A fun first birthday for our 6 year old

Sometimes our adoption life has surreal moments, and giving our six year old son his first birthday party was one of those. Ethan was so very eager to have a birthday, a birthday cake, open gifts, etc. He was thrilled to play a bit of Wii golf (his form needs a little help!) play a little family football, and have a fun family day. Here is Ethan enjoying his day:

A "Cars" theme for Ethan's 6th birthday

Our little man loves gifts!

Our gag gift... Ethan will tell you his favorite food is KETCHUP. It is a condiment, son, not a food!

Happy Birthday, Ethan! We love you!!

Ethan is six years old!

Ethan turns six years old today. Just one year and a few days ago we met Ethan Gezahegn in Ethiopia. So much has happened in the last year. We love our smart, resilient, silly six year old. Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Ethan is six!

The Great Easter Egg Hunt of 2012

Victoria and Savannah

Ethan

We had our Easter Egg hunt on "Easter Eve", as Daddy has to work tomorrow. This was the boys' first egg hunt, and they loved it! Their older sisters were a big help in showing them the fine art of egg hunting.

Laramie

Levi

I love my kids!

Fun with pipe cleaners! Who knew what you could do?

We've got the best kids ever... loving, kind, funny, creative! Life is good.

Well Bless this Momma's Heart!

What Momma would not be totally blessed by this interaction.... at bedtime prayers tonight I asked each child "What are you most thankful to God about today? Levi, age 3, thought for a moment and then looked at me and said, "Beautiful Momma". Sigh. Heart melting. God is good!

Victoria's 18th birthday

 Our firstborn "baby" is now eighteen! We can't believe it! Victoria is a blessing to our family in so many ways, and we had a fun time celebrating her special day. Victoria's 18th birthday will undoubtedly be remembered by the "best day ever" (any "Tangled" fans out there?)....a surprise visit from her cousin, Lydia, who flew in from Washington. We had planned a "girl's shopping day"  in Sacramento as our cover story to get us near the airport. Victoria was completely and utterly surprised by Lydia's visit, and we had a fabulous time with this delightful lady.

Heading out bright and early!

These two sisters are also best friends :o)

 

 

 

SURPRISE, Victoria!! Happy Birthday!

 

Birthday dinner out at Kobe's - live adventurously!

Exploring a new fashion statement at Target - feather earrings, anyone?

Quick...someone have another major birthday! We need to have some more fun around here. Lucky for us Savannah's 16th is just around the corner. To be continued......

Christmas 2011

The Crew

Laramie is thrilled with her new bow and arrow set!

Daddy and Laramie

Levi modeling his hat made by Ashlyn

We had a fun Christmas this year, especially since Daddy had Christmas day off -  a rarity in his line of work. That fact was made even more special considering this was the first time the boys would experience Christmas with our family. Each boy had a unique reaction to the day and to the gift-giving...Levi was a bit hesitant and quiet, and as he opened each gift he would then take it and run to put it under his bed where it would be "safe". We explained to him that no one would take his presents and after that he was able to enjoy the experience a bit more. Ethan grew more excited as the day progressed, as he has already developed an attitude of wanting lots of "stuff". He, too, kept a close watch on his "loot" and bagged it up right away, keeping his bag next to him to protect it and watch it. We felt like both boys handled the holiday well. One thing that made this Christmas special was the kid's gift-giving. Every child really went all-out to save their money in order to purchase gifts for all their siblings. It was so fun to watch their enthusiasm as the other kids opened the presents they had purchased or made for one another. It was a special time to enjoy as a family and to share the reason behind the season - the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior - with the two newest members of the family.

Sweet Ashlyn

Cute kids in PJs' under the Christmas tree - love it!

Daddy reads a Christmas story to the boys

Family Fun Nights

We have borrowed an idea from a fellow blogger (kudos to the Mullis Family!) and initiated "Family Fun Nights - the 2012 Adventure" twice a month here at the old Grant Family Farm. We came up with two themes/ideas for each month of the year and activities that would go along with the theme. So far we have "Backwards Night" (come dressed with all your clothes on backwards, and we had dinner "backwards", starting with dessert) and then "Come as a Bible Character" night. The kids have really taken the idea and ran with it, with the olders helping the youngers, making it much easier for ol' mom and dad (and thus much more likely to continue!). And did I mention the kiddos are much more creative than I am? I have laughed and been blessed with their ingenious ideas and ways to pull off a funny idea. Way to go, kids! We are all looking forward to our remaining family fun nights. Maybe this is something you want to try for yourself!

