Our Fun Faith Filled Family

Another Birthday for Our Cate!

2012-01-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

On the 16th of this month we celebrated 14 years with our Cate!

I am so thankful for Cate! Of all of our children, she is the most like me. At times this has caused some frustration on both of our parts.=) But what I am finding, as she is growing up, is that I understand where she is coming from and usually know how to help if it is needed.

Cate should be called Joy, because that is what she brings to our lives. She fills up the room with warmth when she enters it. She is always up to try something new and can find "fun" in any situation.

She has always loved color and has taken on an affinity for anything that sparkles. The more glitter, the better! It's no surprise to me that she loves things that sparkle. She is bright and bold and sparkles from the inside out!

It has been a blessing to watch her mature over this past year. She is growing into a woman who loves God and deeply cares about others.

Her greatest challenge is Algebra. Maybe if I put some glitter on the pages of her book it will become more appealing.=) Algebra is teaching her that a lot of things in life are HARD and well worth working for.

My favorite memories this year with Cate are the times that she and I sit down and work through our Bible study together. It is a quiet time where we each are able to share our hearts.

Happy Birthday Cate! Know that you are loved and cherished by all who know you!

Sweet Momma

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

2012-01-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Sweet Pea at 9 months

Eleven years ago today, Sweet Pea came into our lives.

At breakfast today, we went around the table and shared all the ways that we are blessed by Sweet Pea and how much we love her. The comments that were mentioned most were: kind, loving, thoughtful, easy going, quick to forgive, generous, silly and a wonderful friend.

She is all that and so much more. Her heart is soft and open to God's instructions for her life. She loves animals. She has a desire for everyone on this earth to know the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

When our children are born we wonder what their personality will be and who they will become. They are all so different. Being born after two older sisters, she surprised us with another completely unique personality that tends to keep us on our toes. She is not predictable, but in a good way.

She loves to play by herself and has resisted the idea of growing up. And yet she is very mature and grounded in who she is and who she hopes to become. She is kind and thoughtful, always writing encouraging notes to me, just when I need them most. She gave the greatest gift under the tree to her Dad this Christmas. It was a handmade book titled "The 16 Reasons that I Love My Dad." Stand-Up Dad got rather misty reading that precious book.

Happy Birthday to our precious Sweet Pea! Whether you want to or not, you are growing into an absolutely beautiful young lady on the inside and out!

Your Daddy and I adore you and thank God for your life and what you bring to our family!

Sweet Momma

Merry Christmas - Our December...

2011-12-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

Each year I am amazed at how the month of December flies by. Here are a few shots we captured to remember Christmas 2011. Hope you enjoy them!

Sunshine and Little Buddy had so much fun "feeling" their stockings on Christmas Eve. We went to our church service and then invited our cousins over for dinner and decorating Graham Cracker Houses.

This year Sweet Pea and Bookworm had acting parts in the Christmas Play at church. Sweet Pea played a ditzy blond. She pulled it off quite well. Bookworm was a very nervous choir director. They had such a great time sharing the story of Christmas in a new way.

Here is the crew standing in front of our Christmas tree, right before Stand-Up Dad knelt down in the mud to cut it down. Our Dad is SO amazing!

Every year our kiddos choose a new ornament for the tree. My hope is that when they leave our home, one day, they will have ornaments for their own tree.
This year we decorated porcelain ornaments. They loved this activity and amazed me with their artistic ability.

Christmas is now over, but I am feeling extremely blessed by the good gifts of our family and friends.
May God bless you and yours in the coming new year!

Sweet Momma

Happy Family Day 2011!!

2011-12-02T15:28:00.001-08:00

December 1st will forever be our Family Day!

Two years ago we brought Sunshine and Little Buddy home from the airport and the knitting of our family really began. These past two years have flown by. It has been the most challenging time of my life. Every person in our family has experienced huge adjustments. The two littles have obviously had to bend the most. Bending is hard. I am so proud of the strides they have made.

God has stretched me in ways that I did not know were possible. At the moment, the challenges are very real and difficult. There have been many different seasons over the past two years.

I went to therapy last week and mentioned that it has been two years since we met. She said, "Only two years?" I laughed out loud. It feels like a lifetime that we have all been praying for God to help them through the tough stuff. She thought they were doing extremely well for the amount of time they have been home. We are so thankful for that! These two little ones are such precious gifts to our family.

Our first picture of all six kiddos!

This year in our backyard. I am so proud of all six of them!

Silly shots are the favorite at our house.

Sometime soon when I am not in the middle of the battle I would love to share more about how the two youngest are doing. It is a wild ride! I am so thankful that God is driving the roller coaster!

Sweet Momma

Secret Agent Training

2011-11-20T17:42:00.001-08:00

We recently held Secret Agent Training at our house for Pumpkin's birthday party! Stand-Up Dad had a great idea that he wanted to try and pull off for the party this year. I am usually the one in charge of such events, but was happy to take a side step and let his idea take form.

The event that my husband created was amazing! We got some ideas from the internet, but the bulk of the party was from Stand-Up Dad's imagination. He led the Secret Agents on a scavenger hunt for over an hour. They had to decode messages and search for clues.

The party was amazing! I was just a helper, so I got to sit back and watch all the boys and Pumpkin's dad have fun. The best part about the party was the realization of how Pumpkin's dad made the party so much better than I would have. He has a boy brain and understands what they like best!

The boys looked so COOL in their Secret Detective disguises. We even drew on mustaches.=)

And now my oldest boy is nine. So hard to believe. At the age of nine, he has decided that he has grown out of the blog name of Pumpkin. We actually started calling him that when he was in my womb. So, even though he will always be my "Pumpkin," he would now like to be called Bookworm by our blog friends. It seems to fit. He is an avid reader. I have found it so challenging to find good literature for him that is at his reading level, but does not hold content that his heart is not ready for.

Bookworm is a wonderful young man. He has a soft and caring heart and is super fast on the track at the YMCA. He loves Jesus and is trying to make sense of why some people get away with sin and some don't. He has a strong sense of justice and is thoroughly enjoying being an older brother. It is still a learning process for him, because he lived for seven years without a brother and now they are needing to work through all the hierarchy that boys go through on a daily basis. There is a lot more wrestling and fun elbow jabs than before. It is exactly what a nine year old and a five year old needed.

Happy Birthday Bookworm! You are loved and treasured more than you will ever know!
Sweet Momma

An Attitude of Gratitude

2011-11-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

November is here! The hustle and bustle of the holidays are just around the corner. The thought of this caused me to think about taking a new approach this year. What if we began right now to think of things that we are thankful for? What if we wrote it down as a record of all the ways we are blessed?

This past year I had the privilege of reading the book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. This book shook me to the core. I know that there are days that I don't pause to thank God like I should, but I had never thought about how an attitude of gratitude could transform how I see God and the world around me. If you have not read the book, I would encourage you to get it. You can also read Ann's Blog at www.aholyexperience.com.

Each of my kiddos works on character as one of their assignments for homeschool. I decided for the month of November that they would take time each day to list the things that they are thankful for in their own Thankfulness Journal. I took a piece of colored card stock and folded it in half. I added sheets of lined notebook paper and Elsie tied it all together with yarn. They each decorated the cover of their journal.

It was important to me that they look beyond the obvious. I encouraged them to choose things that we cannot buy to put on their list. It is easy for kids to write 1. Mom, 2. Dad, 3. Legos and so on.
I wanted to stretch their writing abilities a bit. If you are thankful for cookies, what is it that causes you to be thankful? Is it the way the smell of them baking fills the house? Is it the warm gooey chocolate?

Little Buddy said he wanted to be thankful for our house. At five years old, I think this is great. But he went on to say that our house makes him feel safe. Even better!

After one day of writing, here are a few of the things they are thankful for:
- the hope of salvation.
- frost on a crisp fall morning.
- the sound of my little brother singing.
- the freedom to praise God.
- the Holy Spirit lives inside of me.
- God's protection. Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.
- Mom's warm hugs throughout the day.

I can't wait to see the attitude of gratitude grow in the hearts of my children.

That reminds me to get back to my Thankfulness Journal.
Sweet Momma

FIFTEEN!!!

2011-09-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

Last week it happened. Our baby turned fifteen. I am in awe of how quickly this has occurred.

I remember when she was the only one. I spent all day just playing with her and marveling at all the amazing new things she learned each day. Everyone said that those days would fly and to take time to enjoy each moment. There are many wonderful moments that I hold so dear.

Now I have the future to look forward to. She is almost grown. She is such an amazing young lady. She absolutely loves the Lord and wants to honor Him with her life. Her heart is soft to His ways and we are extremely thankful and very proud of her.

Happy Birthday dear sweet Elsie! God has amazing plans for you and we can't wait to see what they are. May God bless you and may you always stay close to His heart.
We love you!!!
Sweet Momma and Stand-Up Dad

Our August Birthdays

2011-09-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Summer has flown by and we have just completed our third week of school.

I can't seem to get on top of my blogging. Ugh!

I want to take some time to celebrate our little ones who both celebrated another birthday - almost a month ago.=)

Sunshine (Who is obviously Sophie, from the picture - Oops!) celebrated her seventh birthday in the middle of August. In July she started talking about her birthday and I could see that it was making her very anxious. We took the time to talk through all the events of the day and I reminded her that I would make her day special. It would be a birthday that was just perfect for her.

It was perfect. It was just right. Not too much excitement as to overwhelm her, but just enough fun to make it a wonderful day!

Sunshine is such an amazing young lady. She is super smart and very determined. She has grown by leaps and bounds since she came to live with us. She has just started second grade and just loves to learn. She is reading independently and loves art. There are so many things that she is good at, she has trouble choosing her favorite.

She struggles greatly with yielding to me. I know God has an amazing plan for her. I know that He can be trusted. So we move forward each day in full faith that He will work everything together for His good.

Sunshine loved the special treat I had planned for her on her birthday. I took her on a Mommy/Daughter date to get her nails done. She got her toes and fingernails painted while I had a pedicure. She even got beautiful flowers painted on her big toes and thumbs.

Happy Birthday Sunshine! I adore you!

Little Buddy had a birthday the next day! Yes, that is right. We do not know their actual birth dates as people in Ethiopia do not keep those kinds of records. But to be adopted a birthdate had to be chosen.

Their birth dates were chosen by their oldest sister. That is what makes these dates special to our family. If someone at the courthouse had chosen them, we might have spread them apart a bit. In this way we honor their sister who had no idea that two days of birthdays can be quite busy!=)

Little Buddy requested Ethiopian food for his birthday dinner. I was happy to oblige. It is fairly easy to make if you can buy the injera, which is what we did. It was delicious and his tummy and his heart were full.

Happy Birthday Little Buddy! I love you SOOOOOOOO much!=)

Birthdays for kiddos from hard places can be difficult. This year was hard for Little Buddy. Our therapist told me that how a child does on their birthday can say a lot about how they are doing in general. It made a lot of sense to me.

As you can see, this little guy is adorable. His hugs and kisses melt my heart. He has come so far. Not only has he learned English and adjusted to a new family, he is also reading independently at just five years old. I am so thankful that he does not have to struggle with school as he struggles in other areas.

My greatest desire for both of these precious children is that God would heal and transform their hearts. This would allow them to trust and be free of the hurt that they carry daily.

I guess I really want them to be free to be kids before they are grown.

That is what I want...I am waiting to see what God wants. His plan is always better than anything I can dream up.

Sweet Momma

First Day of School

2011-09-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

We started school last week. This is a great shot of my class of kiddos.

This year Elsie is a Sophomore in High School, M&M is in Eighth grade, Fifth grade for Sweet Pea, Third for Pumpkin, Second for Sunshine and my adorable Little Buddy is in Kindergarten.

It has taken me weeks to get everything ready to start. I am a person who likes to "feel" organized and with this many kids to school I have been pushed to a new level.

We have worked out a daily schedule that almost works for everyone. I hope to work out the kinks in the next couple of weeks.

Enough about school. I haven't blogged much lately. I have many excuses, but mostly it has been a challenging summer on the kiddo front. Most days I am just trying to figure out my next step or if I need to step back.

I would love to write that everything is wonderful all the time and everyone is completely adjusted to life in our family. That would not be the truth.

This summer has been a time of adjusting expectations. I am generally an optimist who hopes the best of people. That has not changed. There is much to be thankful for. Lives are changing and adjusting and trusting a little at a time. This is just a much slower process than Stand-Up Dad and I expected.

The process of teaching a child to trust you while you wrestle (at times) for control is daunting. Giving up control has proven to be the biggest stumbling block for our littles. When the first years of your life are spent taking care of and protecting yourself, it is like reprogramming brain function to ask them to give up that control to Daddy and I. They are scared. Can they trust us enough to let it go? It doesn't look like fear on a regular basis. It comes out in behaviors that will drive you upside down crazy.=)

Through this process we are learning a lot about our original family and how our expectations for parenting have to change and flex to accommodate children from hard places. Do you think you have a stubborn, strong willed child? Our two littles have multiplied strong willed to a level I did not know existed. And all that "will" comes from those early years of life experience, much of which we are unaware of.

The result of almost two years together is that they both want to be a part of our family! Praise God! They want to be "family kids." But they are not quite willing to go to the next step. They can't do it their own way and be "family kids."

And this is where we are. Trying to love, lead, guide, and encourage them to the next step. It is their choice. We can't force this in any way shape or form.

You see, God is the shaper and the former of our lives, when we allow Him to work.

When I look at the picture above I see six transformed lives. Yes, we hope the greatest change will come in the lives of our littles, but our big kids are learning to exhibit compassion, patience and understanding that they would have never experienced were it not for our little ones. This weaving of the family is an amazing, overwhelming, and worthwhile experience. I thank God daily for the privilege to be right where I am.

Sweet Momma

Look What I Found!!!

2011-07-31T16:01:00.001-07:00

Sunshine and Little Buddy have another birthday coming up and I want to start a Lifebook for each of them and give it to them for their birthday. I have been dragging my feet a bit, because a Lifebook for an older adopted child is very different than a scrapbook of a child that you have had since birth or babyhood.

I don't have any baby pictures or pictures of their parents. And the first part of their life was hard. When I would go to the craft store to find stickers or paper for their books I left feeling frustrated that none of the stickers and embellishments quite fit.

With the birthdays approaching I decided to take another look and was so excited to find a whole "stack" of scrapbook paper that is called Safari Chic. Africa scrapbook paper!!! It is perfect for their albums. I bought the matching matstack to use as backing on pictures that are placed on plain paper. I found the paper at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts. The stacks usually sell for $19.99, but are often on sale for 50% off, which is when I bought them.=)

A few months back I purchased a whole die cut set from www.lifebookessentials.etsy.com My set is called the "Standard Ethiopian Lifebook Embellishment Pack." It includes sixteen die cuts with Ethiopian flags, crosses, continent of Africa, mother and father in amharic and others. The whole set was $14.95.

A friend also purchased a book for me called "Lifebooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child," by Beth O'Malley. This book explains the importance of allowing your child to help write their lifebook. It is their memories that should be placed on the pages. The book walks you through what should be included in the book.

She writes in her book, "A Lifebook is a security blanket, a concrete tool, and a medium for one complete personal history. It promotes a positive grasp of identity. It makes talking about adoption feel like everyday conversation. It promotes attachment. It honors every moment of your child's life."

I can't wait to get started on their books. As I said before, I plan to start the books and give them the opportunity to add drawings and dialogue to fill in the history of their life before they came to live in our family. I know these books will be a treasure to them as they grow up.

Sweet Momma

Vacation 2011 - Part 4

2011-07-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

While in Colorado Springs we took the advice of a friend who grew up in the area and spent some time at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

This zoo is located on a mountain side in Colorado Springs. It is an excellent zoo with many animals native to Africa and Australia that I have never seen before. Because of its location, the views were amazing.

The greatest attraction by far were the giraffes. There were at least 15 giraffes who were in an environment that let you get up close and personal with them. Stand-Up Dad purchased big piles of lettuce that they were happy to consume right from your hand. The walkway we were standing on put us at eye level with them. You could reach out and pet them. Truly incredible creatures. It was very funny when the people next to us fed some lettuce to a giraffe and it must have gotten caught in his throat. The giraffe totally coughed and sputtered all over them. Yuck!=) Fortunately, the giraffe was fine.

Here is Little Buddy getting a good look at the giraffe's long black tongue.

Yes, you could say that Stand-Up Dad was teasing the giraffe,

to see how far he could stick out his tongue. Gross!=)

These animals are absolutely beautiful! Getting to see them up close was one of the highlights of our trip!

Sweet Momma

Vacation 2011 - Part 3

2011-07-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

So sorry to have left you hanging...I don't know if anyone but my mom is following our vacation pictures, but I have been anything but punctual about continuing our vacation saga.=)

I apologize.

After leaving Jackson Hole, Wyoming we traveled across Wyoming into Colorado with our final stop being Colorado Springs.

