Forgetting His Miracles.

The kids and I have been reading through the Bible. The kids version of course, which is great for me too considering I still think like a child. As we're reading, I am thinking to myself and saying out loud, "Wow, people sure were dumb thousands of years ago. They can't get a clue. God works out miracle after miracle but the minute something goes wrong, they forget about Him again."

Seriously. God's blessing protected the Israelites time and time again. They cheered in amazement. Then days later, they forgot all about what God did for them. They even began worshiping false gods and statues. I looked at my kids, "These people were real whack back then."

Then I started thinking. Oh.my.word. I am these people. I am the queen of thanking God for His blessing, and quickly forgetting what He did for me.

I was positive I would not find a good job in Chicago. I interviewed at a school where I didn't want to teach. It was a brutal beginning. It was some of the best written pages of my life. God chose that school, and that story for me, but somehow I forget.

I whined and pleaded for God to send us back to Indianapolis. It wasn't 3 months later that Dan's company talked to him about a position in Indianapolis. I am sure I thanked God, but soon forgot.

I had two of God's biggest blessing running around when I really wanted to adopt our next child. It wasn't long after our first adoption meeting that God blessed us with the two most amazing boys on the planet. Their picture had me crying for days. There were many bumps on that journey and a lot of waiting. You best believe, I was shouting at ever bump. "God, you are leaving me here!" "You aren't even there are you?" "I am so angry with you!" I lost faith the minute something went wrong in my life.

God presented the biggest blessing after a year of waiting. A daughter. One of the hardest times of my life was last Christmas when I was sure God wasn't in the details. I thought our children were never coming home. I was sure God wasn't there. I was sure acting like my brothers and sisters thousands of years ago, and forgetting ALL He had done for me.

Leaving Congo without my children, I will spare you the things I said to our Father. I was angry, and forgot about the huge miracles he worked out. The Isrealites saw Him part water through Moses. They saw the walls of Jericho fall by simply shouting as God commanded them to do. They saw the sun stand still for Joshua as God was with Him. I experienced miracle after miracle through my profession, personal life, lives of my children, and I still couldn't get it together.

I am sure I will falter again. I am a big sinner. Thank you God for sending your son. Thank you Jesus for giving your life so we can be apart of your family. God is in the details everyday, mostly I don't allow my eyes to see it, but I'm working on it.

Story of My Life.

Tread Lightly.

Awhile back, I removed myself from an online adoption group. I went there for support. In the beginning, I loved writing down the websites people recommended and buying the helpful books people shared. Too soon, parents started attacking one another. One mom thought she was president of the ethics committee, while another thought one way or hit that highway. If you are new to adoption, tread lightly in adoption groups. Most likely, your story will not match up to anyone else's anyway so hearing their words of wisdom may not be so helpful. You will watch people polish the stones they throw only forgetting what grace and humility looks like. I woke up one morning and checked my facebook. Super embarrassing that I just admitted to doing this when I woke up but here we go anyway. A FB friend was asking for prayers. Prayers that would hurt members of her adoption community because they didn't do things her way. Come.on.now. Mean. Spend less time polishing and throwing your stones. You might have more time to do something you really love. Knitting? (I'd be terrible but would love a scarf if you do!) T25? (Kicks my flippin butt every time) Serving others? (I need to get on this bandwagon too)  Love your neighbor, friends, geesh.

My two little mittens. Malachi likes to call me funny names, so I always think of something new to nickname him.

Could you back off me buddy?

My worker bee. She does everything for her brothers, this child of mine.

Home School and Life Together.

I can't even believe I am writing a post titled this. If you would have asked me 10 years ago if I would ever and I mean ever mutter the word, home school, I would tell you, "No, never." And here I am today. Many details aside, I am only homeschooling this year, but what a year it is already. I know so many amazing, cool women who home school their children now. They have taught me a lot.

This is our breakfast most mornings. My children love eggs, hash browns, and ketchup. If there is left over ketchup, you best believe it is licked up. Now that would gross anyone out besides myself, because I love some ketchup too!

