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Abram turned 4!!!

Abram turned 4 November 30, 2011. Yes that was 6 months ago. But never to late for an update. When he woke up that morning we told him he was four and showed him the number on his fingers. He spent the next two weeks waking up and telling us he was four. And saying it multiple times throughout the days. One of his favorite things to do is swim. He's like a small fish. He jumps right in without fear (scary but fun). Since his birthday was close to winter yet he loves to swim we had a "Polar Bear Plunge" party for him! It was a lot of fun having friends and family to celebrate and swim with.  Swimming in the winter might become his birthday tradition. We are so thankful for our little four year old boy!!!

A Reflection on Mother's Day

Last Mother's Day was a lot different than this years Mother's Day. It was technically my first Mother's Day. We had already gone to Ethiopia for our court date and Bruike and Sitotawe had become Abram and Ellis Wells which was something to celebrate. The hard part was they were not with us for Mother's Day. At the time we were back in the States waiting for the approval to go back and get the boys for good.

I knew it was going to be a hard day because it was a Sunday. We were going to church and there was going to be a baby dedication and I was going to see people I love and people that love me and I knew they were going to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. All wonderful and beautiful things yet all things I knew were going to make me cry. So that's what I did. I held it in as much as I could but spent a lot of the day in tears being thankful to be a Mom but sad that I couldn't be with my boys at the time.

Now that we've had the boys for a year, days like last Mothers Day seem so insignificant. I had hard days through the adoption process but being with the boys makes it feel like it was nothing. What I thought seemed like the hardest thing I'd ever done now seems like no big deal. I think about this good news trumping bad news kind of thing in a lot of areas in my life. Probably all. But especially in Mothering. Sometimes I feel isolated, without purpose, lacking in knowledge, and exhausted. But at the same time I can't rid of the peace and joy that comes from knowing I'm doing what I was created to do. I know that ultimately God is in control of their lives and if I'm being faithful than that's all I can do.

Tony and the boys made me feel incredibly loved and special on Mother's Day. Being showered with their gifts and love and just spending time with them made it such a special day! I only spent about 1 minute thinking about last Mother's Day. I was able to think about it with a happy heart knowing that's what it had to take to have a Mother's Day like this one. Sometimes we have to go through the hard things to get the greatest things in life. This has brought new meaning to one of my favorite verses in scripture, "God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28...I truly feel like I could go through anything and know that God is working in it for my good. These past two years have been a testimony to that. Thank you Lord for being my salvation and my joy and working for the good in my life.

A few firsts for Abram

Abram's 1st date with Mommy. 

It could technically be our second if you count a hot chocolate date to starbucks. But what I would possibly call our first date was going to the movies. We went to see the Muppet Movie. I thought it would be a good choice for both of us. We got all dressed up, drove to lexington, which is what Tony and I usually do for dates and then went to the movie. We had good snacks, good seats, and I really enjoyed the entertainment. I could tell Abram was over it by the end but I thoroughly enjoyed the music and sarcastic humor. I was a little disappointed that Abram didn't enjoy the movie as much as I did and thought the date might've been a bust. That was until we used the restroom after the movie. After we washed our hands Abram got to use the super high air powered hand dryers. They blew so hard that it pushed the skin back on our hands from the force. This was the best part of our date. I let him stick his head and his face and any other area that could reach the dryer and you would've thought that we paid for this wonderful entertainment. He was laughing and dancing and spinning from the joy that the hand dryer had brought to him. After this I knew our date was a success and I look forward to more dates with Him!

