Our Adoption Story - Blessed

FOOTBALL!!!!

2010-01-18T19:29:00.001-05:00

Blake played I-9 Flag Football again this season! He LOVES football! He can give you stats on just about any player you ask about! Everytime we hear him giving football stats......he has to quote a bible verse too! He learning LOTS of bible verses!! The Warriors won the Championship game against a team that was undefeated! The boys wanted this one bad and they earned every point but better than that, they showed this team what kindness and respect were all about! Thanks Coach George & Coach Ricky!

2 YEARS!

2010-01-15T20:33:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe it has been two years since we received "THE CALL"! On January 15, 2008, we received our call that we had been matched with a beautiful baby girl named Frehiwot! Hours later, we saw her face for the very first time! What a difference 2 years can make! We are truly blessed!

Jonathan update......

2010-01-06T19:30:00.001-05:00

We hear that it should be very soon that the court order comes through that we will have JBoy 100% of the time (officially)! We are still wading through the mounds of red tape and court appointments! Worth the battle though!

FUN, FUN, FUN!

2009-12-31T18:58:00.001-05:00

Dad set up a helicopter ride for Taylor & Blake! They had an amazing time and enjoyed the scenery!

Dinner @ Uncle Wayne's

2009-12-27T23:32:00.001-05:00

Can't remember the last time we were all together with our kiddos under the same roof! What a great time we ALL had! Thanks for inviting us over Wayne & Danielle!! LOVE YOU!!

Christmas Morning!

2009-12-27T21:06:00.001-05:00

What a wonderful Christmas morning! Jonathan got to come over too!

Christmas Eve @ Mimi's & Pawpaw's

2009-12-27T16:06:00.002-05:00

We love getting together with Mark's side of the family at Mimi & Pawpaw's house on Christmas Eve! It ends up being super late though because of the two services at the church but it's worth it. The kids had so much fun playing and opening gifts! We are blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Fun Times!

2009-12-21T16:01:00.001-05:00

He's getting more and more comfortable! We are loving the added chaos around here!

Bubby's Home!!

2009-12-19T16:58:00.001-05:00

Bubby's home and making Christmas cookies with Myli! As you can see, she loves her bubby!! We love having Bubby home for Christmas!!!!

Sophi sings

2009-12-17T15:57:00.001-05:00

A few girls were asked to sing at the church's annual Widow's Christmas banquet. Sophi was very excite about singing and had a great time! I think the ladies enjoyed it too!

MOPS Christmas Party

2009-12-14T19:03:00.001-05:00

So this year, I decided to join MOPS and really make an effort at connecting with some other stay at home moms. Well, I made some new friends and so did my children! The ladies do a great job at putting together all of the meetings and this one was great as well. Myliah is petrified of Santa and so Jonathan decided to skip out too. Neither would sit on his lap but Santa & Mrs. Clause did manage to make their way over to the craft tables and carry on conversations with both of them. Maybe next year!

Oh Boy & Girl!

2009-12-10T15:49:00.001-05:00

What can I say......life with two 2 year old's is CRAZY!!!
The amount of energy these two have is incredible! I wish I had just one ounce of it! Our days are filled with trying to figure out how to keep these two busy! We like to go to the park and this also makes it easier for us to get to know Jonathan. He is shy but seems to be adjusting pretty well. Myliah took to him very well and they are inseparable! We call them "Pete & Re-Pete" because Jonathan repeats everything Myliah says! Just what I needed, to hear it all twice!!! Jonathan is behind in his language skills but I have a feeling he will be caught up in no time!
We are still waiting on the judge to put an order together so that Jonathan can come and live with us full-time. (wink, wink!) Not much we can do but wait and have fun in the meantime!

Babysitting Baby Christian

2009-12-05T15:47:00.001-05:00

So exciting!! We got to babysit Baby Christian OVER NIGHT!! He's such a good boy!

Update on Jonathan...

2009-11-15T15:14:00.002-05:00

What a whirlwind this all has been! So much red tape to conquer! Why do they make things so difficult!!
Jonathan is visiting with us during the daytime and sleeping at his Grandma's house for now. Trying to make the transition a little easier on him and getting to know him at his pace. He is a scared little boy who really needs a mommy & daddy to care for and protect him. Please pray for all of us while we go through this time and seek what God wants for our family!

Here's a sneak peek at the cutest little red head I've ever seen.....

Say WHAT???

2009-11-05T23:30:00.001-05:00

So I am sitting in the front yard watching the kiddos play and ride their bikes when Mark comes home. Little did I know what was about to happen! This is how the conversation went.......

Mark - "Did you see the e-mail on the church Yahoo Group?"
Me - "No" "Why?"
Mark - "Nevermind"...."Well, just check it out later when you get a chance!"

In true fashion, I forget that he told me and our night continues.

The following day, I get a phone call from Mark. Goes something like this....

Mark - "Did you see the message on the YG yet?"
Me - "No, I forgot all about it!" "I'll read it now"
(It reads something to the affect that there is a grandmother locally who is looking for a family to help with her 2.5 year old grandson. Long term.)
Mark - "I deleted the message off of my phone yesterday after reading it only to come in to work today and it pop up on my e-mail first thing this morning!" "What do we do?" "Why will it not go away?"
Me - "Ummmmm......I don't know....call the number and see what's going on and if we can help?"

Well, he called, and we met little Jonathan tonight! He is a precious 2.5 year old rambunctious little boy who was removed from his biological parents' home due to neglect. Grandma is unable to care for him b/c she already has his 4 year old bio sister ans is a single mom. In a nutshell, she is looking for a family who is willing to care for Jonathan long term and adopt him as his case progresses!!

I am really stunned & speechless! We were not actively looking for a child to adopt! Is this real? Does this really happen? What now?

**Knowing we will be dealing with the state is a little frightening to say the least but if this is what God is calling us to do.....we always have room!

stayed tuned....

Operation Christmas Child - 2009

2009-11-02T15:30:00.000-05:00

What a great privilege for our children to get to show love to children all around the world with a simple little shoe box full of gifts!

Meeting Baby Christian

2009-11-01T15:24:00.000-05:00

Mom, Sis & I got to meet Baby Christian! He is so BIG!! And ADORABLE! Loved kissing his sweet cheeks!

Halloween & Carvin' Punkins

2009-10-31T15:17:00.000-04:00

Had our annual trip to "Trick or Treat" and eat pizza with the Farley Family!

Fall Festival - 2009

2009-10-30T14:40:00.000-04:00

We LOVE the Fall Festival at our church! Each year LOTS of people volunteer to make this a special event for the community! The kiddos always have so much fun!

