Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for these two precious blessings!

Spoiled???

Yesterday evening in the car, we had the following conversation...

Mikaele: "Mommy, we need to get a bouncy ball."
Me: "You already have several bouncy balls."
Mikaele: "No, a big one with a handle that you sit on and bounce on."
Me: "Those are fun. We're not going to get one right now, but maybe you will have one one day."
Mikaele: "Well, I'll just ask Kiki and Papa."

I couldn't hold back a little giggle. The boy has figured out the system already. If Mommy and Daddy say "No," go to the grandparents!

Re-Adoption Day

This Friday, we had our re-adoption hearing. We had to re-adopt the boys here in the U.S., and now we will be able to apply for citizenship. It was a fun day! There were lots of families adopting, both domestic and international. There were three other families from all over Texas adopting Ethiopian children. It was so neat to see the precious children and visit with the families. I think Mikaele and Ephrem's favorite parts of the day were the balloons, teddy bears, and cookies! Here are a few pictures from the day...

A Few Pictures...

I thought we would blog more once our boys were home, but finding time hasn't been so easy. For now, here are a few pictures. They are all from May. We have lots of newer ones we'll try to post soon.

Just being silly together :)

Baby Dedication at our church on Mother's Day
(This was a very special day. We'll try to post more about that later.)

Mikaele's 4th Birthday ~ May 17th

Mikaele has been asking to go fishing for awhile. He caught a big fish with Papa on his birthday!

Ephrem helping Papa get his fishing pole ready.

Rejoicing!!!

Today, the sweet Fournet family finally passed court to bring home their precious twins! They waited 8 months for their referral and have faced delay after delay in the court process. It has been over a year since they received their referral and they finally passed court on the tenth try. We were blessed to meet the twins while we were in Ethiopia and can't wait to finally see them home with their family. They waited so gracefully and have been an encouragement to so many of us in the Ethiopia adoption community. Fournets, we are rejoicing with you!

International Flag Day at Church

We displayed sixty different nation's flags at church on Sunday as a reminder of Jesus' command to make disciples of all the nations. Guess who they asked to carry the Ethiopian flag during the ceremony. We accepted, obviously. It was an honor for us to carry our boys' native flag.

Pictures From the Weekend

Mikaele at a DFW Ethiopia Adoption Gathering

Ephrem with new friends at Ethiopia Adoption Gathering

Meeting and playing with cousins Jon and Jack

Mikaele petting Jasper with PawPaw and Jon

(This is a huge step as the boys came home terrified of dogs.)

Cake at a shower given by friends from Monica's mom's work

Ephrem eating cake Mommy brought home from the shower

Mikaele enjoying the cake too!