Abram's first Haircut. (As a Wells)

The time had come. We realized when it was getting harder and harder to get a pick through Abram's hair that the time had come to get it cut. Also after months of people asking, "What are you going to do with his hair?" It's funny how often people give us advice or comment on the boys hair. I had been told multiple times his hair was nappy but until it was from a reliable (same kind of hair source) I didn't believe it. I thought he had a nice little afro growing but then came out of my denial to see it was nappy as they said. At first I thought i'd just take some scissors to it and start cutting but Tony had a better idea. He got a football player from Georgetown that obviously knew what he was doing to come over and cut Abram's hair. What I thought would take minutes turned into an hour and a half. He had more hair then we could see. They had to lather it up with lotion to even get the trimmers to start cutting. But with a ring pop in his hand Abram was a trooper. He sat as still as possible and didn't complain until the job was done. Since then he's had a second hair cut and now has a cute little fohawk. It seems he likes to get his hair cut because he often runs his hand over his head saying, "Buzzzzzzz" and asking for another hair cut. He got a lot of attention from the mohawk too which he milked all the way. He'd go up to girls pointing at his head to see if they noticed his hair cut as well.  We've realized it's easier to maintain with it short so for now multiple haircuts are still to come. Here are some pics from the event.

Before before shot.

Had his serious face on with the Georgetown football team watching.

Ellis enjoyed the entertainment too!

Abram's first job as the Ringbearer.

When we were first asked for Abram to be the Ringbearer in our friends wedding I was super excited. I knew he'd be perfect for it. He loves people, is good in big groups, and follows directions really well. It seemed I was right...or so I thought. We got to the rehearsal dinner and Abram did his usual. Walked around like he owned the place. Gave everyone high fives and ran around free as a bird. I bribed him with some candy to get him to walk down the aisle a few times. He did good. Walked slow, carried his pillow, stayed with his partner Hadley and when we practiced he did great! I felt really good about it and thought we'd have no problems. Then comes the day of the wedding. All was Wells as usual. We practiced up and down the aisle before all the people got there. Abram seemed a little more apprehensive than usual and even had a hard time taking some pictures. But he seemed to get it together. When the ceremony started we were hanging around in the back of the church. He was happy and everytime I told him what to do he just smiled. But it all changed in an instant. He waited in line during for his turn and when his time came it all started to fall apart. All I remember is seeing the lip quiver and the wedding coordinator saying, "Liz he's getting upset, He's getting upset Liz, he looks really upset." I laugh at is now but in that moment I had no clue what was going on or what to do. I hadn't prepared for this moment because I thought everything would be fine. Then everyone turns around and stairs at the little boy in the back of the church now crying his eyes out and just standing there. For a second I thought he was going to walk so I left him, and then he turned and looked at me, with everyone looking at him, now wailing. This seemed like it was a good 5 minutes of loud crying but it was probably only a matter of 30 seconds when I decided to do the only thing I knew to do. I grabbed his hand and there we went. I walked him down the aisle. With no shoes on I might add. I really wasn't prepared. At the time I was highly embarassed and thought I looked like a bad mom, etc. etc. Now I laugh about it and told my friend I'm glad I got to walk down the aisle in her wedding and walk with my son. Abram had another wedding coming up in August. This time I'll be really nervous, and try to have a plan b if everything falls apart. Turns out everyone thought he was cute and that thing happens all the time. After we walked down the aisle we sat on the front row and told him he did a great job and gave him some candy. Hopefully the memory will be a good one.

Abram and Hadley the flower girl.

Family pic looking nice. Doesn't happen often.

Super Baby Take 2

There are many words you could use to describe our youngest child Ellis. Big, free, funny, passionate, emotional, smart, sweet, wild...and the list goes on. He has done some funny/incredible things lately I'd like to remember. Therefore I'm writing a second post entitled Super Baby. We'll go in order of Events.

Event one...Ellis is approximately 14 months old at the time. Tony and I and some friends are sitting around talking, laughing, etc. Someone says, "Hallelujah!" Then what do we hear? The word Hallelujah come clearly out of a 14 month olds mouth. He went from ball, cookie, hi, Mommy, to Hallelujah. The word has yet to be repeated as clearly as it was.