Backwards Night - this is a nice look for us!

Bible Character Night: Laramie as "Lydia"

Bible Character Night: The "Pharaoh's daughter" with "Moses"

Ethiopian boys try Chinese food

Here is the recipe for a fun night: Take one grandma who wants to have Chinese food for her birthday and  one Grandpa who does not particularly enjoy Chinese food. Next, add one Grant family with two parents and four daughters who love Chinese food and two Ethiopian boys who have not been given the opportunity to try our favorite Chinese restaurant yet due to their horrible, "interesting" table manners. Add one large measure of courage and patience. Incorporate Chinese food and hot tea on a lazy susan server. Enjoy and have fun!

Happy Birthday, Nana! Thanks for being a good sport, Grado!

Girly Getaway (August 2011)

An August highlight was the Grant ladies' overnight trip to San Francisco for Uncle Devin's wedding...it was a fun, special, girly time with just Mom and us girls! The trip was uneventful and we all arrived in one piece (to the relief of Victoria, who had her first Bay Area driving experience). The wedding and reception, which were held at a beautiful golf club, were lovely and lots of fun! The next morning we all drove to Fisherman's Wharf for a group boat ride with most of our relatives, which was very enjoyable despite the cool weather. All in all, we had a great girly getaway, and the menfolk all survived at home by themselves. Way to go, men! 

The golf club where the wedding and reception took place was lovely...

Happy uncle and beautiful bride!

Grants before boarding...it was a chilly 60` and we had to layer!

Laramie on board

Savannah and the Golden Gate Bridge
The wind was so strong that it was painful to open your
eyes for more then a few seconds- but despite the teary eyes, we really were having a good time!

It was cool and overcast, and you couldn't see the top of the bridge...

Laramie and her cousin

And of course, you have to wrap the whole thing up with clam chowder in a bread bowl!

A trip to Turtle Bay (August 2011)

Levi

Ethan

The boys enjoy a fun afternoon at Turtle Bay

A Weekend of Solitude

The boys have been home just a few days shy of 4 months now, and Scott returned to work three months ago on the night shift. That shift always takes a toll on our lives, but even more so when our old trailer air conditioning broke about two weeks ago and Scott has been unable to sleep out there. That is usually our “lifesaver” method of sanity while Scott works nights…he sleeps in the trailer on work nights so he is able to get some sleep without being woken up by the gaggle of kiddos.  When he sleeps inside the result is less sleep for Scott and more stress for me as I try to keep everyone quiet each day until 10:30 or 11:00 a.m.  – an impossible task! Tack on to that the fact Scott has been out of town the last two sets of his days off for special events, and you have the recipe for one tired, worn out, empty momma.  I decided I could really use a little time alone to seek the Lord and replenish my heart and soul.  God had just the right plan…He provided a wonderful personal retreat for me… for free!  My parents had an out of town obligation and their house would be sitting empty on the very days Scott had off from work. I threw a few clothes in a bag, took my Bible and a big ol’ stack of books, and left Friday at lunch.  It is never easy for a momma to leave her kids, even a tired momma. As I drove down the driveway my youngest daughter chased after me, waving goodbye with tears sliding down her cheeks. Sigh.  But I knew that I was running on empty and really needed the Lord to refresh my spirit. As the weekend began, my heart cry was, “Lord, I am tired and weary and I have given all I have to give. I am empty. I need you to hold me, speak to me, and give me your wisdom with how to proceed with our kids, and refill my empty heart and soul.”  As the weekend progressed… and it went so very slowly as I sat in an empty house, hearing NOTHING except the tick, tick, tick of a clock. (Who knew clocks made noise?)…the Lord brought the following to my heart and mind.  

This scripture was to become the “theme” of my get-away:

“For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:9

And this scripture became by “action plan”:

“Let us search out and examine our ways,”

(What am I doing right, Lord? Where have I gotten off track and am doing wrong?”  

