Early on, we quickly realized we had to make some adjustments to make sure ALL of our kids were getting the attention they needed, because most days, I felt too disconnected from Parker, Emery and Bradley.  We were in the same room and doing our normal routine, but we knew they needed, as did we, a little more!

So, we came up with a very complicated, intricate plan….we let each kid stay up for 15 to 20 minutes past bedtime, one night a week. Earth shattering, right? It may not seem like a big deal, BUT, it has had a huge impact on our family! Not only do we get to spend one on one time with each child, but it has decreased bedtime drama because we have a plan. During our 15 minutes, we do an activity they want, but also check in with them about how they are adjusting and feeling!  Since we are a LARGER family, we are realizing we have to be creative and make adjustments to make sure  each child has our attention and time.

What things do you do to have one on one time with your kiddos?

It is time to bring our son home.

The past few days have been a whirlwind, but today has been one where I feel like my course has been set and I am moving. We received precious pictures of Judson with his birthmom yesterday and it is such a gift. She is a beautiful young woman and I am beyond humbled.

I still have more to share about our court trip and the amazing time we had.

For now, I ask you to pray.

Pray for all the details, our children, our travel, and for our transition. I am not naive to think this is going to be easy or even kinda hard. I know we are not able to walk this alone and I am so thankful that to serve a Father who will complete that which He started and for a community that loves our son already.  The list of resources I have are endless and I DO NOT take the support we have for granted.

We are going to get our son….

Here is our precious son, who is officially a Stewart! We passed court in Ethiopia on October 31 and were able to spend several days with Judson Obsi.

I am not going to candy coat it…he is not a fan of us. He cried most of the time and was never really comfortable with us.  He was able to fall asleep on me two times and actually woke up and stayed in my lap for about 2o minutes. PRAISE!! Jason is still editing our pictures and I can’t wait to share about our trip in detail. The girls did so good and I was so proud of them and how they handled every situation they faced.

I know they are forever changed and this trip will have a tremendous impact on them for their lifetime.

And, they are not the only ones…

It was an wonderful week and I can’t wait to go back for our Embassy appointment and bring our boy HOME. Please pray that this happens sooner rather than later!

More to come…

Some of our activities this Summer have included:

• VBS at LifePoint
• Week of Camp for kids
• LuLu Camp
• First Tee for the girls
• Weekend in Knoxville
• Fourth of July fireworks
• Lot o Swimming
• Sleepovers

And many other moments of fun and insanity.  In light of my 3 children going to school, I decided that it was time for Jason to join in the fun. We went and ate dinner and then all set our for Target with our lists.  We divided and conquered and $100 later….We were done! We have a few more items on our list, but are well on our way to being supply ready!

I have such mixed feelings about our boy starting Kindergarten. At the end of the day, we do what we feel led to do. We seek, we think, we pray and we go with our gut. That is the Stew Family way of determining where God is leading.

Fancy, huh?

How do you feel about Summer coming to a close?

15 years ago, he blew out his ACL playing basketball and being that his doctor was old school, he didn’t start Physical Therapy for 6 weeks. We knew he had scar tissue and that it would need to be cleaned out eventually.  You may also remember that he ruptured his achilles. Finally about a month ago, he went to the Orthopaedic surgeon to have it checked out. They did an x-ray and low and behold they found a SCREW floating in his knee….a SCREW. It is never good when the doctor tells you that they have never seen this before. He had an MRI and the old graft was nowhere to be found and he has some cartilage damage.  Wow, not what we were expecting. The doctor was super impressed that he had been walking around with a screw lose in his knee without severe pain. My man has some major pain tolerance. He also let us know that he thinks it has been out for a while. Technically, we have no idea how long he has been without an ACL.

Needless to say, Jason had knee surgery last Wednesday. He has done so well and I am so proud of him. He just takes it all in stride and deals with it. I love that about him. He is not a complainer and makes serving him as easy as possible. We are hopeful for a smooth recovery.

The downside is that his basketball playing days for hours on end have passed. It is just too hard on his knee, which just makes me so sad for him. On the positive side,  we are looking forward to swimming, bike riding and elliptical training.

Earlier this summer, we had a family night and set out our goals for the summer. We talked through the things we wanted to do and what we were expected to do! We have started using My Job Chart to track the kids chores and it has been a HUGE hit! The kids are responsible for completing and tracking their chores and in return, they receive points that they can cash in for savings, givings and spending. The site is connected to Amazon and they can create a wish list or cash in their points for extra tv time, computer time or certain outings. They did really well at the end of the school year and have continued to use if fairly faithfully! I highly recommend it!

