Blog Entry
Posted by Loren Alldrin on February 07, 2010 to Adoption blog
(click any image to enlarge) Trampoline Fun The trampoline is great for building strength, coordination and balance. It's also a lot of fun! Tall Tower Naomi was really proud of her tower, which fell about 10 seconds after this picture was snapped. Samuel's Helmet We can't afford bicycle helmets for all these kids, so... Brush and Flush Dad often sends the kids towards bed with a hearty "brush and flush, kids!" The result is rarely this orderly. (This picture was not staged, BTW.) Please Remain Seated Samuel was taking all his drinks to go, so we had to make him sit and drink. His sisters often join him for a cool one on the kitchen floor. One of the challenges of blogging is the self-imposed need we often feel to say something profound. Truth be told, I don't have anything like that to report. Life has moved forward two more weeks (six weeks total), and we're that much better acclimated to our new family. We've had a lot of laughter, some behaviors to correct, and a handful of memorable moments. As Kristen said a few days ago, "the honeymoon is over". We're seeing the kids as they really are, and that's great. They're acting more and more as their true selves, and we love what we're seeing. Sure--there's stuff we'll work to correct, but overall these are three great kids. And we mustn't forget the four great kids God already gave us. They continue to show acceptance and grace (mostly), and they really seem to love their new siblings. They're also a huge help, especially Mackenzie (or "Alpha" as we often call her). Time for a funny story. Since Jillian started talking in full sentences (at around 18 months of age), she's been cracking us up with the things she says. This week, she gave us another entry for the Jillianisms Journal. It happened when we told her to summon everyone for dinner, and she decided some Amharic was in order. Jillian marched down the hall and yelled, "Africans--enebla! Americans--let's eat!" Speaking of Jillian, we are so proud of her decision on 2/2 to give her life to Christ. Jillian asked some questions at breakfast, so Kristen and I took her into the bedroom to talk and pray in private. We came out crying, all three of us, which freaked the new kids out. Olivia and Naomi were really upset, thinking that something terrible had happened. We explained what had transpired, and there was joy all around. We look forward to the day when the language barrier falls far enough for us to find out where Olivia and Naomi are at spiritually. After six wonderful weeks of parental leave, I head back to work tomorrow. This has Kristen and I putting some last-minute touches on our meal plans and chore packs. (Our old systems won't work any more, and this family will crash and burn without a predictable schedule.) So there's a prayer request: that God will grant us (especially Kristen) extra grace and strength as "reality" kicks in these next few weeks. I offered to quit my job and help out all day, but that didn't seem like such a great idea... Enjoy a few assorted pictures from the past two weeks. Back to: Adoption blog Six Weeks In, With Some Fun Pictures and News to Share
