Eden's Bday, Girls Camp, and Father's Day

It was Eden's birthday yesterday. Ten years old. I can't believe it. So cliche but so true.
Eden is such a great kid. She has the best personality and we completely enjoy it. She had a great birthday. Per tradition she had a nice date with me. She made a list of the places she wanted to go. We went to the Temple, the plant nursery where she finally got to buy the bleeding heart plant she's been wanting, we went to Target to spend her birthday money, then to get some ice cream. For dinner she chose the oriental salad and rolls I make. And we ate them on the nice dishes rather than the paper plates I've been depending on for the last couple of weeks. We love this girl so much! Anybody that knows her well, knows what a joy she is.

Yesterday Celeste also left for Girls Camp. I hated having her go without me! She was so excited, it was ridiculous. She was supposed to show up at the church at 6am. I set my alarm for 5:15 am so that I could wake her up to get ready to go. When my alarm went off, I went down to the basement and she was gone. I searched the house and she was gone. I had visions of Elizabeth Smart in my mind before I realized she was probably so excited she already got up and went to the church. I walked down there. There were no cars there, no people, the church was locked up and no lights on. Then, outside on the bench in the pavilion was a little girl, all by herself. Yep, it was Celeste. I brought her back home chiding her for leaving without letting me know or even saying goodbye. She said she was sorry, but was just too excited and couldn't wait and didn't want to wake anybody. She said she went in all the kids rooms and kissed them all goodbye, but that she didn't want to wake Dad and I. She left us all a note though. I gotta include what she wrote here because it was just so cute. I'll leave the grammar and spelling as she had it, but I'll have to add a little of my own explanations for a couple of parts.

Here's her note:
"Rush, rush, rush for me earlier. Wish I could've given you a more ample goodbye. Be nice to mom, dad and Hayden, ((Hayden babysat for me while I took Eden on her date)), and not the destructors you sometimes seem to be. Try to explain absence 2 Hana & Andualem and that'll be back soon enough. Watishallow & Chow ((that's "I love you" and "goodbye" in Amharic)) to you all!!! Don't destroy the home, and particularly be easy on mom, it's hard enough with her pregnancy. Wish Eden a happy birthday a million times from me. Give Dad a kiss, keep Jonah learning like the smart guy he is, and tell Becca I love her dearly. Same to Eden, and my other sibs. Prevent Andualem from using the microwave and let Hana messa ((that's "kiss" in Amharic)) you all she wants. I love you all and don't be brats!
Sincerely, ME (your sister, Celeste OUH!)

Sunday as you all know was Father's Day. And I can't help but want to say just a few words to my Dad and husband. My Dad was awesome to me growing up. I remember him always being the one to wake me in the mornings and get me off to school. He always treated me with pride and he always made me feel special. He was a fantastic father and I'm grateful to him for it!
My husband is another fantastic father. I'm not just madly in love with him for the husband he is, but for the father he is. He's definitely been my partner in parenting and I know I couldn't raise these children without him. Thanks Dad. Thanks Steve.

Our new normal. The joys, challenges and blessings.

We had our first Family Fun Day as a family of 9 on Saturday. We took the kids swimming.
Steve with his two littlest girls.
This was Hana and Andy's very first time in a pool and swimming. They completely enjoyed their first experience.
I took all the kids to the grocery store. This was Andy and Hana's first time in a grocery store too. They looked like they were in Disneyland it was so exciting for them. The best part was watching Andy's thrill over the automatic sliding doors at the entrance. I wish I had gotten video of that!
Andy wearing his mustache. :) (He's beginning to amuse me and smile for the camera!) When he was in the car and we were parked, he rolled down the window and randomly shouted at some people walking by "My car!" Then he pretended to drive away. Too funny.
I drove the kids up the canyon for a picnic and fire.
This photo below was the moment I heard Hana shout to me for the very first time "I love you! Thank you Mom!" I've heard her say "Thank you Mom" lots of times, but I've never heard her say "I love you" in English before. Another one of those moments and feelings I never want to forget.

