Off to a Good Start

We're Off to a Good Start
Seven weeks into school and the kids are off to a great start!  We're getting into the groove...meaning the kids have only been late for school ONE day and it was a rainy day.  Slower traffic equals late arrival, so I justify in my mind. Ha!

Samuel has not cried a single day this year.  That is huge for this one!  He gained such confidence in kinder.  He loves his teacher and what's not to love about her?  She is quite amazing!  I had a conference with his teacher just a few days ago and she bragged on how sensitive he is to his friends. Apparently, he greets friends as they arrive each morning and welcomes his teacher's son when he stops by to tell his momma "hi" after lunch.  Samuel's handwriting is improved.  He is able to "sound spell" quite well and is reading some pretty tricky words with accuracy and confidence.  Samuel even won a character award for responsibility the first month of school.  No surprise, he never even mentioned it to me.  He brought his certificate in with his brag tag and put it on the counter without saying a word.  WHAT?  He's not only responsible, but humble too.  My heart is proud!

Stella is the master of all things writing!  She has a notebook that she writes in all the time...like All. The. Time.  You'd think she's a newspaper reporter if she weren't just 7.  Be careful what you say around her.  She can "sound spell" and just might be taking notes on what you're saying!  Trust me.  I know.  Stella does not like homework.  I mean, who does?  That's probably one of our biggest struggles, next to chores.  We're working on attitude and understanding that homework helps us improve.  It's not a bad thing.  It's necessary.  Her teacher describes her a good helper and a faithful friend.  Only once has she gotten a note sent home about behavior.  She's still working on obedience, but it's coming.  We're dedicated to helping her use her super powers for good and not evil.  Must hone those leadership skills!  She's headed in the right direction.  She has a heart of gold when it comes to caring for others!

Joey is a reader.  Joey is a communicator.  Joey is a 10 year old!  He has thoroughly enjoyed his 4th grade year so far.  His teacher is an answer to prayer.  She even encourages him to email her.  Once he figured out he has a school email address, he's been all about informing his teacher of educational opportunities and asking questions.  Now that he has his very own Kindle (many thanks to SuSu and Big Joe), this kid is unstoppable with his reading.  We literally have to take it away from him so that he goes to sleep at night.  Coming from the one parent who does not enjoy reading, this is a great sight to see.  I'm thankful he can get lost in a book and truly enjoys it!  We've paused our extra curricular activities due to other family commitments, but Joey stays busy with STEAM kits, video games, and pestering his siblings.  This kid loves to talk and I'm so thankful that he comes to me with problems and frustrations.  We have daily talks about difficult situations he faces or stresses from his day.  I pray we can always talk about anything...even awkward stuff!

Family Commitments
I've taken on the role of caregiver for my aging parents over the past couple of months.  There have been many levels to getting to this place.  The bottom-line is that they are both nearby now and receiving necessary care.  Having them close has given me peace to know they are safe and I can see them often.  It has also been a learning opportunity for my kids.  They see what it means to help family.  They understand what it means to love in actions.  They offer a sweet hug to grandparents in need of some encouragement.  Russ has become the money mind of not only our home, but for my parents too.  He has turned from CPA to cheerleader and supporter in many ways!!  No doubt he loves us all well!  And God has been showing off big time.  I could fill a book...or 2...with miracles and answers to prayer!  There's no question in my head, I couldn't have made it this far without Him.  He's so good!

Finding Time for Fun
With the stresses of our family commitments, we're trying to find more time to reconnect as a family of 5.  The kids requested a picnic a couple weeks ago, so we stopped by Whataburger and headed to the park.  I won't tell the score of the Capture the Ball game, but I will say the parents lost.  Some may say we were slower.  The parents may say that the rules kept changing.  Hard to tell, but we laughed a lot.  

This year was a family party for Joey.  We rotate family party and friend party in our little family.  The kids get to choose what we do to celebrate on family party years.  Joey chose laser tag!  I was skeptical seeing as how I've never played before.  I had pictured a sweaty dark room with heavy equipment packs and stinky boys sneaking up on me with a laser gun.  Only one of those was true!  We had THE best time.  In fact, Joey had THE best time about 7 best times!  We had gotten passes for other activities too, so we rode go karts and amusement park rides too.  The littles climbed a rock wall.  After 5 hours of fun, we realized he hadn't yet made it bowling.  That will have to wait for another day as we were all exhausted.  It was the best 5 hours we've had together in a long time! 

