Merry Christmas!

These are my kids.

This is my 2012 Christmas Letter, for those of you who haven't gotten them yet. 

 (I just mailed them yesterday.  Except then I ran out of stamps.  

So a few are still on the counter.)

2012 will forever be remembered as the year.... between the years of 2011 and 2013.

And it was an eventful one. So let's recap.

In January, shortly after Isaac's 2^nd Family-versary, we announced (mostly by standing on our back deck and yelling really loud) that we were adopting 2 kids from the Congo. But let me back up, since I'm pretty sure I never actually got around to sending out a letter last year and my life is so interesting that you are all dying to hear. We were going to adopt again from Ethiopia, since obviously Isaac needed a little brother. We did our papers, and waited in eager anticipation to see the face of our next treasure. And we waited. And waited. And waited... for about a year. Now, they say that patience is a virtue, but it is sadly not one of mine. But eventually, I did see the face of my next treasure. But he was with a different agency, and it turned out that he was also not in Ethiopia. So we redid all our papers and mailed them to the Congo instead. In between there, we added papers for a second little face- our sweet Raya girl!

In February, Isaac turned 4! And we passed court in the Congo, making us the kids' parents at least as far as the Congolese govt was concerned. We still had to wait on some other papers, and for the American side to do their thing.

In March, we played baseball in the yard in the unseasonably warm weather. Isaac said a lot of funny stuff, in the way that newly-4 year olds do. For example, we learned some new and often overlooked Bible stories about how King David “bwoked his foot” and had to walk on his tiptoes. Later, he ate a lot of fish and got a big belly. And then the ever popular story of when King David was swallowed by a big fish, spent some time in the fish playing but then got cold and needed a coat or a sweatshirt, and then God saved him. (I guess King David, for one, had a busy year.)

In April, Isaac played his first ever soccer games. They were awesome. There was a lot of haphazard running around, and even some goals scored. A good time was had by all.

We also took a road trip to Iowa for my Grandma's 90^th birthday.

May was the month we met our new kids! We almost left at the end of April, but after some confusion about an error in the papers, we had to cancel our plane tickets last minute and book them for later, which was May. What was supposed to have been a 3 week stint in the Congo turned into 5 weeks, complete with some misadventures that are much too long and complicated for a Christmas letter, and eventually we came home with our kids at the end of June. Tragically, even after 5 weeks in the Congo, I still speak no French, Lingala, Swahili, or Tshiluba. (John came for the first week, and then returned home to be with Isaac, and I was joined by my sister Amber, who graciously stayed for the duration.) Eli also turned 2 in May, just a few days before we first kissed his sweet cheeks.

Then the real fun began. In July and August, we hung out, met lots of relatives, learned English (this was mostly Eli), and started crawling. (Actually, just Raya did that last part. Personally, I find that it's a little hard on my knees.) I was on leave until the middle of August, and then returned to my part time job.

In September, Raya started walking around furniture, Isaac learned some Lady Gaga (not from me) and Eli learned to remove the handles off the kitchen cabinets. Also, we all got sick. And then we got better.

In October and November, we cat-sat for 2 weeks, went trick-or treating, and I became a self-proclaimed expert in all things African Girl Hair. Then I became a spokesperson for adoption by talking in church (without dying or passing out) on Orphan Sunday. And in November, Raya turned 1.

December: John and I took a quick weekend getaway to Las Vegas. We missed our babies, walked around til our knees fell off, and lost nearly $4 on the slots. Now it's Christmas. The kids are so excited for Christmas! Well, let me clarify. Isaac is beyond excited to open presents. Eli is excited because Isaac is excited, even tho he generally has no idea what is going on. And Raya likes pulling shiny things off the tree and licking them. So I guess there's a little something for everyone.

So the year between the years of 2011 and 2013 was a good one. We have been so blessed, and we hope that you can look back at your year and see the same grace and provision as we have experienced.

We are thankful for your love and support in our lives, and we look forward to seeing or hearing from you soon!

Sheresa & John, Isaac, Eli, and Raya.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Cor 9:15

one year

One year ago, I first saw this face. 

It was my lucky day.

Today, I snuggled this baby:

I guess I have a lot of lucky days. 

Photo Update

These boys are good buds.

Storytime with Grandma at Thanksmas.

(Thanksmas (n.)  merging of holiday fun-tivities wherein there are gifts at Thanksgiving)

Breakfast of Champions.

Raya ate birthday cake.

And she liked it.

Eli looked studly in his hat.

Isaac built a "wobot wiff shooters."

And both boys love to play a new game where they need a diaper bag and some humongous shoes, and they go trampling up and down the hall declaring themselves to be going either to work with dad (we're gonna make some buildings!), to church, to Grandma's house, or to McDonalds.

