This is Jeff shooting my dad with a pellet gun. Brilliant right? The one doing the shooting is wearing the face mask instead of the other way around. Someone please explain the logic! Could a wife and daughter be more proud?........ No comment!
Notice the pleasure Jeff is taking in getting in a few shots. To be fair, it was my dad's idea! This should explain quite a bit about me.
Jeff, Jaclyn, Ben, Nana, Aiden Momma Mary, and John Dad at ICE at The Gaylord Texan
Ahhhhh, Happy Birthday Jesus! Thank you for the life I have and the blessings that You keep giving to me! You are my SALVATION!
Happy Birthday Jeff! Thank you for giving me a life I could have never imagined! I am amazed every day of the life God has given us. Can you believe our lives after just 7 short years of knowing each other?? Only 5 years of marriage? Remarkable. Only by the grace of God!
By the way.............Mr. Jeffery just turned 40!!!
My husband is beyond awesome and doesn't act a day over 16! No one would believe he's 40!
I just wanted to say Happy Birthday and I love you!
This was Ben's answer when we asked him if he knew who Santa was. He's close. He did ask if Santa had special powers. I could only think of flying to lots of houses in one night and making himself skinny to fit down chimneys. I would like to know his secret to that one!
Anyway, we have been trying to teach Ben lots of Christmas traditions and songs to get him pumped. Its working.
Watch this after you turn off the music at the bottom of the blog:
If I had to choose one word to describe Ben it would definitely be Resilient. Since I can only imagine all of the things that he has seen and been through in his short life I know that it is his resiliency that makes him the boy he is.
We have only been with him for 4 1/2 months, home for 3 1/2, but he acts like he has been here all along. Of course that is how we act too because we forget that he hasn't been. Even Aiden, despite his struggles with having a brother attached to him, acts like Ben has always been here.
Their fights are over silly things, competitive boy things, brother things. Aiden is claiming his territory most of the time and Ben has a sense of entitlement that is somewhat surprising. He doesn't understand why he needs to take turns or why Aiden doesn't just give him the toy that he wants, even though Aiden has been playing with it undisturbed for the past 20 minutes. To be perfectly honest that one is a bit more that somewhat surprising. You would think that living with 2 other kids would help him understand the concept of sharing a bit more. But if that is the biggest struggle that we have then I am thankin" the LORD!
Homeschooling is going well, I am at a bit of a crossroad, whether or not to purchase a curriculum that puts Ben at one grade level. Right now we are working on some kindergarten stuff, some 1st grade and even 2nd in math. But pulling from lots of different resources gets to be a bit overwhelming and I am afraid I am doing more harm than good sometimes.
I'm also afraid that I am keeping Ben from experiencing a normal school atmosphere. I know Aiden misses that sometimes because he has voiced his opinion the past few days. Then again, I know that as soon as I sent him back to school he would be asking me if he could stay home. Our schedule is just so laid back right now, sleeping until 8 am rather than up at 6. (OK, I am holding on to that one more than they are!!) But in reality, I know how good we all have it with homeschool.
I maybe singing a different tune when I have a toddler home that wakes me up early and makes it more difficult to keep my older boys on task for school. I've never prayed harder for something that would inevitably make my life more difficult. I may be looking into schools this summer if I can make it that long with three kids at home all day! Kidding........kind of.
Life is good right now for us. I am thankful Jeff has a job, even if it keeps him away from us so often. I am happy to have Ben home, glad he is not still waiting on us to come get him. I am glad that our battles seem to be small right now, just enjoying that because I know that it doesn't last forever. I am thankful that Aiden is the child that he is; able to roll with the punches, laid back, and easygoing most of the time. I am just thankful for my life, that God gave it to me to live. I wouldn't trade it for anything!
It's not that I don't believe you Grace, I do, but I am cautiously optimistic.
Grace sent a text to me today to tell me that the elusive piece of paperwork needed for our January court date has been seen by the Hope staff. That is excellent news. I want to bring my baby home! So hopefully there is light at the end of this very very long tunnel.
I also want to say congrats to my friend Holly! She is officially Mamma to Maritu and Mamush. Theo's crib/roommates. She has been waiting as long as I have and had some larger bumps in her road. Today is a GREAT day for her!
When you practice for an emergency evacuation off the ship. Hence the life jackets. Muster sucks because you have to do it right after you get on the ship and all you want to do is get the party started!
I guess I have been a bit apprehensive to share this news since I really am doing my best not to think about it right now. But many of you have asked or wanted to but didn't for fear of sending me over the edge. We have another court date for baby Theo/Teddy/Cooper of January 14th. Our last court dates in October and November didn't turn out well and we thought we would get heard again in December but for some reason they decided to torture us a bit longer.
I have pictures of him walking and sitting on his little potty. I miss him. I think it was so good that I got to spend so much time with him and see how much he loves his caregivers. That really comforts me, to know how much he is loved. I am surprised he can walk at all because he is held and coddled so much. I couldn't ask for anything more from the sweet ladies who love on him in my absence.
I do want to say one thing about Hope though........for those of you making negative comments about their staff and their ability to get our cases approved. I have been there in Ethiopia to see them work. I have seen first hand how the staff works their butts off to get our children home. I stood in the court room with Rahel and saw her face when the judge told her that I would not be bringing my child home with me in August. She was almost in tears. I was with her on her second trip to court that day and I know she made a third for other children's cases. Shim tracked me down at an Embassy doctors office to make sure they were doing everything that they could to get us out of the country on time when things were looking bleak for bringing Ben home. I saw the concern on his face for my kids and me. They care, all of them, and they are trying.
My situation is not about incompetence on the side of Hope, it is about dealing with a third world government that has no rhyme or reason. A government that can change their mind on a whim and make us suffer the consequences. And if you will step back and think about it, a government that might just resent the fact that they are having to give their children away so that they have a chance in life. I know if it were other countries adopting American children we might not be in a rush either.
OK, I have said my peace and I will get off my soap box now. Just one last thing....Thank you Grace, thanks for being sad with us when you have to tell us that we are gonna have to wait a little longer. Thanks for taking the crap people throw at you even though you have absolutely no control over what the court chooses. Thank you for being a friend to me and my family. I don't know if enough people stand up for you but I know just how much you care.
So I got Bookworm Tagged by friend Angie. This one is good because it is easy! No thinking required really.
