So yesterday marks 1 week home with the twins.
The week went 'way!' better than I expected. We were definatly jet-lagged and tired for the 1st 1/2 of the week. When I say tired I mean bedtime was between 7 and 7:30...for Everyone- parents included! At 4pm I'd hit a wall and would litteraly fumble around the kitchen hoping I was grabbibng the right foods to put on the table.
As far as the twins eating....I was a bit worried at first. A friend of mine made them 2 large platters of Ethiopian food and even though I would offer them what we were eating- they would only end up eating the ehtiopian food. When it ran out I was sweating and hopping they would not have to grow up on banana's. Thanks to the the miracle spice called 'Berber' that we bought in Ethiopia- they will eat 50-75% of the food we offer them...as long as there is a bowl of berber nearby!
They sleep great- I cant imagine how exhausted they must feel but they are really doing great.
I would have never beleived that I actually would have be able to do a full week of school right away- including the twins but there was a reason that drove me. Last Sunday the younger 3 kids were all so excited that they ran from one activity to the next with the twins. They were so eager to try Everything with them: in 1 hour it went from trampoine, to bikes, to UNO, to hide and seek, to razor scooters, to chalk, to soccer, to jenga, ect. The girls were happy but I knew it was WAY to much. By starting school up right away it gave every one structure. I schooled the younger 3 in the morning while the twins played nearby and I then worked with the girls in the afternoon.
The girls are really bright and are little sponges. They know the names of the letters and numbers in English-which is more than I expected.
The 1st 5 days they were supper quiet- very reserved and bareley making a peep unless we tickeled them. On the 6th day somthing happened and they made huge progress. They started initiating contact (requesting things or questioning things) they started to make a bit more noise w/ the kids, and they started to jump on Mike's back in wrestle matches and come up behind me and hug my waist. Everynight we of couse cuddle up and tell them we love them and as expected they just giggle- but durring school with the girls I gave them each a qucik hug saying how smart they were- I turned to walk away and one of them shouted, "I love you mommy!' I turned and saw the biggest grin ever on her face and the other one was giggling shyly. I pretended to faint and and then danced over to them to land kisses all over their faces...I will never forget that moment :)
Im so pround of my younger 3!
Sova is so funny, she just chats away on and on like they were her friends and like they actually understand every word she is saying. I love spying on them in their room playing with dolls and setting up the tea set. Sova is thrilled that the girls are experts at hair and all of her dolls have 'the works' now.
Caleb the shy guy found his way of connecting with them by being the family clown. He waits for them to look at him and then he will do some crazy stunt- either sliding down face first on the stairs, jumping off a chair, sliding in his socks and pretending to wipeout...they always laugh and have even offered him piggy backs. He's a man of few words to them/ just as they are right now- but they are connecting through humor.
Jacob Mr. big heart told me this week that he knows that they are going to be his best friends! He looks for anyway he can to make an 'in' w/ them. Every single night he wants to be w/ Mike and I while we tuck them in and he will always give them a big good night hug. The girls laughed at 1st at his strong efforts to get in a hug but now they know it's routine :)
So the most comical highlights of this week include:
the girls laughing at Jacob eating their injera like a burrito,
someone dropped off a bag of clothes for them which included winter coats- the girls each put their coats on and would not take them off all day- it was 70 out that day- they ate lunch and did school in their winter coats- I thought they would never take them off,
the sinks have overflown a couple times because 1 of them seems to be a bit fascinated,
they were scared to go in the bubble bath- I think it was filled to high or the bubbles were too weired for them,
they wont try alot of yummy things yet- strawberries girls, come on!
watching a very puffed up Jacob strut into the kitchen wearing his football gear- he was on his way to practice and was used to postive reactions like,'wow, you look tuff, your cool or you look so grown up!' The girls burst out laughing and began poking at his gear trying to figure it out...not exactly the way Jacob expected it to go!
one day they wore their ethiopian scarves/head wraps around the house and even on the trampoline- they looked adorable and I hope they stay feeling comfortable enought to wear those!,
they are amazing cleaners and I catch myself cleaning better just because I dont want to look bad in front of my own daughters,
Pumpkins: they could not understand why- after buying them- we would actually want to leave them outside. One child keeps taking them in. We let each kid pick a mini pumpkin- which evidentlly the twins thought were weird looking balls because they repeatedly tried to bounce them on our kitchen floor! We had to try our best to explain they are just to sit and look pretty- not for basketball...
And the winner goes to:
well this is what we get for going against everything we were told and not staying home...
we stopped by a farm this weekend and while all the children and parents were admiring the large bison behind the double fence with signs posted to not touch...
I turned my head for a minute only to hear Jacob shouting, 'mom, look!'
Jereusalem was standing on the fence with her 2 fists clasped tightly on the bison's horns and she was shaking its head up and down! I almost passed out.
That's when we went back to hibernation.
(*disclaimer- the child is not weird...she comes from a farming community where she was used to horses and cattle walking up and down her street carrying things. The girl has probably grabbed these enormouse creatures by the horms countless times and this weekend was the first time where she got a gasp out of the crowd from that action...we probrably look like the weird one's to her!)
Hoping nothing tops that one too soon.
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