Her first straightener was a hit!

She is ALL smiles!  Our good friend and hair stylist, Carol, made quite the transformation tonight!  We decided Ange-Laurette was old enough to keep up with the straight hair style...and the style itself added 3 years to her age!  She is only 11, but we can feel the teens in the air.  :)  Like the Visa commercial says, "Priceless" is the look on her face. 

A Reunion ~ from Haiti to Mt. Rushmore

Four Haitian-American families were able to reunite this summer in the Black Hills of South Dakota...and it was the highlight of our summer!  4 of the children had lived together at BRESMA in Haiti and were airlifted out together following the eathquake in 2010.  These 3 families had not seen each other since leaving Pittsburgh that week.  The other 5 Haitian-born children had not lived at the orphanage at the same time, but they shared the same "history."  This made the reunion a unique and special gathering, for them, their 4 American-born siblings, and their parents.  :)  It was so nice to just sit back and spend time with so many people who all understood the experiences/struggles/successes!


The kids re-connected immediately.  They reminisced about foods and pasttimes from their time in the orphanage.  They bragged about how their American moms still cook them rice and beans now.  They talked about how certain subjects in school were so hard.  But, most of all, they just hung out like typical American kids!  All being talented in sports, they stayed up late closing down the basketball and volleyball courts.  The resort allowed for us to gather in one spot and still watch about 5 activities at once.  We piled into our cars to hike around Mt. Rushmore and visit Reptile Gardens one day.  Otherwise, lots of conversation, games, food, and play.  Parents were able to share strategies, insights, and fears...knowing they were safe and in empathetic company.  :)  One mom said of her child, "This is the happiest he has been in a long time."  After returning home, Ange-Laurette said, "Can we do that every year?  That meant a lot."  We plan to have routine reunions every few years, at varied locations... hoping to make it possible for many other families.

   

Graduated from vision therapy...or so we thought!

Pierre had his 6-week appointment to vision therapy 2 hours away. It had been 6 months of daily eye exercises with the goal of helping his eyes track left to right, making his eyes less strained after reading, and teaching him to focus on the given plane. The doctor agreed that Pierre had met those 3 goals. Also, his last migraine had been 5 weeks earlier...much less frequent than before. So, she announced that he had "graduated." He was to continue wearing his bifocal glasses for reading but could stop the exercises. Well, within the two weeks since the appointment (and no vision therapy), Pierre has had 3 migraines! So, we decided we will go back to the short 15 minutes a day of eye exercises to avoid more migraines. It takes so little time for such a benefit for him.

Our "field trip" after the eye appointment in Fergus Falls, MN, was a trip to Fargo, ND, where none of the kids had been before. We hit Space Aliens for lunch, rode the Scheels ferris wheel, and then topped the day off with Cold Stone ice cream before heading home. You'd have thought we'd been to Disney World. They repeatedly told me how it was the best day of their summer so far! It really was fun to see them out of the ordinary and enjoying the new things around them. They get along so well...as different as they are from each other.

