend was beautiful. A great family time for us to come together and celebrate with our much loved Mom / Grandma.

6 months with our Grace Yes, this should warrant its own post. And yet, when the day passed we were together celebrating Grandma’s birthday weekend. She was just one of the grandkids. Her English is blossoming. Her accent and slightly husky voice is charming. She had the chance to sit on her Grandma’s lap a whole lot and play with the amazing contents of Grandma’s purse on more than one occasion. She ate ice cream twice in two days (something she tells me,“I no have this in Chwina. Never, never in Chwina.”). And I think that sums up how she is doing quite nicely don’t you think?

School’s Out Yes folks, we made it. Our first school year with four at home. It has been a defining year for each of our kids in one way or another and I am so incredibly proud of my kids. Really. They all outdid themselves.

Our patio. This was our first experience hiring a contractor to do work. It’s been educational and overall I think the patio itself is a vast improvement over our ill placed, overgrown trees and dead, patchy grass. It was just poured today, so we’ll get to enjoy it more fully when we return from our big adventure.

End of an Era – Goodbye Ayi Sherri Garnet has been attending Sherri’s preschool for two afternoons a week since shortly after coming home. This was a huge deal for us. We had committed wholeheartedly to homeschooling our older two kids. We had absorbed much material on building healthy attachments. So when our little man came home from from China, we were all set to carry on as planned. God used a few well placed observations by some foks who didn’t even know Garnet to soften my spirit. Sherri was referred to us by a friend of my sister-in-law and after speaking with her on the phone I was amazed at the peace I sensed. God used Sherri in so many ways to not only help Garnet learn, but also to develop trust and relationships in a safe testing ground. As I wrote in the front of the Curious George book we gave her, “Sherri, you have been such an encouragement to our entire family…” We’ll miss her very much!

Faith’s Year End Dance Production Months and months of tapping around our house are about to be displayed for all her adoring fans grandparents to see. Yes, the year end production is set to begin tomorrow. She’s braved blocking and dress rehearsal and is now catching some beauty rest before the big day. We can’t wait to applaud our girl. Way to go Faith!

Our Big Family Adventure (And yes we have housesitters – just in case anyone out there is getting any funny ideas about an empty house! lol) We are heading out in a few days and taking a long road trip. We’ll be camping some. Doing some touristy things. Spending lots and lots of time squished together in small confined spaces. And you know what? I can’t wait! There will definitely be those tense moments that always happen on a trip like this, but we sort of planned it that way. Life since returning home with Grace has been its normal full, busy, packed, crazy self. Lessons and activities and work and friends and church and therapy and medical appointments and volunteering are all great things, but they leave little wiggle room for working out some of the issues that crop up more readily under the pressure cooker of 3 weeks together on our own without distractions. So, I’m excited! I know God has some big growth planned for all of us and I’m ready for a fresh breeze straight from Heaven.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 This is the verse that God has really been speaking to my heart about the last couple of weeks. I won’t kid you that I have been quite exhausted for some time. Health issues and life, not to mention adding a spunky new seven year old to the mix can be physically and emotionally wearing. When I think to myself that I simply can not step up and be consistent, be a translator, be a mediator, be an instructor, be a mentor, be an advocate one more time, He reminds me of this verse and speaks it to my deepest soul. May I offer His encouragement to you as well?

I’ll update if I get the chance. We’ll have a laptop along, but Steve’ll be keeping up with the goings on at work, so my computer quota may be limited. Take care everyone!

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20
May

Cows and Kangaroos for my city kids

May 20, 2010

If you were in our van today, you would have heard the following conversation:

Shelley: Hey kids, look at that cow in the trailer over there!

Kids: What? Where? Oh cool!

Grace: That’s not a cow. That’s a kangaroo!

Stephen: Sorry, honey, that’s a cow. Kangaroos have longer ears. (Said in a wry tone of voice at the end of a long day.)

Faith: Actually Grace, kangaroos live in Africa.

Insert the sound of chirping crickets and the banging of the children’s teacher’s Mom’s head on the dashboard.

Followed by an impromtu animal science and geography lesson.

Ahhh homeschooling. 😉

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13
May

I’m alive!

May 13, 2010

Just super busy with a broken down van (now repaired), lots of extra spring appointments and activities (the check list is shrinking though), a travelling husband (coming home tomorrow), 2 sick kids (on the mend, the last days of our homeschool year (1 student down, 3 to go), getting organized for our upcoming road trip (more on that soon), a broken washer (new one coming next Tuesday & a new understanding of what was so great about those wringers of old. Did you know it takes 3 times as long to dry clothes that have been hand washed and then wrung by hand? News to me!).

Hope you all are well!

Wishing and Hoping

May 6, 2010

Stephen and I had really and truly hoped that when our two youngest finally were united, they would find fulfillment in the shared experiences of their early years.

Today I saw it fulfilled.

There they were, in their fort under the school table. Chatting away over Garnet’s photo album about “Their China”.

It was all I could do not to shout, “Yippee!”.