Along the way I was amazed at the colors of the earth. As you drive along at 75 miles an hour, (Yes, that is the speed limit in Wyoming) you go around a corner and this is what you see. Completely Incredible!

It is true that these pictures don't do it justice. I just love how God chose to surprise us with the colors of the dirt and rocks. Heaven must be incredible with gold for roads!

After a very long day in the car, we arrived in Colorado Springs and planned our first stop the next morning to be a visit to Focus on the Family. This Christian ministry has been around for over thirty years. It's goal is to be a support to families. They do this through radio broadcasts, support calling centers, literature and much more. While there, we took a tour of the main building to hear about the ministries they are currently involved with.

After the tour, we made our way to the visitors center. One of the ministries of Focus on the Family is called Adventures in Odyssey. This is a morals based Christian radio drama. The episodes have many characters that my kids love. They are funny and entertaining and also teach kids how to be a Christian in the real world.

Downstairs in the visitors center is a place called "Whit's End," which is a soda shop in the radio drama. There is much more to it than I can describe here. If you have kids over eight I would highly recommend these CD's. After you have listened to a few, take your kids to Focus on the Family. They will have a blast!!!

One of the best parts of Whit's end is the chance to record your own Adventure's in Odyssey episode. All six of our kids got a chance to be in on the fun. They actually record your voices and sound effects in with the characters from the show and then give you a CD with your voices. Very Cool!

Here we are as characters from Adventures in Odyssey, in front of the KYDS Radio Station.

This was a great way to start our time in Colorado Springs. More to come. Sooner than later, I hope.=)

Sweet Momma

Our Fourth of July!

2011-07-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

Our family lives in Western Washington. There is a common phrase around here that is "Summer does not begin until after the Fourth of July." Meaning that it is grey and raining until then most years. I have lived here for fourteen years and I believe that it is true.

But this year was different! Hallelujah! The skies were blue and I believe the temperature reached 80 degrees!

This year we got together with both of my brothers and their families and went to Steilacoom, Wa, where they host a Fourth of July parade and street fair each year. It is right on the Puget Sound with the back drop of the Olympic mountains. Absolutely gorgeous!

There are 12 cousins in all. They had a great time together enjoying our countries Independence Day!

The whole crew, ages 2-14!

I love this picture! I don't know why it warms my heart to see my beautiful

Ethiopian kiddos sporting their American garb.

After the parade we went to my brothers house for a BBQ feast. One of the kids favorite was the red, white and blue Jello! My sister-in-law (chef extraordinaire) made four batches of home-made ice cream! Yes, you read that right, four different flavors and I tried them all!=)

Little Buddy's first sparkler!

The fireworks were the most stressful part of the day. Here's a thought, let's line up twelve children and give them a stick with fire on it to hold, all at the same time.

Yes, the dad's were in charge.=) They did a great job of keeping everyone safe and all the children went home with all of their hair.=)

For me, this Fourth of July was the best I have had in years. The weather was so beautiful. I completely enjoyed watching all of the cousins play together for hours. Family, food and fellowship. What an amazing gift!

Sweet Momma

Vacation 2011 - Part 2

2011-07-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

On our second day we traveled south out of Bozeman towards Yellowstone National Park. The weather man said there were going to be thunderstorms, but God had different plans. Although the clouds loomed in the distance, we had a wonderful day!

As we drove into the park we went to the visitor center and watched a short movie about the history of the park. At one point, the movie showed a bison flinging a person up in the air. It was meant to warn visitors to respect the fact that all the animals in the park are wild. This person got too close and did not respect the personal space issues of wild animals.

The video completely freaked out our little ones. We promised that we had no intention of getting anywhere near an animal, but they were still unsettled.

We spent a good part of the day traveling around the west side of Yellowstone. We visited many of the amazing geysers and springs in the park. The picture above is one of my favorite. It is called the Cistern Spring. It's blue color is fabulous! The water in the center of the spring is boiling. It gave me pause as I walked along the path, wondering what was under my feet!

Visiting Yellowstone was a wonderful experience for Sunshine and Little Buddy. They have seen pictures of our family visiting there three years ago. When we talk about the past, I get a sense of separation. They want to feel included in every memory, even though that is not possible.

To experience this day as a complete family unit helped to draw their lives into our past and bring clear understanding of our experiences. We found this to be true throughout most of the trip.

Our last big stop in the park was Old Faithful. It was late afternoon and the littles were tired and not very interested. The funny part was, that the geyser tricked us four times before it actually blew. I can sum up their thought of Old Faithful in one word, "Whatever."

As we drove out of Yellowstone we saw a lot of snow. There was 4-5 feet on the side of the road. Lewis Lake was still frozen over on June 11th. The summers here must be very short.
After visiting Yellowstone we drove south into the Teton National Forest. I was asked by a friend last night what my favorite part of the trip was. That was easy..."The Grand Tetons!"

My family refers to the Grand Tetons as "Mommy's Mountains." I love the way they shoot out of the flat earth into such amazing, rocky, snow covered heights. They are completely breathtaking! When I see them I can hardly breath. I know God made them just for me.=)

I have seen a lot of mountains in my day, but these are my favorite by far.

When I think about God's strength, His power and His Majesty, I often picture these amazing mountains! Some day Stand-Up Dad and I will spend a vacation right there!
This day ended in Jackson, WY. We stayed in a hotel that sits at the base of the mountains. So cool! I was glad that we got a lot of pictures, because we woke up to rain the next day. My beautiful mountains were completely hidden. How often are God's blessings hidden from my view because of some rebellious attitude or choice I have made.

I definitely want to see ALL of His blessings. That is something to think about.

Sweet Momma

Vacation 2011 - Part 1

2011-06-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from more than two weeks on the road with six kids. It was a 4,000 mile trip that took us from Washington State to Kansas and back.

I can't wait to share about our trip and update you on our family as well. I have not been a very faithful blogger lately and hope to change that this summer.

We left on June 9th from Western Washington and drove to Wenatchee to spend the first night at my parents house. It was only a three hour drive and just a taste of all the driving we would experience.

The picture below is taken outside of my parents house as we left to drive to Bozeman, Montana.

We have been doing our best to prepare our little ones for this trip. We had taken this same trip about three years ago and so the older kids new what to expect. There were conversations about driving all day in the car and only stopping to eat, get gas, and potty stops. I don't think that they believed us.

The trip from Wenatchee to Bozeman is about 10 hours. At the end of the day I asked Sunshine what she thought of vacation. She said, "I didn't think you meant that we would really be in the car for the whole day." Hee hee, sorry sweetie!

She was a bit anxious about this trip because she has experienced a lot of motion sickness in the past. On day one she did great!

A quick picture after running around at a rest stop in eastern Washington.

I must admit that I LOVE road trips!!! I love to look out the window and see the amazing world that God created for us to enjoy! Stand-Up Dad, on the other hand, enjoys the being there part of road trips, not the road part. He is so amazing! He did most of the driving and stopped the car every time I wanted to take a picture. I asked him to stop often.=)

One thing that we noticed right away was how green everything was. We are used to emerald green colors coming from rainy Western Washington. The green grasses of Spring were evident everywhere. It was absolutely stunning!

Stand-Up Dad made each of our kiddos a travel journal. There were maps that showed our route for each day. He listed facts about each city and region that we were traveling through. There were coloring pages of each state flower, bird and flag. He even added fun facts like, "In Boise, Idaho it is illegal to fish from a giraffe's back."

These books added to the fun and the educational value of our trip. Each day the kids colored, completed word searches and added journal writings about all that they were learning, seeing and experiencing.

More to come. =)

Sweet Momma

Who did it?

2011-05-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Many times throughout the course of our day I find a mess or a job that is incomplete and I wonder who is responsible. I might try to find the culprit, often with little success.

Yesterday I opened my silverware drawer and found this note and I had to laugh out loud.

"Please take the spoons from this side until there is no more. Thank you."

This little sign was obviously written by a child who prefers the neater side of life. There are only two children in my house who might possibly fit into this category. And one of them is unable to write full sentences yet.

I quickly decided that Sweet Pea had enjoyed organizing the silverware and was hopeful that the other seven people in our home would appreciate and respect her efforts.

Good luck Sweet Pea.=)

Sweet Momma

Our Easter

2011-04-28T19:58:00.001-07:00

Our Easter weekend began with our home group on Good Friday. Our home group leader did an amazing job including all the kids. The kids all took turns reading scripture that foretold the resurrection. We talked about what life would have been like to be a follower of Jesus during that time.

We took communion together and took time to share and explain through each step. We then had the privilege of washing each others feet. The first time I ever had the opportunity to do this was last year and I found it quite humbling to have my feet washed. It is easier to be in the servant role.

My whole family was amazed at how special our night was with our home group. The focus on Christ and the resurrection was so much more meaningful.

Here is Little Buddy washing Stand-Up Dad's feet. He used a lot of soap and took his time. So sweet!

Saturday evening we took time to color eggs. There were five dozen eggs. Let's just say that the kids have had egg salad sandwiches for the last few days with more to come.=)

A silly shot while coloring eggs

Here is the group before church on Sunday. It is an amazing life being part of God's family and doing our best to serve Him! What a privilege to raise these children to know the one true God!

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!!!

Sweet Momma

We Are Still Here!!!

2011-03-31T10:12:00.001-07:00

Little Buddy and Sweet Molly

I think I have finally been completely swallowed by the busy lives of eight people.=) It is time to pull myself back to my love of blogging.

I am sure our lives are not much different than yours...at least I hope not. Let's see, over the last two months we have spent time at our homeschool co-op, YMCA homeschool PE, AWANA, Bible Quizzing, 4-H sewing, Jr High and Sr. High activities, Speech class, piano lessons, basketball for Pumpkin, Care Group, Teen Pact for Elsie and actual homeschooling.

I had the privilege of speaking at two local MOPS groups and I also attended the recent Beth Moore conference in our area (thanks Stand-Up Dad.)

This past weekend I was able to go away with M&M for her purity weekend. We used the curriculum by Dennis and Barbara Rainey, Passport2Purity. It was a wonderful time spent at a beautiful cabin by the Chehalis river. We also enjoyed shopping and a special dinner out together.

I returned home to sick children. The flu is slowly working it's way through our family. Four down and four to go.=) I do not like sickness at all. But I love how we have to slow down and rest. As I write this, there are five children sitting at our kitchen table playing with play dough. I love the simple pleasures of life.

As Spring is working its way into our lives I feel as though our two little ones are experiencing a bit of rebirth as well. They have been home 16 months now. They have been through a lot in terms of adjustment. But I see God fulfilling His promise in the lives of these little ones.

I am watching my little ones rest. That might sound weird, but it is a true miracle. For many months they have seemed all right on the outside. But inside, their hearts were on high alert. They were very quick to jump into survival techniques at any given moment. Over time, this has reduced greatly. They are able to express real emotion and let go of grief.

They are at a much healthier place. Each day I hear Sunshine say something like, "Mommy, I am so glad that God gave you to me as my Mommy! I would miss you if you weren't my Mommy." And she means it!

Little Buddy is such a dear one! He has huge holes in his emotional development. God is showing Himself in this little guy every day. He still loves to have fun more than any other thing, but he can identify his favorite activities as playing with his brother and sisters, being silly with Daddy and playing Wii.

There is still much to work on and some of their issues will need a God intervention for healing. Believe me, we are praying for that!

I think that the greatest gift that I have seen recently is the feeling of "normal." I know that may seem odd. But each child added to a family changes the dynamic. A new baby is an adjustment for everyone. The adjustment to two preschoolers has been a long process. To say that Little Buddy and Sunshine are the only ones who have adjusted, would be a mistake. Every person in our family has adjusted. Praise God, we are all the better for it!

We have all extended grace beyond what we thought we were capable. We have "loved" more than we expected we would and we have experienced joy beyond measure!!

God is so incredibly GOOD!

Sweet Momma

Another Piece To The Puzzle

2011-01-26T16:01:00.001-08:00

Sunshine has been telling me about a holiday that her family celebrated from the time she came to live with us. The holiday is called "Ashenda." My two little ones were born in Mekelle, which is in the northern part of Ethiopia (in the region called Tigray.)

She would get excited when she told about the beautiful dresses that the girls would wear and how they would braid their hair in a special way. After the girls looked their best, they would go in groups throughout the streets singing and dancing. As they sang, the neighbors would give them money.

Celebrating Christmas brought back all of their Ashenda memories and I began to search further for more information. It is easy to find Youtube videos that show girls singing during Ashenda, but I wanted to know more.

During the holidays we began taking Sunshine and Little Buddy to see an Adoption Attachment Therapist. Our little ones are having some very real grief issues related to their six siblings that are still in Ethiopia. There is one sister, in particular, that they are both grieving deeply for. Her name is Tirhas. She is the oldest sister that was living at home. She took great care of them as long as she could and they miss her very much.

They are beginning to deal with the loss and all that goes with it. But they were both thrilled when I found a book all about Ashenda. The most amazing part was the name of the book, "Tirhas Celebrates Ashenda!"

The book is written by Ato Yohannes'. Ashenda is a coming of age holiday for girls from the Tigray region of Ethiopia. This book was distributed at the Ashenda festival this past year in honor of the First Tigray Children's Book Week. An organization called Ethiopia Reads has recently built the first library in Mekelle. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book, you can email Janet Lee at janet.lee35@gmail.com.

Adopting older children comes with many blessings. One of the greatest desires of my heart is to bring peace to their hearts. This book helped to fill in another piece of their story, which in time brings healing.

Sweet Momma

There is a new TEENAGER at our house!!!

2011-01-16T19:34:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday M&M! Today we celebrated her 13th birthday!

I don't know why these milestone birthdays cause me to pause at the speed of time and how incredibly blessed I am by God. M&M is the second child in our half dozen. I often think that I should have named her Joy, because that is what she brings into my life.

In honor of her 13th birthday we had a very special birthday party celebration. M&M invited all the women in her life that she admires as faithful followers of Jesus Christ. She also invited their daughters and we had a splendid Tea Party!

At the party we ate scones with devonshire cream, finger sandwiches and, of course, tea! After we enjoyed the treats, M&M was blessed as each of the women read a letter written just for her. Each of these amazing ladies shared from their hearts. They shared scripture, words of wisdom and words of blessing.

As the mother of this amazing young woman, I was so touched to hear their words of praise and blessing for my daughter.

It was a perfect way to celebrate my daughter. I plan to create a scrapbook with all the words of encouragement that she will have to look back on as she goes through the teen years and on into adulthood.

M&M with her older sister Elsie

Happy Birthday to my beautiful M&M! May God bless you and keep you. I am so proud of the young woman that you are and look forward to how God will work in your life in the years to come.

I Love you Sweet Girl!

Sweet Momma

Sweet Pea is 10!

2011-01-10T17:13:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to my little Sweet Pea! I cannot believe that it has been ten years since God gave me this precious girl.

She was born as the third daughter into our home. She fell right into the "girly" lifestyle laid out before her. She was the easiest baby and toddler by far. I am constantly amazed at the quiet and gentle spirit that God has given to her. She is easy to spend time with and truly enjoys her quiet time alone.

In the last several years God has given her a fierce heart for those that don't know Jesus. She prays for neighbors and friends daily.

This year she is learning to sew and cook. It is so much fun to work side by side with her in these projects. It lets me see even more of her heart.

She is gentle and quiet, but she loves and cares deeply. I know that God will use these gifts in an amazing way now and in the future.

Thank you God for this beautiful young lady who is my daughter and is growing into a precious friend.

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

Sweet Momma

Merry Christmas Again!

2011-01-07T22:01:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate the Ethiopian Christmas! All of our kids think this is great! We have not yet established firm traditions for this holiday, but we had a lot of fun preparing and enjoying Ethiopian food today. They were the happiest kiddos in the world. They chose the recipes out of our Ethiopian cookbook called Exotic Ethiopian Cooking by D.J. Mesfin.

Sunshine wanted Potato Stew which is basically fried potatoes with a lot of onions and berbere. It was really good. She said it was even better than the potatoes she had in Ethiopia. I am feeling quite proud about that. We also had a lentil sauce that I have made before. They love it. The last item was cooked beets that we picked from our garden this past summer and froze for just such an occasion. They laughed about how the beets turned the injera purple. They also ate beets in Ethiopia. I feel so blessed that we can drive to Seattle and purchase fresh injera and keep it in the freezer to please these precious little tummies.

They repeated the same meal for dinner and are looking forward to more left overs tomorrow.

During the last part of our day they completed a very special project. Our family has had the privilege to meet weekly with an Adoption Attachment Therapist. We have been meeting with her for about six weeks and we are just starting to see some progress in the hearts of our children.

This past week as Sunshine met with our therapist they began talking about the loss of both of her parents in Ethiopia. She asked Sunshine if she had the chance to say goodbye to them. The answer was "No." I had never thought about this very crucial step in the grieving process. How could my kiddos begin to let go of their grief if they had never said goodbye? They talked through the process of how to begin to do this and drew some pictures to remember her parents and begin to say goodbye.

