When it rains...

Today is Monday, and it's hard to believe we've been home 3 days now. The transition with the kids has gone amazingly well! Especially when you consider all the 'drama' we've faced: our basement had standing water in the mechanical room when we returned. It appears the HVAC sump pump stopped working. The result? Mold growing behind the baseboards and sheet rock in a corner where 4 rooms meet....you can imagine the mess that is! Jeff has cut out the moldly parts already. The cardboard boxes my Christmas trees were in, ruined...the floor will have to be taken up in a part of Jeff's office, no one can play in the basement, Jeff had to move his office upstairs, etc...having to face that the very first day back.......blech!

The ice maker keeps freezing up, an inch of ice had to be cleared from the bottom of the freezer yesterday. Today, a leak under the kitchen sink. This morning, a very scary near car accident for Julie (someone pulled out in front of me, I had to stand on the breaks, swerve to avoid T-boning them...fortunately, went through some grass and dirt, no damage done, but what a freak out!). Let's see, what else......Josh crashed on his scooter showing off (no big deal, really, just a scrape.) But honestly, it seems more than mere coincidence at this point!

So, please pray for our family's protection and God's continued grace as we adjust to life together with our three new blessings!

Due to some privacy concerns, I have removed some personal information from our blog, including the full names of our handpicked kids. Long story short, in our case, we have evidence that there could be some unwanted contact in the future that would most definetely not be in the best interest of our children. For their emotional well-being, we are taking steps to prevent that from happening. For those who have adopted before, this subject is a complicated one I know. There's no need to share further details here, and there's nothing to worry about, but this seems a prudent step to take based on our particular situation.

Now, on to more pleasant things. Kids are eating well. They love eggs, oranges and bananas, corn, avacados...and they'll eat p.b.&j. and mac n cheese, even if it's not their favorite. The little one eats more than her older sister by far. We keep expanding our shared vocabulary, but we've got a long way to go. Today we started doing some simple chores together. A. (boy) wasn't too excited about it, but he eventually went along with it. When I was cleaning the floor with W., that's when I saw the water leak under the sink.

I bought helmets and new shoes for them yesterday, in part so they could ride some scooters we have. T. gave her new shoes a big hug and smiled so sweetly. A. and T. both said thank you more than once. Little W. was busy stomping on her shoes, as her's light up.

A. was sad when we went on a short walk in our neighborhood yesterday, and asked to visit the house of a friend who was adopted at the same time he was. I tried to explain how far away from here she lived (about an 18 hour drive), and used the word 'plane'. Then he got it and his little face just fell. I felt sorry for him, so today we sent his friend an email picture. It's so hard to explain even simple things to these children at this point!

I'll probably take the children to church this week. I think they'll be ready, and I'll have my homemade kids be their 'buddies' in their classes. I'm so thankful their orphanage did a good job of introducing them to Jesus. (They call him Yay-zus). They know several praise songs in Amharic and are quick to bow their little heads and clasp their hands before meals and at bedtime. They are watching the Jesus Film in Oromo-Arsi as I type. I'll be buying the Children's version in Amharic for them, which I'm sure they'll love.

It is a little exhausting at times to have to constantly watch them. They don't know what mail is, or where to color with crayon (not on furniture!), to not ride an adult bicycle, to not pet the bunnies' ears backwards, etc etc etc. But how could they know? They've never been where there were 'things' and they are only curious. So we have to be kind and patient, but consistent and firm. One day this stage will be over, but for now, I don't trust them on their own anywhere.

We are bonding well. They compete over my attention, and I'm careful to give it equally, not letting one of them 'win' while the other gets left out (though it seems that's what they want at times.) The girls are great big sisters, and Josh is making a real effort to find things he and A. can share. Jonathan graduates on Saturday, and I'll leave Josh and our handpicked kids at home with Grandma Jane. If I had a few more weeks with them under my belt, I'd take them along. But it's just too soon at this point.

Here's a few pictures. One was done in Addis Ababa right before our embassy appointment. The other I took this morning. Thanks again for your prayers. As evidenced by all our 'drama', we still need them!

Blessings,
Julie