Things around here seem to be routine. I love routine, it’s the backbone of my life. It gives me the illusion of control. I say illusion because I know that I am not in control of anything but my own actions. God is in control and I thank Him for that, He knows what He’s doing a lot better than any of the rest of us! Routine however gives me comfort and lets me think I know what is going to happen. So with that, I’ll let you know what has been happening around here!
I ordered some shirts awhile ago to help support the feeding and clothing of Ethiopians. I loved the shirts they were selling and actually bought one in three different sizes for Masamo. It says “I am loved” both in English and Amharic (the dominant language of Ethiopia). Here he is modeling the smallest of the bunch!
Here is a link to the site http://lobstersintherough.wordpress.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In less than two weeks we will get away for a long weekend to camp with our good friends the Apthorpes! Beforehand, I wanted to set up our new tent so that we were familiar with how to do this and not discovering the quirks that it entails at the time of setup! This tent is a replacement for the one we used last year because when I got that one out of the box (for the first time) to set it up ahead of time I discovered a big rip in one of the seams. Thankfully it’s a Coleman and has a guarantee so we were able to get a replacement free of charge! My only complaint is that the old one was a nice green color and the new one is bright orange! Guess we won’t be losing that tent easily! Here’s our adventure in pictures….
How does such a large thing fit into such a small box AND how are we going to get it back in there?
The best part .... playing in the tent!
Jason took a Saturday recently to go play race cars again. Here is a link to the blog that one of the guys keeps up about their cars and their excursions when they drive them!
I surprised Ella this past Friday with a date night with her mom! As soon as she got off the bus from school I told her to put down her bookbag, get a snack and we were leaving! She was a little confused but I told her she and I were going on a date! We went to the movie theater and watched the new movie (in 3D) The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. Ella had read the first two books of this series and really enjoyed them. She and I enjoyed the movie together but I’m not sold on this whole 3D thing, I’m not sure it enhanced the experience. Afterwards we went to Wendy’s for dinner and then a used bookstore to browse. All my kids are readers, something I am very proud of, and it’s great to be able to share a good story with them. Most recently Ella and I have been reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh. I am also reading through the Little House on the Prairie series with both Ella and David, they really enjoy it and I love reading to them!
The next day, our family went to the Lebanon Apple Festival. We arrived early as it usually gets crowded quickly. It is usually filled with all types of wonderful crafts and food. It seems though that the past few years that it has slowly been getting less and less appealing. The crafts are the same and there isn’t anything new to really look at. On the other hand, Ella and David like to go because there is a booth there that sells sand filled (as apposed to stuffed) animals. They each get a certain amount of money to spend and always buy an animal from this vendor. Here are their purchases for this year, Masamo joined in and got an animal too!
Masamo and Ella got snakes, David got a mermaid.
That Saturday evening Jason played in an outdoor soccer game, subbing for a friend’s team. He usually plays just indoor soccer on Thursday nights but was excited to get the opportunity to stretch his legs and abilities by playing outdoor again. The younger kids and I tagged along and they played on the park play set while I watched Jason work up a sweat!
This past Sunday was the annual Cincinnati VW and Porsche family reunion show. Jason and David headed to the show to check out the cars and connect with old VW buddies. It used to be a highlight of the year for Jason to go to this show but now it seems that all the same stuff is being sold and cars are showing up for the show. Jason and David did drive our 1950 split window bug. Although it is very rough around the edges it always gathers a crowd because of it’s rarity (I know Jason enjoys the attention too!).
Jason informed me that we actully owned this blue truck at one time. I wonder what aircooled VW in Cincinnati we didn't own at one time!
Of course, no show would not be complete with out a bug painted like Herbie!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kid Updates:
Emily is discovering that high school can be hard! She started out the year with the usual attitude toward her classes but quickly discovered that this year (her sophomore year) the teachers have really upped the ante as far as the amount and quality of work that is expected. Emily takes honors in three out of her five classes and so has a hard load but she’s learning to deal with the pressure and balancing personal time/wants and school demands.
Ella has been very insightful during her bedtime prayers recently. It is interesting to see what is on her heart as she pours it out before God. Here are a couple quotes from her recent prayers….
Ella prayed and thanked God for "our own thinking, because the world would be a boring place if only one person came up with the ideas and everyone else just agreed."
Ella also prayed and thanked God “for being artistic and everything artistic, or else things would also be boring to look at.”
David’s first grade teacher called after the first few weeks of school and left a message on our answering machine saying that David is doing great and making friends but seems to be a bit perfectionistic in his work. Hmmmm, I wonder where that comes from?! David was also told that since he can already read all of the sight word cards that the teacher has he will be getting a special surprise!
As wonderful as this is, first grade and the schedule it entails seems to be quite the change for David to get used to. It’s not going to school all day that is getting to him but going EVERY day that he does not like. He’s also been objecting to having to do his homework after school everyday. For kindergarten, David had school all day Monday, Wednesday and every other Friday. Because of this it was hard for him to keep track of what was and was not a school day (it was hard for me too sometimes)! He is doing well academically but is exhausted by the end of the day, it makes for a cranky little boy!
Masamo
I recently picked up an extra day at work to help the schedule there (just for the one day). I did not think much of it but when I got home it was quite apparent that it threw Masamo off. He was out of sorts and very objectionable for a couple of days. It was confirmation to me that I really am needed at home and my presence is essential to this little guy’s continued coping and transition.
Masamo seems to want to challenge authority a lot recently too. It’s akin to the terrible two’s but without so many temper tantrums (thank goodness!) He says “no” just to disagree and insists on HIS way for everything. Thankfully I have dealt with this a time or two (or three) so it’s not a big deal, just a trial of patience (something God knows that I struggle with).
I’ve also been thinking about the fact that it has also been one year since Masamo’s birth father put into action one of the hardest decisions I’m sure he’s ever made. Almost one year ago, Masamo left his birth father’s arms and was set on his journey toward us. I wonder if his birth father is thinking of him, of the fact that he about to turn four years old, wondering where and how Masamo is doing. I think of and pray for Masamo’s birth family everyday. We know virtually nothing about them but they are vitally linked to us. Do they know this? Do they know we pray for them? Do they know the role they play in who Masamo is and who he is going to be? I rest in the fact that God knows the plans He has made for Masamo and why things have happened in his life. That He has orchestrated Masamo becoming our son, brother, grandson, and nephew. He has expanded our family to the other side of the world. Ethiopia is no longer a poor country on the other side of the world, it is now connected to us in a very familiar way.
No comments:
Post a Comment