She Knew She Was Home

 Recently, we were able to make a trip home for a very special occasion.  We stopped by our old neighborhood park.  This place was one of Jillian's most favorite in the world at that stage in her life.  She was a swinger then.  She hasn't been into swinging like that for years, but here, in this place where she was a swinger, she was swinging and swinging just like she did when she was two and these were her stomping grounds.  This momma's heart knows that she knows when she is home.  I know she remembers these places where we overcame so much, and where light shown through her dismally dark world as she learned to live in our family.  These are the places where her heart, ever so slowly, opened up to receive our love.  These were the fields we ran with her, stared into her eyes, and just learned to be still together.  There is something so very sweet about being home with this baby where her life first began with us by her side.

 It is especially sweet to have Molly here now.  Those early days, nearly five years ago now, I longed to bring home more, but never dreamed we would actually do it.

 Seeing them all together, though they were gathered from different corners of China, as sisters in matching clothes playing here in this place makes my momma's heart fill with gratitude that God would bless me so!

 I remember Jillian, at two, climbing here for hours.

 Jilly's love of gravel was born in this very pit as she would spend hours raining the gravel over this giant tire.  She would watch it fall again and again.

We stopped on this hill many, many times as we played here.  Through snow, falling leaves, and rain we explored this park.  Now, we are so far from it as we live in another state, but it is still so near to my heart.  Beautiful memories were made here.  Moments that define me, and changed my life as I was able to reach my first beautiful Chinese treasure walking beside her here.  God restored her before my eyes in this neck of the woods, and it is so very special to walk with her here again!  We have all come a long way in the last two years since leaving this place.  We have added two more daughters, and continued to see God move in ways we never dreamed.  I can't wait to see where the next five years take us, but for now I long just to sit and savor these days together.

DIY Lightbox Play

Have I mentioned how much I love to play?

I am planning a little learning unit all about the moon to do with my little girls this month because of the mid autumn moon festival, and I knew this kind of light box would compliment our unit perfectly.  It was a rainy night when I introduced it for the first time.  Thank goodness I had it finished because rainy nights can be a killer as we are stuck inside.

 I set out some translucent jars and bouncy balls on the box initially.  The girls moved the jars, unscrewed the lids, rolled the balls, and put the balls inside the jars for a long, long time while the light shined through.

 Then I remembered an old transparency set I had from my teaching days, and set out the shapes for them to explore.  Anna "wrote" her name.

 They had great fun exploring the shapes and colors.

 Is she not so cute?

 The glow of the light made creating so much more fun!

 Before long, houses were being created, and shapes were being named.

Jilly even came down off her trapeze bar that is mounted to the ceiling in our playroom to join in.

Making this box was so easy, and we have continued to play with it.  I took a 60 quart clear under bed clear storage container that I had laying around to make our box.  Then I bought a 16 ft string of rope lights that I also purchased at Walmart for $12.00.  To assemble the box, I had to drill a hole in the side of the storage container so that the light cord could come out the side in order to plug it in.  Once the hole was drilled, I strung the lights throughout the box, put the cord through the hole, and plugged it in.  I used some "spider web" Halloween decorations on top of my light in the box to diffuse the lights.  You could use colored tissue paper, parchment paper, or a number of things to change the light if you want to experiment.  I just had this webbing on hand, and so I threw it in there.  This project cost less than $15 to make because I had many of the items on hand, and the container stores easily under the couch in our playroom. I love it and so did the girls!

God's Miraculous Provision

I wish with all my heart that I could record every detail of the last week.  It has been so good in so many ways, but I know that I will never do it justice or remember all that has been on my heart.  We had an amazing crew of friends who came on Friday in Pekin to pack us up and send us off.  Many of them even gave up their Saturday to drive here and help us transport all of our stuff.  Thank you Eric, Rebecca, Chris, and Chris!  Sean's mom came up with us and helped us get settled in as well. We love you!

The girls did amazingly well and played in the water in the backyard all day here at the new house while we settled in.  We had lunch provided for us on Saturday by our new church family and many, many who stayed well into the afternoon setting up beds, unpacking, cleaning, and helping us get settled.  We felt loved and were overwhelmed by the way everyone served us.  Saturday night we had dinner delivered by another sweet church member who even went as far as finding out what my Jillian eats.  She brought Jill's yogurt and applesauce as well as yummy homemade pizza with delicious cake.  I cried sweet tears of joy because she thought of my baby girl's needs and met them without even knowing us.

The week has continued on much like this.  We have had visits by many with cookies, hugs, and welcomes.  We have attended a staff cookout where we spent time together with the school and church staff swimming, eating, and visiting.  This is an amazing place and while we are sad to leave the many that we love in Pekin, we are excited to get settled here and to start doing life with this incredible congregation.

Thursday we spent the day with some of the church families at a local beach.  You all know my Jillian LOVES water and sand! This beach is beautiful, free, and very close to our house.  Many may just see this as a lake, but as I looked across the crystal blue water I just thought of God's miraculous provision!  A crystal clear lake, much like the beautiful Gull Lake where we happily spend a week at family camp every summer, only twenty minutes from our new home.  This is a place that we will be spending many happy summer days with our new family of friends.  I heard one of the moms say that she likes to spend time together with other ladies of the church because she is never leaving Cedar Valley and so if we are going to raise up our kids together, we should know and love each other.  Music to this mommas heart!  Walking alongside these friends and doing life together is going to be a true pleasure.

My sweet babies have also found open arms already and this momma is thrilled.  Em seems to have found a wonderful young lady who is in her class and shares her name.  EF seems like a great girl and is delightful to talk to.  She is an answer to prayer indeed.  Anna Mei has already learned to say Abby and looks for her whenever we are with our group.  She likes to be held and Abby is amazing with her.  She has ministered to this momma so much with how very willing she is to help me take care of the girls while Sean is back wrapping things up in Pekin.  Abby walked carrying Anna Mei to the car from the beach yesterday which was a HUGE blessing and she was in the pool the entire time I was on Tuesday helping with the girls.  A little lady named Jesse has taken a liken to my Jillian too and watched me signing to her yesterday so she could pick some up.  Jesse is a tiny fourth grader, but still let Jillian climb all over her in the water.  Jillian kept signing sit and Jesse wasn't sure what it meant so she asked and then sat every time Jillian told her.  Both of these girls are from the same family and they have beautiful hearts.  I can't wait to get to know them more!

Truly, I can't believe how seamless this move has been.  My Jillian hasn't missed a beat.  She even seems more comfortable in this strange, new house than she did in our familiar one in Pekin.  I can't explain it.  I have no words, but what I do have is a God who holds us each in His hands.  How I love the Lord who has written this entire story for us and who knows every detail before it is revealed to us.  To God be much glory for the way that we have been loved by these beautiful people in the last week.  I hope that I have the opportunity to show God's love to them many times as we walk beside each other in the years to come.  Cedar Valley Bible Church seems so very special and I am grateful to be able to call it home!