During breakfast we are reading, 365 stories in their new children's bible. We just finished up Genesis where Joseph forgave his brothers after they sold him into slavery. Sebastian was obsessed with the animal blood put on his coat after his brothers faked his death. It is amazing how much my understanding grows after reading with them. I am usually just as shocked as them when reading about these amazing people and the lives God created for them.

After breakfast we start centers. I try to get them ready the night before. I have all puzzles and index cards organized in baggies. Malachi is a beast at 4 letter puzzle words right now. He put them together and then asks everyone to celebrate his successes. Dominic is dominating his colors. When he gets them all right, he wants to call daddy. Sebastian loves art and stickers. If I am trying to teach one child something, I will bury Sebastian in sticker books, so I can concentrate on someone besides him. I am starting a program right now for Cealy. I am anxious to see if it works. If it does I will report back!

I have a lot to catch up on with my kiddos. So we read a lot of books. I am talking we leave the library with at least 15 books every time, and come back to the library with at least $10 worth of fines. Books expose them to words and worlds that I would not use or imagine on my own.

I let them play....a lot. I play with them when I can, because I know that's important too. I am trying to slow down. I don't want to schedule something for everyday. When I am home and sitting with one of them, I learn more about them in that moment than anywhere outside our home. I am more tired than ever before. Sometimes, I crawl to bed while my kitchen is crawling with muck and dishes all over.

We have a star chart right now! I'll post pictures of that later. When they fill it all up, they get something special. So far, they have only filled it up once, and we bought fish for their fish tank! They have chores and must clean up their messes, and they get a whole lot of nothing for that. That is expected. When they go above and beyond and love each other with a Jesus heart, they get a star on their family chart. Then we celebrate that child or brother or sister for adding a star to the chart. We are working together. 

God is good.

Malachi. Seriously? Our neighbor girls love him. It is ridiculous. He just walks outside and is smothered in love. The other day I caught him telling our sweet neighbor to take him this way and that, pointing his finger and forgetting all manners and sweet behavior. We had a talk, and now he at least says please and thank you.

Best part about having my babes home is going to the Zoo on warm days just because we can! This day, everyone was done eating except Sebastian who decided on bringing the last bit of tater tots with him.

I took a minute video of the tiger on this day! He kept circling around and getting so close to the kids, the would scream and laugh! I was impressed at his work out skills.

On this day, Sebastian decided he didn't like ANY of his socks, never mind that they are also his brother's socks. He threw them away in the trashcan and then covered them up with trash. That would be a broken egg on top of it all. 

 

 

 

 

 

Am I Worthy? Thinking about adoption?

Absolutely not.

Who is worthy of God's most beautiful treasures?

Children are God's greatest gifts in my experience. It doesn't matter how they come to be yours. God will choose who is in your family, and that gift will be your greatest gift of all time. The one you thank God for the most when you meet Him.

Sometimes, I feel like people may think that because I adopted I must be some upstanding citizen. "Oh bless you child," I once heard, to which I responded, "Ha!" No way does she passes double yellow lines when someone is driving so slow she is pulling her hair and yelling. No way is she always late to school, and loses at least one child at drop off? She must never make mistakes? I bet she never yells? I bet she never forgets to make lunch? I bet she doesn't lay on the couch with a headache and demand playtime in bedrooms for the hour? I bet she is Mrs. Dugger (whom I love) and never raises her voice? I bet she says all the right things?

My answer is, I mess up all the time. You must not be perfect to adopt. You must be ready to love.

Not everyone is called to adopt. However, the more I spend time with my children, the more I want to be an adoption advocate. Not because it is easy, but because I am better for it. My children make me sweeter, smarter, more loving, outgoing, sillier, and all the better, because I am their mother. They push me to be better. And my throat tightens up when I think about my children without me as their mother. Not because I am perfect or even newsworthy. But because they are awesome, and I wouldn't want to miss out on that.