Bah-Bye Mommy!

One.

My Raya-baby is ONE!  

Oh sweet Raya.  

How blessed I am to call myself your mama.  

You are so sweet and snuggley and smiley.

You are the sweet icing on our crazy-cake.

Love you, baby girl.

Happy First Birthday.

6 Months.

6 months ago, this was us.

6 months.

It's been forever.  And just a moment.

I barely remember life without them.

Where does the time go?!

The Magical Shrubberies

On the subject of misplaced objects (socks in particular) it has come to my attention that we have a magical shrubbery in our midst.

Here are the various objects that have been mysteriously harvested from said shrub: 

1.  Another sock.  

(Blurry, I know.  But trust me.  It's an Eli-sized stocking.)

2.  An Old Grill Brush.

And Inside the Shrubbery:

3.  Another Grill Brush, A Sand Shovel, A Lot of Rocks, and a Small Plastic Football.

(Sadly, the small plastic football didn't make it into the picture.)

Further Inspection of the Foliages in the yard led me to come upon this:

4.  A Frisbee.

And Finally:

5.  Another Sand Shovel.

I'm going to have to keep my eyes on these Magically Prolific Conifers, 

since I'm certain that two small boys have nothing to do with it...

If they start sprouting Money, I'm investing in a nice, tall fence!

UFO Sightings.

Can you see it?  

Who knew socks could fly?!

Boys, Meet Boo Radley.

Boo Radley is Amber's hamster.

I think they love her.

Or not.

In Which Eli Shows Us His Moves.

He wouldn't really look at me, but he was rockin' it out.

Orphan Sunday Revisited.

So I've mentioned how I spoke in church on Orphan Sunday, and a couple people asked what I said.

So, without further delay:  Here is it.  My Orphan Sunday Speech.
(Which was sort of a pre-planned Q & A... hence the Qs.  And likewise, the As. )

Why Adoption?

We've spoken briefly on this before. For me, adoption was something God put on my heart a long time ago. I've always known that I would be adopting one day. I was a kid myself, and I was already talking about “my 18 rainbow babies.” I have yet to talk John into adopting 18 kids, but he has agreed to “consider it on a case-by-case basis.” So I'm counting that as a win. :)

For John, adoption was something he never really thought about until he met me. It became a part of the conversation early on, and since we've been married it's always been something we've talked and prayed about.

What have we learned?

First off, Trust.

As a recovering control freak, I can tell you with much certainty that there is very little in adoption that is within your control. Throughout our process, we were at the mercy of our home study agency, our placing agency, the American gov't, the Congolese government, various foreign staff, and orphanage workers, and a judge in the middle of the Congo. But God was in charge of all of that, and that's way better than anything I could do anyway.

It was also an exercise in trust because it has never turned out how or when I thought.

For instance, this time around, we started out to adopt a second toddler boy from Ethiopia, a process they told us would take about a year. We did meet our toddler boy... just over 2 years later... along with a baby sister... in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

And I'm so thankful we did.

Secondly, adoption for me was a lesson in Humility.

It's humbling thing to hold my baby in my arms, and love him so much my heart could burst, but to know at the same time that for me to have gained a son, another mother must have first lost one.

That everything he's gained, he's already once lost.

And I've done nothing to deserve this gift.

Thirdly, tho the world may not see it, we're not that different.

Even though adoption was my first choice, one of the things I miss from time to time is the ability to look at my kids and see that “They have their daddy's eyes.” People don't stop me in the grocery store to gush about all the things we have in common. They just ask about how we belong together and where I got them.

You may not see it in a glance, but we're more alike than you think.

For instance, Raya is a happy smiley baby, like my little brother Daniel was.

And like Daniel, all 3 of my kids have eyelashes most ladies only dream of.

Eli is mischievous, like my brother Brandon was. And he's short, like my sister Amber. :)  (Who was standing next to me.  This observation was for her benefit.)

Isaac's a talker, like my dad. He likes pizza and football, like John. He has big feet, like me. His hair is curly, like my mom's. (although technically, she has a perm. Does that still count?)

Those may not be my eyes. (Please. I WISH those were my eyes!) But I'm blessed to say, these kids are mine. And really, I hope they look more like Jesus than like me anyway.

And finally, we've been given a glimpse of what it means to be an adopted son of God.

The day we met Isaac, he was a pudgy little boy. He was the real life version of the little boy in the pictures we'd stared at for the last few months, dreaming and praying about this moment. We were elated... and he was terrified.

He was clinging to his one worldly possession: a photo book we'd sent him a few months before, containing pictures of us and our house and his new room, and bits of what would become his new life. Throughout that first day he relaxed a little, and finally fell asleep on John's chest. John recounts to that moment every once in a while, generally while blinking black tears and pretending his voice isn't cracking. I think this was a life-changing moment for him. It was in that moment, he became a father. And in that moment, this little boy ceased to be an orphan, and became a son. And if that's even a shadow of how God feels when we rest in Him... there are no words for that.

