What a great kid!

Jacob and Tulem the day we picked him up.

Here is Tulem with several happy siblings.  He was actually happy too - you just can't see his face very well:)

Tulem is an awesome little boy. One week home and he is adjusting very well.  He sleeps through the night, he is not a picky eater, he is cuddly and affectionate.  In Ethiopia he prefered Jacob and wanted his brother to hold him.  Now that he is with me most of the time he wants mama to pick him up and hold him. His brothers are fun, but mommy is consistently there to feed him, love him and take care of him. He checks to make sure I am watching when he goes down the slide or scribbles on paper - so I can say, "Good job, Tulem!" He pushes the buttons for me as we load the washer, dryer and dishwasher - who knew applicances were so much fun.

He loves taking a bath and pouring water on his head. He likes riding in his carseat as we pick up and drop off siblings at school, soccer, swimming, and church. He also likes to get into everything and unroll the toliet paper, open and close doors, press any button, and turn lights on and off.

I most admit I am pretty tired, but I am just so pleased with our delightful little guy!

We are home!

Here Jacob and I are picking up Tulem.

Here is the first night home playing with his two oldest brothers. Luke is lifting him off Colin who was his pony.

Everyone played in the front yard and had a great time with their new brother. If you look closely you can see the beaming smiles on both girls' faces.

Sometime I will write about our wonderful trip. But right now I am just so thankful to have Tulem home. All nine of us are in love with him.  He sleeps through the night, eats well, is fun to play with, is affectionate, and is generally easy-going.  He is adorable and we are so glad he is part of our family!

Embassy Appointment!

We have an appointment on September 20 with the US Embassy in Ethiopia to get Tulem's visa! Praise the Lord! Jacob (12) and I are flying out tomorrow.
I am so excited and can't wait to see Tulem. The last few weeks have been stressful not knowing when I would be going. We passed court July 11 and were submitted to the Embassy Aug 10.

I am thankful that two other precious YWAM families will be there at the same time.

School starts and waiting for Embassy

Five kids started school yesterday.  It was Amy's first day of Kindergarten and Kali's first day of first grade.  Lana and Megan started 3rd grade and Jacob is in 8th grade.  Everyone had a great day. Colin starts his Sophomore year next week (this week he is volunteering at a camp for foster kids).  Luke has twice a day practices with the West Valley College soccer team and starts classes Aug 29.

We are still waiting for the US Embassy to clear us for travel.  Everyone is getting in their school routine and will soon be settled in, so I am ready to plan my trip to Ethiopia.

Megan is 9!

Megan turned 9 yesterday.  She was almost three when we brought her home from Russia. She is three months older than Lana and they have always been within 1/4 inch of each other in height. Megan often says Lana came home first, but I am the oldest girl.  Megan is a great swimmer and loves the water.  She is a good big sister and I am blessed to be her mom.

Introducing our new son!

Today in Ethiopia the MOWA letter arrived and the judge signed off the case.  We are now Tulem Porter's family and he is ours. Yesterday he had no known family. Today he has 2 parents, 4 sisters, 3 brothers, 3 sets of grandparents, 5 uncles, 3 aunts, 10 first cousins and extended family beyond that too numerous to count. We feel so blessed and we are all excited to be his family.

Isn't he handsome!

He liked being tickled by his new dad when we visited.

My baby is 5!

Amy turned 5 on Wednesday.  It is hard to believe.  We brought her home when she was just 4 months old and such a cute baby with big, chubby cheeks.  I am so blessed to be her mom.
(Lana is with Amy in the picture above.  It is hard to be in a picture alone - some sibling is always jumping in to the spotlight:) )