October 31st was not just Halloween for us this year but was the day we had Masamo dedicated. Jason and I have dedicated all of our other children and felt very strongly about doing the same for Masamo. At our church, when children are dedicated we stand up in front of the congregation and promise before God and them to raise our child to know the Lord to the best of our abilities. The church congregation, in return (if they choose), promise to help us in our venture. Typically this is done with infants but our circumstances were a little unique but no less important. Here are some pictures from that day!

October has become quite the busy month for us! We had so much going on, I haven’t had time to update the blog. Now that I am, it’s sure to be another long one!

During the second weekend this month we had a lot of activity. The family (minus Emily) went camping at Hocking Hills with our friends the Apthorpes. Emily stayed home to attend her fall Homecoming.

We had an awesome time camping for a long three day weekend. The nights were chilly and the afternoons very warm but we were prepared and had a great time. The kids had a blast exploring the different rock formations and caves and it was nice that the hikes to the natural features were so short and family friendly. We had no real plans except to enjoy one another’s company and enjoy the nature around us, mission accomplished!

We decided to make "gourmet" s'mores. We had a lot of fixings to choose from, everyone seemed to enjoy our experiment!

It’s also a comfort to know that all of our kids get along so well and play together like best friends. The Apthorpe’s younger daughter, Caroline (4 years old), has taken a special interest in Masamo and was like a little mommy to him. She followed him around, played with him and was quick to tell me if he needed anything.

We did have one misfortune. We were exploring one “waterfall” (there was no water, we’re in a 7+ inch drought) and Ella unfortunately discovered a destroyed bees nest while climbing around. Needless to say the bees took aim at Ella and Ella tore off screaming hysterically. She has never been stung before and let’s just say that she is now VERY wary of anything that flies and has a stinger. It took her a good hour to calm down and I think that she provided the entertainment for all those hikers that were at the “waterfall” with us.

The scene of the "crime"

Emily spent the same weekend being very busy. She spent the Friday night with the church youth group at the fall retreat and came home on that Saturday afternoon to get ready for Homecoming with some friends. The fall homecoming dance in our district is not a formal dance, they reserve that for the winter homecoming and prom. This will explain the outfits, along with the fact that the “theme” was The Roaring 20’s. Emily had a great time with her friends and spent the next day (Sunday) recovering at Mimi and Boppy’s house.

This past weekend we celebrated Masamo’s 4th birthday. We started the celebration with a visit to the zoo where they had some Halloween activities going on. I must say that I have never been to the zoo when it was so crowded. It was interesting to see so many children in costumes and there were a lot of very cute outfits. Jennifer and Finn joined us for a short time and we took a look around at the animals and collected candy along the way!

That evening we went to the only Ethiopian restaurant in our city. We were joined by Jason’s parents and Nataliya. We ordered a variety of dishes and although the other kids were not too impressed, Masamo loved eating the injera and lentils (red and yellow) that we ordered. Jason and I also had a good time eating all the good food prepared for us. We decided at the end of the meal to sing Happy Birthday to Masamo but as soon as we started to sing he got embarrassed, climbed of his chair and ran away from us. Poor guy didn’t seem to enjoy the attention we were paying to him, nor having me video tape it!

In a last minute decision, all the kids spent the night at Mamaw and Papaw’s house that same night. They offered to keep them and Jason jumped at the chance to have a night alone, I however was more concerned with how Masamo would do during his first night away from us. I reluctantly agreed and let Masamo join his siblings in the sleepover. Although the kids go over to Mamaw and Papaw’s house once a week Masamo had never spent the night away from us. Jason compared me to a new mom as I was fretting over how Masamo was doing the whole time we were away from him. However, true to form, Masamo took it all in stride. He was said to have run around the house like a wild man until 10:30pm when all the kids were put to bed. Masamo and David shared a bed and I took comfort in the fact that he was not alone but with his siblings and so hopefully he would feel that much less abandoned by Jason and I. We were not abandoning him of course but it is a reality that adopted children can feel abandoned when left by their parents in new circumstances.

The next day was birthday party day!!! We had just family over for the celebration but it was enough. At 2pm we met up at our house and then headed over to a local farm that had a fall celebration going on. The kids played, ran through a sunflower field and picked out pumpkins. The same unfortunate luck followed us to the pumpkin farm that we had at the zoo. It was super crowded! We have gone to this farm several years now and this was the absolute craziest I had ever seen it! I’m happy that they were getting so much business but it was hard to stay together and keep an eye on the kids in such madness.

Once done at the farm we headed back to our house for presents, cake, and ice cream. Masamo got the hang of opening presents very quickly and I helped out when needed. Everyone was very generous to our little guy and he got some great gifts! I really enjoyed getting to present Masamo with his monster truck cake that I had made for him. He really enjoys monster trucks and his favorite is Grave Digger! Here’s a video of us singing “Happy Birthday” to him while I brought in the cake and he didn’t run away this time!

Video of us singing "Happy Birthday" to Masamo!

