Wrap Up and a Letter

We have been home from Ethiopia for 5 months now. It seems so hard to believe. This blog was created to keep our friends and family updated on our adoption. I wanted to tie-up this blog for the two readers that still come here (hi mom!) and for the boys.

If by some miracle this blog is still up and running many years from now when they are old enough to comprehend this journey - I want them to see a complete picture - not a fizzled attempt to document their life with us.

And for long-time readers - I'll be back where I was before this all began.

So here goes...

My dear Seth and Colin,

It's going to be hard to find the right words to express how grateful I am to be your mommy. Is there a word that means "the most blessed" or "way more than thankful"? Daddy and I say thank you to Jesus every day that He thought it best to have us together.

Seth, you are learning new things every day. Your curiosity and energy, sometimes makes your mommy very tired, but have allowed you to adjust to a brand new world. Daddy and I tried so hard to help you feel okay about living here with us. Just last night I told daddy how much you have changed. The day we met you, you were silent and somber. You were probably well aware of what was happening. We were over the moon that day and you were losing all you had known. We loved you right through those hard days. And now - you giggle with delight when you wrestle with daddy. You talk all the way home from school about who you played with, what you did, what you ate, who said what, and what you'd like to do later. You ask for "pasta, pancakes, and apple juice" at every meal. Much like me, you feel better knowing exactly what our plan is for the day. You love going to school and are slightly disappointed on days we stay home. You would rather help us around the house than play with your toys. It's true! Your favorite phrases are; "Oh man", when you're disappointed in yourself or someone else, "Maybe tomorrow" - said as a statement not a question - when we've said no to something you want, and "I lub you" - said often and always with a smile.

Colin, you make us laugh every day. Your smile has melted the hearts of many and can make your Grandma Robinson do things that leave me and your aunt Kelly speechless. The moment you were placed into my arms (daddy held you first so I had to wait my turn) you acted like it was exactly where you were meant to be. I wasn't sure I'd be able to tell if you were mad, sad, or afraid of joining our family. You never seemed to be any of those things. I imagine you thinking "alright - you're here - let's go home." Right now, you love to run and feel the wind on your face. Your imitating the sounds you hear and can almost say every letter of the alphabet. You like giving long hugs and kisses. Your favorite phrases are "all done", "bees" (please), "dow bees"(down please) and "Na" (Sheena). You will do anything Seth tells you to do. I know when you read this that will seem so hard to believe.

In the short time you guys have been home you have seen and done some amazing things. You've been to 5 states. You've been hugged and kissed by four grandparents, two aunts, one uncle, and two cousins. You've been loved on by teachers, doctors, nurses, pastors, dentists, cashiers, waiters, strangers, and friends. You've been to basketball games, baseball games, a school play, and the zoo - twice! You've celebrated birthdays and holidays. You've learned about Jesus ("Jesus everyone") and He has heard your names from countless people - some we've never met.

There are a few things mommy wants you to know from here on out. Our life together won't be perfect. We'll make mistakes and things will happen that make us sad. But, God willing, we will be together. Daddy and I are permanent. You will always be our sons and we will always be your parents. You won't get everything you want (you'll thank us for that when you're all grown up). But whatever you need - it's yours. There will be food to eat, beds to sleep in, clothes to wear, discipline to learn from, protection from harm, and enough love to share. I promise!

I lub you.

Mommy

Picture Post

Here are some recent pictures to tide you over until I can do a proper update. Just know we're doing well and staying busy.

Dedication Sunday with both Grandmas and Aunt Kelly.

At the Arboretum Mother's Day Weekend. (It took four tries to get this picture!)

Colin and a truck

Seth on the treehouse slide at the zoo

Easter 2010

Here are a few pictures from the boys first Easter with us. We weren't sure they'd understand the Easter Egg Hunt concept but they figured it out pretty quickly.

My parent's neighbors invited the boys over to play.

Happy Easter

Post-Op Report

Seth had his dental surgery today. He had all but 8 teeth pulled due to significant decaying.

They were able to save four molars by putting crowns on. And four canines made the cut and stayed intact.

