Lest we forget....

Pierre has a notebook with a handwritten message from his birthmother. One part reads: Pa bliye kote ou soti which means "Don't forget where you came from." That advice is something Bruce and I will hold onto tightly as well. We simply cannot have the same expectations for Pierre and Ange-Laurette as we do for our other children, especially after only a couple weeks. It would be easy to do with their quick adjustment, improving English, and great personalities. However, as we watched the Haiti recovery coverage on CNN tonight (the first we have watched since the kids arrived), we were once again shocked at what might have been! We cannot believe God's protection over the orphanage and his sheltering of our kids from what could have been even more trauma.

So, as we work through the busyness of each day and each new experience...we need to remember: any lack of manners, inappropriate behavior, or noncompliance is not a reflection of our parenting nor of the kids' individual personalities. It is partly just the result of spending years in an orphanage setting with 50 other children. It is also due to the lack of social opportunities in their early years with parents nearby as coaches. Add to all of that how we ALL tend to act in new and unusual circumstances!

The most promising fact is that both Pierre and Ange-Laurette always fall asleep with smiles on their faces; sleep soundly through the night; and wake up with a vibrant "Good morning, Mom!" All the "in between" chaos and misunderstandings and squabbles...well, we will take that, too. :)

Overwhelmed and so touched!

Yesterday we attended a program at the kids' new elementary school, which culminated with their mascot revealing the total amount collected in their "Hundreds for Haiti" fundraiser. Students, parents and teachers emptied piggy banks to collect over $2600 which will go directly to the BRESMA orphanage in Port-au-Prince. If you ever doubted how God can take such a horrendous tragedy and turn it into such an overwhelming blessing...you must be equally in awe. These families here have never met the people they will help and have never lived "without." Still, they feel burdened to help. Thank you, thank you!! Hundreds of children just like Pierre and Ange-Laurette will have a safe and loving orphanage home, with food and water, now because of you!

All eyes were on Pierre and Ange-Laurette at the school assembly. They were TRYING to hide in the back corner of the gymnasium next to Bruce and me. We had taken a course last year on "Conspicuous Families" and how people will know at first sight that we have adopted our children. What we didn't know is that we would be a "super conspicuous" family! :) Arriving from Haiti at this place and time has changed everything about the welcome the kids are receiving and the questions/comments people have. It is simply a wonderful thing to experience from our end. Each good wish and tear we see lets us know that others understand on some level how emotional and deeply touching this whole process has been. To have Pierre and Ange-Laurette under our roof tonight, sleeping soundly all night long, and then laughing half the day long...is really one of the greatest gifts we will ever receive.



A funny one-liner from the week that many of you might have heard: A Watertown woman who is fluent in Creyole has been checking in on the kids. I told her that I felt the kids were adjusting very well, but she agreed to ask them if there was anything they wanted her to tell me. After speaking to each child on the phone, she said, "Pierre is much more animated today. He said, 'If I need to tell my mom something, I will just tell her myself.'" I had to smile. Not the most tactful way for him to respond, but it sure was encouraging to me! Later that afternoon while laying on the couch watching a movie, Pierre said, "Mom, me love it here." I looked to Ange-Laurette, and she added, "Me love it here too." As thoroughly exhausted as we are...and as much of a sacrifice as this has been to our other kids (who have been amazing)...I would recommend just "going for it" when you feel God's next calling. He has HUGE blessings in store for those who follow.

We all scream for ICE CREAM!

They told us how important a "routine" would be. We have the first one down: ice cream every night before bed! Other than that, a house with 4 kids can only have so much routine. :)

We have learned a few important things this week. 1) Avoid shopping trips WITH the kids, 2) Don't worry about too many visitors or activities so much...they are used to living in an orphanage, 3) Treasure 8-10 p.m. because it is the only "down" time there is, and 4) No one could be more blessed with wonderful and supportive family and friends!

