Catching up part 1

We have had such a good time lately that blogging has been neglected. But we are starting to get back into the swing of routine. So much has happened in the last month and a half. The boys are doing so well. Their English is wonderful. I can't even tell you how much they have learned. They are my heroes and my inspiration. I can tell you that I will be a very different teacher this year. I am coming at teaching with a whole new perspective. They will have made me a more effective, compassionate, patient, and repetitive teacher.

I am going to break this into a couple of posts. Updates on events, behavior, and how parenthood has changed me.

So first this is what we have been up to.

In July we had Dawit's Birthday party. We were expecting total meltdowns from both of them and to our surprise, they were both patient and extremely well-behaved. We were blessed with the presence of many close friends and family. We tried to keep it a kid oriented party; so we invited family and friends with kids.

Blowing out his candles.

So excited for his car.

After his birthday was done and over with we started getting Sintayehu ready to go to camp at forest home. He was up there for a week. I wasn't comfortable with him spending the night, even though a very close friend was up there with him. So we dropped him off at 7:00 in the morning and Nick picked him up around 9:30 at night. On Wednesday, Nick went up as the male counselor and he was able to spend the last two nights up there. He loved it. I am not sure how much of the biblical message he understood, but the social aspect was wonderful. He was able to hang out with 300 kids that were the same age. He had to make choices, be responsible, and make friends. The experience was priceless and he made memories and bonds that helped him feel more welcome in the US. He realized he had commonalities with these kids even though he has grown up with a completely different background.

The hike to their tent.

Straight into the pool

Meanwhile, Dawit and I had a very busy week. We went to the water park with a great friend and her two kids. Dawit is right in the middle of their ages. It was 113* that day and even the water felt hot. The kids had a great time and it was wonderful to be able to have some time with another adult. We also went to the circus, where my camera died, but Dawit was amazed the entire time. His eyes were big and the smile was huge. All of the kids around us were asking for glow in the dark necklaces Dawit wanted the motorcycle that they were riding in the globe.

My silly boy with his peanut butter sandwich.

Yes, we are sitting outside the park eating because we are CHEAP. They want $7 for a hotdog...CRAZY!

It was Nick's Birthday while they were at camp so Dawit and I made a cake and a birthday banner for him. We had a delicious dinner and the boys behaved very well all day for Daddy.

That following weekend we went to Camp Pendleton to camp with some great friends of ours. We had so much fun. Their were three families and the kids all got along great. It was a great time. It was some much needed connection with other families. We are so thankful to have the Brownings and Harris' in our lives. They fill our cups when they are low. Every family needs a few great people in their lives to help you keep going. They are ours. The kids swam in the ocean, flew kites, kayaked in the bay and we all went to see Toy Story 3. And of course, there were the campfires, where trivia, stories and jokes were being told. And the trip was topped off by a dolphin show in the waves not more than twenty feet out.

Kayaking with the crew.

Kids at Pizza Port in Carlsbad.

We celebrated my dad's birthday when we got home on Sunday. It was nice to swim and relax and of course, eat a delicious meal. It was a great evening and my whole family was there which is hard to do these days. The boys had fun playing in the pool with the family and my dad seemed so happy to have everyone home for his birthday.

The next day the boys and myself were treated to the aquarium of the pacific by the Rosenbaums. They are this amazing family, who also just grew their family through Ethiopia, that live close by and are friends with very old family friends of ours. It is amazing the connections being made. We had a great time. Our boys enjoy their boys so much and little Ruby is just a little princess. I am praying that a deep friendship will develop with this family.

Sintayehu loved the seals. He told me he wants to swim with the seals for his next birthday. Dawit was in love with the "Scudda divers" I can't wait to break out our equipment and let them try it in the pool.

Feeling the sting rays and sand sharks.

Sintayehu's profile and the jellyfish.

He loved watching all of the animals.

