First Down

Look at this big guy!

He lost his first tooth!

Although, if you notice (if you paid attention to the picture in the previous post),

 it's not the one with the tooth growing in behind it.

It's the other one.

So much drama leading up to that moment.  

And then it didn't even hurt when it actually popped out.

Sheesh.

He was excited for a few minutes.  

He showed his daddy.  He showed Aunt Amber and Grandma via skype.

Then he insisted on putting his tooth in the trash, and when he went to bed, he cried because he needed someone to stay with him protect him from the Tooth Fairy when she comes.

Because obviously, she's terrifying.

Poor Buddy.  

But I'm sure once morning rolls around, and he realized he's narrowly escaped the danger of an encounter with the Evil Tooth Fairy, and got some money to boot, he'll be a little more chipper about the whole experience.

And anyway, what's the going rate for teeth these days?  

Things Going On (Now, with Pictures!)

It's been a while.  Seems like in my post-holidays winter dreariness, there hasn't been all that much to say, and I appear to have gotten lazy again with my picture-taking responsibilities.

Nevertheless, here are some of the highlights:

Giddy up horsey!

1.  Isaac has 2 loose teeth.  One is getting to be very loose, and while this idea might be exciting to some kids, to my Isaac it's terrifying.  He's either very dramatic (yes!) and/or has the lowest pain tolerance of any human on the planet (probably) which means that any attempt to approach the wiggling tooth is met with much weeping and gnashing of teeth.  He then declares that he hates the Tooth Fairy and her stupid money too, and he'll just keep his baby teeth forever, thankyouverymuch.  I wouldn't mind so much except that his permanent tooth is already coming in inside the baby tooth, and every time I think about it I toss another dollar in the Future Orthodontia jar.  Seriously.  Considering the underbite which is clearly a prominent trait in the Congolese population of this household, I better start throwing in $20s.

2.  Raya is getting to be a more avid walker.  She still generally prefers crawling since it's faster, but with a little coaxing, she can take several steps in a row.  It's not fast, and it takes a lot of concentration, but she gets it done.

3.  Eli... hasn't changed that much.  I guess he talks a lot these days, and has only one volume, which is LOUD.  And he does NOT like the cold weather.

Brrr.

4.  We still have our Christmas tree up.  We didn't get around to putting it up until Dec. 23, but even at that I'm getting sick of it. However, to date I have been too lazy to take it down. John says if we just leave it there all year, we won't have to bother putting it back up next year.  I guess that's one perspective.

5.  My brother and SIL are adopting from the Congo.  Wahoo!  Hooray for a Congolese cousin!
  

Yes, it's true.  I do actually glow in the dark.

6.  I guess that's about it.  You can check back later and see if I ever get around to adding some pics to this post.  :)  *Edited:  Now with pictures!*

On the Move

After weeks of standing, bouncing, and even jumping (but never daring to take a step!)  Raya finally decided last night that this whole walking thing might be worth a try:



Although the Mowgli walk is a little faster...

3 years

3 Years ago on this day, this was us: 

When we met this cute little boy:

(Jan. 2010)

Who turned into this boy:

(Jan 2011)

Who was replaced by this boy:

(Jan 2012)

Who grew up to be this boy: 

(a couple weeks ago)

So proud and blessed to be your Mama, Isaac boy.

Thankful for the past 3 years.

Looking forward to what the next years bring.

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!