Much to be thankful for in 2011

We have had some much needed time together as a family over the last few weeks.  Christmas this year was a break from the daily routine that goes with having 2 toddlers at home, 2 girls in elementary school, 2 girls in middle school, 1 son in high school and a husband that puts in many hours at work.  I'm so thankful that we have been able to enjoy time together playing, eating, and just "being" as we have been pondering our Saviors birth.

Here are some things that have been happening around our house...

* Buche has been announcing to us his name.  He says his first, middle and last name.   I love to hear his full name come from his mouth.  After he say's his full name, he tells me all of his brothers and sisters full names and then mine and Ryan's.  It's like he has decided in his heart that he is one of us. He is part of this family. It's a hard to explain the beautiful feeling that comes over me as I hear him include our last name when he tells me who what his name is.

*  We've spent time ice skating on our lake.  It is a blessing watching all 7 of my kiddos "play" together on the ice.  B & B think it's quite amazing to walk on the lake.

* A big part of our heritage is Norwegian.  My grandpa was born in Norway and came over as an young teenager.   Part of this heritage is "Krumkake" at Christmas time.  If you don't know that krumkake is - it is a waffle type Norwegian cookie.  It's really, really yummy! This year, when the Krumkake came out our 9 year old wrinkled her nose and said ..."yuck ... Krumkake just doesn't sound good!".  Now, I think it was only our family that was laughing at with her.  "Kahkah" (which sounds like the second half of that cookies' pronunciation) is what our little Ethiopians do in the toilet. :)

*  We were able to celebrate Christmas with family ... grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins... I couldn't ask for more.  I treasure time with family.

*  B & B got a little leap frog "phone" for Christmas.  They walk around the house with it telling us it their i pod.  Guess that is what happens when you have an older brother and sister.

And, we forgot our camera at a Christmas celebration that we were at, or I'd have pictures to share with you ... oh well ... maybe later.

So today, as we close the year of 2011 I can not help but to be overflowing with Thankfulness!  2011 has been a year like none other has been.  So many changes, so many blessings, so much stretching and hopefully  growing has been done over this last year.  It has been a year that seems like emotions have been all over the board!  Bring on 2012... we're ready.  Happy New Year, friends!

Praying for this guy today ...

You may follow Adeye at No Greater Joy Mom already.  She has been advocating for children that are soon to age out of their orphanages.

This is Kyle.  Please join me in praying for him.  Time is running out for this young man. You can read more about him here.

One Year Ago Today ...

  Anniversary's.  There are anniversary's of things that are fun to celebrate and there are anniversary's of days that were very hard days and it's hard for our hearts to think back to those days.   

A few days ago it was my parents anniversary.  They have been married for 41 years.  I am so thankful for the legacy that they are leaving for our family.  I'm sure that they can think back to the last 41 years and come up with many memories.  I love you dad and mom!

Yesterday was the anniversary of Ryan's dad's passing.  Dec 22nd was a hard day.  It had been a few hard months leading up to that day.  It is still a hard day as we think back to that loss.  Words can not do any justice to the pain that is involved when a son looses his dad.

There are new anniversary's that are a part of our lives ... like the anniversary that our sons were relinquished to their orphanage.  Like the day we passed court and an Ethiopian judge said "they are yours". 

I have a special anniversary playing over in my heart today.  

First, let me take you back many years ago.  I first approached Ryan about us adopting like ... 10 years ago or so.  He said no, that was not for us. At times I had given up, but yet there was this tug on my heart that just would not disappear. But waiting is soooooo very hard!

 Speed ahead to December 23, 2010.    At this point God had spoke to Ryan's heart and we had started the adoption process.  We had our home study done and our dossier was submitted to Ethiopia.  One year ago today ... in the afternoon ...I pulled up the "waiting list" of children from our agency.  Children's photos that were waiting to be adopted populated my screen.  And, there they were.  Our sons.  I knew it then.  I know it now.  Emotions have wavered.  Some moments of this journey have hurt my heart like I didn't know a heart could hurt.  Some moments have been the most joyous moments ever.  Some times I have trusted fully in my God who has clearly been writing this story.  Some moments I have grabbed the reigns myself and tried to run the show.  I'm so thankful for an unchanging, always steady God.  I'm so thankful for the family He has blessed me with.