We enrolled Sintayehu in school last week. He is so exited. He brings it up several times a day. He was assigned a teacher and we tried to find his classroom but was denied access to the campus. Oh well, I think we might go check it out this weekend just to get some jitters and anxiety out. We got all of his school shopping done except for some clothes that he needs. He has grown so much in five months. 4.5 inches and 16 pounds. It's no wonder his legs hurt.

Last weekend was Sintayehu's "11th American Birthday". His real birthday is March 14th but all of the legal paperwork says August 7th. This is quite a big deal for a kid, but that is for a later post. We started the celebrations Friday night in Los Angeles. We went to Little Ethiopia and let him choose which restaurant he wanted. We can highly recommend Rosalind's and the Merkato. Meals by Genet is a little pricier and has more of a European flare to it but the food is delicious. But he wanted to try a new place so we went to the Little Ethiopian Restaurant. It was small but the service was excellent as well as the food. They all doted on our little men. After they found out it was his birthday they brought out a full birthday cake with 11 candles and some Ethiopian coffee and chai. DELICIOUS!!! You have not had good coffee till you have had freshly roasted Ethiopian coffee. The men sitting in the bar each congratulated him and gave him money with their handshakes. He was excited. The people are beautiful and there are few better activities than listening to the comfort of the boys speaking in their native tongue. It is a warming feeling, and I feel privileged to be part of it. We gave Sintayehu an Ethiopian drum for his birthday that we bought while in country. When Dawit asked to play with it, he said,"yes, but be very careful, this is very special to me." It brought tears to my eyes to hear the excitement and gratitude in his voice. We were also honored to have two of the three grandmas with us on this trip.

The family meal.

MMMMM... Chai "pronounced shy"

My Love

The little drummer boy. They both had a surprising amount of rhythm. (You should see them dance. People will blame us for their lack of skills :) )

Well that takes us up to last weekend. I will finish tomorrow because I am exhausted.

And just because it was so funny to see all three of them in the little blow up pool. Right after the final World Cup Game.

Five Years Old

Yesterday was Dawit's Birthday.

He woke up very excited. After I told him Happy Birthday, at 5:45 when he crawled in bed, he stood up and said, "I'm big!!" He looked down at me with a big ole' smile on his face. This birthday idea is new and he was so excited and anxious he was on the verge of tears all day. We ate his favorite breakfast; waffles and Chai. Then he played on the computer for a while.

I was happy for him but five years old sounds so much bigger than four. Silly I know, but I am sad they are growing up. It was a year ago that we saw their beautiful faces and fell in love with them. His face has changed so much in a year. He looked like a baby in the referral pic and he looks like a elementary school kid now :)

Well later that morning Grandma Kathy surprised us with a short visit and a Curious George Baseball bat. Then we joined Poopa for lunch to celebrate both of their birthdays. The boys were able to play in an arcade for the first time. They choose air hockey a couple of times and it was fun to watch them play each other.

We ran to the store to get some ingredients for an Ethiopian Cuisine and then home again. Uncle Josh came over with a remote control car for the birthday boy. He loved it. He played with it for a good long.

Daddy finally came home and we ate a meal of turkey kulet, vegetable aleecha, sambusas, injera, and lentils. And then we had cake... It was so funny to watch his little face blow out the candles, not once, not twice, but three times. First on accident and then again just for fun. And then we gave him his big Tonka truck. His eyes lit up to the size of saucers. He was so excited.

It is so amazing to think that God hand picked our family. A year ago we were trying to apply for our sons and this year they are out of the orphanage celebrating their life with us, their family. God is so amazing, so great, so wonderful, so perfect. I know it's hard to trust when life seems so uncertain, but our God is faithful. His plan is perfect, His time is perfect, He is perfect. Thank you God for being so big. Thank you for loving and caring for us. Loving us enough to give us this absolute gift of life. I am sorry for the worry and the doubt. Please forgive me for the questioning and self pity. Please help me to remain strong in my faith during the hard times as well as the great. But most of all please let your love and grace shine through me for all to see. Help me to sing your praises every day of the year.

