Our Wonderful Busy Life

I have been writing a few posts in my head for sometime now, I just can't seem to find the time to sit down and type them. Life sure if busier than a few months ago! People are always commenting on how busy my life must be, and it is :) But another mama of three kids said "my hands are full, but my heart is fuller" I like to remind myself of that when I am thinking that I don't know how I will do it all. God has gifted us three precious boys to raise to love HIM and love others. I feel like we have have a pretty smooth transition here at home, but it still has been HARD. Adoption is just hard. We are learning how to parent an 11 year old, who often wants to act much younger. He is enjoying new experiences that typically happen at a younger age. While we were in ET he loved the Wiggles and Thomas the Train because his 1 and 2 year old brothers loved them. Since we have been home he is enjoying some different things and thankfully has made some friends that he likes to play with. This gets him away from the toddlers a little bit too! We are so grateful that Isaiah learned so much English in Ethiopia, it has helped him and us communicate tremendously. He is in 4th grade and receives a little extra math and reading help, but overall he is doing really well. He is also playing on a soccer team and a baseball team. He is doing great at soccer. All the kids play soccer in Ethiopia, so he has years of playing experience playing. But this is his first time being on an organized team. He is really enjoying his team and he has a little friendly competition with a teammate about who scores the most goals in a game. Isaiah is also on a baseball team. He has never played baseball before and has a lot to learn, but he is loving it! He has at least two practices each week for each sport, so his nights are spent doing homework and practicing baseball or soccer and riding his bike as much as possible!

We are also learning how to parent a 2 year old (yikes, two is HARD, adopted or not) that has been raised in an orphanage and learned lots of bad behaviors. We are pretty convinced that he got away with anything he wanted. He throws the biggest fits over the littlest things, then stops immediately if he gets what he wants or finds something better close by. He is teaching Jacob a thing or two too, and not the good things. Bonding has gone slowly with Kaleb. It has been 17 weeks since we passed court and took custody of the boys. But still to this day he could care less if I picked him up or the mailman or anyone else that is close by. This is has been hard on us. We have read so many books and talked to so many other people and the importance on attachment is talked about over and over. As an adoptive parent, you over analyze everything. You wonder if this certain situation is good for your adopted child or is it maybe getting in that way of our attachment. I have heard this called adoption guilt, always thinking more into situations and wondering if this is good or bad for your child. I'm pretty sure that might not ever go away. We have been home with Jacob for one year now and I still think about situations he in sometimes and whether is good hurt our attachment. I tend to be an easy going person/parent but sometimes I find myself second guessing choices with all of our kids and thinking about how it will or won't affect our attachment. 
I'm so thankful for those still praying for us on this journey, it doesn't end when we come home!


*Update- I started writing this almost two weeks ago, pathetic, I know. But since I started this I saw Kaleb want me for the first time. I was inside cooking dinner and Brad took them outside for like 20 mins. When I came out to tell them dinner was ready Kaleb started crying for me and wanted me to pick him up. He is rarely out of my sight, so this 20 mins gave him the opportunity to miss me. It was so nice to see him want to be with me! We are making baby steps here :)