1 Year Home

This weekend marks one year of being a family of 4 at Our Coffey House. One year since we arrived home with our SJ from Ethiopia. She arrived here a lonely, scared, confused little girl. One year later, she is confident (loud!), active, and loved by so many.

During our travels, we were so enamoured with our girl. We still are, I'm amazed at her resilience, beauty and smarts. We are head over heels in love! When we arrived home, our son ran to meet us and I collapsed in sobs. I was overwhelmed with joy and relief at the answer to our prayers. Our family was finally whole.

During this past year, we have grown to fit together. The practicalities of having 2 kids feels normal and easy now. B and SJ have a typical sibling relationship, and I smile watching them play and interact. I like that they have each other, now and in the future.

Our 3 favorite things about our 3 1/2 yr old girl:

*her sense of humor, she knows how to get laughs and keep 'em coming.

*her willingness to help out and work together. She likes to tell Daddy when his coffee is ready, and likes to help Mommy clear the table after meals.

*her love for music. She loves to listen to music, sing and dance. She holds a pretend microphone, sings every word of songs, and dances!

To celebrate our "Famiversary", we're going on a quick trip to North Carolina. We'll get to introduce SJ to SuperDaddy's extended family (hi Jeep!) and take her to see her favorite band, Donna the Buffalo. She is so excited to meet everyone and see DTB play!

We also remember SJ's First Mother, that every year we enjoy with our daughter, is another year she misses her. I often think of how proud and amazed she would be of SJ. We all are.

PICTURES: Cuddling with Granny for the first time (May 08).

Going to see Dora Live with cousin Jelly (March 09).

HE IS RISEN! Easter Celebration

We've had a fun Easter season celebrating for the first time with our SJ. We dyed Easter eggs together, read our many Easter books about Jesus, attended several parties and egg hunts. B's kindergarden had a party too! On Easter Sunday, we went to church and then over to Uncle D and Auntie Jo's for lunch. We had a terrific meal and played Banangrams.

Our Lord reigns and we are thankful for His blessings!

Note: The black costume B is wearing is "Klaw", a character he made up. I love how he tucks the hood behind his ears. :)

Florida Trip

SuperDaddy had a business trip planned for Orlando, so the kids and I flew down to meet him and enjoy a few days in Florida.

We spent 3 days at the beach and 1 day at Disney Hollywood Studios. The kids loved playing in the sand, they were filthy!

We also had the privilege of stopping for a visit with ParkerFam. We travelled to Ethiopia with this sweet family as they picked up kids #3 and #4. It was a joy to see A and A adjusting so well and spend time with their awesome mama.

Swiped Post

This post sums up Ethiopian adoption, Michael Somebody wrote it, Jules swiped it, I liked it, I swiped it.
http://ajuleslife.blogspot.com/2008/12/ethiopian-adoption-in-52-easy-steps.html

Snuggle Bunnies

Non-Picky Kids

I just made a post on Facebook about non-picky kids and it got moms talking!

Since people are asking...

what worked for us, so far:

-modeling. I was a grown woman before I knew my Mom did not like green peppers and my Dad did not like beets. They were both served regularly on our table, but neither parent ever said anything about not liking them. If you don't like something, just hush, skip it and move on.

-serve a variety of food ON THEIR PLATE. Yes, you know the kid will probably not eat cole slaw, but he'll definitely never try it if it's not even on his plate. Put tiny taster portions of everything on their plate.

-train them to taste everything on their plate. We have a house rule that you taste everything, this has always been the rule, they now do it without being asked. Tastes change as you grow, and studies show it can take 10 times of tasting to learn to like a new food. Even if they didn't like it yesterday, they still taste it today.

-don't buy kids' meals at restaurants. It trains a kid to always eat chicken nuggets and fries, every restaurant has them. Order from the regular menu, so for example at a Mexican place, get them rice and beans, or order a little extra for yourself and share a plate. It's cheaper too!

-teach gratitude. It goes without saying that there are millions in this world who go to bed hungry each night, yet we complain that there are onions in the casserole. Be thankful you get to eat today and teach that to your children.

-breastfeed your baby. Breastmilk tastes differently each day depending on what mama has eaten, yet formula tastes the same every day.

-indulge preferences, but not demands that change the entire family's plan. For example, SJ likes her milk warm or room temperature. She still gets milk like everyone else, her milk is just warm.

Mealtime is relaxed and easy now that our kids eat what they're given with gratitude. B was difficult to teach between ages 3 and 4, but he's been taught now and eats a good variety without complaint. He even eats sushi! SJ thankfully eats anything except cold food, understandably as she had never had anything cold until 10 months ago. She'll eat things traditionally served cold here in the US, she just waits for it to warm up a little!

Today's Rant- Dirt is GOOD FOR YOU!

If you don't believe me, read this article.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/health/27brod.html?_r=1&em
"Dr. Weinstock goes even further. “Children should be allowed to go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt, and not have to wash their hands when they come in to eat,” he said. He and Dr. Elliott pointed out that children who grow up on farms and are frequently exposed to worms and other organisms from farm animals are much less likely to develop allergies and autoimmune diseases."
Interesting antecdote: While in Ethiopia to pick up our daughter, I noticed how silly Americans can be with our obsession with germs. One of the parents was feeding raisins to her new child, a child who just months earlier was living in a mud hut with a dirt floor. A raisin fell on the immaculate marble floor of the Guest House, the mother said, "Oooh, yuck, let's not eat that!"
I've also noticed that my friends and family who often use sanitizer and are "germ freaks", have children who are constantly sick with something or other. Thankfully, my filthy children who live in my filthy house are rarely sick. I remember B being sick 3 times in his 6 yrs and SJ has not been sick once since she arrived home 10 months ago.
Rant over. :)