Event two... I had heard a family tradition from a friend and decided I would like for it to be one of our family traditions. The tradition goes that on Christmas morning the first thing you do is take baby Jesus out of the manger and hide him in the house. Why hide baby Jesus you ask? Isn't it all about Him. Well... you hide baby Jesus but the first thing you do in the morning is look for him. When you find him you place him back in the manger singing Joy to the World! And Jesus and his birthday is restored and the day starts all about Him! This was something we wanted to start right away and was probably one of the things I was most excited about on Christmas morning!

When we came out in the morning I showed Abram baby Jesus and explained to him what we were going to do. I told him to close his eyes and then I would hide baby Jesus. Little did I know sweet baby Ellis was paying close attention. At this time...15 months. So Abram is closing his eyes and I hide baby Jesus. When he opens his eyes he begins to look. He looks under blankets, pillows, couches, and doesn't see baby Jesus sitting with all the presents. To humor myself and involve Ellis I asked Ellis, "Where's baby Jesus." Ellis smiles and then walks over to the tree to pick up baby Jesus! We laughed hysterically as we sang Joy to the World and placed baby Jesus back in the Nativity.

Event three...Ellis often hangs out with me while I'm doing laundry. Our washer and dryer our in one of our bathrooms. While I'm transferring and folding he'll sit and play in the clothes, play in and out of the shower, and do whatever to entertain himself. One day while I'm folding he walks over to the toilet and says, "Caca." Caca is the word we use for poop around our home in case anyone didn't catch that. I just looked at him and laughed thinking that was cute. Then he proceeds, "Caca, Please!" I realized that he was insisting on pooping on the toilet. I thought I'd try it out so I grab the potty seat and place him on it. He sits there for a while and then it happens!!! I was shocked! I immediately errupted with joy and praised him for what he had just done! He smiled with his huge grin and began clapping for himself! And then he just kept pooping and peeing on the potty and all was right with the world. I wish. :) I won't tell you what happened after that but he is still not potty trained but will every once in a while do his thing like a big boy.

Lastly for now... I've been trying to teach him to say I love you. We're doing the point to your eye, cross your heart, and point to who you love. He won't do the eye part or the point to who you love part but he crosses his heart, says love, and smiles. It warms my heart every time. Especially when you don't tell him to do it. It's a funny thing though because Abram always did the eye and the point part but forgot the love. Our love for them is continuing to grow deeper and deeper and it's exciting when we get a glimpse of their love for us as well.

That's all for now for the Super Baby! I'm sure more posts will come!

The Terrell Family

Please pray for some of our friends who are currently in Ethiopia visiting their little boy Xander!!! They are on their first trip to Court. We are praying they are passed and will get to go back to get their little man soon. The Terrell Family. This is a picture of Abram and their daugher Hadley as the Ringbearer and Flower girl in a wedding this past December!

Preschool...what a gift.

One thing I love about Abram's preschool on top of the teachers, the kids, the location, and the curriculum. I love teacher gifts. I love to make crafts and give gifts and I'm thankful that there are many holidays to be able to come up with teacher gifts for his teachers. Thus far we've been able to give thankful spiced tea jars, Christmas frames and Candy, and Rolo Cookies for Valentine's Day. I'm excited to come up with aka "google" more ideas for future gifts. And I love watching Abram hand his teacher a gift and give them a big hug.

On top of teacher gifts Abram's preschool has been a huge blessing to him and us. It has helped him verbally, socially, and gives him something to look forward to. Every time I pick him up from school he gets in the car saying, "more school, more school!" And then we count down the days until he gets to go again.

There are a couple memories I don't want to forget about his preschool. One was the first time he actually said something at Show and Tell. I had been putting random toys in his backpack to take to school for participation but the thought hadn't dawned on me to put something in his bag he could actually say. That was until he was given a stuffed cat. At first I wasn't sure what we'd be doing with that stuffed cat but I did notice every time Abram picked it up he said cat. So one day I decided to put the cat in his backpack to take to school for the day.

