Popcorn, please....

Okay, a quick picture post to appease our fans:

Don't they look like little church angels? Matt was in a wedding last weekend and this is how Abigia and Eldana patiently waited for the action to start.... by reading the hymnals.

I know this picture is dark and blurry but I love it. At the wedding reception a good-looking older man (brother of the groom) asked Eldana to dance. She took a little encouraging to get out there, then danced with him for about 1 minute (you know, the graceful hold partner's hands 2 feet away from your body and dance in a circle style) before she came rushing back to me, too embarrassed to continue.

Raisin Bran is funny...

really funny.


Abigia's 'scary' face

Eliana drawing one eye on the pumpkin

Eldana drawing the mouth
(look how excited she is!)

Her new pumpkin teeth

My sweet girls

Trick or Treating:

Gathering the supplies for the big venture...


And then the aftermath:

Overwhelmed

Eldana got her first report card today and we had a telephone conference with her teacher.
She is on the Principal's List. She made straight A's.

I don't care about that. I mean, yes, I care, she's my daughter, I want her to do well, etc, etc. But if she'd come home with all C's or all F's, even, I wouldn't have been upset. Honestly, before she came to the US we were fully open with no expectations regarding school. If she needed to flunk a year just to get the feel of things and then repeat that grade, I was fine with that idea. With SO MANY new things to learn and adjust to, I wouldn't have been surprised if doing well in school was just not an interest for her, or even something she may not have been capable of doing. But she IS interested and she IS capable.... not just in school, but in everything.

I am just overwhelmed tonight thinking about all of the changes that these girls have been through and how beautifully they are growing every day.


Eldana is an amazing girl. She is so full of life and love and curiosity. I am so proud of her... not for getting straight A's, but for trying her best at everything every day.

Hello all!
I just wanted to write a quick note to say that yes, I know what a slacker I am.
We are normally pretty busy here anyway, and then the last week my Mom has been in the hospital with some kind- of- scary-but seems-to-be-ok-now illness. I've been spending as much time with her as I can while juggling the kids and a little bit of work here and there. She is undiagnosed but leaving the hospital tomorrow.... please say a pray that she continues to feel well and stays out of the hospital from here on out!

I'll get back on soon to post pictures, cute kid stories and the like.

:)

Potpourri

I can't believe it's October!
I do love Fall. The cooler weather is refreshing and it smells so great outside.... mmm... I love it.
The girls are fabulous. Today Matt and I gave a few minutes of thought to the first few weeks after Abigi and Eldana came home.... wow what a long way we've come together. It's amazing how family forms.
We had our official re-adoption court appearance last week. It wasn't super meaningful to me, though I know it is to some people. I just kept thinking, 'what's one more paper?' Sure, we are happy to have a US BC for the girls, but it sure didn't make us more of a family. No pictures of the big day - can't take the camera into the courthouse. By the way, the kids' behavior was awful in the courtroom. Yelling, jumping... Eliana rolled off of a chair and hit her head on a table leg causing her to scream just as we prepared to leave. It was great. What could I do but smile at the judge and his workers? This is family.
Eliana can say Abigia now (or 'Abidia,' really). Abigia still calls Eliana Eldana. And, also, Eldana Eldana. It makes for some interesting conversation.
Matt and I went on a little date today. Like any good date it included hot wings and buying diapers at Target. Yes, we are that wild. We were almost home by 7:30, but the short detour to DQ made us just a little later getting home. Scandalous, I know.
We are trying to decide when is a good time to start Eldana in a sport or dance or music class. And what to do? I feel like we don't have time for anything now, I'm not sure why we're looking for more things to complicate our life.
Let me hunt up some recent photos for those of you kind enough to make it this far...

Ok, these are all from a Renaissance Festival that we went to last weekend. Next year we will be dressing up. We all had a great time. It was so fun! Eldana had so many questions about everything!

Abigia rarely smiles for pictures. This (or worse) is often the face we get.

Eliana practically fell asleep on Matt's shoulders.

Look at this beautiful girl! She is patiently waiting for her authentic Renaissance period pizza.

3 princesses. Abigia in super-model mode here

ridiculous

more ridiculous?

doesn't she look like an elf?

my 3 girls, enthralled with the joust

Look at these ornery faces! I LOVE this picture