Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!! I pray that God will bless your family as he has ours this past year. This has not been the easiest year........maybe the hardest. The economy has really hurt our "normal" way of life. But I almost enjoy this new normal better. I really feel that God is preparing me for a life with less......like missions??? My heart really is missions. Someone asked me the other day how I came to love missions.......I don't know, I think it is just how you react when you hear of people in difficult times. I have always had a heart for the needy. Always had a heart for Africa. But when I went to Ethiopia to adopt Selamnesh, I didn't go wanting to change people's lives or even help them. I went for ME! I went to adopt a little girl who I wanted so badly!!! And when it came time to board that plane to come back home...I stood there crying my eyes out!!! I thought about putting my teenagers on that plane and staying there in Ethiopia. I didn't mean to fall in love....it just happened. We have had such a wonderful year!! Sitting around the dining room table today saying what we are thankful for, my step-dad said, we are all thankful for Selamnesh. So true... she has bonded our family in ways that we just couldn't experience otherwise.

Some funny things lately..........

Selamnesh talks and talks and talks..... I love it and have never told her to be quiet, other than, when mommy is on the phone we need to wait.

Today she said that she was thankful for Mommy. Awwwwhhh

The other day she passed gas.... someone asked, did you toot?? She replied, "Me no toot, me fart!"

Selamnesh is working on potty training. I'm really not ready for her to grow up, so with me...it's fine if she is in diapers. But she now has a stool that she has next to the big potty. She climbs up all by herself, turns around, and goes!!! Just the other morning she pooped. We are talking a big log!! When she got off the toilet she looked in and said, "Ma-ma, me BIG poop!" I agreed with her that I was so proud of her. And said, "ok, you can flush now." she.."No, me no flush!! Picture!!" Me..You want me to take a picture of your poop?" her.. "Yes, picture poop" So, I ran out to the car, got my camera, took a very nice picture of the poop, and she was happy.... She looked at the picture I took and said, "Nana, Sissy, Brother, picture poop." and she flushed the toilet.

She loves daycare, and so do I!!! She learns so much!! She counts to 10 sings the ABC's, knows her colors, she tells you what kind of weather it is outside, she is just so smart!!! She loves to play with her Duplo blocks and make towers with them.

And every night we rock and sing songs... Jesus loves me and Amazing Grace. We pray together and asking God to bless everyone. When she prays whether at meal time or night time, she bows her little head and pinches her eyes closed and really prays!!! Sometimes in the dim light when I lay her down I can almost see the face of Bizunesh.

Yes, we have so much to be thankful for... May God Bless You