I can't tell you how many times I have heard, "I always wanted to adopt." I love that about people. They share their passions and regrets with me. Even strangers.

Please, if this is something on your heart, go for it. Children deserve families, and you will be better for it.

"Only Light Can Do That."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Martin Luther King Jr.
 

One of my favorite quotes to live by. Is it hard to live by? Yes. Light and love can be hard to do when you are angry.

I saw a mom at the park wearing sweatpants. My immediate thought was, "Now that's my kind of girl." I like to roll that way too. She was holding her baby, watching her daughter play. My kids were on cloud nine, climbing ladders and ready to slide down some massive slides. Cealy ran to me within seconds of them playing. "Mommy, the girl over there told my brothers that she didn't like black people." What?!? I was in shock.

My heart sank. Nooooooo. This did not happen down the street from my house and at their favorite park. No way. Not this early. I had not even talked to Cealy yet about racism. She had no idea people on this earth felt that way.

Although the first thought that came to my mind was anger, I took a breath and asked Cealy to walk with me for a minute. We found the little girl (maybe 5 years old) who said such harsh and dark words. I asked her why she said it. "I'm sorry," was all she could say with a smug look that was not apologetic. Another breath. "Would you like to play with my kids? That are really sweet and fun, and I think you would have a good time." I am pretty sure Jesus took over my tongue and spoke for me, because I felt like saying something quite different. "Sure," she said. She ran over to her mom for a minute with tears in her eyes. I think she thought I was going to be meaner than I was. Her mom gave her a juice and talked to her. I am sure she asked what happened and I am sure she told her, but the woman whom I thought was "my kind of mom," turned out to be someone I wouldn't spend 30 seconds with. This woman wanted nothing to do with me, and made sure she kept a good distance.

Later this little girl played with Cealy. She played near my sons but was curling her lip a little much for my liking. What could I do? I wanted to ask her mother why she would pass on such ignorance to a daughter she loves so much. I wanted to explain to this mom how her words affect much more than just her daughter. But in this situation I chose light and love. I tried to show this little girl how my black children slide, swing, run, and laugh just like her. I wanted to give her that experience, because I am sure she hasn't been given it before. Sometimes light and love take more courage. They demand you to invite those in who you want to push out.

Look I have like one million things to learn when it comes to parenting. Everyday I am learning something new. But one thing I know for sure. What you see as beautiful, your children will too. The pictures you hang in your home. The barbies and dolls you buy your daughter. Try buying her a brown or black baby doll to love on. Buy books for your son that have brown or black main characters. Expose your children to all kinds of beauty. Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong, courageous man. I cannot imagine the pain he endured while choosing light and love.

A Day in the Life.

Cealy grew up right under my nose and was so excited for school today, I was wondering who misplaced my little girl. She was running around getting ready, and squealing with joy. I was dropping her off at school for the first time in her lifetime without any anxiety. No tears from either of us. But that would be too easy, right? So Sebastian, Dominic, and Malachi must have met before our drop off and planned out how they could humiliate me the most. They would each go in different ways, and when I would call them they would not answer. They would run, not walk. They would cross the street without holding anyone's hand, and they would run through church acting like they owned the place.

I was sweating. I was in complete shock. Wait, Cealy is walking right into her class without so much as a, "Goodbye Ma, I'll really miss you." But I couldn't even let that sink in, because all 3 of my sons were cackling and grabbing signs off walls. After I spoke loudly to them in the car, we were off to one of my son's doctor appointments. Well one of two doctor appointments for the day, but I wouldn't know this until later.