When I picked him up from school that day I could tell there was an excitement in the air. One of his teachers came up to me to tell me what had happened at Show and Tell that day. Abram stood up as usual, took his item out of his back pack and then he spoke! Cat!!! His teacher said all the kids cheered with excitement when Abram was able to say what was in his bag!!! It was a great victory for Abram that day and all the kids were happy to share the experience with him. Since then his vocabularly has widely expanded and now we can put more than just a cat in his backpack. Even though it might just be a car Abram is still able to fully participate in Show and Tell!

Another special moment was when I took Abram late to school one day. I will admit we are late everyday but this day was a little later than normal. When we walked in some boys saw that Abram was late and immediately ran over and hugged his neck! They were surrounding him and hugging him so much he wasn't even able to take off his jacket. They were telling him they missed him and were glad he was there today. And then asked him to come with them to play trucks. It warmed my heart. It's hard sometimes when I pick him up from school because I want to know everything he did and what he thinks about things. But our conversations are still very limited. When I saw those boys hug him and talk to him the way they did it gave me a comfort and ease that he was loved and loved those boys in return.

At first I wasn't sure if preschool was for us or the way to go but for now it is a wonderful blessing to the Wells family and I'm excited for more memories to share!

Happy Birthday Ellis!

Ellis' birthday was August 26, 2011. As scheduled I'm writing a blog post about it almost 2 months later. That's when I get around to things these days. I hadn't thought much about children's birthday parties until someone told me I needed to have a party for him. I knew that I wanted to but for some reason it hadn't dawned on me that his birthday was coming up soon when they had mentioned the thought of a party.  Within a day I had decided when, where, and what type of party we were having. Even though we were keeping it small I became extremely excited when I realized I now had a new reason to craft, decorate, and plan an event which are all three things I thoroughly enjoy. After much researched I settled on a cheerio theme for Ellis' party.

Some things to remember about the party were:
 1.) Many invitations came back in the mail due to lack of postage.
2.) When they came back I decided to open one and realized the cheerios that were apart of the invitation were now dust that exploded in your face when you opened the invite.
3.) Due to Ellis' potential of not quite being of age he didn't know what to do with or really enjoy his cake. In fact he became so overwhelmed with everyone starring at him he threw a fit in his seat. The only way I got him to smile for the picture was to tickle his feet.
4.) We sang Happy Birthday to him in the bathtub because it is a place he is always happy!
5.) Somewhat ironic but he never has and still doesn't like Cheerios. :)

It was so much fun thinking and decorating for this party and now I'm excited to start planning for Abram's 4th birthday coming up in November! The party planning will probably happen sporadically a week or maybe two before the party. Anyway, enjoy some pictures from the party in August!

Hallelujah! What a Savior.

This past weekend Tony and I had the privilege to spend in Gatlinburg with many college students from the ministry he works for. It was a refreshing getaway to go to the mountains, be with friends, and meet with the Lord. Throughout the weekend were several sessions that included games, a talk, and worship. This weekend I was reminded of what happened in my life several years ago when God called me out of the darkness (enslaved to sin) and brought me into his light (freedom in Christ). The talks were good, and the fellowship as well but I was mostly reminded through a song.

It seems with the busyness of mothering lately that I am mostly reminded of the gospel through songs. I heard a new or possibly old hymn for the first time this weekend and cannot stop thinking about the lyrics. If my heart could cry out a song this is what it would be. I can't listen to it without tears coming to my eyes and without wanting to shout in thankfulness and gratitude to the God who saved me from my sin and calls me righteous through his son. I cannot even fathom the undeserved love and mercy He has poured onto my life. How I wish everyone could understand this song in the way God has graciously allowed me to understand it. You can either read the lyrics below or listen to Hallelujah, What a Savior. Hallelujah is used to express praise or joy.

