Well, the fabulous Kate turned 5 years old, pictured here with the cake she personally decorated! It was actually last Thursday but with getting Michael the day before I was a little off my game and didn’t get this posted right away! So here she is – in all of her five-ness glory! She has literally been counting down the days since September as to when she would turn 5. I’m pretty certain she thought something magical was going to happen and she would all the sudden be big! (If she was hoping for tall, I’m afraid the poor thing is never going to be that – but at least she is big now!) In fact, the last two days she keeps saying to me, “Mom, look at how long my arm is – last week when I was 4 it was only this long (showing me a place around her wrist) and now that I’m 5 look at how long it is!” So apparently in her mind, arms grow when you turn 5!
So here they are, in no particular order – the 5 things I love about Kate!
- Her smile – the real one! She is just a beauty!
- her determined spirit – an example, learning to ride a 2 wheel bike in literally about 1 minute because she was so determined to be like her sisters!
- the way her mind is always thinking – she is just a thinker and often requires to know exactly what all is going on and why so she can wrap her brain around it.
- having her run up to me, hug me and say I love you – unprompted by me.
- that God has restored her joy. To be honest, we have had difficult struggles with Kate that we never had with the other girls. I think some of the issues were adoption related and others were related to her personality and the way she internalizes things and wants to be in control. But what I know for sure is that I prayed over her so many times asking God to give her joy and happiness in her heart – to replace the anger and sadness inside her with the joy that comes so naturally to most children. And this summer, we saw that prayer answered! We finally saw Kate able to enjoy herself, to laugh, to enjoy being playfully tickled, to understand humor and laugh at it, and to just in general be happier! Some would say that it just took time for her to grow and develop emotionally but I know in my heart that when I finally gave her over completely to God, and cried out through tears that, “nothing I am doing is helping her – God you have to take her completely and totally. Take her heart and restore it and shape it into the heart you have meant for her”. God said to me in my spirit, “finally you have realized that she is mine!” Within the next few months we saw gradual changes and then this summer when we returned to Shanghai from the US John and I both just marveled at the happy, beautiful little girl she was developing into! I praise God daily for the work He has done in her AND me! He has shown me continually how faithful HE is and I’m so incredibly grateful that He is!
We love you, Kate!
We have been given the very special blessing of caring for a small 2 month old orphan boy for the next several weeks! He is absolutely precious! His name is Michael and he is just the sweetest, tiniest thing you have ever seen! They think he is about 2-3 months old but he only weighs 7.5 pounds so we are doing our best to fatten him up! He is actually in the care of a foundation here in Shanghai called Baobei that does really amazing beautiful work with orphans who are in need of surgeries! Michael is waiting for his surgery which should take place in January so we will get to be his foster home until he goes in for his surgery! The girls absolutely love having him here and are doing such a great job helping me take care of him! Lauren, especially, is like a little mother to him carrying him everywhere, helping to bathe him, change his diaper, etc. I’m thankful to have the help because boy, these little ones are a lot of work! :) I have actually never had a 2 month old baby in my care because as you all know our girls came to us around 1 year old...to have such a tiny peanut is so different for me! But he is the sweetest thing and I am so thrilled to be able to shower him with love and attention during this time! I feel blessed to be able to do for him what someone else did for my sweet girls! Every child is such a blessing and my heart literally breaks to think of all the small (and big) children who will spend this Christmas, once again, in the sterile halls of an orphanage with no family to call their own! Even though Michael will not be staying with our family permanently, much to the girls chagrin, I am so happy to provide a loving place for him for this time! God has certainly blessed us with him! I cannot share actual pictures of his face on this blog because it is a public space but if you would love to see him I can email them privately to friends! Just email me and let me know!
By the way, if you are at all inclined to help an orphan this year, please consider Baobei foundation and the life-changing work they are doing for Chinese children, including sweet Michael! You can read all about them on their website at www.baobeifoundation.org. Michael isn’t listed on their website but I am sure that they are raising funds for his surgery. I know many of the women who give so much of their time and energy to run this foundation and know that it is worthy of your donations!
Blessings!