Not So Scary Halloween @ Disney World

2009-10-15T14:30:00.000-04:00

We decided to go to the "Not So Scary Halloween Party" this year at Disney! It was soooo much fun! I was a little scared with it being late at night and trying to keep up with a 2 year old but it turned our fabulous!! We got a little bear harness for Myli and she loved it! We were able to relax and enjoy the evening! It was one of the best trips we've had at Disney. Not crowded! We went on the Buzz Lightyear ride 4 times in a row with no wait!! WOOHOO! Myliah's first trip to Disney & it was awesome!!!

BOYS TRIP - Miami Dolphin Game

2009-10-08T14:19:00.000-04:00

See the smile on Blake's face? It didn't leave for weeks after he and Dad went to this game! Luckily, the Dolphins were on this night and won the game! Blake's first ever NFL game and he eats, drinks, sleeps, and talks non-stop Miami Dolphins! Who could ask for more!

Sophi's 7th Birthday

2009-10-02T14:10:00.000-04:00

Can't believe our Taiwan Princess is already 7!! We love you Sophi!!!

Labor Day - Disney Resort

2009-09-27T13:53:00.000-04:00

Had a great time @ Disney's All-Star Resort! Each one of our children picked a friend to join us for the weekend! It was GREAT!!

Care Package for Tommy!

2009-09-25T13:16:00.000-04:00

Found out that Uncle David, Aunt Karen & Katherine are driving up to visit Nat at BU! They offered to take a care package to Tommy for us...along with a few items he forgot! He has been away for about a month and it has been quite the adjustment for ALL of us! The house is definitely not the same and MUCH too quiet! Tommy has a way of making chaos out of calm! We miss that here!!! He is also having a tough time adjusting to being away from all of his family and friends! He is very excited to see familiar faces though!! The kids worked all day baking Tommy's favorite cookies and making cards for him! Hope it brings a smile to his face!!

I DID IT!

2009-08-31T21:54:00.002-04:00

So much has been going on this year that I sadly fell way behind on keeping up with the family blog! I love keeping the blog and find it very therapeutic, even if no one is interested! So.......I have been on a mission lately working like a mad woman to update it. There are a couple more posts that I am working on but for the most part, it is caught up FINALLY!

My sweet friend Kari told me how to make collages and that is the only thing that made this possible! It's kind of boring with having collages for each post but so much faster and when you are nine months behind, I'll take it!

JUST CLICK ON ANY OF THE COLLAGES AND THEY WILL GO FULL SCREEN SO YOU CAN VIEW THE PICTURES A LOT EASIER!

I LOVE MY FAMILY!!

Tommy's Going Away/Graduation Party

2009-08-11T13:05:00.002-04:00

How sad it is to think that I do not have ONE picture of this party!! I was too busy making sure food was replenished and our guests were ok!

Thank you to all who came out to show your love for Tommy! We are so greatful to have friends and family like you!

Tommy will be leaving to attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in a few short days! My momma heart is breaking but I know this is what he was called to do so I have to remain strong and believe that God will watch over him when I can't!
This is what we work so hard for and then when the time comes, it is most difficult to simply say good-bye. I am struggling but know in the end, God will provide the strength I need to understand His plan!

We love you Tommy and wish you all the best!! We are so proud of you and know that you will be strong and keep the faith!!

Family Vacay At Disney Resort!

2009-07-20T21:51:00.000-04:00

We have visited the ALL-STAR MUSIC DISNEY RESORT for the past two Summers and have had a great time! They have so many activities for the kiddos from morning until night including family movie at the pool each evening! Myli is such a daredevil and the first night fell off the step in the pool and scared us to death! Well, we thought she "fell" off the step! Mark kept trying to take her out with him to float around the pool and she wanted nothing to do with that. I looked at him and said, "You know what she wants right?" and sure enough, I took her, turned her towards daddy and she took right off SWIMMING! Full on face under water and everything! She didn't stop for days! She woke up saying "wimming" and went to sleep saying the same! It was great to see the difference between this Summer and last! She just floated around last year taking it all in and this year she was part of the action! So cool! Tommy & Taylor tanned and napped a lot and Blake, Sophi and Josiah (Blake's friend) played until they couldn't play anymore each day! This was our last vacation before Tommy left for college. It was bittersweet! Vacations with a big family are so much work but oh so awesome!!

Myli Swimming!!

2009-07-20T20:11:00.000-04:00

Here she is in action!

Meeting The David's!

2009-07-14T21:33:00.000-04:00

When we started the adoption process for Ethiopia our agency had a Yahoo Group set up for families in the program. We shared the journey with so many families and over time grew to think of these people as our extended family! We shared our ups and downs, prayed for one another, and celebrated each small step along the way! A sweet couple named Caleb & Becca received their referral before us and as we followed (ok, stalked) their blog of their trip to Ethiopia to their beautiful daughter Sakari, we always thought it would be great if we could meet up with some of the families one day.
Well, as luck would have it...the David's were vacationing in Orlando the same time we were this Summer and we were able to work schedules out to finally meet up! They are a precious family and it was great to finally meet them in person and of course share in some yummy Ethiopian food at The Nile! The girls were so cute together!

Myli's 2nd Birthday!

2009-07-06T21:17:00.000-04:00

SHE'S 2!!!! We had a great time celebrating Myli's birthday with a few of her little friends!
WE LOVE YOU BABY GIRL!!!

Myli's New Hiding Place!

2009-07-04T21:13:00.000-04:00

Just sayin'...if you can't find Myli.....look in the dryer!! This is now her favorite place to play! Oh and you might want to check for anything that comes up missing there too!

Re-Adoption Day!!

2009-06-10T21:07:00.000-04:00

We are proud to announce that Myliah Nael Frehiwot is now an American Citizen! As you can see, she quickly took over and made a new friend! She sat on the Judge's lap the entire time, played with the gavel, and answered all of the questions she was asked! She pointed out and said each person's name in the room as asked by Judge Rainwater! ADORABLE!! Now all we have left paperwork wise to complete her adoption (other than post placement reports for the next 16 years)is to apply for her COC - Certificate Of Citizenship and a SS#!!

Just in case you are wondering about her name....we decided as a family to use part of Myliah's twin brother's name which is Nathnael as her middle name
(Nael - pronounced Ny-el)and then her 2nd middle name Frehiwot is her Ethiopian name. Nathnael passed away shortly after they were found and brought to the orphanage of malnourishment.

PS - Tommy & Taylor were at M-Fuge Youth Camp, that's why they are not in the pictures!

BEACH DAY!!!

2009-06-08T20:43:00.000-04:00

Blake's 12th Birthday!

2009-06-06T20:41:00.000-04:00

TOMMY'S HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION!!!!

