Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Boys Leave Us, and The Girls Arrive!

Huang, Bob, Dora, Mary, and Edward
Edward and Mary












This has truly been such a positive experience for our family in so many ways. It is hard to put it into words. I hope that all of my friends are able to do this someday. It has been hard physically on me...my back is killing me as I write this...the extra cooking, cleaning, laundry, driving around, entertaining, BUT it has been sooooooooooo worth it.

First off, Garrett's 4th birthay was yesterday. We celebrated with a "Wiggles" party. LOTS of people, LOTS of kids...LOTS of fun. And the weather was great too. Thank you, God! Garrett had a total blast with everyone, and once again, he sat up so proudly when it was time for singing the "Happy Birthday" song. He sang right along with everyone. Wish all of you could have seen the excitement on his face. He loves being the center of attention, and he knew that yesterday was ALL about him. SOOOOOO cute! I will post pics so you can catch a glimpse. Another thing I love about Garrett is that when he opens presents, he really understands how to thank people for them. My friend, Lauren, says that he is very gracious, and he just is. It is heartfelt and you can tell. Not many children are like that. He just "gets it". Van says this goes back all the way to China when he bought him his first pair of new shoes. Van had told me that you would have thought that Garrett had won the lottery because he loved his shoes so much. Anyway, it is really sweet to watch him look at the person and thank them. He does it better than anyone I know. I am proud of my boy. I didn't teach him that either other than the "say thank you" reminders that most parents give. Like I said, he just loves people, and he is grateful for his friends, and it shows. It is something that I hope will rub off on me a little bit. He is way better than I am at not taking anything or anyone for granted. He knows how to love.

Bob and Huang left us early this morning. Such nice boys! It hit Garrett harder than anyone. I have never seen Garrett react like that, and I truly did not expect it. He kept saying, "Mama, plane. Mama China. I go. Boys! Where? I miss boys." and when I tried to explain it...it is hard to say good-bye to our friends and they were just here visiting and had to go back home to their mama and daddy and we will keep in touch with them...he had a very sad, tearful cry. I didn't like having to say good-bye either. They stood at the door and thanked me for my care and concern for them. They told me to come to China and I would be welcomed. It was very sweet. Bob really looked kind of heartbroken to leave. It was kind of sad. We had a great time with them! Anyhoo...enough said. We will miss them a lot.

Now, our girls arrived night before last. My family will get a total kick out of this. Their American names are Mary (my first name) and.....drum roll please..........................................................................................
EDWARD!!!! How is that for a little divine intervention? No joke! She named herself EDWARD! My daddy's name was Edward, and he passed away in 2003. She really likes the "Edward" character in the Twilight movies. That was why she gave herself that name. I still think somebody upstairs is pulling the strings. HA! They are very sweet girls, both 13, though they seem very much older than that, very mature for their age, and they both speak a fair amount of English. Not as much as Bob, but we are able to communicate. And unlike the boys, the girls are very neat and tidy which is FABULOUS! The boys that just left...NOT so much. BUT that is ok because I knew they wouldn't be because they're boys. Anyway, we are getting to know them, and are having a great second round of company. They are teaching Gracie and Garrett some basic Chinese, playing games with them, singing, watching movies etc. It has been awesome. They were here for the birthday party, we took them to school, and then after school, we went to Costco to shop, and then Panda Express for dinner. Great times. And I didn't have to cook. Even better!

More later...Enjoy the pictures.

HUGS, Madeline

1 comment:

grantsmama said...

Miss you guys! The Edward thing.. wow! Just weird and kinda funny! I think this is such a great experience y'all are giving Gracie & Garrett, I'm really glad you got to do this. Garrett's missing the boys.. that is just too sweet!