This is it... this is the picture that I first saw.  

I took a picture of my computer screen that displayed this picture and texted it to Ryan.  Then I quickly called him.  You see, we were thinking at this point that we were going to choose to adopt a child...as in (1) one.  It has taken 10 years for Ryan decide this.  But, God had different plans.  He had two amazing little boys on the other side of the world that He already knew where our sons.

When I got Ryan on the phone I said ..."I want you to look at the picture I just texted you and I want you to keep an open mind.  I think I just looked at a picture of our sons".  Sons!!!! as in plural was his response.

It has been an amazing year of growing and stretching and loving more than I ever knew we could.  Jesus has shown up in Mighty Ways!  

Last year (just a day before I saw a picture of my little guys for the first time) I was reflecting in this blog post on how we were preparing for Christmas and pondering when we would welcome our "little one" into our celebration.  

Last year as I sat singing Christmas songs with my family at Church on Christmas Eve I remember closing my eyes and pondering ... would I have our new "little one" on my lap next year on Christmas Eve to sing with me?  God knew  ... it was not a surprise to Him that this Christmas Eve we will have TWO new little ones to join us in singing this Christmas Eve. 

For those of you who are waiting this year ... waiting for your children to come home or for something else... Plain and Simple ...It's hard!   I can not do anything or say anything to change the feelings or make it better.  But I know that strength does rise as we wait upon the One who is writing the story.

 Merry Christmas from our home to yours the Christmas!  May we all ponder the good news and great joy that Jesus is to each of us.

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you; You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger".  Luke 2:10-12

Giving Thanks

I took my four youngest kiddos to McDonald's today.  After they ate their Happy Meals I went to the bathroom to change the boys' diapers while the girls started playing.  I had a conversation in the bathroom with my little Buche.

Let me take you back a to just a few months ago.  We got home with the boys on June 26th.  That means that they have been home for 21 weeks.  I don't think I've ever blogged about this, but our plane ride from Ethiopia to home was ... well ... awful!  It was terrible!  I'm not sure if I've wanted to forget about it and that is why I've not blogged about it - or if I just didn't have the words to describe the 25 plus hours of planes and airports.

We left our guest house in the early evening hours.  We made a trip to the grocery store to pick up some Addis Tea.  I wanted to get things that the boys were familiar with so that when we got home I could give them familiar things...something that might comfort them.  They loved dipping their "dabbo" in tea. They still do!  Besides getting in a small fender bender with a large rock in the parking lot of the grocery store which got our driver who spoke no English into a long and what sounded like an angry conversation with a man that came out of the grocery store the car ride to the airport was uneventful.  I just remember holding tight to my little boy and telling Ryan to do the same.

We had the boys in carriers in the front of us.  Buche thankfully fit in his with his hip-spika cast he was sporting from the upper femur break that had just happened a few days previous.  It was just the day before we left for home that he had been put completely under general anesthesia to get him in that large cast!  Ryan and I were determined to push our own bags because our previous trip through the airport had cost us quite a bit of money.  At the Addis airport you are quickly surrounded by men that want to carry your bags for you.  But, the last men who we had carry our bags had requested a lot of money and for the sake of arguing we ended up just giving them it.

We made it through check-in.  We made it to the hallway floor, where we sat and had a Coke.  Then we spilled the Coke all over the floor.  I was feeling stressed.  I was feeling happy.  I was feeling sad.  I was feeling overjoyed.  I was feeling crabby.  You know that feeling, or is just me???

I decided to change the boy's diapers.  We found a bathroom and I took Burka in first.  Then Buche.  They both cried the whole time I had them on the diaper changer.  I went as quick as I could.  The lady that was cleaning the bathroom came over and rubbed their heads as she said "becka (baa-kaw)"while I changed them.  I had learned by now that everyone didn't know my son Burka's name because that is what it sounded like they were saying, but rather they were telling my child that "it is over - it is finished".  The nurses said this to Buche when we were in the hospital.  The doctors said it to him too.  This lady in the bathroom was just telling my son that the diaper changing was finished and he could stop screaming.  

