One year ago today I met an incredible little girl!! She was not so sure about her new Momma but over the past year she has adjusted well. I believe the word she may have used was "old". Thank goodness I brought Katie along to lighten the blow!! A younger version of what I once was!
Our time in China was fun and eventful! We had tons of laughter and lots of charades! We also had a bit of pouting, a few dirty looks and our fair share of tears. We have learned so much over this last year! You may think I am talking about Sarah but actually I am talking about us, too. It has been hands on and on the job training experience for all of us! I am so thankful that the Lord guided us in this direction and gave us the courage to do something that we had not planned on doing! I would do it again in a heart beat! Oh, that's right, we are!! Yippee Jesus!!
Sarah has come so far- I just cannot believe her progress! When we were in China she made it very clear to our guide that she had NO intention of learning English. In fact she started immediately trying to teach us Chinese. Katie and I were very poor students and we all would end up hysterically laughing. Sarah's English language skills have grown immensely. Most people can not believe she has only been home one year.
Having Katie and I go to China to get Sarah was actually a really good thing. It really has helped Katie bond with the younger sister. It has also opened her eyes to other cultures and the life of the orphans. Sometimes people will ask us questions and it is Katie that speak up. I love it when that happens because I can hear her heart speaking as she explains to them what orphan life is like and what her sisters mean to her.
The one area that Sarah struggles slightly with is pouting. When she first came home it happened about three times a day but PTL it has gotten so much better. We just have a mild pout about 2 times a week! Actually that is probably less the average american 9 yr old! Sarah can express herself and her needs now- which is huge. We give her some space when she needs it. She may have to process that she is just not going to get her way this time or just process her personal frustration. Third we have given her tools and she actually uses them to deal with it. Instead of her going deeper into a pout she now asks for a hug (she will not let us hug her unless she initiates it- when she is mad) so we eagerly hug her and give her love- her mood changes immediately. She is also able to apologize when she misbehaves- That amazes me! That is something we all do. It is a necessary talent to be able to apologize when you hurt someone- so it has been modeled many times in our home.
Sarah is happy, joyful and has a ready smile. She adores her younger sister most of the time! She is very kind and helpful to Anna. Sometimes we teach Sarah and then I hear her teaching Anna. It is so cute! She really loves all of her older siblings! It is such a joy to see the different ages interact! I spend a lot of time with my girls- and I love it. They amaze me, everyday they amaze me!
Sarah loves to help with everything! She is a very capable little girl! She makes her bed beautifully and often helps me fold the laundry. She knows she keeps her room nicer than her big brother Johnny- we are so thankful she does!! She likes to organize her hair ties, her toys, her books! What a great quality!
She loves to play, have fun and laugh! She is proud of her accomplishments and loves it when we cheer her on! Which has been quite frequently this year with bike riding, swinging, monkey bars, swimming, going off the diving board, cartwheel and the list goes on! She loves showing her new skill to which ever sibling will watch!!
Our sweet little girl has a thankful heart. When we pray, she eagerly thanks the Lord for her family and especially her Mom and Dad. I love this little girl so much. She is our darling daughter and we are so grateful that the Lord brought her into our lives!!