See that river in the background? When we arrived I explained to the kids that I didn't want any children near the river or too close to our fire, and why it scared me. Celeste, Eden, Becca and Jonah were super protective of Hana, Charity and Andy while we were there as a result. They were so helpful and careful to make sure nobody got dangerously close to the water or fire. It was so sweet.
Roasting marshmallows.



Hana enjoying her first ever smore.
Andy enjoying his first ever smore.
Seeing the beautiful waterfall. They were impressed.
And the snow-capped mountains.
We have settled in to our new norm. The first couple of days it kind of felt to me that I was just watching a couple of extra kids temporarily. But now it feels normal to have our 7 children. We have a good routine going and everyone seems adjusted and use to things the way they are now. In fact it feels like we've been doing this for months.
The hardest part for me is that I feel really super tired most of the time. Sometimes I have to just get on my knees and pray for strength to keep moving. And that has helped. Being pregnant is physically so hard! But add that to having 7 children home all day, and it's even harder. Andy and Hana almost feel more difficult than having newborns at times. I need to watch them almost constantly because they are capable of doing so much more than a newborn can do. At least a newborn will take a nap and you don't really need to worry too much about them running away or catching the house on fire or something. Andy and Hana are very curious and everything is so new and unfamiliar that they are learning how to do things that other kids their age should already know how to do, (or not to do entirely). Like use a microwave, or put something in the freezer that should never be in a freezer. They also eat soooooo much! Our grocery bill has gone way up! I hope the novelty will wear off soon. I don't want to deny them food at this point because of what I've read and learned about orphans coming home to abundance. But at the same time, they literally eat about 6 full meals a day plus plenty of snacks in-between all those meals. And they need to be helped getting all these meals. So it's lots of work. On Sunday when we went to church, I was actually so excited to go, just for the reason that I would get a 3 hour break from the kitchen and feeding kids. The ramifications in the bathroom with kids digesting that much food and being new to a real toilet and bathroom, is a whole other post that I think I will spare you all. But it's another minor concern to say the least.

The best part of our new life though, is I feel so in love with all of our children and wouldn't want to be doing anything else. I have no regrets and am so glad we are where we are at today. It's a miracle and better than I ever imagined. I have thought several times over the last couple of weeks about Hana and Andy's birth parents. I know they loved them. I have tried to imagine what it would have been like for them to know that they were dying and would be leaving behind their very young children with nobody really capable to care for them. That must have been more painful to them than the deaths they suffered themselves. I feel like their parents are watching over us and it makes me feel both grateful that we are the ones to have these children and give them their new life. But it also makes me want to love and embrace these children with the kind of love and care that would be very pleasing to them if they were watching. I love all of our children so very very very much! I feel so blessed.

Happy Times

I took Hana and Andy to the dentist yesterday. Wanna know what happens if your kids went their entire lives with poor nutrition and absolutely no dental hygiene? You will make a dentist very rich. In fact, I am almost sure I could see the dollar signs in the dentist's eyes as he looked these kids over. Some of their teeth were not just infected and beyond saving, but others were literally rotted away to little nubs. Considering the mess that is in their mouths, the dentist and his assistant were surprised, as was I, that they were so stinkin happy there as they took x-rays, cleaned and examined these kids. They didn't seem to care about any pain.
Andy and Hana discovered our old family photo albums today and got such a kick out of looking at their family from years past.
Hana had her first experience with the Ice Cream man. The girls all enjoyed their wares.
Now, here are a few more videos for you. One of the ice cream truck experience, one of the photo albums being enjoyed, and one of Andy giggling in the dentist's chair.