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6
May

A Show in Three Acts

May 6, 2010

Faith and her friend J have been very busy for the past 6 weeks or so. They decided to hold a show in our backyard for their friends and family. A script was written which consisted of two dance numbers and one drama. They created a backdrop, chose costumes and wrote and delievered invitations. A snack booth and a tag sale area were also set up. And then they practiced.

They practiced almost daily. The most amazing thing was seeing their excitement and teamwork. I mean these two 9 year olds really dedicated themselves to putting on an amazing show, dress rehearsals and all. I know Faith prayed for good weather. She hardly slept all night. And then yesterday dawned rainy and cool.

In the afternoon, we saw a clear break and we set up our yard and placed the chairs. I set off to deliver Garnet and Faith to their classes and that’s when I drove into it. A sheer wall of rain. It was a downpour and it was headed our way. I quickly called James at home and begged him to quickly take down the show area and bring everything inside to the schoolroom. I felt sick. Off I went to pick up Faith early from her class and let her know we’d had a change of plans.

As I picked Faith up, we were still hopeful that it would pass us by. We talked about how God could make the rain go by us and into the draw just behind our house. We talked about trusting Him to know best and yet asking Him as our Daddy to do the right thing for us. We drove down the main road toward home and only a few hundred feet away from our turn-off the rain stopped! Our hearts soared and Faith was cheering in the backseat! And then we turned the corner onto our road and were hit by another wall of rain.

I pulled the van in to the driveway and Faith was off to call J. Would anyone still come? I didn’t know if the neighbour kids would be here but I knew their family would (including Stephen who was currently driving over a mountainous highway through that same storm to get to the show on time). Duct tape in hand the back drop went up on the school room wall. Faith gasped! Oh yes she did. Tape on my wall is a huge taboo around here. She told me, “You must really care about my show Mom if you are using duct tape on your walls!” Sigh – yes I am a a bit, umm particular about my paint. Anyway, back to the main story…

We ran around and set things up the best we could. The girls were so nervous and excited. The energy was very high around our house.

And you know what? Kids came, quarters in hand. My schoolroom was full with neighbour kids, grandparents, parents, siblings, an auntie and cousins. Popcorn was popped and purchased. Lemonade was drank and bracelets, books and knick-knacks and treasures were purchased.

Act 1: Here We Go Again

A hit. Some nerves, but they pulled it off with smiles. Lots of popcorn refills from the crowd.

Act 2: Cheetah Sisters

They hit their groove. Extra flair. Again more purchases made – handled by their two stage managers (and yes, they thought of everything!) – one sister and one friend.

Act 3: The Country of Doom

A vampire drama (ahem, not my choice of content, but very funny). Three songs were sung (written and again, choreographed by the two girls). Smiles and laughter were shared. Two Moms cheeks were a bit pink. As J’s Mom mentioned, I don’t think either of us would have had opportunity or nerves to put something like this on. And the neighbour kids? The best part was a comment I overheard from one of the older boys as they headed out the door. That was SO cool!

Flowers from Daddy

Watching the video I took afterwards. Healthy Pride.

One more thing. Something for me to treasure in my heart. Faith announced last night in an off handed way. You know, I think it worked out better having it in the house. I’m so glad!

Yes honey, that’s right. Your Daddy knew all along.

Having THE Talk

May 5, 2010

Oh, not the one most parents would think of. No birds or bees here. Well there was some of that, but – oh whatever.

The talk I’m referring to is the story of my youngest daughter’s beginnings. She was baby role playing with me (a normal thing for her and I that I believe is giving her a chance to catch up so to speak.) and I had the opportunity to take it one step farther and once again bring up her birth parents.

Before now she would always look at me with that look. You know the look. The one that says, “Haha, aren’t you a funny Mommy. I like make believe, but can we move on to a new subject?”

But this time, I again recounted as much of her story as I have been told and I took it a step farther. I drew pictures. Ahem. So I’m not a brilliant artiste. She really engaged with me in the drawing. She helped me with details, asked me questions and then we had an opportunity to talk about her coming to Canada, her feelings, the works. But the best part? The fact that she and I were finally able to talk about it.

You see, I had broached the subject previously. I’d rehearsed openly with her as she was in the early stages of English Vocaulary development. I’d spoken of other babies in our family. I’d used all the correct (or should I say, consciously chosen)terminology in front of her. And then all of a sudden, tonight she had that curious sort of look that said, “Tell me more, Mom.” Finally she got it.

And you know what she told me? No one had ever told her this story before.

While I am delighted to be the one to engage her on this level, I am pretty sure that she has a variety of ideas as to how she came to the orphanage. I’m sure she heard plenty. Was it her own personal story though? I doubt it. Did not knowing about the fact that her life is on a path and that her destiny was to be more than the orphanage life as she knew it affect her determination not to want to meld with our family? Yeah. I’m pretty sure it added to it.

But (and this is a big BUT), I am so glad that I got to be the one to talk to her about God’s bigger plan for her. God didn’t create the trauma in her life, but he is definitely the redeemer and the ultimate healer of wounds. I can’t be the balm she needs, but I can keep leading her back to the One who has a special plan for her.

It was a good talk.