The Summer That Flew By

The Summer That Flew By

Through our numerous trips back and forth to Arkansas, we've tried to make our trips the most fun.  We celebrated my dad's 75th birthday.  We had a silly string fight.

75 years young

The Sillies with String

A Face Lift
The beauty of it all is right here.  We took another step to update our home by remodeling the kitchen and the bathrooms this summer.  It may seem trivial, but we're thankful for the funds (my hubby works hard) to make these changes.  We sure are enjoying the "new" space!  Completely beautiful!  I think I cook better now...maybe happier.  Yeah, perhaps I cook happier!

Family Day
Three years!  It hardly seems possible that we first met Stella on August 17, 2015.  The memories of the day come flooding back with a simple picture.  She has come so far and changed so much.  She has changed us too!  Thank you, Lord, for the gift of a daughter!

And Off They Go

We have 1 in 4th grade and 2 in 1st!  No way!  We have been blessed with amazing teachers.  I can honestly say that all three seem to be in the class of the best fit.  The teachers seem to have been hand-picked for each of our kiddos!  

We are looking forward to a productive year full of growth!!!

* We're now into the 7th week of school.  Gotta get this blog updated before this school year is over!  

Why Are You Passing So Quickly?

Why are you passing so quickly, 2018?

I have totally flaked on 2018.  We've had a ton going on and maybe that's why we've seemingly disappeared from the blog world and buried ourselves in the craziness of life!  It's hard to say.  When I catch my breath, I'll try to figure it out!

  

Welcome, 2018!  

We made it until midnight.  Promptly at 12:01am, we passed out and slept all night.

Savage Cabbage

This guy participated in his 2nd pine wood derby in January.  Much was learned from last year's introduction to the race.  This year...a cabbage.  And not just any cabbage!  SAVAGE CABBAGE!  Myth Busters was a bit popular with our boys, hence a car displaying Adam Savage.  

Samuel is 6!
For the kids' birthdays, I let them choose a cake, complete with decorations.  After last year's request for Scooby Doo, you'd think I would've learned.  This year...an ice cream cake with a football on top.  Done.  His smile took over his entire face!  And the cake filled his entire mouth.  Still can't believe this little one is 6 years old!  It makes me proud and sad at the same time.  Samuel is so sensitive.  He loves making things out of pretty much anything he can get his hands on.  And he is super cuddly.  We celebrated with a special dinner a few week later.  The Magic Time Machine was a hit! Ariel from the Little Mermaid was our server, but a certain pirate really stole Samuel's attention!

It's a Peaceful Place

The beach is always a welcome getaway!  We spent a week basking in the sun with family + sunscreen.  We had a room full of exhausted cousins and they had a blast together!  We enjoyed a date night to celebrate our very first date, which was 20 years ago!  Whoa!  The time away was a blessing.  We truly enjoyed the crashing waves and cool breeze.  

Birthdays Galore

Stella turned 7 on June 30th.  S-E-V-E-N! Our sweet and sassy girl is old enough to watch Star Wars (our family rule).  I'm doubtful she cares too much about seeing it, but the age is a big mile stone celebrated in our house!  Stella has changed so much from the naive 4 year old we welcomed to our family almost 3 years ago.  She has blossomed and taken in so many experiences.  Stella has been reading and practicing her handwriting.  She's gaining more confidence in family.  Coloring and drawing are a daily occurrence!  May this year be a wonderful year of continued growth and bonding for our family!

A Visit or 2...or 3...or 4
We started out our summer break with a week in Arkansas to spend time with my parents and help with doctor's appointments.  As it turns out, we've had a few more trips to Arkansas, as well.  My parents are aging and health has its challenges.  I'm thankful to be able to step up and help where they allow.  We have some big decisions to make in their care and some challenges will arise.  Ultimately, I echo to myself what I have been telling Stella (as she learns what a forever family truly means)...
1) Family is forever.
2) We help each other.
3) Everyone has an important role.
4) Sometimes taking care of someone who is sick/needs us means that we have to wait patiently for things that we want.  

Summer isn't over yet!  

There's more fun to be had!  Our expectations - MY expectations - were much different from the reality of the past few weeks.  God had different plans and I'm slowly learning to grab ahold of the good He has for us.  We are making memories and finding teachable moments (for my kids AND myself) along the way.

