Sunday night we took a ride on the Santa Train at Point Defiance. We got to ride in an open air railroad car and visit with Santa. The boys told Santa what they want for Christmas and we all had a great time. It was too dark to take any video, but we got some good pictures. Click the picture to see more.
Daniel and David wrote to Santa. Here are their letters…
Grammy will be recovering from surgery on Christmas day, so we celebrated early this year. Friday night we got together, had a feast and exchanged gifts. We all had a great time and send our thanks to Julie and Cindy for hosting. Here are some pictures; I need to edit some video so I’m not sure when I’ll be able to post it.
We’ve been home three months today! It’s appropriate to spend a few minutes reflecting on the boys’ language acquisition which, in a word, is PHENOMENAL!!! It is hard to believe that, just a mere three months ago, we relied on charades for about 90% of our communication. Today, we talk to both Daniel and David almost as if they were native English speakers. They understand almost anything we throw at them.
Their ability to carry on a conversation is so far beyond any expectations we had that we really don’t know what to say about it. They continue to learn how to express themselves in English, but they are unafraid to try and we have very frequent opportunities to discuss some of the nuances of our language. For example, today David was asking about the difference between “almost” and “not quite.” So, as you’re reading this, do you have a good explanation for that one? I didn’t think so. It is really fun to experience this growth with them and to help them explore our quirky language.
Some examples of things we’ve experienced over the weeks:
We had always said that language was not high on our list of concerns in regard to raising these boys. But we did expect more of a challenge in this area than we’ve actually encountered. In another post we’ll talk about some of the areas that have been more challenging than we anticipated.
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.
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.
The boys enjoyed putting up Christmas lights, decorating the tree, and talking about our Christmas traditions. We’ve been watching Christmas videos almost daily (Charlie Brown Christmas, Polar Express, etc.) and talking about our family traditions as well as the true meaning of Christmas, the Christ child. We are gratified that they are able to contribute to the conversations with meaningful questions and insights. Here are a few pictures of us decorating the outside of the house. Note: the boys behaved very appropriately and cautiously on the roof, and I think they benefitted from the experience.
The final product
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)!!!
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:
The weather improved dramatically today so we went back to the park. Here’s a little video to mark the two month milestone.
Our friends (Fun Faith Filled Family blog) have done some crazy scrambling in the last couple days. On Sunday, we attended a shower for their adoption (brother and sister from northern Ethiopia). They shared their story and pictures of their kids with everyone present, and we prayed for them. We talked about their upcoming travel, with an appointment in the US Embassy in Addis Ababa scheduled for December 10.
Then on Monday they received an email that caused them to change their plans dramatically. They accepted a new embassy appointment on November 25, which required very significant changes in an extremely short time window, and they are now leaving this Thursday (tomorrow). We were blessed by hearing how God worked out all the details, including job flexibility (Dad, an attorney, is in the midst of a fairly significant trial – but he can travel), four kids already at home (all cared for), travel reservations (no problem). Amazing. We are especially touched by their willingess to change. It causes us to recall our eagerness to bring Daniel and David home – when your kids are thousands of miles away, there is nothing you want more than to bring them home.
Please join us in lifting up this family. They’ve never been away from their other four kids this long; they’ve never traveled abroad (and, as we know, Ethiopia requires some adjustment); they’ve got a very demanding itinerary. We can’t wait to meet their new kids.
