The Hunted

Seth is 19 years old. He's big, he's strong. He has what Boyd calls a "Bob Dylan Beard". His hair is a little ragged. He looks homeless to me. But his girlfriend likes his scruffy beard. I've heard it's the "in" look right now. When Seth enters the house laughing and screaming at the top of his voice YUN BAI in a melodic tone, the two youngest children start hiding. They actually run for their lives. Seth looks hungry. When he finds them...and he always finds them, Lian screams and screams the most high-pitched wonderful little terrified girl scream you can imagine. It would be frightening to hear if you were standing outside our house! They run again in two different directions, Eli in one direction, Lian in the other. They search for a safer place to hide. Eli is quick, but not as skilled at hiding from the hunter yet, He can't find a place so he's caught! Seth is closing in......so Eli quickly points to where Lian is hiding and announces her name...... Sacrificing his younger sister to stay alive.

He Cooks, He Cleans and He Repairs Broken Appliances!

Noodles continue to be the main dietary choice.  At least 2 meals a day. He has labled the cupboard where they are located in English and Chinese.  Eli has been close by in the cooking of his noodles every meal, instructing us on just how to make them.  He dictates what ingredients, how high to have the heat on, and how long to leave them cooking once you have added the eggs, meat, vegi's and greens. "5 mimints".  So today, I just stood aside, and clearly we have been over accomodating the kid, he is perfectly careful, skilled and capable in the kitchen.  He is also nearby when we enter the laundry room, he sorts clothing, loads and unloads washer's and dryers.  We don't expect him to, but he would feel rejected if we refused at this point. Thank-you "China Mama"and "China Baba", who knows how many, or which one, but someone has taught this young man!

Eli loves to go into the guts of our basement into corners that have been long packed away.  He will look at bins full of lego's, Rescue Hero's, and Castle peices in a heap all dismantled. "Baby's" he will exclaim!  Then he will gently tug on the bin, interested.  Every few day's he beckones us into the room,  and out he comes with a new bin.  "OK" we say, "Thank-you" he say's with more sincerity than a parent is used to.  Then he plays for hours with toy's most kids his age have left behind.  He comes up and down the stairs, grabbing screw drivers and replacing every dead battery in every Rescue Hero. Then he set's up each action hero into a fine display, ready for service. He is meticulous.  He will build one intricate Lego boat/car/helicopter contraption to Jack's 15.  Eli notices, but does not have the competitive nature of Jack, it doesn't phase him, he stay's focused on getting the one perfect Lego masterpeice. Today he found Lian's kitchen, first thing's first, replace the batteries!  Later today I'm sure a grocery store will be organized with a working restaurant.  I hope that means I don't have to cook dinner either;)

Now some pictures from our camping trip, which had a skate park nearby!

 Grant, our helpful 15 year old son has gotten a job at a local very cool restaurant!  We are so proud of him!

Jack practicing his drumming techniques while camping.

OK, a few fun quirkey things too-  He LOVES the cat's.  Last week he started hissing like a cat when it's mad or scared.  We took him to get a trim around the back of his neck.  He did not "lika" haircut.  He sat in the chair to be compiant and obediant, but hissed at the girl like a cat as she trimmed!  It was just too funny:D
Today as I was cleaning the bathroom's I was carrying my cleaning supplies in a little bin.  He scooped it up and ran away with it.  Into the garage he ran, with Hillary, Lian and I following.  He hid the cleaning supplies!  We searched around, Hillary finally finding them in the freezer.  As we entered the house, Eli shouts in an announcer like voice  "Hillary-1, Mommy- ZERO"

SefA, Gwant, Howee, Lian, JackA, Eli, Mommy, Daddy!

