Grandma came to visit

I was very happy, especially for Kevin that his mom came to visit us. After the kids being here for 8 months, she was the first one out of both of our decent size families to see our newest additions. Bless her heart. She always seems to be the first one. Grandma adored the little ones and of course they felt the same about her. Kevin and her got lots of sightseeing and talking done (he is her baby boy and they share a very special bond) while I was at work and the little ones at school. I do love spoiling her with my cooking every day and she appreciates this very much. So I whipped up all her favorite dishes....

These are the times when I get very homesick and I want to see my folks, brothers, and sisters in Germany. I haven't been back in almost 5 years again since I have been spending all my vacation on adoption and mission trips. But it was so worth it. You can only do one or the other. Plus with our family growing, it gets pretty costly to fly a family of 6 to Germany or the East Coast. Won't happen anytime soon. Hopefully one of these days family members get as homesick as I get and just pack up to come and visit us since all of them have pretty tiny families.

Biruk and his Girlies!!!

I have been meaning to post about this for a while now but I kept forgetting. This story was simply to cute not too. Just to rewind back to when the kids first came here, Biruk was infatuated with Jesika, who is Danica's best friend. After he met her he wanted to call her every day and always asked me if she could come back to visit so Jesika came over every Sunday to visit Biruk and have dinner with us. When Jesika came, Biruk had the biggest smile on his face and even would blush.

Now, there is Eden, who is also from Kidane and after a few month of being here started to visit us with her mom Lisa just so we can keep up their friendship. When Eden comes to the house, she has no interest in Amira, she goes straight for Biruk and hangs out with him the whole time even though Amira says "Eden is her best friend from Kidane", bless her for that. Amira just tags along.

Now fast forward to the camp we just went to. When Biruk saw Eden he kissed her hand and said "I love you". I never saw it of course, but Danica told me. When we arrived home, Danica told Jesika what Biruk did and Jesika told Danica "I am going to show him who his wifey" is and proceeded to mail him a package since she is now in Arizona attending college there. 2 days later, Biruk seriously got a package from Jesika in Arizona. We even tried to put Biruk on the phone with Jesika but Biruk started running and said "I never kissed Eden.

Don't get this post wrong to think we are promoting for our son to be chauvinistic because he already is and hope to get this out of him pretty soon. He will be raised in a godly way but this will be cute for Biruk to look back to one day while he was young.

Here is the package Biruk received from Jesika after she found out what Biruk did.

Three pics of Eden moving on to proceed to kiss Biruk.

Biruk's first love Jesika when he came to America. In the background Amira is combing Jesika's hair.

School Updates

To say the least, the first almost 2 weeks of school have been extremely stressful and draining on me. I think the honeymoon is finally over, 8 months to this date, and let the headaches begin. I see now that when kids are sheltered inside the home its easy to do well, with no pressure from the outside. At least that is how I have experienced it. There is just so much pressure outside.

I start out with the funny story which became quiet annoying after a week. The kids get a warm breakfast from Kevin and I every morning. I get up an hour early just to cook it and have some quality time before school. I have also packed them a nutritious lunch every day. Last week I ask Kevin to go to the school to put a little money in their lunch account so they could have pizza last Friday. As he is about to deposit money, he finds out we owe the lunch room outrageous money, lots of money. Mind you, everything is double. Basically what they did every morning since school is get off the bus and have another breakfast in school and then have the audacity to have a school lunch on top of their home lunch. Kevin thought it was funny, I didn't at all. He was cracking up telling me the story; I hang up the phone on him I was so perplexed. We can point fingers to the teacher or the lunch aides but the truth be the truth is that my kids were greedy and glutting and had no reason. They deliberately did what they did because I told them not to have breakfast/school lunch. I guess I wouldn't have been so upset if I had given them cereal for breakfast every morning. So we scolded them last Thursday and Biruk listened well. He didn't try one again. Amira went and lied to the teacher and told her her mommy didn't pack lunch so she had school lunch last Friday, a day after her scolding and she had another breakfast this Monday morning. Well, after today I hope I took care of of this problem and hope it doesn't happen again. I was extremely serious.

