A random act of kindness

Little over a month ago, Tim and I decided to raise funds for Joshua's former orphanage. We specifically wanted to raise enough money to dig a new well. The current well doesn't work sufficiently and the children do not have clean drinking water. I posted request on our blog (see post entitled More Water Please) and we told a few close family members, but we didn't go much beyond that. A few weeks ago I was contacted by the mother of one of Amelia's classmates. Their daughter was turning 4 and in lieu of birthday presents, they wanted to raise money for our cause. I was touched by her generosity and realized I needed to do more.

We are called to be the voice for the voiceless, so I am asking again. I have emailed friends and neighbors and am again putting in a request. If you would like to contribute to this worthwhile cause, please send checks made out to Our Family Adoptions to our home. We are planning to mail the checks to the agency on February 15th, so please hurry. If you do not feel you are able to contribute financially, then please take a moment to pray. Please pray for hope for the millions of children worldwide who remain voiceless in the midst of extreme poverty and global injustice.

Our human popsicles...

As I reflect on Joshua's journey to his new home and family, I just can't help but feel bad that we brought him to Indiana! Last week, we experienced temperatures around -20!! Once the heat wave came and it warmed up to the high 20s, the kids begged us to go sledding. As you can see from the ground, there wasn't a whole lot of snow, but we felt so bad about the cabin fever that we bundled up and headed out. Johsua doesn't mind winter coats and hats as much as I thought he would, but he really doesn't enjoy the snow suit. He loves being outside so much however, that he quickly forgets and joins the fun. These are a few pictures of our African son beginning to like the Midwest and fun in the snow.



We are getting more snow tomorrow and I just can't get my mind off of somewhere warm. Living in the Midwest has many perks, but there comes a point somewhere between January and February that you begin to think spring can't come soon enough. There has got to be a travel deal out there somewhere right?

Inspiration

Inspiration comes in many forms, but one way to be inspired is to hear remarkable stories of humanity. I won't try to summarize this wonderfully touching story, but here is the jest of it...

*A woman in Phoenix also adopting from Jamma Letu is involved in her refugee community.
*She learns that the daughter of a Congolese refugee family recently died in childbirth leaving 3 daughters and a newborn baby in a refugee camp in Goma. *She works to have the girls transported 1200 miles in a war torn country by volunteers to Jamma Letu orphanage where they will be well cared for. During their stay she is working to have them adopted by their family here and brought to the US.

People changing the world one story at a time - true inspiration.
Please read the full story at www.thecamjam.blogspot.com.

Merry Christmas (late)!

How is it that I took over 100 pictures during the month of December and in most of the pictures my children look in pain? This is the best of the best from our holiday. We had 2 great weeks together of eating, drinking (hot chocolate, of course), playing games and just hanging out together. It was wonderful!

"More water please"

One day after I must have retrieved 6 glasses of water for Joshua I took a moment to think about how different water was for him 3 months ago. We take so many things for granted in this country, but one of the most over looked "luxuries" we have is readily available clean water. That day I truly had a moment. I sat down and wanted to cry for the time my child had gone without so much. I thought about all of the children in Africa who continue to go without and right then and there decided to do something.

This Christmas many of us are reviewing our 401k and savings accounts and are more than discouraged. We are "cutting back", saving more and praying lots. One thing we aren't doing however is drinking dirty water or not drinking at all. Our adoption agency is currently working to raise money to build a new boys orphanage. This was Joshua's first home and many of the children he spent his first year and a half with are still there. Tim and I want to help Our Family Adoptions in raising money for this wonderful place. In particular, we are hoping to raise enough money this season to dig a new well! This sounds big, but we know many people follow our journey and even pocket change adds up. We think a new well is around $4000, but would love to raise enough to surpass that number and dig a new well for the girls orphanage as well.

As you put your children to bed tonight and retrieve one last drink, as you wash your dishes or take a bath, take a moment to think how different your life may look without water. If you would like to help us in our endeavour, please send us a check made out to Our Family Adoptions. All donations are tax deductible. If you do not have our address, please email me at danielleott1@aol.com (I hesitate posting it online). We plan to compile all of the donations and send them to Jilma to be earmarked for a new well. Thank you for taking the time to consider contributing to something so dear to our hearts.

Long overdue updates

I can't believe it has been a month since I updated our blog! So much has happened. Here is a quick run down...

In November Tim celebrated the "big 35". The kids made the cake.


In December Amelia celebrated her 4th birthday and started dance classes. I was very excited to say the least.


Caleb continues to do great in Kindergarten and just lost his first tooth. He also started dance classes and seems to really enjoy them. As a prior dancer, I am thrilled, however everyone else is a bit hesitant.