The rules are to grab the book closest to you, turn to page 56 and type the first sentence of the 5th paragraph.
There was no 5th paragraph so I used the 4th.
"It was absolutely silent for one long second before the screaming began."
That is a quote from Twilight. I am not currently reading it but Eclipse the third book in that series. Twilight just happened to be right next to my bed.
I should mention that I really didn't want to read this series for the simple fact that it has vampires in it and I usually am not into stuff like that. But I heard so many people say how good it was, especially my friend Gina and I caved. And I'm glad I did. It is actually a really good series, even if it is meant for teenage girls! Thanks for loaning them to me Carla!
I'm tagging Gina for obvious reasons.... she has great reading taste!
and Rebecca "Peculiar" Smith because she's fun and I want to know more about her!
He is such a funny kid. I think I have mentioned that, oh say, a buzzillion times before and the day of my return he was true to form.
I wanted some alone time with Aiden when I got home to ask how he was doing, because to be honest, Ben's adoption has actually been much harder on him than it has been on Ben. Going from being a very independent only-child to having a nine-year old brother attached to your hip is not an easy transition. So we had a little talk:
Me: How was your week alone with Pop and your brother?
Aiden: It was alright.
Me: Just alright? How did you and Ben get along?
Aiden: Just alright..... he is always there, every time I turn around.
Me: Hopefully things will get better after he has been here longer and adjusts more.
Aiden: I really think adoption is better when you start from scratch.
Me: What do you mean?
Aiden: Well if you get a baby then you can teach it not to follow you around but if they already know how to walk you really can't keep them away...so I think it must be easier if you start from scratch. Don't cha think?
Me: Ahhh Aiden!
What could I do but laugh?
I've missed my friends a lot and am very glad that I got see I'm not the only one whose got families and really cool stuff happening for them. It was a great great trip!
BLOGGER! I have been out for a while huh! Yikes, the past three weeks have been a bluuuuuurrr! We did 2 weeks in 1 for school, then we went to Midland to visit family and friends and have an early Thanksgiving. I saw friends I hadn't seen in 7,8, and 9 years. It was great. Then we came back and had a week of festivities with family celebrating not only Thanksgiving but also Jeff's mom's, brother's, and step-son's birthdays! And then to top it allllllllllllllllll off, Jeff and I left last Saturday for a cruise to celebrate his 40th birthday! It was sooooo fun. We went with Carla and Darren, our friends, neighbors and cruise partners! I'm gonna blog lots of pictures but thought I ought to check back in quickly first! Missed all of you and can't wait to get updates from all of your blogs!
Me: Ben, please bring me your math assignment.
Ben: OK, Donkey
Me: Ben, please go take your bath now.
Ben: OK, Donkey
Me: Ben, pleeeease STOP kicking your brother!
Ben: OK..........(long pause)...................Donkey
I'm pretty sure that he is meaning "Okie Dokie" but the latter use of the term makes me wonder if he's just calling me a donkey..............(long pause).................. no that can't be it.
I gotta say, my kids make the most out of their chores. I asked them to do the dishes. I explained that some of them would have to be hand washed since they were pans too big for the dishwasher. Aiden looked at me like I was crazy, Ben has only known of dishwashers for 2 months now so it was an ordinary task for him. Anyway, after a while I heard a lot of laughing coming from the kitchen and went to investigate. I assumed that they were not doing what I had asked because there is no way that you can have fun doing the dishes. They proved me wrong!
So I mentioned being tagged a while back and I took my sweet time getting around to coming up with 6 interesting facts about myself. While I was at it I thought of a 7th. I don't know how interesting they actually are but I hope they help you all know me a bit better. Here goes:
1. My all time favorite band is The Beatles. I have loved them since high school. Some of my favorite songs are Revolution, Get Back, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps but there are really too many to name them all. George Harrison is my favorite Beatle. Fortunately my love for them has been passed on to Aiden and he and I are working on Ben.
2. I am addicted to the game RockBand. I'm pretty good on the drums. The boys and I play during the day sometimes (call it part of our music lessons for home school). Jeff, Carla, and Darren and I do "World Tours" almost every Friday night. My favorite song to play on RockBand is Give Me Shelter by The Stones. Great, great song!
3. I am deathly afraid of having a daughter. Hence the three boys! I like the idea of having a baby girl and have thought about adopting again. The only problem with baby girls is that if you feed them, they GROW! The thought of being responsible for a teenage girl makes me panicky! I know I am gonna get crap for this but it is true.
4. I LOVE to watch T.V. I know...............T.V. rots your brain, yada, yada.................yeah, yeah! Heard it. Don't care. I've always liked to watch T.V. I am an only child it was how I entertained myself when I was younger. I don't know how I lived without my Tivo before it was invented. By the way, I read about 2 hours everyday, not including home school stuff so my brain is growing plenty of new brain cells for those of you concerned for my mental health!
5. I have been fortunate enough to visit 9 different countries. Austria, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Mexico, Niger, Scotland, and Ukraine. I have also been to the Cayman Islands but I'm not sure if that counts as a country. (I know its a British territory......I will have to google that here in a minute.) Next year I hope to get to visit my 10th country, Russia, if I can work out all the kinks. And by kinks I mean a baby-sitter (wink-wink, Mom and Dad!!).
6. I LOVE football. LOVE IT! This is my first year in the past 6 not to play Fantasy Football. I was raised by a football watchin' Momma and Daddy. I am and always will be (even when they suck) a Dallas Cowboy and University of Texas fan. I love it so much that one year one of my birthday gifts was Directv NFL Sunday Ticket. Jeff was elated!!
7. I am teaching myself Russian. I have been working on it since last year and it is slow going but I'm getting there. I know some from my 2 trips to Ukraine and I can read Russian. I just don't always know what I am reading, and that can be a bit dangerous!
I am not tagging anyone but I have enjoyed reading everyone elses facts about themselves!
Teddy and Jeff Jeff and I are really excited. Today Ben said "Saponge-a-Bob" when asking to watch his favorite cartoon. Usually it comes out "Jaba-da-ba". Small victories!!
I asked Aiden why he refuses to sleep in the same bed as Ben instead of arguing over who gets the bottom (bigger) bunk. His response was "because he is such a ninja donkey". I am left to assume that Ben kicks in his sleep. Aiden is hilarious!