Man of Sorrows what a Name

For the Son of God who came

Ruined sinners, to reclaim

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Buried shame and scoffing rude

In my place, condemned he stood

He sealed my pardon with his blood

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Guilty, vile, helpless me

Spotless lamb of God was he

Full atonement can it be

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was he to die

It is finished, was his cry

Now in heaven exalted high

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

When He comes a glorious King

Oh his ransom home to bring

Then a new this song we'll sing

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Super Baby

Most parents probably think they're child is extra special, really smart, and does crazy things that other babies don't do. Well, let me join the club. I honestly think Ellis is a baby genius. It could be because in a matter of 4 months he has gone from not being able to roll over to almost walking. He went from making little coo sounds to repeating words. The poor babe only had formula his whole life and is now eating veggie soup out of a spoon. And this not so little one has almost doubled his height, weight, and head size. Now this might happen with all babies in a matter of 4 months but that's a big shocker to me. I can't believe that when I brought my baby home he was wearing 3-6 month clothing and is now 12-18 months. Sometime's I'm self conscience about the rapid growth rate of my child and wonder...am I feeding him to much. But, he's a cutie, and he's solid, and tough, and fun, and he just needed a little jump start on life.

I started to notice his genius at his 12 month appointment. There were several animals on the walls at the Dr's office and I was trying to get Abram to repeat the animal sounds after me. I then noticed Ellis was saying them. His first word was Night, Night. His second word...Cat. Later came Mama and Dada. His vocabulary has now also expanded to ball, Nana, and choo choo. It's been fun to see this little man grow but Ellis! could you slow down just a little. I'm really enjoying this little baby stage or small child stage of life and would like to keep it that way at least for a couple of weeks. I'm not ready to change out your clothes again or to begin chasing you around the house. But whatever happens, we love this little boy and are so thankful for his life! Here's to our Super Baby!!!

After writing this today I forgot to mention he can give hugs, kisses, and wave and say hi to strangers. :) Loving this crazy baby.

Our Son is a Warrior

I've decided not to give up on the blogging world even though I haven't written in almost 3 months. We have been busy to say the least. A good busy and I'm going to try to get back to blogging...although no one may longer read this. Anyway, here is a blog I started in July that I decided to finish 2 months later. ENJOY!

This past week at church was Vacation Bible School. We were excited to get to spend the week with our church family and were also hoping it would get Abram a little more used to being in the nursery at church. As of now he doesn't necessarily like when we leave him anywhere but he's getting used to the idea and now knows we're coming back. I would vote this past week at VBS a success. I think he made a few friends and really enjoyed his time. One thing we learned from this past week is that he has no reservations and will do anything. We've also learned that he is very protective of his family and we've deemed him a warrior.

Tony, another man John, and I were put in charge of the story time for the 2-6 year olds for the week. Due to Tony and John's humorous and creative personalities it was a fun, wild, and crazy week. I don't think they looked at the actual script at all but they made the stories very real and interactive for the kids. One night in particular was the story of the Good Samaritan. Tony was the man beat up on the side of the road and John played all of the characters that passed him by. The scene started with Tony moaning and groaning and dressed as if he'd been beaten. This may have been slightly intense for the young children and we know it was for the few that were crying but most of the kids just seemed intrigued. As the scene goes on the priest passes him by, then the Levite. The children were all yelling stop, stop but as the story goes the men just passed up poor, beaten Tony. Next comes the Good Samaritan. Dressed as a super hero he makes his grand entrance and then heads over to help Tony.

As he reaches Tony and begins to perform CPR, give him a shot, and do all of these things to make him better we hear a loud scream come from the audience. The scream was followed by a small child who jumped out of his seat, shoved all others aside, and ran to the good Samaratian. He then proceeded to push the good Samaritan until he no longer lay hold of Tony. It was our son Abram, the warrior. He had come to save his Dad. With a big hug and smile on his face his father was saved and all was right with the world.

What I love most about this story is how Abram had nothing holding him back. He saw his Daddy needed help and he didn't care who was around, no one would stop him from getting to his Father. This was a fist pumping time for his Dad and I. We were so proud of our courageous little boy and were excited to see his love come out. He couldn't yet say it but we could see it without words. That is why we've deemed him our little warrior!

