Home since Sunday!

Leigh Anne and Blake with the Ethiopia Airport in background.

Our luggage precariously tied on with a thin green string for the bumpy ride to the guest house. It made it intact, so I guess I shouldn't question the green string.

Leigh Anne, sorting through carryons under Blake's legs on the planeOur travel party ready for adventure

We made it home around 10pm Sunday night. What a journey. At some point I will write about our trip. But for now, the boys are doing Great! They are fitting in wonderfully.

I was expecting them to stay on the Ethiopian schedule for a while. Sleeping during the day here and being awake at night, but that just hasn't happened. Each night, Seth goes to bed around 8:30pm and sleeps until around 8am. Then he goes down for a nap around noon and sleeps 3-4 hours. He sleeps a lot. But he did this in Ethiopia on our court trip and embassy trip, so maybe that is just him?

Ethan goes to bed around 9:30pm and sleeps to around 5am. Then he takes about 3 naps during the day around 1 hour each, then back to bed. He sleeps good for a 7 month old. He has been eating lots of baby food and formula.

The girls are loving having their brothers home. Madelyn made it to Ethan this morning before me and brought him to me to be changed and fed. Then she and Natalie took him into the living room to lie on a blanket on the floor and play for a while. Hannah loves them too, but I can tell she is really struggling with the attention they are getting. However, she is so sweet with them and I give her hugs all the time and try to involve her in their care.

Yesterday we were talking about how we were glad that the boys do not have to grow up in an orphanage and that they have a family now. She said that she felt bad for this boy she heard me telling Aaron about...

Here is his story...

Our plane didn't fly out of Ethiopia until 7:30 Saturday night, so we had all day Saturday to hang out. We ended up paying Daniel, our driver to come and take us shopping. Leigh Anne expressed interest in going to the orphanage that Seth had lived since it was so close. So we drove over there and met the children there. Only about 20 kids at the time. Same older kids that were there when we were there for court, so I knew that the kids all had homes except these 3 little boys. There were only 2 little girls there and one made me carry her around the whole time, the other one clung to Blake and called her Mama. Anyway, these little brothers were so cute. Probably ages 5, 7. and 9. The older one just loved all over Leigh Anne, sat in her lap, etc. At one point, the 9 year old went out to the courtyard and sat by Daniel our driver. As we got in the car to leave, Daniel told us that the 9 year old came out to ask him.. "why doesn't anyone come to take our family away? " Sooo sad. Then as we drove off, he came out and just stood in this sad position watching us leave. I wish I could post his picture, but I am not allowed. I pray that they get a family soon.

We have been walking each night after supper around our property. It has been unusually hot, so we put Seth in the backpack on Aaron's back and he loves it. Then Ethan gets to ride in the new stroller.