Farewell...

Here are photos from the last day before I returned back to work...It has been a sad weekend in many respects. I have really enjoyed the time with the kids. Emma is starting to use full sentences. She will quietly say a sentence, but rarely repeat what she wants. She is on her way to being potty trained thanks to my mother's work in China.
Laura little personality is showing more and more. What she cannot say, she makes up in laughing, joking, comedy routine. She will do an anything for laugh...including running down the hallway sans diaper. She still likes to be held and played with. She loves to play with her favorite dolly, play outside, go to the park, and watch cartoons.
Jonathan is a helper.He can put laundry away, load the dishwasher, put clothes away, and put food away in the pantry. He is still spicy boy. He likes to throw things on the floor when he gets upset. He still has a temper. At times, he loves being in the home and other times, he still is adjusting to the new culture, new language, and home.
We have been to the park, church, green bay, my parents. We have torn up several flower beds, started a garden train layout, got estimates to finish off the outside of the house.
I had a great time in China on our adoption trip followed by an adjustment period back home.
I went back to work on April 1 for 4 hours per week. I will be starting back to call next week and my regular schedule in the clinic.

I am going to miss the chance to focus on being a Mom...taking the kids to the park during the daytime, being there when the children are sick, teaching the kids. There is so much fun in being able to focus on the children as they learn new words, ideas, skills.
Laura and I went to Ace Hardware to buy a birdfeeder. She pushed her little shopper cart through the whole store like a big girl. She put a few things in her cart. She was so proud of herself.
The twins helped me fill the birdfeeder. Laura tried to eat the birdseed. Emma and I hung up the birdfeeder on our clothesline. I tied it up with baler twine. Emma played right along side of me...
Ping and Emma were driving their toy car outside. Emma would push the pedals and he would steer (often into the tree, fence, etc.)
We played in the sandbox...often Ping tried to dump sand out of the with the little shovel.
My train garden turned into a large child dirt box.They tried to play in the mulch piles , the dirt pile, the flower garden.
It is hard to imagine that I started alittle over 4 years ago that we moved to the area with no kids...

Psalms 127...
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

In case anyone wonders, our quiver is full now.