2009-05-21T20:39:00.000-04:00

WOOOO-HOOOO!! HE DID IT!! Crazy to think that I have a son old enough to graduate!!
Tommy, we are so proud of all of your accomplishments!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS, WE LOVE YOU!!!

Senior Prom 2009

2009-04-25T19:57:00.000-04:00

HOW SWEET ARE THEY!!

Senior Wrestling Recognition Night

2009-04-24T20:10:00.000-04:00

Day At The Beach

2009-04-18T19:54:00.000-04:00

We LOVE the beach!

Senior Banquet EG First 2009

2009-04-17T20:35:00.000-04:00

Our church had a Senior Banquet for all of the graduates at the church!
It was great celebrating their accomplishments together!

Taylor's 13th Birthday!

2009-04-02T19:41:00.000-04:00

So the theme of late is how our children are growing up!! I'm not real fond of that but I can't seem to stop it!
We are so proud of Taylor! She has an amazing spirit and is the sweetest I know! We love you sweet girl!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Forever Day Celebration!

2009-03-11T20:04:00.000-04:00

We went to an Ethiopian restaurant called The Nile in Orlando to celebrate the day Myliah became a part of her FOREVER FAMILY! She got to eat some injera which she was not real fond of. It is very sour although it is not near as sour at this place as it is in Ethiopia! We had a great time!

Tommy's 18th Birthday!

2009-02-03T19:33:00.000-05:00

Can't believe my baby boy is 18!!!
Seems like yesterday that he was just laying in my arms SCREAMING as he did best!
We are so proud of the man he has turned out to be! LOVE YOU BUBBA!

Where does the time go??

2009-01-07T12:36:00.002-05:00

I can't believe our baby girl is 18 months old!! Doesn't seem possible!
Happy 18 months Princess Myliah!!! WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND ARE SO GLAD GOD GAVE YOU TO US!!!!!

Love,
Mommy & Daddy

New Family Pics

2009-01-02T14:27:00.002-05:00

New Family Pics#2

2009-01-02T14:20:00.004-05:00

Tommys First Wrestling Match for EGHS

2008-12-23T15:08:00.004-05:00

Although he did not win.....he made a great effort for his first time!

Tommys First Wrestling Match for EGHS(2)

2008-12-01T14:43:00.000-05:00

A few pics for fun!

2008-11-28T14:33:00.001-05:00

Myli loves to wear Daddy's shoes!

Her new hiding spot!

Football Dude!

Sweet Sophi!

Big Helper!

2008-11-24T14:23:00.000-05:00

Myli loves to help her Bubby Tommy empty the dishwasher! Everytime she hears the dishwasher open, she runs right for it and this is what she does......

We finally figured out why.....this is how Bubby rewards her!!

Operation Christmas Child Boxes!

2008-11-23T13:58:00.000-05:00

Each year our family participates in the Operation Christmas Child program through our church. It is a great way to teach our children about giving and they love to shop for "their" child. This year proved to be a bit crazy as we all entered Target and each child got their own shopping basket! Not sure what we were thinking but hey....it was worth it in the end! Right in the middle of shopping, we heard that the Space Shuttle was launching and since all of our children love to watch the shuttle, they nicely (haha) threw their baskets at me as they ran for the door! After returning, the shopping continued. As we were making our way to the check out, Myli decided that she wanted to push the big cart and fell and busted her face on the metal bar! Blood was going everywhere as the manager scrambled to find paper towels and a boo-boo ice pack. After we got Myli all cleaned up, we again headed to the checkout and everyone checked out seperately to be careful not to combine any gifts! We came home and wrapped all of the boxes, decorated them with stickers, loaded them up, and prayed over them for the children that were to receive them!

Operation Christmas Child Boxes!

2008-11-12T13:50:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-09T13:45:00.000-05:00

Tommy - Homecoming 2008

2008-11-08T13:29:00.000-05:00

What A Goof!

Enough Pictures Already....MOM!!!

He Dared Me!!

Planning The Night Out!

Isn't He Handsome!!
Love You Bubba!

Half A Lifetime!

2008-11-06T11:31:00.003-05:00

Today Myliah is 16 months old and has been with her Forever Family for half of her life!! I can't believe she has been home for 8 months! She continues to amaze us and keeps our home full of laughter and joy!

Gift of God

2008-10-29T22:28:00.004-04:00

Ok, so I must confess that I have left all of the blogging to my wife for the last four years. Pretty shameful huh? I guess it’s time for me to do my part and contribute to our story. Earlier this year when we were in Ethiopia God impacted our lives in a huge way and she asked me to write about it.

Our trip to Ethiopia was amazing. Melissa covered it in such great detail in this blog that I don’t want to be redundant. We were the family in our travel group that was on autopilot. Thanks to Mel’s great planning we had everything that we needed for the perfect trip, right down to a copy of our income taxes (which really came in handy in getting Myli’s visa!) It was smooth sailing and happy times for us until Thursday.

In an earlier blog entry called “Thursday Update” (posted on March 7th, 2008) that described our time in Ethiopia Melissa said;“OUR TOUR (of the orphanage) WAS OVER BUT WE DIDNT WANT TO LEAVE. WE ARE FOREVER CHANGED AND A PIECE OF OUR HEARTS ARE THERE FOREVER!

That was really all we could say at the time. What happened that day was beyond words. When we arrived at the orphanage we asked to see where Myliah (Frehiwot) slept when she was there. We want to be able to tell her as much as possible about her life in Ethiopia when she is older and wants to know. The director of the orphanage said “isn’t this the twin?” We had no knowledge of a twin so we assured her Myliah was not. A few minutes later we were introduced to the nanny who had cared for Myliah when she was at the orphanage, and she assured us that Myliah was in fact a twin. Our hearts jumped for joy at this incredible news, and a thousand thoughts were going through our minds. A twin? Where is he? Can we adopt him too? Has he already been adopted? Can we see him? All of these thoughts ended abruptly with the words “We are sorry, we did everything we could, but he was too weak and didn’t make it”.

I can’t even begin to express the grief that enveloped us in that moment. It was like a doctor had come out of the delivery room and said that our baby had died. We were crushed and completely overcome with grief. We asked them to give us any information that they could, and they brought out a piece of paper that said: Nathnael brother of Frehiwot. The nanny told us that Myliah got her strength from him, she said it over and over that he was the reason that she lived. He gave his strength to her.

Neither of us could sleep that night, and when we were able to talk we tried to figure out what this all means. The only explanation I have for how we could feel so much grief for a child that we never saw or even knew about is how quickly we had bonded to his sister, and the words of the nanny. We decided that night that Nathnael would not just be an unknown orphan that died, but would part of our family forever. He is our son.