I was ironing, Eli was helping with laundry, then running up and down the stairs bringing me one chip at a time with a tiny splash of salsa on it.  Then he runs up and back down "Sefa!" Then up and down again "Gwant, motorcycle!"  "Howee, Lian, JackA, Eli, Daddy, Mommy!"  Everyone was home at the same time and it was a big deal to him!  He's right, it doesn't happen often, thank goodness Hillary's boyfriend was here too, we got a picture!  It was funny, first he was sticking his tongue out, he's tired of his picture being taken.  We have to have a family picture for China this month as part of the post adoption home study, so when we told him the picture was going to China, he decided to smile:D.
We had not lit off most of our fireworks, since we left for China on July 4th! So we decided to celebrate and light them off.  Lian was SO EXCITED..."I think I might _____ my pant's!" she exclaimed!
Eli is adding a few words a day.  Words he hears often he will add to his sentences.  Today it was motorcycle, potty, pee, m n m's, orange, chicken and a full sentence "can I watch T. V.?"  Yesterday it was rain, shower and bed.  He reluctantly will look at the books we have that have pictures and words.  We are lucky to get 5 pages a day in.  We have decided not to push it, he isn't learning the words in the books, he's learing the words he hear's us use every day:)

Great Grandma, Cousins, and Clothes

 We drove to my Grandmother's house to visit on Wednesday.  That's my kids Great Grandmother!  She has made afgan's to match the quilts in Jack and Eli's room.  I should have gotten a picture of her with those too!  She is amazing:)  She was SO happy that we all came to visit.  We didn't giver her much notice so that she wouldn't fret about being invaded by so many grand kids. We had a fabulous time.

Today Hillary was all ready for her boyfriend to come over for the afternoon.  She had her shirt off one shoulder.  Eli scolder her numerous times....and pulled it up into proper position for a young lady!  I wonder if he can get Grant's pants up into proper position too......

Are you brothers?

We are in line at Rite Aide,
"Are you brothers?" Jack hesitates at the question- "yes" I answer for him. I'm sure he will get it right next time. He hesitates because he's wondering, does this complete stranger need to hear the whole story! Its a tough one because in the last month he has heard us explain it so often. We have been surrounded by adoptive parents in China who have curious and appropriate questions. They understand, they get these kinds of questions too. We explain to Jack, it's ok to simply answer, "yes, he's my brother." And to The most often ask question- "are you twins"? Nope, thats all you need to say.
Jack is trying so hard to be a great big brother. He wants to be a good role model. Eli quietly is trying to adjust to his spot on the family, you can tell he looks up to all his siblings. Jack is having the biggest challenge so far, but gracefully he says today "this is he hardest thing I've ever done in my life!"
Amazingly, all the kids realize the struggles with doing this, and the rewards, and that it all takes time. As smooth as it all seems, it's a adjustment for all!
We continue to enjoy all of Eli's firsts in Grand Haven. Life is becoming more routine, and predictable. And I only had to make noodles once today:D

"JACKA!! NOOOO! I no BonkA Caa, I STOWP"

That's Eli's first complete sentance! I had been out riding with the boys, Eli is doing great.  Well, maybe  not the part where he came at me snickering and making a crashing sound as if we were in the bumper cars at the carnival as he side swiped me on my bike..... Let's just say that was teaching moment...
So after that, when all seemed smooth, he and Jack were out riding their bikes.  Jack is there for safety, to keep an eye out for cars, pedestrians and other bikers on the end of our quiet street.  It lasted a good 15 minutes with me peeking out often. Then Jack rushes in exasperated to report that Eli has struck Kim's parked car just around the corner. I'm thinking he might be hurt, Kim's car might be dented, I should not have let them out there alone. But Eli is close behind Jack...I inquire, using hand motions, crashing sounds and the few words I know he know's, like Eli, Bike and Car.  Jack is waiting, expecting another teaching moment....then Eli points at Jack, yelling "JACKA!! NOOOO! I no BonkA Caa, I STOWP".  Translation- "No Jack, I did NOT Bonk the car, I stopped!" Jack's expecting smirk is gone, he rolls his eyes, sigh's a 13.9 year old sigh. It's so hard when you think you have gotten your little brother in trouble and you haven't!
We had a fun and busy weekend with the local Coast Guard Festival in town. We saw the parade yesterday, Eli seemed to love it, he was all smiles.  We watch to make sure he doesn't seem overwhelmed.  He collected candy with all the other kids, sharing with littler kids beside him as the peices are thrown at their feet.  When we got home he wanted to put them away.  He is really neat and tidy.  I gave him a little bowl and he poured all the peices in it.  Then shakes his head looking at it...all a jumbled up mixture of chaos.  So he sat down and organized them into an orderly display that deserved a photo!

