It's officially official!

Despite a bout of stomach illness the night before, I wasn't about to reschedule the proceedings for the state of Missouri to recognize our Ethiopian adoption on Monday. I am just now getting to post the pics and story because I felt awful!!! It was fairly simple and we had Dawit's name changed to Dawit Curtis and his birthdate changed to March 28 (according to what his mom told us.) So now we are officially a family of 8 according to the US! Now we just have to finish homestudies and do their citizenship paperwork to be oh so much closer to the end of paperwork!!

On another note, we did have bloodwork redone on the boys. There was good news and the same news. Dawit's work came back clear. Muluken's was confirmed to be what we thought. Again, this is not anything that we can't deal with, but it will be lifetime for him and doctor's visits with a specialist a couple of times a year at least. Just continue to pray for our family as we continue to live life with a blended family!! We love them all soooo much!! I hope to post some more, but I am fairly busy with my new job and just life with 6 kids! Sorry for the lack of posting.....

Steph

First post adoption meeting

Today we had our first homestudy meeting post adoption. It seems that everything is going so well. We are all melding into our life together. The kids play like best friends and fight like brothers and sisters!!! She was quite impressed by how they got along! We really have been blessed by our transition. We have had to adjust to the amazing amount of laundry and food that we eat, but other than that it has been an overall good adjustment. I still look forward to more of the stories that the boys have to tell us. I know that as they speak more English that they will be able to answer questions that we may have about their lives. It is so hard to think of them being in Ethiopia and the lives that they once had. They are truly our boys and part of our lives now. BUT I know they carry around memories and characteristics from their families and their homeland.

We had parent-teacher conferences this week. The boys are doing great. Their grades are modified, because they receive a lot of help right now, but we have already seen so much improvement in their ability to understand and read. Dawit even reads books and takes accelerated reader tests on them. He reads at about a 1st grade level, but that is soooo awesome to me! Their math grades were not modified and they both have B's!!! Overall, they are really coming along after only 8 weeks of school! Of course, our other kids are blowing it out of the water too! I am so happy that they do well. God has blessed us.

On a sad note....I ran out of my Ethiopian coffee last week!!! BOO HOO!! Let me tell you...I loved it and now I have to try to find some that tastes as good. I do know of some from Rwanda calles Thousand Hills. I may have to go back to that!!!

Finally a post!

Well it's been a little while, but I am back! The boys are doing great and Dawit has read books and tested in A. R. even! He is doing great in school. Things are going better for Muluken too. He continues to recognize more words and is doing better in Math as well. As far as the home front goes, we have all learned a little more about dealing with each other. I react to any given situation better and the boys are not throwing as many fits or having as many outbursts. We are all understanding things just a little better. One day at a time...sweet Jesus! So much has happened in the last few weeks....

Our church had a shower for the boys. They loved on us a little more and gave us clothes, toys, gift cards and all kinds of stuff! They were great! I have been working for the last two weeks. This is my first weekday off! soooooo I am cleaning house and catching up on emails, facebook and of course, the blog! I will really like my job once I feel like I know what I am supposed to do! My first paycheck gets sent out today...YIPPEE!! I really want my actual schedule to start so that I am not working every week day....

I posted some pictures of our Ethiopia reunion in Branson! We are with the Reddings at Silver Dollar City. Fun times were had by all. We would love to live closer to them because the boys love each other and we love the Reddings!!

Each day of this process is a new adventure. Not knowing when the boys are overstimulated and kinda melt down and when they are ready to keep playing is a challenge in and of itself, but like I said...it is getting better all the time. One thing is for certain....I love this family and our lives here on earth. I am totally completely blessed by them, my friends, and our church! I look forward to each day to see what God has in store for all of us......BUT I cannot wait to see Him face to face... what a day that will be!!!!

A new realization...

I am deep tonight...I'm actually trying to go to sleep, but my coughing fit is preventing it right now...so I'm on the internet. I have started my job this week. It is only training right now, so kinda boring! But...I just went on facebook and got to a website about a little girl in Ethiopia that died of malnutrition. I've been there. I've seen the people in Addis Ababa. I have brought two of them home with me!!! But I was touched differently tonight as I watched the video about her. Before they even said they were in Ethiopia, I could tell they were. The people have a distinct look and they always smile. Here, people should be smiling and don't! Again, I'm off track....

As I watched, I realized that she was born in the same year as Dawit. She was his age. She died of malnutrition. How does this happen? My own life has engulfed and overshadowed the life that my two sons have lived. It's still hard at this point to know the extent of the situations that they were in, but I saw pictures of Muluken from over a year ago, and I see him now. There is a big difference! It even breaks my heart more to have them here and know that they could have died. There are more that are dying each day. I thank God for the ability and chance to expand our family, but I still get caught up in my daily activities and forget simple things like..."they have never done that" or "they have never seen that". I forget that there are over 140,000 million orphans still out there all over the world. So...I need to pray for guidance and that people will be moved to action to remedy the fact that so many need just one balanced meal a day. I don't know...I'm rambling...but I do know that it is hard for me to think of my kids, any of them, in that situation. I pray that I never have to see that and I pray that others can see their kids live a long a healthy life all over the world.