Part of the drawing included a large rock that was placed at the grave of each of their parents with their name on it. This gave me an idea.

After therapy I asked Sunshine if she would like to find a large rock for each of her parents and put their name on it? We could place the rocks in our yard or in the house. It would be a real symbol of their parents and the lives they lived.

She was thrilled with the idea! We shared the idea with Little Buddy and he wanted to help too.

The next day we went out to our rock pile in our back yard and they each chose a rock. They decided that they wanted to paint the rocks. So we scrubbed the rocks clean and went to the craft store to choose colors that reminded them of each parent.

Sunshine chose two colors of brown that reminded her of a dress that she had that matched one that her mother wore. Little Buddy chose a blue that reminded him of his daddy's policeman uniform that he wore to work everyday.

How do you choose a color to represent a life? That is what we did as we sat on the floor at the craft store. It felt surreal to me. But this is reality to my little ones.

Tonight, on Ethiopian Christmas, we painted the rocks.
When each of them had added all the color it was my turn to paint their names. I was surprised at how emotional this was for me. On this stone I write the name of the woman who carried my children in her womb and gave birth to them. I have known her name for over a year, but this rock makes her real in my house.

So many thoughts flood to my mind. I wish I could tell her that they will be loved and safe and cared for as long as I am alive. Thank you for the gift of these amazing little ones.

The stone for their dad is so amazing. We found out while in Ethiopia that he was sixty years old when he died. That is quite old for Ethiopia. He must have been a strong man with much courage. He obviously loved his family. The silver on his stone is for his silver hair.

Oh, I wish we had a picture. But not as much as my little ones wish we had a picture.

When I put Little Buddy to bed tonight I asked him how he was feeling about the rocks. He said that he felt a little bit happy and a little bit sad. "Now I have to say goodbye," he said. Hopefully some day soon it will feel OK to do that, but we will wait until he and his sister are ready.

In the meantime we will honor the memory of two precious people in the lives of our children and now in our family as well.
Sweet Momma

Christmas Fun!

2010-12-16T08:12:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year! Every day holds a new surprise or fun activity. Some of these things can overwhelm a well-balanced child. It has been a challenge to find a path through this season for our new kiddos. They are so happy that they have been home a year and we are now repeating traditions. They have a little frame of reference as to what is going to happen.

Sunshine made me laugh when she said, "I like Christmas this year better. I was so grumpy last year." Yes she was, but who could blame her?

Some of our fun has included: Riding the train at the Tree Farm and cutting down our tree, a trip to Seattle to see the Nutcracker, our homeschool co-op Christmas concert where M&M, Pumpkin and Sunshine sang and Elsie signed in ASL, decorating the house, making cookies and candy, celebrating Advent, and rehearsal for our church Christmas Musical that will happen tomorrow night.

In the midst of all of this we have begun therapy. What a blessing at this time of year. We have had two visits and I am praying that this will be the help that my little ones need.

Stand-Up Dad has been traveling A LOT. We are all looking forward to him coming home tonight and not traveling again until after Christmas.

Our greatest desire this time of year is to try to slow our hearts in the midst of the busyness and focus on the reason that we are celebrating.

The birth of Jesus Christ changed the world! Because of Him, we can be changed for eternity!

God Bless You and Yours! Merry Christmas!
Sweet Momma

Happy Family Day!!!

2010-12-02T08:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated our first Family Day! Last year on this day our family was complete! December 1st will be a day that we celebrate every year. The big kids love to tell the story of how they took a nap after dinner, because our flight was coming in very late at night. My dear friends brought our four big kids to the airport to meet our 12am flight.

It had been 37 hours of travel and we were all quite exhausted. But the reunion/meeting time was so sweet! As a mom I was overwhelmed when I saw my big kids. I had missed them so much. It is not easy being on the other side of the world away from four people that you love so deeply. After hugs and hellos we piled into our van and filled every seat.=)

When we got home it was very early in the morning. Sunshine and Little Buddy wanted to explore their new house. We gave them about an hour and then said it was time for bed.

The next morning was filled with much play and dress-up and generally getting to know each other. The picture above is the first picture of all six of my children together.

We celebrated Family Day with cards and a little candy. We also spent time in prayer around the breakfast table thanking God for our first year all together.

Our breakfast was a traditional Ethiopian porridge that my little ones call "G'at." They like the porridge with oil and berbere. My four oldest had theirs with oil and cinnamon sugar. For lunch we ate injera with shiro sauce and boiled eggs. The smiles on my little ones faces were huge! Sunshine said that her tummy was happy. She also said later that her fingers still smelled like berbere. This made her happy all over again. Maybe it has been too long since we had Ethiopian food.=)

I ended the day by meeting with an adoption attachment therapist. The meeting went very well and I am anxious to see what the next weeks and months will bring in terms of healing for my children.

I want to take a moment and thank you for your prayers on our behalf. It has been an amazing, eventful and challenging year. But I have never felt more in the center of God's will. Please continue to pray God's best for our family.
Thank you in advance,

Sweet Momma

One Year Ago Today!!!

2010-11-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

One year ago today we met Sunshine and Little Buddy for the first time. Our meeting was different than I had thought it would be. I had heard the stories of my friends who adopted from China all going into a big room as the babies were all brought in and handed out to each family. I had seen their tear filled videos. Our experience was different.

Stand-Up Dad and I had just arrived in Addis Ababa from Mekele, which is in northern Ethiopia. We were picked up in a van by a representative from our agency and they began to drive through the busy streets of Addis Ababa. As we drove he asked us if we wanted to go to the transition house to meet the kids or go to the guest house to get settled and the kids would be brought to us in half an hour.

We chose to go to the guest house. We took in our luggage and unpacked. I was so excited and nervous and did not know what to expect. Our room was on the third floor. When we walked out the door we could see down to the court yard and out onto the street.

After we unpacked we did not know how long it would take for them to get there. Should we stay up in our room where they could bring them to us or should we go down to the court yard and wait?

After what seemed like forever, We heard a honk outside the door of the large metal gate of the guest house. Through the open gate came a white mini van. From the third floor I looked down and watched two couples climb out holding beautiful little babies and then I saw the tops of my two little ones as they climbed out of the van.

I ran down three flights of stairs and met them at the bottom.

What do you say to your child the first time you meet? How do you let them know about the love that you already have for them and how you promise to take care of them?

You can't say all of that because they don't know English.=) So I took their hands and walked them up the stairs to our room. Stand-Up Dad and I gave them each a back pack full of surprises and I took this first picture.
Many months later, when they had learned enough English to share their lives with us we learned that no one had told them about us. They had no idea that they were being adopted. They did not know that we would be their new mommy and daddy.

It helped us to understand so much about those first weeks after this first picture.

This past year has been amazing to say the least. These two children are absolutely incredible. I am in awe of how they have transitioned into our family. They learned English very quickly. They opened their hearts to us for love even when they did not understand. It seemed as if every day held new experiences those first six months.

It was apparent very quickly that they loved having a mommy and a daddy. They showed us right away that God had chosen the perfect children for our family. They are hilarious. Even without English they somehow got the joke and could keep the joke going.

They opened their hearts to not only our love but the love of God as well. They could not get enough of the stories of Jesus and how much He loves them. They have each made a profession of faith and are walking with the knowledge that they are a child of God.

Now that the first year has come and gone we are living life. It has become apparent that there are some real, deep issues that they are struggling with. They have been through a lot in their young lives and it is our desire to help them find a way to process the hurts of the past so that they can move forward into the future. We will be meeting with an attachment therapist in a couple of weeks. Please pray that this additional help will be exactly what they need.

Below is my favorite picture that we had taken recently. What a gift these children are! I am overwhelmed at how God has worked through each and every situation before they came home and since they have joined our family.

He is certainly weaving a masterpiece!

Sweet Momma

Happy Birthday Pumpkin!!!

2010-11-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

A Volcano Birthday Cake

Pumpkin to the rescue!

Today is the day we celebrate Pumpkin! He is eight years old. God blessed him double this year by giving him snow for his birthday. We live in western Washington. We don't get much snow, and I can't remember having snow before Thanksgiving. This picture was taken last night with just a bit on the ground. We woke up to a couple of inches and more has been falling throughout the day.

We got up this morning and he couldn't wait to open his presents. It was definitely a "Lego" birthday. I love this picture with his brother in their pj's. He has truly grown into a wonderful big brother this past year. Most of his youngest child traits have slipped away as he has taken on the job of leading Little Buddy and Sunshine.

I am so thankful for Pumpkin. He is such a kind young man who loves God and is working on becoming a man of character. He is quite good at telling jokes and loves to ride bikes or shoot baskets with anyone who will join him.

I can't wait to see how God will use him in the future!

Happy Birthday Pumpkin! I Love You!!!

Sweet Momma

Professor Pumpkin!

2010-11-15T21:32:00.001-08:00

Pumpkin will be eight years old on Monday. I am wondering how much longer he will allow me to call him Pumpkin on our blog. That was his name when he was in my tummy, before he was born. Eight seems older...we will see.

Last weekend we had a "Science Party" to celebrate his birthday. You can have a lot of fun and make a lot of noise with ten boys and science experiments.

This party was a big reminder to me of what we were doing last year at this time. Last November we got a call from our agency and they asked us if we wanted to come to Ethiopia two weeks early. Our original date to travel was Dec. 3rd. We got the call on a Monday and the change would mean that we would leave on Thursday. Leaving early would mean that we would be in Ethiopia for Thanksgiving and we would also miss Pumpkin's birthday.

We sat down with all the kids and asked them what they thought. I specifically asked Pumpkin what he thought about us being gone for his birthday. He put his arm around me and said, "It's OK Mom, you need to go and bring them home." What a brave boy at almost seven years old!

Exactly one year ago today, we got on a plane for the trip of our life!

Here are a few shots from the fun time at Pumpkin's party.

A silly shot from some very Serious Scientists

Professor Pumpkin building a toothpick and marshmallow tower.

Rocket Blasters

This was the absolute favorite activity of the day. Each boy got an empty film canister. They filled it halfway with water and dropped in 1/4 of a piece of Alka Seltzer. They quickly put on the lid and waited for the fun. In about a minute the lid comes flying off and the squeals of laughter ensued.

This activity was repeated until the supply of Alka Seltzer was depleted. So much fun!

If your kids haven't tried this, make sure to give it a try. It's a BLAST!!!

Sweet Momma

Our Latest Family Photo

2010-10-30T15:51:00.001-07:00

Here we are at a park that we love. It was so much fun to get shots with all eight of us! There are many more pictures that I hope to share later.

Sweet Momma

The Pumpkin Palace

2010-10-28T19:27:00.001-07:00

Two years ago this month we obeyed God's call on our family to adopt and began the process. I remember standing at this pumpkin patch with Stand-Up Dad so full of excitement at what the next year might bring. We even wondered if our little ones would be with us for the fall of 2009.

They did join us in November, but were not present for the annual pumpkin patch visit. Last year we were waiting in anticipation to pass court. That was the day that these little kiddos would officially be ours. Our court date was October 29, 2009. We passed!!! And the rest is history.=)

So this year the trip to the pumpkin patch is quite special for me. For the last two years we have had these two precious ones on our heart as we visited this fun place, anticipating the day that we would share our tradition with our newest members.

This week we finally got the chance. We have had a lot of rain here and I don't enjoy mud and rain all in the same day. So we waited for the perfect day and that is what God gave us yesterday.

Brothers in boots. What could be better?

They loved tromping through the corn maze, although I got the feeling that they didn't understand the point. Come to think of it, what is the point?

One of the favorite attractions at our pumpkin patch is a huge pile of wood chips. There are little cars and sleds to ride down the side. Or you can jump or slide down on your backside. This sweet shot was taken just before each of them did a face plant into the wood chips. They both thought it was funny. I was glad.

I have a picture of my children in front of this sign for the last twelve years. When the little ones saw the sign, they both said "Hey, there it is, I know about that." So funny!

I asked Sunshine if the Pumpkin Patch was what she thought it would be. She said, "No, I didn't think it would be so much fun." They each chose their own pumpkin and cannot wait to carve it this weekend.

The tradition is complete. They are here for good. It has almost been a year and I still can't believe it sometimes. God is so good!

Sweet Momma

It's Not a Punishment; It's a Privilege

2010-10-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life takes you to a place of emptiness.

You know that feeling. You have given every last bit of yourself and it is not enough.

I am so thankful that I serve a God who shines brighter when I, through my emptiness, get out of the way and allow Him to be the center of my life.

I am always amazed at what God uses to take me to this place. I definitely don't like being in this place. But I know that as I struggle to work through this time, God is continually showing Himself to be faithful and good and loving and purposeful.

Last Friday, during care group I received prayer. Last Monday, at Co-op I received prayer. I am very uncomfortable being the "one who needs prayer", but God is also working on my humility.

I took a few minutes the other night and pulled out a book by Stormie Omartian called The Power of Praying Through the Bible. It was exactly what I needed to read at the moment I needed it. God is so amazing that way.

The scripture was out of Numbers where it is talking about how God led the Israelites in the desert by forming a cloud for them to follow. When the cloud moved, they would follow. God was physically in their presence in the form of a cloud, yet they still struggled with following and obeying.

Learning to walk with God is a process. Just when we think we have it all figured out, God leads us into a new place where our old tricks won't work. In fact we may feel as if we are learning to walk all over again. And in a way we are. We enter unfamiliar territory and are soon reminded that, on our own, we stumble. Yet when we take His hand, we walk with confidence. God wants us to soar above our limitations of our circumstances and ourselves. He wants to take us to a place we have never been before and can't get there without His help.

If you are at a place where you feel as if you can't take one step without the Lord's help, be glad. He has you where He wants you. If you're wondering, 'Have I done something wrong?' the answer is most likely that you've done something right. God has you on this path, regardless of how difficult and impossible it may seem right now, because you are willing to follow Him. He wants to accomplish great things through you that can only come out of a life of faith. He wants your undivided attention because you can't do things on your own. The path is not a punishment; it's a privilege. It's not a restriction; it's a reward.

I know that I have not shared the specifics of my struggles. But I don't think that is really what matters. God is doing a work in me and my family, and I am so thankful.

So if God has you walking through a valley, remember to hold tight to His hand because He has you right where He wants you.

Sweet Momma

And All The Angels Rejoice!!!

2010-09-26T12:41:00.001-07:00

Little Buddy posing with Luv E Lamb from Cubbies at AWANA

Today is the day that Little Buddy asked Jesus to be his personal Savior. We have been talking about it for a long time. He even asked to pray the prayer months ago when Sunshine did. But I didn't think that he really understood what it meant.

This morning before breakfast he asked again how he would go to heaven when he died. I shared the whole story again. He knows it well enough that he can say it with me.

We are all sinners and because of that sin, we can't be with God. But God made a way by sending His Son, Jesus, to earth to die on the cross for our sins. He rose again and lives with God. But all we have to do is ask Him to forgive us of our sins and ask Him to lead our lives and then...the ANGELS REJOICE!!!

Before lunch I was talking to another child and he interrupted again. I sent him to sit on his bed to think about it for a few minutes. When he came back I expected him to just apologize. But he had a very serious look on his face and he said, "Mommy I need to ask Jesus to forgive all my sins." I gathered all the siblings around to witness this amazing moment.

After his prayer we all cheered and I got to tell him about the angels rejoicing over his new salvation. That was Little Buddy's favorite part. He now knows that his name is written in the Book of Life. He is excited to know that the Holy Spirit is now living in his heart and will help him to obey.

Thank you God for new life through adoption, new life through salvation and a new life that includes both!

Sweet Momma

Happy Birthday Elsie!!!

2010-09-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

My beautiful baby girl, the one who made me a mommy, is 14! I don't want to think about how old that makes me.

This past Friday began her weekend of birthday celebrating. She had a sleepover with some girlfriends. I love listening to them talk. This is not eavesdropping, I was just doing dishes and overheard the funniest things. Oh, to be fourteen!

My daughter amazes me! She LOVES the Lord! He is growing her daily and I am thrilled to be here daily watching the process. She is thoughtful and kind and is working to daily exhibit these qualities to her family.

I am most thankful for the relationship that is growing between the two of us. She daily shares her heart with me and I am working at listening and lovingly leading her. It truly is the coaching phase of parenting. She is growing into a precious friend.

Happy Birthday Elsie!! God bless you as you grow in His plan for your life.

Sweet Momma

My Saviour, He Can Move the Mountains!!!

2010-09-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had God speak to you during corporate worship? I have, lots of times. He mostly reminds me of His love for me or reiterates a promise to my heart.

A couple of years ago God spoke very specifically to my heart during one particular song one Sunday at church. You see, I was in a very intense time of prayer with God. I had been praying for months in the area of adoption. God had placed the desire firmly on my heart and He continued to grow the desire daily.

Stand-Up Dad and I both had a desire to adopt. But Stand-Up Dad was not sure that the desire was for us. Maybe God wanted us to support others in adoption or pray more fervently about God working in adoption. He was not sure if it was the right time for us.

