Part 3: Evan is Off at His First Day of 4K! September 6, 2011

Continued…and then it was time to load up and get Evan to 4K!   There were many moms crying when we walked up because we were one of the last ones to get there.  The kids were in their line by class and were heading in.  We ended up having to go in because I had to take Evan’s booster seat in since Rick will be picking Evan up everyday.  We’ll have to get something figured out because I don’t really want to unload 4 kids and then have to re-load 3 every day…especially in the winter!   Maybe we’ll get a 2nd booster seat that can be kept in dad’s car.    We found the classroom and Evan put a sticker book in his backpack so he has something to do at dad’s school (dad will have to go back to school with Evan most days to finish up and get ready for the next day).  We turned in his computer headphones and Evan headed over to the carpet to join the rest of the kids who were waiting oh so patiently and quietly.  I am not kidding about that part…however, the teacher in me knows that this is they honeymoon period and that doesn’t last long.   The teacher reminded me of that.    She said that was how the morning class started out and by the end she had a child crying, a child biting, and she hadn’t had time to eat lunch because she was busy cleaning up and preparing for round two…maybe I don’t miss teaching all that much, especially the craziness of the first day.  There were fun things though!   I then had to round up Landyn who had made his way over to the toys.  He was ready to stay.  We went and paid for his milk for the year and we were off again.   On the way to the car Jonah started crying.  I think he must have had a fun day at school because he wanted to stay at Evan’s school.  I think it was partly that and partly that he was hungry and getting tired since I had to wake them up this morning.    We got home and got Jonah some lunch and I finally got the baby down for a nap.   Jonah and Landyn went right down…in fact, this might be the first nap time in a long time that I haven’t heard a peep from upstairs!  They must be tired from waking up early and Jonah from his big day.   Maybe mom should get in a nap too before Elijah’s bus arrives an hour from now!!    These days are going to go fast.

Enjoy the pictures of Evan- he is so shy at first, but I am so proud of how him and how much he loves school and how he knows it will be fun and that we’ll be together soon in a few hours.   I am going to miss having someone here in the afternoon that I can actually have conversations with!

Part 2: Elijah is Off to School…Early Childhood That Is! September 6, 2011

Here we are again- those couple hours sure went fast!   We ate lunch and got cleaned up and were ready to see Jonah come home and Elijah get on the bus.  We all went outside and sat…thankfully it  is a beautiful day because I thought we might have to wait about 5-10 minutes depending on if the bus was on time or not.  Well it certainly wasn’t.  We waited a good 30 minutes- the bus was at least 25 minutes late!  That was a bummer because I thought I would have had time to get Jonah lunch before we had to leave to take Evan to school and now we wouldn’t.   I also wanted to swing back to Elijah’s school and see that he got there safe and get a picture of him like I did of Jonah but we wouldn’t have time or Evan would be late.   Plans don’t always go the way you want them to, but at least I can say it wasn’t because of me- we were ready and on top of things here!    So we made the switch- Jonah got off (didn’t want to, so he must have liked the bus….see mom, I told you not to worry) and Elijah got on.   Off he went….to be continued!  Enjoy the pictures of Mr. Elijah and his first day of school!  I am sure he will do great!

                                                                                                                    The Exchange- Jonah getting off and Elijah getting on!

 

Jonah is off to School….Early Childhood that is! September 6, 2011

Here is the first of a few posts today!   Rick is off for his first day and so is Jonah!   He got on the bus this morning for his first day of Early Childhood!   I didn’t think I would get teary-eyed, but I did.   I also can’t believe I had all of the other kids and myself ready to go and we headed to his school to wait for the bus.  We saw him get off the bus- he seemed happy!  He has a great bus driver who is so good with the kids.  He got a little bus buddy (beanie baby) to hold while on the drive.  There are 9 kids in his class.  He will be going in the morning and Elijah will be going in the afternoon- so when Jonah gets off the bus, Elijah will be getting on.  Yes, that means two lunch times!  Crazy, I know.   Today is especially busy.  We will drive to see Elijah get off the bus too and then take Evan to his school for his first day of 4K.  For now, here are the pictures of my little Jonah and his first big day!!   More to come!

