This morning Micah was standing behind me on our computer chair while I wrote an e-mail. He was playing with my hair and then said, "Mom, you are so pretty." Nevermind the fact that I had zero makeup one and my hair was a mess! Then he said, "Do you think I am pretty too?" Oh Micah, I'm not sure if I think you are pretty, but you are pretty darn cute!

We just returned last night from a fun weekend in Denver for my cousin's wedding. It was short, but really sweet, and somehow didn't feel like just 3 days away. My dad's whole family was able to go, 35 of us, and I was struck yet again by how thankful I am for my family and our commitment to one another.
It was the first time our family (Aaron, me, and the boys) stayed in a hotel together, and it went relatively well. The boys actually did awesome the whole trip. They are troopers, and very flexible which is a little surprising considering how scheduled we are and always have been at home. They had very late nights, very early mornings, and no set naptimes, but they were overall, cheerful, content, and happy to be wherever we were.
Here is my list of the top 6 best moments of the trip:
1. Swimming pool in the hotel! The boys were ALL over that and swam as much as they could in between a rehearsal dinner, wedding, family dinner, and brunch. They are completely unafraid of the water and were jumping in off the side and going completely under. They do wear floaties at all times, but I am excited about getting them into swimming lessons this summer. And I should clarify, that by boys I mean Eli and Micah. Isaac tried it out too, but was much happier chasing a beach ball outside the pool.
2. The road trip! We had an easy drive there and back. It took about 9 hours to get there, but the boys look forward to being able to watch entire movies and have snacks, and I look forward to getting to talk to Aaron in complete sentences with few interruptions. I'm not sure what Aaron looks forward to because he usually drives the entire time. :)
3. Seeing my parents and brother! I think another reason the weekend went so well was because we had a lot of help. My boys love their Papa and Nana, and uncles, and it was so nice to have their help and company. One morning we went to the Starbucks in SuperTarget for breakfast, and it was just fun and relaxing to be there with my parents. Sort of a weird place to eat, but the boys did score some ninja costumes for 2 bucks!
4. An outdoor wedding in Denver in January! The wedding was outside and none of us even needed coats! The weather was amazing, the sun was out and it just felt fresher there. I haven't been to Colorado for 6 six years, so I was sort of enamored with it.
5. Waiting for the right person is worth it! My cousin is almost 30 and this was his first marriage. He waited for God's best for him, and everyone who knows both of them well was so happy for them. There were no other emotions other than pure joy.
6. My husband! Really this one should be number one. Aaron is an absolutely amazing dad to our boys and husband to me. He is completely unselfish, generous, and never has a bad attitude. All three of the boys adore him, and are basically suction cupped to him both here at home, and wherever we go. They prefer him to me probably 9 times out of 10, and he does not let them down. The thought came to me as I chatted with my family and he chased the boys around, that I have so much to be thankful for in him. He has taken his role of being a dad to levels I never even imagined before we had kids, and I love that I have the privilege of being his teammate in this crazy ride of parenthood.

Okay, so those were some of the highlights. However, there were some aspects that were not my favorite, and here they are in no particular order.

1. All five of us sharing one room! We have some early risers in our little group, which comes as no surprise, but at home those early risers are required to stay in their rooms until a decent hour (like daylight) whereas when everyone is together we all wake up together i.e. 5:41 and 6:00 am respectively.
2. The piles of things to put away when we get home! It doesn't seem to matter how clean and picked up the house is before we leave (and I really make that a priority) it is all completely obliterated for days after we get home.
3. And speaking of piles, how about that laundry! As I write this there are 3 full and overflowing laundry baskets that need to be folded and put away as well as one in the dryer, one in the washer and two on the floor. Oh, how I wish I could have a Mary Poppin's moment right now (as in snapping my fingers and everything magically is picked up, folded and put away!)
4. The readjustment for everyone! Inevitably, when we get back from a fun time away, there is a period of time where we are just not in sync. The boys sort of forget how to play with one another because they have been entertained 24/7, and I am out of my routine and used to lots more help and company. It doesn't usually last too long, but we definitely feel it for a little while.

So, there is our weekend! I just feel so thankful we had the chance to get away and help celebrate a very special day.

The boys and I had a really neat conversation the other day about God that I wanted to record. I'm not sure where their hearts are, but after this I was encouraged that we are heading in the right direction. We talk about God/Jesus with them a lot, and up to this point they would ask a question or two every so often, but the conversation usually ended being really silly or ridiculous. Or violent, like talking about punching or hitting Jesus (yikes!) I had brothers so I know that is pretty normal, but sometimes they even surprise me with the things they say. Anyway, the other morning somehow the issue of dying came up and they were asking good questions about it. Like what happens to their bodies, and will they look the same in heaven, and if they would be old or young. I explained that if they knew Jesus as their Savior they would be in heaven, and didn't need to be afraid of dying. Micah especially has mentioned several times that he doesn't want to die. I also asked them if they wanted to pray and ask Jesus to be their Savior, which I have done several times and each time they have said no. This time they said they did, so we all held hands and I prayed and they each repeated every word. And later on that day, and since then, Eli has asked to pray and his prayers have been really sweet. As opposed to in the past when he would pray it was silly. When Aaron came home that evening I asked them to tell daddy what they had prayed to Jesus, and Eli told him that he had told Jesus he loved him.
I know they are only 3 1/2, and I am not 100% convinced they knew exactly what they were doing, but I do know that God can and does minister to little ones and we should never take that for granted. As my mom reminded me when I told her about this. I will say there has been a marked difference in the way they are talking about and praying to Jesus, and it may just be that they are getting a little older and understanding a little more, but I believe it could also be that they did make a decision in their hearts to trust Jesus. Either way, my job is the same, to lead them closer to Him.

