Week 3...

20 mile bike ride!

Man, does this family love to bike! We took off down the High Line Canal near our home on Sunday afternoon, and headed down the Platte River trail for miles and miles... and just had a BALL. I don't think I can possibly get any happier than when we're flying down the trails together... I love it more than most things in life. Smile. But not more than I love the 6 BEES swirling around me -- this is one "K" who adores her "B's" -- I'm stung for life!!!!!

Latest pics of the family...

Week 2...

Bella and Bode endured nearly 4 hours at Children's Hospital this week -- Bella had 8 vials of blood taken from her, with 4 pokes, and Bode had 6 vials taken, with 3 pokes, respectively. Both children also had UAs and fecal matter testing. Most interesting to me is that neither child flinched -- their pain tolerance saddens me. Bode had tears streaming down his face, but no screaming or pushing away. Bella didn't move. My prayer is that they would begin to expect a response from parents who love them when they suffer in pain -- they have learned to manage it all by themselves simply because they've had no other choice up until now. While this could be seen as a HUGE gift to us (smile), it's not. We want them to be fully engaged with their emotions, and we're seeing evidences of that shift every day. It will be a slow process, for sure. They are acting more and more like normal children, and we're THRILLED with what we're observing in them. It is a minute-to-minute relationship-building, trust-earning, boundary-setting, love-saturating connection we're building with these two precious souls given to us. God is good. And He's been faithful to dump extraordinary amounts of patience in to our systems. For this, we're thankful! Let's all pray that continues! Smile.

We will meet with the kindergarten teacher at our school next week to determine Bella's readiness for school. She is obsessed with flash cards, games, and vocabulary. She points to everything and asks us to teach her. I have never met a little girl with such zeal to learn. As I think of the contrast to her life in Ethiopia, I can't help but choke up when I think about her opportunities in the United States for education. As a poor girl in Africa, her prospects were bleak in this regard. I'm thrilled that we live in a country with equal opportunities for everyone. It makes me cry just thinking about it. There is no ceiling that will halt this smart-as-a-whip child. We are so blessed to live here, and to know her...

Bode and Bella were both diagnosed with giardia -- a parasite living in their intestines -- and are now on medication to kill the nasty bug. The difference is most noticeable in Bode -- he has had 6-7 foul, loose diapers since we became his parents. He is now down to 1 poop per day, and it's NORMAL. Goodness, the gift of modern medicine has taken on a whole new meaning. He would still be sick -- and who knows how long he's BEEN sick. Bless his heart. He is so full of love for everyone. Smiles his way through each and every day.

We are still awaiting results on all the blood work. Our prayer is that they are healthy -- if they are not, we pray that we'll have the strength and resources to meet whatever challenge might be ahead. They are OUR children, sick or not sick.

Made my first trip to the grocery store with all 3 younger kiddos today -- hilarious. But Bella helped me get all the groceries in the house (she is one helpful kid, that's for sure), and I have to say that we really giggled our way through the store. I might actually try it again. Smile.

They are eating most things, and we've had injera (Ethiopian bread) in the house since they arrived. We don't serve it at every meal, but enough to make them feel at home, we hope. I cannot imagine how different everything feels to them... but they are troopers, and are trying new things with a good attitude. So far, nobody's gone hungry!

The joining of these two sets of children in to ONE family has gone better than we expected. I'm surprised, actually. They squabble over regular things, but I sense a love between them for which I can only give full credit to God. He has woven this family together, and we marvel at what He's done and what He's continuing to do... much love to all of you. The Schelhaas Seven

3 more pics of the "moment"...

A "Moment"...

The homemade pizza was happily gobbled up by ALL five kiddos, the wine Brant and I had chosen to sip was absolutely delicious, the grass was a beautiful color of green as the sun began to set in the distance, and the SHRIEKING we got to soak up in to souls as our children ran through the sprinklers just completely capped off a nearly perfect "moment". There is no better sound than that of wildly excited, nearly naked children running every which way through your yard. There just isn't. And it's especially powerful to watch two children who've NEVER known the joy of running through sprinklers get to experience it for the very first time -- and to watch them LOVE it is really indescribable. I won't forget this "moment" for as long as I live.

First family bike ride...

We had a BALL today, sailing down the trails, all SEVEN of us smiling and giggling our way through one of our favorite loops. Brant's office pooled together and got us the double trailer, bless their hearts, so we are SET. So thrilled that our new kiddos love the trailers -- it could've gone either way, so we're glad that they've got biking blood racing through their veins as far as we can tell! I think Bella is itching to ride her OWN bike -- she's fierce that way! We're working on it. I have to tell you, there was this moment today when the wind was blowing, the sun was shining, the trees were shimmering, my kids were singing in 2 different languages, and my legs were burning to beat the band... when my heart just SURGED. You just can't imagine the joy I feel in my bones. After being so sick for much of the past year, I am ELATED that God is allowing me to participate in all of this... goodness. We are having the time of our lives... it is SO exhausting, but SO GOOD. My, oh my...