These are the Moments August 14, 2011

One day a while back, we were at Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and Jonah went up to this boy who was a few years older than him and just was so intrigued by him.   He was touching his hair and his face.  It was so cute, but so interesting too.  I got talking to the mom (the child was black and the mom and dad were white) and she said they had adopted him from Ethiopia!  CRAZY isn’t it- these little ones really understand more than we think they do and they have a connection to people who look like them.

So just this weekend we were at the gymnastics center for an open house.   It was very busy and the boys were playing.  Elijah goes right up to this little boy who happened to be black too and hugged him.  Then they grabbed hands and started walking off together.  It was precious beyond words!  I so wish it could have been on video so I could share with it you.   I got talking to the little boys’ mom.  He was adopted too, but domestically.  Again, they find each other and find a connection with those who look like them!   This will be one of my favorite moments.   Enjoy the picture I did get of Elijah and his new friend, Jeremiah.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Elijah Asebe and Jonah Tesfaye! July 15, 2011

Today’s the day!  It’s hard to believe, but our two little Ethiopian boys are already three!!   You are wonderful boys who have brought us much joy in such a short time.  Today we celebrate the day you were born and are ever so thankful to your tummy mommy for giving you the gift of life and to your biological father for being so selfless to give you to strangers in hopes that you would have a better life.

We love you both very much and are so thankful that you are a part of our family and a part of our lives!   We are the ones who are blessed and have the better life because of you two!   -Love mom and dad

Happy 2nd Birthday, Landyn! June 22, 2011

At the time I am typing this two years ago, I was probably calling my doctor saying, “Enough is enough!”   I had been having contractions all day and went to the hospital around 1p.m. only to walk the halls a bit and be sent home.  I was then not only feeling awful, but angry and irritated and that is not a good combo!  Rick and I went to a club in our town where our sister-in-law worked, as she had our oldest son there and they were swimming.  While Rick swam and played with Evan, I walked laps around the pool, stopping to go into the bathroom and hold my hand against the stall just wishing I was in the hospital having this baby!  We didn’t know whether it would be another boy or a girl.  We came home, I tried to eat dinner and fold laundry- which neither were too succesful!  So on the phone with my doctor, she told me to just go in and that she promised she wouldn’t let them send me home again!  I got my stuff together, kissed Evan goodbye, and after a shift change at the hospital….I was back!  That was about 8 p.m. by the time I was checked in and at 11:56 p.m. our second son, Landyn Grey Henningfeld graced us with his presence, weighing in at 8 lbs. 9oz.    Landyn- you have given us many a hard time with your fusiness, screaming, and all the things you get into on a non-stop basis, but you have made us laugh more than we think any child could ever do and we feel you were a true gift from God, a miracle, after the loss of two babies.   We couldn’t be more lucky to have a son like you- full of energy and laughter! 

Love, mom and dad                                                                                                            

 -Evan, Elijah, Jonah, and Jayce too!

 

-June 22nd, 2009

 

 

 

 

Now- 2 years old- June 22nd, 2011

By the way- it’s like you’ve been in the terrible two’s for about 8 months already…lol!  Treasuring the moments though because I don’t want you to grow up!                                         

 I’m documenting the moments too, by the way, so I can show you all the things you did someday when your older and maybe when you have a little boy.

-  Love, mom

Helping out families who are doing what God calls us to do May 5, 2011

I love helping out families bringing home their new child !   If you do too or you just like giving, check-out these sites!

http://ourfamilyourstory2.blogspot.com/p/adoption-fundraisers.html

http://www.leapingformira.blogspot.com/ -This is a puzzle fundraiser to help bring home an amazing little girl who is so inspiring!