Monday's are laundry day. The wonderful thing about laundry day is that I don't do it. My husband and two 9 year old boys do it ALL. I taught them (the boys, not Jeff) how to sort and wash laundry over a month ago. They have been doing all of their own laundry ever since. I have really smart, good boys, and they have a really spoiled Mama!!
I have been tagged a couple of times. By Ashley and Denise. I will do my part of the tagging but I need to think about (make up) the interesting facts about myself. Give me a couple of days and I'll complete my end of the deal!
This is how the conversation went:
Aiden: Ben, don't you want to be a nice kid.
Ben: No
Aiden: Well then you are a moron.
Ben: I NOT MO-RON, YOU MO-RON........... Aiden, what is moron?
Aiden & Ben giggling!
So funny, especially with Ben's accent!
OK, after writing my last post I wanted to hear the Crooked Booty song so I went and found it and played it for the boys. We are ALL so very very STRANGE!
Turn down the music player at the bottom of my blog and watch what ensued:
If you haven't noticed.........my kids love to dance. Especially for the camera!
Not many people will get the reference of that title. Just you Morgan. It is a song by The Dungeon Family that is really funny. I actually don't remember all of the words, just the crooked booty part. I know I am strange! But everytime I think about scoliosis I think of that song.
I do realize that scoliosis is not a joke. Jeff has it and he almost had to wear a brace for it when he was young. A friend I spoke with yesterday talked about her niece having to have surgery for scoliosis. She felt so much better after she had the surgery and also was about two inces taller! I do not mean to make light of the issue.
We did hear back from the doctor concerning Ben's x-rays for his scoliosis. He is OK for now but will have to have bi-yearly x-rays to watch it. The doctor did not mention a brace or surgery so we are very thankful.
We also heard back about his bone scan. He is, in fact, a 9 year old boy. The good news is that we will be able to use these x-rays to have his birth certificate changed so that he can officially be 9 years old in America. The bad news is that Aiden will not be pleased with this. Even if Ben is only 6 months older, he is still bigger than Aiden.
Grace's kids came for a visit. Addis came on Thrusday and Miranda and Jackson (Anteneh) on Friday. We had a great time. I am wondering how I am going to juggle a baby and home school but we will figure out a way. This Friday was good practice. We were able to do it with Addis so hopefully Cooper (Theo) will be as cooperative.
Anyway, Friday after Mir and Jax got here the Ethiopian boys were showing the American boys how to dance. Tate, Aiden and Ben's friend, got into it too. He added a little robot action.
Water Fall at Turner Falls, Oklahoma
Jack and Sam playing in the Falls Pool
Camels eating from Marc's cup
Hiking in Turner Falls State Park
Ben and Jeff at the Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma
We are heading to Turner Falls, Oklahoma for a night. We are gonna do some hiking and hanging out with some friends of ours. We are staying in a cabin that sleeps 16. There are eight of us. We don't really know much about the place other than that. Hopefully I will come back with some entertaining stories about our trip!!
I was messing with my Blogger Template and I accidently deleted a lot of my stuff that was on my blog. I am very bummed because it is going to take me quite a while to get all of that stuff back on my blog. Time I don't really have. Boooooooooo!
Lesson #1:
Don't put a corn dog wrapped in a paper towel in the microwave for 6 minutes.
It will catch on fire.
Ben just learned this lesson the hard way. Lots of coughing, gagging, and yelling. Now our house smells like a giant campfire gone bad! He's definitely a Wilkinson. One of our talents is accidentally catching things on fire. Needless to say this is not our first microwave fire.
Grace called today with the news that we have a new court date of October 17th! Yay! This time around I am much less stressed. I might not be so relaxed come October 17th but.........we shall see. Maybe we will get a present on your birthday Carla!
Aiden doing his Bible work
Ben working on his handwriting
Our classroom, the kitchenWhen I told Jeff about the horrors of our last coffee ceremony he suggested that he help this time. This is what I came outside to find this morning:
That is my husband using the base of a TURKEY FRIER and PROPANE to roast coffee beans! Uhhh! But it worked. We still used our regular coffee maker so that it didn't take as long but it was ZELICIOUS, as Ben says. Here is a pic of my neighbor Carla gawking at our redneckness:
We have been home exactly 1 month today. I realized that I have not shared with you all what our first meeting with Ben was like.
We met him on a Friday. Aiden and I had flown in the night before and slept very well after our long two day journey. I made sure to take Melatonin to sleep because I knew how hard it would be, I was so excited.
We woke up early and showered and ate breakfast trying to keep ourselves calm and busy. We just wanted our driver to hurry up and get to us. Ayele, our driver, who has driven so many of my friends to meet their children, was there right on time. We drove the 25 minutes to Hope's Place. We had a nice talk and Ayele said he remembered Mintesinot (Ben) from his previous visits.
We weaved in and out of tons and tons of cars and people walking that are a constant on Ethiopian roads. We finally got to the neighborhood of Hope and started down the narrow dirt roads that lead to it. I couldn't keep still. I was so happy and Aiden was very talkative, his excitement obvious. We turned onto the road that Hope is on, a dead end with the orphanage sitting at the very end.
I was leaning forward in my seat to look up through the windshield to the multi-story structures along the road. As we pulled closer to Hope I could see it, that beaming smile of his. I recognized my son leaning out of the second story window, watching for us. I started waving frantically. My window was rolled down and I could hear Ben yell "Mooooooooooooom!". He rushed from the window and out of sight.
It was all we could do to unbuckle our seat belts and get out of the car without falling flat on our faces. We tried to wait patiently as one of the caregivers opened the gate to the orphanage. I politely said hello to the man on the other side of the gate but really I wanted to push him out of the way to get to my boy. And then.........there he was.............waiting just on the other side. Ben jumped into a hug with Aiden and I. He said "Hello Mom, I love you!". Then he looked at Aiden and held him at arms length. I'll never forget the look on his face as he took in Aiden, "Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness." he said. Right then I realized that he had been longing for this as much if not more than we had.
I have no pictures or videos of this moment. Some people would be so sad about that but to be honest I'm not. I have this precious moment just for myself. Aiden, Ben and I are the only three people in the world that have the pictures of this meeting. They are in our heads and I know they will stay there forever. It was better than any meeting I had imagined.
Have I mentioned how good Ben's manners are? So, so good! So naturally he assumes it's Excuse me Dooby Doo instead of Scooby Dooby Doo. I heard him singing it this morning! So, so cute!
Ben roasting beans in his pajamas!