Amira continues to interrupt the classroom, cutting up projects to miny pieces; just gets up. She continues to be disrespectful to the teacher in every way she can but the teacher and I are working hard to help Amira succeed. She actually decided not to have a conference and she wants to get to know Amira some because we have conferences the first or second week of October anyway.

Biruk's teacher is totally in love with him. He is a pleaser outside the home so after I busted him about the lunch infront of the teacher that was quiet embarrassing to him so I think he tries really hard because he wants to impress her. I have noticed that the kids are really just the opposite. Biruk is perfect outside the home and acts up at home and Amira is perfect at home but wants to act up outside the home.

This is all new to me because Danica was always, always perfect for me so God blessed me with the opposite this time around.

Revelation Song by Biruk and Amira

This has got to be one of our favorite songs right now. Since nobody can sing in my family, we usually worship by the computer on you tube. Here is a sneak peak of the kids singing. Funny, my dear friend Andrea posted that as her favorite song just the same night as we were recording and worshiping to the song.

Summer Camp

This was our second year at camp. Last year the little ones weren't here so we only stayed for a day. This time we stayed the whole time, from Friday to Monday. Anastasia stayed at her favorite respite place where she hasn't been in over 2 years. She was thrilled to go there. The camp would have been too overwhelming for her. We had such an amazing time, words simply cannot describe. ALL the kids love to go to this camp no matter how old they are and look forward every year to returning. They have so many activities planned throughout the day. The kids did horseback riding, went on a train ride, in the evening we got to have a Hawaiian night and and Cowboy night. The parents got to have special parents nights were we just got to talk to the adults. It was a little sad this year because many of the new families but also the old families weren't able to return. The good thing was that we as adults made wonderful new friends and three of the families are from this area. I especially missed my Signe.

Danica even had the time of her life. We really didn't see her at all except when sleeping but when she came we were already sleeping. What was so awesome is that I knew Danica would enjoy this camp but she thought I was crazy and came along for the ride expecting a dumb camp. She like really misses all the friends she made already. Last night she even told me that she had wished she came to Idaho with me when we visited Lisa and Signe because she really connected with Lisa Q's oldest.

Everything was just so perfect and wonderful and we are so incredibly grateful to have this camp and hope we will always have it.

Kevin playing a game with the kids in the room during break time

Face Painting and Amira made a skirt

I just pray Danica doesn't look at my blog cuz she might kill me for putting up this picture. The young adults had a game in the mud.

Danica rough housing Biruk for fun

Danica swinging her sissy

The crew with Nes missing

Hawaiian night

My son got some serious rhythm

Lisa and I. How I loved seeing her again.

Amira and Stephanie, the camp director

The kids made me beautiful flowers

Biruk and his new friend

This 16 old boy was so amazing with all the little kids.

Danica and some of her new friends

First Day of School

Today was the kids' first day of school. They were very excited to start. At first I was supposed to take them but since I had to pick them up, Kevin and Danica went to drop them off. Funny thing is just like I predicted, Amira's teacher was all organized and it was sweet and settle in classroom. Biruk's classroom was pretty wild and the kids were running everywhere. But I am sure sooner than later things will settle in that classroom also.

Anyways, as I picked them up, Amira's teacher told me that she needs a conference. So I am waiting for her to contact me. Lots of defiance and not listening and she wants to nip it right away, I hope? She couldn't talk much. If anyone can fix my little girl it will be this teacher. Awhh, it was kind of sad because I thought she would be nice at least her first day of school. I confronted Amira about it later and all she said is "I didn't pee in my pants". What she means by that is that "be thankful for that mom and let me have some attitude".

Otherwise both of the kids loved school and are ready to go back tomorrow. Biruk also visited Amira during recess and lunch and played and sat with her.

I made back photo because those backpacks are tiny and they still look large on them.