Christmas Pics!

Whoo Hoo It's Christmas!

Dressed to the nine's and feeling a little sassy!

And this about says it all!

Christmas hugs and Tummy Bugs!

Ah the joy of Christmas, family gathered together to share old memories and create new ones. The awe on the faces of kids who believe in all the magic and wonder! The close proximity and sharing of food and drink and tummy flu! Oh yes, it was a Christmas to remember and we are "enjoying" the gift that just keeps giving!

Christmas eve was great, I cried as I put my baby girl into her perfect velour Christmas dress (pictures to come later today!) I had only waited a life time for that chance! Good times with our little family of six, eating our manger meal at home then over-stuffing the trailblazer with presents and people for the ride to nana's. Getting to nana's and settling in, snuggling the new baby from Seattle, watching Miss Sunshine hold court, watching the kids faces as they sorted through the gifts to be opened. Christmas day was wonderful too...great presents, good food, great time together...then it all went down hill starting with the sweet little one from Seattle, then his mommy, and on and on and on. We are still in the "throws" of the fun, with B sick, dad sick, mom feeling less than great, and the rest hanging on the edge. This seems to happen far too often over the holidays...these bugs that just keep on giving. So not the picture perfect holiday we all imagined. But we will remember it! So today, instead of cleaning and putting my house back in order, it will be a day of club crackers and sprite, sleep, mindless tv, and hopefully no one else juming on the band wagon.

I hope you all had wonderful holidays! I promise to post pics and wax a little sentimental when I am off cracker and sprite duty!!

Baptism and more

Okay, so I have been getting a little flack for not keeping up with the blogging. Between having 4 children, 2 new kittens, it being Christmas, and owning a store...the computer time is a little short these days...that and my silly tsunami doesn't like when mommy gets on the computer.

So anyhow...Meron's baptism was on the 30th. It was a wonderful day with Papa baptizing her, her brothers all in their ET shirts, and being surrounded by wonderful family and friends. We had a yummy brunch at the house after church and I was doing fine until I said the prayer before we ate. Thinking about the promises we made to her father in Ethiopia, and knowing how loved this child is did me in...luckily I was in great company.

Meron continues to thrive. She is so independent and is quickly changing from baby to toddler. She is sassy and sweet, cuddly and a little stubborn! She loves the kitties and follows them around talking to them. She can undo a display at the shop in the time it takes me to get the lights on and is maybe getting a little too comfortable at the shop...following customers around and chatting them up! She continues to be well attached and we continue to feel amazingly blessed.

I know you really don't care much about my chitter chatter...so without further adue, here are some pics!

Christmas with a 16 month old...

does it get ANY better? Sassy Spice continues to be a riot. She is finally feeling good, no more boogers and she is hilarious!! She loves to carry on an ongoing monologue. We sure wish we knew what she was saying...she loves to talk with her hands, and she is quite good at giving us some serious lectures! We went to cut the tree on Sunday (pics to come as soon as my *(&%! computer starts to work again!) She was bundled up from head to toe and I am quite sure was telling us that in Ethiopia they don't put ALL of their clothes on and go wander through the forest! She is now quite enamored with the tree and likes to sit by it and sing to it. She is fully walking now, which is bitter sweet. I miss the incredibly short lived baby stage, but I love watching her toddle around. I don't think she has any idea of what is to come in the next few weeks. She had her first spritz cookie and enjoyed it! Oh baby girl...there is so much more magic to come!!

Am I really up for the Challenge?

It's one of those days. One of those days where I wonder who I thought I was and what super human abilities I thought I possessed. Parenting a toddler who is teething, maybe grieving, and in general very needy of mama. Parenting 3 elementary school boys who are fabulous and wonderful, but are getting the short end of the stick right now. Running a retail boutique in a recession, during the holidays and trying to think of drastic measures to get customers in the door...all the while planning a move to a new location on a wing and a prayer. Who do I think I am???

Retail is really scary right now, but I know that I have to look beyond this economic crisis and stay afloat. I am determined to make this work...it has too. I was so close to profitability at the end of last year and now this year will plunge us back down. At least I am in good company! And I keep focused on the big picture...it is much happier!

Parenting is a challenge. I really struggle with complaining about parenting my precious toddler. I know there is a family on the other side of the world that would give anything to have the chance to complain about parenting her. I have been given this amazing gift and I never ever want to seem ungrateful, because she is such a blessing. But it is what it is and she is a bit of a pistol right now. She is teething, has a sinus infection and is on the brink of so many things developmentally that it is no wonder she isn't too happy. But it is that hard time, made harder still by adoption in that I am still getting to know her, to figure her out, and she is getting more comfortable and testing and pushing and learning to trust. And sometimes I forget that, forget that she hasn't always had me and I her...because it often seems that way.

I have this strange mentality that I wanted her so bad, really wanted it all so bad, that now I have to do it all, be all, take on all. Sort of like making your bed and lying in it. It is a great bed, and I love it, but there are days when I would love to just have time to wash the sheets. I am definitely the one that creates my own chaos, and I fully own that, but sometimes I have to remind myself that I am human and I can only do and be so much. In my life, I have always come out okay, it has always worked, my dreams and schemes have always kept me afloat. I hope and pray that trend continues...days like today, I wonder. A friend said to me this am, "You run on an energy that I can only imagine. At least you know God never gives you more than you can handle" Is God giving me all of this? Can I handle it? How much of all of this is my own doing? Did I not listen close enough? All I can do is have faith. Faith that I am listening and God is providing, and it will all work out.