Stac’s Place

It’s been a week since we returned from China, and we’re almost back to normal in terms of our sleep schedule. I say “we” meaning “me,” because I’ve been the one struggling. Most nights of the week I’ve ended up crashing on the couch about 7:30, waking up around 11, and staying awake until 4 or 5. This was the scene at the Sublett ranch last night about 8.

The snow fell hard and long all night, and we woke to more than 14″ of the powdery white stuff on the ground.  Sadie and Annabelle were up first, and after a bite to eat, it was out into the snow.  This is what I was hoping for.  It only seemed right that Annabelle’s first experience with snow should be monumental.  Did she like it?  Look at her face!

The first order of business was to get Annabelle outfitted in proper snow gear.  She was a little reluctant to have anything cover her mouth/nose, but I think that next time she’ll be a little more willing.  She and Sadie trudged out into the snow, and headed for the swings.  It was all they could do to keep their feet and knees from dragging in the snow, but that didn’t stop them from having a good time trying!

We’ve got a little hill between our house and Kimmy/Delma’s house, just about right for a newbie’s initiation into the sledrider’s guild.  It took a couple of runs down the hill before the snow was packed enough to cruise on, but the girls had a blast sliding with each other.  You should have heard Annabelle squealing with laughter as the plunged down the hill.

Levi was more interested in building snow forts.  I didn’t get pictures of the bigger one he managed to burrow, but if there’s ever a call for us to go underground, I think we’ll be set.  He’s pretty handy, don’t you think?  Sadie could take a nap in this one.  His second effort was even bigger, with room for a grown up to hole up in it.

After the fun wore off and the cold got to them, the little girls moved inside.  Kim had hot chocolate waiting for them.  It looks like Annabelle likes hot chocolate, but then again, who doesn’t?

The big kids and I transitioned into snow-removal once the sledding ended.  We were making a go of it with shovels, but neighbor Mike stopped by with his snow blower, and then things got busy.  I shudder to think of how long it would have taken us without Mike’s intervention.  The coolest part was Mike giving Levi a lesson on how to run the snowblower.  I’m not sure why Mike didn’t let me give the lesson…oh, wait…nevermind.  I guess a missing finger might have something to do with that.  (Yes, I still have flashbacks to the snowblower incident that cost me my shot at touring with an acoustic jam band.)  While I was taking a turn with the blower (get back on the horse that throwed ya) Kim snapped this pic of the kids.  Those snow shovels make nice props, don’t they?

I headed to church tonight while the kids relaxed at home.  We commissioned Calvary’s new youth team, and I got to introduce Jeremiah Kingshipp as the middle school director, Sara Pensyl as the high school director, Aaron Hart as the ministry apprentice, and Kim Dick as the admin assistant.  What a great team!  I also begged my way into the worship team tonight as the bass player.

I am excited about tomorrow’s gatherings at midtown.  Dan’s message (like always) is a solid one, and I believe that the Lord is going to speak to people tomorrow morning.  I’ve missed leading worship over the past couple of weeks, too.  So excited…

Kim took the kids to the local Asian market today.  Annabelle got to pick out some foods that she thought she might enjoy, some things that seem more familiar to her taste buds.  Apparently chicken noodle soup and spaghetti aren’t getting it done.  They rolled into the kitchen with bags filled with bean sprouts, rice noodles, dumplings, Chinese crackers/cookies, and some thick fruit juice things that taste, um, interesting!  An hour or so later, the smell of soy sauce permeated the house.  I wonder if it smelled anything like what Annabelle is familiar with.

I’ve spent some time in other countries, other cultures that were full of unfamiliar smells and tastes, immersed myself in other places where I was surrounded by people who looked and sounded different from me.  But I’ve never been alone in those situations.  I’ve always been part of a team, had other white/American people to talk to, to share the experience with me.

I hope Annabelle isn’t feeling isolated.  She’s been removed from all the things that marked her life up to this point.  Fortunately, God has placed us in a great community for ethnic diversity, and He keeps sending us people who can speak Annabelle’s language as she learns ours.