KID UPDATES:

Emily
School work seems to be getting a little more manageable for Emily. She is learning to prioritize her times so that she can get things done in a timely manner. Jason and I do not harp on her to get her school work done, she is very self motivated and it’s a really big blessing. Emily did recently finish a presentation on AIDS orphans in Africa. It was for her language arts class. The teacher had each one of the students pick a cause and do a presentation on it. I applaud the teacher for this, it makes not only that student aware of what needs are in the world but also exposes the other students to a variety of subjects they may have no knowledge of.
Emily also completed an art project that is being featured in her school for three weeks. We got a nice postcard in the mail from her art teacher informing us of her “excellent” art project. I can’t wait to see it and will post a picture of it on the blog as soon as possible.

Ella
Ella is quite the bookworm. I find her reading in her bed until late into the night. I’ve had to monitor how late she is up and turn off her light to make her go to sleep. Another popular thing to do at bedtime is to listen to books on CD. Ella, David and Masamo have gotten into doing this at bedtime and follow along (sometimes) with the corresponding book. The ones they listen to the most are “Magic Tree House” and “Geronimo Stilton” books. I am happy for the library which supplies us with a large selection to choose from.

David
We recently had a parent-teacher conference with David’s first grade teacher, Mr. Grubenhoff (Mr. G). I was enlightened to hear what his teacher had to say. David is said to be eager to please the teacher but his hard work in his school work is self motivated. His reading level is almost twice that of what is expected! David’s teacher also said that he can see David’s “genuine remorse” for when he’s done something that he should not have (i.e. speaking out instead of raising his hand). Mr. G. said he really respects that in David because he does not see that a lot in his classroom. He commented on how bright David is and how he has an enthusiasm for math. I had noticed at home that he lights up whenever he has a math sheet to work on. WOW, what a switch from the girls who dreaded math!

Masamo
Masamo had a very exciting development; he can now do a two footed jump! This is one thing that he has really struggled with and on 10/5 he did his first jump with two feet at the same time. Now he wants to jump everywhere and off of everything!

A few funny Masamo stories to share with you…

~ I’ve noticed a trend with Masamo. As soon as we get in the car he asks for a piece of gum. He is good at chewing gum and doesn’t swallow it so it’s usually not a problem. The other thing he asks for is if you have brought your Ipod so that you can play his favorite songs (at the moment it is “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz and “You Are My Sunshine”). He is a creature of habit and unless something strange has happened you can count Masamo to ask you those two questions.
~ One recent afternoon we were all finishing lunch and Jason asked David to pull his finger. David was happy to do this and of course Jason resulted in producing a loud and smelly expulsion of gas. Masamo was watching this whole scene and immediately said “Do it again!”…. Boys!
~I was in the bathroom helping Emily to color her hair a week before Homecoming and Masamo was searching for me. Once he found us, I explained to him what I was doing. A minute or two later he walked back into the bathroom holding a pink marker and said “I help color Emily’s hair too!”
~ I was putting Masamo to bed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He looked at me and said “Don’t kiss me on the cheek, kiss me on the kiss (the lips)!”

An Official Hartman, and a USA citizen too!

Today was a wonderful day for our family. We headed to probate court this morning for Masamo's readoption appointment. His adoption was official in Ethiopia the minute we left their country but it had not been officially recognized by the United States. We were required to wait at least six months after Masamo came home before reapplying for his adoption here in the USA. We filled out and turned in the paperwork, as well as getting refingerprinted, as soon as possible and today was the day we were appointed to show up in court before the judge.

All six of us were present for this important day. We let the older kids go into school late so that they could be there. The judge asked Jason and I some questions about ourselves, our family and about how Masamo and our family have adjusted to life together. He then declared that he would grant the petition to go through! After all the formalities, the judge came down and pinned an American flag pin onto Masamo's shirt. He said this was a tradition in our county that was started before he was on the bench and he liked to continue it. The appointment and decree made Masamo officially a US citizen and more importantly gave Masamo all the legal rights as one of our children AND changed his name to Masamo Paul Hartman. We feel so blessed to have Masamo as OUR SON. He is a silly and crazy little guy who likes to make you laugh, he fits in perfectly with us!

Masamo with the American flag

Masamo showing off his American flag pin

A close up of Masamo's American flag pin

First of all, let me say how absolutely thrilled I am that it is fall! It’s time for pumpkins, warm soups, bonfires and if you’re lucky high school marching band! The summer heat seems to be taking a break and crisp fall mornings and days are on tap for the foreseeable future. It’s been so dry around here that Jason hasn’t needed to mow the lawn for nearly three weeks and the leaves are turning brown and dropping from the trees early. I don’t put it past the weather to heat back up again though, living in Cincinnati we’re used to the weather changing on a whim!

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/

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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!

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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!

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http://bearcatfsae.blogspot.com/

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Although none of the rest of us went Jason did have plenty of help loading one of them!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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!).

Our 1950 splitwindow bug

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!

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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.