(FYI...getting 8 people to sit and all smile and look at the same time at the camera....impossible!)
Wow...What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been. I think back to just one week ago and it's mind boggling to me that I was in Africa. A week ago I was ripping my hair out (I know I don't have hair, funny) with the loudness and whining of 5 kids and a baby (The Stewarts kids plus ours). A week ago I was missing my family in America, who was waiting for me to come home and start the next phase of the family. Today I'm sitting in my recliner, typing away on normal speed internet access, listening to the noise and loudness of the newly formed household.
The kids are all adjusting as well as they possibly can be. I'm actually shocked and amazed at how well everyone is getting along. After being in that African hotel room and listening to the constant cries of Cinco, the non stop calls for "beeesket" (Liberian for cookie or cracker), wiping poo-poo hiney's 4 or 5 times a day, I was so nervous about how this all was going to work out. But God is glorious. It's been pretty fun here. Kids playing, talking, laughing. Mom and Dad finding time for everyone, even though it seems like someone is always being forgotten or lost in the crowd. Cinco hasn't whined as much, heck hardly at all. Although he is still a stinking poop factory. Tres is so much more comfortable now that we are in "America". She has taken to having her room with Uno, her dolls and a virtual toy store of toys to goof off with. She hasn't had one of her wailing fits since being home. and Siete...Well he's still the man. He's learned that crying is the way to get what you want in the U.S.A! And that food is here all the time and his mouth is open all the time, what a perfect marriage.
At dinner last night, I'm looking at these 7 kids and it hit me that, there are 7 freaking kids at my table!!! Good grief. Each one has their own little personality and future ahead of them. It's going to be interesting to see how it all plays out and what the new routines will be like and which kids gravitate towards each other. We have the momma wanna be in Uno, the quiet yet confident singer in Tres, the human tornado in Cinco, the proud big brother in Dos, the confused yet goofy Sies, the want to be 9, but still only 4 year old Quatro and then the "I'm the man...feed me" Siete. How amazing is this? How cluttered and loud and congested is this? How Awesome!!
God is so merciful and gives us all we need to make it through the challenges of this life. He's given us the means to take in 7 children. He's given us the patience to get through the days of stress here at home as well as in Africa. He's blessed Wife and I with a love for each other that is like no other. He's blessed us with an instant desire to love these 7 kids, which is a miracle for me, because frankly...I do not like kids, toddlers especially. (As 3 of them are in the playroom yelling at each other and fighting over toys!).
And so the chaos of our life will now continue. It's going to be a fun, interesting, stressful, rewarding, tiring,, loving and funny time. But most importantly, I pray it's a time/life of God's blessing's on these kids. All are hand picked by God to be a part of this family, in order to bring more people to His family.
God is so Good!
It's such a weird time for us. I have been doubting the role God has in my life these last few weeks. Such great things are happening, while such hard things are happening too. It's so confusing. I feel like we are trying to be prepared for whatever new children God has for us by finding a home that is a little bigger or with more room in the yard and that doesn't have the safety issue of a pool that can't be fenced in. In doing so, we have had 2 houses lined up, but both have fallen through. We can't seem to sell our house which means we need to put offers in on houses with a contigence that our house will sell. The last house we lost (it has an acre of land, perfect for 6 or 7 kids to go and play in), had another offer come in with no contigencies, so naturally he accepted that offer and we had to back out. It felt like God had hand picked that property for us to raise His children, but of course I was wrong.