Home Three Months!!!

This past weekend we had the privilege of being invited to a YWAM Adoption Ministries Ethiopian Dinner in Seattle. We did not adopt through YWAM, but our dear friends, the Averill's did. The group from YWAM included families who had completed adoptions, those that were in process and YWAM staff. I was able to meet a young man who will be leaving soon, for six months, to work with YWAM in Ethiopia. God continues to do a great work among these beautiful people. We had such a great time and are so thankful that we were allowed to attend.

Here is Sunshine holding her precious chicken leg. The chicken is part of an Ethiopian stew called Doro Wat. I have not made this for her yet, but it is next on my list of recipes to try.

Our four biggest kids are absolutely loving Ethiopian food. They are thrilled to enjoy the food that make their little brother and sister so happy.
At home we encourage healthy portions each meal and will hold off on second or third helpings if we feel that they may be over eating. At the restaurant we let them eat till they were stuffed.

After dinner there was a bit of a program and a coffee ceremony. During the coffee ceremony I looked over and Little Buddy was looking at me and his eyes said, "Can I have more?" I smiled and told him to go for it. His tummy had enjoyed a ten minute rest and was ready for more.

I cannot believe that three months has gone by. I prayed to be 'here' in those first weeks home. I knew that time would heal a lot of things. It has.

Stand-Up Dad and I were talking the other night about this process and I was pleased to say that I am feeling like they fit right into our family. This adjustment process is hard for everyone involved. I have definitely felt the attack of the enemy, trying to stir up problems and bringing feelings of hopelessness at times. But our God is bigger than those schemes.

He has been faithful to help me comfort a nine year old little girl as she cries and she doesn't know why except that her heart hurts. He has been with us as we prayed for extra grace and love for the new ones in our home. He has provided much and I am so thankful.

I am soooo tired and I don't know why. It seems as if things are going so well, but it still is exhausting. Sunshine and Little Buddy continue to share more and more about life in Ethiopia. At times I am so overwhelmed over what they share with me that I just hold them and cry and tell them that I am sorry that "it" happened and that I was not there to help them. All of this sharing helps me to understand more about who they are and why they function the way they do. It also gives me a huge respect for the strength that they have.

We have life so easy here in America. We don't even realize how the rest of the world lives. We don't see the struggle to get through each day. How can we rely truly on the one true God when it is so easy to get through the day on our own strength?

Sunshine continues to amaze me as she learns more english. She is so smart! I know I keep saying that, but she surprises me every day with some new information learned that I know she only heard once. This past weekend we were all outside and she and Sweet Pea were playing in the tree house. They were playing pretend. They gathered weeds and things outside to make "soup." Sunshine ran over to me and said, "Sweet Pea is a good sister, I like her." To that Sweet Pea said, "I am so glad that I have a sister that likes to use her imagination like I do." Stand-Up Dad and I smiled. Praise God!

Little Buddy is definitely a blessing in our home. His smile is quite captivating and his hugs quickly follow. Both he and his sister are feeling more comfortable in our home. The reason I am sure of this is that they are beginning to show some behaviors that I have not seen before. You know, the normal behaviors that often require a consequence. I am glad that they feel comfortable enough to be 'real' in our home.

Last night we watched Little Buddy and Pumpkin begin the nightly ritual of tackling each other. Pumpkin is so glad to have another little boy to wrestle. They both love to run, chase and tackle. This continues until someone gets hurt or until I put a stop to it because the noise level has reached a pitch that I can't handle.

As these little ones learn language we are surprised at how similar some of our english words are. They may not seem similar to you, but to a little one who is learning proper pronunciation things sound a little different. It has been quite funny. Here are a few words or phrases that they have yet to master:

chicken/kitchen restaurant/restroom May I be excused/Merry Christmas

Please continue to pray for us. We are doing much better than two months ago, but I still feel the line between "OK" and "overwhelmed" is rather blurred at times. I am struggling daily with patience and God is giving me many opportunities to practice humility as I continue to fail and must seek forgiveness from those around me.

My greatest joy is the knowledge that His grace is sufficient!

Sweet Momma

Here is Sunshine all dressed up to match her baby doll. Notice the matching headbands. Also notice the loss of one more tooth up top. So cute!

Her dolly's name is "Desta" which means "happy" in Amharic.