isaac

Isaac has had a big week. First of all he decided he was done with his high chair, so he is now in a booster at the table with the rest of us. He was very excited about this, and looks super cute too!

And today at the age of almost 20 months, Isaac had his first haircut! I did not wait nearly this long with Eli and Micah, and Isaac's hair was extremely long. Longer than a lot of little girls his age and older. I was sort of emotional about cutting it, I think because when little boys get haircuts that is just what they look like, little boys and not babies or toddlers. Plus, he had really good hair. I wish I had his hair; it's super silky and has just the slightest bit of curl so it lays down really well. It never got matted or tangled despite how long it was too. People would comment on his hair all the time. However, I knew the time to cut it had come when I started envisioning how I would fix it if he was a girl! So, off to the haircut place we went. Eli and Micah needed one too, so we picked up my Grandma, who goes with us on every haircut, braved the cold, and came out with three clean-cut little boys. I wish I knew how to put pictures on here, but I am ridiculously inept with this computer. Anyway, Isaac did great during the haircut. I had a steady stream of candy to keep him occupied and distracted, and it definitely worked at least this first time. The lady who cuts their hair is really good too, and fast which also helps! Bye bye baby, hello big boy, ready or not!

adoption update

We are getting closer and closer to being on the actual waiting list! Of course when we are on the waiting list we will have nothing but time on our hands for 7-8 months, but being on that list seems so official. It has been hard during this process to know when and how to tell people we are adopting. It is such a long process, with big chunks of time where NOTHING happens, plus there is the nerve-wracking "unknown" and the expectation that things will probably go wrong at some point. All of that together makes me feel like sometimes this is all a dream, and there is really no progress being made. BUT, when we are on the waiting list, it somehow becomes real. We will actually be waiting for an actual child, not filling out, notarizing, mailing, or waiting on mounds of paperwork. Our side of things will be done, at least for awhile.
We had our last fingerprinting appointment for immigration a couple of days before Christmas and are waiting for those results to come back. Once we get those, we notarize them and send them to our dossier agency at which point our dossier will be complete! Then our dossier will be sent to Ethiopia, and the next stage of waiting begins.
I think about our child ALL the time. Every day, all throughout the day. When the boys and I are going through our normal routine throughout the day, I think about what it will be like to have her here with us. When we are all eating dinner together around our table, I imagine her little face completing our circle. When I am driving in the car and look in my rear view mirror at the boys, I imagine another carseat back there with her sitting in it. She is on my mind, and in my heart, and this sounds so weird, but even though I don't know her, I love her.

happy new year!

Today is the first day of 2010. The boys and I spent the morning taking down Christmas decorations, and Aaron ended up working. I think we usually take them down together, but I was on a mission, and once I get an idea in my head it's really hard to change my mind. Despite the fact that at different times during this morning it looked like a Christmas bomb had gone off, we got the job done!
I have been thinking about last year ending and this new year beginning and all that that usually entails with resolutions and goals. I realized that as the year draws to a close, I find myself sort of slacking off on different things, knowing that when the new year begins, it's like you can start over. Sort of like the few weeks before January 1st don't really count because you are going to be super disciplined after January 1st. This is a pretty ridiculous way of thinking; it is a fantasy world where food has no calories, apathy and laziness are good for you, and your body miraculously stays in shape despite the fact that you are not exercising!
I also thought how with the Lord, every day can be like January 1st. His mercies are new every morning, you can start over with Him every day. You don't run out of chances with Him. This should never be an excuse to do whatever you want and ask for forgiveness in the morning, but what a comfort it is to know He doesn't grow weary or give up on us.
I think my resolution or goal for this year, is to love Him better. If I can do that, I will achieve other goals, but it will be in His strength and not my own. Because if I have learned anything, and I really haven't learned it yet, it is that on my own I stink. Trying to operate out of myself is empty, frustrating, and futile. I need Him for everything, and if I can love Him better than His love is what will enable me to be a better wife, mom, daughter, sister, and friend.
On a completely different note, today I was helping Eli in the bathroom and when he was done he said, "Thanks mom, you are the best mom." I told him thank you and then he said, "And, you are really pretty." I said, "Oh Eli, that is so sweet, thank you!" And then he said sort of under his breath, "I don't want to get in trouble!" What in the world?! I'm not really sure what that says about our relationship, but I decided I am not going to analyze it too much!