Home one year... and forever.

One year ago today, after 20+ hours of flying and a 45 minute drive from Eppley Airfield in Omaha to rural Ashland... Candace Selam and Sarah Fikir walked through the door of their forever home.

It's good.

Our first year

One year ago today we first met our daughters, Candace Selam and Sarah Fikir. The first year has been very hard. Our family changed forever, and change is never easy. But this change has been worth the difficulties... because with it came great joy and boundless love.

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School's out for the summer!

At our house, that means it's time for swimming in the lake.

Pretty as a picture... darn that bright sun, though!

Sarah "swimming"

Mermaids emerging from the depths of Big Sandy Lake.

Eek! A fish!

Warming up on the sandy beach.

Happy birthday with pomp and circumstance!

We had a pretty big weekend... first up, preschool graduation.

Then, it was home in a rush to get ready for the twins' sixth birthday party with their friends and fellow graduates. (Grandma and Grandpa Miles are visiting from Indiana, and it's Grandma's birthday too!) We had a "Princess and the Frog" party with this cool cake.

Six years old! Happy Birthday, Candace and Sarah!

Off to the pool

Just had to post this picture because it's cute.

Tigertown Classic 2010

Some hightlights from Anna's dive meet.:)

Front two and a half tuck on 3 meter.




Back one and a half tuck on 1 meter.

Meeting "new" friends!

Okay, I know I've been a total blog slacker lately. This time of year is just so busy... all of you moms know this. Last week, beloved oldest daughter Emily came home for the summer from Iowa State. Yeah! She is very happy that she got her room back, as the twins were recently moved to their own room, formerly occupied by Kenneth, who was moved to a room over our new garage. That rearrangement took up a lot of time for all of us.

This weekend, Tom, the twins and I accompanied Anna to her dive meet in Columbia, MO at the beautiful University of Missouri aquatic complex. Anna had personal best scores in both 1M and 3M. I'm hoping to post a video soon.

As a highlight of our weekend trip, we met my blog friend Steffany and her family. Steffany and I have "known" each other through the miracle that is the internet for almost two years, but this is our first real live meeting. I loved her! I knew I would. :) Steffany and her husband Adam are two people who really walk the walk and know how to be a change in this world. Please consider giving to Steffany's charity, Because Every Mother Matters... it is found at http://www.becauseeverymothermatters.com/. Right now BEMM is raising money for a birthing center in Africa. Just read the website to hear the amazing story of how Steffany came to this cause.

These are pictures from our weekend. Steffany talked me into playing paintball on Mother's Day after the 3M competition was over. This is something I never thought I would do in a million years! I am not crazy about either guns or projectiles being hurtled toward me. However... it was a blast! Our twins loved playing with Steffany and Adam's kids while we big people were off playing shoot 'em up, too. I can't wait until we can get together again.

Birth family

A little over a month ago, I posted about contacting the twins' birth family. I am very glad that our friend was able to find them and make contact. I am glad that the birth mother is alive. But... it all feels weird and vaguely stressful to me as well. It feels weird for me to have these beautiful girls as my daughters knowing that my gain is someone else's loss.

I'm glad to know the truth behind the girls' adoption. I have decided not to share the details of how they came to the orphanage on my blog. It's a private story that belongs to the twins. It isn't a neat and tidy story of "true orphans"... but it is a story that I can live with and one that reflects a desire by their family to do the best thing for them.

We are still working out how we will maintain contact with the birth family. If any of you have experience with this, I would love to hear what you are doing. Meanwhile, here is the first tangible benefit of this new contact. We shared some photos, and we got this one.

The best phone call ever

One year ago today, bright and early in the morning, I got an amazing phone call. It was unexpected good news. "You passed court," said Lisa P. on the other end of the line. I cried. It was a very happy day. :)

Spring!

After a simply dreadful winter here in eastern Nebraska, we are enjoying an absolutely lovely spring.

These tulips were planted in the fall, so this is our first spring to enjoy them.

Our lake is only about a mile away from the Platte River, so we get lots of migratory water fowl visitors like these white pelicans (my favorite!) and cormorants that have been on the lake this week.

Perfect weather for riding bikes!

Sweet Sixteen

Oh, how time flies! It doesn't seem that long ago that my little Anna looked like this; "driving" on the couch with her constant companion, Tricia:

Here she is today... ready to start driving for real with her very own driver's license. Happy birthday to my wonderful, beautiful, grown up little girl. I love you.

Water fun!

We had a nice weekend, weather-wise. Not, in my opinion, warm enough for water shenanigans, but I was overruled.

Ready, set, race!

I just signed up the whole family... well, most of the family... to run or walk in a fun race being held in Great Bend, Kansas to benefit Kechene Orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Specifically, it is a benefit to raise money to help girls who age out of the orphanage. They are too old to be adopted, and at age 18 are no longer eligible to live in the orphanage. The race is sponsored by Lasting Life Ministries and will be held on May 1, 2010. You can read more about it here:

http://www.leftbehindbutnotforgotten.com/

The neatest part is that we will get to meet one of my blog friends who also has two adopted daughters from Ethiopia! I will post more about that when the day comes... can't wait to meet you and your family, Lori!

Easter

Sisters coloring eggs


Sarah

Candace

Candace and Sarah with their baskets.

Kids after church. I had to hurry and get a picture

while everyone still looked nice. :)

Living

Today we found out tht the twins' birth mother is alive. I don't think she is well, but she is alive. She was very sick; the twins were left in the care of Kebebush. Much time passed with no word. The twins were too much for Kebebush to care for any longer, and they were turned over to an orphanage. The twins were legally considered abandoned. Their mother was presumed dead... but she isn't.

I am happy to have this news. I am scared about this news. I am not surprised. The information we have confirms what we had pieced together on our own. We have much to decide about how to reveal this information to the twins. I am very glad to possibly learn more about their family and maybe to be in contact with them. I don't want to say too much now about the circumstances until we have more information

We have many questions we hope to have answered.