We go to the first one for his arm. He broke it a week ago yesterday. He is wearing a cast from shoulder to hand. This is my tough boy who rarely complains, and amazes me everyday. I think we are going in for a quick check up. After I run 3 boys around the wrong building, I finally find the right one to sit for an hour...Please ask me if I brought anything to entertain? No. I mean I have flashcards in my purse, but they see a whole floor with lots of space to run and they are not sitting. I allow one to skip, seems innocent enough. It wasn't. He skipped right into a poster board with little kid's pictures all over it. "Honey, let's skip where there is open space, like everywhere but the place you skipped." Then they are all 3 running. I find two toy (because you thought I meant actual cars) cars in my purse but do the math. I have 3 boys. So I rally them into a game of you sit here and I sit here and I pass them to you. That worked for 5 minutes and then they liked it better when the cars crashed and flipped and then accidentally hit someone. They call my son's name. Perfect! We are like almost out of here.

We go back into room where doc tell us we need to leave and get an x-ray. Wait? You kidding me? Nope. So we leave to get an x-ray and wait for that for another hour. They are cartwheeling it up, making snow angels on the carpet, and terrorizing the waiting room. Then we are carted back to the x-ray room. Small room friends. Sebastian is running around, turns the fan on. As soon as I turn it off, he is playing with the printer. Malachi found a duster and is dusting the room.

When we finally meet with the surgeon, Sebastian is on full speed. He turns the lights off on the doctor. And then on again. You get it. We have to wait yet again. I am starting to notice these small bumps on one of my sons are not like the poison ivy the other one had. So this is not poison ivy? These bumps are sprouting up everywhere. I google chicken pox on a phone that is from the 1800s, and the images that pop up are....the images I am looking at on my son. But of course. Honestly, the vain part of me decided not to worry because I couldn't get the bumps, I've already had it.

I get everyone into the car with meltdown city happening right under my nose, and tell them we are off the the park for a picnic. Your favorite park. It will be so fun. We finally pull up, but the park is under construction. So we picnic it up until bees chase us away, and we need to pick up Cealy.

Really the minute I am helping one of my babes, the other is doing something naughty. Honestly, because life is loud around here, I never notice until Kaboom, a train is tangled so far into my hair that I have to cut it out. Now which sweetie of mine put this train in my hair while I was helping Malachi?

 

Wouldn't want it any other way. Life with 4 of my sweet tarts is grand. Busy, but grand.

Our Dominic.

 

This is our Dominic. This is his sweet, loving, mischevious face. Dominic has a love for life like I've never seen before. The minute he wakes up, he is ready to rock and roll. Nothing slows him down, and learning something new is engrained in his everyday routine. He continues to amaze me everyday. His sister, Cealy, and him are two peas in a pod. He has given her such confidence in who she is. He teaches her new things, and follows her around to be by her side. Dominic gives his mother more love than she ever dreamed of getting. His hugs, constant kisses, puckered lips, and dance moves make me one happy mama. He is the bravest child you will ever meet. Shots at the doctor only bring a wince. When I don't understand something he is trying to say to me, he acts it out. He is three years old and is acting out what he is trying to convey. "Mommy," and puts a shot in his side and pretends to cry and I say no were are not going to the doctor today. Smart, loving, beautiful, and full of energy, I am so incredibly blessed with our son, Dominic Daniel.

Our Malachi.

Our hilarious, booty shaking, skipping everywhere, food loving, hug giving, Malachi is a gift from God. He finds me first thing in the morning and wants to be held. Then juice of course with cherrios, before breakfast. Malachi loves to smile, is obsessed with pictures, and loves every person he meets. He will play trains with his brothers or dolls with his sisters. He wants those around him to feel happy. Today at the doctor's office, he wrapped my arms around his chest. He wanted to make sure the doctors knew I was his mommy, and they were not to take him anywhere. As soon as he could trust them, he took their tools and started working on his brother. He was not quite as brave as Dominic when it came to blood draws and shots, but he did much better than I ever would. He is a hero of mine, this child. He makes me better.