I was worried that he'd wake up from surgery and be terrifed because he didn't know where he was, why his mouth was numb, or in pain.

He did well, although all of those things above were true. He eventually fell back asleep at home (and Sheena took advantange of the situation).

He woke up and asked for lunch. He downed a strawberry popsicle with remnants of an orange popsicle still fresh on his pants.

He seems to be recovering well. He's up in the playroom running the dump truck back and forth across the room. Apparently no one told him he was supposed to still feel groggy and tired.

Anyway - just wanted to provide an update for those who might be checking here. Thanks for the prayers and good thoughts.

Killing Time

We had some time to kill before a doctor's appointment yesterday so we stopped at a city park.

The Story of a Pancake

Pancakes are one of Seth's favorite things. He asks for them regularly and is getting smarter about his request. Instead of saying, "Pancake?", like he used to, he now says, "Seth pancake five?" When translated this means, "Dearest Father, if you would be so kind as to prepare five pancakes, I will be so grateful."

John made his day on Saturday morning by making him an extra-large one.

This is the story of a pancake. Enjoy.

(As a sidenote - sorry for the delay in updating posts. I've been trying for several days to download a video of Seth reading a book. Several hours have been spent - and as it turns out - wasted on this attempt. John says he'll take a stab at it soon. Stay tuned - it'll be worth the wait.)

Today's Snapshot

Now that the boys have adjusted to the local time zone - sleep has been much easier to come by. They both sleep through the night consistently and they don't fight and complain when it's time for an afternoon nap.

Nap time is currently my favorite time of day. Why?

Well - while they do this...

I get to do this...

Eat popcorn, drink a Diet Coke, and watch the Winter Olympics in peace.

Just being honest.

Our Little Helper

One of Seth's favorite activities is to help us around the house. He's close on our heels whenever there's a household chore to be done - fixing dinner, setting the table, clearing the table, doing dishes, laundry, etc.


Here he is helping John with dishes. He's the rinser!

He may not always be so eager to help out but for now - we'll take it.

Oklahoma - "Where the Snow comes Falling from the Sky"

Okay - so that's not really how the song goes but it could have this weekend. Oklahoma had unusual wintery weather this weekend but we had this toasty warm cabin to snuggle into.

We took the boys on their first of many roadtrips to Nashoba, Oklahoma to visit John's parents on the ranch.

They had a great time (so did we). We're home safe and sound now but every time I ask Seth to put clothes on or put his shoes on he asks if we're going to Oak-a-home-a.

Here are pictures of our trip.

The boys in their "Oak-a-home-a" shoes

Seth got to ride along with Grandpa to feed the cows.

Colin and John on the 4-wheeler

Family picture after church (Colin's sound asleep)

Just another snowy picture because I think it's pretty.

Slideshow

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Haircut

Seth had his first haircut last week. He kept asking for it. After seeing a video of himself in Ethiopia, he would turn to us and imitate the action and sound of an electric razor running over his head.

He sat still and let John cut his hair with a razor and scissors. He looks scared in the picture but he wasn't at all. He ran around the kitchen rather proud of his new look.

American Pastime

We didn't have any plans to watch the big game tonight but it turned into a pretty fun evening with our little family of four.

We stood in front of the tv and practiced putting our hand over our heart during the National Anthem. They got to eat dinner in the living room (a first) and stay downstairs until bedtime (we usually hang out in the playroom after dinner). Seth walked around with his "foot-a-ball" most of the night and cheered whenever anyone on television cheered. He didn't seem to be partial to one team or the other.

And more importantly, Seth took part in the most sacred of rituals on this day of celebration...Superbowl snacks.

Welcome to America boys!

The Inevitable Picture Post

You knew tub pictures would end up here eventually. The boys have come to love bathtime. The first time we gave them a bath, in the hotel in Ethiopia, we could tell that bathtime had been all about getting clean. Nothing more - nothing less.

We brought a few bath toys with us and both boys just looked at them perplexed.

My how things have changed.

I know every parent thinks they have the cutest kids but come on...

Making Things Final

As of Thursday - It's Official. Our last big step was to "finalize" our adoption with the state.