Winter with the Webbs

A trip to the Botanic Garden
Whenever we have a day off school and the weather is nice, we grab a picnic and head to the botanic garden.  There we find plenty of room to run and some rocks to climb.  

Climbing a tree according to Stella
I put my foot on this. I move my hand here. I slide my private part over here. I reach for this.  Then I put my other foot over here. Got that? You reach and step and put your private part...wait...you put your what where? Good thing she didn’t slip and need assistance. I was laughing. Laughing hard. But at least now I know how to get out of the tree.

Note: This is NOT the above mentioned tree, 

but doesn't she look cute?

Spelling Bee

Joey competed in his school's spelling bee this week! I about died laughing when I read the email informing the parents of the upcoming bee...because I’ve heard over and over how Russ struggled with spelling in his younger days.  I’ve been told how practicing his weekly spelling words left his momma questioning her own ability to spell. Yet, here we are with a spelling bee participant. This kid has some mad skills in math and spelling!  While he got stumped in round 5, we are so very proud that he was asked to participate and represented his class so well!!!

Is that normal?
Anyone who's been around Samuel knows that he is sometimes quiet in new situations.  He wants to do just about every single thing that Joey does.  He collects "treasures" from our recycle bin.  And he has an imagination like no one else.  So, if anyone glances into our home on any given day, they will know that these next pictures are our normal!

This is how we find him sleeping sometimes

These glasses have no lenses

He is always wearing something "special"

Christmas time is here!

Anticipating Jesus's birthday

Aren't these girls cute too?

That was Then - This is Now

Happy 2 Years Home, Stella

On the day we met (Aug. 17, 2015)

Happy smiles

It seems so long ago that we traveled to China, but the memories are crystal clear.  Riding the hotel elevator downstairs to meet our group was an anxious time.  So much so that we were on time!  And then spying Stella as she walked in the civil affairs office was like seeing a celebrity.  We had only seen pictures and read a few words about her.  We had talked about her to others, yet we didn't even know her.  And then there she was physically standing in front of us.  From that first moment, the adventure was on...

Ready to tackle the world

Stella is kind.
Stella is smart.
Stella is funny.
Stella is eager to learn.
Stella is confident.
Stella is loved.

Parenting, in general, is both challenging and rewarding.  That stands very true in adoption, especially when I feel like we've had to undo things that were done in the orphanage and address some things that might have been ignored.  Stella has come so far!  This girl's adventurous side has exploded.  She climbs and explores.  She gets dirty without a care.  She tackles new challenges.  She wants to learn.  She tells jokes.  We are thankful that God put our family together the way He did...only He could make something this wonderful and entertaining!!!  We love you, Stella!

This is now!  

She's super excited to 

wear her new Liberty shirt!

In Other News...the Beach
We had a fun trip to the beach with SuSu and Big Joe!  We were spoiled with a beautiful house just feet from the beach.  We would all be ok if SuSu and Big Joe bought a beach house.  In fact, after last summer's trip, Stella assumed they already had their very own beach house.  

The beach is good for the soul.

The kids always enjoy time with SuSu and Big Joe!

She is in her happy place.  Stella could play in the sand 

for day.  In fact, that's what she did!

Samuel + Stick = Happiness

Look what washed ashore!

School Days are Back
Joey started 3rd grade this week!  He has a great group of friends in class, both new and old.  Joey seems to roll with it no matter the teacher.  He is also happy to report when other students have irritated the teacher too.  He will make a great hall monitor one day!  Daddy came to school and walked Joey to his first day.  No tears, no visible emotions...just 2 dudes walking to class!

Stella has been talking for weeks about starting school.  We couldn't count down the days fast enough for her.  And wow did she hop out of bed Tuesday morning when I reminded her that it was the first day of school.  Daddy was able to be home Tuesday morning so that we could all walk to kinder together.  She walked in like she had been there a thousand times before.  She had actually been in the same classroom this summer for some tutoring, so the familiarity was good for her.  Even on the first day, she started learning the rules and the reward for following those rules.  She did express some frustration (maybe even disgust) that she didn't learn to spell any words on the first day of school.  Slow down, Sister, you can't learn it all on the first day!