My traditional coffee pot and cups
Thank you Mahi and Salsawi for hooking me up with my Traditional Coffee Ceremony gear. I am gonna get this down eventually and make you guys proud!!
Haloween was a pretty big deal when I was younger. My mom used to make me these amazing costumes that always won the contests at school. I have been a jar of jelly beans with a little silver lid hat, a bag of Peanut M&Ms, even an Alkaseltzer Tab with little silver balloons floating above me as my bubbles. All home made. My mom really got into it.
That is what Aiden has been calling Benji today. I have no idea what that is but it was meant to be a pet name. Ben doesn't feel good. Aiden was snuggling him to make him feel better. We have had to give him laxative tea. It was so cute because in his little groggy voice, Ben asked "Mom, what is Toppy Nah Nam?"
"You Benji, you are a Tubby Num Num!"
Wednesday after all of the shots and x-rays I decided that both of the boys deserved some fun. We went to Incredible Pizza so the boys could "play-play" as Ben calls it. (Any place with games or rides is called "play-play") So after winning enough tickets to get a Bubble Lab we sat down to eat dessert and talk. Ben looked at the bubbles and said "Mom,...Orphanage.... zis( meaning "this", in strong Ethiopian accent) baby....drink bubbles. Glug glug glug." The look on his face and his laughter about the story made us all laugh. I asked which baby it was. "Takelab, funny baby." (Carole, If you are reading this I am sure it doesn't surprise you to know that it was Samuel!)
It was nice to be able to hear a story finally. Even if it wasn't anything major. Just to have Ben share something from his past was very sweet.
I broke the news to Jeff that he would be on "poop patrol". I told him that he should use one of the white lawn masks. His reply, and I quote, "I am wearing the mask, some latex gloves, and goggles." Whaaaaaa?
"Why in the heck do you need goggles? Wait don't tell me, the thought is disturbing enough."
Ben went to the doctor for the first time today. Everything went pretty well. Almost everything.....I have to collect a stool sample from Ben to check for parasites. He doesn't know that I have to do this yet. To be honest, I am planning on making Jeff do it. Yeah, I know, I know! I'm gonna have lots of poop to deal with when the baby gets home but I am sure I can get an Amen when I say that baby poo is different than big boy 9 year old poo.I'm gonna get Jeff one of those lawn-mower mask thingys and then break the news to him! Anyway, enough of that, I'm grossing myself out just thinking about it.
He did have to get two shots (immunizations) and two different x-rays. He's got scoliosis (BUMMER) so one of the x-rays was to see how bad it is. I seriously doubt it is bad enough to need a brace. We are waiting for the test results on that. The doctor also ordered a bone aging so that we can finally answer the question "how old is this boy?" even though we already know. The bone scan will help us get his birth certificate changed here in the states so he doesn't have to be the BIGGEST six year old in the world!
I finally had some time to make a slideshow of our trip to Ethiopia. This is not the finished version since I can't include the pictures of the baby because of the court issues. Some of you might recognize yourself in it if you've made a recent trip to Ethiopia!!!
Aiden and Ben have had some pretty good romps in the past two weeks. Last week we had what I refer to as the Barroom Brawl. They were riding bikes in the back when Ben ran his bike into Aiden for the 9 trillionth time. Aiden had had it and he jumped off his bike and kicked Ben's bike over, with Ben on it. Ben jumped up and spit in Aiden's face (siiiiiiick). Aiden then proceeded to push Ben down again. Ben recovered from his fall, then hauled off and kicked Aiden in the "goods".
Notice the claw marks on Aiden's face? The picture doesn't do them justice. Obviously I need to cut Ben's fingernails! We still don't know exactly what happened because when you ask Aiden he will only say that Ben did it (so he doesn't incriminate himself, I'm sure). Ben agrees but in turn has to point out some imaginary mark on him that he insists Aiden inflicted. These boys are a mess!!!!!
We are working on Ben's English. He is doing really well with it and saying more and more words in English everyday. One of the things he says that cracks me up is "yes sir, Mom". We are trying to get him to say ma'am but to be honest, I kind of like the way he says it now. (You will want to turn of the music player at the bottom to hear Ben.)
I took this video while we were still in Ethiopia and I had to share it with you. Ben can be shy but if he knows you for more than 10 minutes he will do this for you..............Enjoy!
I should explain that Ben will dance in Amharic and in English. If he is doing any traditional Ethiopian moves he calls that "In Amharic" and if he is just dancing he calls that "In English". I prefer the Amharic dancing myself.
I have some time to blog!!!! But I have no idea where to start! I want to tell everyone about my time in Ethiopia. I am working on making a video but my friend has to help so that is coming soon. But there is a slide show of what we've been up to for now, over on the right.
Ben is doing really well. We haven't had any behavior (by that I mean pouting) issues since everything has died down and we are in a sort of routine.
He isn't asking to ride the bike 300 times a day the past few days. He knows we will ride at least once a day so he only asks about 10 times a day now.
Yesterday was Ben's first day at church and he seemed to really enjoy it. It was really cute because when the pastor and congregation would say Amen, he would too. But he would say it a few seconds after everyone and very loud. He would also clap if he liked something, even if it wasn't really a thing we normally clap about. We sit on the front row so he kept people entertained and that seems to be a goal of his. He liked the music and everyone like meeting him.
I am realizing now why I wasn't able to bring both boys home at the same time. I have figured out that God was doing me a huge favor. It has been such an out of control week and I would have lost my mind if I was trying to figure all of this out and take care of a baby. It is perfect for Ben to get to adjust while having all of our attention at the same time. Even though I am missing my sweet baby ( I will blog about him soon because he was AMAZING), I realize that this was the best scenario for us as a family. One child at a time is perfect for me. Ben would have been destroyed if we had come and gotten the baby and he had to stay. All of the bigger boys have left the orphanage now and he would have been by himself. But the baby doesn't have a clue that we had to leave him. As far as he's concerned he is home right now because that is all he has ever known. So, my point is, God is faithful even when it feels like he is pulling the rug out from under us.
I should get going. I hear a lot of racket coming from up stairs, I have a feeling my boys are getting antsy and ready to get outside.
But it's not gonna happen today! I am exhausted! I feel like I have a two year old that has to constantly have my attention. Only he is 9 and won't stop asking to ride his bike! I am working on a slide show right now but can't figure out how to put it in a post. If I can find time tomorrow I will try to do it on You tube.