Joshua continues to do great. He has adjusted so well and many days we forget he is new to our family. Amelia and Joshua spend hours on end playing during the day and after quite a while always end up disagreeing in the typical sibling manner. Caleb is definitely the "big brother". Where ever Caleb goes, Joshua is not far behind. Purchasing Christmas presents was hard for Joshua. He should be playing with toddler toys, but instead he enjoys following Caleb with Matchbox cars and Legos.

Joshua was baptized last Sunday and Grandpa and Grandma Ott were able to drive out from Kansas for the big day. My cousins, Miranda and Josh, also agreed to be Joshua's godparents and spent the weekend with us as well. The service was very nice and was a great reminder that we are all adopted in God's eyes. Caleb and Amelia wore my Dad's baptismal gown for their baptisms, however they were 6 weeks old and the gown just wouldn't do for Joshua. We decided to have him wear the outfit the ladies at the orphanage made for him and sent home with Jilma. It was perfect and will be a special memento of the day.


Lastly, we have heard great news from another family adopting from DRC. Julie and Bill Briley are the couple who first led us to Our Family Adoptions. They have accepted a new baby boy to adopt - Moses. We don't know Julie and Bill well, but they radiate faith and hope and we are certain Moses has found a wonderful home with them. Moses has Downs Syndrome, so please pray for his health while he waits for Julie and Bill. He appears to be doing well, but it will be so much better for him to be in the US and obtain the medical attention he needs. Julie and Bill hope to bring Moses home in early 2009. You can follow their journey at www.thebrileys.blogspot.com.

We did it!

I can't believe it, but we did it. We were able to assemble 16 family members at Walt Disney World for a great vacation and one big dinner together. Our annual tradition was made even sweeter this year with the arrival of our newest family member. Unbelievably we were able to share this trip with all of our family - both sets of grandparents, both aunts and uncles and 3 cousins. It was great!

Vacationing with 3 children is a little busier, but overall very doable and fun! We always feel when we come back from vacations and that we have learned something new about the kids and we watch them grow in just one short week. This trip was no exception. Joshua had been home only 9 weeks when we left for the trip and we were a little worried he may be nervous about getting on a plane again. We turned out to be half right. As soon as we arrived at the airport we could sense he was tense. He clung to us like never before and became cranky and nervous. After about 15 minutes in the airplane I think he forgot about being nervous, relished in the fact that we were all together and enjoyed flying high in the sky. Once we got to Orlando, Joshua was comfortable and seemed to express himself more that we had seen to date. It was great.

We also realized just how much Joshua loves his green stroller that helped carry him home from Africa. We took our double stroller with us, but after two days we realized it may be nice to have an umbrella stroller with us since our 6 year old got tired towards the end of the day. We had my parents bring the green umbrella stroller Jilma bought for Joshua and from the time it arrived, he far preferred to be in "his stroller" than the larger more comfortable one.


Joshua also surprised us with his love for the water. He fearlessly jumps in, goes down slides and puts his face right in the water. Caleb and Amelia (especially Amelia) loved watching him learn and just have fun.
All three of the kids loved being on the go everyday. They ate well, slept when they were tired and seemed to go with the flow great. I was even able to get them to sit down once in a great while for a picture together.


The Halloween party also turned out to be a huge success. Our army soldier, little bo peep and elephant looked adorable and had a great time at the party. I was grateful Amelia decided to wear a "girly" costume vs a doctor costume (once around all of those princesses I knew we would have a battle being a doctor) and was amazed at how Joshua left his hood on. As a matter of fact, I had a hard time getting him to take it off. We tried to surprise the kids at every turn and one big surprise was for Caleb. His best friend Nicholas was also at Disney World and we surprised them with an afternoon together. What fun!

I think the last thing we realized was how much we really do stand out. Even in 9 short weeks, we began to forget how conspicuous we were to others. After about 2 days of being around hoards of people from all walks of life, we realized we were getting quite a few looks. Everyone was pleasant and it didn't bother us, but it was definitely a reminder that our "normal family" isn't so normal to everyone else. I even watched a mom cover her about 8 year old son's mouth when he loudly began to comment on Joshua's difference in color from his family. It didn't bother me and if I had the courage to say something, I would have told her that it is OK for children to be curious and her son's comments didn't bother me. However conspicuous we may be, I am grateful Caleb and Amelia don't quite get it yet. I am sure down the road we will have many conversations, but for now I am enjoying the innocence and acceptance of my children and family.

We travel a lot and I think many people may question why. It is for stories like this. I love being purposeful about spending time together. I think traveling, no matter where you go (yes, even Walt Disney World!) allows for opportunities to learn about others and yourself. Every day there are opportunities to teach your children something valuable, but there is something about being outside of your comfort zone in a new environment and actively looking at the world around you. No matter how far we travel from home, I love watching our children actively look at their world and the people around them. Life is truly great!