Today, we were playing outside. We had such a fun day after our doctor's appointment. We went swimming and out to eat. I was sitting in my chair on the driveway when he walked up with tears streaming down his eyes. "Malachi, what is wrong?" He asks me where B (his sister) is? I say, she is in Congo, my love. God will bring her home to us soon. He doesn't stop crying so I hold him and I cry with him. He asks me if she is on an airplane to come see him. I cry and tell him no but soon. He didn't skip for the rest of the night, and when we put him to sleep he asked again. "Mommy, where is B?" Oh my heart, I am sad for him. I know God will bring her home. He is good all the time. Please pray for Malachi and B, and Dominic who wish to be together, and all the brothers and sisters in this world who are separated permanently. We are so very blessed we will have them all together soon.

All before 10am.

I wiped 5 booties all before 10am. I have never in my life seen so much poop.

Highlight of my morning: Dominic running into the kitchen,"Look Mommy Loooook." And there he holds a book right side up for the first time. We are learning.

It's Her Turn.

Our oldest daughter is seven years old. She is extremely bright, hardworking, playful, and silly. My stomach was in knots before our first meeting. She was not going to like me? "Don't expect much, Amanda," is what Danny would always tell me. "I know what you are hoping for, and I just don't want you to be hurt."

Then the day came. The first time I saw her, she ran and leaped into my arms. It was a scene out of a movie. She smiled so big, I could see she was losing teeth and some were growing in. She held my hand everywhere and would just stare at me, as if she was dreaming. I still can't believe how much she trusted me, and loved me right away. She loved my hair. She braided it and brushed it over and over again. I have never in all my life seen a child eat as fast as our oldest daughter. She would cram all the noodles in her mouth and ask for more. Her first taste of ice cream kept her giggling for hours. She, Dominic, and Malachi would stir the ice cream until it was soup, and then lick the spoon until all was gone. She would write her name on her new whiteboard, say her numbers and abcs. She ran faster than me, started swimming right away, and quickly became my hero in 8 short days.

The last time I saw her she was waving goodbye. She wasn't looking at me the same way. She was so confused. But you are my mother? I couldn't explain it, because I was gasping for air. I tried not to cry, but I was weeping telling her goodbye. I promised I would come back for her. Danny promised we would bring her home.

Dan came to me a couple of nights ago, and said he was going to make another trip to see our daughter. He can't stand the thought of her wondering why her parents came for her brothers and not her. I can't tell you how much guilt I have over this decision. I kept thinking I couldn't do this to our precious girl, but then I couldn't leave Dominic and Malachi without a mommy and daddy either. I sit here crying just thinking about how angry I am that I made that decision. Or that I was forced to make that decision.

I have so much to make up for. I promise to spend my lifetime making it up to her, if she will only be allowed home. Please pray for all the children who have families who love them and want them home.

I Want to Hold Her Hand Forever.

 Cealy turned 5 on July 31st. Oh my heart this sweet child of ours. She feels so proud to be 5, tells everyone. Her heart, is so big and full of love. The way she celebrates her brothers. The way she makes them feel about themselves seems far beyond that of a 5 year old. Believe me, there is no perfection here, she enjoyed plowing into her brothers bike with him on it the other day...but she makes so many people happy. She will go to Kindergarten next year. I needed one more year. There I said it. It is me. She is ready, but next year I think she will be really ready...ha. We are doing school here in the morning and playing all afternoon.

Sure, I want to hold her hand forever. I am so afraid of someone hurting her heart. I have to remember that Jesus loves her more, and I am just here to help her through life. She has to get hurt in order to learn. Come on Amanda, remember Nemo! "I don't want anything to happen to you." Well then nothing will ever happen, and what is this thing called life? Oh my heart, that is hard for me. I was sitting not too far away from her when I heard two of her friends say she wasn't big. I saw her eyes well up. And then I did it. I went over and talked to her friends about her being big and not saying hurtful things. She just sat there, but I can't hold her hand forever, I tell myself over and over. I have been praying over that, and God has really helped me. She will have hurtful things said to her, she will say hurtful things, and she will learn. And I will be here to listen.

Happy 5th birthday to our Cealy. I am a better person because you have lived.

A little update.