"Learning" to cry again

For any of you who have followed the blog, or any of you close friends who have walked through the past couple years with us, this entry will come as no surprise. For others of you who see the smiling faces and the huge success from the OUTside, a few rolled eyes might ensue. :) Still, this is another story of baby-step progress...and of God's role in it all. Another part of the story we must tell for it to be complete. After 2 1/2 years, Ange-Laurette had still only shed a few small tears...of which she was confused about. We have worked on defining feeling words and the physical signs that go with them. We have talked through various situations that might cause a person to feel sadness/anger/doubt/frustration etc. She has journaled privately, visited with a counselor, and had many opportunities to walk through this with me as well. But if a person's heart is literally LOCKED, then those are just more words that confuse and more evidence to her that she is "not getting" something. So, we continue to create a safe and nurturing environment to help that heart open up. We continue to love, despite a lack of reciprocation...trusting and hoping that God knew what was best by placing us together. Bruce and I had prayed repeatedly about this long and difficult bonding process, with and without Ange-Laurette present. Then, a couple weeks ago the message in church was on how to create godly relationships with our children. When they offered up prayer stations after the service, we all 3 went to a couple up front. We did not know them personally...only that they were prayer warriors who would listen to God and pray what needed to be prayed over Ange-Laurette. Within seconds, they began: praying that she would trust her new parents and accept their hugs and love; that she would let herself weep and cry over all the tough things from her past; and that God would offer an encouraging break-through soon for all of us. The peace and comfort that fell over all of us was amazing! Ange-Laurette lowered her shoulders and took deeper breaths immediately...just a sense of relief of sorts. But the next two days brought the typical disobeying and disregarding of rules and routines. After one night of several "corrections", I suggested she take her journal to the sunroom to just write down all of her thoughts about the past week...to let it all out...just for her to read alone. 20 minutes later, I found her curled up on the chair SOBBING. She explained how she cannot remember anything much from Haiti and wanted to be more trusted but didn't know how. I was so happy to see that emotion. She smiled when I cheered. :) I said, "You know what? You cannot have that much emotion if your heart is still locked! You are opening it up! Now, can I tell you all the things I've wanted you to hear, now that it's open? :)" I proceeded to share how good she has been for our faith and our family...how very much we love her and treasure her...and how we will be patient and hopeful to the end. She melted into my arms for the first time...not all stiff and forced as she had been for years. The next morning, she brought in her journal with a new song she had written (with a dance to go along with that :) It said, "Cuz I know that you love me; cuz I know that you care...and we are gonna get there, someday, some way." Yes, the weeks since have had similar ups and downs...moments that leave us shaking our heads, but also moments that melt our hearts. Here, Ange-Laurette was praying for her birthmother before releasing a balloon, as we do each Mother's Day. Hope. Endurance. Perseverance. We will finish the race...and with God's wisdom will become mature and complete. (James 1)

Where has time gone?!

The Lears are still out here and doing well...just not enough time in the day to play my favorite Sudoku...not to mention to download photos and then write up a journal entry. :)


As we near summer, we will likley try the academic catch-up here at home. The kids are independent enough to do much of the math on the computer and daily reading on their own. Writing and grammar are the areas that need the most work for both kids. Still, with about 90 minutes a day, 4 days a week (motivated by pool time when we're done :) we should continue to bridge the gap by fall. Pierre has moved up nearly two grade levels in reading just this school year. The interventions at school, the glasses, and the vision therapy here at home have been key!! Ange-Laurette has held her own this year, with some occasional oral testing at school, which won't be necessary next year either. Truly amazing after only 26 months of English and schooling!!

Winning essay ~

Pierre could hardly wait to tell us! He had won 1st place out of 500 5th grade essays on "Why I am Proud to Pledge Allegiance to Our Flag." Due to his reading and writing disability, I had written what he wanted to say word-for-word on a dry erase board for him to copy. At the time, it didn't hit me... what depth and insight he had. But, when he came home that day and re-read it to us, it was deeply moving and definitely worthy of the award! He wants to wear his suit later this month when he attends the banquet to receive his recognition and cash reward.

I remember the first day I heard the Pledge of Allegiance. I was new to America and didn't know the words. But I felt proud to be here where I could have freedom like going to school, getting a good job, and praying to God. When I learned the pledge, I liked so many parts.

It calls us a republic, which means we get to vote how we want. In my country of Haiti, people scare you to vote a certain way or keep you from voting.

I'm proud to say "under God" because I believe God had a plan to bring me from the earthquake in Haiti to a new life in America. It also means it was people who believed in God that started our country.

The pledge ends by saying "for all." That means it doesn't matter where you are from or what color your skin is. Everybody can have liberty and justice.

I wish I could thank Francis Bellamy who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892. He helped me to say everyday what I believe about my country. I'm proud that I have a family in America.

Celebrating 2 years ~

A picture from 2010...as the kids got off the plane in Pittsburgh, after they were evacuated from Haiti. Ange-Laurette is on the left, in a tarp or blanket to stay warm in the bitter cold. We still wish we would've been able to be there to snuggle them up and welcome them in person. They explain to us now, that they had no idea where they were going or when they would see us or even if they would be staying with us.

We will never forget the moment we got to see Pierre and Ange-Laurette after a week of worrying so much for their safety and future. They were so very tired and hungry and traumatized...yet their eyes sparkled when they saw us: "Manman, Papa!"
Then, after the longest two days ever, we were allowed to take them "home." The arrival to South Dakota was as cold as today but with 3 more feet of snow. It was quite the fanfare upon our arrival and the best welcome we could have wished for. God had hovered over those two precious kids day in and day out for so long. On this anniversary, January 20th, our hearts are bursting with thanksgiving!