Mia's voice is not loud...
It's
BOOMING!
Today our girl went into church and before we could stop her, she loudly let one of her sibs know that surely they were wrong about something, who knows what the issue really was...
Guessing it was small and insignificant ;-)
But it was booming loud and the service was just beginning.
We sheepishly made our way to the seats and when it was time to kneel she clunked the kneeler down on Madeline's foot.
After this, she sees her VBS teacher, she points and loudly exclaims "she's right there"!
10 minutes into the service she says... "I can't see".
I quietly say, that's okay try to look around him.
One minute later I'm praying and I feel someone staring at me. I redirect her toward the alter.
One minute later it happens again,
I redirect
One minute later it happens again,
I redirect
One minute... okay, I'll stop, you get it!
Next time I will make sure there is a very small person in front of her... ;-)
Then it was time for the second collection and she insisted on doing the passing of the basket... need I say more!
;-)
Yep, the basket went in all sorts of directions but not in the one it was supposed to go in... somehow our envelope found it's way in there...
Then it was time for communion. We bring everyone up together. Not sure what would happen back in the pew if they didn't all join us! She folds her arms in confidence and I gently alter them so they are covering her chest and she is ready for a blessing. She immediately refolds them as if she has a bone to pick with the
"Big Guy Upstairs"...
We go through the motions 3 more times until she gets her blessing and she is on her way back to the pew.
Of course she had to go to the bathroom during church too...
My response was...
hold it...
Then Luke had to go to the bathroom...
our response was...
hurry!
She's outside now...
I can hear her loud and clear.
Yes,
BOOMING
is the correct word to use!
Some days are like this.
I have to chuckle at the mishaps!
She means well and really doesn't understand why I get my undies in a bundle.
Sometimes she is right and I just have to go with the flow and forget about the little things.
Other times she is aware of what she is doing and we call her on it.
So many behaviors are ingrained and it is just going to take awhile to smooth out the edges!
Most days go without a hitch but some days she likes to challenge us!
She has been home for 6 months now!
It amazes me how fast it goes!
She is only speaking English now
but it's broken and more of a Chinglish.
Of course, with such a strong personality she has no problem getting her message across!
Mia has a sneaky sly side which we keep a close eye on! When the kneeler went down at church she immediately pointed to Ava... poor Ava looked at me like "What? I didn't do anything?"
Mia knows she's not fooling us, she smiles and we correct her and move on.
She means well and loves us and our family. She just needs time!
She has a wonderful sense of humor!
Every morning she hides my cereal box and we play hot and cold until I find it!
We talk and laugh about how much she did NOT like us when she met us.
Now she wants to sit on our lap and have our undivided attention!
She has become a good swimmer and a good gymnast!
She can do all three splits, cartwheels, backbends, handstands and more!
She still chews super loud, walks heavy footed (so the people downstairs wake up), budges to get something, bosses other children and pushes limits.
Mia has trouble sitting still. She fidgets constantly and has trouble paying attention.
In her orphanage the children had no place to congregate they seemed to be on the move from room to room all the time. She was little so she would dart and dash all over. She popped into a group of children and then out again almost unnoticed.
She was also asked to leave school...
I think the teacher knew she was getting a family and Mia probably used that time to test the limits in the classroom.
So they recommended that she just stay at the orphanage ;-)
AND
not return to school...
When she first came home she had something to prove to the other children. She wanted to get them in trouble and always get the right answer even if it meant cheating...
I think she thought she had to earn her spot in the family so she was going to prove she was better.
It was hard for Ellie to deal with because Mia was unkind to her.
Praise GOD that has resolved itself and Mia is humbly learning and trying to sit still and listen during school time.
In fact if we over reprimand her she looks so sad and confused. So we just correct and move forward, realizing it may take more time before she can incorporate the new behavior into daily life.
Mia is smart and she learns fast. We just need to keep plugging away at it and she will do well!
With all of these things that she does that can present challenges the truth is-
She is an awesome daughter!
We absolutely LOVE her!
She is so easy to LOVE!
She has sparkle about her and she just shines!
On top of that Mia is the best thing that ever happened to Sarah!
She challenges her, they challenge each other!
They are both very competitive and they like to win and be the leader.
They are learning how to graciously not win everything...
Sometimes they make bad choices together but it give us teaching opportunities!
I must say
the Dear Lord blessed us with the exact right daughter for our family!
We are so thankful that she is home sweet home!
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