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 2nd 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 90th 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
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