A Day at the Waterpark

We had a fun day at the local waterpark here in Georgetown. Due to Abrams intense love for water it was a day we couldn't resist and he loved it. His favorite part were the jets he could run through and the huge pool he could sit in. He did not however enjoy the lazy river and I was extremely sorry to anyone trying to lounge while we were passing by. It probably wasn't a pleasant experience. That may have been one along with some other embarassing moments for the day. Here's a couple more...

Abram got so excited (and I can't blame him) that he decided to take off running. After seeing and hearing the lifeguards yell at many other people for running I quickly decided that I needed to stop him. So there I went running after him. By the time I got a hold of him I completely wiped out on the ground skinning my feet and knees and shoving my son down and into the water as well. So there we were both laying on the ground one of us in pain and the other wailing. I'll let you decide who was who. But I picked him up and took him to the jets and all was well except for the cuts that I'm now nursing on my legs. At that moment when both of us were sprawled out on the ground I wanted to yell... it's only been 3 weeks people. But I didn't. I stayed composed and went on with the day. I got many sympathy smiles from the people around.

Another time we wanted to explain our situation was when Tony was taking Abram back to the jets. They were almost there and Tony went to wipe his eyes. Within about 3 seconds Abram had went and jumped into the pool that he cannot yet swim in. Thankfully there was a man sitting on the side of the pool that pulled him out. It wasn't very dramatic and Abram didn't even seem phased but once again you're tempted to explain...we've only been parents for 3 weeks! Needless to say we've been learning humility as parents but it's been a fun journey so far. We love taking the boys places because they're usually a joy to people wherever we go. Abram loves to wave and hug and usually has a smile on his face. Ellis just smiles and is usually held by many people. He's a heavy weight and I'm glad he's a magnet which means I'm not the one holding him all the time. Anyway...here are some pics from our day of fun at the waterpark. We'll probably go back sometime.

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A Reflection on the Gospel

When I have time to sit and think, or often times when I'm holding or playing with the boys I start to think what if. What if we'd never made the decision to adopt and what if we'd never brought them home. Even in writing that sentence tears well up in my eyes. It's only been 2 plus weeks and I can't even imagine the thought of it. It almost makes me feel guilty for the times when I asked myself... what are we thinking, or how can we adopt,or how can we adopt 2 at one time, and how can one of those children be older? I was scared and could see these questions in other people. I could see that some people thought we were crazy and it made me wonder if we were. But now none of those questions come to mind when I look at the beautiful faces of two young brothers that are now my sons. My SONS!

This process has affirmed my faith in God and my faith in his son Jesus Christ more than

anything else has in my life and maybe in my lifetime. As a Christian I had recently learned the correlation between adoption and between my walk with God. I started to realize more and more what it meant and what it looked like for me as a spiritual orphan. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about life before I came to know God. I thought there was nothing else I needed. But deep down I felt something was missing and I couldn't ever get it right. I can now see I was selling myself short and most importantly selling God short. I didn't see the CRAZY peace that could come in life from knowing God is in control of all things. I didn't see the joy that I would have even when I shouldn't have had any. And the love that can come

from God and from fellowship with other believers. An unconditional love that is full of grace, and forgiveness, and mercy. These kinds of relationships will change your life. All of this happened when God adopted me into his family. It was nothing I did but he came, chose me, died for me, and brought me into his family. If God hadn't adopted me I never would've known and have experienced all that I have so far. Sometimes I wonder if God feels as much joy adopting me and others as I do when I look at my sons. The joy when I look at them and know the life they came from and the life they were headed for and can see the life they are now living.