Tonight, for example, and young lady dropped by the house to pick up some Mary Kay from my lovely beauty-consultant wife.  It turns out that Elizabeth is living in Vienna, teaching Austrian kids to speak English.  She studied German and Chinese at Penn State, and hopes to move to the western part of China some day to teach English–and teach kids about Jesus!  She and Annabelle were able to chat for a few minutes.

Annabelle continues to learn and open up with us.  She’s still laughing at our feeble attempts to repeat her Mandarin words and phrases.  She’s laughing a lot, and regularly doling out hugs–just like a Sublett kid does!

I believe that our kids are being affected by this whole adoption thing, too.  They’re getting a real-life experience with what it means to sacrifice so that someone else can be blessed, to make room in our life/home in order to provide love, security, and family for someone who needed those things.

Kim said that while walking through the Asian market, Levi mentioned that he could see himself living in a place where he was the minority, surrounded by sights and sounds and smells that were unfamiliar, learning a language that was new to him.  He ’s starting to think that he might want to be a missionary some day.

I think that would be fabulous.

Annabelle had a doctor’s appointment today. We’ve been able to use Google’s translator to “talk” with her, and we reassured her that she wouldn’t be getting any more shots today. The last time she saw a doctor she got poked in the arm 5 times. While we technically didn’t lie to her, the doc did draw 4 vials of blood from her little arm today. Kim took a couple of Chinese young ladies with her to smooth the communication process. Joyce and Evangeline were wonderful! Joyce actually went into the room with Annabelle and Kim, and was able to help Annabelle understand what was going on. Kim thought she might have to comfort Annabelle (read ice cream), but our brave little girl said she wasn’t scared, and that the blood-taking didn’t hurt a bit.

Our doc also gave us some direction about Annabelle’s diet. We have been a little concerned that she’s only eating ramen. Doc’s words: Don’t stress. Let her eat what she wants until she adjusts to life in our house. Keep putting our food on her plate, and let her taste what were eating. She’ll be fine on ramen, fruit, and a vitamin, at least for a while. Her preliminary eye exam confirmed what we suspected—she’ll need glasses. And they couldn’t get her to understand the hearing test, even with Joyce’s help. Annabelle would smile when she heard the beep, but they couldn’t get her to vocalize the beep when she was supposed to. We’ll have her hearing tested again once she has a better grasp of English.

We got an email from Annabelle’s principal today. She’s really enjoying school. She was up at 6 this morning, way ahead of the alarm clock’s ringing. Principal DeShong said that she’s doing really well, and seems more at ease than most of the English-speaking transfer students. She showed me her math paper today, and was beaming! She’s starting to repeat phrases that we say, which is nice. But her rendition of “Show daddy” sounded a lot like “Shoot daddy.” When Kim and the girls started laughing, she began to repeat it. Oh well. She also started trying to teach us Mandarin words. We must not be very good students, cause she laughed at us. A lot. We’re not learning her language as well as she is learning ours.

We’re settling back into our routines around the house. I was re-stringing a guitar in the living room this afternoon in preparation for worship team rehearsal, and Annabelle got wide-eyed. She was staring at me last Sunday morning at church when we began singing. I wonder what her reaction will be to me leading worship at midtown this week. Sadie had basketball tonight, and Annabelle went with her to watch. As they were walking out of the gym, Annabelle tried to dribble the ball—right off the steps and under a waiting car! She doesn’t have an awareness of parking lot safety yet, so we have to watch her closely when we get around moving vehicles.

I don’t imagine that we’ll ever know the story behind her abandonment. But for the life of me, I can’t fathom why she wasn’t adopted before now. She’s a beautiful, smart, precious little girl. Even with the language barrier and the changes she’s faced, she’s showing a sparkling, funny, pleasant personality. She’s a perfect addition to our family. I can only reason that God had her picked out specifically for us.

We’ll keep her!

Sounds like a kids book, doesn’t it?  Well, it’s a pretty happy tale, so far.

Annabelle was so excited about her first day of school with Sadie that she was up, dressed, and standing by our bed at 7:10 this morning saying, “Mommy, school!”  I’m pretty sure that the alarm in their room was set for 7:45!  Do you think that she was ready for the next step in the adventure?

