Bringing Emily and Molly Home
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Mary-isms....From Her Early Days Here
These are notes I've written and kept since 2015 - Mary came home in Nov. of 2014.
I kept little phrase "logs" on the 3 girls cuz I thought it was sooo cute what they'd say as they were learning English. I also knew if these were not written down, they'd be forgotten. I'm still writing down current Mary-isms. Maybe I'll post those on the blog before she's 21.
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"Scared of a moose?"from a book Groucho's Eyebrows (about a cat)
Mary said, "No. God 'tects' us."
(Meaning - God protects us)
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"Yesterday night"
(Meaning - last night)
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May 13, 2015
Talking about our cats when they were kittens...
Mary -"Can I be their mama?"
Me - "Yes. You are like their mama. (She gives me a big hug)
"I like being their mama. It's so precious."
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"Pickle me up."
(Meaning - Pick me up.")
"No put the eyes down."
(Meaning - Don't go to sleep.")
"Will you give for me?"
(Meaning - Will you forgive me?)
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"Oh my goodness stars."
(Meaning - combo of oh my goodness and oh my stars)
Me at swimming pool,
"Be careful."
Her reply,
"I am be careful-ing."
Oh. Nevermind.
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Mary said she didn't cry when she got a shop in China.
(Shop = shot)
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Summer, 2015
Mary - "I "uh" a puppy."
She's playing like she's a little puppy who has come to live at our house.
Mary - "You got to say 'come here little puppy' ".
I was fixing coffee last night at Mom's house - for Mom's next morning coffee time.
Mary saw the blue lights on mom's pot (on/off).
She looked at me and said, "Mama - your lights are green on yours."
Yup. Thought that was perceptive that she had noticed.
I figured that's also the reason the clock on my coffee pot was 1 hour later yesterday and 2 hours earlier this morning.
My best guess is that little fingers have been pushing the buttons near the little green light on my coffee pot.
Uh huh.
She made up my bed.
Did a great job.
She said, "You got to cry in me."
In others words, be so elated as to cry.
I said, " How did you know how to make up that bed?"
Her reply, "Just does."
Friday, April 13, 2018
Met Some New Homeschooling Friends
Sweet Little Blondie, Morgan, has a 16 y/o brother and 18 y/o sister.
We went to their farm to meet, visit, talk about horses, watch 18 y/o sister ride, help her groom her horse -- and just be around a fun family.
The mom, Renee, is sooo kind and full of good advice (about 4H horse program and other club type options, i.e. Photography).
This family is part of our homeschool group, but because I work full time - our opportunities have been limited. We think things will be more open during the next school year.
Monday, April 9, 2018
Friday, April 6, 2018
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
The Past Week
Piano teacher rescued a young soon to be mama kitty...
Celebrating Anna Katherine's Birthday
Canadian Goose sitting on her eggs
Gifts from Sophia
Sunday, April 1, 2018
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Good Friday
Mary sketched this out....
We assemble this little crucifixion design each year.
Real dirt
Real sticks
Real Savior
Tradition.
I later placed a stone over the opening of the tomb.
It'll be rolled away on Sunday, tho.
As I said....REAL Savior!
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Friday, March 23, 2018
Low Riding and Running Shoes
Peanut in one of Mary's creations...
This "get up" with Peanut was on the back of a little plastic riding toy that I got at Goodwill when Mary 1st arrived from China.
She still likes to goof around on it.
Funny.
She was riding around our SMALL house, but hey...she was having fun.
I think the pupper was enjoying the attention.
Em got some running shoes for her birthday. Cookie got them. So generous and kind of her.
We got Emily fitted - precisely- at a specialty store that sells running/walking gear.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
Happy Sweet 16, Precious Emily
Emily wore that pink birthday headband for her 9th birthday.
We took it out for sentimental reasons.
Maybe I should say I took it out for sentimental reasons.
WHERE DID THESE YEARS GO?!?
Someone told me -right after Emily came home from China - "The days are long, but the years are short."
I understood what they meant and have pondered those words in my heart.
I can still look at an old toy Emily played with or a craft she made (tucked away in her storage containers outside), and I'm immediately transported back in time.
I - just this week - handled the little storage bag that went on her first bicycle.
It's a tiny purple, Princess bike that had training wheels.
Mary was riding that bike until last year.
But I showed the little storage bag to Emily as I was tucking it away....and I could just sense the days gone by. I could have easily teared up. Actually I think I did.
I could feel those seasons of life, those years - all the fun, all the adventures, all the family and friends.
It literally makes my heart beat a bit faster...to remember and mentally re-live the moments when she was younger. When we were all younger....
I cannot bemoan the passing of time...quite frankly because there is nothing I can do about it.
We always strive for joyfulness, contentment of the moment, of the day.
