You know you are....

You Know You're An Adoptive Parent When . . .

1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.

2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.

3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.

4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you....

5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.

6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's "real" parents.

7. You have ever been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth. (2 years!)

8. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing where God calls you He will provide.

9. You have ever taken an airplane ride half-way around the world with a child you just met.

10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.

11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.

12. You know what the word "Dossier" means, and you can actually pronounce it!

13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.

14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have him or her in your life.

I haven't posted much lately, well, basically because life is really busy with our new additions and life in general!   I will try to get better about it, but you know, life needs to be focused on our family. 

Today was Kiley's first day at Horse A Rama and she did her demo with her beloved horse JT.  He is so good and they have worked so hard!  It is the start of show season! 

 I was thinking about it, that for ALL of our kids, there are beloved people in their lives, people that touch them and take them places that we (as their parents) can't quite get them.  Today, I realized, and I actually have known for some time, that Kiley's special person is her trainer, Gail Rentmeester.  Gail first took Kiley as a working student, basically so Kiley could get more advanced lessons.  Well, it has been a year and a half, and those two are just really important to each other.  Gail has stretched Kiley beyond what I could as her parent, and helps to pave the way for more.  I can keep things moving, but not in the way that Gail can.  Together, they are dreaming great dreams.  And actively working towards them.  What more can a parent ask for than a person who loves your child, teaches your child, pours into your child, that which is beyond your reach?  I am so grateful for all that Kiley has had the opportunity for.  I will do my best to move it forward as much as I can.  But it is now in their hands!   Doesn't it look amazing?  She has done all the work, learned all that is needed (though there is always TONS and TONS more to learn), and has earned where she is.  I am so grateful for the lovely people that pour into our kiddos, that speak into their lives with their experience and interests and truly care about our kids.  It is amazing to see Gail and Kiley together, to see how they feed into each other, learn from each other, and their relationship as it has grown.  I can never thank Gail enough.

So, in other news, the band Alex is in, Sanctify, has made it into the talent contest at Lifest in Oshkosh, WI!!!  The middle of July they will be competing.  It was very, very exciting all the voting that went on that got them this opportunity.  They deserve it and have worked so hard also!!!!  You can find Sanctify on Facebook and hopefully they will be up and coming!  They have a few videos on YouTube too!  I have no idea how to link them or I would.  I guess that will be my task in the next few days - to learn how to do that!

Soccer season is about to start - a couple more weeks!  That will up our busyness!  But this year only four boys are signed up for it.  Alex is too busy between work and band, and the girls were simply not interested at all.  

Homeschool continues throughout the summer so that doesn't change for us at all.  We are having quite a good time with active learning.  Though that is harder to document!  LOL!  

And the Littles - Azeb and Kahsu.  They are doing lovely.  We have several new phrases that we use a lot and one is "no yelling" in Amharic.  They understand that really well.  Not that it is helpful all the time, but the yelling meter has showed some reduction in the dB meter.  When I look back, we can see how far they have come based simply on the reduction in tantrums!  I was once again realizing today how many words they have learned.  We certainly don't have a ton of unprompted English (less that fifteen words), but we do have lots that they do use and they understand a ton.  I am surprised day after day.  And they are growing!  Not just in stature and weight but in play skills and social skills.  And attachment - wonderful lovely attachment.  It is coming.  Some days the process of that is exhausting, but it is wonderful!  Kahsu is nearly 18 pounds now - from the 15.8 she was when she got home eight weeks ago.  Azeb also, but she was never underweight and is even heavier now, though obviously growing taller!!!  It is hard to put into words all the changes in their lives.  We are firmly in the land of diapers, naps and toddlerhood.  It is challenging and wonderful and amazing.  I cannot believe they have only been here for eight weeks, and then it seems like just yesterday I was aching to hold their little bodies in my arms and snuggle them!

 Well, and on that note, I have to get them changed and up to bed.  We are out of our routine due to the horse events, but in such a lovely day, who can complain???

 

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans for hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11