Playing in the snow

What a simply fun time we had this weekend playing in the snow! The kids had a blast. Luke was determined to "make a snowman" but the snow was not cooperating---at all. All the other kids spent all their time sledding up and down our backyard hill. The more they packed it down the faster they went and loved it. The new kiddos continued to say, "Mommy, VERY cold. " When I asked them if they wanted to go in, they said, "NO, its ok. Me play." So, they played and played and played somemore. I tried my body at sled-boarding but fell on my rump. I tried some other moves and the body did not want to cooperate. What is with that? The kids got a laugh out of it.

Today we also had fun with playdoh. A couple of hours of that = mommy got to watch the Packer game. It worked out very well. They made shapes, play food, and tons of other things. Loved it! It is SOO good for kids but not so good for mommy to cleanup. Oh well-- the trade off.

I can't remember if I wrote this or not. Mari'An was trying to explain something to Amelia in English. She tried to switch to Amharic and tell her but the words were not coming out. She stopped, looked at me and said, "Amharic out, English in... I don't know." AHH! She is starting to loose her native tongue. It makes me a bit sad but I know we cannot keep it going as we do not speak it. Maybe someday she can get it back again. ???? We will see what the Lord has in store for her.

All the kiddos are continuing to do very well. I have started teaching Mari'An and Luke their ABC's with sounds and their numbers with adding. They are picking up on it. We will see how all that goes. ??? They are very bright kids.

Dan had a set back in his recovery. He went to the dr on Friday for his one month checkup. His PSA level is down considerably which means there is a VERY high probability that the removal of his prostate got rid of all the cancer. He also learned that his bladder is not emptying because the opening where they sutured it on his bladder is too small. They had to stretch the opening and put a catheter in for the week. NOT A HAPPY MAN- no explanation needed. We really thought the recovery would be quicker. We are so blessed to know the cancer is gone but would like this all behind us. He also was told that further tests need to be done on other parts of his body to check for cancer. Some issues arose and further testing is needed to completely rule anything out. AHHH!! So, next week will be another week of tests and doctor visits. We leave all of this in the Lord's hands. Again not sure why we are here, but hope that we can use this to help someone else and give God the praise and glory in the process. Still frustrating for all of us.

Another week is about to begin. May we be able to touch the hearts of someone in the name of Jesus, May we be better spouses, parents, and friends than last week, and most of all may we grow in spirit to share more about Jesus with others. That is a big task list for the week. hee hee hee

Slide pic

I posted a picture of our new slides and swing set. The kids LOVE them. If it would warm up, the kids could actually play with it. The last swing set lasted about 3 weeks with the new kids. They have never had such a thing and played on it for hours. THey learned how to swing!

Can't wait for spring... so much for global warming.

The snow is coming...

The kids will get their first taste of a Southern Indiana snowfall. It is suppose to snow 3-5" tonight. We are soooo excited! The bad part is that Dan cannot lift over 5 pounds for another 2 weeks. That leaves momma and the boys to do the shoveling..... and there is a lot of it. Oh, well! I need the exercise.

Mari'An and Luke are today's topic of discussion. On Monday, a friend came over to watch the kids so Dan and I could go out. I said to her that Luke will not be any problem and she probably will not even know he is here. Before I left, Mari'An had an issue with Amelia. Mari'An had given her top bunk bed to Amelia about 1 month ago. At that time, I asked M if she was sure that she wanted to give her bed up. She said yes and that she no longer liked to sleep on the top. Well, Monday was another story. She wanted it back and wanted it back NOW. I left telling her that she was not allowed to have it. This made her REALLY mad. Anyway, while we were gone she decided she was not going to listen to the babysitter. She would not take her costume off before she ate lunch, so she did not eat. She was a bit of a stinker. WHen I got home she said she did not cry while I was gone and did not miss me. Well, she gave me a letter that evening that showed a mommy and daddy leaving her at home. I think she was mad at us for leaving. No excuse for bad behavior but I think I understand the reason.
No to Luke. Luke was not the luke we know. He decided to act up like never before. I think he and Mari'An made a pact to be bad. Maybe they think we will not leave again or something. NOT! Luke ended up throwing his toys, breaking stuff, running into J'Dyn's legos...... Just naughty.
We ended up having a long talk with them and they both went to bed. They have been SOOO good I just laugh at this.