With 3 adoptions of daughters who had lived lives in China before they ever came home to our family, it's always made me keenly aware to treasure each "day that the Lord hath made" -- with us together.
But I have a strong connection to the past. Very strong.
What I can do is rejoice in every single moment of time we have now -
-- to cherish these days together with all my girls...with family and friends...and to live our lives as gifts.
Emily is developing into such a silly, caring, helpful, disciplined, lovely, bright 16 year old. The joy she brings to us is overwhelming and exciting.
My little Mei Xia Ying is growing up, and I'm so grateful to our Heavenly Father that we have grown together.
Happy Birthday, my precious, precious girl.
I love you.
Marlene snd Nanny Carol joined us for Emily's Golden Birthday...16 on the 16th.
9 years old with same pink headband
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Spring Break for Girls
Riding bikes in a small town....in the cemetery -- basically no traffic
We did chat up an older gentleman who was etching a death date in a tombstone. (Dec., 2017)
Interesting!
Molly is way back in her pink jacket.
Sunny and cool....Lovely
Mary and Emily
Nanny Carol and Cookie
We took lunch to Cookie's house, ate, rode, chatted, and scurried back to "other job". Been here since last Thursday afternoon.
Gotta seize the day (hours, minutes).
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Bubbles With a Buddy
That's Adam.
Mary told him, "When you grow up and get married, you need to call your wife Eve."
I'm certain he'll hear that a gazillion times on his life.
Sorta like, "Mary? Mary had a little lamb."
His dad is from China.
Mom from America.
They work on some weekends where I work, too.
Sweet little family.
Friday, March 9, 2018
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Christopher Churchmouse Stories
Mary is reading aloud - in the bed at my weekend job.
She has a Coleman bulb operated lantern providing light.
This set of books is The Christopher Churchmouse Classics.
I have no idea where they came from - but I'm sure they were free (given and second hand).
I almost missed these little gems. I was going to consign them at the recent missions event.
I didn't realize they were stories based on Bible Scriptures - stories of a little mouse and his family living in a church.
We had never read these so I figured "move them on"...but I'm so glad I didn't.
They're sweet, and Mary and I are enjoying them as bedtime stories.
She could easily read chapter books, but as I was with Emily....so I am with Mary.
I want her to read AS MANY children's books as possible while she's young.
There are so many good ones.
Molly arrived in our family at age 11 - turning 12. She was past the stage of these type books; however, we chose classics like Heidi, The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables.
Their Abeka Literature classes provide absolutely phenomenal works for them to read. I don't think I could be any more pleased with another Grammar/Lit/Spelling course than this one we've been using for 4 years.
Same goes for the Math, too.
I digress.
Back to what I was saying...
Emily just finished a book called What Katy Did and really enjoyed it. We plan for her to read other books in that series and by that author. It'll have to be in the summer.
She read an excerpt from Tom Sawyer (aloud to me) last night (for her literature class) and chuckled often.
It was the story of Tom giving Aunt Polly's medicine potion to the cat.
We had started reading Tom Sawyer last year (minus derogatory terms)) but never finished. We may go back to it this summer - with me reading it aloud.
Mark Twain had a way with spinning tales, but they're almost funnier to read when you're older and the humor is more easily understood.
Lest anyone think we are only "children's classics folks", excerpts from The Merchant of Venice were also on tap for reading (The Quality of Mercy is Not Strained).
Emily and Molly's devotional resources are definitely geared toward young adults.
Christopher Churchmouse and His Mommy
I know.
I'm old fashioned
Or maybe headstrong and determined --
to make sure my girls experience all the glories of childhood (and life in general) they can through
-- good literature
-- enriching experiences
-- meaningful relationships
-- deep thinking
and
-- simplicity
Yawn.
Time for "sleepy-la"....as Emily would say when she was little and new from China.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Goodbye Frosty! Hello Spring.
Mary's creation from several months ago - almost looks like a duck
- carrot nose is headed West
- only 2" high
I absolutely treasure kiddie art.
The Girls with Sophia
There's a 5th grader at my Schawlow needs to grow in her English skills.
Sophia
I don't teach her but thought it would be a great opportunity to sorta take her under our wings.
Her mother brings her over to our house or meets me at my weekend job.
I work with her for about an hour.
I think she enjoys being around my girls, and it's just "good" - all around.
They've got the Lego vintage picnic basket out and are building.
Her mom works at a medical research center, father is in Canada -- but the entire family will likely return to China in a few years.
I guess we only have to look around in our own world to find those with whom we can be friends.
Sophia wasn't smiling TOO much...but she is here.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Happy Chinese New Year...The Year of the Dog
With Rene's girls at CNY celebration
KK and Tricia - cooking....yum!
KK gave my girls a traditional and symbolic Red Envelope with 10.00 inside (always an even number value of the bill)
We saw these darling poochies.
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