Oh yeah, I get my phone turned back on tomorrow so please call me because I have lost all phone numbers. Some guy in Ethiopia has my sim card!
We are home! I had a wonderful time and have lots of stories to share with you but they will have to come in bits and pieces because I am mostly thinking in fragments. My clock is still Ethiopian right now! I will share, I promise but I want you guys to look at something first. Its the tshirt in the picture. It is my way of giving back after all of the need that I saw in Ethiopia. Check it out:
If you like the shirt Ben (Minte) is wearing, even if your child isn't a Hope child, please order one. I am donating all proceeds to the Hope Orphanage. The shirt is $20. Email me privately if you are interested and I can send you an order form. I will add pics and info about my trip later. Right now I am going to try to get some sleep and pray I don't dream of roosters crowing at 3:00 am. Hearing them every night for a month has its lingering effects.
We thought we would let you know that Minte requested an American name and he is now Benjamin Jack (after you Dad) Mintesinot Wilkinson. Minte helped pick it out and wanted to be Jackson or Jack. We didn't think he wanted to be called Benjamin but one day he said "Mom, I am Benjamin and Jack" when I called him Mintesinot. It is very hard to switch to calling him his American name but Jeff is reminding me.
He also asked if he would turn white when he got to America.........................seriously!
Yeah, evidently Sal wasn't saying "sexist", he was saying "sucess! And "today we are success" to quote Salsawi. This morning we awoke to a call from Rahel telling us that the Embassy had the necessary paper work and we had an appointment at 2pm. We couldn't believe it!
So we go to the Embassy and The Guy, (I love The Guy) looks at me and says "I don't know how you pulled this off. I leave for vacation tomorrow and I knew I was coming back next week to see The Wilkinson Family. A home study ammendment through USCIS and NVC in 3 days. I have never seen anything like it before." I wanted to jump through the stall and kiss him! Even with Jeff standing right there. We were beaming! Grace and Heather, you are my heros! I am so so so so fortunate to have you guys going to bat for me. You are AMAZING! Heather, Shimeliss says he is so impressed with you, one of the best social workers he has ever dealt with. I love both of you ladies so much. As Grace said, I owe you guys drinks when I get home!! Thank you for everyone who was praying. I know that that is the reason that I am getting to type this good news email right now. If it weren't for God moving mountains and Grace and Heather's tenacity I would be here another week!
We leave here Saturday and will return to Fort Worth Sunday night!
Love you all! See you soon!
Ahhh Braveheart! Well anyway last night Jeff got in. We spent 3 hours at the airport waiting for him. The manager of the Cozy Place said we would have to get there an hour early just to get parking. I am pretty sure Jeff was the last one off the plane.
So we waited and we waited and we waited. Finally we saw him walk to the baggage claim area and we were so happy. It was hard to keep track of the boys because there is a huge horde of people standing in this giant clump and everyone is pushing to get closer so they can see their family member. I made the mistake of wearing flip flops to the airport and my feet were trampled by all of the maniacs.
I see that Jeff is in the line to have his bags xrayed and I am relieved. The wait is almost over but then I notice that I can't find Aiden. I start to panic. In the states this could be a big problem. I grab Minte and we search in the bathrooms and we ask guards to help us look. They have absolutly no interest and tell me "sorry, no boy." Thanks a million Police Officer Guy! Oh and by the way, great job on crowd control!
I am looking everywhere to find Aiden and I look down at my bag and see that the pocket is opened and my Blackberry, that was right on top, is now GONE. I was pickpocketed and there is no way to tell who did it. Even if there was, the police aren't interested in helping me find my kid so why the heck would they care about a phone!
Finally, when I am almost brought to tears once again on this trip, an Ethiopian woman walks up to me and says "I saw your son with the green jacket (she knows he is mine because we are the only two white people in the giant clump) sneak past the guards and go to a man in a red shirt (that would be Jeff)." Out loud I say "Thank you, I was so worried!" In my head I am thinking "I am gonna kill that little s#%t!" I managed to bleep myself in my head though. I look through the window and see Aiden standing there with Jeff with a look of pride on his face. You could tell he was pleased with himself for sneaking past the police (I hope this isn't the beginning of a life of crime).
Now that I know where Aiden is I can focus on the fact that somebody stole my FREAKIN' Blackberry right out of my purse! Dang!!!!!!! No more text messages from my friends!
I told the manager, David, of the Cozy Place and he said that they stole his Blackberry right out of his front pants pocket so of course a bag was an easy target. Uhhhh, I want to come home. Not that people don't steal from you in the states but at least they'll understand me when I am cussing them out in English!! Just kidding.......... kind of!
This morning we went to the doctor and the guy was very nice but he said that there is no way that Minte is younger than 9 and he can't say that he is because he could lose his job and the clinic could lose it's contract with the Embassy. I am glad that he was ethical but that does mean that we will have to go with the home study ammendment. We have plenty of time and Heather and Grace kicked butt yesterday getting the ball rolling so I am not gonna stress over it today.
My driver was very leary of me this morning. He was worried that any moment I would become "sexist". I didn't. I didn't cry once, I just decided that what ever I have to do I'm gonna do. I just hope that it doesn't include having to change my flight plans AGAIN!!!
Now the boys are in the court yard playing Bottle Cap Bowling with Mahi, the managers wife. She is so sweet and I am thankful because I am running out of free things to do! And I'm running out of money entertaining these boys! Thank the Lord for bottle caps!
Thanks for all of your support and kind words! It is really helping me not freak out!
Love and miss you guys! OH! THREE MORE DAYS UNTIL JEFF GETS HERE!!!!! YAY!
So Embassy didn't go so well today. We were one of 6 Hope families with appointments today. We were 2nd to last to go through. Everyone else breezed right through, no problems. We should be the same right?.......Not so much.
We get to the Embassy Agent Guys window and he immediately says there is a problem. What?......WHAT??? He explains that there is a physical for Minte that says he is 9, our home study shows we are approved for a child 7-8, and the boys birth certificate says he is 6. "So which one is it?" asks The Guy. "Ummmmm, which ever one will get me the visa." Is what I thought. I refer to Rahel. She tells The Guy that Minte is 9. Wrong answer.