I went through many different emotions about this, and finally came to the place that I knew I needed to line up under my husband's authority and if we never adopted, that would have to be OK. God could just use this example to teach me obedience. Even still, the desire grew stronger, and Stand-Up Dad seemed unmoved.

Then one Sunday in church we sang this song...

Everyone needs compassion,

Love that's never failing;

Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,

The kindness of a Saviour;

The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My God is Mighty to save,

He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave,

Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,

All my fears and failures,

Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow

Everything I believe in,

Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,

My God is Mighty to save,

He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave,

Jesus conquered the grave.

It is an amazing song. But when we got to the line that says "My Saviour, He can move the mountains," God spoke to my heart, "Sweet Momma, if I can move mountains, I can move Stand-Up Dad's heart in the area of adoption. Trust me and wait." The next line talks about that God is mighty to save. I know that it is referring to salvation, but it also seemed to mean that He is mighty enough to save these two precious ones from a life of poverty without knowing God.

Of course, I bawled, and left church that day with a new promise to trust in. And you know the rest of the story.

Every time I hear or sing that song I am reminded of God's promise to me. There is NOTHING that is too hard for God. When His people pray, God moves in amazing ways.

The reason I share all of this is that God gave me another window into His heart the other day. A confirmation of His love for me and our family.

I was sitting at a school table correcting math while most of the kids were off schooling somewhere in the house. Sunshine and Little Buddy were having some playtime in a bedroom nearby. These two little ones love to sing. From the moment we met they have been singing. Our best memories in Ethiopia, were after dinner, before bed, every night they would sing and dance for hours. It was wonderful fun.

Back to correcting math. they had been playing quietly in the bedroom, when all of the sudden I heard them burst into a chorus of..

"My Saviour, He can move the mountains.

My God is mighty to save,

He is mighty to save. Forever author of salvation,

He rose and conquered the grave.

He rose and conquered the grave."

I didn't even know that they knew that song.

It was as if God was hugging me and saying, "Thank you for trusting me, thank you for waiting and never once doubting my plan for your life."

God is beyond amazing in His love for us.

Sweet Momma

It Just Takes Time

2010-09-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

My Super Little Buddy

Our littlest one is working through a lot for a four year old. I have mentioned his strong will in the past. I know that God will use this "will" for good as he grows. Determination is a wonderful quality. But right now, this determination is fighting what is right and what he wants to do.

I know that you might be thinking that all four year olds do this, but it is clearly different from normal four year old stuff. I can tell that his heart is still trying to decide if this family thing is really what he wants.

Please understand that he definitely loves our family. And as an outside observer, you would say that he is completely "attached." But as his Mommy, I know that his heart is still processing. He is still testing the waters of "trust." He is still trying to see if we mean what we say when we promise to love him forever. How does he do this? In a million subtle ways every day.

Because of his "choices" he has had the opportunity to spend extra time with me. He can be quite frustrated with this arrangement. As I have said before, he wants to do what he wants to do and have fun.

One of his consequences is to sit through big church with Mom and Dad instead of going to class. He has shared in the past that he does not like this, because it is not fun. But over the last few weeks, things have changed.

At home his behavior has sort of stalled. I have become increasingly frustrated with the choices he is making and have felt at a loss to know how to move him to the next level. His behavior has actually gotten worse. Stand-Up Dad and I discuss our options or lack of them and keep praying that God will help him trust us.

Today he sat with us in church. Stand-Up Dad held him during worship and he spent the time during the sermon snuggled up with me. He played with my hair while I rubbed his back and held him close. It felt wonderful to hold him for a solid hour. I don't have that kind of time at home. During the service he asked me if he could make a card when he got home.

Immediately upon entering the house he asked Elsie to help him make a card. The card I received ten minutes later read as follows. Elsie told me that these are his exact words.

Dear Momma, I love you. We love you. I love Mom. I love you and thank you for being a good mom. Little Buddy loves Mom. Hugs and kisses - You're smart. I love being in church with you. I love when you rub me. It feels good. Do you know I love you Mom? I really do. Everybody loves you. I'll never stop loving you. Love, Little Buddy

God knew that I needed this precious card from my precious boy. He is doing a work in his heart. I have to keep trusting and praising Him in the process. It just takes time.

Sweet Momma

First Day of School!

2010-08-30T14:30:00.001-07:00

Today was the first day of school. We have been taking "First Day of School" pictures since Elsie was in Kindergarten. Because we homeschool it is important to make a few traditions that mark these wonderful occasions. I also love to look back at their pictures with their signs and see how much they have grown.

You can see from the picture that we have a 9th grader, 7th grader, 4th grader, 2nd grader, 1st grader and a Pre-Kindergartener. I am anticipating a busy year, but am also excited to get back into teaching full time. I know that a stay-at-home mom is always teaching, but I am referring to the more structured teaching of homeschool.

My favorite group shot

The classic silly shot

May God bless you and yours as you pursue higher learning, whether it is third grade or graduate work.

Sweet Momma

Calgon, Take Me Away!!!

2010-08-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt in over your head? I seem to be living in such a state lately. =) I am still smiling and it is really not that bad.

I am attempting to prepare for another homeschool year where I will be schooling six children. I have a preschooler up to a freshman in high school. It is our own little one room schoolhouse, but our one room consists of a large home with plenty of room and forced air heating.

I absolutely love schooling my children and I take the responsibility of it very seriously. I plan very carefully and attempt to cover each subject necessary and then some. Each of my students has needs in different areas and these must all be taken into account as I plan out my schedule. This year I hope to help Sunshine become a completely independent reader. Little Buddy refuses to sit by and just play, so he has math, handwriting and age level workbooks to make him feel like the big four year old that he is.

Sweet Pea and Pumpkin will be tackling Sonlight 4, which covers the second half of American history. They will also begin a Latin program this year along with all their other subjects.

M&M is in 7th grade and becoming more independent each day, but still needs quite a lot of guidance. I am hoping to take a good amount of time focusing on character this year. I have a wonderful study called Polished Cornerstones that has hundreds of activities and assignments that help a young lady learn how to be a woman that honors God in all she does.

Elsie is my first high schooler. She will be studying the History of Christianity, Algebra 2, Physical Science, Speech and Debate,etc. Her load is full, but she is very excited. She is taking a class at our co-op called Coffee Shop. I am told that she will learn about how to run a business in this class. I am just hoping that she will be able to make an excellent mocha when she is all done with it. =) She has just recently started a blog that you can check out under my friends list.

Stand-Up Dad and I began teaching our parenting class that runs for 18 weeks last night and we will begin Bible Quizzing practice next week.

Stand-Up Dad often reminds me that we wanted a big family and with many children comes much responsibility. So today, I am thanking God for all the blessings in our home and working at organizing it so that every one of them can grow and learn and thrive!

May God bless you and your family as you prepare for this new school year!
Sweet Momma

Happy Birthday Sunshine and Little Buddy!!!

2010-08-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

When we got our referral for Sunshine and Little Buddy we noticed that their birthdays were one day apart, August 15th and 16th. Their oldest sister had given them these birth dates and for that reason they are special to our little ones.

Soon after they came home, two of their sisters had birthdays in January. They got to experience birthday parties and the opening of presents. They were anxious to know when they would have a birthday. It was so hard to explain that they had to wait for eight more months.

One day after Sunshine had been home a few months she seemed sad and I asked her about it. She said that she had never had a birthday before. She was mourning her missed and forgotten birthdays. She told me that nobody celebrates birthdays in Ethiopia. She said, "People don't know when their birthday is." Because of all of this, their first American birthday was extra special.

They have grown so much in the last eight months. Sunshine has grown 3 1/2 inches and Little Buddy has grown 4 1/2 inches. They have also grown in many other ways. They have learned a new language and learned how to be part of our family and also jumped right into a completely new culture. They are still learning each day and taking everything in stride. They are absolutely amazing!!

Here they are riding Little Buddy's new plasma car.

Little Buddy is now four years old. How I adore his smile and his belly laugh when I tickle him. He loves to play games outside and is very fast. His favorite thing to do is play and have FUN. He can be frustrated when he receives a consequence like sitting on the stairs. He tells me that he doesn't like it because it is not fun. So if he could have fun all day long, his world would be perfect. Sounds good to me. Too bad that fun all day is not reality. =)

This little boy was in desperate need of a mommy and daddy and has blossomed in our home. He has learned a lot about how to obey his new mommy and daddy. But this little boy has the strongest will that I have ever come in contact with. It takes him a long time to decide to obey. Please pray for him to continue to trust us enough to obey the first time. And please pray for my patience as I parent this precious little boy.

Sunshine is now six years old. She amazes me daily with all that she can do and her sheer determination. Last night we took the training wheels off her bike and she just rode off down the street. She has decided that having a mommy and daddy is a good thing and works very hard to obey. She struggles with working for perfection. She knows that the only perfect people are God and Jesus. She knows that we all make mistakes and just try our best. But she is very hard on herself.

She is a very generous and loving little girl. She is learning to play piano and can't wait to start homeschooling again. She is smart, smart, smart. She is very easy to teach.

I feel so privileged to be her mommy. I know that God is going to do something amazing with her as she grows up. She asked Jesus to be her Savior this past year and knows that God is helping her in all that she does.

I am so thankful for both of these little ones. Parenting them is one of the hardest things I have ever done. It is also one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It is funny how those two things often go together.

Happy Birthday Sunshine and Little Buddy!!! I love you!!!

Sweet Momma

Our First (And Definitely Not Our Last) Tent Camping Experience!

2010-08-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

I grew up camping. My childhood is sprinkled with wonderful memories of time spent in the woods. Up until now, the idea of sleeping on the ground in a tent did not appeal to me. But I also knew that my kids were missing out on tons of fun. So when a friend of mine invited us to join them on a camping trip I knew that I had to snatch the opportunity to become a camping family. I bought cots for the grown ups and began gathering all the things that are necessary for camping.

As you can see, our sight was amazing. Elsie and M&M slept in the small tent in the background. Just beyond their tent was a stream that flowed into a nearby river. It was perfect.

Sweet Pea and Chickie hanging out on the hammock

Our kids learned the well known truth that everything tastes better when cooked over the fire.

Sunday morning was Sunshine's birthday! She was so excited to wake up in the tent to six balloons. She also enjoyed eggs, bacon and donuts for breakfast! She had a wonderful day. I will share more about that later.

The camping trip was a huge success. The kids are already planning another. It was, as I expected, a lot of work. I am still doing laundry. But it was completely worth it!

So if you've never tried it, grab some friends who know how to camp and go for it! Your children will thank you.

Sweet Momma

The Foundations of a Relationship

2010-08-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

We have been doing some very hard work this summer. The attachment, bonding, trusting, failing and trying again kind of work. We have been learning about the core foundations of a relationship.

These little ones have come to us with so many gifts, and yet their basic understanding of how relationships work was completely lacking. They desire to have a close trusting relationship with all of us, but have no idea how to achieve it.

In the process of helping and teaching them, I have been taken aback at how basic the foundations of a relationship are.

Honesty: Without this in a relationship, there is no trust. Lying has been a huge issue with our little ones. I remember saying that it was as easy as breathing with one of them. That is not a way that anyone would want to describe one of their children. But I am not blaming this little one who has not been taught about the pitfalls of dishonesty. This has been a long hard process that we are still in the middle of.

After months of working through this they are both acting with the understanding that dishonesty damages a relationship and being truthful honors God. They pray each night that God would help them to tell the truth so that Mommy and Daddy can trust them. They are each seeing little victories each day and we rejoice with them.

Proverbs 12:22

The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men (and children) who are truthful.

Seeking Forgiveness: We all sin. We all lie or disobey or offend another person. Without seeking forgiveness the relationship is broken.

1 John 1:8-10

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

This has been a big area to tackle with our little ones. It began with explaining what sin is and how it hurts the person and the relationship with the person they have offended. At the beginning we taught them how to seek forgiveness. " I am sorry for _____. Will you please forgive me?" They learned how to do this. We also taught them to seek God's forgiveness.

Stand-up Dad and I believe, with children, that actions precede belief. This has been true with our little ones. As they began to seek forgiveness it was very apparent that they were not sorry for their sin. They were completing the act, but their beliefs had not yet lined up with that act.

How do you teach someone to feel sorry? You can't. We continued to pray that God would soften their hearts and they would begin to feel some hurt in their heart for their sin.

God has continued to be faithful and both Sunshine and Little Buddy are beginning to understand what seeking true forgiveness looks like. There is no longer the hardness in their eyes when they are caught in their sin.

Yesterday I was talking with Sunshine about some disobedience. She tearfully asked for forgiveness and I gave my forgiveness and held her on my lap. I shared with her how proud I was of her. Just a few weeks ago, if she were given a consequence, she would have expressed anger toward me which would usually lead to more disobedience. Yesterday we were able to seek forgiveness and completely restore our relationship within a few minutes. These changes are huge.

Characterization: What are you characterized by? How are you seen by others? Are you kind? Do you encourage others? Are you willing to humble yourself?

Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

In our home we value Christian character. This is something that we teach daily through scripture reading, specific instruction and by example. I fail many times in the area of being an example and am quick to humble myself and ask forgiveness. This was not modeled for me growing up and I know that it had an affect on those relationships.

It has been fun to teach our new ones what God thinks about obedience. Our family paraphrase: "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. And things will go well with you and you will have a good life." They often say that they want to obey so that they can have a good life.

The latest discovery, in regards to relationships, has been that Mommy and Daddy don't like giving consequences. They thought that we enjoyed giving consequences. I was able to explain to them that Daddy and I are required by God to teach them right from wrong, and to give consequences. If we do not teach them these things, we would be disobeying God. This was quite a surprise to them both. Such simple concepts give them peace in their hearts. After that understanding they have not pushed as hard against consequences, since they know that I am trying to obey God too.

Thank you again for your prayers for our family! I covet them. God is surely weaving a masterpiece in our home and we are so thankful!

Sweet Momma

History Camp

2010-07-31T10:52:00.000-07:00

For the past few summers my children have enjoyed attending history camp at Fort Nisqually. Fort Nisqually is a living history museum. The time period of the fort is set in 1855.

My lids love to go to camp. There are three camps for different age groups. Each camp is different. The fort includes an actual fort perimeter that can be closed off from the outside. There is a laborer's dwelling, blacksmith's shop, granary, trade store, wash house, kitchen, and the Factor's house (this house is the nicest dwelling that would have housed the man in charge of the fort.)

During their time at camp they learn all about life in 1855. They play with period toys, play period games, wear period clothing and eat period food. It is an amazing place that all of my children look forward visiting every year.

Sunshine and Pumpkin went to Kit Camp this year. They had so much fun learning about the beaver trade and how the Native Americans lived.

M&M went to Camp Ft. Nisqually which is a 5-day day camp. They had the privilege of spending one night at the fort, sleeping under the stars and waking up with the rooster. In this picture she is speaking to Captain McNeil who oversees the Hudson Bay Company and has come to the fort to recruit workers. She signed on with the Hudson Bay Company for one year as a seamstress. She agreed to be paid four pounds a month. (This is all part of the wonderful role play that happens at the fort.)

Here is M&M attempting to make fire with a flint and steel. She also worked on her hatchet throwing skills during the week. They were required to do daily chores like watering the garden with buckets of water. She also made candles by dipping a wick repeatedly, for hours.

Sweet Pea finished her camp yesterday. Her camp was called History Through the Arts. They completed a different art activity each day while learning about the history of the fort.

Some of the best time at the fort was spent playing games and singing songs. My family loves history and studied American History this past year in school. Elsie is too old to attend camp, but was able to volunteer as a helper at two of the camps. She is hoping to join a program that will teach her how to be able to explain the history of the fort. She will be an Apprentice Interpreter.

Sweet Momma

Raspberry Picking Fun!

2010-07-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite summer activities is berry picking! Last year when we went to pick raspberries we had just received our referral for Sunshine and Little Buddy. At that time we began conversations that went something like, "Next year when we_____ they will be here with us."

It is so much fun to experience all of our favorite activities with them for the first time. It is often difficult to explain what we will be doing. They both admitted that picking raspberries was different than they thought it would be. They thought it would be hard work and they were thrilled when they got to eat some.

My two oldest girls were at history camp and were not able to join us. I was a little sad that my best pickers were not there to help this year. Their presence was missed, but their picking expertise was not. My four youngest were amazing at choosing the very best berries.

Sunshine is showing you her biggest raspberry.

Look what two brothers can do when they work together.

Who can resist this adorable smile.

We took home enough raspberries for four batches of jam and a raspberry pie, with more for snacking. Next we move onto blueberries, blackberries and I hope to throw in some apple picking this year.

The next morning, while enjoying fresh jam on her toast, Sunshine said, "Lots of berries in America!"