Pierre is lost when Nate is not around to hang out with arm-in-arm. Ange-Laurette is determined to WISH summer here by wearing sundresses and sandals. They love short phonecalls with friends who also are spending their first week in adoptive families. Little by little, we get a taste of some of our old favorites: a shopping trip and lunch with my teenage daughter, an hour in the afternoon to write thank yous, watching a football game on tv, and catching up with old friends in town. Still, when we look back over each day, we find ourselves laughing about the one-liners and smiling about the fresh look we got at the common things we had taken for granted.

the first "I love you, Mom"

We have decided that, if we don't document each of the days' highlights at the rate the kids are learning/adjusting, we might forget how far they have come. Truly, their vocabulary and willingness to speak in English is improving by the hour. They can read full sentences with a mix of two dozen words...like, "Nate and Pierre love to play ball. Mom can eat pizza. Bailey loves to play with the cats." They also learned to tell time to the half hour, how to answer questions about pictures of communities and schools, and how to play hide-n-seek in the dark with their little brother! Dad's grilled chicken at supper was the biggest hit so far. They exclaimed: "Me love chicken! Me want two chickens!" (The pronoun "I" will be our first lesson tomorrow. :)

A trip to the visitation of a dear friend and co-worker tonight reminded me again of this. Life can be short. We know that, yet we live day to day as if that is not so. Each of us has so much to offer...so much power to change lives...and actually the time and energy to devote, if we desire. We look at these two Haitian children and how they came into our lives. The overall miracle of it was not our own doing, but there were things we had to decide to set aside and sacrifice to make it happen. In the end though, those sacrifices and heartaches and trials were NOTHING compared to the gift I received tonight: Pierre said nonchalantly as he ran off to play, "I love you, Mom." Goose bumps!

A real taste of Dakota!

Pierre and Ange-Laurette spent their first full day here enjoying the perfect snowman-building type of day. The Kreyol was rolling off their lips in an all-out snowball fight! They held their ears for half an hour after coming inside. :)

They shower on their own, pick up after themselves, and have been sleeping 10-11 hours a night in their own rooms. They prefer the side of black beans and rice we offer each meal, bread with peanut butter, and fresh fruit (only water to drink). They can be talked into trying most other things with the promise of ice cream for dessert!



We allowed Bailey and Nate to take one more day off with them. They have so much fun together, and it has helped the bonding process so much. We worked on some academics this morning~they will catch on very quickly! Continue to pray for all their friends in new adoptive families and for birthfamilies back in Haiti. We are so blessed to have them safe under our roof!

Home in Dakota!

It was the longest week we can remember...but after some pool time with Pierre and his Haitian friend staying there...and some pampering for Ange-Laurette, we were on our way home!

They were offered the chance to sit in the cockpit before take off. After their week of stardom, they started to buckle themselves in, as if this was their VIP seating for the flight. :)

It is still hard to believe that we are all here together. We are all exhausted but yet completely content.

The kids have settled in with Bailey and Nate so naturally. Hard to tell who is happiest around this house!

They are coming HOME!!

Pierre and Ange-Laurette are with us and ready to start a new life in South Dakota! At midnight, we got news that our paperwork was complete, and that the children were OURS. No more waiting...no more goodbyes...no more unknowns. They were wide awake when the Red Cross workers went to help them gather their donated clothes and toys they were allowed to keep. We were escorted to our rental car, where we taught them how to fasten a seatbelt...and how to open the door to get out!

The new experiences and things to learn will be endless! They saw their first fire truck, their first tunnel, and their first fish bowl. They saw their friends Jimmy and Rose Dania on the cover of the newspaper. This is not a very realistic picture of life in America that they have seen so far...but they have a lifetime to figure that out.

Bruce and I are speechless. We cannot believe that we have been blessed like this! We are amazed at the outpouring of support, and we are confident that it was your prayers that brought the kids home. Please do not stop praying for the hundreds of children still waiting to be joined with their families. We cannot forget the people of Haiti. We have all they need.

An interpreter asked the kids what they would like to tell us. He told us that Pierre said, "I want to thank you so much for what you have done for me." THIS from a 9 year old! Ange-Laurette wanted us to know this: "There was a terrible earthquake in Haiti. Everything kept shaking. The buildings fell down. We all tried to get people out, but we could not get them out." I asked her to tell me about her ride to the airport through Port-au-Prince. She said, "It was fine. It was not shaking anymore."

Both children were able to tell their birthmothers goodbye. They know that their birthfamilies are unharmed. We have promised them a return trip to their beautiful country one day, where we would thank their birthmothers for God's most precious and beautiful gift!

Tomorrow we land on South Dakota soil to begin our new life. They have talked to their new siblings on the phone already. This is going to be a wild ride...but one that is nothing but a miracle orchestrated by God!