What I've Learned in 2008

1. Being thirty is ok.

2. Money may not grow on trees, but it sometimes just shows up out of nowhere ($1000 in our mailbox).

3. Sharing pain makes it easier and even strangers will pray for you if you share your story (losing Jaren). Bottling your feelings is so 2007.

4. Joy does come in the morning (Referral of Esias).

5. Painting is good for my soul and should not be abandoned because I have children!

6. My children are incredible, beautiful, smart, and hilarious (I already knew that).

7. Showering is overrated.

8. Look before you put your grandmother's van in reverse.

9. Nose rings are fun though somewhat annoying when you have a cold.

10. Girlfriends rock. Especially when they live a few houses down or meet you for coffee or call you from a distant state or leave you a private message on a web forum or bring you chocolate and Diet Coke...and are willing to walk with you through good news and bad.

The Annual Photo Shoot by the Window

Happy New Year! Enjoy the antics of the Grimes Gals...Lord willing, the Annual Photo Shoot by the Window of 2009 will have another little Grimes making goofy faces too!

(and in case you're wondering, Eden's note says, "Mommy you are weird.")

This Is For You, Dad.

Amazing Softball Story - Watch the best video clips here

Ok, Shadley is done with her little tantrum.

Sorry people. I have had a bad attitude. I am better now.

Romans 5:1-4

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. "

Here are the lemons:
1. Some of the clothes we bought for Jaren were going to work for Esias, but probably won't now. Dangit.

2. Esias will be 8 months old when we get him (though this is still young for international adoptions, we heard about him when he was 3.5 months old).

3. We have two more months without a son and he has two more months without parents.

Here are the ways I am turning them into lemonade:
1. Now I have more time to eat better, get some more sleep, and keep up my exercising.

2. I have two more months to spend focused on Eden and Elly.

3. Dan and I have more time to pray for Esias (which I confess, I have not been doing as I should be).

4. We won't be traveling through DC during the inauguration, which would have been CRAY-ZAY though cool.

5. We won't be in Ethiopia over their holiday (Christmas is January 7th there) and more tickets should be available.

6. Esias won't come home in full-fledged cold and flu season...and it might be a little warmer. The poor guy lives near the equator now, it would be a huge slap in the face on the way from the airport to the car! This will give him some time to work up to the -20 degree Iowa winters.

7. We have some time to save some more money and apply for more grants.

8. When we finally get him, he will be ours forever, and no one will make us wait ever again!!

This sucks the biggest suck it can suck.

January 29th. Our court case was delayed until then. If I were a swearing person I would be swearing right now.

I am so annoyed.

Maybe Monday**updated with pics

We are back from the farm and there was no news waiting for us in the old inbox. This is not a huge surprise, we assumed that the BCS offices would be closed for the holiday. Dan said to me on the drive home, "I'm not prepared for bad news, I am only prepared for good news." In other words, he really doesn't think we didn't pass. It's a weird spot to be in, because I don't even feel like we can pray for it, since it's already happened! I hope we hear on Monday and that it's good news--that Esias is now a Grimes and we can expect a travel call in a few weeks. Yippee!!!

While in Clarinda, we visited my grandparents on Christmas Eve, my parents Christmas morning (we stayed with them), my Stanton side on Christmas afternoon...we celebrated Marcus' 2nd birthday on Friday and then the Grimes-Hughes side on Saturday! Wow, am I exhausted and so full I don't want to touch food again for a month. Dude.
Christmas Day at my mom and dad's...


The kids had to wait until the parents were ready...much like the torture I endured as a child :) We had to line up by age and come down the stairs together, wait til dad got a picture of our faces, and then we could go open presents!

Eden's a big girl now, she got Love's Baby Soft perfume in her stocking!

Nia asked for two things this year, a mermaid tail and a gerbil. Check out her fancy homemade tail!

Littlest Pet Shop Game was a crowd pleaser.

Elly got the not-so-scary version of Baby Alive. Much cuter than the one Eden requested in '06.

"Tonettes" as my dad calls them are always in abundance...

Marcus' Second Birthday Party!

Since when did she get so grown up????

Since when did she become so ornery??? Just kidding :) No I'm not. Yes I am. Just kidding, just kidding, just kidding.







Happy Number Two, Buddy!!! We love you!

A Very Grimey Christmas...

The Eve of Christmas Eve...

Eden and Elly opened a couple of movies the night before (Barbie and the Christmas Carol and Barbie and the Diamond Castle).



Christmas Eve morning...

We celebrated our Christmas as a family of four (for the last time!) this morning. The kids were hyper...Eden awoke at 3:30am and came in our room...Elly woke up with her grouchy pants on so she kept telling me she "didn't want any presents!" Turns out she just need to go potty...anywho, the gifts were pretty scarce, but they did not seem to care one bit. Dan and I both agreed we'd rather not set a precedent for gifts, so we're trying to keep it smallish. It is hard for me, I love giving gifts and really trying to find what fits our kids' personalities. But ultimately we want them to focus on Christ at CHRISTmas, and not their own wants (or mine!). It was sweet to watch them open gifts. They opened one and then got excited to give Dan his gift...a travel guide for Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti by Lonely Planet. They abandoned their own stack to watch him open it. So cute. Then Elly handed me my gift from the girls and dad, and she said, "Mommy, I am NOT suppose to tell you there are slippers in this box!" Priceless.