Samuel is our sensitive, uncertain one.  After meeting his teacher last week, he was somewhat comfortable on the first day.  He walked in and took his lunch out of his backpack.  Unfortunately, within 5-10 minutes, he was in tears.  Loud crying, crocodile tears.  I heard him from the hall.  His teacher reported that he was tearful during the day, but calmed quickly.  Samuel is not one to hide his tears either.  He shared about his sadness when he got home.  Day 2 was much better.  Once we made it to his class, he tapped his teacher on the leg and waved to her without any prompting.  And then he flashed a big smile as he turned to go into class.  

This year is off to a good start.  Now, we'll get the new puppy trained and wait for the home remodel to be completed.  There's always a new adventure!!!

What I've Learned from Parenting Stella

What I've Learned from Parenting Stella

Today (May 18) marks 21 months since we made Stella an official Webb.  Is it ok to still speak in months?  At least I don't give my children's ages in months anymore! Sometimes it seems like the changes with bringing a preschooler home are smaller, less noticeable, but really Stella has changed a lot in this short time.  A few things I've learned as Stella's Mom...

1.  Imagination takes quiet moments, encouragement, and guidance.  For a child who saw the same walls day after day, the same nannies day after day, ate the same food day after day...an imagination was not necessary.  Maybe it was even discouraged.  It definitely wasn't fostered.  During the first year home, the idea of quietly looking at a book was daunting.  And to look at it all alone in a quiet room, almost impossible.  I remember a time in the car when we were singing a color song..."if you are wearing yellow, touch your nose".  The boys were going crazy with the song, so I asked if Stella could have a turn to make up a verse.  We drove and drove and drove and still she sat quietly.  Crickets.  She was thinking.  She couldn't think of even a simple actions to plug into the song.  I'm happy to say that Stella has come a long way!!!  She still mimics a lot of what she sees the boys doing, saying, or drawing, but that has encouraged the development of her imagination over the months.  Her imagination is growing!  And sometimes Stella even builds a Lego creation all by herself.  She sings funny songs in the car...Stella originals.  She's quite the funny gal!

2.  The need for attention is big with this one.  Thankfully it's becoming less and less as she feels secure and adored, as she learns to share the spotlight and still receive praise.  Stella's transition from neglect to receiving any attention has been a big transition for both of us.  At times this process has felt like nails on a chalkboard.  While her methods have lead to disobedience at times, I can remember our first days together. Stella's request for attention looked like flailing arms, a funny face, and uncontrollable laughing.  Learning to allow others to share in the attention is a hard lesson.  Learning to receive attention in a positive light is just as hard.  But most of all, teaching Stella that her worth is not dependent on the attention she receives from others is one of my biggest goals.   She has so much more value than any amount of attention and we get to teach her that!!!

3.  Thank you notes are a must.  If she has heard anything I've said, at least it's this..."we need to write a thank you note".  If she finds a party invitation in her backpack, we must write a thank you note.  When someone is sick, it would be nice to write a thank you note.  If she receives a gift, she knows to write a thank you note.

This...This is what comes to mind.  

I can even hear the music.

She occasionally forgets a word or gets confused.  So, if Stella tells you that she has a note and gift card for you...don't be too quick to jump up and down.  She probably means she put your card in an envelope, not a gift card!  Hey, at least she's learning to write thank you notes!  Check your mail!

4.  Charades is not just for parties.  It has become part of our every day life.  Or maybe it's that our life has become a great big party!  People asked months ago how we communicated with Stella from the beginning.  When visiting with other adoptive families, I've told them "practice up on your charade skills".  True, communication is much easier now that Stella has mastered most of the English language.  It's actually pretty impressive!  Even now, there are still many many opportunities for charades.  

"Can we buy one of those __________ (fill in the blank with motions to 

vaguely describe anything using your hands as a measurement)?"  Could it be a ruler, a zucchini, a small shovel?  Who knows...until charades is in full swing!

"Can I take a __________ (fill in the blank with some strange circular 

motion)? Again, could it be a circle, a tornado, mix a cake batter?  

The challenge is presented.  Challenge accepted!

If it's a word we use often at home, I'll encourage Stella to use her "smart mind" (that's my secret method for getting her to think hard) to find the correct word.  Like with wanting to purchase popsicles or asking for a bath vs. shower (see questions and mysterious motions above).  I've got to teach her "rhymes with".  That would help some days.  One day I just might miss charades, but for now maybe it's a good way to keep our party skills sharp!  Wanna play charades?