So the question is how do we make him a part of our lives? How can we celebrate his life? How do we make sure that he is not forgotten? We wanted to find a way to think about him every day for the rest of our lives. While we were processing all of this we found out about an opportunity to invest in a project that would help the cause of the Ethiopian orphans. We decided to invest in an incredible project called the Ethiopia Guest Home. Not only is the guest home is a great place for adoptive families and mission groups to stay while in Ethiopia, the profits go directly to caring for orphans. For us, honoring Nathnael’s memory means finding a way to help Ethiopian families care for their children, and not have to abandon them. That is what the guest home is all about. To find out more about it go to: www.ethiopiaguesthome.com.

The guest home is a great way to memorialize Nathnael, but I needed something more up close and personal. I needed something to look at everyday that would remind me of my little boy up in heaven. I wanted to have something that I can’t put away, ignore, or forget about. So I got this tattoo. It is based on a painting called “Gift of God”, which is really fitting because Nathnael means gift of God. And the amazing part of this story is that it was through his death that Myliah (Frehiwot - which means Fruit of Life) became our daughter. So she was his gift to us.

I'm Growing Up!

2008-10-15T23:37:00.001-04:00

Myli had her 18 month check-up last week! She is healthy and growing like a weed and way too fast for me! She is in the 8th percentile for her weight and 35th percentile for her height! I'm guessing she is just going to be a little peanut!! Myli was mimicking the pediatrician with hand gestures, it was quite hilarious to watch and Dr kept a close eye on her too and said she is very smart! We already knew that! LOL! Her new passion is reading. She used to bring you books and back into your lap saying "read" but now we find her reading all by herself! She LOVES books (like her Daddy)! She still loves to dance and sing and takes advantage to do so at every little jingle she hears! She continues to be a clown and is Little Miss Social ALL OF THE TIME! It is hard to get in and out of anywhere without her saying "HI" to all who walk by! She is quite vocal and I dare you not to say "HI" back to her!! She is relentless and will not stop until she is acknowledged! I don't take her to the grocery store anymore because it takes us way too long to get through by the time we stop and talk to everyone who she grabs their attention! She is working on all of her eye teeth (one is just about to poke through) and her 4th bottom tooth. This brings us to a total of 16 teeth when they all come in!! She had 3 when she came home so she has been working pretty hard getting them all in over the last several months. She continues to be one of the happiest babies we have ever been around. Even after receiving 4 shots in her little thighs!! OUCH!!
WE ARE BLESSED!!

What A Treasure!

2008-09-16T12:16:00.002-04:00

We received such a blessing via e-mail today! I just had to share it!

One of the families we traveled with to Ethiopia was the McIlrath's. We had talked several times via e-mail before travel and we were so excited to get to meet them and thank them for all they had done! Dave traveled in October of 07 to help our agency find, set-up, and furnish the new Transitional Home! He also did all of the hiring of the staff, nannies, etc. They are an amazing family!!

During the week, Dave made mention a couple of times that he had held Myli on the bus when they were moving some of the children from Kids Care Orphanage to the new TH. I assured Mark that Dave must have been confusing Myli with another child because we were told that she was not moved to the TH until January of 08, when we received her referral so he couldn't have held her.

Well....today we received a couple of surprises! One was a picture of Myli IN DAVE'S ARMS on the bus riding to the new TH!!! The other was a picture of Myli on her first day at the new TH! We did not have any pictures of Myli as such a little baby, these pictures are true treasures for us! Look at those ears!! No mistaking it, it's her, our sweet baby girl!! She was about 3 months old!!

As adoptive parents, we miss out on so much of our children's lives before we can hold them and that leaves us to often wonder and dream about what they might have looked like when they were little.....Not this time!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

PLEASE VISIT: ethiopiaguesthome.com to see the work that the McIlrath's continue to do for the orphans and families in Ethiopia!!!

Braids

2008-09-03T12:09:00.000-04:00

Leyla's hair is getting so long so in trying to figure out how to care and keep it, we decided to get it braided. She was a trooper!

BEFORE.......Miss Andrea put over 100+ braids in!! It took almost 4 hours!!!

AFTER

Izzy

2008-09-01T14:03:00.005-04:00

Every morning, as soon as Daddy leaves for work, Myli runs to our sliding glass door yelling "IZZY" where she is met by her new BFF! Izzy is a lizard that appears each morning on the door to play with Myli! They talk and play awhile and then our day can start! She also has taken a liking to her big sissy's 6ft stuffed snake and carries it around! It's the cutest thing! Here they are in one of their in depth discusions (look very closely and you'll see Izzy).........

First Hair "DO"

2008-09-01T13:44:00.003-04:00

Myli's hair is growing soooo fast now! When we went on vacation, we met a family that had a little girl who was a couple of months older than Myli. One night, we got on to the subject of hair and I told her dad that I couldn't wait for Myli's hair to grow so I could give her a "Do"! He told me that I needed to put it in "puffs" and that would make it grow. I was thinking to myself that she didn't have enough hair to put in puffs and that this may be an old wives tale, but it seems he knew what he was talking about! I took what little hair she had and put it in these puffs and her hair is growing like crazy! I am so excited to get to play with her hair now!!

Myli's Nursery

2008-09-01T13:31:00.002-04:00

I never posted any pics of Myli's room! There are still some things to be done like making her bow and headband holders but for the most part, it's done for now!

Myli Update (5&6 month)

2008-09-01T10:27:00.000-04:00

I know I say this each time I post an update about Myli but time is flying by so quickly! We are getting ready for our 6 month post placement visit which should be a breeze this time!
Myli is almost 14 months old and she is doing so well! We are excited to say she is now sleeping through the night with little to no night terrors in her own room!! Daddy puts her to bed each night and she wants her room pitched black! Crazy! If her door is cracked even the slightest, she will point to it until it is closed! She typically goes to bed around 8:30-8:45 and sleeps until 6:30 or so! With school starting back up, she now wakes along with everyone else. This makes for an early morning 3 hour nap and she seems to have given up her afternoon nap. Sleeping, check!Myli LOVES music! Anytime there is music, she sings at the top of her lungs and dances away! It's in her blood!! Over the Summer, Mark & I worked VBS and Myli tagged along every night to our music classes. She learned the chorus to one of the songs and it is now her fav. She will come up and start raising her hands and babbling wanting you to sing it. It goes, I won't stop never gonna stop praisin', everyday you'll be my number one, Jesus, Jesus, my numer one! She is so cute and raises her hands and does her little pointer finger for the number one part! So precious!! She is expanding her vocabulary each week. Her newest word is read. She will bring a book to you and say "read" and back up into your lap. The cutest! She is also picking up on more and more sign language! This is the coolest thing ever!! I always heard that babies could sign but for some reason, didn't really believe it! She signs, please, thank you, more, all gone, cracker, milk, nite-nite (sleepy)We are plugging along with the weight! She is so ready to sit in a front facing carseat so she can see out of the car! This is one of her least favorite things to do but I think when she is able to turn around, she will be much happier. Still loves her bath time and massage. So, I think that's about it, we are so in love with this little girl! She was made for our family!!!

