February

I cannot believe it is already February. January, where did you go?!!

The girls are doing well in school. We are receiving help with Miss Abi and her ESL issues. She's getting extra help with reading & math. She was excited yesterday because she has memorized some math facts up to 2. I think it may be multiplication facts, but when numerous kids are talking at the same time, it's hard to remember.

Today they are having parties in class. I think it's for the 100th day of school, but again not sure. I just know I had to send pretzel sticks, fish crackers, and fudge with three girls. It's also the Scholastic Book Fair week and parents are invited to share lunch with their children so that's where I will be at lunchtime today. I worked the book fair earlier this week for an hour and ended up buying each of their teachers a book off their wish list stack. The girls were delighted when they got to put a sticker in the front of the book that it was from them. I have shelves and shelves of books, so buying one for us wasn't necessary, and this way the teacher can share with her other kids for years to come.

Things are going well on the homeschooling front. James has been doing science experiments form his Apologia Physical Science book. He missed these experiments at Class Day and needed to do them. We were both excited when he found the thermometer he needed in a science kit that I have had for years, okay, probably decades, that I have never used. He has probably earned an A in the class and I'm very proud of him!

Joe is doing well at his high school. He played his last home game for soccer last night. They have one more away game and then his season is done. He wants to play volleyball for the second year. He's 6 ft. so that sport makes sense. He earned A's and B's this last grading period. He has started a law enforcement program and does that weekly also. He has a uniform, goes weekly, and has homework! Last week he went to his first dance. He and his girlfriend went to her Winter Formal. They looked very nice in tan and black. They complement one another well.

Our new Little Miss has her ups and downs. She's had a tough week. I think she is testing the waters to see how deep we're in this with her. I told her we're onrier and meaner than she is and nothing she can do is going to make us give up on her and send her anywhere else. We have to constantly tell her that. We constantly tell her we love her and we constantly hug, kiss, and hold her. See the word constantly? She CONSTANTLY NEEDS stability,  she CONSTANTLY NEEDS affection and, she CONSTANLY NEEDS a foundation. We're determined to be that for her.

She's HAD to be her own advocate for so long. I have told her that her ONLY job in our house is to be a LITTLE KID!

She does not have to do her own hair. She has/had an issue with big sis helping her. I had to have a talk with her and tell her how it is in our house. The big people help the little people. I help Addis, Addis helps her, Meskerem helps Adah or Makenna. That's how this family operates.

She tries to be tough when she has had her feelings hurt. I can see the hurt in her eyes, I can tell she is trying to toughen up, and I tell her it's okay to cry, it's okay to feel hurt. Then she'll burst into tears.

We make her kiss us. We make her give us her face when she turns her face as we're about to give her a kiss. I hold her when she wants to be let go. And everyday we see progress. Everyday we feel a little bit more like she is our daughter. At first it seems like long term babysitting, and then before we know it, feelings are there and we're family. We've made great strides just this week. We're there. She's our daughter and we're her mommy and daddy.

Sometimes when she's being naughty and I talk to her I do tell her that I'm trying to parent her how her Ethiopian mommy would parent her or expect her to be parented. What I mean is that if my biological children were in a family other than ours I would hope that they were being treated as lovingly as the other families bio kids were. I have expecations of myself as her mother and I won't give up on her. At first I had my doubts, but they're gone. Thank you, Lord for helping me put one foot in front of the other to do this ministry of serving my children.