Jackson's Birthday Party!

Jackson turns NINE on Monday, so we had his birthday party today with his friends. We had a great time. We met at the gym and played a game of basketball and another game of flag football. It was perfect for this group of boys! They got pretty worn out and sweaty!

Then it was home for cake and Gatorade.

Jackson had a great time, and we are thankful for his close friends!

Easter

Easter was busy, busy this year! Here is a re-cap:

First, we dyed Easter Eggs. In process. . .

All finished!

The next morning, we headed to the Easter Sun Run. Our church, River Community, sponsors and basically runs this event. We love to participate because all proceeds go to Youth Horizons, a youth mentoring program. Gotta love any way to be a part of serving the fatherless.This year was extra fun for several reasons. First, I got to run with my two good friends, Stephani and Paige. We ran together, the entire way, holding hands across the finish line. This really was a symbolic run, representing the value of friendship and community, especially during times when we are tired and don't want to keep moving forward. LOVE!Second, we had several personal "bests". Sydney and Jackson improved their times by over two minutes, and Sydney won her age division. We are so proud of them! Chris also bested his time and broke the 40-minute barrier! He has been working so hard over the winter, and I am so impressed! Oh, and he won his age division, too! :)Easter morning, we woke up early enough to do our Resurrection Egg Hunt. (If you do not own a set of these, I highly recommend them! They are an easy "tradition", and they tell the story of Easter in a very kid-friendly way.) It was fun to do it with Isaiah for the first time; he loved each little trinket inside the eggs. :)

Then, the kids got to dig into their Easter baskets. This was the first round of many of too many pieces of candy! I have to admit that I love it. (Candy, that is!) After making stops at two family meals, the kids got to partake in several egg hunts. Here they are hunting. I hope everyone had a blessed holiday!

Before and After!

One very special part of our adoption journey includes the Fleming family. We met when we were in the middle of our adoption process, and they soon followed by starting their own adoption journey. When we went to Ethiopia for our first trip, we found out shortly after arriving that the Flemings had received their referral! We were hoping and praying this would happen so that we could go take pictures for them.

Here is their little Elias when we saw him last August.When we traveled in September, we got to go again! It was so sweet to get to share in their story by loving him for Chad and Brenda.
So, yesterday, I just kept re-living these visits because little Elias isn't so little, and he was playing in our kitchen all morning. My heart was just moved with the reality that these little boys will get to grow up together. I am so thankful for the way God orchestrated our friendship and allowed us to be a part of Elias' story, too.

April is here. . .and almost gone!

I guess my new normal means blogging only about every other week. Oh well! At least some is better than none! Here are a few shots of what we have been up to in April.

Isaiah brushing Jackson's hair. This is funny because Isaiah really hates to have his own hair combed. We have our whole little routine which includes several hugs as he "endures". It is funny because the conditioner we have pretty much takes out all tangles. He just does not like us combing his hair! Raegan all dressed up!

Reading books. Notice the lovely hair-do Raegan gave me. :)

Brotherly Love.

Playing at the park with friends Dominick and Tyler Jae. Does anyone have great tips for getting sand out of hair? We may be going short--very soon!
All tuckered out!Planting our new tree!

We are all so glad that Spring is in the air!

Contemplating the Difference 6 Months Makes

I have had the chance lately to reflect on the past six months. First, it is amazing how quickly this six months has passed compared to a year ago when we were waiting for a referral. Six months then seemed to last an eternity!

Second, I have come to realize something about the attaching process. I'm sure this will sound very obvious to most of you, but it really is something I wish I would have accepted when we first brought Isaiah home.

This "Aha idea" is that attachment takes time. I expected it to happen all at once, but I wish I had realized it just wouldn't. This seems so obvious; however, I really wanted to see "attaching" immediately. Now, I feel silly that I had these expectations. Or, maybe I just wanted it all to be super easy. I think I wanted to think that I would do everything perfectly so Isaiah would attach right away to us. But, some things just take time. It takes time to establish new patterns and trust. The other day, we were playing "This little piggy" with Isaiah's toes, and I remembered those first few days when we entertained him with this new game. Everything was new to him back in September, but now, he knows what to expect because we have done it so many times. The same thing is true with eating. Now, when we sit down at the table for a meal, he immediately starts chanting, "Pray, pray!" He knows that is what has to happen before we eat, and he is ready to do it. Night time is also a sweet time. We read our Bible story with the kids, pray, and give bedtime hugs and kisses. He has grown to love this time on the couch with our whole family, and I love to see how he knows the routine and plays his part on cue, giving each person their hug and kiss.

Yesterday, I was blessed to get a day away on a women's retreat. When I came home, Isaiah came running, arms outstretched, yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" I don't have to tell you how sweet it was to have a fresh reminder that time has led to some major attaching. It was so different than this picture when he came tentatively to us in Ethiopia. I'm so thankful God led us through those first days to this very sweet place.