Sweet Momma

18 Years With My Love!!!

2010-07-25T19:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Stand-Up Dad and I celebrated our 18th anniversary. We are both amazed at how the time has gone by so quickly. We went to a lovely italian dinner which is right next to Pacific Lutheran University. The weather was warm and perfect. After dinner we took a walk around campus and talked and laughed at the silly things that only he and I would understand.

God has done some amazing things in and through our marriage over the years. We feel so blessed to have the privilege of following His leading so many times in our lives. We know that God is not finished with us yet and we look forward to what He will call us to next.

As the wife of this wonderful man, I am extremely thankful that he chose me so many years ago. He is such an awesome support to me. He has sacrificed much to provide for me and our children. He has offered much needed emotional and spiritual support. He loves me constantly, even with all of my faults. He makes me laugh and is the first person I want to share my world with.

After 18 years, he is still and always will be, my best friend.

Sweet Momma

Ahhh, Summer!

2010-07-22T21:46:00.000-07:00

I love summer! I love the long days. I love the long periods of free time for the kids. As a homeschool mom, I love that summer allows me time to get projects done.

I have spent this week deep cleaning kids rooms and cleaning carpets. With six children to help, the work can be done much more quickly than I could do it myself. Yeah, big families!!!

Summer has been good for the little ones in some ways and hard for them in others. I believe that the initial adjustment phase is over and we are now dealing with the hard work that we will work on for a long while.

The reason that summer has been hard for them is that there are so many fun things going on. They want to participate in all the fun, but have learned that disobedience quickly removes you from the fun. Major bummer! This is a hard lesson for them to learn. Some days I think they are getting it, and other days they fall back on what they are used to and the consequences follow.

We are finding that it is very important to be consistent with them. We try to be consistent with all of our children, but these new ones have not been here long enough to know what we expect all the time. There is so much to learn. They really are amazing!

Please pray for them as they battle their own will and their desire to obey! You could pray the same for me while your at it!

Blessings,

Sweet Momma

Vacation 2010 - Part 4

2010-07-18T21:03:00.001-07:00

I know that I am dragging out this vacation, but we had such a great time and I have to show a few more pictures. I promise that this is it.

I took this shot on our last night, right before we ate smores.

M&M and Pumpkin jumping the waves at Indian Beach which is just north of Cannon Beach.

It was such a perfect day at the beach. The kids played for hours.

One of our favorite activities at Indian Beach was watching the squirrels eat our carrots. Their chompers can really move! So funny!

Our vacation was a huge success. God blessed us with fabulous weather and our little ones did pretty well with all the new adventures. We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go away for a week. Little Buddy thought that Stand-Up Dad was done with work for good. He was a little disappointed when Daddy had to go to work on Monday. Now on to the rest of our fun summer.

Sweet Momma

Vacation 2010 - Part 3

2010-07-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

Seaside, Oregon is a fun town. It is only two miles south of the town where we stay, so every year we take a day and head to Seaside. We stop at the biggest candy store that I have ever seen and choose our favorites. These pictures show a few of our other favorite things in Seaside.

The lovely group shot that overlooks the ocean.

The more usual group shot in front of Lewis and Clark.

M&M had a blast on the bumper cars this year.

Stand-Up Dad made sure that Little Buddy had fun.

Little Buddy absolutely loved his first ever "Horsey Ride."

Sweet Momma

Vacation 2010 - Part 2

2010-07-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

Our first day of play at the beach was wonderful! It was my birthday and I enjoyed every minute of the fun. I love the ocean and the freedom that it gives my children. Our backyard has a fence. But the ocean brings endless opportunities for running and jumping and exploring. One of my favorite comments of the week came from Little Buddy. As he went to bed after his first day of play at the beach, he wanted to know who was putting the gate up around the ocean, so that no one would fall in at night.

Water and sand: hours of entertainment!

Here are Elsie and M&M, my two big girls. They must have walked and talked like this for an hour. It was beautiful to see. There is a line in M&M's baby book, where I wrote, "Today you met your best friend." It is true, they are. I wonder what they were talking about...

I think I have fifty pictures just like this one. Little Buddy shoveled the whole time we were at the beach. There is a shovel in his hand in every picture. I think that boys must have a strong need to move dirt.

Our newest parenting strategy: If your kids are getting out of hand or running around, bury them up to their knees and they are much easier to keep track of.

Sweet Momma

Vacation 2010 - Part 1

2010-07-12T18:47:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent our vacation on the Oregon coast. This was our first big trip with the little ones (that is if you don't consider the trip to the US from Ethiopia) and their first trip to the ocean. How do you describe the ocean to someone who has never seen it? They were very excited and we couldn't wait to watch them experience it.

During our last year of homeschooling we focused on American history. We studied all about Lewis and Clark and their discoveries of the western United States just 200 years ago. On our way to Oregon we took the opportunity to visit a wonderful Lewis and Clark Museum located on Cape Disappointment in Washington. This point of land is where the Columbia river meets the Pacific Ocean. We all enjoyed reading journals from the expedition that told the timeline and adventures that they encountered on their journey. I was amazed at the bravery it took to travel west with no real knowledge of how long it might take to reach the Pacific.

After our time at Cape Disappointment we traveled on to our condo in Gearhart, Oregon. As soon as we unpacked we ran down to the beach. We were amazed at the hundreds of people on the beach. We love this little town because of the quiet atmosphere. It just happened to be the Fourth of July and everyone was there to celebrate.

It was quite cold and windy. We decided to go back to our condo and watch the fireworks from the comfort of our couch. Sunshine and Little Buddy were in awe. There were fireworks going off in every direction. It was absolutely beautiful!

The best part was putting the kids right to bed as soon as it was all over!=)
This is the incredible sunset that God gave us on the 4th! Man-made fireworks don't hold a candle to this kind of display!

Sweet Momma

It's Official!

2010-07-02T13:26:00.000-07:00

If you ask Sunshine what happened today, she would say, "I America now!"

That's right, as of today, Little Buddy and Sunshine are American citizens. The picture above shows us with Court Commissioner Dicke who signed all the documents. This was the easiest part of our adoption journey.

The US issues American Birth Certificates, which seems strange to me. We also added the name that we have given them to their documents. They are very excited to be American right in time for America's Birthday.

Happy 4th of July and God Bless America!!!

Sweet Momma

Puppy Love

2010-06-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

Summertime is fun. But sometimes when you are having the time of your life something unexpected happens.

Pumpkin experienced the unexpected today as he went flying off of a bike and into gravel at a friend's house today. I got a call from M&M that sounded urgent, saying that I had better come quickly because there was a rock in his knee.

Foreign objects in body parts was enough to send me running. When I got to the house he was a bloody blubbering mess. I don't believe that I have ever seen one of my children bleeding from so many places all at once. He is my oldest boy, so I guess this is just the beginning.

I was informed that the rock had been dislodged, but he may need stitches. What I saw was more than my medical expertise could handle. I am so thankful for the ability to go to the doctor and be seen right away.

The lovely nurse at the clinic put numbing gel in four places and came back after 30 minutes and scrubbed his wounds. He ended up needing four stitches and thanks to the numbing gel, he did not feel a thing.

While in the office, I reminded him that he told me last month that he wanted to be a dirt bike racer when he grew up. I think that is out.

He has gashes on both knees, one elbow and a hip. He will be very sore for a while. But he is still all in one piece. Thank you God for your protection.

After dinner I found him laying on the floor with his head in our puppy's bed. I know exactly how he feels. Our sweet puppy is very comforting when you have had a hard day. She's exactly what the doctor ordered.

Sweet Momma

Pumpkin's First Recital

2010-06-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

This year Pumpkin Started taking piano lessons. He has enjoyed the process and is always excited to share a new song with anyone who will listen.

So, what does a seven year old boy play for his first recital? Boy tunes of course.

We are proud to introduce Pumpkin, playing "Meet the Flintstones" and "Star Wars."

Sweet Momma

Sweet Pea and Her Busy Fingers

2010-06-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

Her is a sample of Sweet Pea's recital pieces. She played "Jig" and "Busy Fingers."

She has really improved this year. She has experienced the joys of improvement with diligent practice. And also that piano ability does not improve without practice. She is growing into such a lovely young lady. We are all so proud of her.

Sweet Momma

M&M's Music Box Dancer

2010-06-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

M&M has improved so much this year. This song makes me happy. I love to see her expression through her music. She is such a beautiful young lady.

Please enjoy.

Sweet Momma

Northwest Trek

2010-06-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun watching the otters swim. While we were watching them, the keepers of the otters fed them a big block of ice with fish frozen in it. It was funny to watch them eat their lunch.

We have had soooooo much rain this spring. There have been very few sunny days.

I think summer is finally here. We have had two days of sun. Those of us that live in western Washington have learned to get out and enjoy the sun when it is out. So after church today we packed up the family and went to Northwest Trek.

Northwest Trek is 430 acres of land where animals that are native to Washington are allowed to roam free. There is a tram ride that allows a very close view of many of the animals.

We saw many more animals than I expected to. Our favorites were the otters and all the babies on the tram ride. (Deer, bison, big horn sheep)

It was a great time together. Any time that I can spend time in the woods, I am happy.

Sweet Momma

Pizza Anyone?

2010-06-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

It is the time of the year for our piano recital. I love to listen to my children practice piano and work to perfect a piece for the recital. We have four children in the recital this year and will have five next year, so there is a lot of music at our house.

Elsie has enjoyed playing "The Maple Leaf Rag" by Scott Joplin. She loves to play it really FAST! Every time she gets going, Stand-Up Dad and I are reminded of a pizza place called Shakey's that always has music like this playing. It is funny how your senses can be stirred.

I do not know how to play piano, but have always said that if I could play, this type of music is the kind I would want to play. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Sweet Momma

She's Been Adopted Again!!!

2010-06-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

Last night Sunshine prayed a prayer that will change her life for eternity! She asked Jesus to forgive her sins and come and live in her heart! We are so happy for her.

Since she came home she has been so interested to learn more about Jesus and who he is. We have introduced the concept of sin and that we are all sinners. She has had a lot of opportunity to deal with sin and is trying hard to do what is right. I have felt that she understood the concept of asking for forgiveness of sins and have been waiting until she asked for my help to do it.

Last night at bedtime she said that she wanted to pray the prayer where Jesus forgives her. I led her in the prayer and she said, "I feel better."

Praise God for His faithfulness! We are rejoicing with the angels in heaven for one more soul that will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus. She's been adopted into the family of God and we couldn't be happier.

Sweet Momma

New Information Can Heal the Heart

2010-06-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Stand-Up Dad and I are working on our re-adopt of our two new kiddos. When we were going through the adoption process, the Ethiopian courts declared them legally ours before we had met them. It sounds weird, but that is how they did it. Because of this, the US would not consider them US citizens upon entering the United States. We need to complete more paperwork in order for them to become US citizens.

While in the process we have had copies of all of their important adoption papers out where Sunshine and Little Buddy could see them. It has been very interesting to get their reaction as we show them all of the papers with their pictures on them.

Tonight while the other kids were busy I spent a couple of hours with Sunshine talking about Ethiopia. I asked her to describe in detail the house where she lived. We even drew a picture of the rooms and beds, etc. As we talked and she shared her world in Ethiopia with me it occurred to me that she did not understand how she came to live at our house. We looked at the precious picture of her house and talked about how there were not enough beds for everyone and not enough food. I shared with her that her oldest sisters knew that it would be better for her and Little Buddy to go and live at the orphanage where they would have food and clothes and a bed to sleep on. Her siblings were very sad, because they loved her, but they knew it was best for her and Little Buddy. This was new information for Sunshine.

I went on to tell her that while she was at the orphanage, her sisters decided that it would be even better for a family from America to adopt them and care for them always. It was so hard for them to let go of their little siblings, but they knew it was best.

I got the papers and showed Sunshine where her sister had signed her name giving us permission to be her new Mommy and Daddy. She was amazed! I asked her, "Did you think that Mommy and Daddy could just come and take you away?" She said, "Yes, I thought that was what you did."

I promised her that there was no way that Daddy and I could just come and take her away without her sister's permission. Her sister wanted us to be her new Mommy and Daddy. You could see the relief on her face.

How does a five year old carry such a burden in her heart? She seems so happy each day, and at the same time is thinking that we have taken her away from her family without permission.

She jumped into my arms and told me how happy she is to live here with us. I told her that I know how she must miss her family and that I know that they miss her too. She shared how she wants to be there and here. She knows that this is a wonderful place to live, but the land and the family of her birth will always be first.

I am thankful for all her memories. I will do my best to keep them fresh as she continues to fill her head with new memories. Please pray for her and Little Buddy as they continue to process all this very deep stuff.

Before bed I asked her if she felt better knowing that her family wanted her to live with us...YES, was the resounding reply, followed by a huge hug.

Thank you God for beginning to heal a little bit of the hurt in her heart tonight.

Sweet Momma

Some Favorite Sayings...

2010-06-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

I hope it is not poking fun at language acquisition to share some of my favorite sayings.

It's lidicous (delicious)! - Sunshine

I have to go very HARD! (I need to go to the bathroom. Sorry if you find this inappropriate.=)

Little Buddy

Picksa (pizza) - both kids, I never realized how hard this is to pronounce. We have tried repeatedly and this is still what comes out.

I need to go to the restaurant! (restroom) - Sunshine

We have watched our little ones go from very little english to almost fluent in english in just six months. We found our list of Tigrynia phrases that we used in Ethiopia and when we got home. Things like: stop, wait, are you hungry, share, enough. We quizzed both of them to see what they still remember. Little Buddy has forgotten everything. I was completely amazed. I can only assume that a three year old is in the throws of language acquisition and can only hang on to what they are using daily. Sunshine remembers a little bit. I can tell that it bothers her a little bit that she can't remember.

Little Buddy doesn't seem to mind. He says, "I am all english now!" There is still much to learn, but at least we are communicating very well.

Sweet Momma

The fun and excitement of 5 siblings!!

2010-06-03T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. M&M here.

At my house, Life is never boring, especially in the evenings. After dinner, everyone (including me) has a lot of energy and is ready for fun. Tonight was no exception. Elsie and I were moving the kitchen chairs from the floor to the carpet in order to mop when Pumpkin had the brilliant idea to make a blanket fort. Us kids love to make forts, tents, and hideouts using blankets, rubber bands, and chairs or bed rails. While Elsie was sweeping the floor before I mopped, Pumpkin, Sunshine, Little Buddy, and I were making the fort by securing blankets to the tops of kitchen chairs with rubber bands. I must say (in all modesty, mind you) that I am an expert when it comes to blanket forts. Give me rubber bands and blankets, and I will go crazy. Anyway, after the fort was finished, we all had bunches of fun climbing through it, (the fort doubled as a maze with the chairs) playing, and Pumpkin even read where there was light. When we had to take it down , even our dog joined in the fun.

Six Months with Six Kids!!!

2010-06-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe that today marks six months with our two newest. In the early weeks, when they were home, I prayed for this day. I just knew that "things" would get better with time. I knew that June would bring summer, the end of another home schooling year and a more time to slow down.

My summer schedule is already filling up, so I will call it a different kind of busy than the school year.=)

So, how is everyone doing after six months? Each time a person is added to a family the roles change. We have all adjusted to these little ones. The process for Stand-Up Dad and I has been interesting. Just as no one can prepare you for being a parent of a baby, no one can prepare you for the adoption of two older children. I believe that our two have made an amazing adjustment to life in our home, but that does not mean that it has been easy.

As the Mom I found myself beyond overwhelmed. I was working to make these new ones feel safe and loved and wanted. At the same time my older children were going through some serious adjustments as well and needed reassurance and attention. These needs often worked against each other. These were the times that God showed me how useless I was on my own and reminded me that He alone is the healer of hurts. He is the one who can fix the broken places and weave families together.

There were quite a few days that I did not want to get out of bed. But I did . . . and I kept getting out of bed and every day God worked through my children and Stand-Up Dad and I. Here we are after six months claiming God's faithfulness through it all. We know that there is more adjusting to come, but we are well on our way.

Elsie and M&M love having Little Buddy and Sunshine in our home. They have been an extraordinary help to me as they clean and cook and generally fill-in when Mom is being the Mommy. It takes so much time to train little ones who have not been in our home for the first five years of life.

Sweet Pea loves having a little sister. She now shares a room with Sunshine and is learning how to love and show empathy to Sunshine. This new sister has pushed Sweet Pea beyond her comfort zone in a good way. She is very happy that her sister is very neat and enjoys a tidy room just as much as she does.

Pumpkin also is sharing a room for the first time with Little Buddy. Words cannot describe how happy he is to have a little brother. I know he wishes that Little Buddy was seven like he is and can get frustrated at three-year-old behaviors, but it has been good for him. He is finally learning how to be a big brother after seven years as the littlest in our home. Each day he is working on what it looks like to be a big brother. I am very proud of the strides he has made.

