Friday, January 25, 2008

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

Friday, January 18, 2008

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

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Crazy Christmas Fun!


Well, we survived our first Christmas with 3 kids. WHEW! Now THAT was fun....and also a lot of work. Tony and I were driving home from our first Christmas event (with three sleepy kids and all their Christmas "haul" in the back of our minivan), and I turned to him and said, "Boy, that was a lot more work than when it was just Eliana!" He just smirked and said, "Yeah, at least 3 times as hard!" We had a good laugh.

The kids are doing so great. They are getting so big and healthy and strong. When I look back now at the pictures from when they first came home I am really amazed and all the changes. They are talking and doing so many things....

We got a picture taken with all the grandkids for my parents for Christmas. Calvin and Zahara were a little shellshocked by all the people in the mall and all the cameras and wouldn't smile, but we still got this really cute picture. It will show you how much they've grown.

A very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Love, Tony, Jill, Eliana, Calvin and Zahara

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Falling in Love!

Wow! The time is really flying by. I find myself most days just wanting to capture the precious moments and take the time to write them all down. But too often they get by me. The last month and a half (since I wrote) has glued us all together and now it is impossible to imagine life without our funny, independant Calvin and sensitive, clever Zahara. They are a gift and a joy. It is fun to watch the sibling rivalry start to fade and be replaced by funny kid interactions. Eliana is completely into Big Sister mode. MY big sister, April, often reminds me (when Eliana is being a bit too bossy), that it isn't easy being the oldest. So, I try to be patient and laugh when I see Eliana parroting all the words to Calvin and Zahara that I have said to her. "Sit down!", "Mommy said, no!", "STOP!" But, being the youngest myself, I also remember that it isn't fun being last all the time, the littlest one, or getting whapped on the head! SO, it is a constant balancing act....Patience....Discipline....Grace....Love... There are days that go great and I feel like "SUPER MOM"! Others I fall into bed feeling like I wish I could do some parts over. But, like Anne of Green Gables always said, "Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it....yet."

Other than the day to day stuff...no huge news, but I thought I would give an update on all three kiddoes:

Eliana's world right now consists of her favorite things...gymnastics class, books, playing with Evan (her cousin) and of course...as many bowls of cheerios as I will allow in one day. She is also really into zoos, farms and animals. She talks ALL the time, and is constantly saying funny things. The other day she walked out with a straw hat on and said, "Look, Mom, I'm a Girl Cow!"...She meant a cowgirl! :) She is full of energy, loves to sing and dance. She loves to walk around holding onto Zahara's hand, and she loves to show her how to do new things. And whenever Zahara does it right she cheers for her. So, now Zahara walks around the house cheering "hooray!"

Calvin is my adventure man. He is always getting himself into sticky situations, and then can't get out again. He climbs on things, then can't get down. He has, more than once, pushed his arm up into a toy only to get it stuck. He manages to get his knees and elbows jammed into places. It is kinda funny. I feel like I am running from one thing to another saving him from disaster! But he is also delightfully independant. He plays well without a lot of fussing. He is snuggly and loves his Mommy. And of course, I LOVE that! He has a temper....mostly that flares when food is slow on the appearance. He'll eat almost anything. In short...he is pretty easy-going...as long as he is fed! He is not only walking, but practically running. He also trys to hop with two feet, but ends up doing this funny skip. And the cutest thing is that whenever he hears music he just HAS to dance for a bit. He is saying hi, bye, Dada and Mama.

Zahara is our sensitive one. Like her big sis, she has a flair for being dramatic. She LOVES to be held, and would probably like to be held most of the day if we would! She has a quirky little sense of humor and seems to already know that she is funny. She likes to follow Eliana around and do whatever she is doing. She likes stuffed animals and dolls, and gets really attached to things. She is a "watcher". She watches people and things all the time. She seems to be a visual learner because you show her how to do a puzzle or toy once or twice and she can do it.

It is amazing how different these three are from each other, but still each of them is so FUN. Tony and I just find ourselves falling in love with these guys!

Sunday, September 2, 2007

It's been awhile...


It's been awhile since I last posted to the blog. Sorry about that if there is anyone out there actually reading this! I have been busy....imagine that! :) Yes, life with three small kiddoes could definitely be classified as busy. Whoever out there thinks that Stay-at-Home moms just sit around and watch soaps and eat bon-bons, well...they couldn't be more wrong. I'll be the first to admit it's a LOT of work. But, it is SOOO worth it. And so I am really thanking God for every single moment I have of my leave from work. Being able to be there for my babies is a beautiful thing.

We still spend a lot of time at home, but we have had a few adventures as a family. About a week ago we went to the Minnesota State Fair together. It was a nice time. It was pretty crazy doing all of it with three kids, but we all worked together and it was great. I am grateful MULITPLE times a day for my husband. He is SUCH a great dad. I don't know what I would do without him! We got to the fair around 10:30 and stayed about 4 hours. By then the kids were exhasuted (parents, too)! But I think we all felt happy that we had successfully navigated our first big family outing. Plus the kids all got initiated to being Minnesotan by eating several things "on a stick"!


Last night we were at my in-laws and my mother-in-law made a comment. We were sitting outside and she said, "It's really amazing how quickly you can fall in love with a child". It really struck me, because it is SO true. Not that long ago, Calvin & Zahara were just pictures to us. They were our children, but we had no emotional attachment to them. Now, less that a month home it is really beginning to feel like they've always been here. Their smiles, temperments, personality quirks and every little thing about them is so dear to us. Adoption is an amazing thing. We are so grateful for all that God has done.

Love, Jill

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Friday, August 17, 2007

Lions and Tigers and Snakes?....OH MY!

So, here's the latest fun news for the neighborhood...



Our neighbors' 7 foot python got away this afternoon....and he's HUNGRY.



I'm thinking....great! And I have 3 small children! They thought he crawled under our shed, so they dug under there and got a hold on him, but he got away. So, now he is roaming the neighborhood! They don't have a lot of hope to find him because they think he will "keep moving around looking for wamth." GREAT. All I can say is that I am planning on keeping my house as cold as possible! Seriously. Could this place be more crazy? And to make things even better, they consoled themselves with the fact that they could always get another one!



I have these secret fears of it somehow making it into our house. Yuck. Have I mentioned, I DON'T LIKE SNAKES?!



So, we've had parasites, scabies, ear infections, colds, giardia, and now....snakes? Oh, dear, what's next?!


Sleeping well tonight?
Jill