1 year Home!!!!

WOW!!!! What a year makes!!!!!! One year ago we stepped foot on US soil with our 2 newest American citizens!! We forever changed their lives and our whole families.  For 17 months we dreamed of what life would be like..how would it look? How would we all adjust? Would it be a fairytale like we had been hoping or dreaming? Actually better! It is reality! They are real kids and we are a real family..we have our struggles, our triumphs, our disappointments, our accomplishments, tears, laughter,fears..but most of all its real. I say this because as most adoptive parents or expectant parents know..we spend so much time picturing our kids in our minds, how they might look, how will they respond to us? Will they embrace us, Love us, Trust us? Will it be the same as with our biological children? They know no different they loved us from the start unconditionally but will our adopted children? How will our Biological kids and adopted kids learn to love each other? Will it be a hard adjustment? Sooooo Many Questions!!!!!

This year we have answered most of them and discovered new ones but in the end I feel so blessed and so relieved! No adoption isn't easy and believe me it is NOT always as pretty as the pictures! We have had our struggles but we work through them and pray we come out on the other side. God placed these children in our lives for a reason. He never said it would be easy. On the whole our experience has been fairly"easy". We did not have major adjustment issues. They both attached to all of us. Both at different times in different degrees. Tommy was so shy and closed off at first and Milly well she was too "Unshy"(those who know her know what I mean) I actually worried she would not bond or attach to us because, she loved attention from anyone and everyone! This is NOT a good thing even though everyone thinks its so cute. We had to explain.NO not everyone should be holding her or taking care of her. So much that we are still learning. I think alot that they do is part of their personalities but when you adopt and children need to bond and attach with you, you QUESTION everything! I feel at peace as we begin year #2! We read the books, we did the best we could and we PRAYED alot!!! It is still a life long journey but one we are so blessed to be on!

One year ago our 3 Biological kids had to learn to share Mom and Dad and learn to adjust to more siblings. This was hard at first. The older girls had anticipated this right along with us but when it was a reality it went a little different. At first, Tommy and Milly were like new toys. They loved to play with them, care for them and show them off! Then they realized "Hey! They are staying forever and they are taking away from my time!" Slowly things started to fall into place. We got our new routine down pat. We learned how to be a family of 7 and how to spread our love around evenly(well as best as parents can) Matteo, being our youngest, had the hardest time. He was everyones baby for 7 years. How it breaks your heart to know your child is hurting but he was. He never really understood what was really going to happen so when it did I think it was emotional overload. Share your room, your bed, your friends and your parents! I really worried that he would never learn to love or accept his siblings but he did and now his brother is his Best friend(his words), "He is my brother but he is my best friend, now I always have someone to hang out with!" That really melts my heart! God can do anything and change anyones heart. All 7 of us have a new outlook on life, on love, on adoption, really on what really matters most in life:)

So to all of you on the journey, stay strong, hold onto what you know..God called you to adoption and God will work out whatever needs to be worked out! No not on our timetable, or in the way we think but in the end it will all work out and God will be Glorified! Tommy and Milly are blessings! On the tough days and on the good days! We can not even picture what our life was before they were here..we knew something was missing and now we know WHO!!!

If you aren't adopting but may have always felt a tug at your heart, or just curiosity. Pray about it, read one of the millions of blogs you can find like I did! Talk to someone who adopted or is adopted. Educate yourself on a whole world of orphans that you may never have thought of before. Sponsor a child, become a foster parent, go on a mission trip, whatever you might feel led to do. It will change you..it will break you! It will encourage you to do something, even if its just to pray or help support someone who is!

I look at the children that walked off the plane 1 year ago..I look at the family that first met at the airport. We are all different ,unrecognizable!!! We are so blessed! So many people tell us how great we are for what we "did". We didn't do anything..we just allowed God to show us how we could glorify him and his children! Yes we changed their future but they changed ours!

December 11 2010(Day 1 of our family of 7)

1 year as a family of 7!

1 year as siblings!

Our 2 Ethiopian Blessings!!!!!

11 months!

This time last year we were waiting to travel back to bring our kiddos home, today we are in the full swing of life! It will be their first Thanksgiving! We Just wrapped up the crazy months of Birthdays, 4 kids within 3 weeks! Milly is next in January. I am NOT looking forward to the cold and the snow but the kids love to play outside in any weather. Everyone is doing great in school and involved in lots of extra stuff. Here is glimpse at the happenings...

Baking with Grandma

Big birds 1st Halloween

Tommy is 6!