We have been totally taken by surprise to see Andy become a completely different child than we had ever seen him while we were in Ethiopia or the first couple of days home. He is happy. Not just happy, he even gets giddy and just giggles and giggles. He's still shy around other people and still not too excited about the camera, but I've been able to catch him on video a few times giggling now. Like I said before, this kid was in the orphanage for a few years before he started to act semi-happy and smile. So it brings us incredible joy to see him after just a few days here, really coming out of his shell and really enjoying life. You have no idea!

Peculiar Behaviors

Our new kids have displayed a few funny little behaviors that I thought might be worth mentioning. These are the first few that come to mind.

1- Everything to them is community property. For instance, we'll be at the park and they will just take someone's bike. It makes sense that they act this way because in the orphanage what little possessions the children had, were everyone's. Down to underwear. But they are quickly learning that American's are quite possessive of what is theirs. Even toddlers learn the word "mine!" early on.

2- Hana loves the sink. She'll go in the bathroom often and turn on the water and kind of bathe herself as best she can with the sink. It's kind of comical and definitely messy. I just keep a towel on the floor at all times now.

3- They don't know where to put things. Garbage especially. I remember at the orphanage when we were visiting, that there was no garbage can in sight and when we brought in candy, nobody seemed to know what to do with the wrappers, so everyone just tossed them on the ground. I don't think they had a garbage service there and I don't think they really needed it because they didn't create much anyhow. Hana also will eat with silverware and then put it back in the drawer. The dishwasher is another intriguing thing to her too. I think she thinks it's just another place to store dishes.

4- Now that they've overcome their aversion to American food, they can't stop eating it. They go in the kitchen all the time and want to take anything out of the fridge and try it. Sauce packets, yogurt, jelly, whatever. I am sure they have never in their life been in a place where food is plentiful and readily available whenever they wanted. Plus, they also seem to want to try everything out now. I was outside with Charity, Becca, Eden and Hana playing, when Celeste comes out to tell me that Andy tried to cook a Cup 'o Noodles in the microwave. I came inside and the house was smoky and the smell was nasty. Here's a video of what I saw. Andy was kind of hidden in the corner looking at something; maybe worried he might get in trouble. But we all found it rather funny.

More info, photos and even video

I wanted to include these beautiful photos of our Celeste at the temple first.
She is an amazing young woman, and we are so proud of all her unique and special gifts.
Hana and her cousin Allie at the bounce house.
Cute Eden.
Videos of Andy at his first soccer practice. He played soccer at the orphanage with the other boys and is pretty good. When we asked his brother his wishes for Andy, being a soccer player was one of them. We told him we would do that. None of our other kids have been into sports so this is new to us. It's gonna be fun.

Now to answer your questions.

What is their favorite thing about America so far?

I'm not sure. They seem happy with everything. I think they appeared the most excited about the bounce house place. We know about Andy's history and the trauma he has experienced in his life, and we know that it took him a few years of being at the orphanage before he adjusted and would smile and relax from what we've been told. It seems apparent that here in our home with our family he feels secure, comfortable, safe, content and happy. So that is really super nice. That could possibly be his favorite part. I think Hana is pretty happy and excited about everything.

What are they eating?

I have made them Ethiopian food a couple of times and they really like that. The first couple of days they were apprehensive about our American food which is so different from what they are used to. They didn't want to try fruit and some other things. But Monday they were eating and trying things and Tuesday they ate everything I put in front of them. They like fruit now, they like potatoes, cereal, ice cream, granola bars, eggs, and so on. They are good eaters!

What do the kids like to do together at home?

They run around, play outside, play with any toys they see inside, TV, computer, coloring, pretty much anything. The kitchen stays active with frequent snackers too. Andy and Hana are comfortable going in the fridge or pantry now and grabbing snacks or drinks for themselves. They don't ever seem bored so far. Unlike my bio kids who bore easily. I am sure the time will come that Andy and Hana will get bored too. For now it's all new and all great.

How is their English and communication going?

