7.12.2011

Jet-lag has zapped my creativity so I don't have a title



Why these huge smiles?

You probably won't believe me, but Grace and Carter were grinning from ear to ear because they were going to....summer school. Really, it's a summer camp on Mondays and Wednesday for the rest of July, but Carter likes to call it school. And I was so thankful that they didn't get upset when they realized I wasn't dropping off Caroline too. Grace has been jealous when Caroline and I leave together. It's such a great blessing to have a few hours these two mornings when I can focus on Caroline's needs and know the kids are having a blast.

It's hard to truly evaluate what's like going from 2 to 3 kids because it's still early. But I will say I felt like a ping pong paddle trying to lunge and hit back three balls this morning. I was trying to help Caroline with her piano exercises, periodically jumping into Carter's "office" to be his client, and running sprints into the kitchen to fetch Grace more juice, more yogurt, and anything else she could think of to keep me in the room.

And I'll confess that I lost my cool a little at the sporting goods store when we were trying to buy some running shoes and workout clothes for Caroline, and Carter was picking out which sports bra was his size, and Grace dumped out all the "necessities" in her pink purse which she insisted on bringing into the store. Now if those run-on sentences tire you out reading them, then you get the gyst of how I felt today. :)

But all in all, I'd say that we're all doing pretty well. We decided to stay home from church on Sunday because we didn't want to overwhelm Caroline with too many new experiences at once. Also, because she's already a little skeptical (not sure if this is the right word) about our faith (as she has no religious upbringing), we wanted to teach her some things about church and our beliefs first so she has a foundation. On Sunday morning, we read a Bible story together as a family and prayed. Then I had her read and listen to an online devotion in Mandarin that a Christian adoption group had recommended. She has listened to one of the devotions each day and seems to be receptive, so this is a good start! We've told her that we want to share with her about our God and all that we believe because our faith is the most important thing to us. However, we also told her that it will be her choice to follow Jesus Christ. We won't force her to adopt our beliefs. I think she felt more open to learning when she learned she had a choice. The same is true for Carter and Grace. We can't make them believe what we believe, but we certainly pray with all our hearts that they will one day choose to love, serve, and follow the Lord!

On a light note, we've been laughing at my confusion of words. Especially in China, I would exclaim a phrase in Chinese to the kids without realizing it. And then when I couldn't think of the right Mandarin word to speak to Caroline, I either came out with French or an English word spoken in a Chinese accent. :) For example, "Ni find thee maga-zeeeen." Embarrassing, I know.

Then, I was trying to get Grace down for her nap yesterday and she was not following my instruction. For a brief moment, I turned to get the electronic translator, somehow thinking that would help get my point across! Can I blame all this on jet-lag??

Caroline had her first piano lesson yesterday and picked it up very quickly. She has enjoyed practicing and is eager to learn more.
She surprised me by deciding to participate in an ESL camp at school next week. The camp is every morning from 8:30-11:30 am. When I told her on Google Translate that I was glad she was going but that I would miss her, she placed her hand on my shoulder (she was sitting behind me on Grace's bed) and left it there a few moments. So sweet! After next week, she'll start tutoring lessons with the ESL teacher. We also bought Rosetta Stone today so she can work on her English that way as well. She picks up more every day.

Oh and a cute story from yesterday.... her piano teacher, Julia, is an old friend of mine. Julia is very slim and petite and had some clothes, jewelry, and shoes she wanted to give away to Caroline. When we got home and laid it all out on my bed, she said, "Oh! Show Daddy...Daddy say no more shopping!!!" All afternoon, she anxiously waited for Scott to get home so she could play her little joke. And he totally fell for it. He was giving me eyes that said, "How could you spend so much money????" Caroline just giggled and giggled and then looked up the phrase "Fool you!" on google translate. It was a great moment.
But speaking of spending lots of money, we got some bad news yesterday. Bad news for our bank account, and bad news for our sweet dog Jackson. He hasn't been acting right for quite some time. I even found blood in his urine before we left for China and took him to the vet. The doc put him on an antibiotic while we were gone, but Jackson seemed even worse the last few days. Xrays taken yesterday revealed a jagged stone in his bladder. The only way to remove it is through invasive surgery. So we take him to a specialist in the morning for an evaluation, and they may even do surgery tomorrow afternoon. And I about developed my own stone when the receptionist said the preliminary estimate for the surgery was between $1200-$1400!!! So for all of you expert coupon-clippers and savers out there, I need your help! With little spare time right now, I am tempted to pay someone to clip me coupons and help me save on groceries. But I suppose that defeats the point. On a serious note though, if you know that, say, chicken is on sale at Publix, such a comment would a HUGE blessing! :)

And pray for sweet Jackson that he would do well with the surgery and recovery.

16 comments:

Brenna said...

Hi Kelley! I have been reading your blog since Grace's Gotcha Day and I love that you keep us all informed of each transition as your family continues to grow. What an inspiration you are to so many.

About the coupons... www.southernsavers.com is a great way to start couponing. Choose the store you frequent and she will show you know what's on sale there that week. Also, Winn Dixie is a great place to purchase meat. They always have buy one, get one free deals each week.