Our adoption hit a snag in mid May. For reasons outside of anyone’s control, we have not been able to have our court date scheduled. This has been a huge frustration and delay. We have been told that a resolution should happen mid July. The Ethiopian courts close in August and September for the rainy season, so there is a great chance that we may not travel til the Fall and at that point we have no idea when he will be home. As you can imagine, that is not our desire and walking in the unknown has some hard moments. He turned two last week and I couldn’t bring myself to write a sweet little post about him, because I don’t know Him, I don’t even know if I would recognize him if I passed him in the streets of Africa. And that is a hard thing for a mommy to write.  The emotion just creeps up on me and surprises me at times.  I was doing a cool down to P90x and had a moment….I was shopping with Jason and broke down in the store….I will be worshipping at our church and it all feels very distant and hard. We did have a balloon launch on his birthday with a prayer with our family….and cupcakes of course.  So we live each day and pray for Judson and walk in faith that God is Sovreign in ALL things.

We have also had VBS, Creative Me camp, lots of swimming, Adventure Science Center, movies, ice cream, playing outside and time together….and we are only one month in for the Summer!

French Dip Sandwiches

Chuck Roast

Packet of Italian Dressing Seasoning

2 Cans Beef Consomme

Hoagie Rolls

Mozzarella

Rinse the beef off. Put it in the crock pot, pour consomme over the beef, sprinkle with seasoning. Cook for 6-8 hours on low. Shred beef when it is nice and tender. Toast hoagie rolls and then fill with beef. Put cheese on top and melt under your oven broiler.

Easy, smeasy…

I also wanted to share my new blog name….

Did you see it?

Catchy, huh?

We had a fun day and were able to take in the local Thunderbirds Air Show…pretty impressive. And Loud. I guess when you have 6 fighter jets flying above your head you should expect it to be loud!

Right over our heads….

My sweet kiddos…so thankful to be their Mom.

• Adoption….should be within weeks of a referral….I mean it this time!
• Jason….busy at work, playing in an over 30 church basketball league (I could make so many jokes at this point), lost a total of 45 pounds, people think he is sick at this point…but he’s not, just HEALTHY!!
• Parker…really enjoyed basketball (post to come), received her first “will you go out with me? note, check yes or no (Still trying to decide if I should blog about it to protect her sweet innocence because it was really one of the best parenting moments I have had EVER), about to start soccer and golf.
• Emery…auditioned for a part in a musical and didn’t get it..learning/growth for her…doing well at school…was a complete JOY to watch on the basketball court, could really do without playing soccer, but we already paid for her to play…. planning out a semi redo for her room…..about to start golf as well.
• Bradley…about to turn 5…i have no words….loves Super Hero Squad on the Wii….is probably addicted to it…because he does all their moves from the game when he is not playing it….so no, he isn’t dancing or hopping randomly…he IS Wolverine or the Incredible “Hawk” (Hulk)….
• Me…trying to find the motivation to train for the Country Music Marathon….working on adoption homestudies more than ever….in the phase of God’s narrowing…you know the time where He narrows your path, your time, your interests…trying to come up with creative family nights and not doing a great job at it…trying to plan our summer…and figuring out Bradley and our African’s room.

I know…riveting…

Emery had a fever when she woke up on Sunday morning and proceeded to get worse as the day went on. She didn’t have a sore throat nor was she throwing up, so I had a feeling it was the flu.
We couldn’t get a dr. appt until 4:00 on Monday and when they tested her, she has Flu A, which I am pretty sure is H1N1.

Great.

We got some Tamiflu and by Tuesday, she was doing great. I actually planned on sending her to school today, but she woke up a little puny and I didn’t want to risk it….

Especially since Bradley started running a fever. Bless his little heart, he is normally extremely healthy. I honestly, can not remember the last time he has had a fever! SO, I ended up with two kids home today. I had my nurse practitioner call me in some Tamiflu to try and prevent getting it.

This evening, Jason came and got the girls and Bradley and I hung out at home. He had taken a really long nap and had perked up.
Then, he asked to sit in my lap…
Then, I noticed he kept burping….
Then, I asked him about it….
And, he proceeded to PUKE everywhere.
I caught most of it in the blanket covering us…THANK YOU, JESUS!

Needless to say, he has felt much better.
I am not sure if I am dealing with the flu or stomach bug with him, but I am officially doomed.
I have been popping Vitamin C, Lysoling and wiping down everything, and doing a ton of laundry.
And, of course, my 14 year old dryer, which has been hanging on for dear life…has been laid to rest.

Awesome……