It's hard to believe we have been home for a month. It is soooo good to be home, even though home is undergoing some reorganizing. All of Dan's office contents (now Rebecca's room) are in boxes in our bedroom and everything from my desk is in our dining room while we install cabinetry and desks for a "family computer room." We can access our computers and the internet while in limbo, but don't expect any scanning or printing.
Okay, back to being home for a month...
There have been many, many firsts for Rebecca and for our family. Uncle Dale has had to avoid sidewalk chalk and a scooter (from a visiting friend) in the driveway and Dan finds he has much less time to sit down. Actually, that part goes for me, too. Last Friday, on a day off from school, Rebecca enjoyed her first trip to Disney World. We would have preferred to wait awhile, but my niece and her boyfriend were in town and were anxious to share the experience. Rebecca could best be described as awestruck - she loved every minute of the day! We started the day slowly in Fantasy Land with Small World, Dumbo, the Carousel, etc. and then moved on to the Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Space Mountain. She liked the kiddie rides, but LOVED the roller coasters. Tim and I were both very pleased to see just how much she enjoyed the coasters and early in the afternoon we took the monorails to EPCOT so she could try out his favorite ride - Test Track. At the end of the day, she told us her favorites were the onstage princess show, the parade, and Test Track.
School still seems to be going well and Rebecca loves going each day. She received a "Principal's Award" this week and is doing very well with her phonics. She's working on reading beginner books and has even read a story or two to Timothy. The two of them are starting to interact more and are figuring each other out. They had a sweet portrait taken together Saturday night and have been holding hands, kissing each other on the cheek, etc. (Special thanks to Peggy for scanning it and emailing it back to me so I could post it for you.)
We continue to be amazed at how well Rebecca is adapting to her new world and she told us today that she likes it better here than at the internat. She is making new friends and enjoys going to kids' church with some of them. There are still times of adjustment and communication gaps, but we are working on them. I'm trying to get Rebecca to tell us when she doesn't understand something. We find that she listens attentively, says "da" and acts like she understands what you said, but based on her actions we find that she hasn't. (Nothing terrible, just things like "hang that dress in your closet" and we find it in the laundry basket and the like.) Next week we'll attend a meeting at Rebecca's school for the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program. I think she'll qualify. ;-)
Thanks so much for all your continued prayers and messages of support. We realize we're living in what's referred to as the honeymoon stage, but are trying to make the most of it and develop good habits. I'll keep praying, too - maybe the honeymoon can last forever? Yeah, I know, 10 year olds someday become teenagers...
Happy February!
Kathi, Dan, Tim, Rebecca, Carey… and Uncle Dale, too
Okay, back to being home for a month...
There have been many, many firsts for Rebecca and for our family. Uncle Dale has had to avoid sidewalk chalk and a scooter (from a visiting friend) in the driveway and Dan finds he has much less time to sit down. Actually, that part goes for me, too. Last Friday, on a day off from school, Rebecca enjoyed her first trip to Disney World. We would have preferred to wait awhile, but my niece and her boyfriend were in town and were anxious to share the experience. Rebecca could best be described as awestruck - she loved every minute of the day! We started the day slowly in Fantasy Land with Small World, Dumbo, the Carousel, etc. and then moved on to the Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Space Mountain. She liked the kiddie rides, but LOVED the roller coasters. Tim and I were both very pleased to see just how much she enjoyed the coasters and early in the afternoon we took the monorails to EPCOT so she could try out his favorite ride - Test Track. At the end of the day, she told us her favorites were the onstage princess show, the parade, and Test Track.
School still seems to be going well and Rebecca loves going each day. She received a "Principal's Award" this week and is doing very well with her phonics. She's working on reading beginner books and has even read a story or two to Timothy. The two of them are starting to interact more and are figuring each other out. They had a sweet portrait taken together Saturday night and have been holding hands, kissing each other on the cheek, etc. (Special thanks to Peggy for scanning it and emailing it back to me so I could post it for you.)
We continue to be amazed at how well Rebecca is adapting to her new world and she told us today that she likes it better here than at the internat. She is making new friends and enjoys going to kids' church with some of them. There are still times of adjustment and communication gaps, but we are working on them. I'm trying to get Rebecca to tell us when she doesn't understand something. We find that she listens attentively, says "da" and acts like she understands what you said, but based on her actions we find that she hasn't. (Nothing terrible, just things like "hang that dress in your closet" and we find it in the laundry basket and the like.) Next week we'll attend a meeting at Rebecca's school for the ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program. I think she'll qualify. ;-)
Thanks so much for all your continued prayers and messages of support. We realize we're living in what's referred to as the honeymoon stage, but are trying to make the most of it and develop good habits. I'll keep praying, too - maybe the honeymoon can last forever? Yeah, I know, 10 year olds someday become teenagers...
Happy February!
Kathi, Dan, Tim, Rebecca, Carey… and Uncle Dale, too
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