Caregiver

Grampy had another scare with his heart this week. Kenzie doesn't like to see him in the hospital, but she does everything she can to care for him and Grammy...even if it is just snuggling. 

Still loves frogs

Even this one who peed...

Summers here! Time to get in shape!

The kids started a training/conditioning program with Wil and Gabi. It just so happens that summer also started today. The girls look like they survived a little better than the boys, right?

Back to Spain

This morning we left the house at 3:30AM to take Borja to the airport. We all got passes to clear security and walk him to the gate. He was a little anxious because his carry-on exceeded the maximum weight and we had to do several rounds of shifting from one bag to another...and he had stayed up all night with Lauren watching YouTube. But, he made it to the gate safely (and with the 3-precious-pound photo albums that Cindy has spent countless hours building for him.)

And now our house is much quieter.

Mason was thinking about the impact, and ways to fill the gap left by his constant companion. As he thought about his new brother coming, but not for a few months, Basti coming, but only for a few weeks, and Borja leaving after a year, he quietly said, "it's like my life is changing." The rest of the day we could tell he was thinking about how to stay busy. 

Mind you, tomorrow he has an 1-1/2 hour soccer practice, 1-1/2 hours of strength conditioning, and a sleepover. Plus he has a sister and two cousins living on his property. However, as a backup plan, he has decided to teach me soccer. Tonight he asked for an inventory of all the sports I have played, of which he was quite disappointed. As we turned into our neighborhood he said, "who is going to teach me tennis? and have patience with me?" 

Yes, Borja is leaving a gap. The hardest part about having an exchange student is saying goodbye.

We have learned a lot over the last two years with Felix and Borja. We learned what it is like to open our hearts and our home, and that we grow in the experience. We know that our family feels comfortable at 5, and that the "zone defense" of three kids isn't so bad. We believe that this experience has helped us get ready for adoption--and we are anxiously on the countdown for that next chapter and bringing our little guy home.

Travel ready....kind-of

I still have no idea when we are leaving, who is going with me, or how long we are staying, but we are hustling to get as much done as possible so that I/we can leave without much notice. We are currently trying to raise donations for the orphanage, including dental supplies, medical supplies, and other basics. I'm pretty sure that my two suitcases will already be filled with the generous donations that I've received with just 2 days of asking. We have also raised $184 to buy diapers and a ton of dental supplies. I also set up a wish list on Amazon.com and know that several shipments are on the way! The support and busy work helps me feel productive as we pass the time waiting.

Pogo lesson for new brother

Adios Borja!

We hosted Borja's going away party today. The weather was amazing, and we had over 50 people here. Lots of soccer, basketball, ping pong, and a big bon fire.

New helmet

First cup of coffee. With sprinkles.

11x11

Kenzie had eleven girls over to celebrate her birthday on Wednesday night, the day after school released for summer! It was a sleepover! Unfortunately I had to travel for work. I was seriously bummed--and then felt bad to both Kenzie and Cindy. But Cindy barely flinched when I told her I couldn't be there on that day--one of the perks of having a teacher in the house. I remember Mason's birthday party last year where the kids staged a hostile takeover of the house, armed with Nerf guns...and I don't think I would have had the same attitude. I was able to FaceTime a few times...it was so cute to see her so happy. They did face painting, watched a movie, played Hide-and-Seek, and had a frozen yogurt bar. (Why moustaches? That was the chosen face painting decore.)

Adoption update - 6/21/13

I've gone a little quiet on the plans with adoption because we have to keep things a little vague on the internet. However, I did want to say that we are currently expecting to travel in the next 4-6 weeks for the first trip. I've also learned that adoptive parents are receiving as little as four days notice to be in court. So, we're all trying to prepare for that phone call that may require us to turn the car around and head to the airport. This is all good news--things continue to go fast.

Adoption update

Heard from our agency - still hopeful for pre-rainy season

Right now our staff is pushing things fast and is going to try to get you through court before the break if at all possible!  I just talked with Temesgen our attorney over there this morning and they are hopeful that we will get all families that have current placements done so they don't have to do the PAIR process.  I hope he is right!

