8 years with our Lydia

 

                                       

Aunt Merica

Solomon is often comparing his life now with his before life. I am always so touched by his perception and what he chooses to share with us. Tonight he began what I thought was another heart-felt comparison while I was putting away autumn and taking out Christmas.

Mom. Merica has that.

America has this. What does China have?

Pause. Confusion.

Do you mean Aunt Erica?

Oh, Aunt Erica.

Oh, what a boy!

We have been Lei Lei's family for six months and it has been glorious. Solomon wakes up happy every morning. Every ritual that is new and unfamiliar is a joy to him. He loves learning and gets excited when he gets it. He is loved by his big brother and sisters.

He knows the sounds of nearly all 26 alphabet letters.

He has had three hair cuts already.

He plays guns with his brother and barbies with his sisters.

He hates cheese and drinks milk only because "it makes me strong".

He smiles all the time!

He loves having a family.

He will try anything.

He will be the first to point out injustices and siblings wrong doings.

He just sat through the dentist drilling, all the while smiling.

He is sporting a new silver crown on his tooth.

Mom sleeps with him "for 5 minutes" every night.

He sleeps with the big purple dinosaur.

He talks about China and wants all his friends to have a mommy.

He has fabulous fine motor skills.

He can express in English what he needs and what he's thinking.

He is quick to understand technology and logic.

But also easily misunderstands intentions and can be sensitive.

Loves being good and noticed when he behaves well.

Beams with pride.

Loves gadgets and helping his dad around the house.

Fond of flashlights, tire pumps, shovels, hammers, rakes and wheel barrows.

Solomon is a gift from God and I count my blessings daily that I am his mother.

Solomon's name is Hebrew, meaning peace.

November is Orphan Awareness Month

"Orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names. They are easier to ignore before you see their faces. It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them in your arms.


But once you do, everything changes."


~ Anonymous

 
  Click here to view these pictures larger

 
 
- More than 46 million orphans in Africa.



- More than 71 million orphans in Asia.


- More than 10 million orphans in Latin America.


- More than 120,000 orphans in the United States.


Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.


--James 1.27 (NIV)

Photos received from December 2009

Everyday there is something that Solomon brings up about what he had and didn't have in China. Tonight at the store it was the white mushrooms...yes, they have.

While looking at these photos we received last night of Yu Lei at a little birthday party for a fellow friend in the orphanage, Solomon said, "I didn't have a mommy."


I am so honored to be Solomon's mommy. He is one amazing boy. I marvel again at God's word and how our life with Solomon was written in God's book, before ever it took shape, when as yet there was none of us. In God's creation Solomon was always our family.

So much fun with Grandma and Grandpa

Simon and friends over to our house for Homecoming dinner, prepared and arranged by the big sisters.

        Lei Lei's playdough creation                              

Volunteer Park Conservatory in Seattle

The Space Needle

Flower Market at Pike's Market

Our precious little guy is in the recovery room right now. The surgeon did a fine job making his hand more functional. He is still asleep and we won't be able to take the bandages off to see the hand for a week, but thumbs up from the doctor. Solomon fought sleep and with two dinosaurs in the pre-op room we battled T Rex and stegasoraus until all he could think to do was make them kiss; at that point, disoriented and unsure from the meds they wheeled him away. Thank you God he is out and recovering!

We had prayer for Yu Lei and dinner last night with our super duper friends. These guys have been best of friends for the last 16 years. We are so blessed to have them in our lives. Last night ALL our kids were together for the first time in forever.

Catching Up

Meggie has been off at Oregon State University for two weeks now and came home to visit and take a trip to pick some apples. We went out to get fresh cider, apples, squash and corn and enjoy the beautiful October weather. Meggie's loving college and her independent living in a christian house along with 48 other OSU women.  Everyone's glad to see her!

I've been taking Solomon up to Portland weekly to meet with doctors and look at options. This visit started at 5:00 AM and to Mom's defense, it was dark out when I grabbed his shoes.

Three weekends ago I headed up to hike South Sister with a friend's son. We left at 9:00 PM and got up to the trailhead about 12:30. We then had a 2000 ft. hike in the dark to get to the family's campsite. Due to blackness and a few uncertainties we didn't roll into the tents until 4:00 AM. What an adventure. We did get up and down and back to my home by 8:00 that evening. It was a great hike.

Last weekend Leo and I hikes Diamond Peak. I think this is one of my favorite hikes. It's a pretty easy 12 mile hike without much tedium or technical difficulties. It is so beautiful! The mountain with snow is South Sister, the mountain I had hiked two weeks prior.

All is well with life and the kids. Solomon continues to grow in understanding of family and language. He and Lydia are enjoying each other a lot and it's fun to see the "wild siblings". The three youngest are home schooling and going to Chinese School on Sundays and doing really well. Lydia is still holding back because of her arm, but we are on week 8 of recovery, so hopefully she can jump into activities soon.

Emma is in Portland and Solomon and I get to visit her on our Portland medical trips. We love seeing her. She just got a raise at her current job and took the test today for teacher's college.

And Simon is a month and a half into his ACL recovery. He is out of commission for 6 long months total, which has been a bummer for him. He has a tough high school load but misses all the athletic activities.

Mom and Dad come in a couple of weeks and we are so excited to spend the time with them. I am so thankful for their frequent visits!

Solomon's 1st and 2nd haircut

Solomon's hair was getting a bit long and even he was complaining about it. As you can see in the picture his bangs are uneven. It was the haircut he met us with; a chunk out of his bangs. I thought how difficult can it be to cut his hair? And so, I cut his hair, to which he responded, "Uhhh! Uhhh!".  He is a boy who likes to look good! It makes me smile. And so, today I took all three littles up to Master Cuts on the way to visit the farm for produce. Lydia and Eva were still sporting their layered China cuts, which they have never liked, and Solomon couldn't get in the chair fast enough.

What he really wanted was a circle of hair on his head like some of his early toddler pictures I have of him.

He was not thrilled with Mom's stylist challenged cut.

 

But we settled on a cut he could gel the top, which he absolutely loves!

Zoo visit