She's black just like Micah

My sister Lauren got "the call" today. We have a beautiful niece waiting for her Mommy and Daddy in Ethiopia.  She is just adorable.  I can't wait until we meet her face to face.  Sophie's comment when she looked at the pictures was "She's black, just like Micah".  Can't get anything past her.

My fickle love affair with attachment parenting

So, as my mom likes to say - we take a perfectly great sleeper and turn them into a mess. The problem with attachment parenting is that you need to get the kids to need you. Done. Now what?  We have historically been putting Micah to sleep in our arms for his 2 naps and bedtime. I LOVE putting him to sleep. I love snuggling and smelling his sweet smell. This kid has killer baby smell!  Anyway, as we approach a new school year with two middle schoolers and a pre-schooler the rocking to sleep luxury must go.  So, we've been trying a new sleep technique. For two days I sat in the miniature chair next to his crib while he puts himself to sleep. There is minimal crying for the most part. This morning I moved the chair across the room.  I am sitting by the door way this.  Sophie is taking advantage of this time. She just walked in the hallway to show me the "surprise" she has for me - a raw egg. This parenting stuff just gets better and better. 

Pictures

Two of the sweetest kids I know
Sophie LOVES swimming!
Makenzie is a teenager!!

Addie is two!
Nothing like sharing a cold popsicle with a great friend on a hot day.
On of my favorite pictures!
Trying to be fancy. Love baby toes!!!

Defending the Orphan

Tom Davis says about the movie Orphan:

I want to challenge my readers and friends to write 500 positive blog posts about how an orphan has impacted and changed your life. Post this on your own blog so that when people search for the movie, they are flooded with positive messages about adoption and orphan care.

Just finish this sentence: "Warner Bros. new horror movie Orphan proclaims that it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own. Let me tell you about how an orphan changed my life..."

A few thoughts:

• If I'm totally honest, I am bothered by the thought of my children being called orphans. They are such a deep part of my heart, it seems ridiculous that they were orphaned before God gave them to us.
• I am a completely different person than I was when we decided to adopt. My view of the world, God and my family have evolved in so many ways.
• I often try to articulate my feelings and emotions surrounding adoption - I frequently can't put it into words. I wish I could explain to people who say that my kids are "lucky" to have been adopted, that the joy and love that I feel for them seems unfair in a way. It is surrounded by so much loss for them and their first families.
• The intense love I feel for these children that were born on the other side of the world surprises me almost daily.
• Nothing makes me smile quite like watching Sophie and Micah interact. These two kids are family, because they call the same person "Dad".

Sophie says...

Sophie and I were laying down in an attempt to go to sleep. Most parents are familiar with this purgatory. You are exhausted and begin to fall asleep the second your head hits the sand and snot filled pillowcase. Meanwhile, your co-part is suddenly filled with extreme energy. So, Sophie was "trying" to go to sleep. (Observation: as long as you are constantly moving and talking - it will likely take a VERY LONG time). She reaches down to scratch a bug bite on her toe and this follows:

Sophie: "Mommy, did God make us inside or outside?"

Mommy: "Ummm, I don't know (the beginning to the majority of my answers). Outside, I guess.

Sophie: "Why he do dat? There's so many bug bites out dere."

The older set

Seth with his cousins - all part of the boy's hair club.

These two get no press. Makenzie will soon celebrate her 13th birthday. She has all her requests made already...repeatedly. Seth wins the award for the most loveable pesky person. I am so proud of both of them. They both have such great hearts, especially for their younger siblings. We are blessed with some great kids!!

The teeth!!

These teeth make me laugh out loud when I see them!