For I know the plans I have for (Grace),” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper (Grace) and not to harm (Grace), plans to give (Grace) hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

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2
May

Crazy Love hits close to home

May 2, 2010

A few months ago I had the privilege to read an incredible perspective altering book, Crazy Love, by Francis Chan. At the time I read it with maybe a more outreach based mentality. Today we had a speaker come to our church, with the focus of his talk being on kindness. I nodded along throughout his message, but when he closed with the clip, “What is that?”, I lost it – along with pretty much the entire congregation. Now that hit close to home. Suddenly I saw God’s example, His call to us, for Crazy Love, come to roost in my own household.

So, here it is. Sit down. Prepare your heart and mind. Oh, and grab the kleenex box.

What is that?

(Oh, and if someone can tell me how to find a plugin for video embedding that is compatible with the newest version of WP, please let me know!)

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2
May

A new glimpse

May 2, 2010

Thanks to this post on Rumor Queen, many of us in the China IA world have been racing around the web in order to locate new photos of our kids.

Here’s a new one of Garnet.

At this point, this is probably the youngest photo we have of our little man. Would I normally be joyous over a simple photo of a regular old exam? No. But, this is post surgery. This is his history. And I am delighted to see it.

We’ve also found a few photos of the baby rooms in each of the kids’ orphanages. Both kids have had a lot of questions about their babyhood lately and I’m so pleased to have the photos to show them.

I’m so thankful for the internet and for the generosity of the many other IA parents we’ve met or been exposed to over the internet.

Off to search some more…

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30
Apr

Decisions, decisions

April 30, 2010

We are in the midst of our annual two day homeschool convention.

I so look forward to going every year. It’s so affirming to literally walk amongst a large group of like minded families. The kids have their own mini, Christ centered educational camp. The youth have workshops and receive hands on teaching from a number of the keynote speakers from the adult conference. And Stephen and I have a chance to share a tea and puruse great books, seek out direction for our next year and take stock of how the past year has gone.

This year has been challenging in a new way though. Last year I remember being curious as to where the kids would be at, particularly our newest addition. What would she know already? What would her interest bent be? What is her learning style? How quickly would her language be at a level that we could move beyond the basics to all the fun projects, etc.

And here we are. One year later and still many questions.

I shouldn’t be surprised about this. Each year brings new questions regarding the next year’s direction. In many ways I enjoy the discoveries we make and the ways that we tweak their learning paths. But, yet again, I am reminded that my family is not the “norm”. Is there a norm? You know, I never thought so, but somehow the reactions from others suggests to me that there must be.

Each vendor booth at the curriculum market makes me think this when they begin searching for details about our kids in order to begin to narrow down what they might be able to sell us offer us for the benefit of all of our children’s educational goals.

They begin by asking our children’s ages and genders. This is followed by questions to gain an understanding of what they have studied prior to this. Sometime soon after this we find it necessary to divulge just enough about our kids that they begin to visualize the specific needs of each of our four and then they begin to either:

a. Scratch their heads.

b. Look at us in disbelief.

c. Begin to convince us that no matter the wide variations in our children’s learning needs and backgrounds, theirs is the o.n.l.y. curriculum that will not only gain our children entrance into an elite university of their choice, but do it while allowing me to have time to catch up on my housekeeping, pursue a degree of my own and gain back all the blonde hairs I’ve been trading for grey as of late.

Anyway, we seem to pose a bit of a problem to others. We don’t fit into a neat and tidy little curricula box.

And I like that about us.

I think it is what makes our family just that – our family.

Over the years it used to stress me out a lot more than it has today and I am really thankful that He’s brought me out of that dark and weary land of curricula chasing and into a new era of realizing that He knows what my kids need and box or no box, I’m the woman He’s chosen to use in their lives to bring them into closer awareness of their part in His – story.

Did I mention that I think I have the best job I could ever imagine myself doing?

(This is not the job I dreamed of, but He knew better. Anyway, that’s a post for another day.)

So, tonight I pore over catalogues, click through the review sites, fill in my spreadsheets and pray and ask for wisdom. He knows my kids intimately. After all, I am only a tool in my Potter’s hands.

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In another answer to a prayer I prayed many years ago, we were able to meet with the Independent Graduation Counselor from our school of registration. In our province it is widely expected that students will enroll in the publically funded distance learning programs, as a home edcuated, Ministry of Education supervised student. The family will receive a portion of the funds allotted to that student and by completing the required provincial outcomes, that student will receive a highschool diploma. It is assumed that a teen will need the diploma to enter a program of further study at a college or university.

However…

After meeting with the Grad Counselor, we have been told that by collecting samples of the work that our kids complete along the way, the school will approve that an appropriate level of work has been maintained (an informal rather than formal evaluation). The school in turn will create a completion transcript for the student and recommend to the admissions counselor that the student be given entrance into the college or university. The only requirement for entrance beyond the transcript? An English placement exam that is designed for English Language Learners and for which there are numerous online samples and ministry supplied preparation materials.

He directed our steps in this when so many of our peers have gone the mainstream route. We have been going on faith that God would be faithful as we headed down the unknown path. And today He showed us His faithfulness in the flesh.

I’m so thankful.

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