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"He is an amazing kid and I'm excited that I get a front row seat to see how God uses him in the Kingdom."

This is the sentence that I just wrote to a friend via e-mail.  It was written about Michael and it is true.  True.  Yesterday I might have written something along the lines of adopting being hard and at times I need to find patience where I think there is none.  Another day might bring news of extreme joy at watching him discover brand new things around him or work so very hard to put English words together.  My heart broke on the second day of school when I left him in his classroom crying because he realized that I'd be gone all day long just like the day before.  (His teacher e-mailed me later stating that "It goes well.")  Other times I'm crabby because I just am sick of him in our house.  It is all true.

We are a new family unit with new ups and downs. Adopting is amazing on so many levels and hard on so many other levels.  I feel like one of those flip books where you can choose a head/body/feet and they might match or not.  We haven't matched often, but we'll get there.  I know we will.  We haven't been together for very long and though I can keep telling myself that, it can be hard when you are living in the day.  God pulls me back to look at the big picture.  The big picture is so bright and encouraging!

Life has really been good.  Michael got glasses and his world is bigger and more clear that ever!  I've enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes.  He already has a scratch on the lens and the glasses have gotten bent several times, but hey--he is six!  He is very faithful about wearing them and I love how cute he is with them on.  They do sometimes get in the way of us snuggling, but we've been known to take off the glasses if we want to get cheek to cheek. I'm o.k. with that.  :)  We are going to go to Holland Hospital sometime in October (hopefully) to get his teeth taken care of.  He'll be put under so everything can be done at once.  It'll save many trips and multiple injections for my little guy.  Plus, he wont be afraid of the dentist.  Bonus.  We've been referred to DeVos Children's hospital for a hearing test and CT scan.  I'm eager to see the results of that one.  We also know that his palate is rather high and that explains why he can sound "airy" at times and why making certain sounds is so challenging.  Speech therapy is in our future for sure.  Isn't it amazing that we have so many resources at our disposal to help make his life better?  God is so very good.

Our other kids are doing well and living the same flip book as I am.  Sometimes they love being with Michael and other times they don't.  Simon said to me about three weeks ago that he just didn't like Michael.  I assured him that it was o.k. to feel that way.  He looked at me with complete surprise.  "Christ doesn't ask us to like him.  He does ask us to love him.  We need to work hard to be kind and patient with him.  Hopefully someday, you'll like your brother."  Simon felt good about that and just this week-end as I watched them laughing together I asked Simon again.  "Hey.  How are you feeling about Michael these days?  Do you like him better, the same, or worse?"  His reply.  "I like him better.  He is really funny."  Noel has the most patience with him and is a little mother to him--which goes over sometimes and doesn't at other times.  I'm glad that Michael can assert what he is feeling--in Mandarin and that Noel understands him.  :)  Penny is completely unaware that Michael speaks and understands very little English.  She talks with him exactly like she talks with everyone else.  It is hilarious and I see no need to correct her.  Penny and Michael seem to communicate very well with each other.

Garrison caught some toads last week and organized a sale of them to raise some money for himself.  Noel was so distraught that I gave her the money to redeem them.  Everyone was happy with the outcome.  Simon has spent so much time digging this summer that his fingernails are "distraught"  (doctors words) and they are falling off.  Penny still wears a leotard wherever she goes.  She proudly announces that she is going to begin Mandarin school, but will work in Spanish when she grows up.  Noel is a bundle of maturity one minute and full of drama the next.  I love being with her and am enjoying the grown up conversations that we are having.  She is taking a break from gymnastics for the time being.  Garrison and Simon are beginning soccer and Michael can't understand why he isn't playing.  He also wants to go potty every time he sees a port-o-john.  This mama don't play that game.  Gary is on-call this week, the first since we left for China.  I'm cooking meals again and this feels good--it feels normal.  I'm so thankful for the meals that we received, but it is good for us to be on our own too.  I have several tucked away in the freezer for those days with doctor's appointments and the like.  I'm beyond grateful.

Life is good and God is good.