What started rotten ended great!

What a crazy, roller coaster weekend. We had these great plans for going to the mountains. As it turned out, we went but Penny wasn't as thrilled as we thought she'd be. She slept most of the time going up to Rocky Mountain National Park and then was complaining to go home the whole time we were up there. When we went shopping she was grumpy. When we got home she was disappointed because the friend who had promised to call from Thailand didn't call. Then when I told her I wanted to do something other than what she was demanding me to do she got all sore and out of sorts. The mood continued the next morning with her insisting that from now on she'd do everything by herself and she wouldn't ask her parents for help. She got all ticked off when I turned off the computer Sunday morning. Then it was, "Fine, I'll never use the computer, anyway!" But, finally I got her to sit on my lap and had a long talk with her about why I'd much rather spend time with her than with the computer and how loved she is. It went into a discussion about love and family which led to a discussion about God's love. At first I didn't think she really cared or was listening because she was like, "This has nothing to do with God." But, later at church she seemed much happier. She started going up to every little kid she saw and she reached out her hand to one kid who looked scared and she said, "God loves you!" The rest of the day she was in the happiest mood ever. We had so much fun. After church we took a long bike ride. She was very thrilled to plant some starter seeds for some flowers and vegetables for our up and coming garden. And she really wanted to study Japanese with me, which ended with much laughter and hugs by bed time. I never would have guessed with the way the earlier part of the weekend went that we'd end it on such a happy note. Praise God! And what's really cool is that while she was riding home with me from the library on Sunday afternoon she told me that although she sometimes misses Udon Thani she is really happy to be living here in Fort Collins. What a major break through! Thanks for all of your prayers!

Expressing her emotions

Our dear Penny is feeling safer and safer to express her emotions. There was the time she was scared to death, not understanding when the kids she hangs with out after school dressed up in Halloween costumes and tried to spook her. Then there's anger at the teacher when she asks her not to eat candy and chocolate in class. Also anger at a girl who did something to her chicken in the lunch room. But her ELA (ESL) teacher says that her ability to express herself and have so much spunk and determination is serving well. She is certainly learning rapidly. We're so thankful to blessed with such a bright and spirited girl.

Another Good Week and a very Happy Valentine's Day!

We've had another good week with very little whining and no big anger outbursts! Now Penny is starting to express more and more about what she did NOT like about the Girl's Home. She even said she would not like to go back there. When I told her that we could send one of the two new blankets someone gave her to the Girl's Home she said, "NO!" The reason was that it would not be well taken care of. Before she was always talking of the Girl's Home and wanting to send all of her gifts there. So, it seems that while she still cares about her friends there she is also getting a more realistic view of life at the orphanage. And I think she is losing some of the fantasy image of her new parents and learning to accept us and our form of discipline more and more. One thing I've noticed is that while she has chosen to do less of her chores that we require of her on her Responsibility and Rewards Chart, she is not throwing a fit about getting less allowance. And she's beginning to show more curiosity about learning more about money. She was happy to receive her new bicycle that the grandparents purchased for her and has been able to ride it once. Now it's too cold and snowy. She's actually saying that she likes snow, although not as fond of the cold. And she was excited to see all of my seed packets and think of Spring coming.

Valentine's Day was thrilling. She just kept hugging and giggling and telling me how much she loved me all morning. She noticed me sneaking down the hallway but didn't follow me to the basement where I was secretly blowing up balloons to hang on the dining room light fixture. She was so excited to get a package of goodies from a cousin and roses from our friends at the Japanese church. While there, she seemed more comfortable and just curled up next to me the whole service and let me stroke her hair. She was even brave enough to try Japanese curry and ended up liking it. Yeah! One more food I can add to the list of foods she'll eat. After that, we stopped by Jay's parents to exchange Valentine's gifts. After running a few errands we came home and exchanged our personal gifts as a family. She was very excited about it and I was shocked by the beautiful "LOVE" necklace that she had picked out for me with Jay. Then we enjoyed Skyping my family members in South Dakota. She enjoyed seeing her cousins via the computer. And in the evening we went to a live theater production of Willy Wonka. We were given free tickets by one of Jay's students who was performing in the musical.

How thankful we are that our daughter is gradually adjusting and feel more and more comfortable. We just pray that we'll continue to adjust as we're not used to a loud teenager in the house. : )

Roller Coaster Ride

Well, this first month has certainly had many ups and downs. We're elated to be home, but still struggling with the adjustment. And I still seem to be battling a parasite that I picked up in Thailand. Jay and I are both taking some natural remedies to help with that. Penny is quite healthy. She's been a real trooper in most areas, except when it comes to trying new foods. This first month has been a lot of learning of some very important life lessons for her. It's been quite a shock for us to suddenly be training up our child with lessons most parents start out with in the preschool years. We're trying to cram everything in from the toddler years through the teen years. The idea of personal responsibility is quite a new concept. She was used to the orphanage and the school giving orders and hitting her with a stick when she didn't obey. So, now she's not always sure what to make of her fantasy parents trying to discipline her but not with a stick, but with real consequences. There have definitely been times of testing this new set of rules. Needless to say, the new bicycle is not sitting in the garage yet. But this week has been much better. The "Responsiblity & Rewards" chart I made for her seems to have been helping a lot. We're also SO thankful for Jay's parents and for some friends from church who have been helping out with after school pick-up and care. We feel very blessed that most of the time our daughter is extremely happy and affectionate. She's already making new friends at school. Yesterday when I told her that this Saturday we'll have been in Colorado for four weeks, she said, "Really? Good!" Wow! What a turnaround it has been! Sorry the lack of e-mails and blogs. We were just literally learning how to survive. I think now we'll actually beginning living as we all start to settle into the new normal. Thanks for your loving patience, prayers and support!