I am a bad blogger....

Yes, we are still here... :) I can not believe how long it has been since I wrote a blog post. We have been so busy and had so much going on. Facebook has consumed any "cyber time" that I do get. This post may be long, I have a lot of catching up to do.

We have had some tough times since coming home from Ethiopia. Nick was laid off from his job and we have had to make some lifestyle changes. He played Mr. Mom for a while when I had to return to work. Nick has always been in the trucking/trailer industry which has taken a hard hit in the recent economy. He decided to pursue the career of his dreams as a police officer. He has recently been hired on as a new recruit with a local police dept and starts the police academy next week. We just moved into a new house this past week, it is in the town I grew up in and my parents live about 2 miles away. I am not sure yet if that is a good thing or a bad thing. :) LOL The town itself is still small but close to all the good stuff. Moving stinks and I have decided I am NEVER moving again!!! It is ridiculous the amount of junk we have accumulated over the years. At least the move is forcing me to clean out and I am having a huge garage sale in a couple weeks. If we don't need it, it's going! Austin and Olivia like their new school and have already made lots of new friends. Sports are starting back up, Austin will be playing Upward Flag Football and Olivia will be doing Upward cheerleading. Wrestling will start back in a couple months and then my weekends will be gone! Even though things have been chaotic over the past few months there is a shining light at the end of the tunnel. I know God has a reason for everything we have been through. I know it will only make us stronger and wiser in the end.



Nathan Updates:

Nathan is doing GREAT!!!!!! I don't remember life without him anymore. It is like he has been with us since day one. :) He is such a "happy go lucky" baby and melts the hearts of anyone he meets with that big gummy grin. He just cut his first tooth last week. He looks like a jack-o-lantern. :) He is crawling everywhere now and trying to pull up, he just has not figured out how to get his feet under him yet. We had our re-adoption court hearing September 3rd which went great. We have officially changed his name to Nathanael Elias Thornton and his new birth certificate and SS card should be on the way! The judge said this was his first Ethiopian adoption and was impressed that we did everything without an attorney. Nathan started daycare this week. He seems to really like it so far. The teachers were amazed at how good his motor skills are and how observant he is. They have cameras in the room and I can watch him online which is sooo cool. It is hard to not sit and just watch him all day. His hair has gotten really long and curly, I am afraid I will have to cut it soon, it is getting a little pouffy. :) So cute!



I think about Ethiopia a lot...I want to go back... I know it may sound odd but I think about Nathan's birth mom often. I wonder if she is ok. I wonder if she thinks about Nathan and misses him. I wonder if she knows he has been adopted and is now half way around the world. I wish I could have met her, I wish I could thank her for the amazing gift she has given us. I imagine what she may look like. I imagine a thin, beautiful, young girl with big dark eyes. It brings me to tears to even think about her. I feel sad for her. Sad that she will never know her son, sad that she will never see his beautiful smile, hold his little hands, or watch him grow up. I love her even though I have never met her. I know she loves Nathan. She was desperate, she wanted him to live, she wanted him to have more than she could provide. I know she did what she thought was best for him. She had to make a very difficult decision, one that we could not even imagine having to make. (Sniff Sniff) I can't wait to go back to Ethiopia. Did I already say that? It is a place like no other. It is hard to explain. Yes, there is tremendous poverty and despair but the things that stick out in my mind when I think of Ethiopia are not the bad. While in Ethiopia my spirit felt a peace that I don't feel here. It is a simple place, a beautiful place, it moves slower, it is more carefree. All of the stress we as Americans live with on a daily basis are really self inflicted as a result of our lifestyle and society. It is difficult to escape and I am just as guilty as the next person of letting it consume my own life. I don't want it to be that way though. I must try harder, remember more... There is a lot we can learn from Ethiopia.

Our agencies in country representatives from Ethiopia will be in the US later this month. They are having a meet and greet for all the adoptive families. I WISH so bad that I could go. If only I could figure out a way to St Louis and back... It would be so awesome to see them again and for them to see "Naty". They truly love and know every single child. They are amazing people.

These pics of the kids are from a couple months ago. I will get some new ones uploaded and posted soon. :)