Whirlwind!

What a whirlwind we've been on this past month! I've done a terrible job documenting our family events lately, but I've been intentional about getting us settled in NY as quickly as possible, and so that commitment is taking up all my time. Before I try to summarize this past month I'm still in awe and praise about how well we are settling in and bonding as family and feeling at home here at West Point.

We've been here for 2 weeks now and I'm slowly learning my way around (the first 2 weeks are always my least favorite since I'm directionally challenged). Our first week here the girls attended Pandamania Vacation Bible School on post from 9-12 each day. VBS was a short walk up the street and a perfect way to get the girls meeting kids. It also allowed Isaac to get his morning nap, Riley to get in-processed & me unpacking. Our friends Sean & Meghan introduced us to people who have introduced us to more people, and Riley knows a lot from his time here as a cadet, etc. We quickly met another family who have a 3 year old son adopted from Ethiopia. Veronica is my age and they also have 3 biological kids so we've had dinner with them a couple of nights already.

The house is coming along fast! The dity move went smoothly and between CraigsList, Target, Home Depot, Ikea & the Carpet Mill the house is live-able and actually starting to feel cozy! Meghan helped me pick out rugs and from there I found a lot furniture off Craigslist (I need a separate blog about that). Paint colors were decided Thursday night, purchased on Friday and the living room, dining room, kitchen and girls room are all painted!

Another fun highlight for me is that I joined a running club. It's called the Knight Runners and they meet every Sat morning at 730 for a group run. They usually have a 4 mile route and then a longer route option since several are training for upcoming half marathons. I've run with them twice now and have met some neat gals that way. My legs and lungs are quickly adjusting to there brutal hills!

Uncle Kyle was our first house guest!!! He took the train up yesterday and spent the 4th with us picnicking on the Hudson River, watching the Cornwall parade, licking ice cream cones, watching the amazing WP fireworks display and swimming at Round Pond.
The girls were in awe of fireworks this year-oooohing and awwwwing and commenting after every explosion.

And the adoption...well, we've got the court decree saying that Solomon is ours, but we can't bring him home yet because we're required to re-do several documents since we moved and have a new state. Big disappointment as we were hoping we could bypass all that. After several days of frustrating phone calls we finally chose a local agency who will come out and give us a home study update and file all of our NY background checks, physical, etc. We're praying for speed in processing & that none of this will delay getting an Embassy date and that we would remain patient with the system.

And now, the past month...
While Ry and I went to Ethiopia the girls had a great time with Grandma & Grandpa in Ohio. They saw their Aunt Meg everyday and loved all the things they did together- rode the carousel, played at the beach, went shopping at the mall, read lots of books, & played with their cousins.

After Ohio we drove to NY to see our new house, unload our things and spend 2 days unpacking. We drove to Niagra Falls on our 12 hour+ drive to Michigan.

Riley spent several days with his high school friends back in Michigan while the kids and I stayed at Mimi & Papa's. We went strawberry picking, played with cousins, & went to the Holland street fair where we watched street gymnasts, ate candy from the Peanut Store and watched Mary Poppins at the theater.

We spent a week in Indiana at Potato Creek for a "Post Family Reunion" with all Ry's siblings and kids. We had a great time in our own cabin but meeting up with everyone for Story Time, walks to the general store, swimming at the pond, paddle-boating, play-do, parade, pinatas, and dinners together.

After Potato Creek we drove back to Ohio to spend a few days with my parents at their lake cottage. We spent Father's Day with my dad and he and Riley got to do a bit of fishing.

Then, we drove to NY again to stay!!!

-Ellie lost her first tooth while driving from Ohio to West Point. She immediately wanted to call her Aunt Meg and everyone else she knew to announce her big news. Every morning she wakes up in our new house and asks to sit out on the front porch. She loves to be outside, picking flowers and watering flowers and making boquets. She also loves wrestling and punching her Dad.
- Saedi likes to wear headbands everyday, but she wears them across her forehead instead of on her head. She's a funny girl and likes to make up jokes (like calling Ellie "Ellievator") and prank people with fake pooo. Her favorite part of our house is the "Vasement"
-Isaac refuses to take milk from anything other then me. While Ry and I were in Ethiopia for 5 days he refused milk. He has 7 teeth and has stopped all baby signs. He purses his lips together and says, "oooooh" to everything. The boy is huge. 23 lbs and in 18 month clothes at 10 months old. He eats more then his sisters (3 meatballs and a large slice of watermelon) for dinner plus full nursings still. He pulls himself up constantly and loves to climb stairs but has yet to take a step.

Love you all! More to come...



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