Nifty links cont.

Ok, so I was spending some time on Esty this morning and just had to share some of the sellers I came across.  These are some of my favorites- click on the pictures and you will be magically taken to the Esty shop selling these awesome finds;)

Too cute, and she has a bunch more. If her store is empty it is only because she is at a craft show, so make sure you try again in a few days.

A do-it-yourself nativity! I love that, get the kids involved in advent and create something that is sure to be treasured for a long time:)

Shhhhh! I totally got this for Ewan for Christmas. These guys are soooo cute:)

Shhhhh! I totally got these for Anwen for Christmas! Princeses, she is gonna love em:)

Love this nativity.

I love this. How cool to combine nature with technology. Well Done!

Nifty links

Check out these websites- maybe get some ideas for your holiday gift giving.

Tastebook

Chole In Style

Jenny Lee Fowler- Etsy

Uncommon Goods

TisBest

Have any websites that you love?  Share them with us- we would love to broaden our knowledge of nifty links.

Photo Friday- from the collection

Look closely, what do these cows all have in common? Let's just call them Oreo cows:)

This is my favorite sign in our neighborhood. The motel has been gone a long while but the sign still remains.

A little fun with the camera.

Our very own Rudolph:) The picture is not the best but it is because Esu is obsessed with the camera and must have it if he sees it:) He is moving rapidly towards me and I am trying to scoot away and get the picture at the same time.

From Thanksgiving to Advent

This year as you know I hosted Thanksgiving at my place and we had a blast!  It was a small crowd of family and things were pretty low-key, just the way I like things to be:)  We laughed, and joked, cooked, ate, talked, relaxed and had a great time together.  Here are a few pictures from the day.

My turkey- this year it tasted as good as it looked:)

The recipe for this turkey can be found here in my recipe section.

My darling sister Meghan and I posing for a picture next to the turkey.

This picture was taken after a really hysterical moment in the kitchen- Meghan loves the biscuits that come out of the can so she brought them to make for dinner. The first can that she opened exploded all over the kitchen, and sort of sounded like a gunshot. I think that she will probably flinch now every time she opens a can of biscuits.

On to Advent which started last Sunday.  This year we are taking part in a movement called Advent Conspiracy so we are creating some new traditions for ourselves and our family.

For the first time we have created a homemade Advent wreath that we light before dinner each night.  We have also been singing the first verse of Oh come, oh come Emmanuel after we light the candle.  It is really beautiful to sing that song without instruments and is such a beautiful prayer.  It also reminds me of the way Jewish people sing prayers, singing this after lighting the candles feels like we are stepping back in time to when Jesus was born.  I feel like we are closer to celebrating Christmas the way it was originally celebrated when we take part in small traditions like this one.

This is our homemade advent wreath. It is really basic but since we are trying to make wiser decisions about what we spend out money on this Advent season I thought it best to use what we had around the house.

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

A view from the top- I look forward to when we are lighting all of the candles!

We did not put up a traditional Christmas tree this year and that is mostly because we are afraid that Esuyawkal will pull it down or something like that.  The nice thing about not having a Christmas tree up is that the other Christmas things in the room get the attention, like our nativities.  I like the way not having a tree sort of shakes up our idea of Christmas- I like focusing on the holy family and Jesus’ birth and the story of that first Christmas.

One of our nativities, the small brown clay piece in the back between Mary and Joseph is a small crèche from Ethiopia.

This is a the small tree that we have up, we got it from Brian's Gram so we thought we would put it up. The nativity next to it is for the kids to play with and set up as they like. I bought that last year so they could have a more hands on experience with the nativity.

The other tradition that we are starting this year is this- We are each giving up one present and the money from that gift will be donated to Heifer International.  The kids will be able to pick out an animal to donate to a family in another part of the world, which we hope will help them to feel connected to the gift they are giving.  Perhaps next year we will each give up two gifts:)

If you have special Advent traditions I would love to hear them, I am always looking for new ways to help my family experience Advent:)

Cheerios therapy

As I have mentioned in at least one past post Esuyawkal has some anxiety associated with food, particularly that he will not be fed enough.  We think that the anxiety starts when he begins to feel hungry and then escalates once he sees food.  We think that this started while he was in care at the orphanage.  Because the babies were fed 3 meals a day we think that Esu spent a lot of time feeling hungry in between meals.  Then what would happen is that food would be brought into the room and the babies would have to wait until it was their turn to eat.  So you have hungry babies seeing food that they have to wait for.  This is what we think caused the food anxiety that Esuyawkal is experiencing.

How does this anxiety show itself you might be wondering:

• If Esu sees food he starts freaking out and yelling.
• Even if Esu has the same food we have, if he sees us with the food he starts freaking out.
• If you have a drink, say coffee and he sees you with it he will get upset.
• Lots of yelling, screaming and melt downs when it comes to food.  Even in the store if we pass a person with a sample.

Brian and I have been trying to 2 months now to figure out how to help Esu when he starts to feel anxious and aside from shoving food into his mouth at meal time so that he is content we have been at a loss.  But now we are armed with Cheerios and the plan is to always have Cheerios available to Esuyawkal so that when he feels hungry he has the power to do something about that feeling, he has some control.

So far we are seeing some success with this method and though we are early in I am very hopeful.  I know that the most powerful tool we have is going to be time but this is working for now to help Esu deal with his anxiety until time can heal the wound.  I will keep you updated as to how this is going.