Sunshine is such an amazing little girl. She is so smart and is constantly quizzing us in the car as she tries to learn her math facts. She has a constant drive and is very diligent and purposeful at work and play. She has learned that things work best when we work together to complete a task rather than trying to do it all by herself. She is learning that letting Mom and Dad be in charge is a good thing. She has a wonderful sense of humor. She understands when you are joking and can quickly throw one right back at you. She is amazed by God's love for her and has a burden for her family back in Ethiopia. She knows that they do not know about Jesus and is anxious for them to know of His love for them. Please pray with us that someone would share the good news of Jesus Christ with them.

Little Buddy is the most wonderful three year old I have ever met. He has energy that never quits, yet he is able to sit quietly through church. I have enjoyed watching him transition from a little boy who is overtly silly (to get attention), to a little boy who has appropriate silly moments. He should actually have silly as his middle name. He is a riot. He is not afraid of anything. That is to say that he will try anything. We recently let him play in a pool for the first time and he learned a respect for water and breathing air instead of water.=) He is very affectionate and has completely blossomed having a Mommy and a Daddy. He has grieved hard for his family in Ethiopia. He still struggles with this. Just tonight, he had me in tears as he prayed for them and shared how sad he was over the loss of one of his family members. Easter was hard for him. He thought that if Jesus could raise from the dead, so could that person that he lost. Oh, that was a difficult conversation. Yes, I have been stretched in many ways. I feel so thankful that he feels safe enough with us to let us help him grieve.

It is true that I cannot imagine my life without these two in it. They have made our home complete and been living reminders of what is really important in life. I can't wait to see how God will use our family for His good purpose in the future.

Please continue to pray for us. This process takes a long time. There is so much to teach them and our family continues to grow through the process.

I give all the praise and glory to God that a year and a half ago we said yes to God and began this amazing adventure.

Sweet Momma

Surprise! Surprise!!

2010-05-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

This past Monday was our last day of our home school co-op for the year. It was a great day and the kids were very excited to be done. What they didn't know was that they would be spending the next 24 hours playing in the water at Great Wolf Lodge.

Our dear friends, the Stuarts, told us about a special at this water park for home schooling families. It happened to fall on the evening of the last day of co-op. The Stuarts also booked a room and that added to the fun for our kids.

I am generally not one for surprises. I like to have time to anticipate the upcoming event. But it was a lot of fun to spring this on the kids and see their reaction. Elsie took a full 10 minutes before she believed that we were serious.

We all had a wonderful time. I think that Sunshine and Little Buddy assume that we go places like this all the time. I had to explain that we had never been there before, ever, and it is "special" that we got to go this time. They had a blast! I am so amazed by these two little ones and how they take on their new world.

Here is Pumpkin with his buddy Peter. They are showing off their teeth or lack of teeth.

This was Little Buddy's first time in the water. It took him a few hours to learn how to balance in the water and that when the water hits your face you shouldn't breath in or you will come up coughing and sputtering. By the second day he was so proud to show how he could jump in the water and come up with this adorable smile.

This water park has some amazing water slides and a wave pool. Our four big kids were very busy climbing stairs and sliding down these crazy tubes.

Sweet Momma

Mariner Baseball Fun!

2010-05-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to a Mariner game with the whole family. That day they were celebrating Adopted and Foster kids and their families. We all received a hat with a "We are Family" logo on the side.

Before we went to the game, we had a lot of fun trying to explain what it would be like to our little ones. Pumpkin had just begun baseball season with the YMCA. They kept thinking that Pumpkin would be playing in the baseball game.

Our seats were quite high up. Actually we were one row from the very top of the stadium. Little Buddy was terrified that he would fall down and would not let go of me. I think healthy fear is good. He is usually so crazy and carefree. Prior to the game I was concerned that he might do something silly and fall.

After about an hour he adjusted to the height and really enjoyed the game.

The Mariners lost the game. But we all had a great time!

Sweet Momma

Five Months In!!!

2010-05-11T17:44:00.001-07:00

This month marks five months that our newest additions have been home. I have been so busy that I haven't taken the time to blog about our life. I continue to cherish your prayers as we venture through life as a family of eight!

Here are a few things that our two youngest have learned over the last month:

1. Not every person that has brown skin is from Ethiopia.

2. When Mommy says "No," she really means it and my whining will not change her mind. =)

3. It is safe to be sad about my life in Ethiopia. My Mom and Dad care about me and will hold me while I cry and pray for me.

4. The world is a big place with countries other than America and Ethiopia.

5. Automatic sprinklers are a lot of fun to run through.

6. It is very good that Mommy and Daddy brought us to America.

Here are a few pictures to show you what we have been up to.

Mother's Day

We took a drive to Kopachuck State Park and hiked through the woods to the Puget Sound on Mother's Day! We ate a picnic lunch and let the kids toss rocks into the water to their hearts content. We hiked down the beach, climbing over fallen trees and driftwood. It was a beautiful day and we all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Sunshine has lost a total of four teeth. Two of them, just last week.

Her smile still lights up the room. I have asked her to stop wiggling for a while as she is having some difficulty eating. =)

Pumpkin has begun baseball season and here are his biggest fans at the first game. They were so excited that it was raining as it gave them all an opportunity to use their umbrellas. After all, their favorite movie is "Singing In The Rain!"

Here is Pumpkin, ready to hit it out of the park!

Elsie attended her first formal with a dear friend named Taylor, who used to be our family babysitter. The formal is for high school home schoolers in our area. She had a great time! Taylor and Elsie went out to dinner with their dads and then went on to the dance. I laughed when I saw a video from the dance that showed 250 high schoolers dancing to the "YMCA."

I guess 'everything that is old is new again' or 'things never change.'

Whatever the phrase is, I am very thankful for this opportunity for Elsie and am so glad that she and Taylor had such a fun time.

There is so much more to share. I hope to do that soon.

Happy Late Mother's Day to you all!

Sweet Momma

Thoughts on Grief

2010-04-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

The other day at the end of a meal the conversation found its way back to Ethiopia. This is a very common occurrence. Our little ones share about their life before they came to live with us.

Their memories are very much like mine of my childhood. It is what it is. Children don't put value judgements on experiences or share the unbelief that I feel at particular circumstances that they share. Their life is just that, life before America.

Some of the things that they share are hard to hear. Life in a third world country is very different than life here in the USA.

While putting Sweet Pea to bed that evening she lowered her voice while talking to me so that Sunshine wouldn't hear.

They have been through so much Mommy. They are so little to have gone through all of that. They are such amazing kids!

I completely agree and am so glad that she is recognizing that her little sister did not grow up down the street. Her first five years were very different from Sweet Pea's.

My friends who have adopted tell me that this is good that they are sharing so much about their life. I find it difficult to know what to say at times.

My precious Little Buddy is definitely grieving his life there. It is so hard for me to help him. Between the language barrier and three year old comprehension his hurts are difficult to pinpoint. He had major loss as he was turning two. I am pretty confident that no one took the time to help him through the process at that time.

Overall he is a happy, silly, adorable little boy. He is very obedient and has completely bonded to Stand-Up Dad and me. Maybe it is because of this that he feels safe enough to grieve in my arms.

I want to make his world OK and I can't! My mother love comes out and I work to protect his heart and make him feel safe, but it doesn't seem quite enough. I am praying that God will cover over his hurt and heal the broken parts. I know because of this brokenness that he will be a different man someday than if he had not gone through it. May God bring beauty from the ashes, because there are a lot of ashes.

If anyone reading this has thoughts to share, I would love to hear them. I have a call into my social worker, but she is out of town.

I feel so privileged to call this little boy my own. I have just never felt so much at a loss as to how to help one of my children. I assume the phrase Time heals all wounds is appropriate here. But I can't just wait this out. Please pray for us as we pray through this process.

Sweet Momma

Signs of Spring

2010-04-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful at our house. It gave us all a chance to get outside and enjoy the surprises of Spring! We are all enjoying watching our two little ones experience so many new things each day.

I think they thought it would always be rainy and cold at their new house. I told them that it would be warm enough to wear shorts, and you would have thought that I told them we were going to Disneyland. (They don't even know what Disneyland is.)

It got even better when I said that they could play with 'bare feet.' Wow!!! Life at our house is so exciting! I had to take a minute and capture their wonder as our yard has begun to bloom.

I watched Little Buddy from my kitchen window as he looked at these red tulips so intently.

So pretty, Mommy. I am so happy to have two more nature lovers in our family!

Sweet Momma

Happy Birthday Stand-Up Dad!

2010-04-08T08:24:00.001-07:00

Today is the day we celebrate the most AMAZING man in our lives! Stand-Up Dad is a wonderful husband who is SO attentive to this frazzled Mommy. He adores his children and takes special time each day with each one. One of the things that I love about him is the playful childlike heart that he has. He loves to play games, wrestle and the kids favorite, "Roll over Daddy!"

He is so dedicated to his kids. He will be spending the evening of his birthday running Bible Quiz practice. So we decided to surprise him with a party a day early.

The kids decorated the house and I made his favorite meal and an apple pie. He was confused and surprised when he came through the door. It was wonderful to be able to take the time to celebrate him.

As we sat down at the table, we all took a turn thanking God for Daddy and asking Him to bless Daddy. We all prayed, from me down to Little Buddy. This is a birthday tradition at our house.

As the prayer ended I looked up to see tears in Stand-Up Dad's eyes. He told us all that after all these years of life, being at home with all of us is his favorite place in the world.

We love you too!!!

Happy Birthday Stand-Up Dad!

Sweet Momma

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Home Four Months!

2010-04-01T18:47:00.001-07:00

Spring is here and things are blooming at our house. Relationships continue to be formed and each day brings new experiences and new questions.

Today as I was putting Little Buddy down for his nap he said, "Mommy, I want to go home." I said, "You are home honey." His response, "No, go home to Tirhas house." Tirhas is the beautiful young woman, his sister, who cared for him when he lived with her. From what we have gathered, she adored him and played with him. She is warm fuzzies to him.

I don't know why this came today, after four months. Maybe it was because he was a little sick today or maybe something reminded him of her. But my heart ached. We talked about her and prayed for her. Then I put him down with him repeating his request.

What do I say to help his hurt? How do I help him understand that we can't jump on a plane tomorrow to see her? I wish she lived down the street and we could go see her. I know all of this is normal, but it is a lot for a boy of three.

Again, I must lay this at the feet of Jesus. He knows Little Buddy's hurt. I have to trust that He will give me the words to help heal the hurt.

Speaking of hurt and healing...Easter is upon us and we are enjoying sharing this celebration with our new ones.

My dear Mother-in-Law sent a box with crafts for the kids. These are Easter Bookmarks. They had a wonderful time sticking on the stickers and adding their own designs.

All of the kids continue to learn how to be siblings together.

Last week during prayer time I was able to share with Sunshine how thankful I was to be her Mommy. She hugged me tight and thanked me for coming to Ethiopia. She immediately asked to pray again and proceeded to thank God for each one in her new family. Her willingness to embrace our family in this way always overwhelms me.

Pumpkin is learning to step into his Big Brother shoes and

is really enjoying having a boy to wrestle with.

This little guy continues to melt my heart with each hug and smooch that he offers.

He is a pure blessing in our family!

May God bless you and yours as you celebrate the most miraculous day in History!

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Sweet Momma

We Are Singing a New Song!

2010-03-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

There is new music in our home and I love it! From the first day that we met, Sunshine and Little Buddy have been singing. The songs are beautiful praise songs to God. They have taught them to us and we are all rejoicing with them. I hope they never forget these songs from their homeland.

Sweet Momma

Fun Pictures!

2010-03-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

This is Sunshine showing the twists I put in her hair. I like these better than the last style. They stayed in for about three days. Her hair has a looser curl and these types of styles don't stay in too long. She looked adorable. And she loved the butterfly clips!

Making breakfast

Big smiles for my latest Ethiopian attempt. This is Doro We't. It is a chicken stew. It was very easy to make and the smell in our house took me right back to Ethiopia. It did the same for my little ones. They came running down the stairs saying, "Oooooh, smells good!"

While eating dinner I asked Sunshine where she had eaten Doro We't in Ethiopia. She said, "No Doro We't in Ethiopia." I was dumbfounded. How funny! Little Buddy said that they had eaten it there and I actually found a picture to prove it.

I think it is a special meal for a holiday or the like. They thoroughly enjoyed it. I found Sunshine sucking on the chicken leg when the meal was over.=)

Making breakfast on another day.

What a ham!

We are definitely settling in around here. I don't understand why I am still so tired. :)

Little Buddy has decided that he is completely in love with Stand-Up Dad and I. We are so glad! Many times during the day he comes up and snuggles in and says "I lub you!" Kisses and hugs follow. He goes off to play for a little bit and is right back to repeat his affection.

It makes me want to cry. Adoption is such a beautiful demonstration of God's love. This little boy had no idea who I was four months ago and today he is living and breathing my presence. Isn't that how it is with God? His love is so great that He is with us each of us each moment whispering in our ear that He loves us.

For this I rejoice!

Sweet Momma

TeenPact!

2010-03-08T19:05:00.001-08:00

Here is Elsie with all of the students from her Civics class at our homeschool co-op.

They were part of a group of 90 students at TeenPact.

Sweet Momma and all of the siblings went to watch Elsie during a Mock Legislature

and were able to see her graduate from her week of training.

Hi! Elsie here! I just finished an awesome week learning about the government. TeenPact is a Christian homeschool event designed to teach young people how our government works and how we can have an impact on the choices that our leaders make.

To attend TeenPact, there was some homework that I completed. One of the assignments was to write a bill on a serious or funny issue. The first day, we watched a hilarious skit about how a bill becomes a law. Immediately after that, we read our bills and they assigned our bills to committees. Within our committees, we elected a chairman and a secretary. I was elected to secretary in my committee.

In the evenings, we stayed at a camp about fifteen minutes from the capitol. Every night all the students ate dinner together, then had worship and a message. A very special part was when later in the evening we split into small groups to discuss our day.

On the second day, we went on our first field experience, drafted bills in committee, and participated in a Mock Legislature. Field Experiences were when we did prayer walks around the capitol and learned about our government. Soon after, we broke into committees to work on bills during lunch. As the secretary for my committee, I was the one who read all the bills out loud and wrote down all the changes we made. My favorite part of the day was Mock Legislature, where we took the bills we had passed in committee, and debated on them. We used Robert's Rules of Order and voted on every bill.

Day number three was filled with speakers, elections, and final field experiences. In the morning, Lt. Governor Brad Owen came and spoke to us about respecting our leaders even though we may not agree with them. At TeenPact, we elected a governor, and three representatives. I ran, but did not make it past the primary elections. One boy from my co-op was elected to representative. The elections were very fast-paced and exciting.

The final day was very memorable. We had our final committee meeting, participated in a game to test our knowledge of the Constitution, and finally graduated. Previous to the last day, my committee had been very official. Being official in itself is fine, but it was getting pretty boring. Since it was the last day, we decided that we would have some fun. To begin with, every bill has a clause that reads "All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed". One of the guys in my group had the brilliant idea to cross out the "in conflict with this act" so that it now read, "All laws or parts of laws are hereby repealed". We knew that if this bill got on the dock in Mock Legislature it would be hilarious. Soon following we played "Constitutional Power Grab" which is a game where they give us a scenario having to do with the government. Then we would have to look up the section in the Constitution that shows why it is unconstitutional. During graduation, parents got to see us participate in Mock Legislature. Surprisingly, my bill that I had written came up on the dock, and I went on stage to speak on it. While I was on stage, people in the audience asked me questions about my bill. If I did not want to answer a question I didn't have to. As we were about to end our TeenPact legislature, they brought up the last bill- the bill that we had changed in my committee. When they read "All laws or parts of laws are hereby repealed", confusion broke out. Everyone was asking questions while my committee sat there laughing. Strangely enough, we did end up passing that bill. Finally, I went up to receive my certificate of completion of TeenPact Leadership Schools.

TeenPact was an amazing experience that shaped my faith in God, my character, and my knowledge of our government. Before gong to TeenPact, I saw government as something that I read about in newspapers or watch on television, but has no real effect on me. I saw it as something in the distance, not meant to be grasped. TeenPact changed that. I now realize that I can and should have an effect on my government, because not only does it affect me, but it is my duty as a Christian to "always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within me".

For more information about TeenPact go to www.teenpact.com

Elsie

Home Three Months!!!

2010-03-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

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.

Like Brother, Like Sister...Not!

2010-02-24T14:41:00.001-08:00

Ever since we met these two amazing kids, we noticed that they had very different personalities. Of course she is older and he is younger. And she is a girl and he is a boy. I know that these things alone can show many differences.

I just laughed today when I saw what they had created with rubber bands and geo boards. Can you tell who our ordered child is and who is our fun loving, free-thinker? What a tangible example of their differences.

As I was looking at their geo boards I noticed that Little Buddy was looking at Sunshine's board and in his head he decided that hers was better and he wanted to change his to look like hers. I reassured him that I liked his very much. He was not deterred. So I pointed out to Sunshine, that although her design was nice, she could also make shapes and different designs with the rubber bands. They both started over and created something new.