Thanks for your help,

Brooke

Happy 4th Birthday, Evan! April 19, 2011

April 19th, 2007

Four years ago today, we welcomed our first child into the world- a son, Evan Jaxson weighed 7lbs. 8 oz.  We realized what a miracle truly is on that beautiful April morning.  We also were thrilled that our son would share a birthdate with my  Grandma Schultz who was surely looking down from heaven and smiling.

 April 19th, 2011

Today that baby is four years old, a little boy already! 

 He is a boy with an amazing memory, a funny sense of humor, and a beautiful smile and heart.  He has grown so much in so many ways and is now a big brother to 4 other brothers. 

Today we cry tears of happiness, as we did that beautiful day God brought you into our lives for the baby you were and the amazing little boy you have become! 

Happy 4th Birthday, Evan!

Love, Mom and Dad

Another Calling March 6, 2011

Hello,

Unfortunately, we still do not have Jonah’s Certificate of Citizenship (COC) so I cannot post his pictures yet…hoping to soon!!

I’m also going to post some new pictures of the baby and of the other boys soon too!  It’s time for an update.

But, right now, I want to share a passion of mine with you.  You all probably know that I love kids and I am passionate about adoption and finding families for waiting children.  Well, since our last adoption I have been researching and learning more about all the different country programs, agencies, etc.  and I have been a part of some wonderful groups geared towards kids who wait because of their age, special need, or gender.  It is very sad to see a list of over 2,000 kids from China who wait because of one of these reasons.  And what is more sad is that it is just a list with a date of birth, gender, and special need.  There are no pictures.   So these wonderful people try and get as much info as they can and advocate for these kiddos who wait…some have been waiting their whole lives and are teenagers!  Can you imagine never having a family?  And to make it worse, China won’t allow kids to be adopted once they turn 14…they age out!   Time is running out for so many and for so many others time just keeps moving and they just keep getting older, making them less likely to be adopted.  The average adoptive parents are looking for a girl and a girl who is “healthy” and “as young as possible.”   Having adopted even just once, I certainly have learned that even “healthy” kids are not always healthy….they can come home with a lot of parasites, illnesses, delays, emotional issues, etc.

Sometimes people just need to see a face and that is enough for them to say- “this is my child!”   I have decided to create an advocacy blog, posting some of the kids who are on China’s shared lists or listed with specific agencies to help get the word out there and to get them noticed in hopes of finding a family for even one of these precious kiddos!

I have found myself falling in love with many of the kids I see on these lists.  However, we cannot turn in any adoption paperwork for China until Rick is 30 and we would need to ask for an income waiver, as we do not make the amount China asks for.  So while we wait (if that is indeed God’s plan for our family- we are leaving it up to Him, as He already knows the plan for us), I will be advocating!

Here is my advocacy blog:  http://littlewondersfindhomes.webs.com

You do have to set-up an account- username and password as it is password protected for the privacy and safety of the children.

Enjoy and may one or more of these beautiful children find a family of their own!

It’s Finally Here! February 2, 2011

Well, one of them is anyway!  Yesterday we received Elijah’s Certificate of Citizenship in the mail!  We’ve been waiting a long time on this!!  Hoping Jonah’s comes today or soon.  It’s amazing how expensive one piece of paper can be!!   Once we have these, we have officially completed everything for the boys’ adoption, except for their yearly post-placement reports we have to send to Ethiopia until they are 18.   Enjoy the pictures of Elijah with his COC and hoping I’ll be able to put Jonah’s up soon too!

Also, I found this quote on an email I got with a list of boys who are deaf and waiting to be adopted from China.  I thought this was quite fitting for our house of boys and wanted to share it with you!

“God made little boys; it seems, to answer every parent’s dreams,
For expectations are begun when God sends down a little son…
A son to teach the golden rule, to watch as he goes off to school,
To marvel at his happy face every time he wins a race…
Playing tricks and funny pranks, learning to say “please and thanks,”
…Yes, God brings parents endless pleasure when God sends little boys to treasure.”

-Author Unknown