Happy Birthday Orin

gone 8:30am -8:30pm, 4 kids and only 2 meltdowns = awesome day!!!!

Last few weeks...

The last few weeks have been pretty good. We've spent a lot of time with family on the weekends, I discovered coffee and therefore have a lot more energy, have seen some huge answers to prayer with Makaylee and Will's behavior and hearts, and had a great Mother's Day. And as I reflect on this past year and what it has brought our family (adopting Nyah, then Makaylee, Will joined us, etc.) I am so grateful to God.

cuddle time

Makaylee with great-grandma

Nyah ended up falling asleep on Grandpa's shoulder a little bit after this picture

silly girls

Um, Jill, do you realize you have a double chin now?

You do too-see?

Oh, well, what can you do? Wear them with pride!

The kids play store to work on coin values and adding. Marquez mans the Barbie cash register :)

Makaylee wanted Nyah to run around the house with her other bonnet.

Lillian plays store with the kids outside a few days later when it gets sunny.

while Nyah cracks everyone up on the trampoline

precious

Becky, Alec, and Haven came over this morning to play!

cuties

Awwww.... life is good.

Eureka!

I finally found the disc from Orin's mom with all the pictures she had taken with her camera from Nyah's first moments in the US!

fresh off the airplane

meeting Papa

big brother

love at first sight

big hug

"You got her?"

meeting Nana

meeting Auntie Jenae

home at last

first ride in a carseat ever

"Hurry up, Mommy; bring her in!"

unpacking the coffee for everyone

"What's this?" (The man in Addis said it was a "lunch box" of sorts that the workers bring when going to the fields in the morning.) "Its your Ethiopian picnic basket!"

Does she like her bouncer?

not so sure

prefers being held by a doting big brother

Size 3-6 months clothes last year and now in 24 month clothes! How could that be?

such a little doll

Papas have that gentle, soothing way about them.

nighty-night sweet princess

Welcome Home Baby Girl!

"Please, please can I feed her!"

proud Papa

One year ago on May 2nd we brought little Biruktawit home to American soil! What a joyous day that was! Orin's parents picked us up at the airport and Orin's mom even spent the night so that we could get a good night's rest after being in transit for a day and a half. Little baby girl was such a good flyer the last leg of the trip and slept all the way from San Fran to Portland :) It was such a relief to be reunited with Marquez and Makaylee and show them their new baby sister. Makaylee lost no time in putting on her new Ethiopian dress and asking a million times to bottle feed her sister. Little Biruktawit was so exhausted that she just stared into all the new faces expressionless and then slept most of the time. Poor little thing was suffering from overload! All the changes she had experienced in the last couple days had left her completely wiped out.

It was so good to be back but you know what? I left my heart in Ethiopia. I fell in love with the people of Ethiopia and as I am writing this, my heart longs to be back there again. It is time to go back. I feel it. Orin feels it. Only time will tell. But there is an unmistakable pull that I can't describe.