Kim drove the little girls to school about 8:35, walked them into class, and helped Annabelle get adjusted to her new setting.  The kids from class had a huge banner on the windows of the class with Annabelle’s name on it.  They left off the last E in her name, and she caught it!  She motioned to Kim, drawing an E on her hand…she’s pretty sharp like that.

Sadie helped Annabelle get the layout of the room–where are the exits, which kid can handle himself in a fight, where’s the most likely place to find a shotgun–oh wait, that’s the Bourne movie that I was on the plane…sorry.  But Sadie is loving her role as the helper little sister.  She has been praying for a couple of years that she would still be our baby, and that she’d be able to help her sister.  Looks like God has answered that prayer, doesn’t it?

Mrs. Buggs is a great teacher, and we love having our girls in her class.  There’s a Mandarin speaking assistant in the classroom next door.  Annabelle got to talk with her, and even read a book to Mrs. Lee today.  Kim’s got an appointment with the ESL people and Mr. DeShong (the principal) later this week.  Annabelle will likely spend half the day in the classroom with Sadie, and travel to another school for ESL classes.  Based on their preliminary examination, they’re hopeful that Annabelle will be up and running with her English.  She’s really learning quickly.  She will probably attend some form of summer school to help get her up to speed.  She wrote her numbers to 100 today, and did some math–adding 2 3-digit numbers.  That’s pretty cool.  I got to help Annabelle and Sadie with their homework tonight.

Lunch went ok.  Kim sent in noodles, fruit, and yogurt.  The girls came home happy, and had a big bowl of noodles to celebrate.  We are seriously thinking of buying stock in Top Ramen.  We’re off to a great start!

Kim registered Anabelle for school today.  It was a pretty simple process, and the admin people told Kim to expect a call soon about Annabelle’s starting day.  Turns out that she starts tomorrow!  She looked a little scared/sad when Kim told her.  But when Kim helped her understand that she and Sadie would be in the same class, she squealed her little squeal and hugged Sadie!  I guess it’s fair to say that she’s excited.  She’s gotten the hang of how the Sublett kids do homework already.

She and Kim spent the day together, since the other kids went back to school today.  After getting registered for school, Kim had to run the miniature van (ht Sean Michael Murphy) out to the mechanic.  According to Kim, the van sounded “like a lawnmower.”  I’m not a mechanic, but I don’t think that’s good.  We made another Wal-mart run while I took them back home.  Annabelle made her “Hey, I know this place” noise as we rolled into the parking lot.

She’s becoming more affectionate with us.  Yesterday Kim and I both received spontaneous kisses from her, and she grabbed Kim’s hand while they strolled the golden aisles of Wal-mart.  As a pretty lovey-touchy family, that’s good for us!

Kim’s mom and gram came up to visit for the afternoon, and our neighbor Betsy joined us for supper.  We’re still working on the food situation, but the chicken and fried rice worked out ok tonight.  Kim’s going to send noodles and fruit for Annabelle’s lunch tomorrow (and possibly every day!), so that should work out well.

I had to scoot out tonight for a memorial service for the father of an 11th grade young man.  Alex Warner has been part of our youth group, and helps tear down at midtown.  I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to lose a father, especially so early in life.

While I was at the service, it started to snow–a little light snow.  I called home as soon as I could to see if Kim got Annabelle out in it.  She’s from the southern-most part of China, where it’s tropical all year round.  This was her first snow ever!  Kim said she was a little intrigued by it, but didn’t want to stay out in the cold very long.  I can’t wait til we get a decent snowfall for her to play in!  She looks cold, doesn’t she?

We decided to keep our kids out of school today, sort of a “one more day” with Annabelle celebration before cruising back into the normal routine.  The jetlag also made its presence felt today.  Being the super-awesome uber-dad that I am, I let Kim sleep in this morning while I got up and made breakfast for AB and Sadie.  We’re doing ok with breakfasts for the new chickie–eggs, ramen, an apple…check.  Annabelle likes helping in the kitchen, and gave me a hand with the scrambling of the eggs this morning.

Lunchtime was a little different for Annabelle.  Kim made chicken noodle soup (that should work, right?) and grilled cheese.  Annabelle looked at the goods and said, “No.”  We convinced her to drink the broth and eat the chicken, but the noodles didn’t pass her test, and she left most of the sandwich untouched.  Uh oh.  This could be a little trickier than we thought.