Bath, Massage and Hairtime!

2008-09-01T09:05:00.001-04:00

Myli

2008-09-01T08:17:00.002-04:00

Upside Down Myli!

Myli stealing Mama's phone AGAIN!!!

Action Shot!

SuperGirl!!!

Mama's Angel Girl!

Tropical Storm Fay...The one who wouldn't go away!

2008-08-22T00:35:00.000-04:00

We are so thankful that our home was spared this go around! I kept having flashbacks to 2004 when we lost our home to Hurricane Frances! That was one of the hardest things we have had to deal with! I don't know if I could do it again!
Not to mention.....we don't have flood insurance!!

TS Fay came in on Tuesday and didn't leave for days! No one was prepared for what we were in for! The storm kept stalling and we received more than 2 feet of rain. Our neighborhood was hit really hard and many families lost their homes all around us! After hours and hours of pounding rain, this is what we were left with..........

First Day Of School

2008-08-18T23:53:00.000-04:00

I for one am soooo excited that school is starting! I admit it, by the time Summer is over, I am ready for everyone to go back to school! I love teachers and I thank God for them every day! We went to registration last week and found out what teachers we have this year and we are very pleased and can't wait for an exciting year!

Taylor is 12 and starting the 7th grade! It doesn't seem possible that she is in Junior High already! She had a great first day and was not nervous at all! Actually, this is the first year since Kindergarten that she hasn't cried the first day of school! She is growing up!

Blake is 11 and starting 5th grade! He is very bright and does very well in school. He loves a challenge! His favorite subject is Math! It is amazing to think that he has only been with us for 2.5 years! He is learning so much!

More School Pics

2008-08-18T09:15:00.002-04:00

Leyla is 10 and starting the 4th grade. She loves school and is a good student!

Sophi is 5 and is starting Kindergarten! She attended First Friends Weekday Pre-School at our church for two years and has learned so much! She spoke no English when she came home just over two years ago and you would never know it now! It's really incredible!

******NOTE - NO, I didn't forget about Tommy but he was not really into having his picture taken for his first day of COLLEGE!!! We are so proud of him! He worked really hard to get good grades and he is now in the Early Admissions program at our local Community College and will graduate High School this year with an AA! He is taking 15 hours and so far he's loving it! He goes Monday -Thursday and is enjoying some freedom and getting a taste for adult life!

Adding Some Bling!

2008-08-15T23:41:00.000-04:00

Sophi has been begging to get her ears pierced for about a year now. We agreed to get them done before she started Kindergarten so here we are!
We went to Merle Norman in the mall the Friday before school started! She picked out her little pink sparkly earrings, and when the lady told her to go sit in the chair, she quickly looked at me and said, "I think I want to wait until tomorrow" and like a good mommy, I lied and told her we couldn't wait because they already opened the package! Bad Mommy!!! She was given the option to sit in daddy's lap so she opted for that. Poor daddy, I think it was harder on him than it was for her!
So, they got ready, told her they were going to count to 3 and we decided the two ladies needed to go back to Kindergarten because they said one and POW!! It was done!
They are so smart!! I think daddy cried longer than Sophi!!!
So, her ears are pierced and she thinks she is 16 now! She has worn her hair up everyday to school!

Happy Birthday Leyla!

2008-08-08T23:21:00.002-04:00

We celebrated Leyla's 10th birthday with family at where other than the Chinese Buffet! When asked where she wanted to eat, she again said she just wanted to eat shrimp with PawPaw at the Chinese place. Ok! We had a great time!

Where A Kid Can Be A Kid!

2008-07-31T23:03:00.001-04:00

Ok...I have to laugh while writing this post seeing that our YG had a little discussion about Chuck-E-Cheese recently! There were several who said they would not take their newly adopted children to CEC b/c it may be overwhelming to them! I stayed out of that discussion as we had just gone!! Too funny! Well, we opted out of Disney World on our vacation b/c we knew that would be total overload for Myli and Grandma wanted to take the kids this summer to CEC so it all worked out! We went to CEC while we were in Orlando and everyone had a blast, including Myli! She rode all of the rides, played in the toddler area and enjoyed it immensly! I guess she won't be scarred too badly!

Disney Resort....Here We Come!

2008-07-31T21:50:00.001-04:00

We finally squeezed in a little Summer vacation!! We stayed at the Walt Disney World All Star Music Resort! No Disney World this time! Decided we did not want to put Myli through that torture just yet!! We'll give her a good year or so before we do that to her.
Our first night there was pretty crazy. We got all settled in and went to the movie at the pool but the night quickly turned tragic when a little girl was found floating at the bottom of the pool. The lifeguards worked on her for what seemed like an hour before the paramedics came and then they worked on her for what seemed like another hour! It was so sad! They used the AED on her and when they took her to the ambulance she was breathing again. We prayed for this family and hope that she recovered quickly.
The rest of the trip was wonderful. We got a Family Suite that had a bedroom where Mark, Myli and I slept. The living room had a pull out couch that slept two, it had a chair that turned into a bed and the ottoman also turned into a bed! We brought one sleeping bag and the three youngest took turns on the floor. We had two bathrooms which was a lifesaver and a nice kitchen area! It was great!! When we arrived in the room, in usual Disney stlye, there were towels in the shape of Mickey! We took full advantage of the photo op! There were all kinds of activities scheduled throughout the day poolside so that is where we spent most of our time. Myli did great! She loves her pool floaty and chilled out as we danced, watched movies and played games.
We did most of our school shopping while in Orlando too!

More Vacation Pics!

2008-07-31T20:42:00.002-04:00

More Vacation Pics!

2008-07-31T19:11:00.000-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday Myliah!!!!

2008-07-15T13:16:00.002-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS MYLIAH!!
We celebrated Myli's birthday with family and friends this weekend! (Her Birthday was actually July 6th) Of course she only took about a 20 minute nap before the party so I was expecting her to be pretty grouchy! She surprised me and once again was the perfect little angel we have all come to love so much! It was a great party and she had a blast running around and playing! Myli did very well with her cake until we lit her candle and she tried to put it out with her fingers! She didn't get burnt but was highly upset that I pulled the cake away from her! As with all of our children that have been with us for their first birthday, we got Myli her own little cake and let her go at it. She wasn't sure what to do with it at first until Taylor shoved her hand in it and then.....it was all good from there! She ate and ate and was terribly upset when I took it from her when we thought she had eaten enough! She did not agree! We were afraid that she would be awake for the next 24 hours straight but she did very well at bedtime and slept all night! I guess she was experiencing the crash after the sugar rush!
Here are some pics from the party...enjoy!

