Fall Fun!!!

Getting ready for Halloween has been a blast this year. Watching Sofonyas as he experiences all of this for the first time is too fun. It all started about a month ago when we were in our local Walgreens pharmacy and we passed the Hallween isle. He looked at me with his big eyes and said "Mom, what is this? Scary!! So as we walked down the isle I tried my hardest to explain the day and everything good that goes with it. We bought him a Spiderman costume and some candy corns to show him it wasn't all bad. When we got home I explained the process of trick or treating and he looked at me and said "Let's go now, k?" This last weekend we went to a pumpkin farm and picked out our own pumpkins, ran through hay mazes and then came home to paint our pumpkins. I can't wait to see them all dressed up for the real deal this Friday!!!

From Ethiopia to Texas- Friends Forever!

Last week we were blessed to have a fellow Hope family, the Wilkinson's visit from Dallas. Their son, Benjamin, formally Minte, is one of Sof's closest buddies from ET. Sof was so excited the whole week knowing that he was going to see his friend. Then within 2 hours from their arrival, he shut down. Sof went from being excited to not talking and eventually went to his room saying he did not want to see his good friend. I was blown away. So I called Ben's mom Jaclyn to tell her of our situation so she could prepare him. When they arrived, I told Ben that Sof was in his room and he was sad. I told him I thought he was mad at me, and asked him if he wanted to go with me to see him. So Ben and I went up to Sof's room where Sof was laying stolic on his bed. As Ben reached down touching Sof's cheek with his hand, tears started rolling down Sof's face. At that moment I realized just how much Sof has had to go through emotionally through his life and how strong he has had to be. It broke my heart to think of how many times he has had to say good bye to people he loved and that his was a little too much for his heart to take. They try so hard to put Ethiopia in their past when they come, only focusing on transforming themselves into American's as fast as they can. And for him to see a part of Ethiopia in America was more than he could handle. Within seconds Sof and Ben were embrassing and laughing the sadness was gone.

I am so grateful for God placing Sof and Ben so close to eachother. Knowing that they will have the opportunity to see eachother often is a very good thing. We had a wonderful visit! They are such a great family. Reagan and their son Aiden even hit it off. I can't wait to see them again.

Thank you Jesus for that sweet moment and for allowing me to through the tough exterior of our precious son Sof to his tender wounded heart. Father God I pray that you continue to free him from his pain and use me a vessel of your love and healing as his mother.

Learning to Breathe Under Water

Someone asked me the other day if I was drowning due to the fact that I hadn't posted in the last month. Well, according to Greg, we are just evolving and learning how to breath under water these days. This last month has been filled to the rim with good times with friends and family and the realities of bringing two new children into our already busy lives. I am not complaining, I signed onto this knowing that it wouldn't be easy, but some days I find myself wishing for it to be 9:00 pm knowing that by then all the kids are safe and in bed so I can crawl my way to ours.
Greg and I are still pinching ourselves daily at how wonderful it is to have everyone togeter and that things are going so well. In so many ways we forget that it has only been 8 weeks since we have been home since it seems like they have been here forever.
Reagan continues to handle this big change very well , having to share so much including his room. This is huge since he is normally the most selfishly driven and in the situation of sharing his room, there are many gray areas. I think God is working overtime on him. Where Reagan has really impressed me is with Helena. He absolutely adores her and is always looking out for her, helping her, and playing with her. It is very sweet to see this new nuturing side of him.
Caitlin too is handling the fact that she is no longer the baby or the only girl quite well. She has stepped upto the plate of being the bigger sister like a champ. I can tell it still bothers her though that Helena has not opened up to her yet. The more Helena pulls away the more she wants her to like her. It has been very important for me to make sure she as well as all the others are getting their fair share of one on one time with Greg and I. Especially Caitlin and I since she is used to having me all to herself.
For Blake this really hasn't impacted him very much, since he is used to having little brothers and sisters already. He is so good with Sof, who follows him around like a puppy somedays and enjoys Helena's littleness and the craziness that comes with her age. It is very sweet. They actually all do. She is both a ham and a little pill!!! It is a good thing she is so darn cute!
Like a friend and fellow adoptive mother, Gina once said "I spend most of my days on my knees in prayer." Well I don't get the chance to get on my knees or have a minute alone since neither Helena nor Sofonyas like to spend a second by themselves. It is difficult to say the least, so I make sure at the end of the day, before I shut my eyes, to say a good long prayer thanking God for all that he has blessed us with and to restore me with patience, peace, strength, endurance, and joy so that I may be the mother he has called me to be. The quiet, one on one time with God in prayer has become my new best friend!

Love is a Battle Field

Poor Sof has got to be thinking that I am Mother Pain and wondering what kind of sadistic family he has been given to. Within the last three weeks, he broke his arm and got his first round of immunizations and went back to the dentist for yet another check up. Meaning we spent many more hours and days in doctor's office. Fortunately, his arm was only a buckle fracture which the doctor said we could just use a split, since he was refusing any type of aid from the orthopedic surgeon. You would have thought she was cutting his arm off by the way he was screaming just looking at his arm. It wasn't the pain of the injury, it was all in his head making, making it difficult to treat. The next week I had to take him into the doctor for his first round of immunizations, he watched Helena receive her first just the week before. Let me just note she didn't even cry. Maybe it was my bad doing but I told him what we were going to do, I believe telling the truth is always better than deceiving your children, especially when they are as old as Sofonyas who gets it. Just getting him out of the house and through the parking lot to the doctor's office was a struggle, all with Helena in one arm and Sofonyas in the other. Dragging would not be an understatement. I thought for sure CPS would be called. Once we arrived at the doctor's office he was fine. We sat and talked about when he was in ET and he had to get shots what that was like. He was actually rational and relaxed until the nurse walked into the room. Then all H... broke loose. It took 4 nurses and I to get the job done. He hit, kicked, bit all of us while screaming bloody murder, all even before she had actually touched the needle to his arm. After it was all said and done 30 minutes later, we headed straight to good ole Micky D's for a hamburger and fries. Thank God, once Sof got a few fries in his belly he was back to his happy self. Giving me hope that God was covering his mind from holding it forever against me. Unfortunately, we will be headed back to doctor for our next round of immunizations next month. I think I am going to call in some big guns for some back up and definitely have someone watch Helena for me.