First Full Day

Looking back at these pictures from Saturday (in Chicago, driving home, & being home a few hours) was good for my overwhlemed heart last night. There were some really sweet moments in those first 36 hours.

Boys at breakfast (at the hotel). Eggs are a big hit with all three kids.

After breakfast when we went to our room, I didn't even tell the girls to brush their teeth, but this is what I found in the bathroom:So cute!

Ready for the ride home (P.S. The Camelbak water bottles are also a huge hit -1) I think they like the sucking part of it and 2) they have probably never had as much water to drink as they wanted. The girls love to fill up their bottles with ice and water several times a day. And they LOVE to eat ice!)

Aside from the fact that our kids' first stop in Iowa had to be The Largest Truck Stop in the World (which I chose because it has a Taco Bell and I knew that we could get chicken and rice there) . . . this was ADORABLE! Oh, and I should stop right here and say the fact that my WHOLE family traveled every mile of our journey to Chicago and back with us, stopping when we stopped, etc. was THE BIGGEST BLESSING! Having them help with Abram so we could focus on the other three was huge, Mya and Sydney being able to easily interact with our girls was great and just being there for moral support helped me get through.

As soon as we got home and showed the kids around the house, the girls wanted to go out back and play. It was one of the most precious moments: All four kids were smiling ear-to-ear, laughing a ton and having a BLAST swinging on the swing set. (And we have realized we are quickly going to outgrow this one by next spring. Let me know if you know anyone wanting to get rid of a bigger/more sturdy one.)

And then they moved onto soccer.

More swinging. And again on Sunday, they spent tons of time out back on the swings, laughing, singing, talking and having a great time. It is wonderful to see them so happy. And to see them have EACH OTHER. I can't imagine what this would be like for them if they didn't have each other. They play together most of the time (so far).
After dinner, they found the doll house (Kate and my old doll house!).
And then, the other MAJOR highlight was when the Scotts came over (they were planning to go to the airport, but a last minute technical difficulty kept them from being able to go). The girls were sitting at the table about to eat when the doorbell rang. I waited a few seconds and then looked at them and said, "Owen Kabamba." Both girls' eyes lit up and they JUMPED out of their seats, ran to the front door and picked up Owen and spun him around (I think). I'm unclear on the very last part because by that time, Maria and I were hugging each other, bawling our eyes out. It was a pretty incredible moment (and Bobby got it on video - yay!).

After we ate, the kids played together.

This picture is blury, but it shows you just how excited Owen was. I'm pretty sure he had that look on his face the whole time he was here. Maria said that Owen talks a lot about Zoe and that it seemed they did a lot together in Congo (look, I can say it now!). In fact, we are now pretty certain our kids and Owen were in the same foster home. Owen and Zoe chased each other around the room, laughing hysterically.

Just a year and a half ago, Bobby, Maria, Jason and I were sitting in the living room of our old house together, hanging out because we had both just started the adoption process. We all remember saying back then, "Can you imagine if the kids you guys adopt know the kids that we adopt? Can you imagine what it would be like when they saw each other here in Ames?" Well, we got to see it and it was an incredibly beautiful sight.

Our God is amazing. He has done great things!

Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. (Psalm 40:5)

More Gotcha Day Photos

I was in the middle of doing this post (with some pictures Sheryl sent me) last night around 10:00p when I heard Jason say sternly, "Jen, come here."

He had heard weird noises from the boys room and found Abram in his bed having another (the 4th) fever seizure. We had no idea he was sick or even hot when we put him to bed a couple hours earlier. If there is one thing that shakes me to the core it is when Abram has a fever seizure.

The enemy hates us. We are certain that is why Abram had a seizure on the first night we spent at home with three kids who now have a family and are no longer orphans.

While Jason, Abram and I didn't sleep very well last night, the three others did great. Things are going as well as I think they can, but OVERWHELMED is still the word for me. Being home with the kids reduced the overwhelmedness a few notches compared with traveling with them, though.

Please keep praying for us to CONNECT, CONNECT, CONNECT with the kids. It challenging just by the mere fact that there are three of them (and Abram needs some love, too!), as well as the language and age of the girls.

Now, for the pics:

Gotcha Day!

The day finally came. Jason and I and my whole family got to Chicago last night. Kate spotted The Container Store and Home Goods last night very close to our hotel so Kate, Mya and I went there this morning. It was a great way to occupy some time since I was feeling very nervous. I couldn't get the song, "This is the first . . . day . . .of the rest of your life" out of my head!

We headed to the airport at noon. I just had to take a picture of the silver bullet carrying all eleven members of my family ahead of us. It has been wonderful to have them all here this whole time!

