Things that go bump in the night...

Kids are so funny. Really they are. And the closer Eliana gets to 4, the funnier she is. She just has SO MUCH TO SAY...anyone who's been around her KNOWS this is true. She can T-A-L-K!

Last night she started crying shortly after she went to bed, and Tony went to check on her. And he came back laughing. Apparently, this was the conversation:

Tony: What's wrong, Eliana?
Eliana: I'm scared!
Tony: Of what?
Eliana: There are wild animals in my room!
Tony: OK...I'll chase them out. (which he proceeded to act out)
Eliana: What kind of animals were they?
Tony: A Rhino, a monkey and a hippo.
Eliana: What were they doing?
Tony: They were playing ring around the rosey.
Eliana: Why?
Tony: Because they wanted to.
Eliana: Oh...well, where'd they go?
Tony: Outside.
Eliana: I bet they are going to play with the toys out there.
Tony: Yeah
Eliana: I'll go see them when I wake up. Good night, Daddy!

And that was it....not another peep from her!

Home over a year...

It's hard to believe that Calvin and Zahara have been home over a year! On August 6th we celebrated 1 year home. Recently I took them in to have pictures taken in their Ethiopian outfits. They are made from 100% cotton that the people spin and weave themselves. They then are decorated with various designs and hand embroidery. Very beautiful....

"Oh where, Oh where has my daddy gone?..."

Eliana is 3, and with that comes all the drama and fun you could possibly imagine. Just this week Tony was gone all day from dawn to dusk. Tony would normally be home for supper, but he still wasn't home when we were done eating. So, as Eliana was sitting there at the table she started singing:



"Oh where, oh where has my daddy gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his ears cut short
And his tail cut long...

Daddy doesn't have a tail! He has a BUTT!" (Then hilarious 3-year-old laughter)



It made me laugh so hard that I know she realized she had said something funny. So, the word BUTT is now the new "it" word in our house. Oh well....

A new picture and a quick update...

Our little twins are already 19 months old! It is hard to believe that they have been home 7 months....but really it seems like they have ALWAYS been here. That's the coolest thing about adoption. How these little, wonderful people just miraculously become part of your family. Couldn't imagine life without them! Here's a new picture taken just a few days ago. They are happy, healthy, and FULL-OF-IT!

Hug Fest

It's a HUG Fest at our house, and boy are we enjoying it! Our kids are having so much fun together. Sure...there are still the occasional fights and what-not, but nothing more than the typical sibling thing. It is so fun watching the kids play and laugh and get a kick out of each other. And they just love to hug and kiss on each other. They are delightful. Parenthood is such crazy, fun, exhausting work. We wouldn't trade it for anything. Here are a few photos to update on the fun.

Lots of Love,
The Geselle 5

Flying By...

I am at work and taking advantage of the internet! Ours has been out for months, and thus the lack of updates on this blog.

Time is flying by....in just a few weeks we will have been home with Calvin and Zahara 6 whole months! (on Feb 5th) It seems like they couldn't have possibly been home that long, and at the same time it seems like we've had them forever! They are growing up SO fast, and I find it hard letting go of all the little baby things (like bottles and binkies) because I'm not quite ready to launch them into toddlerhood just yet!

But they are going full steam ahead. The latest thing is that they both seem to LOVE to climb to the top of anything and everything. I feel like I spend the whole day getting one or the other of them down from precarious situations. They are smart, too, and I can't help but feel that at times they are working together to outwit me...a sort of tag team thing. The other day I was taking Eliana to the potty and when I came out Calvin was munching on a piece of bread. I thought, "Where did he get that?! Are my floors THAT dirty?" But then I saw that Zahara had one, too. So there stand the two of them in the kitchen, happily eating bread. Then I see what happened. Calvin pushed a chair up to the counter (he knows where the bread is kept), got the bag down and carefully got out one for himself and one for Zahara. Then he set the bag back on the counter! Pretty funny!

It is cute how they look out for each other. When one is sad, the other tries to cheer them up with a blanket or sippy cup. All 3 kids seem to really love each other. They are into hugging and kissing each other and it is so sweet.

We feel so blessed to have these 3 beautiful Ethiopian honey's as our children. Tony's 14-year-old brother Chuck put it best..."Not only did God give us kids from Ethiopia. But He always gives us the cutest ones!" Pretty sweet...

I will add more pics when I can.
Jill