At the Beach

A meal in the Motorhome

We are at the beach for 2 1/2 weeks.  The weather is beautiful and we are visiting all of the places that we grew used to when we lived in our motorhome  while our house was getting remodeled.  I look back at those days with happy memories even though at the time I was thinking how hard it was.  Two, three year olds in a motorhome!  How did we do it?

Lily was so proud.  She helped Daddy put this cabinet together.  She hammered the nails in. She is definitely a Daddy's girl and wants to be where he is at all times.  She is at the why stage and everything is a "Why?" Why are you making breakfast?  Why are you brushing your hair? Why are you going to the bathroom?  I don't know if she just enjoys being able to  asks things or if she enjoys talking. I am excited that she is so curious and is learning so fast, but by the end of the day I just don't always feel like explaining why I am doing things that I do everyday and that she has asked me about before.  Such as, "Why are you brushing your teeth?"  I really think that it is not so much why?  But that she just wants to talk and that is something she knows how to say.  I need to ask God to give me the patience to keep on answering.  I should be happy that she  is not shut down and wants so much to know about everything.  One of the questions that I also get really tired of is, for example,  I call Emma in to fix her hair and Lily comes in and says " Why do you always do Emma's hair first?"  This is not true, it just happened to be Emma walking by when I was ready.  Or, Why do you always sit by Meilynn? (When we go out to eat)  this also is not true.  In fact her chair is next to mine at our dinner table.  I feel like I have this little person checking constantly to make sure that she is getting what everybody else is getting before they do.  I have spent a lot of time explaining this and I am about ready to try the old "because I am the Mom and that is why.  I have read about this same type of thing with others that have adopted.  I constantly need to remind myself, it has still only been 5 months.  She has made remarkable progress.

Daddy's helper

We had our friends Marty and Debbie down for the weekend.  They guys went motorcycle riding while we went to the Quail Botanical Gardens.  They were having an insect fair with booths and activities.  The gardens were beautiful and there is a lot for kids to do there.  It is so important to take Lily and show her so much.  There is so much that she needs to learn to connect the dots for reading.  The other day in her school book there was a picture of a cow.  She pointed to the udders and asked me what they were?  I told her that they gave us milk.  She looked at me like I was joking and then I tried to explain to her.  It just reminded me about how much there is to get caught up on.  She did not know these things in her dialect either.  There are just so many things that she does not know.  She doesn't know animals or sounds that animals make.  I am pretty sure that she has not seen them in books let alone in person.  I know that there are orphanages where the kids see books and go to school, but Lily is just like having a baby in so many ways.

Pointing out her favorite butterfly.  She loves the color yellow.

Emma showing me her favorite.

Stink bugs!!!1

A big frog

I missed her face, but this hand pointing at the snake is our brave girl Lily touching it.  Emma and Meilynn wouldn't go anywhere near it.

In the gardens under the waterfall

Emma and Meilynn playing tic tac toe

Debbie and Lily playing tic tac toe

In the tree house.  After lunch we brought the girls back and left them with Daddy and Marty and then Debbie and I went to the spa for a facial.  I think it has been a year since I have had one.
When we got back the guys had our dinner ready and we put the girls to bed and played cards.

Sunday watching the World Cup with our friends.  We are big soccer fans and were rooting (is that how you spell it?) for Spain because Kami had lived there for three years.  Marty and Debbie were rooting for the the Netherlands since he has a little Netherland blood.  The girls love Marty and Debbie!