We wanted to have a little fun, and what place defines fun better than Fun Unleashed?  I’m just sayin’…We met owner Eric Rittenhouse when we checked in.  Turns out he and his wife are Jesus people, have adopted two kids, and are selling the business to move to Bolivia to do missionary work.  Pretty cool.

The kids had a great time.  Annabelle might not have words yet, but she’s got squeally laughter!  She and Sadie make quite the pair.  And I think Mr. Rittenhouse loaded her card with more credits for games than we paid for!  He also comped us some time in the trampoline-basketball game.  I am sad to say it, but Levi kicked my booty for the first time in a competitive game of trampoline-basketball.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen!  I don’t mind losing to the boy, though.  He’s a great kid, and doing a wonderful job of loving on his sisters.  I was also grateful that he got to be the big person in the tubes, instead of me.  I love watching him play with his sisters.  He’s really great with younger kids…I love the fact that he doesn’t mind being goofy with them.

Kim took Annabelle with her for a little grocery shopping after we dropped the kids off at musical rehearsals.  Annabelle got her first Wal-Mart experience under her belt.  They came home with a load of groceries and Mulan 2.  After Annabelle helped put the groceries away (she’s really neat and organized, like her sibs–or not) we popped Mulan 2 into the dvd player.  What?  No Chinese language option?  They offer French, Spanish, Italian, and Pittsburghese, but no Mandarin?  How is that possible?  She was a little disappointed.

Supper didn’t bring much relief to her disappointment, either.  Kim trotted out the “breakfast for supper,” which is always popular around here.  Annabelle ate eggs and an apple, but turned her nose up at banana pancakes.  I hope she and Kim bought a bunch of ramen, or else the skinny girl might get skinnier.  That’s not good.  Maybe we’ll have some rice dishes tomorrow.

I think she was more tired tonight than usual.  By 8 she was ready for bed.  I was already asleep on the couch.  It may take a few more days than I thought to get our bodies adjusted to this time zone.  We fel great over the weekend.  Maybe that was a gift from God, a little respite from the jet lag…It’s almost 1 am, and I’m wide awake.  The kids go back to school tomorrow, and I’ll go back to work.  Kim’s going to take Annabelle to register for school, start the ESL process, and get into the swing of life in Happy Valley.

I hope they serve noodles at school…

We weren’t sure how we’d feel once we got back home, if the jet-lag would hit us hard.  It’s sort of a Sublett fam value to be flexible and see how things go.  But we decided to load ‘em up and head for midtown today for the 11:00 gathering.  It was so good to be back in church, and to see so many smiling faces.  We missed you!  I wasn’t sure if Annabelle would be up for all the new faces.  She seems to understand that she’s meeting friends of the family.  And Miss Lynn’s rice krispy bars were a hit with her, so she’s got that going for her!

Annabelle did really well.  She sat with us for worship, holding hands with Sadie and Lilly.  Then she and Sadie slipped out to go to Kidz Connexion.  Dan brought me up on stage to say a few words about our experience, and the whole family came up with me.  Lilly ran to get Sadie and Annabelle, and Annabelle had her first “on stage moment.”  As the gathering ended, lots of Chinese students from PSU came up to say hello, offered to help us with language, and pointed us in the direction of authentic Chinese food.  What a blessing it is to live in this town, and to find so many people willing to help.  I can’t believe that we’ve been missing the Big Bowl Noodle House!  It was great.  We brought home the leftovers and ate them for supper tonight…

We spent the rest of the day napping (ok, maybe we’re a little bit jet-laggy) and helping Annabelle sort through her clothes and put them away.  I don’t know if she’s ever had a wardrobe of her own, and maybe the idea that all these clothes are hers is a little overwhelming.  But she’s taking things in stride!  At some point in the evening the kids started playing hide and seek.  Annabelle is a good hider!  It was so cool to hear them all laughing and giggling together.  Levi LOVES her!  She’s starting to open up, be more expressive, tease and play, just like her brother and sisters.  She’s asking us to carry her on our backs, initiating little “copy me” games with the girls, and fitting right in.