How can you pray for us?

You could pray:

For healing their hearts from all their losses, and that he will use their stories for His glory.

For wisdom, when they start asking questions with really tough answers.

That he will show us where our future children are, that we will wait well until he speaks, and that when He says “Go,” that we will run fervently to find them.

And that with all our children, that they will know God as their true Father, and that they will look past the brokenness of this world, and know that He was there the whole time.

Pile of Pictures

Recently I acquired an iphone (for my birthday-  Thanks John!) and unlike my old "dumbphone," it takes decent pictures.  Well, at least bigger pictures than one square inch.  :)  

So here is evidence of daily human life, as recorded by my iphone:

Isaac and the kitty.  This one is called America.

America Jenny Eli 

(I have no idea who this Jenny is.  But apparently we named our cat after her.)

Eli liked the kitties too.  This one is Africa.

Africa Monday Isaac.  

They are now livin' the good life down on the farm.

Baby snuggles.

Terrible composition.

Cute subjects.

We got Raya's ears pierced.  Yeah, we are mean like that.

But she is SO cute!  And besides, all the Congolese girls are doing it.

He wears the mask however he wants.

Captain 'Merica.

We all scream cheese it up for ice cream.

Picture Perfect.

You want a puff?

(note the new snaps in her hair!)

And guess what?!  This amazing phone also does video!

Stay tuned for that.  :)

Election

Results aren't in yet.  

But as I was driving to work (very late) this morning after I voted, 

I am very thankful that during the election, my country looks like this:

(Photo Credit)

and not this:

(Congolese election, Dec. 2011)

(Photo Credit)

God Bless America.

Thy will be done.

In Which I Consider a Career in Public Speaking

Last week the pastor had this great idea that I should speak at church this week in honor of Orphan Sunday.  He wanted my family to come up and share a bit of our experience and why we chose adoption.

So I spoke.  And it went down like this:

I started my speech a week ago.  I revised it approximately sixty-two thousand times over the course of the last 7 days.  By the time I got to church, I was nauseous and lightheaded.  I walked up there when he called me up.  I made it without tripping, passing out, or dropping dead.  I read my speech.  They laughed in the appropriate places, and after church, one lady said "Thank You for Sharing", and another guy said he was "Inspired." 

But here's the thing:  I don't remember giving my speech. 

I have such a ridiculous fear of public speaking that it was practically an out of body experience. My mouth was so dry, my lips were sticking to my teeth. I just stuck with the script (I hope), and my mind has already repressed the whole thing.

But here's the really fun part:  keep in mind that he wanted my whole family to come up.  Amber is here tonight, and John was away for the evening, so it was me and Amber and the kids.  

And let me just interject here that any pastor who thinks it's a good idea for 3 kids under 5 to come up on the stage for some boring rambling clearly does not have 3 kids under 5.   Or at the very least, he does not have a near death experience instigated by stepping the stage, and he can keep his wits about him enough to control the aforementioned Many Small Children for the duration of the boring rambling.

While I am yammering on, trying to act natural while forming actual English sentences and not passing out, Isaac wandered around checking everything out.  He found a snag in the carpet and tried to "enhance" it, using his toe, and wanted Eli to come join him.  Eli was more interested in beheading the flowers, and strumming the guitars, and playing with whatever the heck those things on the floor are that they use for guitar-ing and adjust with their feet.  Raya was perfectly content being held by Amber, probably because, as I heard it afterwards, the boys were highly entertaining.

All this, even AFTER I told them if they stood still and smiled, they would get candy.  

Yes, I totally bribed them with candy.  And obviously, it worked beautifully.  

In the end, I did give them the candy, as I shuttled them off to their respective Sunday School rooms.  Mostly because I was so relieved it was over that I was throwing my own personal celebration, but also because I was still too nauseous to eat it myself.  

But hey, at least that one guy was inspired...

Halloween Philosophy

Isaac was SO excited for Halloween.  He'd been talking about it for days.  

So Wednesday night rolls around cold and rainy, and he ran on, unphased. 

(Yes, he ran the whole time.  Probably helped him stay warm.)

His philosophy at the houses was "one of each."  He would help himself, as much as possible, to one of every kind of whatever was in the bowl.  I tried (with much futility) to convince him that he should take only one candy unless they offered him more, but he remained unconvinced.  

Don't get between this boy and his candy.

However, since during the whole 2 hour Trick or Treating time, there were 4 kids in our addition out gathering candy (and 2 of them were mine!) no one really seemed to mind his "Help Myself" attitude.