My hope and prayer for Little Buddy is that we can show him that God made him special, just the way he is. I want him to know and believe that his best will look different than Sunshine's best and that is just the way it should be. I know some other siblings at my house that often feel as if they are in the shadow of an older sibling.

God sees each of these dear ones differently...just like He sees me. Such a good reminder for myself and for my children to strive to be who God has designed us to be and not what the world or our family has designed us to be.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Sweet Momma

Another Face Changed Forever!!!

2010-02-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

When we met Sunshine in Ethiopia we noticed that her two front teeth were quite loose. I told her not to wiggle them because I was not ready for them to come out. I had just met her and wanted to get to know her with those adorable baby teeth.

This past week she watched her brother lose his tooth. At our house, when you lose a tooth, you get candy under your pillow. I know, the dentist loves us!=) She watched her brother get a big Butterfinger bar and that was all the motivation needed.

She told me that her friends in Ethiopia pulled out her two bottom teeth because she was afraid to. But she wanted to be the one to pull this one out.

She was very nervous, but I talked her through it. The moment it came out she screamed and ran up to show Pumpkin. "Look, out!" Cheers all around! Such a brave girl!

Sweet Momma

My First Attempt at Ethiopian Hair

2010-02-15T19:26:00.000-08:00

This is the very happy face of my sweet little Sunshine girl. When we met in Ethiopia, her hair was quite short. I told her that we would let it grow and not cut it. This made her very happy.

While we have been waiting for it to grow I have purchased many different hair products, trying to find the one or two that works best on her and Little Buddy's hair. I have a little box filled with beads, clips and elastics, waiting for the hair to grow. Her hair is absolutely beautiful and has looked adorable in headbands up till now.

I have been impatient waiting to try a "style" on her hair. Last night I took 30 minutes, and this is the result. There are some wonderful videos on www.shuruba.com. I can't wait to try more of the styles demonstrated when her hair is longer.

I completed the section of hair and sent her upstairs to take a look in the mirror. I heard her squeal with delight and say "I have to go thank Mommy!" She ran down the stairs with hugs and kisses for me. I am so thankful for her patience as I try my hands at Ethiopian hair. It thrills my heart to see her so happy!
Sweet Momma

Happy Valentine's Day Dedication

2010-02-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today was an incredibly special day for our family. Our church family has embraced our adoption in an amazing way and today they joined us in dedicating Sunshine and Little Buddy to God.

Our dear friends, the Averills, who adopted two boys from Ethiopia about five months ago, also joined the dedication. When each of our children was born we brought them before our congregation and committed to raising them in a home that honors God. The pastors, staff and congregation would then also commit to praying for our child and helping us in this process. We know that dedicating a child to the Lord does not save them, it is merely a promise before God to purpose each day to serve Him through our parenting and our lives.

Our pastor was willing to allow a special dedication for our two families of adopted children. He addressed how in the Bible God sees those who have accepted Christ as adopted - and as having the rights and privileges as any other child. He asked us if we would promise to accept these children as our own and raise, love and discipline them in the same way that we have done with our biological children. He then asked the congregation if they would be willing to support us. They all stood to show their support. Sweet Pea looked at me and said, "Wow!" I agree.

The dedication ended with prayer and applause. I am so grateful for this opportunity. Would you also commit to praying for our family? Thank you in advance for the blessings that God will give because of your prayers.

Sweet Momma

A Face Changed Forever

2010-02-13T10:59:00.001-08:00

I know that I am being dramatic here, but the loss of the first baby tooth on top is a big deal. Gone are the little kid days. Permanent teeth are to come. Their face changes forever.

Pumpkin is seven and has held onto these baby teeth for a long time, but it still pulled at my heart when he lost that tooth this week. He was so proud of himself when he pulled it out. I think he has been a little motivated since he noticed that his new little sister, who is five, has two loose teeth on top. He couldn't let her lose hers first.

We can already see the permanent tooth pushing its way into place. I can't seem to get used to all the growing up.

Sweet Momma

Home Two Months!

2010-02-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Sunshine and Little Buddy, or is it Princess Sunshine and Spider Buddy?

This week marks two months since we brought Sunshine and Little Buddy into our home. I am so amazed at how well things are going and overwhelmed at the same time by how far I have to go before I will feel back to normal. Maybe this is my new normal.=)

Sunshine is an amazing little girl! She is super smart and doesn't miss a thing. She takes great effort to order her world in such a way that best suits her. She has been the more challenging child of the two. Even saying that, she is not crazy challenging, she is just older and more emotional in the way she deals with life. She is very passionate about life! We often hear her say things like, "I LOVE THAT!" or "Sooo CUTE!"

This past month, as she and her brother continue to learn English, I have heard many stories of life in Ethiopia. The more they share, I realize that life there is even more different from here than I realized from our short visit. Cultural differences are not truly felt while staying in a nice hotel or guest house.

I also realized this past week that they do not see life in our house as permanent. Why should they? We know that they will live here forever and will grow up in our family, but they don't. Recently they asked me - can we could go back to Ethiopia now? They call the guest house that we stayed in for a week "the little house." That is where they always ask to go. I assume it is because it is the nicest place that they ever stayed in Ethiopia, yet they were still in Ethiopia. The food was familiar, the people spoke their language and looked like them.

I have a hard time answering these questions. I know how their hearts must ache for their home, their family, and their friends. Please pray that God will give Stand-Up Dad and I wisdom as we try to help these little ones transition into life in America away from everything that they know.

Little Buddy is such a wonderful little guy. He is very "three," and we are all loving the fun he brings to our home. He has much more self control than many three year olds I know and yet he is very impulsive. I am amazed at how helpful and obedient he is. He loves to help with any chore that his older brother is doing. He absolutely loves having a mommy and daddy. He is snuggly and very affectionate.

They are both very affectionate! They hug anyone who shows interest in them. I am not sure if this means that they are not bonding with us or that they are just very friendly. I do think the bonding is going well, but I have never done this before and I'm only going on the information I have read in books. I will be sure to ask our social worker about it this week as we have our first post adoption appointment.

Our whole family is definitely still in transition. This month we began just living life as we came down from the high of bringing them home and getting through Christmas. I would say that Sweet Pea and Pumpkin are struggling the most with the transition. It is such a big change to share a room with a new brother or sister and learn how to readjust to life as an older sibling. Please pray for them as God stretches them through this experience.

Stand-Up Dad and I are fairly worn out. I don't know how to describe how we are doing. A friend described it as, "A tornado has just gone through your house and you are trying to put everything back in its place." That seems about right. This process is something that I knew we would experience, but I didn't know what it would feel like. It's kind of like childbirth. Your friends can tell you what it will be like, but it is not the same as experiencing it.

As I share all of this I want you to know that we are so thankful for your prayers and appreciate your friendship more than you know! We know that BIG life things, like adoption, take time to adjust to. So we move forward in faith that the God that called us to bring these precious kiddos into our family will continue to be faithful through this part of the process.

Sweet Momma

Sunshine is Reading in English!!!

2010-01-26T11:42:00.000-08:00

We are rejoicing at our house to see Sunshine read her first book in English! When we met her two months ago we learned that she was already reading in Tigrinya. I knew that teaching her to read in English would be easy if she could already read in her language. I never thought it would happen this quickly.

She is so motivated to learn. I started using "Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons." We are only on lesson 11 as I have only been schooling her for three weeks. I thought I would let her try the first Bob Book. You can see the result. I know that she has just begun to read, but this is where all readers begin.

I cried. I always cry when my kids read their first book. Reading opens the door to any possibility. I am thanking God today that Sunshine already has an amazing love of learning. I have everyone that loved her in Ethiopia to thank for that!

Sweet Momma

A Very Eventful Week

2010-01-23T09:01:00.000-08:00

A group shot on M&M's Birthday!

This week started on Sunday morning with Stand-Up Dad in Kansas visiting his parents and me getting 6 kids ready for church all by myself. This may not seem like a big deal, but I had never done it before. Stand-Up Dad is our fabulous Sunday morning chef and I am the hairstylist and such. So we had toast and yogurt and actually got to church early. We have kept the little ones in service with us since they came home rather than putting them in Sunday school. They are doing better every week at sitting quietly and coloring or looking at a book.

Monday we all went to our Homeschool co-op at church. Sunshine and Little Buddy are now taking three pre-school classes. They love them. For fourth and fifth period they hang out with me. On Monday it was sunny and in the mid 50's so I took them outside to play on the playground for the first time. They had been playing for about five minutes when Little Buddy went running across the playground toward the big slide and did not see a metal bar, just his height that is used for flip turns. I didn't see the collision, but I heard the crying. I was holding him within seconds and I looked to see a lump the size of a large grape next to his eye and then I saw that it was bleeding.

I scooped him up and grabbed Sunshine and drove to the nearest Pediatrician. I prayed the whole way that his eye had not been damaged and that God would allow complete healing. My prayers were quickly answered when the doctor informed me that his eye was fine and the lacerations did not need stitches. He looked like he had been in a bad bar fight. I would show a picture, but I couldn't bring myself to take any. As of today, it looks so much better. The swelling is gone and all that remains is a black eye.

Thursday we all went to a new dentist and Sunshine and Little Buddy got their first cleaning. We found a wonderful dentist that will take six children at one visit! I am proud to say that not a cavity was found among them! Sunshine and Little Buddy did great, although Sunshine was a little freaked out by "Mr. Thirsty."=)

Friday was our second pediatric appointment in Seattle. There is a group of doctors at U of W that focus on Adoption Medicine. They know how to treat and look for issues that commonly occur with children who have been adopted from other countries. They also provide Interpreters to make the children more comfortable.

I love our doctor! She is so pleased with their progress. In the past six weeks, since our last visit, they have both grown in height and weight. Stand-Up Dad and I found it interesting that Sunshine would not speak to the Interpreter in Tigrinya. She would respond in English, but never in Tigrinya. I suppose this is all part of the process. They each got three shots. Big tears and mad looks followed. The Interpreter tried to explain why we are giving them shots, but I am not sure they got it.

We ended our day at the Ice Cream Parlor. Stand-Up Dad was concerned that we were going to overwhelm them with too many choices when we got there. I said, "Welcome to America." Isn't that what living here is all about...too many choices. Little Buddy chose vanilla, which made me laugh. He is definitely not a vanilla type kid.

I am hopeful that this next week will be quite dull and uneventful, but I doubt it!

Sweet Momma

Happy Birthday M&M!

2010-01-17T21:29:00.001-08:00

Yes, it has been a busy week at our house! Two birthdays within six days! On the 16th it was my M&M's 12th birthday! She is so much fun to celebrate with because she absolutely enjoys the whole process of decorating and planning and unwrapping and cake eating etc.

This year she invited a few friends over to scrapbook and eat homemade pizza. She thought her sister's cake looked like fun and decided to have her friends help decorate hers as well. You can see the final product. A little cake with your frosting?=)

My M&M is such a blessing in our home. She is so warm, friendly and loving. She brings fun and life to our family. She will try anything once and will do her best to get you to try it too. She has an incredibly generous heart and truly desires to follow after God and His will for her life. She gets her dimples from me and I see a lot of myself in her as well. She is quick to hug, quick to help and quick to forgive. I can't wait to see what God will do with her now that she is twelve!

On her birthday she was surprised by a visit from Gramma and Poppa. They had not met Sunshine and Little Buddy, so it was a very special time with them. She spent the rest of the day enjoying a High School Musical Marathon. Yes, they watched 1, 2, and 3 in one day! I'm still humming a few of my favorite tunes...."What time is it?"=)
Sweet Momma

Little Buddy joins in...

2010-01-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

Little Buddy in Ethiopia

My sweet Little Buddy prayed his first prayer in English today. Each time I pray with him before bed I ask him if he wants to pray and he says, "No."

Today at nap time I prayed for him and picked him up to put him in bed. He said he wanted to pray. It was such a sweet, short, simple prayer, that it made me cry.

"Thank you God for Mommy, Amen."

And so it begins...

2010-01-13T22:48:00.000-08:00

Sunshine in Ethiopia in her favorite dress!

Today, for the first time, Sunshine prayed in English. My heart is sad. I knew this would happen, but I am sad just the same.

I knew before we met these sweet children that we would take them from everything they know and teach them a new language. I have actually wished that the language acquisition would happen even faster than it has. There are things that I really want them to understand. They are amazing! They are learning English at breakneck speed. I am amazed at what they understand already.

And yet, as they acquire English, their Tigrinya must trickle away. I know. I can't have it both ways. I don't speak Tigrinya.

Sunshine said it best today as we were talking and misunderstanding each other again, "Tigrinya hard for you and English hard for me." She is definitely doing better than I am on the language acquisition.

With all of her new English she is daily sharing more and more of her life in Ethiopia with me and I am continually amazed at how strong this little girl of five is. She has been through so many things and is trusting me enough to share her world with me. What a privilege it is to mother her and love her and be freely loved in return.

I guess I can say that our transition is going better than I would have expected. I am so thankful. God is so good.

Sweet Momma

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

2010-01-12T16:56:00.000-08:00

Sweet Pea with her birthday cake,

decorated by all of her friends at her craft birthday party.

On Sunday my beautiful Sweet Pea turned nine years old! It is amazing to watch her grow and see all the special gifts that God has given her.

She is so kind and loving. She is very tenderhearted, yet she is easy going and often defers to others rather than herself. She is quite a girly-girl, which is so wonderful because her new little sister is too.

For her birthday she received a wooden mailbox. She wanted to be able to send letters to her family. It sits on a ledge upstairs and has already been put to good use. She loves to encourage others with kind words and beautiful pictures.

Her precious spirit has been such an encouragement to me these past nine years. It may seem obvious to say, but I can't imagine my life without her in it.

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea! I adore you!!!

Sweet Momma

Merry Christmas...in Ethiopia!

2010-01-07T16:12:00.001-08:00

First Day of School!

2010-01-05T21:05:00.001-08:00

Sunshine's First Watercolor

Little Buddy's First Watercolor

Elsie is helping to school her little brother and sister. She is in charge of art, games and puzzles.

After a month long break, we started back to school today with two new students. While in Ethiopia, Sunshine attended a local school for half of the day. I was told that there were about 50 children and one teacher. I was not expecting her to know much in the way of letters and numbers, but I was completely surprised when I met her. She was already reading in Tigrinia and knew all of her letters and numbers in English. She is a smart little cookie. So instead of waiting until next fall to start formal school, we started today.

We had an interpreter explain to Sunshine a few weeks back that I was going to be her teacher. She laughed out loud. And then asked if he was serious. Everything in America is new and different.=)

We took both of them to our home-school co-op at church yesterday. I took them into a preschool class to show them what it was like. The teacher was talking about winter. She read a story about winter and then invited the kids to join her in a snowball fight. (We don't have snow here. The "snow" consisted of about 100 white mesh sponges. So soft, but lots of fun!) They threw snowballs for about 10 minutes and it was time to go. I asked them if they wanted to come back next week and the overwhelming answer was, "Yes!!!"

Today we started school with a new schedule. Yes, I am a 'scheduler.' I love a schedule. I don't think I needed one until the fourth baby came along, but they make me happy. I have my homeschool day planned out in 30 minute segments. The book "Managers of Their Homes" by Steve and Terri Maxwell has been very helpful. The schedule is basically a guide to help everyone move through the day and complete most of their work.

I added Sunshine and Little Buddy to the schedule and made adjustments with some of the other kids to fit everything in. I think it went pretty well. Sunshine was quite confused for most of the morning. She explained to me that at school in Ethiopia everyone did the same thing. If the teacher said to write "A", "everyone wrote A." She did not understand why I did some school with her and Little Buddy, and then other school with Sweet Pea and Pumpkin. It was very hard to explain to her that each of her brothers and sisters do different levels of work. I think that this is another area that will be OK in time.

My favorite part of our day was prayer time tonight. I rock each of the little ones in a rocking chair before bed. We sing a song and pray together. I usually pray first and give them an opportunity to pray. Sunshine prays in Tigrinia each night. I love listening to her lift her voice to the Lord in her own language. I love that God hears our prayers in every language on this big planet.

This past week I started praying for Sunshine and Little Buddy's siblings in Ethiopia during our prayer time. I don't know why I had not done this before. I definitely pray for them during my private prayer time. Sunshine was so pleased and I heard the names of her siblings in her prayer as well. Since that day, she has prayed for each one.

Tonight when she began her prayers, I heard my name and Stand-Up Dad and all of her American siblings too. I started to cry. It overwhelmed me. It may seem silly, but I have been praying for this little girl even before I knew her name. Tonight, she prayed for me. God is good!

Sweet Momma

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-02T22:30:00.000-08:00

Our big kids got to stay up and celebrate with New York!=)

So much fun drinking

sparkling cider in real champagne glasses!

I can't believe it is 2010! Wasn't it just yesterday that we were all holding our breath to see what would happen when the clock rolled over to 2000? Amazing!!! I must be getting old, because I am really tempted to make that comment about "time" and how it "flies."