So The Guy explains that the age range has to meet the home study approval and my options are to go back to the doctor and get her to agree that he is 7-8 or to get a home study ammendment saying that we can adopt a child 6-9 years old and then come back. A home study ammendment? Yeah right! Over night? YEAH RIGHT! So we, meaning me, Aiden, Minte, Rahel, and my driver Salsawi take off alllllllllll the wayyyyyyy acroooooosss Addis Ababa to the doctor. By this time it is 4:00 and the Embassy closes at 5. We finally get to the doctor and we all sit in this little room where Rahel pleads with the doctors on duty. None of them look familiar from the other day when we were there to get Minte's physical. They are all talking quickly in Amharic and looking at Minte and shaking their heads. Meanwhile I am praying that they are blind or stupid, or willing to take bribes. Just kidding.....sort of. Anyway I can tell it is not going well and finally Rahel gets up to leave. She looks at me with these sad eyes (the same ones she had when she had to tell me we wouldn't be bringing Theo home) and she says "No." That's it, just NO! I know your English ain't the greatest lady but I need some elaboration!!! Rahel ushers me outside and as soon as I walk out the door there is Gananew, Shim's brother. He walks up to me and says "I am very sorry, Jaclyn." And then he HUGS ME! What! You're sorry! Your giving me hugs! "What the hell is happening here?" is all I can think! That's when I finally burst into tears. I turn my back to them all and cry into my hands. I feel someone walk around me and stand in front of me, waiting. I finally look up to see who it is. This is when I realize that God has appointed this time, right now, with mascara running down my face and snot dripping out of my nose for me to meet Shimeliss face-to-face for the first time. Nice. "Hi, nice to meet you. Sorry for all of the crying. You probably don't want to shake my hand right now." is what I said to him.
In typical Shim fashion he refers the crying girl to Grace! He actually pulls out his phone and calls Grace to talk to me while I am crying! He had to talk to her anyway but he let her talk me off the ledge first. Finally he explains to me in English that the doctor that first saw Minte is out of the country and won't be back until the next day, maybe. We will come back to see her. In the meantime, sweet Grace and my sweet social worker Heather are already working on getting an addendum started just in case. I calm down because all of this sounds so much better than just "NO". But the tears are already flowing and with the stress of this entire adoption I can't just stop them now. The flood gate has been opened and all that, right? I keep telling Shim and Rahel, and Gan "I am sorry, I know it will be ok, I'm just frustrated." And they know all that we have been through so they just let me cry. We decide that nothing can be done until tomorrow anyway because by now it is well past 5:00 so we say goodbye and agree to talk in the morning.
I get into the car with Salsawi and we leave. He lets me cry for a bit until I get my tears under control just in time for my Aunt to call and ask happily "How's it going?!" And here comes the blubbering idiot again. My Aunt finally realizes through my sobs that I am asking her to have my mom call me. We hang up and I continue to cry quietly but Salsawi can't take it anymore so he pleads with me, "You must stop crying or you will become sexist! Jaclyn, please you don't want to be sexist, you must stop." That was all it took. I put my hands to my face and burst out laughing. "No," I said " I don't want that!". I have no clue what he meant but it worked, telling me it would be sexist to keep crying. Last time I was in this state of mind, bawling and not being able to stop, God sent me a Christian driver with the perfect Bible verse. Today he sent me an Orthodox driver with bad English. I'm thankful for both because they both had just the right thing to say to help me out.
I am pretty sure with all of the crying and laughing, Mintesinot thinks I am unstable. Give him a few more weeks with me and he will be sure of it!!
Thank you Grace and Heather for all you are doing for me. I will sleep better tonight knowing that you guys are on top of it and doing all that you can!
Blessings!
Jaclyn
Embassy Day! We will go and get Minte's passport with visa and all of the other documents needed to get him into the states! We are excited about this. Minte doesn't quite understand that we aren't leaving for the states immediately afterwards but he will figure it out when we are still here tomorrow.
OK, I like Ethiopia, I really do but I am dying for some fresh vegetables! I just want a huge salad! Mmmmm, Sashimi sounds so nice right now! I feel like I have eaten as many carbs in two weeks as I have in my whole life. The food is good here and I like Ethiopian food a lot, but if it isn't Ethiopian it's Italian with the pasta! Grace I am so sorry for ordering Italian food for you guys when you stayed with me after picking up Addis! Uhhh, you probably wanted to smack me!
I never thought I would be missing the guy who owns the sushi place around the corner from me but right now I just want to send him a "Thinking of You" card so he nows how much he and his White Fin Tuna are missed! I have to stop typing about it before I tear up!
Miss you all, I'll write again soon and hopefully I will have moved on from my food dreams. Jaclyn
Minte has four different ways of saying YES and I felt they deserved their own post.
1st (and most obvious) is the "YES MAWM, I LIKE IT!"
I write this in all CAPS because when he says it like this he is excited and wants to make sure I know he is.
2nd (slightly less obvious unless you speak Amharic) is "Ahh". He says this when he is answering me but is in too much of a hurry to think in English.
3rd (this one took me a couple of days to figure out) is the quick inhale. It's just a quick breath in. I'll admit that I myself have started using it because, let's face it, sometimes I am just too lazy to say the entire syllable that is the word YES! That and it is kind of fun to do in a weird way, it makes me feel a little more Ethiopian!
4th (this one is almost indistinguishable) is the Eyebrow Yes. It is just a quick flick of the eyebrows in response to a question. It is so hard to detect that it was just today, after two weeks, that I realized he was answering me when he did it. Before today I would repeat the question over and over until I got one of the other versions as a response. Minte was pleased at this because he immediately realized that I had finally.......finally gotten it! One more hurdle crossed!
I am on my way to help Chris Mott do a little damage control! Her bag with Lice Killing Shampoo didn't make it to Addis yet and I just happened to bring an extra bottle. So we are going to rid her children of bugs and make sure they don't invest the rest of them. I can't wait to see them and meet them face to face. The last time I saw Sofonyas he just sat with me holding my hand during a coffee ceremony. He had had a hard night because Yonotan had left the day before and Minte a week before so he was sad and didn't rest well. Finally he got to meet his family this morning!
Minte is so sweet and funny. He makes silly jokes and really hasn't done much pouting. If he starts pouting we figure out what caused the problem and we tell him we are sorry and give him hugs and kisses and he is fine after that. I think he just wants us to recognize that something is wrong since he can't fully verbalize it yet. He minds really well and usually has a really upbeat, positive attitude. OH! He is wearing shorts. This may not seem like much to most of you but Grace and Gina, you realize that this is unusual for an Ethiopian boy. I think he likes dressing like Aiden. We call them the twins when they are wearing outfits that are similar! It is funny, at least the Ethiopians think it is when I say it!
