We have survived first week of school....by the skin of our teeth!
Neena and Logan started kindergarten. In case you don't think that's a big deal, well it is! Kindergarten is officially real school! A place where there are No naps, you open your own milk carton, you have a lunch number, you can ride the bus, and use scissors. It's like a 5 year old dream and nightmare at the same time.
Neena is doing great! Her English is awesome! And she looks adorable in her school outfit! In kindergarten teachers sometimes have real hard names to pronounce, especially if it's your second language sort of, so Neena thought, "hey you or hey lady!" Would cut it. But not in kindergarten!
She is in a wheelchair and will most likely be in one at school for a while. But she is a trooper and PE is still her favorite part of the day.
Logan had a rough start. See Logan is the baby and I baby him so I'll take credit for it i guess. His first day he fell asleep in the middle of class. Poor thing is tired! Then he drew a sea monster eating his brother instead of a ball as instructed (it had red splattered crayon for blood and everything). Then he got bit by ants and refused to ride the bus home because he was traumatized by the ant bite and I got a call about it from the principal (on the first day of school). But just when I thought he was getting the hang of it, he came home yesterday with a 3-4 inch hole in the middle of his uniform shirt. He said he cut it and so we talked about what we can cut with scissors (paper only), and that was that. So today when his teacher text me the picture of the chunk of hair he cut from a little girl I was shocked! I mean he's a baby!! Logan is not exactly experienced with scissors. Or opening his milk or riding the bus or not taking naps or any of this!
Luke and vivi are school pros by now. Not even starting middle school phased Vivi! She just hops on the bus and goes!
The last 10 months have been wild! What Neena has gone through! And the other kids and how they have loved her from the instant they met her! To see my husband love a daughter he's never known! And how grandparents and aunts and friends just embrace her!
It has done something to me!
It has caused me to HAVE to find courage in Christ! It takes something Brave within you to hop on a plane and travel 9,000 miles and love a broken child and help them heal while you yourself are broken from unmet expectations!
Neena is so brave and she is a gift! She has caused all of us to not just put on a "brave face" but to be brave! While shaking in fear and being so overwhelmed with worry we are learning to let the confidence we have in Christ take over!
I never knew anxiety until I had a daughter who could break a leg by tripping. Or until I had a baby boy who suddenly struggled with where his place was in this family. I have been so overwhelmed thinking our family will never be normal again! And the truth is I had to accept that we won't.... And I don't want to be normal! Not truly! Everything in my spirt wants to be totally ABnormal as long as it's following God!
How many times have you and I prayed to be the hands and feet of Jesus? But his hands and feet did more than pray and heal!! They had bleeding holes in them and were punctured with spikes! The bones and tissue broken and torn! Yes we will be the hands and feet of Jesus and we will have the beautiful healed scars to prove it!
The hard things are not fun! But they add to our faith and force us to decide if we will give into the fear or be Brave and trust that You actually CAN do this....that Philippians 4:13 (I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength) is seriously true and is a promise for me and you today!
Believe God today! Trust his promises! And do something Brave in Jesus name!
