I'm a dork...

OK, I know I'm a dork. I'll admit it. I've been *ahem* working hard tonight... and just took a five minute break to peruse some blogs. I clicked on someone's adoption agency and saw a picture of Rhonda... and I was like, "wow I know her." Then I realized my kids pictures were on the header of the Hope Adoption Agency Website!
Check it out! They're famous! (Even though I didn't see our blog listed on there... or a story about us... what's that about Grace?) (JK... you know I don't like attention)

Set Ayet (Grandma)

Sometimes the time is just right.
Today, God whispered the words, "Just do it. It will be OK."
Today we told the kids that Grandma had gone to heaven.

Josh and Jameson and I have had many thought provoking conversations about heaven lately. Last week, they both said, "I want to go right now." We talked about how heaven is something so wonderful that we have to look forward to because of Jesus, but we shouldn't live our lives waiting to die. We should live our lives the way Jesus would want us to. We should take every single day that we are given to worship God, to serve God, and to win others over for God's kingdom.

That being said, this woman who helped raise them did just that. I can't even explain how much I adore and honor this woman who watched her own children die one by one, took on all of her grandchildren to raise, and then very selflessly made sure they would all be taken care of when she was gone. She lived her life knowing that she was going to heaven, but she also made sure that the kingdom of heaven would be glorified by her works.

The kids handled the news very well. There were tears shed by all... especially Justine who just can't stand to see others cry. We talked about Grandma and all the things we loved about her. We talked about heaven and how Grandma is no longer sick. She can see and walk and do all of the things she couldn't do on earth. And she is being reunited with her children.

The shining star of this is that "S", their cousin, is now going to be adopted. We had a wonderful video sent to us by the Cake Family which we showed the kids. They laughed and cried as they watched their beautiful cousin on video. Another something we weren't expecting is that one of the families who helped make the video fell in love with Thomas, "S" s older brother. They are now working on getting him into the states on an educational visa. He will have to take the TOEFEL exam and there's a lot of work to be done, but it's possible there were be 6 of grandma's grandchildren reunited in the US soon.

We showed the kids on our big wall map where "S" will live. We showed them where Thomas may be, where Kalkidan and Michael live, and where we live... potentially 4 families in 4 different parts of the country all reaping the benefits of this one woman who would not give up, who would not accept the fate for her grandchildren that had taken her children, who had more faith in God in her pinkie finger than most of us have in our entire bodies.

As I watch the video and I hear Thomas and "S" say that they will find each other again some day, I have so many different emotions. I am torn. I am angry. Angry that any of this is necessary. Angry that this family has been whittled away, one piece at a time. Sad and Angry.

I am also amazed. I am amazed that this one torn apart family... one of millions like it... has brought together so many people who otherwise would have never known each other. The acts of this one woman has helped bring together three families so far who pray for each other, who cry for each other, who will forever be connected to each other. I see what Christ has done for us and for the Killeen's and the Cake's and all the other families, and I see that this is what God intended for us to be.
This is truly a representation of the body of Christ.

What if the tables were turned...

For the last year a thought has caused my heart to ache. What if, for some turn of fate, the tables were turned?

What if it were Jeff and I who found ourselves at the mercy of others... of living in the wrong place, in the wrong time, of being born without the opportunities I have had, without access to health care and education?

What if it were these children who were suddenly orphans with no place to go and no one to take care of them?

And what if these children went to another country and had to learn a foreign language? Learn to eat different foods? Attempt to fit into a new family?

What if the tables were turned and it was these children who went to live with Eyob and Nebiet in Ethiopia?

Am I naive enough to think that these children...
wouldn't...

pout? have bad days? refuse to eat? test boundaries? forget how to do things? Would Eyob and Nebiet love these children regardless of their behavior? Would they adore them for all their imperfections? Would they think Justine was hysterical even when she cried to be rocked at night? Would they love Jaiden even when she refused to do her math? Would they think Jack was the smartest person alive even when he had to learn a new language and couldn't spell in that language either?

A thought that has gotten me through the last year is that my kids had parents who loved them very much. They had a mother who wouldn't let them go even when she was sick. They had parents who remembered their first steps and their first smile. They had parents who thought God had hung the sun and moon and stars on them.

