Gotcha Day--A Year Later!

A year ago, Chris and I were in Ethiopia to officially add Isaiah to our family! It was different than I had first anticipated because we had already met Isaiah 7 weeks earlier, but there was just nothing sweeter than seeing his little face come around the corner, arms outstretched. Adopting Isaiah has changed our lives in so many ways. I feel so blessed to have him as my son. It hasn't been all easy, but the process of adding him to our family has been good.

We are going to celebrate thoroughly on Saturday, just because today is a hectic day, but I wanted to acknowledge this very special day in our family. We love you, Isaiah!

Here is our adoption video. Fast-forward to 8 minutes to get to the actual Gotcha Day!

Cowtown with Papa

Papa came to town and took us to Cowtown. I have to admit that it has been years since we have been; I think we had only two kids the last time! The kids had a fabulous time, despite the 100-degree day!Toby and Jackson checking out the guns!

The girls in the schoolhouse.

Ready for class!Isaiah loved the horses!

The kids loved feeling like they were in the "olden days". They really loved the toys in the playground. Adam showed the kids how to do it!

Then they moved on to roping cattle!

We even got to ride in a covered wagon.
Thanks, Papa, for a fun day!

E-Group

A couple of weeks ago, we got to eat Ethiopian food with our other Ethiopia families. Isaiah and Chris weren't huge fans of the food, but it is just because neither of them have ever been fans of Ethiopian food! (When we got Isaiah, he never acted like he enjoyed the injera/wat.) Brenda and Darrel did an excellent job cooking! Oh, and Chris was a huge fan of Chad's ribs! I had fun re-tasting it; it was most fun because it "took me back" to Ethiopia! Sydney and Jackson both liked it--go figure! After eating, we headed to the park. The kids had a fun time playing!
Then it was back to the house for some good ole strawberry pie. Yummy!
We are glad that there are other Ethiopians so close! Thanks, Chad and Brenda, for hosting and giving our kids their first taste of Ethiopian cuisine! :)

Great Video

I just found this video about orphans/adoption/being an example of Christ by The Christian Alliance for Orphans. It is so good! Technically, it is promoting Orphan Sunday (November 6), but it is just a good reminder of why we need to be looking for ways to care for orphans. If you are looking for ways to recognize Orphan Sunday, check out this website: http://orphansunday.org/.

Orphan Sunday 2011 from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

First Day of School!

Summer is officially over as we head back to school! Sydney headed to 6th grade bright and early this morning.Jackson headed to 3rd grade an hour later.Finally after lunch, it was time for Raegan's first day of kindergarten! She was so excited and informed me that she was not going to be shy except for when the teacher talked to her.
Here she is getting to work!All of our kids have been blessed with excellent teachers, so we are excited for a new year!

Raegan Baptized!

Yesterday was a special day because I had the privilege of baptizing Raegan!
Here, I was remembering how I used to pray Isaiah 44:3b-5a, that God would "pour out his Spirit and his blessings on my children. .. that they would proudly claim, 'I belong to the LORD!' " Today, God had answered this prayer as Raegan showed that she belongs to Him. I am thankful!

Afterward, we had ice cream and a swim party! The kids all loved swimming in the lake, even Isaiah. He has turned into quite the water bug. He plunges head-first and has no fear. We had to watch him closely!

It was a sweet day!

Raegan's Party

The next day, several of Raegan's friends came over for a chocolate tea party. We had chocolate dip for strawberries and bananas, smores dip, chocolate pudding parfaits, and some other chocolate goodies. They got full on chocolate! Here are the girls surrounding Jackson, the "butler"!Happy 6th Birthday, Raegan!