The coolest moment of the day:  Sadie wanted noodles, not rice with her lunch.  When she thought she wasn’t getting noodles, she started to cry.  (Not really sure why, but we Subletts are emotional creatures)  Kim and I tried to get her settled down so that we could finish our order without causing too much of a scene.  As Sadie sniffled, Annabelle put her arm around her sister and pulled her to her side, comforting her.  My throat gets tight and my eyes get misty just thinking back on that.  What a moment.

Oh so good…we’re so blessed, and so grateful.

Not a lot of photos from today, but here are the girls getting ready to dive into Annabelle’s “Welcome Home” cake, followed by a little silliness.

Nothing like hitting the ground running!  Annabelle got a good taste of the Sublett family schedule today.  She ate breakfast with Sadie, but opted out when it came to the powdered mini-donuts.  I imagine that she’ll learn to love them in time, but they seemed a little too weird this morning.  She and the kids watched Mulan–twice–today.  I have a feeling that they’ll all learn to speak Mandarin, or at least the script from Mulan.  Annabelle got flowers from Kim’s sister (and fam) today, which was a thrill for her.

After lunch we piled into the van and braved the 15 degree day to go watch Sadie play basketball.  I don’t know if she followed all the action, but she pantomimed bouncing a ball when I asked her if she knew basketball.  Kim asked her if she could spot Sadie during the game, and she responded with, “Sadie–4″ so she’s getting it.

We headed home (via Wendy’s for some free mini-frosty action, thanks Autumn Cymbor!) and the girls caught a quick nap.  Then it was out the door again for the main attraction:  Winter Jam!  Our college friend Laurie Cleveland (wow, thanks Cleve!) hooked us up with All Access passes, met us at the VIP entrance, and took us backstage.  Annabelle seemed to take it all in stride, and we had a good night.

Levi got picked by Tony Nolan to help with a sermon illustration.  Tony asked Levi if he’d trade a penny for a $50.  Being the ever-so-wise businessman, Levi took the offer, and promptly spent some of his new cash on a couple of cds at the Fireflight merch table!  Tony Nolan and his family adopted a little girl from China over the summer, and represents Holt International, an adoption agency.  We got to visit with Tony’s wife for a few minutes, and she offered some advice and help from the perspective of an adoptive mom 6 months into the homecoming.  Annabelle got to meet Autumn Gresh, and we hope that Autumn will be one of the people who help Annabelle adjust to life in Happy Valley.  Don’t they look beautiful together?

The music was great, and pretty loud!  We were sitting close to the front, so the speakers were kicking.  I wonder what Annabelle thought.  I kept glancing her way to see if she was still smiling.  At some point in the night, the jet lag must have nailed her, ’cause she was sleeping!  That’s my girl–I always say that I can fall asleep anywhere…

Kim’s all-time favorite band is the Newsboys, and having Michael Tait front the group is a great fit for them.  Levi’s first-ever concert was the Newsboys–while he was still in Kim’s belly!  Levi was hoping to take a picture with the band, but when Michael Tait walked out backstage, we couldn’t find Levi…bummer dude.  He did get Fireflight to sign his cd, and we snagged a photo with them.

I kept wanting to explain to Annabelle that this isn’t normal for us.  We don’t run around like chickens-sans-heads all the time.  Well, maybe we do.  But it doesn’t always involve loud music and VIP passes.  We realize that we’re in the honeymoon stage, that new siblings and a home and all the other stuff that’s new and wonderful now will soon fade.  I’m sure the day will come when we have to correct her behavior, or she’ll start missing China and friends, or something else will happen to take the shine of the newness.  But we’re enjoying it while it lasts, and loving every minute of this adventure…

Wowzers, the trip home was a long one.  We started at 5 in Guangzhou, boarded a bus to Hong Kong.  Did you know that everybody has to get out and recheck their luggage TWICE at the China-Hong Kong border?  We didn’t either.  Talk about crazy. But we were all smiles as we got ready to board our flight for the US!

