Quick Funny

SJ just stood in front of her brother, who was busy watching TV, and yelled, "Wendom Joanna Coffey, you listen to me!"
Wendom-Amharic for brother, it's what she calls B
Joanna-SJ's middle name

Moms Weekend Away

I had the opportunity to take a weekend off with some great friends for a retreat to the mountains. The ladies are mostly friends from MOPS who have graduated as their kids have gotten older. We had fun relaxing in the hot tub, watching movies, napping, playing games and telling funny stories. Our girl V had us in tears with her stories, she is a riot! Some of the ladies went shopping on Saturday, and some stayed at the chalet and rested. It was a terrific time to recharge and relax with some awesome friends. I am so thankful for the chance to go! SuperDaddy took great care of the kids and encouraged me to relax & enjoy myself.

One year Ago...

we saw this precious face in a grainy photograph from across the world. We soaked up every detail of her, lurked on forums and blogs looking for people who knew more about her, and proudly showed her picture to everyone we passed. Waiting for a referral was difficult, but the pain vanished with her smile.

Since that day, we dreamed of our meeting, prayed for her continuously, prepared her big brother, decorated her room and stocked it with little girl things. We were so excited to finally meet SJ, to hold her and be her forever family.
Becoming SJ's mother has been better than any of those daydreams. She is somehow more perfect than I imagined and fits with her forever family seamlessly. Even the difficult first months with SJ forged us together. She trusts us and knows she is loved. I still look at her and can't believe she is here and that I get to be her mom.
SJ is funny, she retells funny stories to get another laugh. She is smart, this girl has a gift for music and loves to hear music, play music, & go to concerts and shows. SJ is stubborn, she stands up for herself. She has the cutest smile, with a dimple on her right cheek and a freckle on her top lip. SJ is loud! She sings at top volume, shrieks while playing and will quiet down for a moment when she's asked. But she's right back at top volume in minutes, singing her heart out! SJ loves her brother and cousins deeply. She looks out for them, asks often about them, and loves to be B's "Little Mother". God matched this amazing girl to us, He planned for us to be a family.
Getting to know SJ has been a great joy. We are so blessed to be her mom and dad. God is so good!

SNOW!

We finally got snow that stuck here in East TN! This was SJ's first real snow and she had lots of fun playing outside.

SuperDaddy built an impressive snowman, I'll post pics of him tomorrow as our camera battery died.

B's 6th Birthday!

Our boy B celebrated his 6th birthday last weekend. He asked for a Ben 10 party, wanted to build aliens, and to have a party at home. We had a terrific day with all of the cousins, B's best buds, and a couple of fellas from school. Later in the evening, all of the grandparents came over for pizza and presents.

B also received his first pet, a hermit crab from Auntie Anna. He has named him Gilbert and woke up in the middle of the night to check on him!

In honor of B's SIXTH birthday, SIX things we love about B:

1. Creativity. This boy thinks outside the box and we love that. It's fun to see his creations and dramatizations.

2. Sensitivity. B is a caring, sensitive soul. Seeing others hurting makes B sad, he feels deeply for others.

3. Energy. Although his energy often wears Mama out, it's great that he can GO and GO. Our daytrips and outings are so much more fun with an energetic guy. One day his high energy level will serve this world well...

4. Smarts. We love that B has started reading on his own and is reading for fun. He lays in bed reading until he falls asleep each night. His current favorite is Calvin & Hobbes, recommended to him by his cousin BB. B enjoys reading about a topic he is interested in, he soaks up all of the information he can.

5. His love of the outdoors. B loves to be outside, especially with SuperDaddy. They ski, disc golf, shoot bows and arrows, hike, and swim. Mama likes that her high energy guys can work off some that legendary energy!

6. His love for his sister. B is so proud of his sister and her heritage. He often wants to take SJ's mementos to school for show and tell, her flags, her baby book, sister herself! If he sees someone checking out our family, B says proudly, "This is my sister SJ, she was born in Ethiopia". B watches out for her and has so much fun playing with his sister.

Random Rants and Raves

Rant: To all the flaky people-you're not cute, you're not funny, and someone is having to pick up your slack.

Rave: MOPS!!! I've said it so many times, but my Mothers Of PreSchoolers group is phenomenal. We had an especially heart wrenching, tearful group this last week, loving and supporting each other through some hard times. Sometimes just venting your worries and hearing that you are not alone is all a mom needs.

Rave: The internet. This week, our local Ethiopian adoption community was able to reconnect Ethiopian children placed for adoption with a family in Denmark with their birth cousins living in Nashville. A few easy emails and the family was found and addresses shared, but a huge impact for these children.

Rant: Disney fairy tale movies. I've never been a big fan of the princess fairy tale movies from Disney, I know, bah humbug. It has bothered me that the pretty girl is nice, she has problems, a handsome prince appears and fixes her problems and they live happily ever after. Disney is releasing it's first movie with an African American character in Dec 09, the Frog Princess. I'm excited to finally have an AA character, and the accompanying licensed toys, but hope hope hope she is a strong character. Please Disney, let the Frog Princess either fix her own problems or at least work with the handsome Prince. Just this once, please.

Rave: saving $$$$. Our driveway gates have been broken and needed to be fixed. Estimates to replace them STARTED at $8000. A friend recommended getting the gate welded, which we hadn't thought of. One welder finally agreed to fix the gates, made new hinges and finials, and charged $380.

New Year's Eve and Dollywood

We celebrated the coming of the New Year with sparklers and small fireworks in our driveway. Mama was a nervous wreck, but we were very careful and the kids had fun. 2008 was an eventful year at The Coffey House with the coming of our SJ, 2009 can only get better!

On Saturday we went to Dollywood with Uncle D and Auntie Jo, Tita and the kids. It was sprinkling rain on and off, so it was not crowded but still warm enough to have a great time. Jelly and SJ rode every ride they were big enough for, these girls LOVE rides! B and BB (the boys) went off with SuperDaddy and Uncle D to ride bigger rides. We had a yummy supper together of sausages and onions and chili cheese fries and our first funnel cake. Dollywood has added several BIG coasters, so the grownups were able to take turns watching the kids and going on rides. It was a terrific day, and most of the kids fell asleep in the car on the way home. Tita, Auntie Jo's sister, was visiting for most of her Christmas break from college. BB and Jelly got to spend lots of time with their Tita, super special. That's her wearing plaid in the teacup beside Auntie Jo.

We've had a fun time celebrating the holidays and spending time together. We have some fun trips planned for the next few months, a ski trip and one to the beach. Stay tuned...