More Birthday Pics!

2008-07-15T13:15:00.000-04:00

Grandma & Grandpa Harpold

Uncle David, Aunt Karen & Katherine

Henry, Nicole, Taylor & Baby Zoey

Miss Kim, Mr Frank, Anton, Atanas, Nathan, Noah, Joshua, Jeremy, Hannah, Savannah, Gabriel, Madison, Josiah, Sarah, Caleb, Zachary, Christian, Eli, Isaiah, Emma and Assata
Tommy & Taylor

Again....More Birthday Pics!

2008-07-15T13:14:00.002-04:00

Can you say "CRASHING FROM SUGAR RUSH"??

3 Month Post Placement Fun!

2008-07-07T13:24:00.003-04:00

We are happy to report that our 3 month post placement visit went extremely well!
We greeted a very sweet SW at our front door who was totally smitten with our little Angel Myli! It was fairly easy and although Amy (SW) had not ever completed a post placement report for ET, it went flawlessly! We are dealing with a couple of issues, one being we now have three different birth dates for Myliah! One on her birth certificate, one on her Green Card, and the last would be in the paperwork we received with her referral. We have decided that we will have to use the date on her birth certificate (which has her 3 months older) since it is the legal birth date but we still don't believe that it is correct. I guess it really won't matter later in life! What is three months?! We now need to have her Green Card corrected so we can proceed with re-adoption "stuff". Overall, we were very happy and look forward to our 6 month post placement visit with Amy.

Just for those who may be interested in what a post placement will involve, see the following:

· Physical Stamina-mobility, etc.
· Intellectual Development-cognitive, speech and language skills
· Appearance, personality and character of child
· Health status of child-at time of adoption and now
· Include weight, height, head circumference, results of most recent physical examination & immunizations
· Report on any medical treatments for child with special needs, as well as any medical or developmental conditions
· Discuss child's and family's adjustment & attachment
· Discuss community and extended family’s response to child Discuss feelings and views of all.
· Education of child, if age appropriate. Discuss childcare arrangements, if applicable. Discuss method of education used by adoptive parents.
· Any changes in the family situation since the home study was completed (i.e. move, employment changes, health of parents, marital status, etc.) Discuss how adoption has changed the family situation.
· Daily routine and life of the adopted child (i.e. diet, sleep, play, etc…)
· Status of naturalization-family’s plans on re-adoption
4 color photos (one being a family photo) four copies of each.
**NOTE
Typing everything up will help with future pp visits. You can just go in and update your info quickly.

Happy 4th of July!!

2008-07-05T14:03:00.006-04:00

What a great time we had! For the last 5 years, we have been celebrating 4th of July with our friends Frank and Kim and their 20 children! Yes, I said 20, it's not a typo!! We travel to Vero Beach to a beautiful park on the river and enjoy the fireworks together! We cause quite a stir with our 25 children in tow!! (their oldest was not there)
We actually had more this year because our friends Henry & Nicole joined us with their two sweetie's Taylor and Baby Zoey and Jack and his two dolls Kiley & Brandon!
So a total of 29 children and 5 adults! We are waaaaay outnumbered and the children could easily take over if they wanted! We just don't tell them!! They all played football, frisbee, and enjoyed running around until about 9pm when the fireworks started and then it was overcrowded blankets on the ground where you heard Ohhhs' and ahhhs' after each firework! Too cute!
Myli celebrated her first 4th with us and she was a trooper! LOVED the fireworks and looked at us after each one was rocketed into the air to see our reaction. She didn't even flinch at the noise and it is really loud! It was great to watch her and see her clap and enjoy her new family and freedom!

Summer Fun!!

2008-07-03T14:02:00.000-04:00

Summer is going by so fast! Thanks to all of the thunderstorms almost daily, our outdoor activities have been limited. It's also very different this Summer having a baby in tow! Naptimes, bottles, fussiness seem to override anything else!!
We have had fun going to the pool, park, movies, some shopping and camps! Taylor and Blake went to Centri-Kid and had a blast! This was Taylor's second and last year to go and Blake's first year. Leyla and Blake will go together next year! Tommy went to Ecuador and Alabama on a mission trip and M-Fuge camp. We will start school supply shopping this week and looking for new clothes for school! This can either be really fun or really frustrating! Both Blake and Leyla are so small that it can be frustrating trying to find clothes to fit them! Thank God for the person who came up with the adjustable waist for pants/shorts/jeans!! We don't know you but we love you!! Everyone has grown so much this Summer and they ALL need new clothes! I am trying to decide how to split them all up this year. Sophi is not a shopper so she doesn't do well with "Marathon Shopping" so I may have to take her by herself to just a couple of stores!
So, that's how our Summer is going. Still trying to decide what/where we will vacation. Due to the price of gas, the lakehouse idea is out! We will stay closer to home but try to find somewhere to have some fun for a few days!
Enjoy the pics!

More Summer Pics!

2008-07-02T12:52:00.000-04:00

Tommy's Trip To Ecuador

2008-07-01T14:07:00.000-04:00

Tommy had the opportunity to go to Ecuador this Summer with our Student Revolution team at church! He was one of approx 25 to go! This was his 2nd trip! He drew and painted a mural for the school site they were assigned to! He made many friends and memories! We are so proud of him! He has such a heart for God and missions!

Home Three Months!

2008-06-23T11:26:00.007-04:00

This is Myli's "What you talkin' bout Willis?" face!

Playing dress-up!

Relaxing at Blake's football game!

Just bein Myli!

Giving Mommy Kisses!

Where does the time go??? It has been three months since we returned home with our little Princess! Besides her personality coming out more and more each day, she is growing like a weed now and at last weight check she weighed in at a healthy 17lbs and some change! She had her 10 month check up and seems to be right on track for her age. She is actually a little ahead on her verbal skills!! Speaking of her verbal skills, she has now added to her growing list of words and noises, barking like a dog, meowing like a cat, hissing like a snake and can tell you where her nose is and claps at everything she does! She continues to make new faces to get a laugh and loves to be the center of attention and will let you know when she is feeling left out! The biggest accomplishment is SHE IS WALKING! She started about three weeks ago taking a few steps on her own and now she is walking about 80-90% of the time! It breaks my heart because she wants to be held less now that she is more mobile but it is great to see her growing and becoming a little independent girl! I will try to add some video of her walking if I can figure out how to do it! Our three month post placement visit with our social worker is scheduled for next Saturday! I am very excited to share how well Myli is doing and to get some feedback from the SW. We are required to have three home visits the first year (3,6,and 12 months) we are home and then we will provide a yearly update until Myli turns 18! Seems like a lot of work but it really is worth it! We are also required to send updates on Blake and Sophi until they are 18 so we have a couple of years under our belts of doing the reports. It's actually a fun time to stop and look back over the past year and see the progress and growth they have all made and to take in how blessed we really are!
Until next time.......