I wanted to give an update on our big kids. I have been sharing so much about our newest blessings that I didn't want to leave out the other four.

It is a true balancing act. We want to give the new ones all the attention that they need, to help with healthy attachment. But the older four are still in need of our guidance, attention and love as well. I would say that Elsie and M&M are enjoying the big sister role once again. They are really noticing all the adorable things that these little ones do and say. I have had to caution M&M to send Little Buddy to me. He is very drawn to her and she adores him. For the time being, I want him to see Stand-Up Dad and I as his first source of comfort and instruction.

I think the transition has been a little challenging for Sweet Pea and Pumpkin. They are the ones that are now sharing a room with new siblings. That by itself is a big change. Then throw language challenges and serious jealousy of all of your things by these new little ones and it can become difficult. They are learning how to handle each situation and now realize that Mom and Dad would really like to step in and help with any tense situations. There will be time later to allow them to work out the normal sibling issues.

Each day is a little better as Sunshine and Little Buddy learn how to live in our family. I was talking to Pumpkin tonight about how it was going with Little Buddy. He said, "I didn't think he would be as goofy as he is." I laughed. Is that a bad thing? He is goofy. He keeps us laughing every day. Sunshine can be quite a goofy girl as well.

God is so good. I am so thankful for this first month and even more thankful that it is behind us. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to lift each of us up in prayer as God weaves our family together.

Sweet Momma

It's Just What You're Used To...

2010-01-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

I recently received my first Ethiopian Cookbook in the mail. It is a wonderful cookbook with Ethiopian history and many pictures of Ethiopian food. I am trying to prepare food that will make Sunshine and Little Buddy's tummies happy. I sat down with Sunshine and showed her the pictures and asked her which ones looked yummy. She flipped through the pages slowly and stopped when she got to a page with a recipe for "Genfo." She jumped up and down and hugged me and said, "This one, this one, yummy, yummy!"

As I looked at the recipe I realized that it was an Ethiopian porridge. It is what they would eat for breakfast. She made a big stirring motion to show me how it had been made at the orphanage. I checked the recipe for ingredients and told she and her brother that I could make it for them. The happy dance ensued.

This morning I made my first batch of Genfo and God showed me something in the process.

Genfo is very close to play dough. If you have ever made home made play dough on the stove, you could make Genfo. It has water, flour (I used barley), and salt. It literally becomes the consistency of play dough. It is then placed in an oiled bowl. After taking a spoon and making a crevice in the middle, oil mixed with berbere (an Ethiopian spice similar to chili powder) is poured in the middle of the Genfo.

I looked at Stand-Up Dad and said, "This can't be right. I don't know if they will eat this." I placed it in front of them and they squealed with delight. They ate and giggled happily.

I was amazed. If Genfo had been placed in front of me for breakfast I would have turned up my nose and refused to even try it. I realized that some of the foods we place in front of them must bring the same reaction to their minds. I thought back to all the new foods that they have tried obediently and willingly over the last month and I was humbled and impressed with these two little ones. I will try to remember the Genfo the next time they turn up their nose at something new.

In the end, it is really just what you are used to eating that brings comfort.

My first attempt at Genfo, which my kiddos call "Got."

Happy kiddos! I know Sunshine doesn't look happy, just a bad picture, she ate the whole bowlful!

Sweet Momma

Funny Firsts!

2009-12-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

Sunshine wearing her new bike helmet, elbow and knee pads, and dress up shoes.

As our new little ones adjust to life in America we are amazed at how they view life here. Many experiences that we take for granted I am witnessing through brand new eyes. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Sunshine is very observant and doesn't miss anything. As we drove around in the car at night she was perplexed by all the bright twinkling lights on the houses. She thought they were pretty but did not understand why they were there. We explained that the lights help us to celebrate Christmas. She said, "Ethiopia, Christmas, Yes...No lights. America, EVERYONE Christmas!!!"

Last week she was helping me gather the garbage. We were placing the bags in the garbage can in the garage. She put her fingers on her nose and said, "OOOH Stinky!!" I said, under my breath, not thinking she would understand, "There were a lot more icky smells than that in Ethiopia." She responded, "Oh yes, Ethiopia Stinky!" We then pulled the garbage cans out to the street together and as I turned to go back in the house she paused and said "Mom, what?" As if to say, 'why are we leaving our garbage here?' I realized that she didn't understand about garbage trucks. So I said, "Tomorrow, a big truck will come and take the garbage away." She gave a huge smile and said, "OOOH AMERICA!!! In Ethiopia, we take, we take. But AMERICA, truck!" Even bigger smile.

The next day I was sure to listen for the truck, so that she and her brother could see what happens to garbage in America. As we watched the truck there was more discussion about how stinky it was in Ethiopia and I became a little concerned that she might think that I didn't like Ethiopia. I made sure that I included how much I love Ethiopia. We talked about the beautiful country and people and about her siblings. She ended the conversation with, "I love Ethiopia, but Stinky in Ethiopia." I think a field trip to the dump might be in order.=)

Sweet Momma

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

Here are our latest family portraits. We are thrilled with them and our little ones are so happy to be a part of the picture. When I showed our Christmas card to Sunshine she gave a big smile and joyfully said, "Everyone!!!" Yes, with these little ones here our family is complete. That is something to celebrate!

May you enjoy your Christmas as we focus on the gift of our savior born so long ago.

God bless you all!

Sweet Momma

One Month!

2009-12-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

I was driving to have coffee with friends last night when I realized that today is our one month anniversary of meeting Sunshine and Little Buddy. That was the fastest month of my life. While in Ethiopia I was sharing with Almaz (the wife of the orphanage director) about some of the difficulties we were having with Little Buddy. She said, in her beautiful broken English, "One Month, be better!" She was right. Thank you Almaz.

Don't misunderstand. We are still in the major adjustment phase and I am anxious for them to know more English, but things are so much better than a month ago when they didn't know us and we didn't know them. I think they are doing amazingly well.

Sunshine has proven to be more of a parenting challenge than Little Buddy. Her issues are so emotionally based and come up when you least expect it. She understands much more than her brother about the adoption and I believe is grieving more than he is. She pursued me from the first day to bond with and that has been helpful as we rock and sing and pray together. We have a lot of pictures of their life before America. This has proven to be an invaluable resource as they share their world with us and we lovingly honor their past. Please continue to pray for their transition and that Stand-Up Dad and I could know the best way to meet their needs.

Christmas is a very difficult time to bring new kiddos home. We have tried very hard to stay home and not overwhelm them with too much stimulation. But it is Christmas and we have to celebrate a little bit.

The pictures below show all the fun we have had over the last several days. My favorite memory of the week happened today when I helped them wrap gifts for their siblings. We had not planned on them giving gifts to us as I did not think they would understand why we were doing this. Sunshine has informed me that in Ethiopia, "No presents at Christmas." I sat them both down and talked about the gift that God gave us at Christmas. They are very aware of the whole 'Jesus birth' story. I explained that in America we give gifts to each other to celebrate the gift that God gave to us. I took them in our room and showed them all the Ethiopian clothes that I had purchased for the whole family and asked them if they would like to give these gifts to their siblings and Daddy and I? They were so happy to help wrap the gifts. Tape is so much fun! They were rolling around on the floor giggling, they were so excited!

May God bless you all as you celebrate and delight in the wonder of His birth!

This is the favorite after dinner activity...Climb On Daddy!!!

Sunshine cutting her first sugar cookies

Gingerbread Houses

This tradition confused them, but when they saw all the candy they willingly joined their siblings in the fun!

Sunshine decorating cookies

Little Buddy, painting on the frosting

Sweet Momma

Leotard Man!

2009-12-19T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hi! This is Elsie. Since my parents came home with Sunshine and Little Buddy, I have noticed that Sunshine is definitely a girly-girl. Dress-up is a must. Little Buddy decided he wanted to get in on the fun, despite the fact that he did not like the boy dress-up clothes we have. The girl dress-up worked just fine. You can't tell from the pictures, but in the first two Little Buddy is wearing not one, not two, but six leotards. In the last picture he is wearing Sweet Pea's favorite princess dress while talking with Elmo on the phone. These were his clothes of choice. He cried when it was time to take them off. I'm sure the days ahead will be filled with more playing, lessons in love, and............... dress-up.

Elsie

Christmas Memories in the Making

2009-12-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was fairly busy with many new experiences for our newest family members. Now that we are all feeling better we knew we had to seize the opportunity to go out and get our Christmas tree. It is a tradition in our family to venture to the nearest tree farm, choose a tree and cut it down ourselves. Actually, Stand-Up Dad always cuts it down, but Pumpkin is hoping to help next year. As you can see in the picture, Little Buddy was a bit grumpy that morning. He and Sunshine had gone to the doctor the day before and his leg was hurting badly from the shots he got. Later the same day we were able to attend a Christmas Concert where Sweet Pea sang in the choir. We heard two choirs, a bell choir, an orchestra and a guitar ensemble.

The weather had been very cold and on Sunday afternoon we finally got a little of what we had been waiting for. It started snowing before nap time and after nap the ground was looking white. I asked Little Buddy and Sunshine if they wanted to go out and play. "Yes," was the unanimous answer. So even though it was getting dark they had their first snow experience. They loved it! The big kids even pulled them down the street in the sleds.

Posing at the Christmas Tree Farm

Sweet Pea singing in the choir

First Snowflakes

Sweet Momma

The Way to The Heart...

2009-12-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

It has often been said that "The way to the heart is through the stomach." I know this is often true when trying to win a beau, but I have found it to be true with newly adopted kiddos.

These little people have left everything they know behind in Ethiopia. Everything here is new and different. They have both been doing really well with American food with only a few exceptions. There have been a few new favorites and a few things that they turned up their noses at. Broccoli is definitely an acquired taste.

Stand-Up Dad has been working in Seattle. Yesterday after work he found an Ethiopian market where he could buy injera. This is a bread that looks like a big pancake. It is eaten at most meals in Ethiopia, but is fairly difficult to replicate without Ethiopian ingredients. He bought two big packages, one to freeze and one to keep in the fridge. They were SO excited when they saw what Daddy had brought home. But nothing compared to the excitement of lunch today.

While in Ethiopia I bought some berbere (Ethiopian spice) and shiro powder. I used both of these to make a shiro sauce that is eaten with injera. I boiled eggs to add to the lunch. They often eat boiled eggs that are left whole and cooked in sauces.

When Sunshine saw what was on the plate she pushed her siblings out of the way and ran to me with hugs and kisses of thanks. Such a small thing that means so much to these precious little ones. They thoroughly enjoyed their lunch. Sunshine ate every last bite. After lunch there were more hugs and thank you kisses.

Since we have been home it has been very important to Sunshine and Little Buddy that they have the same food and portion size as everyone else. Today was different. To make the injera last longer I did not serve it to the big kids. They got leftovers. Sunshine was totally OK with it. She said, "Sunshine and Little Buddy, Ethiopia (motioning to her food), they, no Ethiopia!" Big smile, as if to say, "more for me!=)"

Sweet Momma

"Two Ears, America!"

2009-12-12T09:09:00.000-08:00

While in Ethiopia I noticed that Sunshine had pierced ears. While Stand-Up Dad and I were out shopping we bought her a pair of earrings. She squealed with delight when I showed them to her. Sadness soon followed when I realized that one of her ears was completely closed and I could only put in one earring. Many tears and two hours later we were able to have an interpreter explain that there was no longer a hole in one of her ears. We promised her that when we got to America we would have her other ear pierced.

Soon after this discussion she came up to me and said, "Ethiopia, one ear, America, two ears!" I assured her that this was true. It was very funny when we landed in Washington DC and told her that it was America, she turned to me and said, "Two ears, America?" I had to explain that it would be a little later.

The rule at our house has been that our daughters may pierce their ears when they turn ten years old. Our third daughter, Sweet Pea, has been waiting patiently to turn ten. She will be nine years old next month. We decided that she could pierce her ears with her little sister if she wanted to. I also thought it might be a fun memory for these new sisters.

Thursday evening we went to the mall and Sunshine got "Two ears in America!" She didn't even flinch. Sweet Pea was also excited to get earrings over a year early. They both look absolutely beautiful. One more promise kept, times two!

Sweet Momma

Brand New Shoes!

2009-12-10T08:36:00.000-08:00

We are feeling better at our house. Thank you for your prayers. Yesterday I decided that we needed a trip outside of this house that did not involve the doctor. I am a total home body, but six sick children in a house for a week was my limit.

I thought it would be fun to take our newest kids and let them pick out new shoes. Shoes were a huge issue in Ethiopia. I brought gently worn shoes for them as I did not have any idea what size shoe they wore. My thought was that I could just leave whatever shoes did not fit at the orphanage. Of the three pair that I brought for Sunshine, only one fit to her standards. It was a pair of salt water sandals. Little Buddy had a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of light up sandals that I had been given by my sister-in-law. Only one of the shoes actually lighted up, but those shoes were the envy of both children.

Sunshine was very upset by her "unacceptable" shoes. In Tigrinia she said to me, "Where are my light up sandals? Why do I have to wear these ugly shoes?" (This is my best guess, but facial expression and hand gestures are 90% of a conversation.) One day when her brother wasn't looking she put on the light up shoes and wore them for two days. They were too small and she couldn't play soccer in them because it hurt her toes. But hey, a fashion statement is more important than comfort.

It was hard for me to watch and I felt bad knowing that as soon as we got home there would be more shoes than she could wear in a day.

So yesterday I took them to buy their first ever, brand new shoes. Light up shoes were a must. Fortunately I found light up winter boots for them both. Then we saw the glitter shoes. Who can resist red glitter on shoes. That was the color she had to have. Please don't call her Dorothy.=) I also bought Little Buddy some light up tennis shoes that he doesn't want to take off.

We had so much fun taking them into our large pantry, turning off the lights, and watching them light up the room with their new shoes.

Sweet Sunshine has thanked me more times than I can count. She kisses her shoes and says "pretty shoes" over and over. I am so happy to make her feel so happy. I only hope these little things will help her to understand that we love her and will take care of her and she can trust us. I know it takes time, but I am anxious for her and Little Buddy to know it and believe it!

Sweet Momma

Home One Week Today!

2009-12-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has already been a week since we flew in at 11pm to see our home-grown kids and introduce them to their forever siblings. It has truly been a blur.

Between jet lag and sickness, we are hanging in there. As of this moment all 8 of us are sick. 3 on antibiotics, 1 on albuterol for asthma, and the two littlest are running fevers.

In the middle of the night I got up with Little Buddy and realized that he had a fever and began to feel very overwhelmed. Stand-Up Dad was heading back to work today. He is part of a trial (as an attorney, not a defendant) in Seattle and would be very unavailable to me. As I began to worry I was reminded of one of the scriptures that always puts me back in the right perspective.

"You are my refuge and strength, an ever present help in times of trouble. Therefore, I will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

Psalm 46:1-3

"I will be still and know you are God. You, Lord Almighty, are with me. You, God of Jacob, are my fortress."

Psalm 46:10-11

So even though I am still exhausted and sick myself I don't need to worry. The earth has not given way and the mountains have not fallen into the heart of the sea. Even if they had, God promises that He will help me.

We are making some headway with Little Buddy and Sunshine. Things are a little more predictable than they were a week ago. It is so much fun to learn about who these little people are and what makes their hearts sing.

Speaking of singing, they both have beautiful voices and sing and dance every day. They are both very aware of Christmas and baby Jesus. They love playing with our Little People manger scene. We even had the opportunity to celebrate Advent with them last night.

Please pray for health for our whole family. Life just isn't quite right when we are all sick. But I know and believe that God is bigger than any sickness.

Sweet Momma

A Few Fun Pics...

2009-12-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

This has been such a crazy week. We are surviving two grown ups and two little ones with jet lag. I was diagnosed with bronchitis yesterday, so I am not quite myself yet. These are sweet kids that God has placed in our home. There are definitely issues, but I can't wait to see how this all looks in a few weeks.

We are doing very well with food. Today, for lunch, I made Kraft Macaroni and cheese. Did you know that I am the greatest mom ever? Sunshine was thanking me over and over and kissing her food saying, "Good food, thank you Mommy, I love you, Mommy!" So funny! I am glad she liked it, because it is one of the four food groups at our house.

Here are a few pictures that show the fun at our house.

Here is Little Buddy playing piano with M&M while she practiced her Christmas music.

Here they are on their first ever teeter-totter ride. The reason I know that it was their first is that they both tried to sit down backwards! =)

Our poor dog Molly is so neglected that she jumped up into what was left of my lap as I held Little Buddy as he slept.

Here is Pumpkin with his latest and greatest Lego treasure. He loves Legos and got this kit for his birthday.

My Ethiopian Glamour Girl!!!

If anyone was wondering whether she would be a girly-girl, I hope this picture answers the question. I am not sure what her eyes look like, as she is constantly wearing these shades! =)

Sweet Momma