Thank you for the updates and I will say a prayer for you guys!

The Hoppers said...

Chicken is on sale at Piggly Wiggly right now! :) And that means Western will probablynhave it next week. :)

Jenny said...

Southern Savers!! She makes it so easy!!

Vicky said...

Love the blog! Praying for Jackson that all goes well with his surgery!

Debbie said...

Congratulations on making it home. It sounds like your little ones are keeping you busy! I'm glad you and Caroline have some time together in the mornings. I'm so sorry to hear about your sweet dog. I also recommend Southern Savers!

Michelle said...

Hey Kelley! Just wanted to say that since I have the next few weeks off from school, I'd be glad to help out in whatever way I can (babysit, errand run, etc). Seriously, put me to work. I'm free any day next week, just email me: keelmic@yahoo.com

Also, I can clip extra coupons for you if you want. We are pretty brand picky, so there are a lot of coupons I toss each week. Just let me know if you want me to save them for you.

-Michelle

The Mom said...

I know that God has demonstrated His faithfulness to you over and over as He planned your family. You and your husband persevered through great loss, grief, and disappointment to come to the place where you are now...with a home with three children that is overflowing with love and responsibility. That same God who called your family into being cares about the health of your little dog and the state of your finances. My first word of encouragement would be to have your family -- you, your husband, and your children--lay hands on your little dog and pray for his healing. Our family has had many pets and we have prayed for our pets just as we have prayed for ourselves. Through the years I also literally prayed over the groceries and the need for bargains and saw God show up over and over again. He may not heal your dog, but you will live out before your children the gift of being able to ask our God to move a mountain or a kidney stone as well as teaching them to know that He cares about every aspect of our lives! No prayer is too small or too insignificant.

nonnie said...

Kelly,
I can't remember how I found your blog, but most likely through my daughter's husband's cousin who adopted, and has a blog (lovefamily-cindy.blogspot.com). I loved going back and reading about Grace's adoption, and I have been following Caroline's story since.
I just broke down and wept at reading that she was left at 22 months. My granddaughter is 17 months right now, so that puts it in perspective to say the least. I was also adopted, and my parents died when I was just shy of three years old.
All this to say, I praise God that there are many who are reaching out to love these children who need loving parents. May God continue to bless you and your family as you grow more in love with each other.
My daughter hopes to adopt some day. I have sent her links of these stories! I am so glad the internet provides a way of sharing these blessed stories of these adoptions.
Prayers and hugs for those precious kiddos!
teresa, aka nonnie

Brenda said...

I dont know if they have Aldi grocery stores where you live, but if they do, it is so much less expensive to shop there over regular supermarkets.

Dawn said...

Hi Kelley,

I am not a terrific couponer but what works for me is I will go to the Publix website when I am meal planning for the week. They have a "save" section and I will look and see what is BOGO and such and do my best to make meals that need these items. There is only my husband and I right now so we usually will have the same dinners over 2 weeks since when I buy stuff and it is BOGO I have enough leftover ingredients that I do not want to go to waste so I make the meals the following week and will change the sides or something.

Again, I am not a good couponer so I have just found this method to work well with how I do things.

Good luck! And I am loving the updates. I hope your puppy will be OK. One of our pugs ate a ton of stuffing the day after Christmas after we paid one of our agency fees and were broke, and we had a 1.5k bill too. Animals are expensive but so worth it!

Cheri said...

Wow, crazy at your house! But, soon, the adjustments will come and you will be on a wonderful daily routine.

I'm sorry about the dog. I wish I had some answers. I pray your dog gets better soon.

Eileen said...

I thought you were going to say so much more for your doggie surgery. We were quoted $20,000 per hip for our Bernese Mountain Dog with hip dysplasia. This is for a 6 year-old dog whose breed has an 8 year life expectancy. We opted for keeping him thin and healthy and hoping for the best! Geesh, I could back to China again with that type of money!

Katie said...

what a cute post! i think about you daily and how you are handling three. wow, sounds like you have your hands full PLUS some. but you are so blessed and i pray for your strength daily :) love, katie

mymonogrammedmonkey said...

Hey Kelly,
Check out faithfulprovisions.com, thekrazycouponlady.com and the coupon centsation on Facebook. Also, I have been a ESL tutor for years. I tutor Japanese woman and children. I have a ton of good books and can give you some good ideas. There is a store on HWY 31 called Toyko. It has food from China, Japan, etc... It is on 31 beside Patton Chapel RD. I go there sometimes to buy the BEST rice. Caroline might enjoy the food/snacks. They even have movies and books. I have been thinking and praying for your family.
Kasey

Lindsey said...

Poor Jackson!! I have lots of grocery saver tips...I'll have to share some with you the next time I see you!

Continuous prayers for your sweet family as you continue to transition into this new "normal."

The York Family said...

I've been praying for y'all, and I'm so glad y'all are back safe and sound! I use www.iheartpublix.com all the time. It takes a little bit of time to plan everything out, but you definitely get more efficient the longer you do it. Great to stock up on staples for your pantry. Also, Southern Savers is great, and I use that site primarily for CVS. Good luck!