"I just want to know everything about everything!"

Tonight we were on our way home from YiLi's ophthalmologist appointment (an hour trip) and all the sudden . . . from the back seat came . . . not the sound of a sleeping child . . . but . . .

I just want to know . . .What is the sun made of?
If the sun is a star, how come it looks round?
How come the moon is sometimes round and sometimes part of it is missing?
How do "they" make stop signs?
How do they make cars?
I think I know what communion is . . . (she goes on to explain).
Well, I just want to know how does the water stay up in the clouds?
How come dandelions come up every summer without anyone planting them? (God put the seeds there.) Oh, OK! (She so easily believes about God and Who He Is.)
How come it is colder way up in the sky and we can't feel it down here?
How far up does the sky go?
How come when you jump you come back down? Why can't we fly?
So God is really really big?
Where do the lights come from in a car? In a house?
Is it the same as the lines that go this way and that way in the sky?
You mean there are nine earths?
Is there really a robot planet?
Where is heaven?
Are there more people?
What is inside the Great Wall of China? Are there people inside?
What do we do with all the garbage?
How do we recycle bottles and cans? How exactly do we do this?
How come there are some, what do you call them, really big countries like China, and some really small ones?
How does a country get started?
How long does it take to cross the ocean? How big is the biggest ocean?
How long would it take to drive across the ocean in a car?

Honestly, Daddy and I were doing our very best to answer these, plus using the opportunity to tell YiLi that as she gets to read better she can find these answers for herself, which is one reason why reading is so COOL!

As we arrived home and she got right into her jammies and got ready for bed, she said . . .

"Well, tomorrow I just want to know everything about the human body - I want to know everything about everything!"

Her language alone astonishes me. Folks, the point of this is not about bragging but just marveling how much can happen in a short nine months in the mind and soul of a child, and how marvelous  to watch a child's mind and heart open like a flower blooming, filled with curiosity and yet so easily and fully believing and absorbing truths about God and the world.

We feel an awesome responsibility and we know we are so very blessed.  Honestly, all this in the space of one single hour!

A red rubber band . . .

This week YiLi has been going to vacation Bible School at our church.  So every night we ask her what she learned, what she liked best, what friends she was making, and so on. Tonight we were asking her if she has the same teacher every night, which she does. We were trying to figure out who she is from YiLi's description. YiLi's teacher is kind of young, kind of skinny, kind of light hair like Mommy's  . . . and she wears a red rubber band around her neck . . . yup, that's what she insisted on!

When we finally got to the bottom of it, and realized she meant red bandana, Rick and I burst into laughter. (Good thing YiLi is such a good sport! She just wanted in on the joke.) So Daddy was pretending to snap his neck and then he would laugh. When she finally understood what a rubber band was, she also broke out in free flowing hysterical laughter!

My mom is really really ill right now, and we are taking on a lot of serious tasks, even YiLi is visiting and helping out. So this was just SO GOOD TO full-belly laugh for quite a few minutes.

Between laughing together and finally mailing the 134 pages of response to our IRS examination for the adoption credit, it has been a good day at our house. 

Bandaid alert!

Mommy:  (approaching post office) YiLi, would you rather go up the stairs or the ramp?

YiLi:         The ramp! (I didn't even know she knew the word!)

Mommy:  (letting go of her hand) You go up the ramp, I'll go up the stairs, we'll meet!

YiLi:         OK!

Mommy turns her back to go climb the stairs, YiLi trips at the invisible incline on the ramp.

Note to self:   No more crazy ideas! Holding hands is fun and safe!

I guess since this is the first mishap in 7 months, we are doing pretty well, but I still feel like a less than stellar mama right now!

Those silent tears coming down are the worst! Harder to deal with than outright crying!

If you thought those were cute, look at these!

We got an unasked for surprise update on Sam just yesterday! We are so in love with this boy. Now we get to do all that "He looks like you . . ." , "he has YiLi's mouth and chin . . .". I know that's crazy, but we can't stop ourselves! We backed YiLi up to the "Great Measuring Wall" in our kitchen to see how tall she is in comparison to Sam. As you would expect, she looks 8 and he look 6! YiLi is 50" tall and Sam is 46.25" tall.  Oh, wait a minute, you want me to show you the pictures, don't you?! lol

YiLi says the "thing" in the middle of his forehead is a Chinese sticker . . . I hope she is right! He does look a little solemn in two of these pics, we wonder what he is thinking about? Is he missing his friend Jia who got adopted last December? Has he been told that he has a family and has started , within his understanding, on that long and sometimes difficult road of adoption? OK, maybe he just thinks it is pretty silly to be out on the playground without any other kids, getting his picture taken!

introducing Samuel Zhi Zuo Smedley AKA Sammy

Is he a sweetheart or what?! Love his sparkly eyes, love his sweet smile, his little wave bye to his best friend . . . He was at the bottom of my Mother's Day blog, but I am guessing nobody saw him, so he is getting his very own blogpost! We hope to travel before year end, but it may be January or February.  Can't come fast enough!

"I'll see you in London in 2009 . . ."

My sweet husband has had a life-long yet unrequited dream to visit London. He loves to study history, especially about the lines of kings and queens. So, back in 2006, the year of our marriage, I gave him a large volume entitled "Glorious Britain, Place of Legends", inscribed as above:
"Dear Rick - I'll see you in London in 2009, and we'll celebrate being 50 together!
                                                                                             Love, Traci
                                                                                             Christmas 2006

He was browsing this book tonight, and brought the inscription over for me to see. The sweet part I mentioned at the top is for this reason:

Instead of being sad or feeling unfulfilled because he has never fulfilled his dream of seeing London (and probably never will - we seem to keep "vacationing" in China!), he said to me, "Look at this - we had no idea at that time what God had up His sleeve  - something way more wonderful than seeing England".

Just sayin' - he's a sweet one!

Happy Birthday, Daddy - how old are you anyway?

Mommy:  YiLi, how old do you think Daddy will be on his birthday?
YiLi:         80?
Mommy:  (giggle a tiny bit) Not that many . . .
YiLi:         70?
Mommy:   Daddy will be 53! How old do you think Mommy will be?
YiLi:         something around 40 (that's my girl!)

Today we were talking about when all of our birthdays are. Daddy's is tomorrow, Sam's is May 25 (I wish we were together for his 6th birthday!), Grandma Grace's is May 27. I told YiLi that hers is in March, mine is in January, and Brittany's is next month in June.

Then I couldn't resist . . .

Mommy:  How old do you think Brittany will be?
YiLi:        30?

(Brittany will be 20!)

Yes, folks, I am 40 and my bio daughter is 30! 

Seriously, I am so thankful to be right here, right now, for such a time as this! Yes, I remember my younger days. I was blessed then, also. But I remember being much more preoccupied with things such as looks, clothes, trips, etc. Now we are just so thankful that God has blessed us with the privilege of being parents again (me) or for the first time (Rick).

For years we have planned a trip to London, England. My husband in particular has ALWAYS wanted to go there. But God had another plan, and I am thankful for a husband who releases a dream of a lifetime in exchange for hearing the still small voice of God to make room in our hearts and home for our children in China (number yet undetermined . . .).

So where do we go on "vacation"? Why, China, of course - can't wait!