the great big update.

oooh, it has been so long. too long. in my head, i have composed daily blog posts. on the computer, not so much. here it is....a brief recap of the past 9 months!

much here is still the same. anna is freaking hilarious and has grown about 12 feet. the trips are loving kindergarten and growing way too fast. we have been blessed with healthy and amazing children, and we are trying to appreciate all we have. this morning for instance...the girls arrive in our room at 6:59 am and by 7, there is a full fledged fight about claire holding onto the toothpaste, while looking for her toothbrush. meanwhile, emma is toothbrush ready, and so so sad that claire won't release her grip on the glister. so, you know....trying to appreciate life's big moments! :)

in other news- there are 2 more hart children out there!! 2 sweet boys with our last name are awaiting us in Ethiopia. How's that for an update!! Brian and I will be leaving in "8 sleeps" to meet our boys, see their beautiful birthplace, and take them home to their new life here with us. God never ceases to blow our minds!

here is the history, in case you don't know it. last December (2008), we decided to listen to the prompting in our hearts and move forward with adoption. we have a love for africa and that seemed to be our direction. we told our caseworker we were open to a child 0-4 years old, knowing we would probably find a child in the 2-4 year old range. She asked us if we were open to siblings and we said yes we were. we were not anticipating this would happen, because many families are waiting only for siblings. we signed our names, read the books, relied on a God who already knew how this would play out....and we waited.

fast forward to november 2009. i receive a phone call late in the afternoon. caller i.d. reveals that it is, indeed, our agency. I try to remain calm, but am puking a little in my mouth. brian is currently in california (or germany). I answer and she says, "I have a referral to talk to you about". right at that moment, my phone starts beeping 'low battery'. through the beeping i hear "2 boys" and something about 4. umm, let me call you back, and did you say twins? because that would be a real hoot, God!! turns out, no twins. but a beautiful 4 year old and his chubby cheeked 4 month old baby brother. wowzers. i feverishly wrote down the info, squeezed emma tight, called my hubby (who never answers his phone), and ran outside to tackle my neighbor with the news!! brian finally called me back SEVEN HOURS later, and confirmed what i knew as soon as my email loaded those pics....his words "those are my boys". amen to that.

on the 4th of january, we passed court. Chala and Yonas Tesfaye are now officially ours.

rooms were set up. clothes were gathered. a crib was set up (who knew!). prayers continued. and now, in 8 short days...the final leg of this adoption will end and our new (amazing) lives will begin.

there is so much that goes with this story. most of it, too hard to put into words. i will tell you that this has been the most amazing journey that brian and i have ever been invited to walk. God is so good and we have been so thrilled seeing His plan for our family unfold.

so, that is the update. life is changing. we have 6 kiddos. (we still choke and laugh every time we say that.) i will put pics on here as soon as my husband shows me how to access them.

the next updates will be from Ethiopia!! we will spend 10 days there and will send updates as much as we can! we covet your prayers for the boys and their adjustment to another huge life change. and also for our family as we figure out this new life together.

the hart girls + 2 sweet boys=a miracle. we are eternally grateful to be chosen for this.

lindsay

dressing room depression.

so. have you ever found a pair of jeans and decided to try them on? and then the helpful store clerk says "let me know if you need another size!! that brand tends to run quite big." and then you look over the selected jeans, still on their hanger, and think " they do look enormous." but then decide to try them on anyway, because it will be a good self esteem boost to be able to pull them up, while still buttoned. and oh! how great it will feel to see them hang loosely around your waist. you may even pull them out in the front (while sucking in abnormally) just to see if indeed, 2 of you could fit in these huge-o jeans.

in you step....big over the ankles, as anticipated. all is going well until about 3/4 up the thigh. they must still be buttoned. nope. so you hop a little and kind of wriggle back and forth to get them up and over. you wrestle them on, but make the mistake of looking in the mirror. you could describe the sight as comparable to watching a pile of sausage get stuffed into that skin/sack it comes in. there is serious flesh spillage coming out the top. you then see the posted note "dressing rooms monitored. tapes reviewed every night."

