A Few of Our Favorite Things

A Few of Our Favorite Things

Posted by Candace

Today marks one month since the day Kate was put into our arms. I am simply amazed at the depth of God's fulfilled promises. I was scared to death before the day that I met her, not knowing if I would be capable of properly parenting this little girl and giving her what she needs. The unknown requires great trust and I am still working on trust. Since that first day, however, God has given great grace as He always does and we are doing just fine.

Kate is an absolute wonder. I feel like we stole her from China! What a deal we got! She is not perfectly sweet or always loving, but I love that about her. I love that she is "real". She is beautifully flawed, but in those flaws I see myself all the more. She is spunky, but sometimes very afraid. She wants desperately to do some things, but is held back by knowing her many limitations. She is expressive and gorgeous and full of life. I love to watch her learning to trust more each day and as I do I am reminded of the way my Adoptive Father feels about me.

Some favorite things about Kate... Of course, her gorgeous smile...it completely lights up her face and steals our hearts. She smiles and laughs when we do. She says her Chinese name and we tickle her. It has become a game. I love it that she throws things when she is done with them...hard. It is her adamant way of letting us know that she is finished and though at times it is very inconvenient (and we are trying to teach her other forms of communication) it is also quite hilarious. She has not learned a lot of English, but her Chinese vocabulary is astounding. She gets quite frustrated when we don't understand or are not paying attention (because we don't understand), so her little voice will get louder and louder until finally she is crawling all over us, screaming out what she wants. Sadly sometimes it is only then when we realize how much communication matters. She is very technical, even at 2, and is drawn to all electronics...which can be quite interesting when I am trying to use the computer or my phone or the remote or the iPod. She loves the boys DS game and will open and shut it, so it is not unusual to hear "Hello, I'm Mario" and "Bye bye" followed by a little Chinese voice saying "bye bye"...over and over again. She doesn't cry when she gets hurt, instead she bites and pinches...it makes her mad and she blames the closest person to her (we are working on correcting this too :). She takes things from us and hides them behind her back so we will try to get them...she thinks it is quite humorous even though mommy does not find it funny when she really needs something. She has the strongest grip I have ever seen on a little girl. Her skin is soft and perfect which makes me really mad at mosquitos this year because they really love her. She loves to go bye bye so we don't sit still much and with Jordan and Nathan home for the summer, we are off to more adventures today.

 

When God promised that Kate would bring much joy to our family, I must confess it was very difficult to believe Him. The months leading up to her arrival were most difficult for me. I have a very active imagination that the unknown is just fuel for. Today I stand completely amazed at what God has done and what He will do if we will just believe Him and move forward. You may be scared to death like me...you may even feel like you are walking off of a cliff...but if you are following Jesus, He will catch you. There is nothing like standing in front of a mountain and watching it move before your very eyes. TAKE THAT NEXT STEP!!! It is worth it!