We just found out that a family in Louisville just came home with their 4 children from Ethiopia too. Crazy in love with adoption... Hope to track her down to chat.

update on my babies

The kids are doing so well. Here is an update on each one.

Mari'An- She continues to be an amazing child. We were sent a picture book of her family in Africa. We sat down with her and she shared who each person was (mommy Fate, daddy Kedir, and all her siblings.) I asked her where the pix were taken and she said at her home in Africa. She said her house fell down (or maybe someone "boom boomed") and all the houses around her house fell down. So, someone or some group must have taken them out for some reason. ?? I asked her where she slept and she said on the ground with no house above them. The pix are a treasure.

Luke- He is the cutest thing. He thinks it is so funny to tease mommy. I will run after him to kiss him. He puts his hand, pillow, blanket, whatever in front so I kiss it instead of him. Last night he came up to tease and then smacked a real kiss right on my lips. He ran and stuck his face in the blankets on the couch. My shy boy, but sweet as ever. His English is coming along better than expected. I thought he was relying on Mari'an to translate everything and would be the last one to learn English. But, now I think he just wants to speak English only- no more Amharic. He just does not know all the words yet. He speaks more and more each day.

Amelia- She continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Her tantrums and attitudes are completely gone now. She is absolutely gorgeous! She knows she is a princess and acts like it. She likes to be cuddled and needs to be VERY close to us. We call her the pack rat as no matter where she is at, her hands are full of toys or dolls. She needs to have something in her hands at all times. Her English is coming along, a bit slower.

Nadia- Let me just say her smile and eyes help her get out of alot of trouble. She just looks at us with her Nadia grin and we crack up. It is hard to discipline her when she is so darn cute. She said she does not want to wear a diaper. We will see where that goes. I am not sure I am ready for potty training. One day at a time.

Joshua is just a wonderful kiddo. He absolutely loves his new sibs. He plays with them, tries to help them learn, and just wants to help them. We are surprised at this because we never thought he was a baby kind of kid. The Lord is doing something amazing in his heart and we are so proud of him.

Kayleb- He is our teacher. He has helped them learn to ride bikes, swing, rollerblade, etc. His goal is to teach them everything and then go play. We have added slides to our deck which are a blast. K loves the outdoors and will do anything to get out there. He wants to teach the new kiddos all about outside.

J'Dyn- She continues to love having sisters to play with. Her hair has never seen so many bows, clips, and ponies in all her days. The new girls are teaching her how to be a girl. She did not have a chance with just the boys. :) She lost her 2nd tooth on Dec 31. YEH!

Christmas

Christmas was a basket full of emotions this year. The surprise and unknown expressions on the new kids faces was absolutely priceless. They never had a Christmas and every litttle thing was a new adventure. They were blown away by all the gifts and just kept asking, "More for ME?" They loved the boxes that the gift came in and wanted to save the wrapping paper.

A friend of Dan's sent the kids books. What a thoughtful gift for them! We love to read to them so it was a perfect gift. We are so grateful for friends.

We took the kids to see Christmas lights - which they loved.

We just had a great time with them. They, I hope, will remember their first Christmas. Now it is time to put the toys together.

We are looking forward to a new 2010.

Dan's update

Dan continues to get better and better each day. The recovery is not as quick as he thought it would be but he is doing well. He is still swollen and bruised, which we did not expect at all. He also gets frustrated as he is limited in his activities esp. how much he can lift- 5 pounds. His mind wants him to get up and run but his body says, NO WAY.

He went for his first follow up blood test and we will know the results on the 7th. He also went for his follow up at the cardiologist. More tests on his heart and we will know the results this week. This all has been extremely overwhelming at times. We never expected to be in this place. We pray that the Lord will use this all for good and that we will be able to help someone else who is in our position.

Looking forward to 2010.