Racing at the arcade

Uncle Josh is caring for baby Marta

New present

Ethiopian cuisine

Feeding each other... Ethiopian Style

Zega Jue?... are we ready?

Making a wish and blowing out the candles

Happy Birthday

This is mine?

The smile says it all

Momma I love it

MIA from the blogworld

Yes I am apologizing. Not that many people read this... I keep it mostly for myself. But we have been just enjoying our family so much that by the time everyone is in bed, I am beat which means no time for blogging. Our boys are growing leaps and bounds. We are getting ready for the little man's birthday this weekend. He is so excited. The excitement seems to get the best of him some times and melt-downs happen. Oh well.

We have seen some regression in Dawit's behavior; ie: thumb-sucking, needing to be held and cuddled more, being rocked to sleep at night. Our therapist told us this was actually a good sign. She explained that he is letting down his guard and is depending on us, which means attachment is occurring. Yeah!!!

Sintayehu on the other hand is becoming more independent. He is playing with age appropriate toys and games and doesn't want the baby stuff like he did when he first came home. Again Big Yeah!!!! Their English amazes me. They can both speak in complete sentences. Questions get all mixed up but we get the gist of the question. I get a little worried when they talk to others. I totally understand what they are saying but through the accents and the jumbled sentences, some people get very confused. But they are learning.

We are going to the beach tomorrow. It will be our first official day at the beach. We went to San Diego but it was a quick ocean trip. Basically exposed them and took pics and left. So it will be fun to play in the water. It's supposed to be cold so who knows how it will end. Their temperature tolerance is very small.

I have two bike riders now. They both can ride with out training wheels. They were very excited. I think Dawit was just as excited for Sintayehu to ride as he was for himself.

Nick and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary last week. We went to a Grease sing a long at the Hollywood Bowl with some very good friends. It was great to be able to have a second glass of wine and grown up talk with out any interruptions. I didn't realize Nick and I don't have full conversations anymore. They are usually only 1-2 sentences interrupted by questions, whining, or fighting. So we decided the kids are going to bed earlier so we can have some husband/wife time. It was really hard leaving the kids. And they did not seem to like being left behind. They had fun with Grandma, but their feelings were hurt.

We celebrated the fourth of July with lots of swimming and eating. Dawit slept through the fireworks. Sintayehu's amazed face was priceless. Like a bonehead, I didn't take any pictures so that beautiful expression will be burned in my and Nick's memory forever

We are utilizing the free/cheap activities around. We have been to the movies, concerts in the park, played the drums at the library and there is much more to come. It has been so fun spending time with them. I love being a mom. It is the second greatest thing ever. The first is being a wife. I am so abundantly blessed by God's grace and graciousness.

ps. if you are waiting to bring home your kiddo/s, hold on the end is close and it's all a distant memory once they are in your arms. It is the greatest gift God will give you.

Wahoo the little wheels are gone

Yep, all three men in the house got matching tattoos

Level 3 percussion at the library. These were the coolest drums, sound shapes.

Look No Training Wheels!

Excited about his new overalls

Catching ants for the toads

My baby

Perspective

Since beginning the process of adopting and blogging, I have been obsessed with reading the details, dates, and progress of adoptions all over the world. I have read about God's work for the orphans, seen many types of fundraising, and triumphant unions that seemed hindered by Satan himself. In the end, all of the stories are joyful. In the end God wins. The families are united with their new son or daughter or both. Praise and rejoicing is called for. God has done what seemed impossible.

Today I was a couch potato and through facebook, one thing lead to another and I ended up on a blog much different than my usual suspects, click here if you would like to read about Sarah Jones journey through motherhood. While her journey started seven years ago with her son growing in her own belly, they have had to pray, trust, and fund raise for a different reason. Their son was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis and Prune Belly disease. He has spent his life fighting to breathe. If you read their story have tissue nearby. It hits you in the gut and makes you cry. The end of Conner' life is soon. They are fundraising not to start a new life but to commemorate one that is ending. If you would like to donate to Conner's funeral costs please go to their page and donate on the left hand side. They are 84% of the way there and he is in his final moments. These parents are fighters. They are believers. They are dedicated. They are parents preparing to say good by to their 7 year old son. Donate $5, $10, $100 whatever you can to ease there journey.