While in Ethiopia we saw street children begging for money. One child in particular looked as though he had acid poured on his face. This young boy clung to my side in the markets asking me for money. We then saw a man standing close by collecting all the money from the children. Was this our boys future? We met the boys mother. A prostitute just trying to survive... we saw men selling mops door to door and others laying on the ground begging for food. Was this the future for our boys? Who knows what would've happened to them at their mothers brothel. Who knows what kind of men could have gotten ahold of them. Our boys have scars from their past that we cannot explain but we do know they won't get those same scars again. These boys were destined for a life of corruption, disease, and abuse. So I guess the What if question wouldn't be to hard to figure out. From this we've learned that adoption is a messy process. Orphans come from a messed up life. This makes me wish other people would be questioning, "What if" and not thinking it's not possible. People say to us, "You're such great people", or "you deserve an award", or "this is such a good thing that you're doing." But honestly all I feel like is we had kids. And when they say that all I can think about is how what we have done is nothing compared to the sacrifice that God made to adopt us.

When the process has been hard, when the boys are sick, when I don't get any sleep at night, I think about what Christ endured on the cross for me. I think about how a perfect and holy God, sent his perfect and holy son to earth to become a human just like me. I think about how that man lived a perfect life without sin. A life I could not have possibly lived. And then that man was murdered on a bloody cross to save God's children and to bring them into the family of God. And then he conquered that death and went to be with his Father again.

It should've been me and all of us on that cross. None of us can live a perfect life and all of us have offended God even if we don't see it. But God knew that and sent his son to die the death that I deserved. Our adoption of these boys is nothing in comparison to that great news. Because of that news we are able to extend the unconditional love to these boys. The love that says I don't care where you came from or what baggage that you come with but we will love you and serve you and die for you daily. It is a great honor and joy to have rescued these boys. And the joy that they bring surpasses all.

Ephesians 1:3-6 says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In LOVE he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his GLORIOUS GRACE, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."

I'm thankful that God chose me and I'm thankful that he also chose my sons. He picked 2 out of 6 million to be ours and it couldn't be more affirmed by them being here! They are Wells' through and through and hopefully one day they will have another adoption story by our heavenly Father.

Anyway, I was just feeling overwhelmed with the goodness of the gospel and the thought of bringing these boys out of destruction. Hope you're encouraged by the God that you already know or the God I hope you one day come to know. These pictures are random things we saw in Ethiopia.

Our First 2 Weeks!

First I want to thank everyone for helping us. We are so thankful for our families and friends that have helped us these first few weeks. They've enabled to catch up on some sleep and spend really good time with the boys. SO thanks to everyone whose brought us food and helped us take care of these guys.

Our first two weeks have been eventful to say the least. Within the first 6 days we went to the doctor twice and the hospital twice. Abram seemed to have caught a couple different viruses from becoming a U.S. Citizen. The little guy was so sick for the first week he couldn't eat and was in and out of fevers. But we got him medicine, took him to the international adoption specialist, and now we have medicine to hopefully cure him for good. He's been so sweet already that I can't wait to see him when he's feeling good!

Other than illnesses we are all doing great! The boys have adjusted better than we could've possibly imagined. They have adjusted to the time change, they're loving and trusting us, and we are getting into somewhat of a routine and learning new things everyday. Some things Abram has learned so far is to close his mouth, where everything is in the house, he knows some words (but isn't saying them yet) such as Mommy, Daddy, Smile, Hug, Kiss, Trash, discipline, yes, no, all done, eat, and all the African words for potty. He amazes us everyday by doing more things on his own. He can now get his own water out of the fridge, throw anything in the trash, climb the ladder in and out of the pool, and pee outside in our backyard. The last one is his favorite.

As for Ellis he is as sweet as ever. He's started eating 4 times a day which has helped in between feeding times extend and has helped him sleep better at night. So far he's made it through the night one time and we're hoping this becomes a habit. He's also been rolling all the way over and has recently started sitting up!!! He seems to be right on target.

Tony and I are also doing well. I am so thankful to have him home for the summer and know that I couldn't do it without him. People ask if it has helped or hurt our marriage and as of now I can only say it has helped. It's been fun trying to figure out what we're doing together. It's also made us much more appreciative of the little time that we now have to ourselves. This has seemed to help our communication and helped us show our love and appreciation for each other all the more. I have loved watching Tony be a wonderful Dad. It makes this whole parenting thing so much easier than I thought it was going to be. So as of now we're just enjoying the summer and teaching the boys more and more everyday!