Happenings

Well...I have been reminded several times that I have not blogged. Life has snuck in with all it's reality and I just have not taken care of the blog or even much at my own home lately. Starting Sept. 1 I started working non-stop on our rental house and then we went to Branson for the AWAA reunion and then 4 days straight of working on the house again. My dad has been here helping me and it helps to have help!! Now it has fixed floors, new floors and a myriad of other fix ups have been done and are in progress.. Yes I am an avid do-it-yourselfer!!! My home and family have suffered a little because of it, but I go to work next week (21st) and I need to get it all done asap. That aside...that is why I have not answered emails, or blogged for quite a while!

We all are doing well. The boys have started to adjust to school very well. Dawit can read lots of words and his math skills are great! Muluken loves school although it is easy to see that he has not had much schooling if any before the Transition Home. They become more naturally fitting members of our family every day! They are our children and are really starting to respond to us in ways that our bio kids would. It is so fun to just hug them and say that we love them and they know it! Luke still pulls away more than Dawit, but not nearly as much as he used to.

They had a great time at the reunion last weekend. I have pictures that I have not downloaded yet. It was great meeting all the people I have only read of up until that point. The Reddings were our buddies in Branson! Wow!! Great family and so much fun for us to get to know them. The boys are good buds with thier son Levi (Mamush). They had a great time hanging out with him all weekend! Hannah was in 7 th heaven because she got to meet Mahlet Rovang, and met a new friend, Fetlawork, and got to see Selamawit Gillman! If I heard Selamawit is soooo cute once...I heard it a million times! We hung out, played at the park, went to Shepherd of the Hills, went to Silver Dollar City, and then went to White Water all in 3 days! We had a lot of fun and were tired when we got home! It was great to connect and hear how others are doing in their post-adoption journey!! I will try to get some pics up soon! First I'm filling out 3 month post visit paperwork!! Yeah...it never ends!

Next Weekend!

Over Labor Day weekend, we get to visit with families from all over the US that have adopted from Ethiopia through our organization. I am so excited to meet some of the families that have inspired us throughout our journey. The boys get to meet up with several of their friends from the Transition Home! They can hardly wait!! They especially can't wait to see their friend Besufakad (Mamush...now Levi) Redding. We are excited to meet them too!

Things here have been good. Each day is new and I am really ready for some more English conversation from the boys, but I know it will come in time. I just look around a lot and realize how incredibly blessed we are...6 beautiful children, a home, jobs, a great church, each other, and great friends....all this brought together by relationship with Jesus Christ!! I don't see how people face life without that peace that He brings. It's real. He's powerful. Somehow...people would rather depend on themselves (including me sometimes). Quoting from a popular song right now, "There's no such thing as perfect people. There's no such thing as a perfect life...." but there is rest in our perfect GOD!

Reality

Well, a little more of reality set in for Dawit and us last night. Sometimes, I have to get on to the boys for messing with something or just plain being ornery! But, sometimes, they don't understand (or I don't) and they pout or they cry. Last night, something like that happened...I told them both that everything was ok and it was no big deal. They just stayed quiet...it was about 8:30. Muluken pouted for a minute and then sat with me in a chair watching TV...Dawit was in the other room with Josh. In a few minutes, Dawit came in and just layed in the floor face down. I asked him what was wrong, but he would not respond at all. After a few minutes, I asked him to sit on my lap...which he did. I held him and asked him what was wrong. I asked him if he was sad...He nodded. I went through everyone, "Did mom make you sad?" etc. He said no to all. I finally asked the dreaded question..."Do you miss Ethiopia?" He nodded. "Do you miss your mom?" He nodded and started crying....

Where can my heart go? It completely broke for him. I know that he was tired from a full week of school, but there was really no impetus for this...just his deep feelings. I held him. I told him I loved him. I told him that I always would love him and I would never stop. He cried for just a few minutes, went back to the other room, and laid in the chair and fell asleep within 10 minutes. Everything has been going so well, but I have always known that the newness will wear off and that as reality sets in...their reality will really set in. Muluken's situation is different. No parents. No family that is able to take him in. Dawit's mom felt it was in his best interest to let him go. What a hard thing for all involved. We know that it can bring up all kinds of feelings in a kids to know that someone "let them go." We will definitely be asking for grace in the both our kids lives as they grow and deal with all the feelings associated with adoption.

This morning, same old smiley Dawit is playing and enjoying the most gorgeous day almost ever created! God is good......all the time.