And now they have us.

And I believe they are the cutest, funniest, smartest, sweetest kids even when they pout, and refuse to eat, and can't figure out how to tell time despite endless repetition, and all the other things that at times drive me crazy.

If Jack and Jaiden were adopted right now (especially today), they would be lucky not to be dumped in the river. Justine would definitely be a hand full and would have Nebiet in tears, I 'm sure. I also believe that Eyob and Nebiet would love my children just as much as I love their children. And I also believe that they are smiling down from heaven as they watch their children grow. Until we all meet again.

Gotcha Day

The morning of our Gotcha Day in Ethiopia.

After a nearly sleepless night of finishing Embassy paperwork, nervously pacing around the guesthouse, and listening to the feral dogs of Ethiopia bark through the night... we awoke to this beautiful sight.

Our referral picture July 2007

Josh on our original Gotcha Day in Ethiopia. Our first meal together at the Hilton.

Josh now:

Jameson in her referral picture:


Jameson on our Gotcha Day in Ethiopia.

Jameson now:

Our first week home:

The Ellerbee Eight Now:

I'd like to say that we had this huge celebration on our first Gotcha day... but we didn't. We had frozen pizza, and I fell asleep. Oh, what an exciting life we lead. We are going to have a little bit bigger celebration on Feb 10th which is the one year anniversary of the kids homecoming. I guess that's only fitting because that's the day we were all together for the first time... the day we really became a family.

Finally Free in February

Mom = 2
TV = 0

Well, if I can make it through today without the TV, I believe I can do anything. I can climb any mountain. I am woman, hear me roar. I worked all night last night and on those days, the kids usually will watch an hour of two of "educational" TV so that I can take a brief nap. Jeff told me it would be OK if I did. I knew in my heart that it absolutely would not be OK. Not with Josh and Jameson. They are the kids home today, and they are the ones who obsess over TV and believe the sun rises and sets on a big screen. They are the ones I have to impress with my iron will and sturdy resolve. Nope. I wasn't even tempted... OK maybe just a little bit, like from 7am to 9am, but we pushed on through and now I'm wide awake and busting through school work like a mad woman. (probably a symptom of too much coffee)

Yesterday was such a blessing to us. And it was all because TV wasn't an option. It didn't even come up. I read Justine to sleep. We played Life and Jordan took over the world in a game of Risk with Jack and I. We listened to the radio with dinner. We danced. We sang. We laughed through dinner. If I could get away with it, I would totally get rid of all the TV's except the big screen downstairs which we use to watch movies together as a family. And that would be the occasional, not the usual. I only hope that when this month is over, we will continue in our "take it or leave it attitude." I hope we continue to play games and enjoy each other... because if we fall right back into that same pattern, I know a family who is going to have an awesome garage sale with a lot of TV's. I'll let you know when and where.

So if you've ever had to jump up and down in front of your TV all Tom Cruise style just to get your kids to look at you... or if you've seen your children actually lose IQ points during episodes of iCarly, I challenge you to an entire month without TV. Make it a game. Make it a challenge. Make it a time to build family relationships and cohesive bonds together.

Stop the addiction and be Finally Free of TV!
TURN IT OFF!

Charlie bit my finger - again !

My kids think this is hysterical!

No TV... Day 1

So, you're all taking bets on when I'll cave, huh?
Well... we made it through day 1. It wasn't even hard. The kids actually didn't act like they missed it all that much. Well, SOME of the kids... Jameson was testy all day, and Josh put himself to bed at 7pm out of a lack of anything else to do. But the rest of them played games all day. We read books. We got our school work all done. Jaiden was really excited to do extra school work and kept coming up with some extra stuff to do. It was SO nice that it wasn't even an option. There was no whining. No complaining. I hope it stays that way.

Score card:
Mom - 1
TV - 0

On a lighter note

Last night, during all the hub bub of the exploding lift station and the excrement fountain, Jeff kept saying, "There's just got to be something stuck in the pipe."

For some unknown reason, Jordan and I immediately turned to each other, and at the same time, we both SAID:

"Meow..."