Sleeping beauty....

As I tucked in the girls tonight, I was greeted with a wonderful surprise. For 13 months, Addy has slept with all of her covers over her face as if to hide in fear. In Ethiopia, first of all it was very cold at night, so I am sure she was taught to cover her head, and I can't imagine the noise and just the pitch black of night that would scare such a sweet little girl to death. And the fear of roaming animals that might enter their hut and scare the family would just be terrifying to anyone. Tonight,however, she had her covers tucked gently beneath her chin with her hands place sweetly beside her cheek. She was breathing so calmly. These are the moments I pray for daily with my sweet Addy! She is slowly emerging. What a treasured moment. I never want to forget it. It is progress......I know you are strong Addy!

Where to begin.....

I am going to post completely out of order, surely to mix things up a bit. Really, I am posting because I have come to realize through our recent move how terribly much I miss all of my friends and their dear children. I do think however that I can become re-committed to posting so that somehow I can keep the connection going. I have so many things to say about the last 10+ months. I hope you enjoy the stories. This past labor day we were able to visit Mt. Rushmore with some family. We had so much fun seeing a new part of the country. The girls loved spending time with their cousins. It was a trip right up there at the top of the list. However, we deeply missed Ash who was busily getting ready to hit the books at the Y!

It's time for an update......

I have been so busy I don't know where the time goes each day. I am so behind, I am not sure where to begin, but here goes. The girls are sleeping through the night, yea! That has been wonderful. There were a few really long nights initially, but they love their room and especially their books. Their favorite are the ones with the buttons on the side and they can push and make fun sounds with. They both have a great love for "Dora the Explorer". She is a cute girl, I can see why they like her. We watch her on TV and they have books and toys with "Dora" on it. She is a fav!

I have never gone through so many eggs in my life! The girls LOVE eggs! They usually eat 2-3 each every day along with some oranges or maybe a cup of oatmeal. They love breakfast! They are starting to enjoy some TV while they wait for me to cook their breakfast. I think they understand so much more English now that it is somewhat enjoyable. They both have the funniest sense of humor. Whenever something funny happens in the house or on TV they are very quick to point it out and to start laughing. It is contagious for sure!

Addy started preschool and just loves it. I have really seen a change in her attempts to talk although she (most of the time) still chooses to speak her native language. She talks a million miles a minute when I pick her up from school. It is so cute and so animated. The teacher has told me how the kids just cheer when she says or repeats a word in English. They are very sweet to her and cheer her on!

Cami would jump right into preschool herself if she could. She still needs to tackle the potty thing. All in due time. She is an amazing help at the grocery store though. She and I usually pick a time and run and do the shopping when Addy is in school. She is a charmer and always waves and says Hi to anyone that passes by! She is very loveable and is really doing well on her English too!

I continue to be in sheer amazement at how resilient children are. The girls have adapted so well and are making such wonderful progress. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't look and them and think of their birth parents and just have such great love and admiration for them.

It is shocking to me.......

We have officially been home 12 days and the progress we are making is unbelievable. The girls know their little routine, what happens (generally speaking) and what comes next. A few words in English come out each day. Their eyes look so much more content. As each day passes I realize how precious a child's spirit is. They depend on us so much. I have learned with the girls as well as our older kids how much consistent routines help them. They feel so able and confident when they know what to do next. It is truly amazing. We made it out to the mall today, stroller and all. The girls just sat there and were so well behaved. It was such a treat for me, I actually got a bit of Christmas shopping done. It was fun to be in the mall hearing the Christmas music playing softly as we wandered about. The girls love the car and the stroller. Let's keep our fingers crossed on that one, huh! xoxo

Home at last, all safe and sound!

Our journey has been so wonderful, words could never describe the intense feelings we have had over the past two weeks. We are simply amazed at how the girls are doing, they have adjusted so well already. The simple things in life like tubby time and having as much water as you want really helps keep us grounded. The look of love in the girls eyes is so precious, we just love them so much. Here are a few of our homecoming photos. We are so thankful to have so many dear friends and neighbors. We were greeted with so much love and kindness, thank you all!

Shopping and getting ready for the day

Yesterday we toured Addy's school (you will see pictures). She has many friends there. When we drove up they all chanted "Ainalem, Ainalem, Ainalem"! It was so sweet. The picture of the lady holding Addy is her Nanny and one of her teachers. They seem to rotate them around the main care center and the school so the children have alot of consistency. It is amazing. And another amazing thing is that everyone knows all of the children, probably 120 kids that we have seen. The pictures in the van were when we were out shopping. The girls love the car. The picture of the girls brushing their teeth was this morning after they got dressed. They really love each other. Cameryn dances around and calls her sisters name, very lovingly.

We are having kind of a free day and tomorrow we will go out and do more shopping.

Addy's school