I also wanted to say thanks for all of you comments on our blog. They make me feel great and help get me through each day. Thanks for checking in on us and showing your support. Even though I am surrounded by loads of people I am still lonely. I love you guys!
Blessings, Jaclyn
We are doing much better now. We ordered the boys another bed for the room and that seems to make the days much smoother. I'm sure it boils down to the fact that they weren't sleeping well. They are entertaining themselves with whistling right now. Minte has taught Aiden how to whistle really loudly with his fingers in his mouth. You know, that thing that Dads do when your down the street playing too far for them to yell. Well, at least that is what my dad did. Aiden and Minte stand in the courtyard or bathroom and whistle their heads off. I am sure the other guests wish their heads would fall off so that they could have some peace and quiet. Anyway, they are getting along well and I am feeling better and we are all happy. We got out of the house a bit yesterday and I found a great place to go shopping and get lots of great souveniers for cheap. I can't wait until Jeff gets here so that we can load up. Even the boys are looking forward to shopping. I guess if you bore them enough anything sounds fun.
I really am having a good time in Ethiopia. I like it here. I also want to go home to see you all and talk with all of you. I miss my friends and being able to call ya'll and text. Oh the texting withdrawals I am having! Morgan, Grace, and Karissa, unless you already have unlimited texting, you should enjoy a cheap phone bill for August!
Nothing major to report other than we are at peace and it is nice! I will post again soon! Jaclyn
Well, I managed to electrocute myself with that FREAKING CONVERTER!!!! Yes, the same converter that almost burned down the Cozy Place. (Rebecca Brutto, I can hear you laughing all the way over here in Ethiopia!!) My arm tingled all last night, on top of my raging headache. After I did it Aiden asked if he could try to do it........seriously??? Did I actually make electrocution seem fun?
Yesterday ended up being a rough day. I had one of my awful burning headaches that made it hard to deal with anything, much less two boys who are getting on each others nerves. The language barrier is a bit of an issue for them. Mintesinot is a typical little brother (even though he is technically the older brother, more on that another time). He tears up Aiden's Lego creations, doesnt value anything that Aiden has put some effort into, and is clueless that Aiden is a bit Type A in that he wants things done his way. Don't ask me where he where he gets that from. (Don't ask Jeff either, because he will lie and say he gets it from me!!) Describing Mintesinot and Aiden as opposites would be accurate. Minte is starting to figure out that he is frustrating Aiden and I think it is stressing him out. I hate that for him. He woke up with a fever blister today. Poor thing.
I have read five books in the two weeks that we have been here, and I wouldnt consider myself a fast reader! Its just something to occupy my time until Jeff gets here. 9 more days
For those of you who don't know what that means, it stands for THIS IS AFRICA!!!
Here in Africa the internet has been down for 4 days, again. Here in Africa people are not in a rush to get the internet back up and running! But I am loving it Here in Africa!
And the funny thing about Africa is that Aiden, the boy who is never sick, has been sick on three separate occasions with three different ailments! The first was the fever that went away within 12 hours thanks to some antibiotics I brought. The clinic that Aiden got his shots from prescribed them, thank the LORD! Two days ago he woke up early and was loudly rustling about in the living room. I was frustrated with this since it was 6 am and I had no intention of getting up before 7. He was being very noisy so I yelled "Aiden, knock off all that noise!" Then I hear muffled sobs, very unlike Aiden to cry over me being a grouch in the morning, because I'm always grouchy in the morning so I realize I need to get up and see what is going on. I turn the corner to three lovely puddles of VOMIT! Nice. My poor baby was trying not to wake me but couldn't get out the door in time! I felt two feet tall for getting on to him! I am such a jerk! He was fine within the hour and we went to the movies later that day. Weird huh? Today he has "a stomach ailment" or the poo's if I am being lady like! He is a trooper though!
Yesterday was a nice day, we spent three hours or so at Hope. I got to rock the baby to sleep and hold him while he napped. So did Aiden. It was so nice. He didn't cry when I held him this time which was a first! PROGRESS!
Minte is good as always, not a bit of trouble. He is a bit on the wild side though. And LOUD!! He is very loud, but in a cute way! For now it is cute anyway!
I miss you all terribly and I am counting down the days until Jeff gets here. 11 more days! Ahh I can't wait! Thanks for all of your texts, even though I can't respond, they connect me with reality and I am so thankful for it. I can't wait to introduce you all to my new boy, soon, very soon!
OH, please say prayers for my friend Linsey, another Hope mom. She is here picking up her baby Abdisa who is about 4 months old. He is sick and in the hospital because of dehydration and anemia. He is a tiny thing! Linsey's sister-in-law, Sarah, gave me an update saying that he should be able to get out of the hospital today and they are trying to get an earlier flight out so that they can get him to the hopital in the states. Thanks!
Love you all, thanks for checking in. Jaclyn
Here's today's post from Jaclyn.
Its Aiden!! He is a hyper little monkey now that he has a brother to rough house with. All they want to do is wrestle. It is really cute. The boys rough house and if they are on the bed Minte will act tired and say "Aaaden, I sleep, I sleep" and then he will lay down and fake snore trying to trick Aiden into thinking that he is tired and not going to wrestle anymore. Then when Aiden isn't paying attention, or so Minte thinks, he jumps up and attacks Aiden.
Yesterday was a hard day for Aiden. He had a moment of crisis where and had a melt down. We were at the Bole Rock Pool and Gym. Minte wanted to swim and Aiden didn't. The water was cold, there were tons of people in the pool and Minte didn't know how to swim so he just hung on Aiden and splashed him in the face. It was a whole ordeal but we managed to get through it but not before Aiden had to have his NachoLibre video game taken away for the day. It was because of his refusal to help Minte and he was being ugly to me. Who knew Aiden loved wrestling so much.
Good morning, Everyone. I just spoke with Jaclyn on the expensive phone (buy stock in Cingular). She is encountering some limitations on communicating with us. The internet in Addis Ababa, even the high-speed at the Hilton, isn't working, and she can receive text messages, but not send any. She thanks everyone for your love and messages, but she cannot respond to you.
