Today was a busy day at home, as opposed to all of our busy days running elsewhere! The kids slept in after playing hard with friends until bedtime last night. We spent lots of time getting ready for a "pocket party" this evening, where a potential adoptive family has the opportunity to meet with a few kids in a more personal, informal setting.
Michel and I played a couple of games this morning to break up the party preparations. We played Blink, which is great for fast-paced fun. I taught her how to play Uno (a classic, although we were using the slightly abbreviated Burger King kids' meal version) and 7-Ate-9. 7-Ate-9 is a math game, and her basic arithmetic skills seem really solid. It is just as fast-paced as Blink, and she seems to thrive on the excitement. I beat her in the first two games (only by one card in Game Two!), but she came back to beat me in the final game. She catches on so quickly to new games! We also played Set, but I think it was too soon after waking up, because I beat her much more easily than usual.
Michel was incredibly helpful while cleaning for tonight. I told the kids (our two boys, Michel, and a neighbor who was lucky enough to be here during clean-up time) that I needed half an hour of help from them. Michel jumped right in without complaint, identifying things that needed cleaning without waiting to be assigned a task. When the thirty minute time frame was up, she continued to clean, even after I encouraged her to take a break. I didn't want her to feel like we were taking advantage of her or expecting her to work more than the rest of the kids, but she seemed to take joy in serving alongside us. She often went above and beyond what I expected of her. For example, she asked for something to clean the family room table, and I gave her glass cleaner. I looked up a few minutes later to see a clean coffee table and end tables, and she moved on to do the family room and living room windows as well! When I removed dog hair from the throw pillows, she watched carefully and soon offered to take over. She did not only the throw pillows, but also the family room couch and chairs. Her attitude was cheerful throughout the process - never a complaint.
Michel continues to show us her love for music, and she definitely has an affinity for popular American music. She said that when her foster family cleans for guests, they turn the music up loud while they get ready together. She kept the music up as loud as we would let her while we were cleaning. However, when the boys started to lose focus and become less helpful, she told them she would turn off the music if they quit cleaning. She followed through immediately when they started to play, switching off the radio and leaving it off until she went upstairs to shower. Yay her for following through on consequences better than many parents!
We see so many examples of compassion from Michel, especially if someone is upset. At one point, one of our boys (who shall remain nameless) became frustrated with the cleaning routine. The boys tried to bail early on our thirty-minute cleaning session, so I imposed a five-minute "fine" on them. One of the kids complained vociferously and cried while he finished his time. Michel came alongside him, asked what's wrong, and rubbed his back to try to calm him. When he became upset again a few minutes later (since the timer was moving s-o-o-o-o slowly and he wanted to be DONE and play outside), she came to him again. Her usual tactics didn't seem to work, so she tried tickling him. She tickled relentlessly until his tears turned to hysterical laughter. I admit - I don't think I've ever tried this tactic as a parent, but it was surprisingly effective. She is an awesome mood-changer!
When I finally talked Michel into taking a break from cleaning, she was able to entertain herself easily without interrupting Mike and I (since we were still cleaning), but still staying close and connected to us. She found a box of art supplies and set to work drawing a picture for Mike and I. We appreciated her thoughtful generosity in the midst of a busy work day!
Michel was very cognizant of time throughout the afternoon. Before the kids arrived, we had been told that the visiting kids often had a more "relaxed" sense of time than our American attempts at punctuality. (I say "attempts" because...well, anyone who knows me knows that our family is not notoriously punctual. But we still understand the importance of arriving on time!) I was impressed that Michel asked, mid-afternoon, when everyone would be arriving, when we would have to leave to pick up pizza, and what time she should shower and change clothes. I suggested starting her prep time at 5:00, in order to be ready to go to Domino's with Mike at 5:30 and be home by 6:00. She went upstairs right around 5:00. She got ready and came out of her room at 5:29, announcing, "I'm just on time!"
The pocket party was so much fun for everyone. Michel's traveling companions, Kevin Daniel and Maria Lucelly, joined us with their host families. A lovely family from California was here with their fourteen-year-old son. Our boys adored their son and spent the evening challenging him on the basketball court, climbing on him, and joining him at the piano. (No, my boys don't play, they pounded the keys alongside our visitor, who was quite accomplished on the ivories!) The family joined the Kidsave kids and their chaperone for energetic games of Phase 10, Uno, and 7-Ate-9. If you heard lots of laughter and cheering tonight, it was probably coming from our family room!
Tomorrow is our final weekend advocacy event, rock-climbing at Climb Iowa. We are excited to see how Michel and her friends decide to tackle the rock wall! Afterward, we look forward to welcoming Mike's sister, her husband, and their two sons to meet Michel and spend the weekend with us. Michel loves babies and toddlers, so we expect her to have lots of fun with three-year-old Nathan and almost-three-month-old baby Luke.
Today marks the start of our final week of hosting Michel. Keep watching the blog for as many adventures as we can cram into seven days. We continue to pray that this "summer vacation" has been effective to connect Michel with a forever family.
No comments:
Post a Comment