We spent Thursday afternoon in the historic county courthouse, filled out paperwork (just when you thought there couldn't possibly be more paperwork), and swore before a judge that what we said was true.

This was also the step where we could officially change their names. For those that have been following this process from the beginning (bless you) this will be old news but for those that are just joining us (welcome!) - We decided to give the boys new first names and keep their given Ethiopian names as middle names. So our oldest is Seth Mebratu (meaning light) and the youngest is Colin Mitiku (meaning replace).

Here we are with Judge Montgomery, also a father to three adopted children.

Everyone was gracious with our slighty squirrely crew. The boys got to explore the courtroom and the staff got to be part of some happy litigation for a change.

The Horse

The boys received a gift yesterday from a dear woman. It's a stuffed rocking horse complete with sound effects.

Colin is still a little scared of it but Seth is having a blast. John even got his hat out to add to the effect.

Observe...

This next picture might disqualify me for mother of the year but I think it's hilarious. We'd been out and about all day (more on that later) and we all needed a little time to ourselves. John was getting ready to head out the door for game night with his friends. I sat down for a moment in the living room and we left the boys upstairs in the playroom. They aren't always thrilled with this idea but usually settle in and enjoy their toys.

Last night Seth was having a hard time calming down. I peeked upstairs to encourage him to quiet down and saw this. He's crying his eyes out but is still atop the rocking horse that he's moved over to the railing as if to say, "I'm really upset about being upstairs but by golly - I'm not getting off this horse."

The Great Outdoors

Meeting our boys on Christmas Day was magical...like a fairytale.

That meant, however, that we were bringing them home in the dead of winter. We've spent a lot of time inside, trying to decide if we're going to play upstairs or downstairs today.

But glory be...the sun came out yesterday and the temperature rose above freezing (close enough anyway) so we took advantage of it.

As you can see, we were thrilled to feel the wind in our face and to yell as loud as we wanted (without mommy saying some nonsense about using inside voices).

Thanks Leonhart's (and kids) for the bikes.

Getting Creative

John was trying to get Colin to sit still for a moment. Here's his makeshift restraint.

It worked for approximately 7 seconds.

Going Downtown

Last week our little family took a trip downtown to visit my coworkers.

No trip downtown with small children would be complete without lunch at Fritz's (a train-themed restaurant where you order your food on a phone and it's delivered to your table by train).

Colin put his own hat on.

Travelogue - Day Eight

It's Thursday morning. This is the day we have both feared and waited for. We're headed home, which is so wonderful. During all of our preparation for this trip, it was the flight home that terrified us the most. I was even more terrified after experiencing the flight myself on the way there.

We were all ready for a change of scenery. The novelty of the hotel had run it's course. We tried to burn off energy in the workout room. Our flight didn't leave Addis Ababa until midnight, so we had the whole day to wear ourselves out (we hoped).

We traveled as a group to the airport. After checking in and getting through immigration is was time to head to our gate. Just on the other side of immigration was a long tall escalator. This is where Seth's "day of discovery" began. His eyes and smile were wide. He would stay this way for most of the trip (except when he couldn't watch the video screen).

Colin was already in his pj's and ready for sleep. He tried but there were too many interesting things to watch.

The flight was somewhat full. There were around 30 adoptive families. 22 of the adopted children were infants (don't you wish you were there?). As we were finding our seats, an adoptive family across the aisle saw us arranging our things and said, "Oh my goodness - you have two of them?" John's responded with a smile, "Yes and we have never been more aware of it than we are right now."

The first leg of our trip would be 1 hour long. We'd land in Sudan for fuel and to pick up a few more passengers. That first hour was the worst part of the whole trip. We were beat. My arms and legs felt like jello. I could hardly see straight. Seth was pushing every button he could find. Colin would not sleep. I couldn't believe he was still awake. John was, of course, calm and patient with us all. While we were on the ground in Sudan (for an hour), they played Christmas music over the speakers. One song lyric put me right over the edge. It was something about "when your children won't close their eyes and go sleep". I cracked up laughing - through tears. It was one of those, I'm-so-tired-I can't-figure-out-whether-to-laugh-or-cry moments. I looked at John and in all seriousness said, "Let's not go anywhere again - ever".