The End of the Beginning...

Our Embassy trip was wonderful and now that we're back home it seemed more wonderful than ever. We were told on a Wednesday morning that we needed to be at the Embassy the following Monday morning at 9 a.m. Everything we had been planning for was finally coming to fruition. All the toys, clothes, "child proofing" we had done was about to be put to use. Yet all of a sudden we felt rushed to "get things together".

We had only been waiting 6 weeks. Throughout the adoption process you are always waiting for the next thing. This was our last waiting for our boys and we were ready for it to be over. So when we got the call it was some of the best news we'd ever heard but we really didn't have much time to think about what was about to take place.

We bought our tickets that day and on friday we were on our first flight. We arrived in Addis, Ababa on Sunday morning. It felt like we had just been there. Once again we were greeted at the airport by our lovely hostess Agie. She took us to the Guest House to get situated and then we went to get our boys.

We had been going and going since friday afternoon. I just remember praying. Praying they'd remember us and hoping they'd be the same sweet boys we left a few weeks prior. I was hoping Abram wouldn't be bitter or sad that we had left him but would trust us and know that this time it was for good. Our prayers seemed to be answered when we opened the gate to the transition house and saw our little boy standing there with a toy.

As soon as we made eye contact he smiled. He stood and waited for us to come get him. We walked over, Tony picked him up and he gave him a big hug. He couldn't stop grinning and neither could we. We then took him to go get his baby brother Ellis. When I first saw Ellis I was shocked to see how much he'd grown since we'd seen him last. Immediately he smiled, I picked him up, and our family was complete! There was an overwhelming peace and joy that came from holding them and knowing we would "Lord Willing" never have to let them go again. It was a good feeling.

We stayed and played with the other children for a while and then had the boys say their last goodbyes. We were surprised at how many children were gone that had been there before. We were happy that they were not there because that meant that they had already been brought home to be with their families.

The next few days went by fast and I'm so thankful that they did. This trip unlike our last trip the Guest House was full of other families adopting. One of the famillies was a Dad and his little girl Rebecca. Rebecca was friends with Abram. They came from the same village, orphanage, and transition home. It was fun to see them interact. They spoke to each other, shared toys, and shared food even if it came out of their own mouths. They were buddies. We ended up traveling back with Rebecca and her father and plan on staying in touch. They live only 20 minutes away and may be friends for life.

Staying at the Guest House those last few days in Ethiopia have made us very grateful to be home and to live where we live. We had a very small room in the Guest House with a shared bathroom and a toilet that wasn't working. With the end in sight it wasn't hard to rough it for a few days but helped us see al the luxuries that we have. Starting our family in Ethiopia has made it 100 times easier raising them at home. Even though it hasn't been easy, I am thankful for where our boys are from and for how our journey has began. Right now they're sleeping in their beds and it couldn't feel any better. Even though it feels like our journey is over we know it has just begun and what a crazy, fun ride it's going to be. Hope to update more soon!

The Room is Ready!

Well...tomorrow is the day we get to go get our boys and we never have to take them back! I guess it was time to officially finish the room. So we finished it today and here are some pictures to share!

My friend and her mom made these awesome Map Blankets for both of the boys. We thought they'd be nice decorations!

The Abram and Ellis signs came from a shower for the boys.

This was the laundry bag I used in college that I painted for their room.

My friend and I painted these canvases for their room as well. I wanted some scripture to be readily available in time of need!

Some little gifts for the boys.

This is the puzzle we used that raised a LOT of money to bring our boys home. It has the signatures of everyone that helped bring them home from donations to showers!

Their little Book Nook.

Ellis' bed that we are excited for him to soon be sleeping in!

The toy box, also used as a nice bench. One of our smartest additions to the room.

So that's all for now. Thanks to everyone who has helped us and made special things for their room! We are soooooo thankful to the Lord that they will be here within a week to fill it!