Taylor's 6th Grade Graduation

2008-06-23T11:04:00.007-04:00

Taylor's graduation ceremony was great! She is now officially a seventh grader! She celebrated with all of her friends at a dance held by her school! They danced the night away and it was a NPA!! That means there were no parents allowed! I HAD to see what was going on and managed to sneak a peek and they were having a blast! Can't believe she will be starting middle school in August!!!

For All The Pastor's Wives Out There!

2008-06-12T11:47:00.002-04:00

This is hilarious!!! Had to share!!!

Three pastors' wives from the Florida Hospital Seventh-day Adventist church in Orlando decided they were tired of having their latest household fiascos show up in sermon illustrations, so these women made a parody video to get their point across, revamping Carrie Underwood's popular "Before He Cheats" with their rendition of "Before He Speaks."
Thanks to Vickie McDonald (married to senior pastor Andy), Tami Cinquemani (married to associate pastor Jeff), and Amy Achata (married to youth pastor David) for venting their frustrations so creatively!

Happy Birthday Blake!

2008-06-06T21:39:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Blake's 11th birthday at the Chinese Buffet....again!
Each year the kids get to pick what they want for their b-day dinner and he always picks his favorite Chinese restaraunt! He can eat any grown aduly man under the table! We found out he really likes Wasabbi and Ginger! haha!
We then celebrated his birthday at the Farley's. They were having a Team Kid party and we brought Blake's cakes to share with all of his friends!

Are You Ready For Some Football??

2008-05-14T13:53:00.003-04:00

We did it! We are officially crazy screaming parents to a football player! Blake started flag football a couple of weeks ago and they had their first game Sunday, Mother's Day! They won and Blake got his first touchdown! They have given him the name "Blazing Blake" because he is a hard one to catch! He is also the smallest guy on the team but he gets the job done!

A Stop At The Hospital

2008-05-14T13:44:00.007-04:00

Taylor was very sick for a couple of days with what we thought was a little stomach bug. When she did not improve the third day, I called the pediatrician and they sent us directly to the hospital where we found out that she was severely dehydrated and was admitted. She had a viral infection that just had to run it's course and was helped with IV solutions for 4 days until she was able to eat and drink on her own! She lost 8 pounds and missed her 6th Grade field trip to SeaWorld and skate party! We are going to try and take her next month with one of her friends to the new Aquatica hoping to ease the blow!
She was a trooper though and her spirits were high the entire time (even with blood draws everyday!). She also learned a lot of what goes on behing the scenes of being a Dr and nurse!

She wants to thank the following people for coming to see her and for the thoughtful gifts:
1. Grandma
2. Savannah & Mrs. Kim
3. Sammy & Mrs. Sandy
4. Pastor Matt
5. Mr. Durwood and Mrs. Karen
We are blessed to have great friends!

This was the first time I (mom) had been away from Myli for more than a couple of hours but she got lots of bonding time with Daddy and they both loved it! She also got to spend time with her Aunt Kim who adores and spoils her rotten! This was good for all of us and it confirmed that she can make it without me as much as I don't want to admit it! Daddy did a great job keeping up with everything and everybody!

Thanks again to all who jumped in to help during this crazy time for our family! We can't tell you how much we appreciate you!

Home One Month!

2008-04-15T19:12:00.005-04:00

It's hard to believe that we have already been home for a month now!
Myliah is doing so much better than we could have asked for! Her attachment and bonding has been incredible! She definately knows strangers from her Mommy and Daddy! She is still not sleeping through the night every night but we are working on it and I'm sure it will come soon. She is taking 5-6 ounces of formula every four hours and is eating cereal in the mornings, and sometimes baby food at night for dinner if we can get her too. She loves mashed potatoes and breads! She is saying several words now like Hi,Bye-Bye,Yay,Hey,Dada,Mama(when she is sleepy),Nite-Nite so she is coming along quite nicely with her English! We have had a couple of people ask us if she will speak her native language or English!! Yes, that's a hard one to respond to but we just say English and go on!! LOL!
She is crawling all over the place and is getting into everything. Pulling up on anything that looks sturdy enough and learning that not everything can handle her weight! Speaking of weight, she has a weight check tomorrow to make sure that she is gaining adequately. She was diagnosed with Reflux and being lactose intolerant after coming home and she spits up ALOT so we are praying for good news on the weight check! She will do anything for a laugh and has so many silly faces!!
We are busy working on our one month update for our agency and starting on her re-adoption paperwork. It is not required for Florida but in the long run, it will be better for her. We will file our own paperwork to the courts and go before the judge to make it official.
As you can imagine, we are so happy and blessed to have this sweetie in our family and we can't get enough of her!! She brings so much happiness to our family! I think she gets tired of all the kisses sometimes but that's ok, they won't be stopping! She will just have to get used to it!!
As far as personality goes.........I think the pictures sum her up pretty well!!!

Thanks to Page Phelps for the beautiful pics!!

Happy Birthday Baby!!

2008-04-13T19:41:00.003-04:00

Happy B-Day to you!!
You are 42!! You surf like a pro-o
And you look like one too!!

I Heart You!!

American Idol Gives Back

2008-04-09T23:36:00.001-04:00

Chris Daughtry in Uganda! Great video and song! Had to share!

Easter 2008

2008-03-28T21:34:00.000-04:00

Our first Easter as a family of 8!
It was great as usual and everyone enjoyed the annual egg hunt at Grandma's house. Myli was not real sure what to think of all of the crazy kids running around but she got used to it and joined right in looking for eggs with Tay-Tay and Tommy!

Can you say BABYPROOFING!

2008-03-22T13:33:00.004-04:00

It's been about 12 years since we've had a baby in our household, therefore, we can safely say that we were not prepared AT ALL!!!
We made a trip to Target to find a baby gate right away! Daddy does not like to read directions but after some prodding from mom, he decided to read a bit and then I found out why daddy doesn't read directions! The template was wrong and just added more work to get the brackets in the right place for installing! As you can see, Daddy had more than enough help putting things together and testing his work out! For a couple of days, Myliah continued to test Daddy's workmanship by ramming her head into the netting of the gate! I am proud to say that it still stands and the screws are still securely in the wall! Way to go Daddy!!