Plus he was totally cute.  That probably helped.   

Meet The Pirate.

Aaargh.

Eli had a different philosophy wherein he would pick just one piece of candy from the dish, and would demand to eat it right then and there.  He did not understand why I kept wanting to put a perfectly good piece of candy into some silly pumpkin bucket and keep moving.  Nonsense.

But he was totally cute too.

Behold.  The Finger-Sucking Blue Monster.

Raya did not partake of the Trick or Treating this year.  

It was way too cold and wet to take the princess out in the elements.

She stayed home and helped Aunt Amber pass out candy to the kids.

(Yes, both of them.)

Cutest Bee in the History of Bees.

In the end, the boys made out with PLENTY of candy.

And since we only got 2 visitors, we have PLENTY left.

Hardship, yes?

Boys.

If I'm not careful, this is going to become a hair blog.  And then it will be even more narcolepsy-inducing than it already is.   We can't have that.

So without further ado, here are some pictures of my lovely boys.  (Who also have hair, of a thankfully much more low-maintenance style.)

Cheese!

All Matchy Again.

And cute as buttons.

Here Isaac is modeling our cat.  

Yes, you read that right.  We temporarily have a cat.  

2 cats, in fact.

I guess they were found somewhere, and some lady took them in but couldn't keep all of them forever, and the shelter would only take them for purposes of putting them to sleep, so we took them.  They will be soon moving to my parents' house on the farm, there they will be trained to eat mice and live happily ever after with lots of room to stretch their legs.

More Hair Talk

This is the hair post-flat rope twist.

(They lasted about 4 days before they got too frizzy-looking.)

A little out of control, methinks.  But she has a cute tongue.  :)

Here is after we brushed it.

(Tangle Teezer, I love You!)

Here is when we put it in again a couple days later.

(What can I say?  I think it's cute!)

But then I thought maybe I shouldn't keep putting the same 'do in her hair all the time.

Something about repeated identical parting causing breakage.

Anyway.  This is what she looks like now.

I think it's cute, tho I don't like it as well as the flat rope twists.

And it took FOR. EV. ER.

Which was sort of surprising considering her hair isn't that long.

I guess we did take a lot of breaks, tho.  And we started with bigger twists, and ended up redoing several of them into multiple smaller twists. 

But let me say, that My Baby is the Champ of Sitting (sort of) Still and letting me work on her hair.

The problems I foresee with this hair style is that the back/bottom of her hair is rather short and fuzzy.  They aren't staying in very well.  The top ones look cute and would probably last a while.  

(Which would be nice, considering I spent my entire Saturday evening doing this.)

Also, I don't like the rubber bands.  They aren't really so good for her hair, plus any product with oil in it disintegrates them into little tiny chunks of former rubberbandness. 

But I did just order some Hair Snaps, which I'm excited to try instead.  Should be much prettier, less damaging, and faster than the bands!

(Ever tried to put rubber bands into teensy tiny little twists while the twists -and therefore your fingers- are coated with slippery hair goo?  It's super-fun.)

Ok, I'm mostly writing this for myself, since no one else who reads this will care in the least.

But this is what I learned.  

The End.

4 Year Blog-o-Versary

It was 4 years ago today that I posted my very first post.

This was us, then:

Look at us.  All cute and young and carefree.

And later, with added cuteness and youth of a different variety:

(May 2011)

(Photography Credit)

And now this insane degree of cuteness and coinciding high degree of mischief:

(July 2012)

What a journey it's been!

Happy Birthday, Little Blog.

I think I feel a celebratory blog makeover coming on...

In Which We Delve Into the Wonderful and Challenging World of Baby Girl Hair.

This is Raya.  She is looking rather Fro-tastic these days.

Previously, I had ventured no farther than the ornamented headband, 

such as the very stylish look shown here (circa Mid-June):

although recently, I admit I've been lazy and rarely even done that.

So yesterday we tried our hand at something called "Flat Rope Twists." but baby style.

Cuz her hair, pulled straight, is about 2 to 2.5 inches long.

So here she is after the new 'do! 

Still smiling.  :)

She actually didn't do too bad in the "Sitting  Somewhat Still and Not Screaming" department, 

considering sitting on a lap is one of her favorite things anyway.

(Tho historically, she's not a fan of someone tugging on her hair.)

  But she was a trooper.

(And we did take a break part way through.)

And clearly I was drunk, because those lines are NOT straight.

Anyway, here is the sleeping princess on day 2.

It held up much better than I thought!  

(I didn't have high hopes of it lasting more than a day.)

She has a lot of fly-aways, or "baby hairs," if you will.  :)

I suppose I could have used more product when I put it in, but then it gets slippery to hold on to, especially since it's not that long to begin with.   

But overall, I'm pretty proud of the effort.

Love her.