Year 3....gotcha day, vacation and more

    One of our new favorite vacation spots is at the beach in Alabama.  A week with no schedules and nothing to do but slather on some tanning lotion and grab the boogie boards as we head out to the sand is delightful!  Our trip this time got a little more adventurous as Nick, Hannah and Ella went parasailing.  The brave family members said it was so peaceful flying high up in the air.
    Before our trip, the village we live in had it's annual hometown parade and carnival.   You can probably guess that our youngest went on every single ride that she was tall enough to go on.  We bought each of the girls a bracelet for unlimited rides and I'm pretty sure Ella and Hannah went on a ride every five-ten minutes.  From drop rides to spinny things, they couldn't get enough.  
    We spent Ella's 3rd gotcha day in April with some friends at the Ethiopian restaurant in the city.  She flew right in to eating our injera and showing our friends the right way to eat this delicious meal.  So we've started off year 3 with adventures, yummy food and great friends.  She has now finished kindergarten, performed in her 3rd dance recital, and is swimming like a fish.  One can only imagine how much more year 4 has in store for us. 

drum roll please....

According to Ella, she has waited her whole life to go to Disney World.  Sounds like a commercial right?  Well in January of 2014, this little girl's dreams finally came true.  Nick and I surprised them with a trip to Orlando Florida.  Not once while we spent our 14 hour days in the parks

did she complain about being tired or her legs needing to rest.  She loved our late nights and early mornings, along with the character meals.  So without further ado, here is a picture for you as proof! 

Time

As time marches forward, I slow down enough to thank God for what He has given us.  Our family continues to settle into the routine of school, dance classes, cross country meets, youth group, etc.  just in time to start a new routine next year.  We are months away from Hannah entering high school, Hailey going to junior high and Ella transitioning into a full day of school in first grade.  It may only be January but we've already been at the high school numerous times for meetings to prepare for the fall of 2014.  I had a conversation with a good friend about school and the things that really matter.  Should the kids work hard in school?  Of course, they should do their best each day.  But let's remember not to compare or put undue pressures on them because we are here for one purpose.  We live for the audience of One only.  What the world labels success may not always be what is best.  I am praying for His will to be done in each of our lives and seeing Him draw us closer through the process.  So keep moving forward, one step at a time, letting Him love you for who you are.

Whoa....Kindergarten!

It's been a while since I've posted so I confess....I rarely think to come here any more.  You see, life doesn't seem "different" any longer.  It just seems like this is how it always has been, our family of 5.  Ella just learned how to ride her bike without training wheels a few days ago and we videotaped every moment.  Watching Nick run up and down the block holding the back of her seat is priceless!  And now here we are, the night before she starts kindergarten.  And I can't help but wonder if her birth parents can see her.  Do they know she's well taken care of and loved by so many people?  Can they tell that she's a happy, well-adjusted young girl who is trying desperately to keep up with her big sisters?  If I could pass on one message to them God, please tell them Thank you. 
She is about to celebrate another birthday on Thursday.  What a week!  She will start school tomorrow and then have a birthday the next day.  I'll try to post a picture or two of her on the first day.  Thanks for checking in with us (:

GOTCHA...take 2

Yep.  2 years ago we were standing in the US Embassy in Addis.  It was 2 years ago that we heard from a man from St. Louis, behind the counter at his job, that we were free to go home as a family of five.  Everything was clear, paperwork behind us (although we quickly learned that will never be the case), and the adoption was complete!  What begin in February 2009 is now our day to day reality with time moving so quickly.  And it's all because of Jesus Christ.....no matter the trials, He is always good. 

it's been 2 years...

As we celebrated Hailey's birthday on February 5, we remembered 2 years ago being on an airplane for our first trip to Ethiopia.  The trip where everything changed and we saw our youngest daughter face to face for the very first time.  Although it seems like she has always been here, I don't want to take these special moments for granted.  On February 6, 2011 we could finally give you a hug and let you know how very much you are and will always be loved.

Hard to believe...

As 2012 rolled to a close, we spent time as a family looking back at videos and pictures of this past year.  It's incredible to see where we are now!  For the first time, Ella has tried ice skating.  She begged us for months to go and wanted to take lessons.  She had visions of twirling like the professionals we see on tv.  The problems came when she actually had to step on the ice.  I'm not sure we even finished the first lap when she looked at me and said it was the hardest thing she's ever done.  I had to stifle a laugh as lap two came around and she wanted to be done.  I'm confident we won't be signing up for ice skating lessons any time soon (:
As 2013 begins, we are only 3 months away from our two year mark as a family of five!  Gotcha day is creeping up on us and time keeps going by way too fast.  Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Happy 2013!

pictures

I haven't posted many photos lately (or even been posting at all - sorry!) but wanted to share these 2 pictures.  The top picture is my new favorite of the 5 of us at the Botanical Gardens.  The bottom picture is Ella posing on her 1st day of pre-k class.  She gets to eat lunch at school like the big kids (her sisters) so she is very proud.  She asks me each morning what I am packing for her.  As time flies by for us all, I pray you have time to stop and enjoy the little things.  God is reminding me to be still, even when there are hundreds of things to do.  There are precious moments and memories that will pass by if we don't slow down a little and I don't want to miss even one (:

Her Birthday

Ella's older 2 sisters started school on her birthday but we made the best of it and celebrated a day before!  She has always wanted to go to Extreme Trampoline.  And that's what we did.  We invited her friends and I took 6 girls to jump for 2 hours straight!  I honestly do not think she stopped jumping the entire time.  I have never seen such a big smile as she did a handspring into the foam pit or played dodgeball like a big kid.  And on her birthday, she had her favorite pb and j lunch followed by pizza and brownies for dinner.  As we celebrate another birthday here, we are beyond thankful for what God has blessed us with.  For He knows the plans He has for us and we praise Him each day for His neverending goodness. 

Happy 4th of July

As we walked over to the fireworks last night, I can't believe this is Ella's second year to see the show!  She ooohed and aaahed in all the right places, singing along with almost every song.  We sat near a man home from Korea in the army and thanked him for his service.  He was very humble and gave us a nod.  We shared with him about our nephew Avery serving in the Air Force in South Korea and how proud we are of him.  I'm sure it's very difficult to be so far away.  So here's a gentle reminder to thank any men and women you see who are serving our country.....they are the reason we have our freedom in this land.