They speak very little of it. They saw quite a bit of American TV in the orphanage and they had English lessons the last few months. I think they understand quite a bit because I can ask them any question I need to and get the reaction or response I need. I think much of it may be them feeling self-conscious with it because our English is much more advanced. If someone outside of our family is there or asks them something though, they will not respond. Andy called me "mom" for the first time yesterday which took me by surprise. But I liked it. They will say any of the other kid's names frequently and also "yes", "no", "come on", and a few others. Andy was even caught saying "shut up!" once. My kids swear he didn't learn it from them. I think they will pick up English quickly. Fortunately for now, there isn't any evidence of anyone in the family getting frustrated over the lack of complete communication.

How's my pregnancy going?

Pretty good. My last doctors visit and ultrasound went well. The baby and everything in there with him looked perfect I was told. My odds of losing the baby the doc said was now 50/50. But that is only with my history, not because of anything irregular they are currently seeing. The baby moves a lot and we're all getting anxious for him to get here. I'm not due until September though. I feel like crud most of the time, but that comes with the territory. We feel positive about him making it here safely now and I personally can't wait to be done being pregnant and to have a sweet little baby in my arms!

Photos of the last few days

Andy and Hana playing in their backyard for the first time.
Hana after I tried to do her hair for the first time. Just taking out all of her ponies and tiny braids took over an hour! When it was all taken out and I brushed it, I felt like crying. Her head was one GIANT poof. I didn't know what I had gotten myself into and I didn't know how I was gonna get myself out of it. But here's what the end result was. Fortunately, you don't do black girls hair daily like you do with white girls.
The kids at the park for the first time.


Our first dinner together. Injera, Shiro Wat and Doro Wat. They liked it!
When some of our Ethiopian friends came for a visit.
Hana at the temple.
Andy giving a good effort at trying to tolerate the camera.
All of our beautiful children at the temple. Love all of these guys a ton. Great great kids.

Everything has honestly gone way better than we had expected so far. The kids are adjusting so well. Yesterday was Steve's first day back at work and I had the kids for 12 hours alone. It went surprisingly well. We had to go to the doctor because I thought Charity might be getting an ear infection. Turns out she was fine. Then we went to the Library which they loved. It was fun seeing them pick out books. We also went to the literacy center to meet their tutor and to the temple and to get ice cream. Today we went to a bounce house place that they loved. They all played hard. Andy came out of one of them with a bloody mouth, but didn't even seem upset. I washed him up and he was right back at it.

I have a lot to write about in my personal journal, but what exactly do you guys want to hear about? I don't want to bore you with pages of boring details.

Together at Last (photos of the airport)

All of these photos were taken by a dear old friend who is not just a fantastic photographer and amazing with kids, she's a fantastic person. Thanks a million Jen! Here's her website if you want to check her out. I highly recommend her both personally and professionally. The lighting in the airport was not too favorable and we were moving around like crazy with her trying to get shots. But she still managed to capture this day for us well and we are so grateful.

Seeing each other for the first time.
Hana is so affectionate! She will hug and kiss anyone who gives her the time of day. She's happy and easy going. She loves her new baby sister so much and has kissed her so many times that Charity is starting to get annoyed.
Her other sisters and her have hit it off incredibly well.
This was my first order of business when we saw these guys. I missed Steve terribly.
Andy has a very calm, quiet personality. But after being home a couple of days, it's obvious to me that yes, he is calm and quiet most of the time, but when we're alone as a family and no cameras are around, he's much more playful and happy than I thought. He just really doesn't seem to like getting his picture taken. At all. And as far as his new brother goes...these boys hit it off on the car ride home from the airport and have been attached at the hip ever since. Jonah finally has his brother and he is in brother heaven. To make it even sweeter, Andy seems genuinely obsessed with Jonah.
I like this one. Someone gave Andy a giant ball of candy to chew on and he quickly got to work on it.
Had to throw in one of our mini-est one. Sucking her fingers just like her mom used to do.
First family photo of the 9 of us. (10 if you count the baby in utero. Had to mention that little guy so you remember why I look so fat in these photos.)
The group that came to welcome them home. Thanks guys!
This was the best day!

