Fav Foto Friday

This picture was taken at my parents house over Christmas. I love it because you can tell just by looking at the picture that Tenaye and Isaac love each other so much. She can make him laugh like no one else. Each morning, I wake up Tenaye first and then go into Isaac's room and bring him in to snuggle with Tenaye. That wakes them both up almost immediately. They smile and laugh and are just so happy together. Tenaye is so good for Isaac. He watches everything she does and tries to copy it all! Isaac has been really good for Tenaye too. She is a little mother to him and I really believe he has eased her transition into our family. Once again, God's timing has proven to be best. When we passed court with Isaac and then had to wait almost a year to bring Tenaye home we were constantly asking "why". Now we know. God knew Isaac needed to come home and be nutured and loved so he could grow and thrive. I truly believe if he had been in Ethiopia much longer he would not have survived. God knew Tenaye would be well taken care of at the orphanage and that would give her time to learn the language there (her 2nd) and understand what was happening when we picked her up. She was then able to attach to Isaac very quickly and have an easier time accepting Jason and I as her parents. God is good!

Wordless Wednesday

Fav Foto Friday

Another blogging trend that I am going to give a try in hopes that I will post more often.

I have two fav fotos for this week. These were taken last fall by a friend of my sister's.

Wordless Wednesday

or not....

So I have seen this on several other blogs I follow and thought I would join in the trend. Wordless Wednesday is just as it sounds. A favorite, funny, weird, strange, odd picture is posted and no caption is given. We will try it out. Maybe this will help me blog more since it is really just pictures everyone wants to see anyway!

Hello...anyone out there?!

I can't believe it has been 2 months since our last blog post. Really, how pathetic is that? I am sure by now the only person reading is my mother-in-law, but in case I am wrong, I will give you a brief update. Tenaye has started preschool two days a week. She is loving it and learning so much. She is really picking up on her letter recognition and letter sounds. We have to make a decision on whether to send her to kindergarten in the fall or wait another year. She has a June birthday, so we can either start now when she turns 5 or wait until she is 6. I go back and forth, Jason says wait. Either way, she LOVES her school and teacher and has transitioned better than we ever expected. She has enjoyed playing in the snow this past weekend, but would much prefer to play in warm weather and go for walks with mommy and Isaac. I don't blame her, I have cabin fever too and look forward to warm afternoons at the park.

Isaac is doing his best to stay well. He had a nasty cold in early January, but is feeling better now. He is surprising us each day with more words. He was a late bloomer in that area, but says "momma","dada", 'mon (as in come on), "nigh nigh", "bye bye", "hello", "thank you", "all done", "mine" and much more. He can also identify his ears, nose, and tongue. He is a future drummer, he bangs on everything and is obsessed with cell phones and remote controls. He also is doing better with table foods, he works with a speech and occupational therapist once a week and is making great strides.

We had a wonderful Christmas (I know, pathetic that I didn't blog about it). Tenaye was so excited for Santa Claus to come until just a few days before the 25th. At that time she started to get a little freaked out and decided that she didn't want Santa looking at her while she was asleep. Even with reassurances that he would only stay downstairs where the Christmas tree and fireplace were, she wasn't too keen on the idea of him coming in the house. We told her that we would ask him to leave the presents outside and then mommy and daddy would bring them inside before she woke up. That seemed to be a good deal for her. She was all about presents though and they both got lots of nice toys and other things. I think Tenaye's favorites are the play doh burger maker and princess dress up clothes. Isaac loves his slide and play tent.

I will try to do better on the blogging. For now, I leave you with pictures.

Tenaye-isms

Tenaye is just plain funny! Her language skills improve everyday and sadly she is starting to lose her accent. I think there are only about 5 Amharic sayings/words that she uses regularly, the rest is all English. That is bittersweet for us, I hate that she is losing that part of her heritage, but proud that she has picked up her 3rd language so quickly. She is one smart little girl. Here are some of the things she says regularly that make us double over with laughter.


1. Each night before going to sleep she always wants to know what will be happening the next morning so she asks "After wake up, and brush your teeth, and pee pee, and t-shirt on, where you going?"

2. When she wants to tell us something and Jason and I are having a conversation, she will put her hand up (like telling someone to stop) and say "hang on a second (or sometimes it will be hang on tight) I'm talking."

3. When she spots a question mark in a book she calls it Mystery Mouseka-tools. Can you tell she is a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse fan??

4. She says "I want Mommy's la-lap" when she wants to sit on my lap.

5. When we do something she doesn't like she says "Mommy, Daddy not good job"

6. She refers to McDonald's as "E-I-E-I-O"

7. On the way to KC a couple of weekends ago, she was tired of sitting in the car and informed us that her "booty was full, no more sit down."

8. One day when she passed gas she told us her "booty burped!"

Autumn Update

It has been very busy around our house lately. The month of October came and went in a flash. We started the month out by moving. We stayed in the same city, but upgraded to a house with a full basement, huge backyard, and it is closer to Jason's work. We love the house (thanks Dad, the builder!) and can't imagine what we ever did before we had a basement! Tenaye is continuing to impress us every day. Her English is pretty much perfect. There are still a few words and phrases here and there that we have to ask for clarification, but for the most part, she is completely fluent. Her accent is still pretty thick, but it is slowly disappearing. I will miss it when it is completely gone. She has the sweetest voice. She is so loving and sweet. Words cannot express how much she loves Isaac and her family. She is full of hugs and kisses and is such a compassionate little thing. She does have her typical 4 year old moments and if she doesn't get her way at times she will pout and throw a fit, but nothing compared to four months ago. Isaac is walking/running everywhere. He has graduated from physical therapy (since he can walk, run, and climb stairs) and has moved on to speech/occupational therapy. The therapist is helping him with his eating issues and helping him develop his speech. He is at a really fun age right now, and makes us laugh all the time. He thinks his big sister is pretty special, and they are so cute together. Tenaye is always hugging and kissing him, and he returns the affection. Jason and I marvel each day at how lucky we are to have two terrific kids. I don't know what we did to deserve these cuties, but I thank God each day for placing them in our lives. We are truly blessed.