...And you may ask yourself - What is that beautiful house? And you may ask yourself - Where does that highway go? And you may ask yourself - Am I right? ...am I wrong? And you may tell yourself - My God!...what have I done? (Talking Heads, 1980)
Nine years ago Mark and I set off on a journey. It was a journey that would embed the children of China into our hearts forever and teach us that God's plan is WAY better than our plan. It has been a journey into faith, obedience and abundant blessings. Over the past nine years we have seen God's hand at work in our lives as we traveled through the wilderness in search of His plan for our lives upon this earth. In April of this year God revealed the next chapter of the Lucas story. Join us as we embark once again on another leg in this Marvelous expedition.
Sorry I have been slackin in the blog department - but life as the Gosselin's is not for the faint at heart! OK, it isn't that bad - but we have had a film shadow for 3 weeks and you always had to be careful that the camera was on. I really think this movie is important - and trust me - you will get the good, the bad and the 'OMG! what is WRONG with that family' when it finally comes out. Cherry was with us 99% of the time and if she didn't already have the camera on - she was saying "oh - can you say that again?"
We have some respite now and we have settled in as a family of 6. Mikey has daily pouting fits about who knows what but we take it in stride and roll with the punches. He started school today. We started him in afternoon kindergarten every day. You would have thought this kid had won the lottery when he found out he was going to school like his sisters. Mikey was not allowed to go to school in China. Cherry was a huge help when it came to asking him about school. He wanted to go - but he said "Only kids with parents get to go to school" I know that SWI kids get to go so I think he probably was not allowed because of his legs. It was the school officials that didn't allow him to go - not the fear of him being teased. He told a story that his foster sister went to school one day only and was sent home. She was not allowed back. He told the story with such sadness and a little bit of anger that he was not allowed to go too. So when we asked him if he wanted to go to school now - he asked "But what about my legs?" Cherry told him it didn't matter here and he nodded and gave a thumbs up!
His pouting fits are usually due to language frustration. Mikey is used to getting and or taking what he wants. He is figuring out that Lucas Boot Camp is not a walk in the park. The girls adore him and he adores them. Zoe and he struggle for the spotlight - but when he is sweet - he is super sweet and when he is pouty - he mumbles under his breath, crosses his arms and won't look at you. Most times I just let him sit and pout and eventually he joins the family again. Sometimes I have to physically get him to join the family (like when it is time to go and he is having one of his sit-ins under the desk and I have to pull him out and carry him to the car) I don't want to paint a bad picture - he is a sweet and loving boy that is struggling to let go of the independence he had for so long. If he can just figure out that it is ok to be a kid and let Mark and I take care of stuff - all will be well.
Tomorrow is his first Shriner's appointment. I think we will wait until the language is further along before we do surgery. He knows that he will have surgery at some point and he definatly wants new legs. I tell you - this kid is sharp. There is no way I can put him under the knife without him understanding more about the process and what to expect. These are his legs and he deserves to know exactly what is happening.
Oh - and if you didn't already think we were doing too much too fast (ha) Mikey has started karate. He LOVES it. This boy is confident and has absolutely no problem marching around the other kids and showing them that he can do it too. Mikey has never once shown any signs of self pity. If anything - he is a tiny bit arrogant. God has huge plans for him.
We are now in Hong Kong on our final stretch before we come home. We had a great time in Guangzhou but are definitely ready to come home. Mikey is probably going to be in for quite a surprise when the breakfast buffets and turn down service come to a screeching halt.
We spent the day with Lily. She showed us around Hong Kong and then we took her to a very famers {yes, I meant to write famers} American restaurant – OUTBACK! HA! We had a bloomin onion and a cheeseburger. It was like being home (except for the 7 million people). We went to the Hong Kong walk of fame and saw lots of famers movie star handprints.
It was hard to say goodbye to my dear friend. When we are together it is like we have never been apart – but then too soon we have to say goodbye. I am blessed that I have been able to see her twice in the last year. We had a lot of laughs and she was a very gracious host. She and Rebecca made us feel like we were the most important family in the whole world. For those of you that have adopted – you know that this is par for the course for any family and not just us.
Here a few pictures from the past couple of days. Sorry I haven’t been as faithful in the blogging – we had minimal internet and a six year old boy that doesn’t speak English! Just so you all don’t think this has been a complete walk in the park – let me make it known that we have had our share of communication struggles! This boy can throw a tantrum with the best of them. It has been easier the last few days – but we have had a couple of days that have tested every fiber of patience that we have had. His independence crashed head on with his new life. He wasn’t wanting to give up being able to do whatever he wanted – whenever he wanted. I think we have nipped this in the bud, but I suppose the true test will be at home.
Here are a few pics from the past couple of days. I will see if I can get another video or two up for you too.
Before we left for China Zoe asked us if we would take purple cow with us and take pictures of her.Now, for those of you who don't know who PC is – PC (purple cow) is Zoe's best friend.PC is a girl (despite her obvious horns) and she has been with Zoe for many years.For Zoe to trust us enough with her most prized possession really says something.The LAST thing she said to us was "I love you but PLEASE don't leave Purple Cow in China!"
So – here are some pics of purple cow on her adventures.Enjoy!
Here is my attempt at posting a movie. I hope it works. We went to the park across the street and Mikey showed off for us a little. He has some attitude around other Chinese people and other kids and wants to show them that he can do anything. Look at this kid climb!
This trip has been so crazy and I really have no idea what day it is anymore. Yesterday we got the ‘real’ China experience and went shopping in Shenzhen. She took us to where the locals shop. OMG! There is about a foot of space between each aisle and everything you could possibly imagine is for sale. Back out on the sidewalk is a massive sea of people. {Lily said it wasn’t too crowded yet – YIKES!}. Mikey had a great time and scored an Ultraman shirt. He LOVES Ultraman.
