Category Archives: Video

Christmas 2009

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We had been somewhat anxious about Christmas for many months.  We tend to make Christmas a very big deal.  After all, we are celebrating the fact that our Savior came down from Heaven and became human.  It IS a big deal.  In true American fashion, our Christmas celebration includes several days of visiting with friends and family members.  Each visit lasts for some time and includes incredible arrays of food and gifts.  It’s typically quite loud and joyous.  We love it and want the boys to love it also.

So, let’s think about the boys for a bit…  Their early life has been shaped in a very different  world.  That world is known for its kind and generous people, but a lack of food and basic services.  The boys know Jesus as savior, but the thought of celebrating His birth in the fashion to which we are accustomed is inconceivable!  So the big question in our minds was, “How would they respond when the inconceivable becomes reality?”  Would the stimulus overload send them into a panic-type of response? It seemed reasonable to us that they might sit in the corner with completely blank expressions.  We discussed our plans and developed contingency plans.  All the while we tried to hide our anxiety and keep a positive face, especially to the boys.  And we prayed as the season approached.

We were diligent in our preparation for Christmas, writing a list of the day’s events and reviewing it with the boys often so that they would have an idea of what was happening.  We made sure to involve them in our family traditions – David and Janel unwrapped baby Jesus and Daniel and Dad prayed.  They both listened and followed along in the Bible while Sarah and Janel recited the Christmas story from Luke.  (The boys will be memorizing it for next year!!)  Throughout the day we were vigilant to ensure that emotions did not swing too wildly one way or another.  At one point a phone call took our attention away and it took a while to get things under control again.  It was clear that our full attention was required and therefore we decided to forego our usual phone calls to family and friends.  By evening, we were thoroughly exhausted!

All in all, Daniel and David did fantastic!  They were wide-eyed but not overwhelmed.  Their natural charm came across to the people we were around.  They were truly grateful for the gifts they received, and they wrote their Thank You notes willingly.  They were especially happy to spend time with Janel (& Ryan), since they had not seen her for quite a while.

Here is some video from Dec. 24 at Margie & Ruli’s house.

Here is some video taken at our house on Christmas morning.  We edited it down, but it still has lots of good stuff in it.  You’ll see:

  • The kids anxious to come out and see the tree, then finally being permitted
  • Checking out the cookie remainders left by Santa
  • Some opening of gifts and general discussion around the tree (second video)

 


And, for those still reading, here are the pictures:

Best Friends

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We had the privilege of greeting our friends at the airport Sunday night as they returned from Ethiopia with their new children, Cherinet and Beza. We have known this family for several months because they, like us, adopted through Adoption Ministry. Cherinet and Beza were at the same orphanage as Daniel and David and we have eagerly anticipated seeing these kids grow up and maintain frequent contact.
Last September, when we visited the orphanage with our kids, we got a glimpse of just how close these kids are. Since then, we have heard our kids pray for these two – by name – virtually every night. They are truly BEST FRIENDS and we are so happy to have them reunited.
Watch the video of our boys making posters and then the greeting party at the airport.

And here are some pictures:

First Snow – The Joy of Discovery

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We’ve been telling the boys about snow and anxiously awaiting the day they’d get their first experience of it. Naturally, that experience came when we were in a hurry to get somewhere and really did not want to take the time to play. But then we came to our senses and grabbed the camcorder! Enjoy a couple minutes of video.

Who Knew??? Boys and Girls are Different…

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As we get to know our boys and their personalities, we are filled with wonder.  But at times we just kind of stare in desbelief.  A couple days ago as Randy was working on the computer, the boys were across the room practicing their addition and subtraction flash cards at the table.  Randy was monitoring mostly by listening, and for several minutes they did a great job with the flash cards.  Then it got a bit quiet, and then the sounds changed.  Since the camcorder was handy, I thought you might like to see what the boys were doing.  Not terribly surprising for any boys – or parents of boys – but our girls never did this to my knowledge. 

Bowling

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We met Sarah and Ilaria to take the boys bowling.  We all had a great time and the boys did exceptionally well.  We took a little video, including the first frame that each of them bowled.  They each developed their own style, with Daniel using a two-handed approach because the ball was a bit too heavy for him.  David, on the other hand, slid up to the line like a baseball player.  It was adorable.

I almost forgot to mention that Daniel bowled a 112, including a strike in his second frame (when the camera was not rolling)!!!

Two Month Update

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New 11/20: Click here for pictures at the park.

Two months ago today we returned from Ethiopia with Fraol and Behayelu.  We are completely amazed that so much has transpired so quickly.  We are settling into life as a family and, as with all families, this requires a lot of hard work – on everybody’s part.  The boys are adjusting to a radically different life and there is virtually nothing that is familiar for them – including their names!

In so many ways, our boys are adjusting incredibly well.  They seem comfortable in the home, the neighborhood, the shopping centers… many things that we were very concerned about.  They love church and Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).  They have no problems calling us “Mom” and “Dad” and they are very affectionate toward us.  Their ability to speak and understand English is progressing beyond our wildest hopes!  They have much better reading ability than we expected them to develop by this time.  Their comprehension is evident when we do their BSF homework and memory verses – we notice improvement every week.  All these things are a great relief and a blessing to us.

But parenting is still a full-time job that is filled with challenges.  Imagining how the boys see things – and trying to understand their frame of reference – is our best tool and one we sometimes forget to use.  Daniel, for instance, has never really had an authority figure in his immediate family.  In fact, he was probably the authority figure for David.  So he’s having to make big adjustments.  He’s doing very well, but this is clearly a long road we’re on.  David is happy-go-lucky and extremely expressive.  He enjoys using his full body and amazing facial expressions to make his point!  They’re both incredible kids and we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to be their parents.

We really can’t remember what life was like two and a half months ago!  We do know that life is very fulfilling right now (tiring also).  Please keep us in your prayers for the following:

  • Adapting to new roles in the family
  • The boys will know they are loved unconditionally
  • Energy for the parents (and maybe less energy for the boys – no, that’s not right)
  • Wisdom and discernment so that we know how to correct them in a way that encourages them
  • Employment for Randy

The weather improved dramatically today so we went back to the park.  Here’s a little video to mark the two month milestone.

Batting Practice

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Randy and the boys spent some time at the park hitting whiffle balls.  It was quite interesting because the boys had not seen baseball a month ago.  You can see that they have natural eye-hand coordination, but they need some coaching on technique.  We had a blast and captured some video.  Please note that they took turns running the video camera and they need more practice on that as well.  It’s worth watching.

David Behayelu:

Daniel Fraol