Day Two as a family of ten!

As you all know, we are in the transitional phase.

Aman (12 or 13) speaks English very well, thank the Lord. He is very willing to work with us and trust us with his care. He has conversational English and even reads and writes!!!

Aben understands more than he lets on and is a fun loving little guy (9). Solomon (home two years) is in heaven to have such an energetic playmate and is really stepping up to help his little brother (Solly is 10). Alex (almost 15 bio) is enjoying having more brothers, even a little one who had fun teasing him at church about his "girlfriend" - just a friend who was nearby, we don't date in our family.

Tsion has been the most difficult nut to crack, but today we had a breakthrough when she out loud read a t-shirt - in English!!! Previously, we didn't think she understood much if any English and I anticipated starting at square one with reading!!! Hah! The stinker!! LOL! She understands more, much more - probably not as much as Aman, but much more than we had thought! She is 9, and Faith is 9 (bio). They share a room and are rapidly becoming good sisters, holding hands and helping each other. I have seen them laughing and talking together, which is good, because Tsion wasn't talking at all to us, and very little in Amharic with her brothers who speak Amharic. Kiley (12) spends time with everyone, a bit at a time, but being our driven child, she generally is pleased to do her own leadership thing.

So, so far, so good. Tomorrow is a very early morning at Children's Hospital for Aman - we all will have to go. That means we leave the house at 5AM after animal chores. Ugh. But, Steve will be able to come with us, and we will then drop him after the doctor's visit at the office in Milwaukee (where he generally works once a week) while we go to the zoo or the museum while he works. Then we will all head home together. I am not looking forward to the two to two and a half hour drive each way, but it is what it is.

Friends from church organized a picnic for us to welcome the kids home. It was lovely and the predicted rain lasted about three minutes! What a blessing these people were! Talk about feeling warm and loved and supported! And my parents came out too! They had been out of town when we arrived, so it worked out lovely and they were enchanted with the kids.

We are so pleased and happy. We know that there is lots ahead of us, but everyone is good at this point. I am looking forward to starting school with everyone soon. We will need the structure and our lessons will give us that. I stand amazed at what God has done in our lives and our kids' lives. Humbled too.

I will post pictures in the next few days!

I will post more as time allows!
Christy