On the drive to the airport my gittery, nervous feelings turned into scared-to-death, nervous feelings. If we were adopting one child, I would have fun, excited nervous feelings. But knowing three were coming and any down time I've had in my life is gone, not to mention all of the unknowns, left me feeling just down right scared!

Goodbye Lee Three

Here is everyone who came for the big moment. We are so blessed!

Here I am . . . NERVOUS! The waiting is a killer. Having been to the airport with the Scotts, I knew it would be. And yes, that is my best friend from college, Sheryl Landham, standing in front of me. It just so happens she was in the country - and in Iowa for a few more days - so she got to come. What a blessing! She was the official photographer so we will have more pictures to come.

It ended up not taking as long as we thought for them to come through customs. I think they came through at about 1:40p. Here is the best family picture I have so far.

I saw Zahra first and her eyes lit up when she saw me. She came right toward me to give me a hug. Zoe was close by and I hugged her next. Isaiah was just patiently sitting in the cart when I went to get him. Sweet little boy. When I picked him up, he I noticed how skinny he was!

Yes, it was beautiful. And yes, it was wonderful to meet them and hug them. But, OVERWHELMING would be the word of the afternoon/evening. I don't know that I can describe my feelings even now except for OVERWHELMED. The language barrier has felt way more overwhelming than I anticipated. There is so much I want to tell them and so many things I want to ask them to make sure they are okay. And I know there is so much going on in their little heads, too, that they are unable to say. To be honest, it is rather awkward knowing how to relate to them (the older two) because there is no shared language. There is so much love I want to express to them but there are very limited ways to be able to express it right now. I can't pick them up and squeeze them like I want to. But, we are finding ways in the little things.

Here we are headed from the airport to the hotel. I had to get in the back of the van with the girls to show them how to get back there and how to buckle since I couldn't tell them. Abram loved the ride with the kids. In fact, while we were still at the airport he kept saying, "I want them to come to my house."

On our way to the hotel I was nervous about the extra down time we were going to have since we got out of the airport earlier than expected. We unloaded the backbacks that they brought with them in our room and found almost all of the stuff that we ever sent them . . . most of it unopened. :) Oh well, at least it provided some entertainment for them during the downtime. The secret weapons for the downtime and the awkwardness turned out to be Mya and Sydney. Kids just have a way of naturally knowing how to relate to each other, no matter the language barrier. It was so fun to see the four girls interacting and having a fun time.

And just as the big mess of junk on the bed was starting to drive me crazy, Mya and Zahra starting organizing all of it and putting it in piles on the window sill - without any prompting from me. Glorious! What was more fun was watching them working together to do it.

Mr. Isaiah. He has the curliest eye lashes I have ever seen. He is very sweet, but when all the kids started to get rowdy, he got really wound up and starting getting aggressive.Before dinner

The whole crew at dinner.

Zahra and Abram have become fast buddies. Abram wanted to hold her hand on the way to the restaurant and he insisted on sitting in the same chair as her. Fortunately, she didn't mind.

Zoe, much like Mya, likes to do her own thing. That was clear before we even left the airport. Isaiah did such a great job of playing by himself while we waited for our food. I was surprised and thankful!While everyone else ate pizza (Chicago-sytle, of course!), I ordered grilled chicken and rice pilaf for the kids. And praise God, they did a great job of eating it. Mya was drinking a blue slushie and after a little while Zahra said to me, "Mom," and pointed to Mya's slushie, letting me know that she wanted one. I asked Jason and we ordered one for each of the three of them (Abram was already sharing Syd's)

Adoption lesson #1: We have learned that it is very important to give our kids as many 'yeses' as are in our power (and good judgment) to give. A child that has been with you since birth has received 200,000 'yeses' (times you have met his need) by the time he is two years old. Saying yes to your child by meeting his need is the primary way he learns to trust you. When you adopt a child, you are starting out at zero 'yeses' in the bank and have to look for opportunities (often creative ones with older children) to build up their trust in you by saying YES to them. So while we would prefer for our kids to not have drank blue slushies, it was a great opportunity to say yes and build trust. Okay, I'll be done with the education. :)
A very chilly Zahra, wearing my fleece, with Aunt Kate.After dinner we gave Abram to my mom for the night so we could focus on the three kids. We gave them each a bath, brushed their teeth, lotioned them up and put them to bed. They were out before we could blink, around 7:00p.So many of you have been thinking about us and praying for us today (and for weeks and months) and we could not be more grateful. Seriously, who gets to have this much support?! We feel extremely privileged and blessed to have so many of you in this WITH US.

If you would like to continue to pray for us, here are some specifics:

1. For communication to grow little-by-little, day-by-day and for patience for all of us in the process.

2. Wisdom to know how to connect with the kids and show them tangible love as much as possible in the coming days.

3. For the Holy Spirit to fill Jason and I and guide us each day.