Saturday, February 4, 2012

NEED TO CATCH UP

I have been asked..."Have you given up on your blog?"

No....not at all. And I feel terrible that Halainah's journey has been documented a lot more than Ava's...I feel awful. So...I will try to keep up with my blog for my girls. I cannot wait to have it professionally printed and put into a hard cover book. Another thing to put on my to do list. And believe me...it's a very long list.

Life has been crazy as usual. We prepared so much for the holidays and it feels like they came and went in a blink of an eye. I still can't believe that we are in February. My brother and Aunt Crystal came in for the holidays and it was so wonderful and so special. We haven't spent the holidays like that in a long long time. The girls were in all of their glory...they loved having them here and loved the attention. In fact, when it was time for them to fly back home...Halainah cried and cried. And for days afterwards asked me why Jiu Jiu and Aunt Crystal have to leave...why can't they live here?" And of course she would make me cry too!

Our house is still not put back together after the flood. And we are still fighting to get things covered from our flood insurance. It's very frustrating and tiresome. Thankfully it has been a mild winter because our basement is still not insulated and our hardwood floors downstairs have been cold.

I started a new job. It sort of fell into my lap and so far has been a huge blessing. I am a Director of a preschool/daycare. I have been working there for a little over a month now. Halainah LOVES it so much. She melts my heart. Her excitement is such a joy to me. She has made tons of friends...she craves learning...she loves crafts and loves her teachers. Ava...my precious and challenging little girl...well...she's having a little bit of a hard time. She screams and clings to me when I bring her into her classroom. I stay with her and try to get her to calm down but she usually just cries. Her teacher will take her from me and I will leave. Than 5 minutes or so I go and peek through the window and she is fine...playing with her friends and smiling. So I know she is okay...she just doesn't like when I leave. She does well for the rest of the day but there are periods throughout the day when she finds her way into my office and will throw a fit when her teacher takes her away. I am praying it gets easier for her because she breaks me heart. Otherwise...it has been very rewarding and satisfying. I love all of my children at the school and have been building wonderful relationships with the parents. I have a lot to learn and get nervous at times...but it's all new for all of us and will get easier I am sure.

Ava is doing really well. She sleeps like a champ...goes to bed around 9 and sleeps until 9 or 10 if I let her sleep. We have to get up earlier on days we go to school/work. She speaks so much. I am so amazed on how much English she has picked up. She understands EVERYTHING and can tell us her wants and needs. She is SO smart....so smart it's almost scary. At school she is the youngest in her class since she just makes the cut off for age. Her teacher tells me that she finishes her work faster than all of the others and always follows directions. But she is also very demanding. She is two after all and with that comes temper tantrums and whining and not listening. I am not used to it...Halainah was such a breeze. Ava is very very loving and will hug and kiss you and tell you, "I love you whole wide world" all day. So even though she makes us want to pull our hair out most days...you can't help but hug and squish her. Lainey and Ava fight like sisters most days but we have been seeing more and more of loving sisterly behavior...holding hands, hugging and kissing. At one point in time, Lainey asked if we could get a new sister for her from China because Ava bites and hits. Now when she says her prayers she says, "thank you Jesus for my Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, and Ava." So I am thankful that Ava has made it into her prayers. One issue that we are having a little trouble with is that Ava will run up to anyone...strangers and all and want to be picked up by them. It makes me very nervous and I try to explain to her that she can't do that...but she's two and doesn't understand stranger danger. We are trying to work with her as much as we can and have seen a little improvement in the last few weeks...baby steps.

I have a lot of pics. to post to catch up on our lives for the last few months. I will really try hard to keep up with my blog for my girls.

Cute Sisters
Ava loves her baby doll
Opa and his granddaughters
Their shirts say...Little Sister and Big Sister
They look so cute when they are getting along.
My beautiful Lainey
Trying and I do mean trying to get Christmas pictures.
Typical Lainey
At a Christmas Tree farm

A nice family picture...we need to get more of these.
Out looking for a tree....see that house in the top left corner?...yeah...I want that house!
Typical Ava
Lainey found her tree...and she thought she was so funny.
I love this pic...Lainey and her Daddy...looking for the perfect tree!
Magical visit with Santa

My miracles!!

Christmas morning
14 year old Noel...awww...we have had our baby boy before we even got married...my brother told Lainey....look Santa left you a Noel!!
Ava singing for Jiu Jiu
Lainey excited about her Dinosaur Train figurines.
The girls loved their butterfly wings
Santa used too much tape...LOL

Lainey giving Jiu Jiu a hug for her Pterodactyl Pillow pet
My beautiful girls
On our many journeys to Grandma's...always asleep within the first 10 minutes.
Making a wish with a wishum
Ava getting to know Christmas Eve dinner...poor Lobster!!
I think the girls thought they were keeping their lobsters as pets
Very solumn Halainah...very sad that Jiu Jiu was leaving
Gettting way too big!!
Telling Jiu Jiu secrets!
Not sure it that's a kiss or a secret
Going to Grandma's
The only picture I could get of the three cousins together
Ava wearing Grandma's glasses
She's a cutie
Yes...that is how she fell asleep...actually she was in time out but apparently got tired!!
Silly girls!
Ava's hair is finally growing in