The 15 hour flight from HK to Newark was long.  None of us slept much on the flight.  It was the most turbulent flight I can remember being on, and Annabelle got motion-sick as we descended.  She tossed her cookies in one of those little barf bags.  Twice.  We were in the very back of the plane, so we had lots of time to clean up.  She didn’t look very healthy as we moved through the line to enter the US.  As we gave our passports/visas and her immigration papers to the US Customs agent, she yakked again.  Poor little thing…no pictures, you know, for her dignity’s sake!

The flight from Newark to Harrisburg was better, and we made great time in the air.  We arrived a little earlier than expected.  We felt like we’d been put through the ringer, but we knew that lots of family and friends were waiting on the other side of the gate.  We all got a little emotional as we hugged and Annabelle got to meet some of her new family.  There were lots of gifts exchanged, both for and from Annabelle.  She gave everybody a set of chopsticks!  Now we have to find some noodles for you all to eat with us!

We were a little worried that she might feel overwhelmed at all the new faces, especially since we can be such a loud bunch.  But she did real well, and we snapped a shot of all the cousins who showed up to make her welcome.  I expected those who live close to come see us, but having Amanda drive all the way from Durham with Alex, Jessica, and Caleb was a real treat.  Missed Uncle Scott, though…dad gum work.

Here’s our first shot of the Sublett family, the new and improved version!  Notice where we took it?  Yummy fast food…Annabelle’s got some taste-bud modification to work on.  I hope she doesn’t think we eat at McD’s all the time.

We made it home, showed Annabelle all around her new house, and loved watching her face and hearing her oooh and aaaah as she walked through the house.  We all gathered to get her tucked into bed.  Her smile lit up her face as she and Sadie got nestled in for their first night as roomies.  Sadie kept saying, “I’ve waited 5 years for this!”

This adoption journey hasn’t been anything like what I expected, and it’s taken way longer than I imagined.  But tonight, with Annabelle safely sleeping in her new bed, surrounded by a family who has loved and prayed for her, knowing that there are countless friends and family standing with us…tonight, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Thanks, friends and family.  You are the best, and we love you.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’m going to try to get some sleep!  My body thinks it’s 2:05 pm, and I’ve been up for about 34 hours, which is long enough…

It’s Thursday. We flew solo today—no other family to hang out with. It was sort of a test for us, and a good chance for us to see how Annabelle would react without Lauren around.

We passed!

It was a pretty fun day, actually. We did all the normal stuff. Breakfast buffet, a cab ride back to the shopping district, a walk under the street to the park. Annabelle smiled a lot today, and seems genuinely excited about our big trip tomorrow.

Kim didn’t get her nails done the other day, so she treated herself to a little girl-time this afternoon. Annabelle didn’t want to stick around and watch, so I showed her how to play Yahtzee on my pda. She didn’t completely understand, but she had fun playing. She jumped up into my arms as we were headed out for the park—that’s a first! She’s been much more likely to hold Kim’s hand than mine. I offered to carry her on my back, and she allowed it, at least to the door…

Annabelle snapped a lot of pictures over the past 10 days. I’ll probably create some sort of album for her. She’s pretty sharp, and like most of our pre-teens, has all the electronic stuff figured out before we do. Kim’s had Annabelle teach her some things about her camera! Here’s a shot of us that Annabelle took. It’s in the park, across the street from the hotel. They’re in the middle of a huge city-wide renovation, getting ready to host the Asian Games in 2010. The work they’ve done just in the last week has been amazing.

We ate our final meal in the Chinese restaurant tonight.  Annabelle ordered the honkin’ huge rice noodles again.  I don’t know if she’ll ever eat them again.  Can we find those in Happy Valley?  Our taste buds have had a great time here in Guangzhou, that’s for sure!

Here’s the main thing we’ve been after this week, aside from Annabelle herself. What you’re seeing here is Annabelle’s passport, visa, and immigration papers. We have to give the brown packet—unopened—to the officials at Annabelle’s port of entry. And can you think of a better place to become an American citizen than Newark?  She’ll need a new passport, issued by the US gov’t, if she wants to travel internationally.

We already talked to the kids tonight, and Annabelle has been scrubbed and bubbled clean, from the top of her beautiful head to the bottoms of her little feet. Kim and she are headed to bed, and I’m not too far behind.  Thanks for praying for us while we’ve been here.  We should be home tomorrow night!