advent conspiracy

I am a big fan of advent conspiracy! I shared it on this here blog last year and somehow ended up doing much of what I said I wouldn't! We are doing it this year though. We are headed to Colorado for Christmas with my whole family and that is about it for the kids gifts this year. (For those possibly feeling a bit sad for them, there will be 9 cousins and skiing involved!)

They are surprisingly o.k with it so far! Occassionally one will mention the fact that they haven't started their list yet, or question how their gifts will get to Colorado and another will quickly jump in with, "remember, we aren't doing gifts this year!" and as I brace myself for wailing and moaning, it hasn't happened yet.

I guess they could have a complete melt down come Christmas morning or be in therapy in years to come, but I pray they really treasure the time spent with family and savor the true meaning of Christmas this year.

look who is 3!

Eyasu celebrated his 3rd birthday this weekend. So much fun to see it all through his eyes. He was super giddy and didn't have a clue what all of the fuss was about though. He would clap his hands, smile and say "happy birthday!!"

We went with grandparents and cousins last night to eat Ethiopian food. He was basically holding court. You are going to have to use your imagination here as my camera picked a terrible time to break. :( He was wearing his traditional Ethiopian outfit (shown here with his special mama) and looked precious.

We had one looooong table and he was at one end of the table. He stood in his chair so he could have better access to all of the food before him. He had the biggest grin on his face the whole time and would occassionally say "injera, Yummy, YUMMY!!" I could have eaten him in my injera for sure!

I'm so sad to not have pictures from the night. We loved celebrating our sweet boy.

Maybe Santa will bring me a new camera this year??

porterhouse

The Porter's are dear friends of ours and they are adopting from Ethiopia. We are thrilled. :) We just adore this family and can't wait to see exactly what children the Lord has for them in Ethiopia. They have begun to fundraise with 147 million orphans- another favorite of mine. :) The shirts are the most comfortable you will wear- stop by the Porter's blog and buy a shirt while you are there. It will help lower the staggering number of 147 million by 2!

CLICK HERE to visit and shop!

world AIDS day

Go to joinred.com to be part of the movement!

love him

Little man cracks us up! We are all doing remarkably well. Still not 100% physically as we all fight colds, etc. Overall, simply amazed at the work the Lord has done. Abe thinks he might be the funniest person he has ever seen! How great is that?

Avery's productive Thanksgiving break!

Shockingly, we didn't take home the gold. Moody does however look fabulous in his pink unitard. You could spend hours on jib jab- Avery made this last night and I thought it was hilarious. It may be the sleep deprivation though. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

"do you treat them differently?

We had two different people ask us this question while in Ethiopia. They are both precious, Christ-following, well educated, Ethiopians, simply trying to understand our world back home. I was surprised the first time, paused and one followed with, "well it is so obvious just by looking at them that they aren't blood."

Moody and I both immediately explained they are actually more loved and cared for by our older 4 kiddos than they care for each other! :) I wish they could each see our coming home video, see the love my kids have for one another and know my heart for these two amazing gifts the Lord has entrusted us to raise. It was really a precious moment as we talked to these 2 friends and shared our love for these boys and their country. We all had tears in our eyes, especially as we talked about Abe's special needs. Oh, that reminds me about our visit to the Missionaries of Charity orphange--wow. My heart couldn't take it, I thought I was ready, prepared, but it was so much to take in.

More on that later as I will begin recapping our trip soon, but wanted to give a quick Seth update. He is such joy and all almost 3 year old boy. His language is coming, but I know he gets frustrated by the gap.

He loves the beep beep! Any and every opportunity to get in the car and go anywhere is pure bliss for this child! (Sorry it is so dark, took it on my phone.)

Sleep--the most challenging issue right now. He has a difficult time going to sleep for both his nap and bedtime. We read books, sing, rock, snuggle and still he fights it everytime. I know this will get easier and I'm amazed that with all he is processing- sleep is my chief complaint.

He is simply adored by everyone, especially his big bros!

First Target run. It was quick, but he did great and enjoyed his pasta. This kid loves his pasta. He is actually a great eater. :)

I must say that this is a fun age- really miraculous to watch all the firsts in his little life. His eyes light up, he flashes that huge smile and it melts your heart.

We are so thankful that he is home and we loving being a family of 8. We have much to be Thankful for this year.