Exhausted

I was very afraid of Emma (our dog) the first day. Now I'm not afraid anymore.

This is my big sister Olivia. She always wants to hold me and pick me up and she doesn't understand that I don't like that "all" the time.
Joshua, Josiah and Gabriella Me showing off my "Daddy's Girl" outfit

We are quite fashionable

Well it's be a challenging week, but a very rewarding week. I've been very tired and still recovering from the trip and the time difference. After having been gone for 12 days, everyone "needed" me. Throw on top of that the fact the Olivia and Joshua contracted strep throat and Gabriella having an ear infection, and Josiah just getting over the flu, there were even more "needs" then normal. So quite often it was chaotic at our house. I'm sure if you were a fly on the wall you'd be going "these guys are way in over their head". But there has been a lot of laughter amid the tears and unmet needs. Kim's mentally drained by the challenges they present, and tired from the extra laundry and cooking and such. Gabriella is a much more picky eater than Josiah, so she sometimes feels like a short order cook trying to get something she will eat. She's a big rice fan, so we've experimented with much more rice dishes than we ever have in our life. She also likes oatmeal and most hot cereals. So it's not that she's not eating, but she turns her nose up even at cookies and ice cream and all those other treats. So that will take some adjusting. We have her on Soy milk and she likes that, so she's getting plenty of vitamins and all that jazz. Other than that, it's been difficult working full time this week. Only worked about half to 2/3rds time - just trying to meet the demands of our growing family and catching up with the kids. So we are tired - but very, very thankful to be where we are. It seemed like a long and difficult road at times, but we are truly blessed with both Josiah and Gabriella. They are both wonderful children and truly love them.

It's been neat to see Josiah and Gabriella interact. They hold hands often in the van, because their carseats are next to each other. Gabriella is opening up more and talking more. She's not afraid of the car seat or Emma, and she even get's jealous of Josiah and wants to be wherever he is if it involves Kim or I. Gabriella has attached to Kim, but has also attached to Joshua and Elizabeth a little, so more time will solidify the transition, but she certainly trusts Kim to meet her needs and has even cried for Kim when she wants her.

I think of Liberia often and think back to what I was doing a week ago, and where I was and the people I saw and met. I'm thankful for that time I had and look forward to going back someday with our children. Thanks again to all who encouraged and followed our progress. So many times I felt you prayed us through those difficulties, and we couldn't have done it without you. It was both humbling and encouraging. We look forward to sharing our children with you very soon.