Christmas Morning

Christmas morning began with opening stockings by the fireplace ...

... followed by LOTS of shoveling!

I asked Ato T if he wanted to go play in the snow too, and he said "Uh-uh." So he and I stayed in the nice warm house.

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Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve celebrations began at church, with the Sunday school kids telling the Christmas story. Miss O did a great job in the program! Miss I was still a bit too shy to join the group up front this year, and Ato T is still too little.

My Christmas angels

After church we came home to dinner on Great Grandma's wedding china, by candlelight. Then we opened our gifts to each other. Miss O's favorite gift was a baby doll she has named June.

Ato T enjoyed ripping the paper off his gifts!

Miss I's favorite gift was a hot wheels track with cars. The track has a large bird on it that flys off when the cars zoom by.

Christmas #3

We hosted Mike's extended family Christmas party this year. It's always the Saturday before Christmas, and we do a white elephant gift exchange, which is really fun! Miss I got a pony this year in the exchange.

Miss O got a book of questions for newlyweds, that she loves to play with! She tells me she's going to marry mommy and daddy when she grows up.

The kids had a fun fort made out of their bunk beds for the day

The difference a year makes

Last year on this day...

we were celebrating the fact that Ato T's adoption finalized in Ethiopia.
we were the parents of 3 children, but had not yet met one of them.
we were making plans to go to Ethiopia and pick up our son.
we were nervous about the transition of adding another child with so many disabilities.
we were anxious to meet our son.
we were preparing the girls for their new brother.
we were nervous about what Ato T's surgeries would be like, and if they would help.

Today we are ...

celebrating New Year's Eve as a family!
celebrating all the milestones Ato T has made since coming home to us!
continuing to pray for Ato T's birth mother, who sacrificed so much for her son.
a family that is complete (at least until God decides he wants to change that).
thankful for the blessings God has brought into our lives through these 3 precious children.
praying for friends and family.

I can't wait to learn what God has in store for us this next year! Happy New Year to you all!

Horn Books

We've been studying colonial times in history. Here are the girls making their own horn books.

'Twas the Night before Christmas

We saw this play the week before Christmas at Stages, with our friend James. It was a little too sunny to get them to pose for a good picture. After the play, we went out to a restaurant across the street for lunch. Good times!

Homeschool group Christmas festivities

Making great smelling ornaments with our home school group!

Princess I getting a ride around the room from 2 friends.

Swimming lessons

The girls are in the same class for swimming lessons this winter. They are having loads of fun! Miss O has learned to swim under water on her own, and Miss I is working on putting her head under water.

Miss I the photographer

This is what happens when Miss I gets hold of mommy's camera. We have about 20 photos just like these!

Christmas #2

Our second Christmas celebration was with Miss I's birth family!

Miss I and her birth mom

Loose tooth

The next morning, Miss o woke up with her first loose tooth! That was Sunday morning, and she had wiggled it out by noon on Monday.

First Christmas celebration

Our first Christmas celebration of the season was with Miss O's birth family. Here she is with her birth sister and birth mom.

All the girls riding on horsey Mike

Gifts from Miss O's birth mom

Christmas festivities #2

Mommy loves making the gingerbread house every year as much (or more) as the kids!

Christmas season festivities #1

Our Christmas celebrations began with a fun ceramics painting day! The mom of a friend from a homeschooling group has her own kiln, and offered to do a day for the kids. She had a ton of things for the kids to choose from, and both Miss I and Miss O picked out and made gifts for a few people.

Fall recap

Movie night at Grandma and Grandpa's:

Instead of celebrating Halloween, we have a tradition of having a family movie night. This year we did it with Mike's side of the family. It was a fun night!

A fall visit with Miss I's birth family:

Miss I with her birth mom

Miss O with Miss I's birth grandma

Miss I with her birth grandma

Fall fun with friends:

We love getting together with our friends Lisa, James and Will!

Fall Festival fun at church:

October snow:

A day at the pumpkin patch in October:

Ato T refused to look at the camera for a family picture

He wasn't too sure about his first hay ride, but he really warmed up to it by the time it was done!

Petting the animals is always fun!

Gym day with one of our homeschool groups:

Miss I loved learning to play floor hockey!

Miss O having fun on the scooter