Sharkie

This post should have been months ago, but it's summer & I'm totally trying to catch up! Anyways, Gabriella & Troy's elementary school had their first walk-a-thon this spring. Siskel, Ebert, & I planned to spend most of the day at the school helping out with the event, but we didn't bargain for what we got...an afternoon of Mommy playing the school mascot, Sharkie! Ebert & Siskel were great sports & pretty much entertained themselves all afternoon while I danced around the gym like a crazy lady..I mean Shark! The best part was when it came time for the 1st graders to come do their walk. Troy had no idea that his mom was the Shark, so I danced with him, hung out with him, & teased him...all without him knowing it was me. The biggest treat for me was getting to be a "fly on the wall" & see how great of a kid he was when he thought I wasn't around (& trust me, some of the kids were obnoxious & pulled on Sharkie & abused her the whole time)! It was a great afternoon! I've never been so tired & hot in my life, but I'll do it again in a heartbeat! Oh, the memories!!!!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom...no training wheels!

This afternoon, the princess woke me up from my mother's day nap with the sweetest words...."Hurry, come Mom! I ride my bike no training wheels all myself by"! She started trying to do it yesterday & she was determine to do it! I have been so blessed to have her to share this Mother's Day with, but her Ethiopian mothers are very close to my heart today. Their sacrificial love gave her an amazing foundation for life & allowed her to join our family.

Almost-Summer Fun

The kids are soooo ready for summer (gee, I guess the adults are just as ready, too)! The princess is having a blast taking in lots of new, warm weather activities. She has loved helping us pick out & plant our summer flowers. She also had her first slip-n-slide & water balloon experience! Then, Friday night, after they were already in their jammies & ready to settle down for movie night, the ice cream truck came! And, oh, how she loved that!!! We are so blessed to have such an amazing little girl to share all these new experiences with! God is so good!

Easter

What an amazing Easter we have had this year! Easter is always great as we celebrate Jesus' sacrifice on the cross & triumph over the grave, but this year was especially sentimental as the princess was here to celebrate with us. She loved all the Easter traditions but thought they were a little strange at first....coloring eggs instead of eating them, eggs filled with peanut butter, pictures with live bunnies (which she really thought were mice)...what! But all of the talk about the cross & Jesus bleeding for the sins of the world REALLY bothered her. We tried to help her focus on the victory at the end of the story, but she always went back to the blood. The other kids hear the story, but take it in a little different than her. I think it has something to do with the reality of what she experienced in Ethiopia. She has told us about watching women having babies , about killing chickens & cleaning them to get them ready to eat, falling off a rooftop & cutting her knee badly, & many other stories that are visual reminders of the pain that is involved when so much blood is shed. Here in America, our children are usually sheltered from gore, violence, & blood shed. They really don't "get" the sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross. However, the princess seems to see how much Christ went through for us. All that said, the days before Easter were filled with many discussions about blood & came to be kind of depressing. However, then came Easter morning....& oh what celebrating. The princess was so excited to celebrate that Christ was ALIVE & there was no more hurting or pain for Him. As I held her during our church service & we sang & worshiped together, I couldn't help but think about blessed we were to have her here celebrating with us. The best part of the worship service was when we sang "Mighty to Save" one the songs from our adoption blog that ended up being the first English song she learned & loved. I think I will always remember feeling her in my arms & hearing her sing that song. Jesus is Mighty to Save...mighty to save us from our sins through His death on the cross & mighty to save us from all desperation & hopelessness through His resurection from the dead. He is alive...He is alive indeed!

Swimming Pool Lessons

The princess has started swimming lessons (we're trying to get a head start, so that she'll be ready for lots of pool time this summer)! She is doing great...way better experience than when we took her swimming a few weeks after she got home last August...definately still a little floppy & her body doesn't know quite how to manage the water but much better! She is soooo brave & doesn't seem the least bit intimidated of the water. She is working so hard to figure it out & loving every minute of it !

Happy 60th Papa!

This is a belated shout out to Nate Dogg's Dad who celebrated the BIG 6 0 this week! Happy Birthday, Papa! We love you & had fun celebrating with you last weekend!

Derby

Last week Troy had his 1st Pinewood Derby. He did great...something like 8th place overall with 6 first places in individual races. The best part for him was that his car got the award for "Best Theme" for his AMERICAN IDOL car.