Elly got a cute little horse stable with tiny figurines and a little red wagon to carry her special things in.


Love the sleepy-eyed Christmas pics.

Then...the hamster was a complete success!! The video pretty much says it all. We wrapped a hamster ball for Eden to open with her gifts, then Santa's letter said there was another gift in the toy room for her. We went downstairs, and this is what happened...

She named "her" (we think its a her) Pipa. So far, she's been a good little addition to the family. Right now, Pipa is having a ball rolling all around the kitchen floor in her little ball!

Courts are closed for the night in Ethiopia-

That means either Esias is our son or he's not. We just don't know yet!! We might have to wait a while, I heard the Grand Rapids office was closed today though I do not know that for sure. They would be our source of information.

You Know It's Almost Christmas When...

1. The kids could hardly fall asleep they were so excited.

2. I am sick from too many sweets...though I have some pretty sweet neighbors.

3. The presents are all wrapped and we're packing up to leave tomorrow...

4. There is a hamster in our bedroom!

That's right, we got Eden a hamster!! We are celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve so Dan picked out this cute little guy tonight and brought him home while I distracted the girls. So we've had him stashed in our room all night! I can't wait to give it to her--she's gonna freak.

THIS IS ADDIS TIME!

Help Some Haitian Children Today

From FrancyGirl blog:

There is an urgent need for donations to get two precious Haitian children to the States for immediate medical needs. Read more here and donate as you are led to do so. It's an urgent need.

TWO DAYS...

Wednesday is our courtdate...that means that if we pass, Esias will be our LEGAL SON that day! Please pray that all the paperwork would be in order and that everyone who is scheduled to show up would show up! This is the last step before we get cleared to travel!!!!

Just One Thing Missing.

At least his room is ready for him now!

Where Did These Kids Come From?

(or more correctly, "From where did these kids come?")

We had not measured the girls since September 6th because we had painted the room that had their chart on its wall. So tonight, after their bath, we were noticing how especially tall they were both looking. We replaced the growth chart on Esias' wall and lined the girls up. Here are the stats:

Eden is 46.5 inches tall (64%), up 3/4 inch from September. Eden is wearing 6-7 in girls.

Elly is 39.5 inches (85%), up 1.5 inches since September...she is the same height as Eden was at 4 years, 2.5 months, and she is only 3 years, 3.5 months. Crazy. I knew she was big because she had outgrown all of Eden's hand-me-downs from when she was 3. She is wearing a 5T now! The funny part is that Elly's feet smaller. So my perfect plan of saving all these girls clothes really isn't working out so well! But I've got some great friends and a sister who have girls, so it works out!

Watercolor with Miss Elly

Miss Elly loves painting. I got some cheap watercolor (don't do it! Don't buy RoseArt! Stick with Crayola people!) and Elly had a blast (despite her mother's obvious annoyance at the product's quality) painting all over a large sheet of white paper today. Love this kid!

Snow Day!

Eden got out of school early today, so the girls played outside in the snow. Despite the Armageddon-esque talk of the weatherman today, the weather was quite nice. I expect tomorrow will be a different story, but the girls certainly enjoyed themselves today.

Reflections on Adoption and Advent

Obviously, I have been thinking, praying, and excitedly anticipating the arrival of a precious baby lately. I couldn't help but draw a comparison to the Advent season. Advent is a season of anticipation and hope of the coming Christ. Of course, I am not comparing Esias to the baby Jesus, though he is most precious! But I think God is using this time of looooong waiting :) to teach me what I should really be waiting for, yearning for, and anticipating...the Christ! Son of God! Emmanuel!

This Christmas season, I pray we'd all be changed by the coming of a baby boy!

Hideout

Elly caught enjoying a little Leapfrog learning video way after her bedtime (darn those late naps).

Beautiful Drawings!

Nativity, 2008
Marker on paper
by Eden Grimes, 6
[below- close-up of the top right side, I think it's communion...it says "crist", "blud" and "body"- I thought this was pretty awesome. We had just had communion at my parents' church before she drew this]



?, 2008
Crayon on paper
by Eden Grimes, 6

The artist's signature! Love it.

Roasting the Pig from Thanksgiving at the Stantons, 2008
Ink on tablet paper
by Eden Grimes, age 6

Faces, 2008
Marker on paper
by Elly Grimes, 3
(check out the one she called "toast" on the side)

Face with Eyelashes, 2008
Ink on paper
by Elly Grimes, 3

Two Girls Arguing with a Boy Named Cody, 2008
Marker on paper
by Eden Grimes, 6

We Three Cats, 2008
Ink on paper
by Eden Grimes, 6