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!