5.  Having a grateful heart is not just for kids.  Picture this.  Stella walks in the kitchen and spies an English muffin in the toaster, to her dismay.  After hearing confirmation that I am, in fact, serving English muffins at breakfast, the ugly face appears.  The face that seems to say that an English muffin is below her standards.  Like it's a foreign object unfit for consumption.  Mind you, I don't require my kids to clean their plates.  To try new things?  Yes.  To be kind about things you don't prefer?  Yes.  It happens far beyond English muffins too.  Many times, it seems like a heart issue. 

So, after a battle for her to eat the English muffin with jelly, we talked.  
I quietly told her that God says in the Bible (Proverbs 15:13) that a grateful heart makes a face happy.  I even went as far as having her say it out loud, "I am thankful for my breakfast".  And that's when it happened.  God tapped me on the shoulder.  Am I always thankful for this little one placed in my family?  You can imagine that amidst the battles, I can not always answer with a grateful heart.  Ugh!  And Ouch too!  I'm thankful for God's gentle reminders.  I'm glad everything isn't always perfect and that sometimes I'm required to try new situations, new opportunities.  So, now's my turn to practice being thankful along side my daughter.  And I'm hopeful that my gratitude for my daughter will reflect on my happy face!  Maybe, just maybe, she is thankful for English muffins...kinda...sorta.

 Twenty-one months and going strong!

Stella singing her heart out at graduation

Finishing Strong

As we near the end of the school year, we're finishing strong with lots of activities and accomplishments!

Reading Olympics
This kid loves to read.  Loves.  He takes after his SuSu.  And with all that reading comes a great accomplishment.  The gold metal!  

Festival
I noticed an Asian festival advertised on Facebook, so we took a little trip to Richardson to check it out.  The kids had fun exploring paper crafts, new foods, and photo ops.  I'm a sucker for Asian food.  I sometimes present it as a way of exploring the culture.  Really, we all like dumplings!

Introducing King David

The kids have been attending kids choir on Wednesday nights.  It seemed that Joey wasn't all that interested in singing.  So, I didn't pursue the opportunity for him to try out for a speaking part in the musical.  And didn't I feel horrible when Joey shared "they didn't even choose me for a part"?  I had to confess that I didn't sign him up to try out because I didn't think he was interested.  He continued attending and we all learned the songs thanks to a CD given to the kids.  I'm certain we all could've performed the entire musical because we listened to the CD daily!  At one of the last rehearsals, God showed up big for Joey.  As it turned out, the boy rehearsing as King David just stopped coming to the rehearsals.  The play was left without a Kind David, so Joey was asked to step in.  The smile.  His smile was huge.  He took it seriously.  To my amazement, he already knew the part from the previous months at choir practice.  He stepped up with confidence and did not disappoint!!!!  We talked about how God just laid this opportunity in his lap and how special it was to get to portray an amazing king!

King David kneeling to pray before conquering Goliath

King David preparing for a speaking part

Raingutter Regata
The Scout's rain gutter regatta was a lot of fun!  Joey had fun decorating his boat (the red one with the American flag) and blowing like crazy to move it down the gutter.  There was an opportunity for "lessons learned" as Joey's face spoke disappointment over not winning.  We talked about making notes for next year's race and how everyone has the opportunity to have fun.  Not sure it soaked in during the emotional experience, but Joey continues to surprise me with how mature he handles disappointment and how well he learns from his experiences.

Budding Artist

This guy had an art piece chosen for the artshow!  See the dinosaur?  He was excited to show off his artwork and see the variety of art displayed.  We took several minutes to look around at other pieces displayed.  All three kids were really interested in the different techniques and methods for creating art.

It's Graduation Day!  Hooray!

These 2 have completed pre-K.  And by "completed", I mean they've learned a ton, met new friends, entertained their teachers, and floored me with how much they've grown and changed!  

It's moment like this when I wish I could send a simple message to their China moms and dads..."LOOK! Look how much they've grown. Can you believe how much Samuel loves to talk now? Isn't it amazing how much Stella loves learning? They are smart and funny. I wish you could hear them laugh! Do you know how much we love them? Do you know that we talk about you in our home? Do you know we welcome the curiosity of who you are and what you're like? I imagine they have little traits that reflect you. Oh, and they're learning about our Creator. They know God loves them. They sing about Him. They sing A LOT. We make silly faces and we have fun together! And even on those hard days (that sometimes turn into weeks), we are grateful for the opportunity to parent these treasures."

Happy Graduation, Samuel and Stella!