The boys would eventually sleep. John and I did too. Colin's intestinal issues continued - which was oh so fun. Following one exceptionally special trip to the bathroom with the changing table - I just stripped him and threw everything (onesie included) in the trash. I want to publicly apologize to the airport maintanence staff in Amsterdam.

Security in Amsterdam was more detailed but didn't take any longer than usual. The people who sat around us on every flight was so understanding and supportive - some before they even knew our situation. On the flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, a woman across the aisle leaned over after a few hours and said in a dutch accent, "Are these your children? You do such a great job with them. Flying with small children is so difficult." I said thanks and then she asked about how they came to be our children. When I told her that we had been their parents for 4 days - she was genuinely shocked. It made me feel so good.

Of course this was before Colin decided to bring me back to reality and humble me in front of my new friend. One of the heightened security measures was to keep the seatbelt sign on over Canada. Colin did not appreciate this at all (neither did I but I couldn't get away with screaming my head off). A big thank you to the Indian business man behind us who kept Colin entertained through the space in between the seats.

We arrived in Detroit with the task of getting through U.S. Immigration with two U.S. Passports and two Ethiopian Passports...a sealed envelope from the Embassy in Addis Ababa and two squirrley kids who had been sitting still for almost 20 hours. We were the last in the line of other adoptive families doing the same thing (only they all had non-walking infants). We waited and waited and waited. We finally had to beg and plead for help as our connecting flight to KC was leaving in 30 minutes. After finally making it through immigration and onto customs, I was a woman on a mission. I was NOT going to miss our flight. I threw Seth on my hip and found our luggage. I hoisted my big green backpack on one shoulder and off I went (gasping for breath).

Somewhere in our mad-dash to the gate, John and I switched children. I don't remember it happening. John called our family to tell them we were going to be on time (even if it killed me!).

We boarded the plane in Detroit and had window seats for the first time on this trip. I posted this picture already but it fits here so I'm posting it again.

This flight was a short one. We finally landed in Kansas City and walked into the loving arms of our family and friends. It was such a welcomed sight.

Many of our friends were there with banners and toys (and cameras).

It was such a joyous time. All four of us were finally home. We bundled the boys up (there was a foot of snow on the ground and it was freezing!) and strapped them into their new carseats. They were asleep within 5 minutes of leaving the airport.

My parents and my sister joined us at the house with dinner. After a short little nap the boys were awake again. My mom took this picture. It's not very flattering of me but it's too funny not to post. Two wide awake children and two very tired parents.

This seems like a good time to thank the many people who took care of things while we were gone. I really hope I don't forget anyone.

Thank you Jerry for watching Sheena (who got sick the night before we left)

Thank you Katie for getting Sheena well again.

Thank you mom and Kelly for the meals in the fridge and the groceries.

Thanks to our neighbors for taking care of Carhartt and Pete in the freezing cold and deep snow and for figuring out a way to clear our driveway.

Thank you Heather and Shawn, Hilary, Julie and Brooklyn, Jenny, Grandma and Grandpa Robinson, and Aunt Kelly for meeting us at the airport.

Thank you Kaberline's, Foote's, Quigley's (and someone else I never got the name of) for providing meals when we returned.

Thank you Dee Dee for the tip about masking tape - it worked like a charm - just when we needed it. (Don't worry we didn't tape their mouths shut - she told me to pack some masking tape to keep the boys entertained. They can rip it, stick it anywhere they like, and it comes right off when it's time to clean up. We took a roll of painter's tape because that's what we had. It was our super secret entertainment weapon. We made it all the way to Canada before we used it.)

And thanks to all of you for the many prayers and words of encouragement. I wish I knew more words and was more eloquent in putting them in writing.

It is so good to be home.

An Excercise in Futility

Many people try it...so few acheive it.

Getting a picture of two toddlers in their matching shirts.

I guess this one will do.

Have I mentioned that Seth has the best laugh?!