So, I gotta squeeze one in here.....

.......an update on the fam, that is.  I was about to post the next day of our Ethiopia trip (you know......since we've been home for almost 4 MONTHS NOW, but you know, I'm already this far behind, what's another week or so).  However, since I intend to print this blog up as a family journal of sorts, I have to include the big news that hit last Thursday which is that Emma lost her first tooth!!  This is the first tooth lost by any of our babies.  Oh my - after the adoption stuff, I know this isn't "big" news, right?  Don't tell that to Emma - the world just about stopped rotating on its axis when that tooth came out!!!!!

She has been working on it for weeks.  Wiggling it here and there and everywhere.  Until last week, she reefed on it so much and then bit into something hard and that sucker soon was hanging on a thread.  Then Thursday night came along, Emma was at church and she fin-a-ly pulled it out.  She left the house our intact little girl and she came home looking like this BIG 6 year old.

And in other news, the babies are ON THE MOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh boy......  Zuri started army crawling (you know, dragging her body while she pulls herself around with her arms) about two weeks ago.  And Zinea has been going up and down on all fours, rocking back and forth, scooting around on her bottom, but not taking off.  Well, today she finally crawled forward a bit to reach her big sister's headphones.  Zuri is getting more and more adept at crawling and can cross our large living room in about 2 minutes.  I love it.  I'm dying for them to get mobile.  I know, I'm a glutton for punishment.

You lookin' at me, daddy?

"Oooooo - a ball!  I'll get it."

The babies are doing amazing.  Life is really good right now.  They are happy, healthy, huge and completely attached to us.....there is no doubt now.  They are sad and cry when being held by someone they don't know and completely stop when coming back to us, which secretly we love because then we KNOW they know we are mommy & daddy.  They wake up every morning with big smiles and cuddles for whoever holds them first (meaning us or the kids.....since Emma & Jake are often in their cribs with them the moment they make a peep).  We put them in the church nursury for the first time on Easter and will for the first time head back into church as a family this weekend.  That's a big next step for us. 

Easter picture.....pretty good considering it was on the fly and taken by a remote control Mikey was holding.  Ha!  The fact we're all looking the same direction is a miracle.  Michael's mom made the girls' dresses and the matching tie for Jakey.

Zuri has become a super happy little girl.  So smiley and giggly all the time.  SUCH a big change from the Zuri of December, January & February.  Zinea is still a smiley and a laid back babe, although she is slowing become more vocal and assertive.  She has a squeal that can make you deaf - literally - it reaches an octive that may not have existed before in a person.  They are beginning to interact with each other in really cool ways.  They talk to each other through the cribs before going to sleep.  They steal toys from each other and laugh and smile at each other.  They pull each others hair and crawl on top of each other just because.  When one is crying or fussy, it will often cause the other to do the same.  It's during these times (among many others) that we thank our awesome God over and over for blessing us with siblings.

 

They are both still sleeping great at night and during the day.  We have been sort of strict with their schedule to make sure sleep stays consistent and it seems to have paid off.  We did for the first time break the nap schedule and headed up for a family day in Portland last week and went to the zoo.  It was our first "family outting" of sorts with the six of us.  It was a really nice day - calm, relaxing and so wonderful to just be with our kids.  The zoo was so quiet and the animals were up and active.  You know when you have one of those days as a family when you and your hubby just look at each other at the end of the day and say, "that was such a great day."  This was one of those days.

  

Think she likes showing off her toothless smile???

Jake LOOOOOVED the zoo train.  It was his first time riding it.

(On a side note - do you notice the big patch of hair missing from his bangs?  Yep - that was a self-done hair cut from a week ago.)

And Mikey & me?  We're doing good, but feel ourselves moving into a completely new and unknown phase of life.  I'm not talking about being parents of 4 kids, getting older, the post adoption life or any of that.  I'm talking about some big stuff like jobs, where & how we are living, where and how we worship, serve and get fed spiritually, how we raise up our kids spiritually & educationally.  God has been stretching us DAILY.  Really - daily.  We are spending a lot of time in the word, reading a large stack of books (yes, even Michael, which is telling because he's NOT a reader) and finding moments of amazing clarity and other moments of feeling completely overwhelmed and/or patiently waiting for what the Lord is going to reveal to us next.  It feels sort of wild.  And crazy.  And scary.  And exciting.  Most of all, despite feeling a lot of unknowns, we feel totally at peace knowing we are seeking God's will for our lives now more than ever before in our marriage.  He is faithful.  He is right.  He is true.  We have peace and are resting in that.