“ and turn back to the Lord”

(Give me your wisdom and the diligence to only do what you call me to do. Nothing more. Nothing less.)

“Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven.”  Lamentations 3:40-41

(hearts = my attitude;  hands = my actions)

(Here are a few photos of what I enjoyed this weekend. My kiddos wanted to know "What are you going to do?!?!?"

a reading bubble bath...ahhhh!

a hot mocha I actually drank while it was hot!

an uninterrupted bible study time!

Who wouldn't love reading here?

 I was able to read most of a very interesting book, One Thousand Gifts  by Ann Voskamp, which challenges you to establish a life of thankfulness. Someone had challenged her to write out one thousand gifts the Lord had given her, and in doing so she came to realize this habit of thankfulness and awareness of the small blessings in life was the “flip side” of prayer…the time to open our eyes to all the Lord is doing around us and to thank him for it. The habit of being discontent can only be driven out by the habit of gratitude.

As a busy mom whose days seem to rush by in a blur of activity, I especially appreciated Mrs. Voskamp’s

Insights into the plague of busy-ness…how hurry makes us hurt and how always being in a hurry empties a soul.  I especially enjoyed this nugget:

                “Time is a relentless river…the only way to slow time is to enter into time’s swift current with the weight of all my attention right here.”

I can only slow the torrent by being all “here” in each moment, rather than rushing through tasks or  giving a child a cursory, “that’s nice” as I rush on to the next child or school subject. . I only life the full live when I live fully in the moment. Taking time to stop and look at the details around us and seeing all there is to be thankful for is key to living a joyful life.  

I also felt ministered to by these thoughts, which I admit I have read before and still forgotten:

      “We don’t have to earn our joy and blessings. They are gifts from God, which are freely given to us when we first come to Jesus and are saved. However, when we don’t trust God or fail to obey the personal guidance and correction we receive from the Holy Spirit, we sometimes build barriers that dam up the flow of power and prevent us from enjoying those things that are rightfully ours. God is not the one withholding these things. We are simply failing to appropriate them for ourselves."… 

and now the ZINGER….   

“Everything you need to become a joyful home-schooling mother is inside you right now. All you have to do is to peel off any layers you may have placed between yourself and God. … Stop trying to control everything and everyone around you. Give God control of your life. Learn to let go and trust Him. Trust the Holy Spirit to guide and direct the people in your life, including yourself. The joy and the blessings will return. “(Mary Hood, The Joyful Home Schooler)

The final blessing of the weekend was simply worshipping the Lord. I love our home church family and I know that is where the Lord has called us to be… discipling and ministering to our children in this season of life. To close out my retreat weekend, however, I went  to a different church all alone this Sunday morning and simply enjoyed standing and praising God without any distractions, hands raised and eyes closed, without worrying what havoc my small kiddos were wreaking in that brief moment! It was a time to be fully “there” in the moment (as I had been reading about), fully concentration on worshipping God, and it felt so good!

I know all the same issues are still here when I arrive back home, but the difference is a momma who is a little more well-rested, and one who has been nourished and replenished by time with her Lord. And THAT is the first thing on my personal list “One Thousand Gifts” to be thankful for.

(Book warning: after posting this, a friend emailed that she had read some negative books reviews about One Thousand Gifts, mainly concerning the final chapter. I did not read the entire book, so I can't speak to the final chapter, but I wanted to include her warning here about the final chapter containing "a sexual overtone in regards to the Lord, and one comment referred to her writing as "Extra Biblical"...reading into the Word something it doesn't say." So..read with discernment!)

August Happenings

Hello, all! Life has been a 'little' busy around the Grant house lately. The last few weeks have been chock full of exciting activities and making memories...



We had so much fun spending time with our cousins from Washington, and we all had a blast swimming, making T-shirts, eating Italian Icees, laughing, dressing up, and partaking of sweets. :o) We girl cousins made special memories when our grandma gave us free rein to try on old dresses, including her wedding dress. We spent two evenings in the dresses we've seen our grandma and moms wearing in photo albums...fun times!

Having fun with our annual dress-up!

Our friends' parents sold their house and kindly invited the Grant Clan to come have one last swim day before they moved out. We had a blast in their pool, swimming and splashing with our friends, pushing people in, and generally just having a good time!