What a Summer this is! We are having so much fun. Many times I ask God for strength, and boom I feel the motivation to run around the yard and play in the sprinkler again. I am reading the Bible. It is the best story ever written. I don't have make time to read everyday, so this is going to take awhile, but after reading, I feel this serge of life. It is the same feeling I get when I am around one of my friends, Caroline. She has this amazing God given gift to speak life into me. She cleans our home, once a month, and while she is here I follow her around asking her for more stories. She can tell you things that God has done in her life that will make you a believer. She prays with me, and let me tell you I wish I could pray like this woman. She is such a gift.

Our 4 tigers, kitty cats, silly willies, or crazy kids as we sometimes call them are keeping me busy. Every time Sebastian gets in trouble, and I mean every time, he says, "Mommy, I'm just a silly willy." Sebastian is still hard. He sits in the think about it chair multiple times a day, and manages to scoot the chair across the room. He is so darn cute it pains me, but he is hard. Oh my lanta (Dominic's favorite saying) he is hard.

I fail and then I pick myself back up and try again. Our children are amazing. They are full of energy. I am writing each of them a letter when I make the time to sit down. I want them to know how special they are in this life. The changes each of them has made can bring me to tears talking about it. Cealy has really had to share her Mama, and does this with grace. She acknowledges her brothers when they do something well. She gets her jobs done, like buckling them in their seats, but don't forget to thank her. "Mommy, I buckled all 3 boys to make life easier, and you are still being cranky." Ha! Sebastian is still the wildest of them all, but he is getting better at giving more kisses and less "Eeks." We were having a little bit of trouble when Dominic and Malachi were first home with compassion. Not making fun of our friends or sister crying was a big deal to me. Now, Dominic runs up to whomever is hurt or upset and constantly asks, "Are you ok?" Bless his heart. Malachi and Dominic add so much sass and giggles to our family. Getting into the shower is about the funniest thing you will see around here. Booty smacking, dancing, giggling, and skipping all to get clean. They LOVE taking a shower. They cry out for me now when they are hurt. It is the best feeling. God is with me all day. There are times I choose to see Him and times I feel sorry for myself and wallow, but the majority of the time I know He is here.

I have changed some things up for sure. I use to have awesome placemats for each babe. They would argue over which one they got, and then eventually it would take me 15 extra minutes after every meal to clean them up. So now, I offend every paper concious person in this world by giving them each a piece of construction paper to draw on while I make food. They are creating their meal mats for the day. They eat on them, and cover your eyes, I throw them away after the last meal of the day. Yep. It works.

I would love to say I drew these with Sebastian. I did not. My cousin, Jessica, drew it all with him.

Brother and Sister. Oh my word, I love these two.

Visiting the sweetest Mamaw you will ever lay eyes on. Taking 4 babes to the nursing home is a No, ladies. Save your sanity and visit gram alone. "Sebastian, please don't play with the remote control for mamaw's chair. She is almost at 90 degress on her back."

Because everyone has a cape made from the blankies every morning.

Just sleeping in our tent, Aunt Jess made.

They water all our flowers. Sebastian waters the sidewalk, even when I insist it is not alive.

We have been to the zoo twice and they all LOVE it.

My precious Dominic. He loves to help with anything.

Shelly's wedding!

Blessed. Not worthy of these 3 amazing boys. They are crazy silly and smother me with love.

Malachi with Aunt Jess. If only I could convince her not to have an amazing life in London and stay here....

Happy 4th, 2014!

2 weeks Home.

We are almost two weeks home, and I am not sure how we ever lived without our sons. Dominic and Malachi laugh most of the day. They are curious about everything. How about opening all the drawers and cabinets in the house? Now I want to run about the stairs and see if I can get down. Yes, I have one sucker, but I'd like 12? I am doubling up on food, because they will have seconds and thirds on anything pasta related.

Dan is at work, and we have set into a minor routine. About 6 weeks in, I will have school in the mornings to review words, colors, shapes, etc. For now, we are playing and learning about one another. I hear, "Mommy," all day long, and I cannot tell you how amazing that sound is to my ears. A woman laughed at My Gym today saying, "I thought I heard that word a lot but you have it covered." Yes, all four of our sweets like Mommy to watch everything they do.