First Week Home!

2008-03-22T13:25:00.002-04:00

We have had a great first week home! I know I already wrote a post on this but I will say that everyone is adjusting very well and we are all getting along great! We were afraid that our Sophi may have some issues with not being the baby anymore but she has taken on the role of big sister so well! She makes sure that Myliah has her blanket and binkie when needed and that there are toys everywhere we go! Taylor has blown us away with her ability to help with ALL areas of being the oldest big sister! She loves to dress her, change diapers, help with baths, and feed Myliah! She has been a lifesaver to mommy!! Tommy is doing great too! He's a great big brother and likes to carry Myliah because she gets the attention of the girls!!! He's 17, what do you expect!! Blake and Leyla are doing well, they have been the least affected by the changes! They have each other to play with and things are running smoothly for them too! They like to play with Myliah and help too!

Eight is enough! (I Think!!)

2008-03-22T13:23:00.001-04:00

Our first family pic!

Our Homecoming!

2008-03-22T13:17:00.002-04:00

I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see all of our children at the end of the VERY LONG walkway at the airport! I could hear our oldest daughter, Taylor, saying "walk faster mom"!!! I couldn't, I was so tired! Our wonderful friends, Frank and Kim Farley along with 16 of their 20 children made sure that our children were at the airport to greet us!! THANK YOU is not enough but they know how much we love and appreciate them! Myliah took right to everyone and of course started making all of her funny faces entertaining everyone! She did amazingly well on the plane rides home and we really could not have asked for anything more!!

America World Staff! Our Heroes!

2008-03-22T12:17:00.003-04:00

Meet BeBe! When asked what his title was for America World, he replied with "I don't really have a title, I just do what needs to be done". Well, after our week with BeBe, we chose to give him the title of "THE MAN!" I don't remember if he added it or someone else, "The Man With The Plan"! He has a heart of gold and makes sure that if there is something that you need or want, you have it! If he hears you say something like, "Oh we need to get some formula today", the next thing you know, we are parked outside of a supermarket and he is saying, let's go! He goes out of his way to make sure that your time in Ethiopia is amazing! We had a blast with BeBe and can't say enough about him! Of course, Mark found out that he loves to surf so he invited him to visit FL to come surfing and to go to Disney World!! He has never been to the states! Oh, just so you know, one interesting fact about BeBe is he is a gymnast! Not just a gymnast but he is one of the best in Addis! He helps his brother teach gymnastics in his down time!! This sort of blew me away because he looks and acts WAY TO COOL to be a gymnast!

Meet Girmachew! Talk about a workhorse! This man is amazing! He has been dubbed "Superman" and he definately wears this well! He is in charge of getting all of our paperwork to the courts, securing court appointments, attending the hearings as our POA and then while in country, helps families with the paperwork to secure the children's Visas and Passports. We did not see him very much while we were there but knew that he was busily working to help all the families in different stages of their process. We caught up with him on Saturday afternoon before heading up to the room to pack and he was paying for our hotel rooms. He is a very humble man and we appreciate all he does! One interesting fact about Girmachew is that he is a US Citizen!

Meet Barrett and Rachel! They are newlweds and just moved to Addis Ababa this past January! Rachel works for America World and is currently running the Transition Home alongside of the nurse, Fortuna. She will be implementing new systems to help things run more smoothly. Barrett (I can't remember who he works for or what he does at this very moment) is a wonderful help to his wife and supports her 100% in her efforts! He's also a pretty funny guy! He kept us laughing and helped keep things calm in times of stress! One good thing to know about Rachel & Barrett is that they are both huge fans of Hummus and will eat it at each meal if the restaraunt has it! They also appreciate if you let them take your leftovers home to eat if you go out to dinner with them! They live at the Transition Home and say that the children get up all hours of the night and wake really early and are ready to play! They are very happy to have ear plugs!!! They are such a sweet couple and are open to any and all suggestions that families feel may help make things run smoother for all involved.
BeBe, Girmachew, Rachel & Barrett were wonderful to be with on our trip! They made sure that we had everything we needed and were so laid back about the schedule, etc. It made things so nice! We were in great hands!

Yet More!

2008-03-22T12:10:00.002-04:00

This was Myli's first bath in the Hilton sink! She loved it!

Last dinner together with our travel group! We went to Zebra Grill on the way to the airport.

These are two of the teachers at the Kids Care Orphanage

These are the schedules posted above the cribs at the Kids Care Orphanage. I thought it would be nice for those waiting to see how they keep track of what,when,and how much the babies eat and their weight and med checks.

This woman worked tirelessly the entire time we were at Kids Care on the laundry! I can't imagine doing this everyday with a water hose and a stone for 50+ children!

More Random Pics

2008-03-22T12:05:00.002-04:00

Coffee Ceremony at Transitional Home

Pic of crib at the Hilton

Daddy and Myli at Blue Topps

Myli playing happily in her crib

Myli on bus a fun ride

Pics of our trip!

2008-03-20T22:58:00.003-04:00

Our first week home!

2008-03-20T10:01:00.004-04:00

What a whirlwind our first week has been! Things are getting back to normal, although it is a new normal. It has been 12 years since we have had a baby and boy is it a shock to have a baby around again! No more picking up and running out the door spontaneously! It takes much more preparation to just go to the store for a few quick items! We are loving the new normal though! I do have to say that there was one day that I had to stop and ask myself if I had even brushed my teeth!! That's pretty sad! Between jetlag and the new night schedule, things can get forgotten!
Over all, it has been really great! Myliah is adjusting very well and has just found her little place in our family! She has such an amazing spirit and loves to be the center of attention! She is still not sleeping very well but I'm sure that will come with time! After all, it's only been a week!
She has about a dozen different faces that she makes and she gets lots of laughs from them!! I think that's the idea! She also claps, blows and gives kisses! Her kisses are still the wide open mouth and slobbery ones but those are the best ones! She started waving goodbye on Sunday at church and now waves at everyone that passes by! And, if you dare not speak to her, she will let you know how unacceptable that really is!
I'm beginning to wonder if she will ever get a chance to learn to walk though due to her brother and sister carrying her around so much! We have her first head to toe well baby check on Friday so we will see how the ears are coming along! We are also beginning to wonder if she may be a little lactose intolerant due to the amound of spitting up she does! We'll see!
So, in a nutshell, we are doing great! Bonding and attaching is going much better than we could have asked for and life is sweet!!

P.S. - All of our pictures are still on the little laptop that we took to Ethiopia so I still have to get Mark to help me access them and I promise pics will come soon!