I don't have much money to spend on unnecessary items this trip, so I kept it pretty basic.
A gorgeous strand of pearls for Johanna's wedding day:
We also went to the bookstore and I was tickled to find Little House books in Chinese! My other children and I adore the Little House books, and I hope, over time, that Johanna will, too. I also picked up a couple of workbooks. She shook her head "NO!" when I showed them to her, then promptly finished one of them as soon as we got back to the hotel room. :)
Johanna's love is for MUSIC, not reading, and that's okay. With homeschooling, she will grow to love books. And I can foster her love of music, too. (I play the piano. Used to teach full-time, but now my kiddos get Mommy full-time, lol.) I plan on teaching Johanna to play the piano, and later, we will probably put her in violin with Ellie as well. We LOVE good, godly music in our home!
One other inexpensive thing I bought was some fashion beads. They are sold in wholesale, and are so cheap! (not cheap in quality, cheap in price!) It cost me less than $1 to make two bracelets! Johanna and I have had some sweet moments stringing beads together. I think I'll buy some more before we head home so Eliana and Johanna can make jewelry together.
Lastly, I picked up a couple of DVD's in Chinese and English. I'm so thankful Johanna's taste in movies, for the most part, is YOUNGER than she is. This is another one of those "teen" issues, and while I understand that she's been exposed to things I don't approve of, I also want to be careful to replace those things with good, wholesome things. In our home, we watch very limited, parent-approved TV. No commercials, no language, no boy-girl flirting and such, nothing we wouldn't allow our own children to emulate. SO, I'm sure this will be a change for Johanna. I pray that over time, we can oh-so-gently teach her why we do what we do. :)
Both girls enjoyed a Chinese DVD before bed! I love Gabbey's little smile in this picture. And I also love the fact that Gabbey is holding Johanna's stuffed bunny. Johanna is NOT used to having her own things (everything was shared in the orphanage, even clothes)....so she is very particular about anything that is "hers". I haven't forced her to share anything with Gabbey as I want to establish her own personal space. But on her own, she handed her bunny to Gabbey during the movie. I had to capture that moment!
I love following your blog as we'll be traveling for two older children soon. Thank you for your honesty and insight - it's so helpful. :) Both your girls are beautiful and your new daughter is so brave! We're praying you have an easy trip home.
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