But, this trip home was far from finished!  We boarded our plane late after a very trying, L O N G wait in the terminal.  At least it seamed long to me.  To finish it off one of the boys went "kah kah" in their diaper right as we were finally getting to board.  Ryan quickly changed it - right there in the terminal.  We tried to hide so that people didn't have to watch, but did get a few dirty looks anyway.    

Diaper changed, we boarded the plane.  I have to say, the boys did sleep a bit on the plane ride to Amsterdam.  So did my legs.  From the very first time we met the boys Buche was drawn to me and Burka to Ryan.  Although we had a seat for each of the boys, they didn't sit in them much and Buche was my boy ... bless his heart.  But, that cast was miserable, for both him and me. When he did fall asleep I didn't dare move him .. AT ALL.  So, I'm quite sure that there was NO blood flow to my legs.  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to walk again, but what do you do when you are on a plane with a little guy that you know if you wake him up the whole plane will be awake because sitting quietly and reading a book was NOT going to happen.  

We made it Amsterdam.  Then we went to McDonalds.  It was yummy.  We all thought so...

...but looking back at these pictures I can see the fear in my babies eyes.  I knew they were scared.

We left the Amsterdam airport and I'll spare you the details of that plane ride to the states, but it was not pretty.   We had two little boys that were doing everything they could to control life at that point.  And, I don't blame them one bit!   But, it wasn't making life very easy ... or what at times even felt tolerable.  

One of the tricky parts about riding in airplanes for hours on end with little ones in diapers was changing them.  The little diaper changing table in the little bathroom went about as well as changing the boy's diapers at the Addis airport where the kind Ethiopian lady told my babies "becka".  It was a smaller space to change them in, but not a smaller scream from them as I was doing it.  

At one point the lady in front of me turned around to congratulate us.  I was thankful she wanted to congratulate us and not ask me to control my sons.  She was a sweet lady and I know she just wanted to encourage us.  I couldn't respond with anything other than tears. Later, after I had kind-of composed myself I told her thank you.  She said, "oh... you have a beautiful family and I'm praying for you."   That made me cry even harder ... happy tears.  

The gentleman behind us told us about how he had also adopted and their plane ride looked much the same as our was going.  He assured us of one thing ... we would make it.  We would make it to the point when we could get off the airplane and regroup.  And we did.  We  landed, made it through customs and had some awesome friends waiting for us at the airport to bring us home.  We were ever so thankful!

We made it.  It was not pretty.  But, we made it and it was worth every minute.

Now, speed ahead to today in the McDonald's bathroom.  I had a conversation with my little Buche as I was changing his diaper on the diaper changer.  He started the conversation.  This is what he said, "mommy ... airplane ... Ethiopia ... Buche .... scared ... Burka ... Daddy .... airplane ... Ethiopia ... scared"  Again, I found myself in tears, but today I found myself in tears looking into my sons eyes whose eyes were telling me that he wanted me to comfort him.  He wanted a hug.  He wanted me to hold him.  He said "I love you mommy".   So much has changed.  

Can't image how I would act if I were in my son's shoes on that airplane ride just a few short months ago.  But, I believe that those moments mold me into being a better parent.  I need to remember I don't know much at all about the first years of my son's lives. It reminds me that I can not judge people on how they act... because I have not walked the road they have.  

Indeed so much has changed and now I see much more of these types of faces instead of the scared faces I saw just a very short time ago.  I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Another way to Bring Love In

Hey friends! This is exciting!  You can now purchase your Bring Love In T Shirt!  They are now in the Bring Love In Store.  I think it's an awesome way to help support Bring Love In's mission to create forever families for orphans while employing widows in Ethiopia as well as a way to be able to share about the ministry while wearing your T shirt.  

Here's what the front looks like ...

And, here's the back!

Check it out at www.bringlove.in

If you do not follow Levi's blog, check it out.  I love reading as he shares from his heart and tells the story of his families life in Ethiopia as they are on the journey that God has them.  He always seems to have me laughing and crying while reading his posts.

And, keep watching the store.  There are some amazing metal art pieces coming in soon!