The way Grants do most things in life-full of chaos and fun.

  We also fit in a day down in Chico at "Camelot Equestrian Park" for a hunter-jumper show. Although Maggie, our Thoroughbred mare, had something akin to a mental breakdown at the thought of having to jump a lattice fence (Gasp! It might eat me!), and no ribbons came home, it was still a fun day to ride, look at beautiful horses, and jump half the course! :o)

Pretty horse, small brain...

   Then came an amazing time watching some friends' kids while their parents went to Monterrey for a well-deserved weekend getaway. All told, there were 13 of us kids, which probably short-circuits most people's brains. But Mom and Dad handled us amazingly (as they always do) and since we're used to this group size, we had a blast.

Yes, we do fill a fifteen-passenger van.

 
Well, that's about it! We're loving being a family of 8, through all the great times and challenges. The boys are such a blessing to our family and we are constantly amazed at God's goodness. We hope you all are having a great summer!!!

Trip to the Lake...

The Grant family recently had the pleasure of using a spare day off to take a day trip to Whiskeytown Lake, near Brandy Creek. The weather was absolutely gorgeous (praise God!)- in the low-eighties! Usual July temperatures in Redding will reach highs of 110-114! Despite an extremely belated start due to trying to find a missing shot record needed for a doctor visit the next day (found, thank goodness!), we arrived in high spirits with a car full of snacks, floaties, swimsuits, sunscreen, and eager kids. The drive afforded some funnies: As the lake came into view, Levi was bouncing up and down in his seat crying "Ooo! Big! Big!" until some hill or brush caused the lake to pass out of sight. Then, as soon as he saw it again, the squeals and shouts would begin again. "Daddy! Big! Very big!"  We enthusiastically pointed out a large trout jumping out of the water to Ethan, and tried to explain to him the concept of fishing. It didn't work so well, as he began to cry and finally was able to explain to us that he thought the fish was going to eat him. :o) Wow, those ferocious seven inch trout!

The view was amazing, as exemplified by the picture below.

Enlarge to see a better view!

It was the boys' first ever time to see and swim in a lake, and their excitement was cute to watch. We finally got everyone dressed, sun-screened and into the water, only to have a general mutiny due to hunger- so out everyone sloshed to come and eat some doughnuts and crackers with salami and cheese.
That was Levi's favorite part of the day!

 

If you look closely at this picture, you can see the crumbs all over his mouth!

 With their hunger thus satisfied, back into the water they went...
  

 ...only to declare within minutes that the water was WAY too cold, and they needed to come lie in the sun to warm up. :o)

The older generation, between doling out snacks, applying sun-screen, running back and forth to the water to help little kids, and laying out towels for shivering little ones to lay on, tried to relax and read a few good books and magazines, or explore a little ways down Brandy Creek.

.

 

 

 

 

 Victoria and I enjoyed having some free time (what a foreign concept!) and experimented with taking some pictures of each other, as well as photographing the beautiful nature around us. As the family photographer who never gets photographed, it was fun to be able to have my picture taken for a change- see, I do exist!

Isn't God great? How beautiful is that?

   

Victoria (17)

Savannah (me!) 15

Meanwhile, back at the beach, Levi was reaching "Grumpy" stage due to a swollen diaper (he filled his only swim diaper early in the day, and so he was stuck with a regular one!) and a late nap-time. For laughs, just note the size of his diaper in the picture. It was swollen to three times the normal size! :o) We all decided to call it a day. We packed up the car, the kids, and the snacks, and we headed home. It was a wonderful, fun-filled afternoon and we hope to enjoy more like it in the future!

Hmm. Not so happy.

In closing, we feel so blessed to be able to share these wonderful memories with these two little boys that we have been gifted with. It's amazing, how after an entire two years of working through the adoption process, and feeling like it will never ever end, that I am sitting here right now, posting pictures of MY two little brothers! That they are sleeping safely in their beds- and that I can go in and peek at them to make sure they're sleeping soundly, and get them a glass of water when they're thirsty, and pick them up to kiss them goodnight- what an enormous blessing! Adoption is such a miracle, even through the hard times, and God truly is good. 

Savannah for the Grants

Brandy Creek- it was gorgeous!