Saturday morning in China!

Christina slept with me (mary) last night in a queen bed - I had started some laundry and was not ready to go to sleep but laid down beside her - she was out within 15min at 8:30. She woke about 2am and seemed confused with me beside her and we were both up for good around 5:30am. John and Lushi stayed in another room in separate beds. We have found that Lushi is not continent at all .... we are not making anything of it, but try to encourage him to wash well ... with hand motion over bottom and peri area .... at which he just laughs and says "okay,okay,okay" .... that's one of his phrases ... along with "no,no,no". Christina and I waited until 6:30 to officially bust into the boys room - they were awake but in bed. The lights went on and I started to check email while Christina bounced and bounced on Lushi's bed. Christina had made John and I a painted 12x12inch canvas with the word "love" in the middle of a large heart that was painted with smaller hearts all the way around - signed and dated on the back - so sweet. She let me open it in the room earlier and then brought it over to show Baba .... she was on the bed with Lushi and said to us "love (pointing to her artwork) .... I love you" .... to which Lushi responded also "I love you,too!" WOW oh wow .... his first official sentence and it's "I love you, too" with a huge smile on his face.

The boys dressed and we headed to the dining hall area for a pick up breakfast of yogurt and peanut butter bread - while we were eating, I looked at Lushi and it hit me .... "Lushi, it's your birthday!!" The four of us, along with Clay and Jewel all sang Happy Birthday to him and then Christina sang it to him in Chinese! It doesn't seem like a birthday - we will go out to eat tonight we - have a cake and candles - perhaps we will do a bit of shopping. We did get him new sneaks yesterday ... size NINE on this smallish 14 yr old and boy do his feet STINK !! I forgot how bad teen boys feet stink ... he is great about washing his hair in the sink around 3 times a day, but I don't think the rest of him sees much water!! :P Mama will have to change that!

We went over to the House of Love to visit - played with the children, saw where Christina slept, took pix with ayis, friends and bedrooms. I snuggled a few of the kids - especially sweet Noel Joy .... yes she grabbed my heart in Feb of 08 - and she is doing much better ... she has CP. What a giggle Noel has - steals your heart!

We skyped with the kids back at home .... first had to call on the phone to find them at the Leckrones - had been there all day sledding. I said to Caitlin, "it's 6:30 ... you better get home and get a good nigh'ts rest ... ACTs tomorrow." She gasped and said she had totally forgotten! The cat's away the mice do play!

We just had lunch and Christina is used to napping with the other kids now ... seems like a good excuse for Mama to rest, too.

We send more pix to Caitlin for her to post.

In HIS strength and mercy alone,
Mary