Noodles and Rice for 12 days

We have been home for 12 days.  We have made noodles, or rice every meal, 3 times a day. Every morning Eli gets up and say's "I hungry.....noodles"  If we say, oh no, we are all out of noodles, he say's...."oh :(......rice?"  He eats noodle soup, ramen noodles, rice noodles, lo mein noodles, and speghetti noodles as long as they are stir fried, certainly not with marinara! We add all kinds of vegis, eggs, and chicken "No fish! I don't lika fish"!
He tried a hot dog at a cook out, and liked it, then he put only ketchup on a hot dog bun, he liked that too.  When we got home he asked for "noodles".  He eats alot.  He doesn't hoard, but he eats more than you could possibly think would fit into his small body.
Today, I didn't ask him what he wanted for breakfast.  I made eggs in the hole.  He ate them in an interesting way, but he didn't complain, or ask for noodles.  12 days, not as long as we had anticipated!
It's Coast Gaurd Festival in Grand Haven this week.  A fun week in our small town!  Parades, Boats, a Carnival and the town at least doubles in size.  Last night we went to the carnival.  "WOW"...."WOW" , he just kept reapeating as the lights flashed, baloons popped and kids screamed. He holds our hand at all times when we are out anywhere.  At home he is independent and can play for a few hours alone with lego's. But where we are out he is velcro thank goodness.  He rode the bumper cars first, oh the smile, he was so excited!  Next, he and Jack took on the Fireball, it turns you upside down!  Again, all smiles:D Huge smiles!  "I lika zoom!" he says.  We just hope he doesn't think there is always a carnival on mainstreet waiting for him!
He is doing well on the bike, he tries every day!  He is coasting down the driveway with his feet up for longer and longer, it won't be but a few more days and he will be off!
Swimming....well he was so uncoordinated in the water when we took him to the pool in China.  He has a persistant spirit though.  Coughing and sputtering, shaking his head from side to side over and over.  We bought him a life jacket for the pool.  He used it for 3 days.  On day 3 he took it off and mokingly smiles at me....Then he inches himself in to the deep end of the pool with his hands on the side...."No Eli"...he keeps going, smiling.  I get up from my chair, glad I have my suit on. "Eli, come back to the deep end..."  He laughs, and pushes off into the deep end and is kicking, flailing in an uncoordinated weak attempt to make it to the other side.....everyone is watching, waiting for me to jump in after him.  I am waiting for him to actually begin to sink, but he never does....he made it to the other side.  It seems to have made him realize he's not quite the swimmer he thought, he still puts the life jacket on every day.  He takes it off every day too, but stays in the shallow end, practicing.
So, things continue to go better than we hoped or anticipated or prepared for.  He is immature for a 12 year old in some ways.  We still have to chase him down to put sunscreen on as he screams what we have called the "pterodactyl scream".  He is learning to  hug, instead of slapping butt's or pinching.  He does it as a form of affection (like many 12 year olds!).  Yesterday he was pinching Hillary.  For a few days she would kiss him on the cheek when he was slapping, but he loved the chase. So last night she simply pinched him back as hard as he pinched her.  "OH, so sorry!" he said.
He has had some English classes in Wuhan.  He knows the alphabet, so we got out Lian's old "Dick and Jane" books yesterday.  I had to chase him down, once you catch him he is willing!  He was catching some words pretty quickly then he shut the book.  "I don't lika EngAlsih book"  "I lika Chinese Book".  He knows more words than we realize, and he tries more every day. He also seems to understand more than he can say.  We looked at some books in China but weren't sure of the level he could read, so getting some books in Chinese is on our list.  We have begun contact with someone who will help him keep his Mandarin Chinese skills, she teaches classes that he might be able to join as well as tutoring him.

Overall, we are feeling pretty lucky, awefully blessed, and praying the transition continues to go smoothly.