you puke a bit in your mouth.

the tag was probably wrong. skinny clerk probably meant they run really small!

don't bother to put those stupid jeans back on the hanger. step back into black sweatpants that never get stuck on your backside........


not that this has happened to me or anything.

cuz' that would be embarrassing, and nothing you would share with others.
and it may make you wonder how long 5 year olds remember things.

yea-- that has definitely never happened to me, either.

baby girls.

dear baby girls,

today you turned 5. it cannot be true. of course, i see you growing up and gaining independence...but 5, really?? your dad and i say daily that we wish we could freeze time and stay just like this. believe me when i tell you, we did not think we would ever say that. i realized that i never pictured getting to this stage. i never looked forward enough to imagine you at 5, about to start kindergarten. it didn't seem like it would ever happen...but here it is. even if i had tried, i could never have known how amazing and incredible and different you all would be. to say that you have been a blessing to us, every single day of your 5 years, would not be enough. you have managed to fill in every place in my heart and seeped into places i didn't know. you are miracles. we are so proud of you, and cannot wait to see your life unfold. we pray that you each know that though you arrived together, you came with your own amazing plan from God. we feel privileged to be a part of that. we hope you continue to figure out who you are independently, as well as appreciating the bond that the three of you have. no matter your age, some things will never change. like the fact that we will always feel you are growing too quickly. and that we will always love you. and probably, that your rooms will always be a disaster. (except for you, rosie..you are impressively neat!) so be who you are. continue to love and laugh like you do. and please, stop growing up so fast.



since photos are more than over due..here are the birthday girls at their "luau party".

spring fever.

I heard a couple of grumblings about my blog neglect. I had no idea it had been a month already. Life is really moving quickly!

Here is a quick story. The main, sharp tongued character is miss anna.

Janie, I will dedicate this to you! :)

We are checking out of old navy with a pile of great deals for the girls. I say, "I didn't even LOOK at clothes for mommy and I am the one who really needs some".

Anna adjusts her new, super cute hat and says:

"do they carry size pretty big here?"

a request from me.

**to clarify- this post was not intended to bash breastfeeding. This was written ONLY for gymnastics lady, who for whatever reason, wants to nurse for a full hour...which we all know is not needed now nor was it necessary when milk lips was born. My apologies to any who were offended in the writing of this blog. It was truly not my intent.



dear lady at the gymnastics place,

i am truly glad that breastfeeding your 18+ month old has been so "rewarding" for you. i even try to assume the mutual "enjoyment" you speak of is real, even as your child is constantly flailing and trying to escape your infant hold. i even can come up with some good reasons why she needs to be constantly nursed, even into her 2nd year of life, while asking for a cookie or an apple. please, lady with the smallish head, please...just one request. while i try to ignore the whole "forced enjoyment" you two have going on, please dont chase around the escaped toddler yelling... "c'mere, milk lips! c'mere milk lips! mommy gonna get you!" because at that point, there is no safe place for my mind.

thank you. give milk lips my best.

7a.m. brushing anna's hair.

"mom, were you EVER pretty?"

"why do you ask that?"

"I'm trying, but I just can't picture it!"

Thanks.

blog slacker.

I have a very good reason for not blogging. Several of them, actually. I have been away from my home for 13 days now. And the sun is so bright down on the beach, that I cannot see my computer screen. Rest assured it has not been ALL sunny Florida bliss... the sun and chlorine have been torture on my hair. AND I have to shave every day! Plus, I have a really lame sunglass tan line. What else?? Nope, that is the only bad stuff... otherwise it has been relaxing and fantastic!! :). Something about waking up to the ocean every morning... therapy for my soul, I tell ya!!

3 more sleeps til the reality of Michigan in the winter. Boo.