Cheri Kay in Haiti....where my life became meaningful.

So, the past few days have been pretty relaxing. With no school, no clinic and no therapy clinics (well, except that Ashley came for a therapy session yesterday, which went really well, I'll tell you more about that later!), we have just been hanging out, playing with new toys and watching cartoons! The kids have really enjoyed the time off and so have I. These pictures were taken on Christmas day of the kids' first attempt at roller skating (that's why Ecrissa has shorts over her pajama's. She kept putting on her new clothes OVER her pajamas, at one point she had her MSU jersey on too!). They LOVE their new roller skates! I ordered the adjustable roller skates for them for Christmas and they have been doing such a good job. both of them can stand by themselves and even move from point A to point B (although, not that smoothly!). They have both taken a couple of falls, but are troopers and get right back up! I sometimes feel bad that they don't have all t...

Well, the order of the pics on this blog entry are backwards, but please forgive me for not feeling up to it to fix it. Thanks to my mom and step-dad, dad and step-mom and grandma, the kids and I were able to open gifts this Christmas! Thanks to many other friends and family, I was blessed with the resources to be here to celebrate this joyous day with my children. Although I am so grateful for this time with my children, emotionally I have been struggling. I know my last post was one of sadness too, but I just haven't been able to work through all that is hard for me yet. Please forgive me again. I know this post is late, but depression makes it very hard to get things done. I sit down and I just stare at the computer. So, rather than wasting time staring at the computer, I sit on the floor with my kids and stare at them. They have magic in them! They are able to make me smile when all I want to do is cry. Anyway, enough with the sadness......... We all got these amazing MSU jers...

So, I have been struggling today. Why???? I don't know, I can't totally put my finger on all that I am feeling (I know, I know, that is such a girl thing to say, but it's true.) I feel like I have been hit from all sides with "things". I won't go into full details, but my body and brain feel as if they are melting, or maybe freezing, maybe they are exploding, well, maybe it's, I don't know, the bottom line is--I am not functioning properly. I am sad, tired, exhausted, irritable, weepy, lonely, and any other sad adjective you can think of. Why???? Is it the adoption?? No, not really, I can handle that and all of it's ups and downs, I have for four years. Well, OK , maybe it is the adoption. Maybe I am tired of fighting the same battles over and over and over. But, really the kids make everything alright! They are worth it. Is it Finances ? No, not really, God always seems to provide all that I need (not all that I want, but He never promi...

......without a passport. Yep, I'm feeling a little weird about this! Not that I have any plans to travel but, I have to admit, I feel a little strange being in this country without my American Passport! No don't worry! I haven't been stripped of my American citizenship or anything, I am just getting my passport re-newed! It was going to expire so last Monday I spent the morning in the US Consulate applying for a new passport. For the most part, everything went really smooth and I'll get to pick up my new passport on December 29th. Jaryse went with me while Ecrissa was in school. He was such a good boy and such a ham! He had all of the other people in the American Citizens part of the consulate cracking up. He talked to everyone, showed them the "Ella Dance" (you have to see Ella Enchanted, Jaryse's favorite movie if you want to know what I am talking about!!! LOL), and he even colored a picture with the crayons and coloring book that I brought f...

So, now that it's nearing the holidays, it takes a lot to stay positive about missing the third Christmas in a row with my family. Now, I am not complaining, as I have my beautiful children with me and they are able to celebrate Christmas with their mommy and not in an orphanage, and I realize how special that is and what a blessing it is to even have a family, my children and amazing friends. Even though I know all of this with my brain, sometimes my heart and emotions don't follow. I am thrilled to be with my kids, but not so thrilled with all of the struggles that come along with living here in Haiti and waiting out this process. I often feel lonely, even with 2 kids pulling on me, and I feel sad. I feel sad about lots of things, and sometimes I can't even tell you why I feel sad. I am frustrated with the struggles of daily life here in Haiti. It's hard. Haiti is a difficult place to be. I sometimes wonder why I gave up all of the " easiness " of...

This little guy is Jony . I had more pics, but the silly internet is not letting me upload pictures. I have tried multiple times and this is the only one that would load. Oh well, I can tell you about him with just one pic!!!! A missionary friend of mine helps with a medical clinic way out in a village, way out in the middle of no where! Ok , well, it's somewhere, but very far away from the city!!! This little boy was brought to her clinic a couple of weeks ago. She called to see if I'd be willing to evaluate him. I said sure! So, she brought him, his momma, and the village pastor to my house. He is 10 years old and has severe Cerebral Palsy. He has no access to any therapy or therapy related activities, never been to school (if you can't walk, you can't go to most schools in Haiti and especially way out in the villages there are no schools for the handicapped), but his family is very loving. They have taken good care of him. He is very verbal and was fun ...

It's just been pretty normal around here lately. Well, as normal as Haiti gets any way. Sometimes I am a bit nervous at how "normal" all of this is to me. I haven't ' left this country in 15 months (most missionaries leave for a few weeks a couple of times a year, or a few months once a year). I am a bit concerned that I do not take notice to the masses of people urinating in public, or the fact that telephone wires are jumbled balls of live wires, or that I only notice the REALLY strong weird smells that are every where in this country. I also think that a good road is one that my car can at least make it through without four wheel drive. Hopefully, when I do get to travel back to the states, I won't have a meltdown from culture shock!!!!! We have had a pretty good week. Filled with the normal ups and downs and happy and sad moments and those inevitable moments of sibling fights! But, this week, my little girl really made me laugh. We had Taco Sal...