"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
However, he didn't say I know the easy, carefree relaxing plans I have for you. (Darn)
I do know though that being brought to the end of myself is pretty much the only way I see my need for Him, so I have hope (and Hope!).
Factual updates: Hope's titers show she got quality vaccines on schedule in China and only needs the 4 boosters and 5 year old would get. Yea!
We saw the ocularist (the doctor who makes eye prosthetics) and she said with a good bit of work and persistence we should be able to have her ready for a prosthesis in a year or two. That sounds long, but she showed me pictures of her patients over the past 20 years and it is amazing what she can do! So right now I am stretching her eyelids on that side (Hope loves it--not!!) and in 2 weeks we will get our first expander thingy that looks like a marble sized clear teardrop. We will put larger and larger pieces in as the weeks go by and eventually put a clear shell in there. When both sides are mostly of equal size, she will make the handpainted prosthesis, which is worn 24 hours a day!
It was cute at the ocularist's office, it dawned on Hope which office we were in and she said "Oh, TWO eyes!" and I said yes, she will make it so you have two eyes! And she was very interested in the photos of former patients. But now that we are eyelids stretching she says she doesn't want two eyes anymore, nevermind. But I told her when she is big she will be happy to have the two eyes. She is just too perceptive.
Hope's specialty now is praying. She lists everyone at the table (although she always asks which is Jake and which is Landon) and she often will pray about what we did that day: "daddy working, Lilla school, mommy driving..." very sweet. She now calls herself Hope SongYi when she prays instead of Bao SongYi.
Lilla is doing well at school and now wears her new glasses every day. She and I went to the mall together this weekend and it was nice to be with her. She seems very grown up now to me.
Landon is happily playing with a friend today and has enjoyed taking drum lessons recently. He now wants a drum set, what have I done??! The teacher says he actually has a pretty good aptitude for it. Well, we can test that one out when our house grows a soundproof basement.
Jake is just getting back from a friend's house. With all the craziness here they have not been able to have friends over and although they get along well, they have missed not being with other boys as much as they used to.
I know this will end up being a formative time in their lives--I keep telling them they are learning a lot about what it means to be a parent! Although the homeschooling is not as interactive right now as I envisioned it (aka, I write down ther work and they do it alone) it has been great to have them home to be a part of this crazy transition. And I think they are absolutely the most patient, understanding, 8 and 10 year old boys I know. I am so proud of them.
Please do pray for my mom. She has not been feeling well, she said nauseous mostly and she has had some fluid come back to her abdomen.
Here are some pictures....
The girls in their glasses
Lilla and Hope pretending to sleep.
Jake doing schoolwork and his little shadow Hope joining in.
Mark and granddaddy took Jake and Landon to the Petit LeMans race at Road Atlanta. they had fun but it was a HOT day.
