These Past Few Days...

Is it friday already?!. I woke up Tuesday morning with sore throat and swollen glands. Had two girls home with stomach aches, not to mention a new son finding his way around things... oh yeah, a husband on the road to New Orleans for faculty workshop... It was a little rough, ha. But by God's grace, Tony was able to come home early and provide much needed relief. :) Wednesday morning, I rolled out of bed to visit the doc = Strep. Woo hoo! Later I took Angela and Jana to discover they also had Strep. Party at the Merida's! But, God is good. He has taken care of our every need. We have been very blessed to have Papa home to help and sweet friends bring meals.... Meanwhile....

This little guys is in to everything! He LOVES anything with buttons. He loves to take pictures with one of our old semi-broken digital cameras. He loves looking at pictures of himself and his friends. He ran off with a few of my photo albums (see him looking at them beforehand below)...

He loves the shower. He loves lathering up with lotion.

He loves the computer. I introduced him to the computer and about 15 minutes later was able to leave him on his own doing Starfall - learning the alphabet.

Thursday afternoon I was craving something more to soothe my throat: ice cream. Here is a picture of Eyasu's first ice cream cone. He loves ice cream! We love McDonald's dollar menu. :)

The only real time we've seen any discipline or behavior challenges have been at the dinner table. Although, they are extremely mild (in comparison to our other four - ha!). Eyasu is discovering new things... SO many new things. Yesterday, he went from not eating the apple skin or peel to devouring nearly the whole apple! He has eaten really well! At his wellness appointment on Wednesday, the doctor said he as in the 90% for height and in the lower % for weight (to be expected, obviously). He is doing well, just a little low on iron so we're going to do a little multivitamin to help him there.

Friday morning, following a midnight coughing fit, I actually woke up feeling a little closer to normal - praise the Lord! Isn't it a wonderful thing when you've been sick to start to get better?!. I'd rather skip all the sickness to appreciate good health, but it surely is a reminder to be grateful for the many many good things the Lord gives. I take too much for granted. Anyways, Eyasu and I ran a few errands to begin preparing for Kindergarten. He has been tagging along in the van with his brother and sisters all week as they get dropped off and picked up for school. One day he ran out with his backpack and water bottle gearing up. It was adorable. Did I mention once Eyasu gets ready (which could be as early as next week!) that I'll have one in Kindergarten, one in First Grade, one in Second Grade, one in Third Grade and one in Fourth Grade? Wow. :) Three years ago we had just moved to Mississippi and were praying about the "two little ones under age 5" we thought the Lord was preparing us for - ha ha ha... Let me just say, last night we all gathered in the girls room for family Bible reading (Jesus Storybook Bible) and prayer, both of my sons were hanging their arms around me patting my leg... I had a moment of worship... Even now, my heart wells up and the tears begin to burst through...

Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early

and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

for he gives to his beloved sleep.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

are the children of one's youth.

Blessed is the man

who fills his quiver with them!

He shall not be put to shame

when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127

Children are a blessing, to be sure! This one another joyous arrow in the quiver (which is at capacity right now - ha ha)! One more thing he loves to do is watch the few dvds of himself we were sent by our adoption agency earlier in the year. He watches them four or fives times each before saying, "Bacca" (which means, "I'm finished"). Well, he is off with papa for friday afterschool pick up. Time for me to pick up some doctors notes for school. Thanks so much for your continued prayers as we all transition and recover for germfest! :)