Baseball awards

Coach nicknamed Mason "Big Boomer," "Cannon Arm," and "The Hammer."

Sylvia Lake

We arrived unannounced at dinnertime yesterday at Mike and Mary's place. It somehow wasn't planned well but ended up being what Borja describes as "the best Saturday ever."

In addition to boating, Mike took the boys fishing, then they went swimming, finished off by a campfire. Mason even caught a fish!!

 

 

fish on!

Oldest Child

I hear that one "rule" in adoption is to never adopt out of birth order. With Felix and Borja we broke this rule and Kenzie battles for her God-given title of First-Born. After a few months here, things settled down in both cases, but looking at the pictures of Kenzie and Borja sharing a boat yesterday made me realize that this is a battle that never quite ends! That said, they get along fabulously and Borja is very good with her. It's just obvious that Kenzie does not willingly want to be a little sister! These pictures are all listed in the order that they were taken.

First, he helps her in the boat:

Then, two minutes later, she's still not in the boat but is stabilizing him (who grew up on an island and is no stranger to water):

But, all is well, they're happy:

He starts out rowing:

Then, the inevitable:

Then Borja, being the older one, realizes that he truly is in a good position here:

Ms. Determination, who has never rowed before, is committed to keeping the control:

Borja again realizes this is a good deal for him, posing as Christopher Columbus and Kate Winslet:

It goes on and on:

Finally either her arms wore out or she realized that she had an untapped resource on her ship:

And they had a nice afternoon on the lake:

And then she ditched him to prove to everyone she truly could do it on her own:

Weekend news by Mason

Adoption update-6/13/13.2

Our paperwork is officially on its way to Ethiopia! The only thing that we haven't done is complete our training so we will do that this weekend.

Adoption update - 6/13/13

We had previously been told that the courts were closed as of 7/6, but today learned that it's actually 8/6. So, we still have a chance of getting there before the rainy season.

We also received an update from the social worker:

Ermias's mother is alive.I spoke with Wude,the lady mentioned on the paper.Ermias's mother once called her and told her she is doing better,health wise, but she doesn't have her address.

He learns with other kids in the orphanage with a teacher.He just started counting alphabets.He has also started writting but his teacher told me gets fade up immediately and never give time to analyze. For instance,if he is told to write the letter "A" 5 times he write the first two neatly and the other three will look totally different.His teacher is trying to work with Ermias.

Otherwise he is sweet,energetic and active, that he sometimes need to be told seriously to listen or stop doing something.

Please find the attached pictures of Ermias eating his lunch.I have video taped him also will send it through dropbox.

Thanks,

Elsa

Yogurt topping

To top off Kenzie's eleventh birthday we went to dinner at Red Robin, then several of Kenzie's friends met us at Yummy Yogurt. She had a great day!

Bruno

I videotaped this without Mason knowing...and post it here with his permission. :)

Friends!

Mrs. Murray

Today marks not only Kenzie's eleventh birthday, but also her promotion to middle school. She was selected to do a tribute to her beloved teacher, Mrs. Murray.

Mismatch Day!!!!

Car rides won't be the same

Less than three weeks until Borja goes home. Luckily Mason knows from experience with Felix that we will stay in touch, but I think this guy is going to miss having teenage boys in the house. Good thing Lane is next door now!!

Muscle man

Fire season

The fire pit is open. We have had a couple opportunities to have friends and family over to enjoy it. Hurray for summer!!

Baseball finale

Baseball season wrapped up today with the final game of the season, followed by a party on the lake. Most of the kids were still eating when Mason decided to go swimming. His buddies peer-pressured him into swimming to the floating dock, doing a flip in the air off the diving board, and otherwise showing off all possible water tricks. We saw the direct effects of his peers chanting "Mason! Mason!" Oh Boy.  

Big Sister wasn't far behind.