Two months in review

It has been two months since we stepped off the plane at Ohare International airport with our youngest child Esuyawkal.  A lot in our lives has changed since we first held him in our arms and kissed him for the first time. Two grandparents have passed on, we are preparing to sell our condo, are we are now a family of 5 and all that comes with that- the amazing and the challenging.

Most days I feel like I am managing my new role as mother to three pretty well, but not everyday do I feel like that. Some days I feel like I am a prisoner in my own house, and it is not all because of the weather.  It is because 6 year olds want everything they see, and 3-year-olds don’t want to be in a cart, and 1-year-olds are well 1 year olds.  And when the weather is not conducive for a park trip errands are sometimes the only way you get out of the house.  Even just getting outside for a walk can be a challenge- arguing about getting shoes on, frustrations over who is going to ride a bike and who is not, hearing things like-it’s too cold or I’m too hot.  So you can see why I rarely get out of the house these days- at least not for very long.  There is a lot of crying that happens in the house and again mostly I think it is an age thing, a sensitive 3 year old daughter and a 1 year old who’s only language is either cute as can be or loud and irate.

Household management is harder- three kids = a bigger more constant mess in my small home.  Though the cleaning schedule that I have started seems to be helping me keep on top of the general cleaning that needs to happen.

Taking a shower happens a lot less than I want it to, and when it does happen there is usually someone banging on the door.  And far be it from me to try and close the bathroom door while I am trying to pee.  My kids take personal offense to me locking the bathroom door.  I still do it though- a girl has got to have at least time alone to pee:)

Cooking is more difficult because I am tired and shopping hardly happens because leaving the house is difficult. Can you see the domino effect happening here?

Homeschooling has been challenging because I am juggling three very different needs.  We are still plugging away though and I am hoping to be caught up by next week, we are a little behind.

I realize that what will really help me with the frustrations attached to my new role is time.  Time to learn how to run errands again, time to learn how the new rhythm of our life will work.  Time to get to know my baby, and time for him to get to know us.

Despite my tiredness and my frustrations with the learning curve attached to parenting three children I do really love having three kids, and see myself with more- just not right now;) after we are in a house!  The challenges feel overwhelming at times but that only lasts a short time and the trade-off is well worth it!  There is more joy in my life with each child that is added to our family there is more laughter on my lips and love in my heart.  I appreciate my children and the individuals they are and the way they each add something different to our family!

 

How is Esuyawkal doing after these two months?

He is doing great!  Esu is growing and developing by leaps and bounds!  He is crawling now, pulling himself up to a standing position, everyday he is getting stronger and more verbal.  Esu does struggle with some anxiety associated with food but we are working through that.

So through the amazing and the challengeing we are still here, living, loving and adjusting to our wonderful life. Through tantrums, and showerless days I prevail- though I may smell just a little:)

 

Happy Thanksgiving

On this day of giving thanks I want to thank those of you that read my blog!  This blog has become more than a hobby in the past two years and I am thankful for the interactions with you all and the way my world seems a little smaller (that is a good thing).  I am also grateful for the gift this blog has been to me in this time in my life where personal projects and time are rare.  Thank you!

So what ever your turkey days looks like; food, friends, family, football, parades, leftovers, naps, pies, turkey, prayers, gratitude, full tummies!  I hope it is a good one for you and yours!!

Photo Friday- Baby Bear!

I could not wait to post these photos of Esuyawkal and since it is a holiday week I thought I would post early so I don’t forget. Baby Bear for your viewing pleasure:)

 

 

Our thoughtful little guy!

 

 

Now that Esu is a little warmed up to this photography thing we are starting to see that beautiful smile:)

 

 

So handsome in his little white collared shirt!

 

 

In his traditional Ethiopian outfit- he is just a dream:)

 

 

The best shot of the "stink eye". He is definitely in full pout mode in this shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About a boy

 

This post is about this amazing boy in Ethiopia that Brian and I met while we were there picking up Esuyawkal.  This boy’s name is Nati, short for Nathaniel I think.  Nati is a bright, beautiful, wonderful child that is in need of a home, and my heart is aching for him.

My heart is aching for two reasons- 1. Is that I want Nati to have a home and to have a family that will love and cherish him.  2. Is that I would love to see Nati in my home, in my family and I do not know if that is what God wants.

I have been praying for Nati since we got home and yesterday I realized that I needed more people to be praying and thinking about Nati.  So last night I made a heartfelt post to my agencies discussion board asking people to pray for a home for Nati.  I know that this action was what God wanted me to do and for me it sort of feels like letting the caged bird go free and if it comes back it can truly be mine.  I know that if God wants Nati to be in our family that he will be, and this morning I have just been reminding myself of that over and over again.  Letting go is hard to do but above my desire to see Nati in my family is my desire for him to have a family!

Brian and I are not in a place to start another adoption right now, so I have to let Nati go into the prayers of you and all of the others that read my post yesterday, I have to trust God’s plan for Nati and for us.

Please add Nati to your prayers, this amazing child is deserving of a family that will love and cherish him.  Thank you!

A worthy cause

Look to your right, you may need to scroll down a little.

 

 

Do you see that purple quilt- that really gorgeous purple, pink and black quilt?  Well, if you click on that quilt you can make a donation to help a young Ethiopian girl travel back to Ethiopia to visit her grandmother, you will also be linked to a pretty awesome blog!

Oh yeah and if you donate you will be entered into a raffle to win that really gorgeous quilt!  So what are you waiting for- click, donate and feel good that you are helping to give a child a trip of a lifetime!