She took the boys to the Lion Park. They watched real lions devour goat pieces and road a small ferris wheel. Minte' is learning more english words with Aiden's help. When he gets frustrated, he says a word in Amharic that sounds real close to our "s--t". Also, Jaclyn learned that you can't keep the electric converter plugged into the wall for 2 days......started to smoke.
They're having fun learning about each other and bonding. Ya'll have a blessed day. Mine is very, very quiet.
Jeff
Family, Friends, and Loved Ones, here's an update:
Thank you very much for your prayers and your support. I just spoke with Jaclyn, Aiden, and our new son, Minte', on the expensive phone. J & A made it just fine to Addis Ababa, and so did all our boxes of donations and bags. Their flight was long and their TV didn't work. Nintendo DS to the rescue! They played Mario Kart for 17 hours.
They met a very excited Minte' at the Hope Orphanage and he's staying with them at the Cozy Place, a bed-n-breakfast equivalent. Minte' is very loving and very limited in his english. He and Aiden are getting along wonderfully. Get this, he claims that he's 9 years old, not 7. Interesting. We'll see how "big brother" Aiden handles this.
They also met and held the baby today, who is very, very small. Maybe we'll get to bring him home with us. Until the court approves him, we are limited to just daily visits.
Jaclyn's immediate challenge over there is keeping the boys from getting bored. The caregivers at Hope maintain a schedule and daily structure to their 60 orphans. Thus, Minte' wants to know exactly what they plan to do and when. I foresee lots of swimming. Jaclyn can get "day passes" and use the swimming pool and internet at the Hilton Hotel - it's clean and safe.
Hope is very grateful for their gifts and donations. Thank you. Addis Ababa is more modern and more clean than Niger, West Africa, but it is still 3rd world. I can't wait to go meet them.....gotta take my own TV.
Allow God to work through you today.
Lovingly,
Jeff
We leave for the airport in about 20 minutes. Is this real? I just can't imagine seeing my babies out side of a computer screen. I can't imagine what it will feel like to look at them in real life, standing there where I can reach out and hug and kiss them. I can't imagine what it will be like to see all three of my boys together for the first time. But I will know soon. This is so unreal! Amazing. Thanks for everyone who helped make this happen. My Mom and Dad, Johnette and Willie, Grace, Momma Mary and John Dad and all of you who prayed for us. We are so honored to share this with all of you!
Our bags are packed!! We are so excited! As you can see the boxes are packed FULL! Those are all donations! The green bag is also almost half donations as well! WOW! What a great network of people that are a part of our adoption group! I can't wait to meet several of them in Ethiopia! What a blessing this trip will be. A trip of a lifetime for Jeff, Aiden and myself. Not to mention Minte!! We will never be the same after Friday! Please pray for our safety and for our transition. This is so MAJOR!!Found out from a Hope mom, Lisa that just came home from a visit to Addis Ababa to see her kids that the weather in Ethiopia right now is 50s in the am, 60-70s during the day and 50s again in the pm. YAY! We will be gone for the HOTTEST month in Texas to AFRICA and it is going to be, on average, 30 degrees COOLER there. Whaaaaaa????
It is almost time for Aiden and I to hit the sky and head for Ethiopia. Ya'll pray for Jeff, he will be the blog updater for me. I am using this post as a bit of a lesson in blogging since Jeff hasn't done it before. I plan on emailing him updates to post for me. Hopefully I will be able to email a couple of times a week. I may be being a bit optimistic but it is my intention to get to the Addis Ababa Hilton to use the WiFi occasionally. I am told that you can purchase a day pass there to use their pool so I plan on taking the boys there some.
I am almost packed, just have a few more odds and ends to take care of. I am getting to take 25 sets of scrubs for the caregivers and some other small gifts. I am taking plenty of gifts from Hope families. We are so excited........just can't wait!
We will miss Jeff very much and I am sad that he won't be with me the first time I see my boys faces. That makes me sad but it is so important to us that Minte finally gets to be with his family. He has been in an orphanage for at least 2 years (we aren't sure beyond that, could be longer) and we are ready to be with him and bond. I feel so blessed to be able to have this extra time with him. Most families are only able to go for a week or two but I get to spend an entire month soaking up my children's culture and heritage. I am thinking about going to an Orthodox Church service and just enjoying Africa.
I might even let Minte show us around some. I bet there is lots of Addis that he has never been able to see until now. We will save the really good stuff like The Blue Nile and other interesting places that I have never heard of until Jeff joins us.
Please just be in prayer for our safety and travel. Continued prayers for the baby's paperwork would be nice also. It would be so sweet to bring everyone home together! Thank you and blessings to all of you!
We received a package in the mail today from the Ellerbee Family. It was full of stuff to take to Minte when we leave next week. You should know that the Ellerbees are how we found Minte. Joshua Ellerbee is Minte's best friend (hence the shirt). Here is some of what was in the care-package.
We want to thank all of you for your prayers and thoughts. We received word yesterday that Minte has passed court. We are praising God for this. What a blessings. Hallelujah!
The bad news is that we also found out that the woman from the orphanage that Teodros came from forged a document rather than having it done the lawful way. He will still be our son but we will have to go back through court for him. Unfortunately Ethiopia closes court for all of August and September. Without a miracle from our God, Theo's paperwork won't be done in time for him to pass court before the closure. It looks like we may have to wait until Oct., Nov. to bring him home. We are not discouraged though because we serve a big God and he has delivered Jeff and I from so much. How could we start to doubt him now?
Adoption is just a roller coaster. Some people sail right through with no problems and others have awful experiences that leave them shaken. I would consider ours somewhere in between. It has been quite a journey but nothing compared to what some of my adoption friends have had to endure. God has surrounded us with a family of other adoptive parents. They help lighten our load when we are feeling
weary and worn from the struggle. If you are one of those people, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you and are blessed by you. For those of you who aren't adoptive parents but continue to support us with your love and prayers, thank you, because you are always there for us even when you don't know quite what to say or how to relate and that means a lot.
Aiden and I will leave as planned to be with Minte. We will be able to visit with the baby some and then we will give Minte an Ethiopian adventure. Jeff will join us in late August and we will have some family time in Addis Ababa before returning home. Possibly as a complete family. But even if we don't get to bring our baby home with us, we are standing firm on Jesus. We are hopeful. Please continue your prayers for us.
Blessings,
Jaclyn and Jeff
THIS BOY IS OFFICIALLY OURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