Today I woke up feeling thankful for our own blessings; after reading their story thankful isn't even close to the word to use.

Summer, Father's Day and 3 months in America

This last week was pretty busy. We are officially on Summer Break. Yahooooo!!!! That means that I get to spend all my time with the boys. I love it. No more leaving them to go to work. Dawit is starting to realize that I will be here in the mornings. He comes running in, anywhere between 3:30 and 7:00 saying "Mommy no work? Daddy go work?" Even though we are loosing sleep; life couldn't be better. And the improvement in behavior and attitudes has been huge. They still get mad; but who doesn't? Consistency is definitely a big deal in their behavior.

We celebrated 3 months home last week. The boys have officially been in our care longer than in CHI's. But unfortunately not their orphanage. (we have 16 more months before that is true) We are getting ready for Dawit's birthday party. He talks about it often. He picked a curious George theme.

My Little Monkey is turning 5

He even prays for a happy George party. It's very cute when he inserts it in the middle of his Amharic prayer. I love it. He usually gets a goofy grin on his face after he changes the prayer. And then will say, "pray like mommy daddy".

HUGE progress with Sintayehu this week. He officially stopped saying he doesn't like America. Again, just jinxed myself but what a great thing. He even said America was on his top 5 list of great things. Below Praying to God, Learning, and family; but it ranked above eating :) Talk about priorities. He has his figured out better than most adults. He is anxiously waiting to do some traveling this summer. Our vacations have to be short/cheap this year due to the traveling to Ethiopia, but we can do some great California trips.

We made our first Ethiopian meal and I got two thumbs up from the boys. Sintayehu wanted to share his food with the families in our Bible study. So we made Kulet (usually beef but we did turkey stew), miser wat (without much pepper), and Amharic. The Miser wat was "perfect" according to Sintayehu, and the others got a "thanks for trying" but in the end they liked them more than the ones they had at the local Ethiopian Restaurants. Sintayehu wants to start taping our meal attempts and put them on You Tube for other adoptive families. So that is our next adventure :)

Father's day went really well. We celebrated with Nick on Saturday. We went to Big Bear to a deserted mining town. Sintayehu was in 7th heaven. With all of the history and explanations of the years and events, he couldn't stop smiling. And Dawit liked climbing on the rocks. On Sunday, we hung out at my parent's house with my family and Bar-b-qued and swam, according to Sintayehu, it was the best day because it was church and family (there are those priorities again). We took some cute pics for presents for father's day

Old Mine in Holcomb Valley

Climbing on Rocks in Holcomb Valley

Compliment or Insult?

So our youngest is fascinated with Kaa-Kaa. He goes several times a day, takes a long time and likes to say goodbye to it when he flushes it down the drain.

Yesterday, after going #2 he stood up to study his Kaa-kaa. He informed me that there were three. He then made me look at the kaa-kaa. "See Mom" he begins to say. "See what?" I ask. "It's Mom, Dawit and Baby(doll) and they are holding hands." Well, sure enough they were decreasing in size and all touching.

He wouldn't let me flush it. So, we let it sit for a few hours till some one else needed to use the toilet. He was very sad to see it go.

I don't know what that means... He identifies me with his kaa-kaa. Oh well!!! I guess that could be a compliment. Kaa-kaa is dependable, relieving, and healthy. If that's how he views me, that's great.

90

Last weekend we celebrated Papa's 90th Birthday. It was a great evening. Our boys were able to meet most of their cousins, aunts and uncles. Many family members flew in from Chicago to be with Papa on his day. Here are some photos from the day.

"The Big Man"

Enjoying the speech

Still in-love

Gammie (You only make it to 90 with the love of a great woman)

A special song from Emily

Uncle Tom and Aunt Buda

Most of the Great-Grandchildren

The Whole Gang

Happy 90th Papa!!!