I am tired. I never really had time to sit before the arrival of our twins, but now my legs are begging for mercy. Right now, Cealy, Sebastian, Malachi, and Dominic are sleeping. They usually rest for an hour and then are ready to rumble until 8:30pm. They play hard. They play games, and I am most thankful for Summer, because we spend all day outside.

With my first classroom in Chicago, I wanted the kids to have fun. I wanted them to LOVE coming to school. I bought bean bag chairs and couches. I bought big pillows for the ground and made forts. After week one, when I cried everyday after class, my principle directed me to take it away and use it when they deserve it. Life was so much easier. My kids felt safer, because my rules were put into place so that you treated others with respect in order to have fun. It is a lot like our home lives. I want Dominic and Malachi to feel safe and loved. We started rules and structure right away. Everyone is treated the same around here. Sure, Cealy has more freedoms, because she helps me out more, but respect is mandated. We have a "think about it chair," that is used frequently. I even have to visit it, when I need a minute.  We are doing really well. Dominic and Malachi love to cuddle and ask for hugs and kisses every hour. Ummmm, of course I will! Thank you Jesus. I am bring stretched, and I am learning. Isn't that what life is suppose to be about? For now I am off to lay down.

Oh my heart. I love them.

Cealy: "I wasn't sleeping Mom, I was just chillin." Gotcha.

Pop rented a pontoon for the day. Our kids had the time of their lives. He took us to lunch and let everyone drive the boat at least twice. We are so blessed with him and Nana in our lives.

They are home!

Yes, you heard it right. Dominic and Malachi are home. We are so thankful to everyone who played a part in their homecoming, especially the ones who signed their exit letters.

This is what we looked like for 3 hours waiting for their beautiful faces to come into view.

They were escorted by the most amazing staff. We decided not to travel knowing we will be back very soon for our Rosalie. When I saw their sweet faces in their Congolese clothing, I nearly fainted. I could not believe how much I needed them. They were overwhelmed. Once home they smiled and laughed until it was time for bed. They may have gone down the slide 100 times. Dominic giggled on the swing. Malachi became instantly attached to Cecilia, asking where she was anytime she walked away."Say Seal ya?"

We are so happy. We laugh, run around, eat, run errands, eat, play a game, eat, play tag, eat, play cars, eat, and then start our day again. They are sleeping very well. All our kiddos are in the same room. That is the way our Cecilia wanted it. She wanted to sleep with her brothers. I slept with them the first night and then put a video monitor in there to keep an eye on my little boys.

Many times, I wondered how I was going to get through the heartache of them not being home. I wanted to give up. I didn't want to think about it anymore. Then I would take a deep breath, ask God for help, and try again. There was also so many amazing people God put into my life to keep me faithful and encouraged. You know who you are. A simple message one day would completely change my outlook. Thank you.

An hour after meeting for the first time. I was up front and Dan said, "Amanda look back." Oh my heart. Are you serious? That is Jesus right there in the middle.

They are doing wonderfully. We spent a week with them in Congo, which was amazing and so worth it. We were able to see how amazing, resilient, and loving their culture (now ours) is, and how important it is to celebrate the DRC. They eat everything. Their favorite is hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. They L.O.V.E. ketchup. They will lick their plates clean with some ketchup. We gave them a popsicle yesterday and Malachi was pretty perplexed. Cealy tried to show him the way to eat it, but something that cold made absolutely no sense to him. I love it!! They also love syrup. I gave them pancakes with syrup on a different plate, thinking they would not like the taste. Um no, they licked those plates too. They love to give hugs and kisses. And anytime Dan says Usuba (pee) or Usumba (poop) they laugh hysterically. Typical boys. My heart is so full.

Dominic and Malachi are overwhelmed, but I had to show you their Congolese clothing. I must get Sebastian one and Cealy a dress.