No Mo Fro

We've always struggled with Corban's hair.  It's hard to know what to do with it.  It's thick and tight and curly.  Not easy to style.  So we've kept it closely shaved mostly. 

So this past December when we were traveling to Ethiopia, I said to him, "Corban this is your chance to figure out what you want to do with your hair.  Let's look around and see what you wanna do".  He decided that he wanted to grow out an afro.  We were fine with that.  Marjorie read a lot about how to do it right....conditioners, spray, etc.  I liked to joke that I could guarantee that we had more hair products in our house than most girls his age.....but I was sort of serious. 

He liked his fro.  He was proud of it.  He didn't like all the work.  He definitely didn't like having to pick it out every morning.  But he liked when it was big and puffy right before school and looked cool.  He liked playing soccer with it.  He liked when it rained and the water just kind of rolled off.  He liked it in the pool when it was flow around and gather around his neck.

But summer is here and we told him it had to go.  Too much work.  It's like velcro for leaves, grass and twigs.  And we can't even imagine what the beach would look like. 

So tonight, we said good-bye to the fro.  It will re-appear again in September....and this time it'll be bigger!

Missing Piece Found!

Let's start with filling in the blank.  For a year and a half we were using a picture that had a missing piece of the puzzle.  We weren't totally sure who went in that spot. 

Now we absolutely know.

So we've changed our blog banner to show that.

I can't tell you how smooth the transition has been in almost every way.  We had some hiccups along the way, but this boys just fits with our family.  He loves the boys.  They are brothers through and through. 

The Story Isn't Over

Once again we need to apologize.  We've just left this blog sit on the shelf.  We've been living life.  Figuring out what it looks like to be a family of 5 instead of 4.

I have every intention of writing more here.  The story didn't end when E came home.  There's more to tell.  We have just been bad story tellers.  There are more bits of E's story...God's story....that you need to hear about.  We're sorry we haven't shared those.  We will.  Soon.

If for some reason a couple weeks goes by and nothing new is up here....bug us about it.  Seriously.  You HAVE to hear more of the story.  It's so good.

And to keep this cool...here's a picture of E....being a stud.

A New Plan

I said to Aaron today....

"The Lord spoke to me on my way to work today..."

Smiling he said, "NO! NO I don't want to hear from the Lord again!"  The last time I said that I heard from the Lord, we started this adoption journey and trusting Him for the funds.

Now adoption is done, even my 3 months of maternity leave.  On Monday it's back to the stress, business and ordinariness of working full time.

God said today, "I have your hand.  I walk with you on this part of the journey too.  I am with you."

When I got home later and was reading, writer Ann Voskamp reminded me that God is in the ordinary and He can multiply the ordinary gritty people and events and make them miracles.

He will do that with me too.  And so, I follow His path and adventure.

Corban in Ethiopia: A Picture at the Spot

I meant to put this in the other post about Corban going to Ethiopia.....but just forgot. 

I posted this picture on Facebook when we landed at Dulles International Airport  in Washington DC.  The description I put "Ladies and Gentleman: As of this moment, the newest U.S. citizen is Elias Dereje Reinard. We made it! Just a car ride tomorrow morning between us and home."

So the deal is that because we already cleared the Embassy in Addis Ababa....as soon as we cleared customs in the airport, Elias becomes a citizen.  Pretty cool right? 

Here's where it gets cooler.  We didn't just randomly take this picture.  This picture is taken in (as close to the real) the spot where we first met Corban.  They've re-designed the waiting area....but we are standing where we met a little toddler Corban who was very afraid and confused at what was going on.  He had been on a plane for hours and hours and didn't know us at all.  The spot where this picture is taken, is part of our journey with both boys. 

How cool is that?

All the Poor and Powerless....Part 2.

If you've read this blog from the beginning of our journey to now, you might vaguely remember a post I did in the summer of 2012.  I mentioned a song that had captured our house called All the Poor and Powerless by All Sons and Daughters.  We sang that song almost daily for months.

The end of the song has these lyrics:


Shout it.
Go on and scream it from the mountains.
Go on and tell it to the masses.
That He is God.



So when we went to pick up Elias in Ethiopia our friend Desalegn took us to church Sunday morning...the day we were leaving.  The church he goes to is an international church.  They speak English.  We had been there in August.  It feels like going to church at home.

So the worship leader stand up and welcomes everyone and starts playing the first song of their set.  Guess what song they start out with?  All the Poor and Powerless.  Marjorie and I instantly go to tears.  Here we are in Ethiopia, holding our son who we've waited a year and a half for....who God specifically told us was part of His plan for our family....and the first song they play is a song that was on our families heart at the beginning of this journey.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME???


SHOUT IT
Go on and Scream it from the mountains.
Go on and tell it to the masses
That He is GOD!!!!

Corban goes to Ethiopia

So when we talk about our recent trip to Ethiopia, one of the first few questions that people ask is "What did Corban think of Ethiopia."....or some variation of it.

Let me tell you this brief story:   We bought my mother a scarf for Christmas while we were in ET.  When she opened it, my mom smelled it and said, "wow this smells good".  As Marjorie smelled it she said, "this is what Ethiopia smells like".  Corban smelled it and said, "Mmmm yeah that's Ethiopia."

I LOVE that my son knows what Ethiopia SMELLS like.

He had a great trip.  He thought traveling was a fun adventure.  He liked watching movies on the plane.  We forced him to sleep because he would've just watched movies until he was exhausted.  He was a great traveling companion.  Neither of us could've expected how well he would've done.  He was a trooper.  He didn't stress out.  He was patient.  He soaked things in.

We got to show him some of the things that we love about Ethiopia.  We ate yummy food.  We drove around the Addis Ababa  (which is where he was born).  He and I went on lots of walks around our neighborhood and talked about what he was thinking and experiencing. He is a really smart boy.

We are very open with the boys about adoption and where they're from.  Corban knows his story.  So nothing he saw there was "new" to him.....but I think it solidified his thinking.  He got to experience what he already knew.

One very important moment for him was completely unplanned.  While we were at E's orphanage for his going away ceremony, Corban was a little antsy so we told him to go out into the courtyard for a bit.  While he was there, there was a young man who started talking to C in Amharic.  Corban quickly said, "Sorry.  Only English".  The young man spoke perfect English so he switched over quickly.  He was amazed at Corban.  He had never met any kids who had been adopted and returned to Ethiopia to visit.  He had lots of questions for Corban....what's your favorite food in America...what makes you feel special about being Ethiopian....do you like Ethiopian food..do you like being here in Addis. 

In that conversation Corban was able to do two things.....on one hand he was able to be very proud of where he had come from.  He was proud that he was Ethiopian.....that this was his city.  Yet he was able to be proud of America.  He talked about his friends.  He talked about food he liked.  He was able to put the picture together fully.

My favorite Corban story (and he tells it better) is this:  Just before he met the guy and talked about living in America I was out in the courtyard with Corban.  Something fell down into the court yard.  He runs over and picks it up and says, "Dad this fell from the sky."  After looking up he says, "it must've come from that wash line up there."  (balcony).  Yep looks like it.  He holds it up and says, "Look it's a bib"   To which I say, "Um.....dude......that's not a bib.  That's a diaper."  To which he screams, hurls the diaper to the ground and runs away from it.  He's so dang funny.

While we were driving back to the airport to fly home, our driver asked Corban what his favorite part of the trip was.  Corban's answer was, "visiting my home town and my home country."  He said it with a sense of pride and joy.  Ethiopia isn't just a place he's heard about anymore.  He's already talking about "when we go back".  I like that.