Perfect Day

Everyone in my home is in bed asleep and I am still reveling in what was one of the best days of my life. I think it's safe to say that it was one of the best days of all of my children's lives too. Steve, I'm not sure, I'd ask, but he's knocked out after all that traveling. How can a girl sleep at a moment like this?

I am an avid journal keeper. I've kept a journal since I was a little girl. I currently maintain not just this blog, but I have a journal for all of my kids too. I am so into journaling, that I journal the most when I am going through even seriously busy and exciting times because of course, it's got to be written down. This might sound crazy, but just to give you an idea of what I mean, when my husband and I got married, and arrived at our hotel room that night, the first thing I remember doing was sitting down and writing in my journal all about the incredible day it was.
Well, before we got Hana and Andy home, I decided that one thing I wanted to journal about was an ongoing list of "Hana and Andy's first:_____". So rather than give you a rundown of how today went, I thought I would just give you the list I typed up for just this first entry.

All of these occurred yesterday and today.
Hana and Andy's first:
*Time in an airport
*Riding an escalator
*Being in a plane and flying
*Leaving Ethiopia
*Being in Germany, Chicago and finally Utah
*Seeing our beautiful Utah mountains
*Our family being all together
*Meeting aunts and uncles, cousins and friends
*Getting a balloon bouquet
*Family photo
*Riding in our huge van. Altogether as a family
*Seeing their bedrooms. THEIR bedrooms. (They have one for once!)
*Getting a tour of their new home
*Playing in their backyard
*Sitting down together eating their first dinner with their new family
*Their new mom making Ethiopian food for them
*Playing with their new siblings...like they've been best friends for years already
*Going to the park together as a family and playing
*Rolling down the hills together
*Skipping on a beautifully manicured lawn
*Seeing other Ethiopians come visit them and talk with them in their native language, in their home. In America.
*Having family scripture study and prayer
*Doing "thumbs" (traditional family song)
*Being tucked into bed by their new mother with a big kiss and a hug
*Sleeping soundly in their own beds.

Yep. It was a perfect day.
I'll post photos on another day. For now, I will try and wind down and get to bed too.

I'm Back and Got Good News

I'm back in business and I'm excited to tell you our news!
After 19 months and more money, work, and challenges than I care to describe, we are just 3 days away from having Hana and Andy in our home! It feels unreal. Steve left for Ethiopia last Friday with his sister Janice. I've been able to speak with him a few times since they've been there and all has gone well for them. On Sunday they picked the children up at the orphanage and took them to church. The children loved it! Afterwards, they took them to a restaurant to get some lunch. He said the kids acted like they were in a candy store, they were so happy and excited to be going out to eat. They've been doing some sight seeing and having a wonderful time together. The way Steve describes the children, they sound extremely sweet and easy to care for and be with. Their first night together, we spoke and he said they were sleeping like angels in their beds. It's sweet for me to hear the love and tenderness in his voice as he talks about these children and his time with them. Such a good dad.
I got a call in the middle of the night Tuesday. It was Steve. It's 9 hours ahead there, so it was daytime for him. He just couldn't wait to tell me that they had had their Embassy appointment and it went well. He joyfully shouted out "They're ours! We're done!"
There are no words to express how we are feeling about all this. The best words to describe it are: RELIEF and JOY!
They have a couple of more days there. They plan to go back to the orphanage and give the children the shoes you all donated for. They need to go back to the Embassy tomorrow to pick up the children's Visa's and citizenship paperwork as well.
They all arrive home on Saturday afternoon. The kids and I here at home are dying for them to get home!!! We are planning on meeting them at the airport. If any of you want to come welcome them here, we'd love to have you with us. Let me know if you do and I'll give you the details.
More to come later.
Yipee!!!