Crazy Mo

Halloween 2011

My handsome boys at their friend arty

One other great event was Tommy and Milly got dedicated at church:) With family and friends present in front of a congregation of about 2000 people we vowed to raise our kids to know God and to lead them on the right path towards a life of following and trusting Jesus. See above video

TOMMY

Just call me NO TEETH:)

He is doing great in school! Math and reading are his favorites along with gym class of course.
He is such a social kid, I never would've saw that coming! He loves to hang out with any kids and he is always on the go. The minute his head hits the pillow he crashes! He is trying out basketball and preparing for his schools Turkey Trot race! He is very competitive! He is also very sweet! He loves any kind of sport and will watch anything sports related on TV..he is actually worse than his dad! Volleyball..golf..anything! Do Not go near the TV when the Bills are playing he will be very mad:)

 MILLY

My beauty! She is full of life..happy..sweet and silly! She is loving school and wishes she could go more often. I would say even though we are together all the time she is Daddy's girl. She told me I need to get a job so Daddy can stay home with her:) She loves to dress up and I have a lot of fun doing so! I go through so many hair bows I decided to start making them for her! Here is a look at Milly's month

Baking with Grandma

Yes the pumpkin had to have a patch too;)

Modeling one of our homemade headbands

her new do

10 months

Well this is looking like a trend me posting late but at least I didn't forget! Life is busy ya know! This month is the crazy month of birthdays in the Alleca house....First Cesca on the 7th then Matteo on the 15th then Tommy on the 24th! This will be Tommy and Milly's first Halloween so it will be fun to see their reaction to everything! The boys had a combo friend party at the bowling ally and had lots of fun! Milly well she is Miss personality as usual getting taller every day! Here is a look at month 10..

Explore n more children's museum

Butterfly Milly

My handsome boys at their bowling party

Francesca 14...Matteo 8!

9 months ( a little late)

Back to school has certainly kept us busy plus soccer so I'm a little late! School is in full swing and we are in the back to school groove. Did my organization last past the first week...uh kind of:) Soccer is over at the end of the week but Tommy is not happy about it. We are all looking forward to a break. Time is flying by and the kids are transitioning awesome! We are so blessed we have not had one issue, I'm praying we only hit minor speed bumps along the way. It makes me sad to think their language is gone not one word remains! It is amazing how quickly a child can change. Here is a peek at our past month..pictures of Tommy are hard to come by..he tells me No all the time:)

TOMMY

Boy is he loving school!!!! He is Mr Social too! Making lots of friends in school and at soccer. Offense is his favorite position on the field but he is equally good at defense. It is so much fun to watch him play. He discovered football this month too! We took him to his first Bills game and UB Bulls game. Most of my kids are more interested in the food at these events but Tommy is into the game asking lots of questions. He even has his favorite player..Mr Jackson! Sports are definitely going to be his thing. This kid is completely out of his shell now!



First Bills game

 


Milly

Milly is loving school! Her teachers are floored at how amazing her English is! They had no clue she had only been here for 9 mths or that she knew no English before then.We have started doing some more playgroup activities to keep busy while the kids are at school. We went apple picking for the first time, I laughed as she called a horse a dog! I had to explain she had never seen one before! It is so much fun seeing them experience things for the first time! Halloween will be another first for both of them..I'm sure once they see that you get candy they will understand very quickly!



"Is This a Dog?"





 

School Starts and new beginnings

This year is a big year for our kids!! Francesca started High School..Marianna started Middle school..Tommy started Kindergarten and Milly started Pre-k! Matteo he is in 2nd this year. Everyone had a great 1st day and they are still loving it a week later! I cant believe I am a mom to a High schooler! Yikes!! I also cant believe we have kids in 4 different schools!! It is going to be a very busy year for sure. I am so proud of myself 1 week in and I'm still organized! I knew going into this school year it was going to get crazy so we had to be way more organized! Clothes and shoes layed out the night before..lunches packed the night before. Last year I was ironing clothes in the morning and packing lunches as the ran out the door..I am NOT a morning person at all so the less I have to do in the morning the better:) I pray I can stick with it all year!! Here are all the kiddos on their first days:

Francesca 9th grade

Francesca actuallly did her sisters hair for the 1st day:)

Marianna 6th grade

Love this!

Matteo 2nd grade

Tamirat kindergarten

Million's first day of Pre-K

So many things have changed in the last couple years so no surprise that God would lead us in more new directions!!! Change is a good thing right?! Really our family is adjusting to 5 kids for starters..it is a daily learning process. The kids are all learning to be more responsible in their new schools and I'm trying to learn how to parent a teenager! This past year has kept us very busy and because of that we lost sight of what our #1 priority should be..GOD! Certain things such as..life and Softball took over! After a long hard look and lots of praying my husband decided to stop coaching and Marianna decided to stop playing. Alot of you may think so what! This was a major time commitment that affected our children our marriage and our walk with God. Basically we went to church when softball didn't interfere(which is from May-Aug) and that is NOT right and we were seeing the effects! So we are putting God back in the right spot #1!! Back on EVERY Sunday..Cesca is now attending the High school night and we for the first time ever are joining a small group bible study! To those who missed it..without God things just Don't work!! It is not about when you can fit him in! What were we teaching our kids..all the wrong stuff but luckily today is a new day in God's eyes and a renewing of our family and our faith!
Other newness....a new job! Not me but my husband! After much discussion and prayer he decided to just jump with both feet! How else do you do it right! The biggie he has worked with family for 10yrs and got a salary...now straight commission!! Yikes! Surprisingly we are at complete peace..when you go the way you know God is leading you there is no reason to stress! 2 years ago I never would've imagined anything the way it is..but I would not change a thing! I look forward to many more new and crazy things! I am so getting used to doing things that make people think we are crazy! I love our crazy life!