Every day this little girl blossoms before my eyes. Every single day she's funnier, sweeter, smarter, sillier than the day before. I knew she would change but - wow. It's simply overwhelming.

Merry Lynn Guy How do you feel you have blossomed and changed in the same amount of time Missy?

May 3, 2013 at 8:27pm · Like

Missy Hooks Dollahon Merry Lynn Guy Hm. I dunno. I'll have to think on that one. I think the most amazing thing to me is what a privilege it is to witness how powerful love is. All we're doing is LOVING her. That's all. There is zero magic to it. It's just awe-inspiring how much it has enabled her to become her full, brilliant self. It makes me understand how much we change and grow and blossom and transform thru the love of Christ. And how much more I am enabled to continue to transform, because the love and power of Christ is so much more than the love that we have for Bethie.

I want to glow like Bethie is glowing. I want that love to shine through me like it is shining through her.

May 3, 2013 at 8:44pm · Like · 5

Joy Primm Love this pic! First time I've seen her face lit up like that. So beautiful and wonderful to hear.

May 3, 2013 at 8:52pm · Unlike · 1

Missy Hooks Dollahon She just giggled all day long today. One twelve hour long giggle.

20 year old checkout girl at HEB: "When I get older, I don't even want to have kids, I just want to adopt a baby girl from Africa...and name her Beyonce. And she will be fierce."

Bethie riding the Zilker Park choo choo. She is an official Austinite now!

Me: (talking about how irresitable I was to Walker) "Guys like girls who are funny." Eva Rose: "Something tells me I'm gonna have a LOT of guys like me."

I remember when ike was born thinking 'It must be nice to have 5 people dote on you and tell you how adorable you are from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed.' 

Now Bethie has SIX people giving her the same treatment. 

Well, okay, 5 and a half. Ike's still not 100% smitten.

Getting Maggie's hair cut and the hairdresser asked (nicely) if Bethie was adopted. Maggie answered, 'Of course she's adopted! Do you think a brown baby came out of my mommy's tummy? What are you, kwazy?'

A friend came over today when Bethie's hair was VERY NAPPY and she only had a diaper on. I am resolved to have the first white trash black baby.

Maggie, reading out the car window: Mommy, what does a body shop sell?

new house

gameroom upstairs



girls rooms on left, boys on right

boys room on the left, guest room on the right

boys' room - it's HUGE



 

one of the girls' rooms -

Jack-n-jill girls' bathroom

other girls' room - little window in closet

 Grandma room :)

 

 

 Family room

kitchen - huge breakfast bar

white appliances :(

 

pantry is almost as big as old house





study, to right as you enter

(they had the mother in law in here)

 

dining room (on left as you enter)

 laundry room

guest bath

 

 my closet

Maggie:

I had a dream last night that I had four feet. And two of them were Abraham Lincoln's.

 Had our follow up visit with the social worker today. 

Shep found out that we were moving (away from his next door buddy) right when the social worker was leaving out house today. He burst into tears, ran to his room, and slammed the door. As we said goodbye in the foyer, he yelled, "WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU?!?!?"

Me: Are you gonna obey me, or are you gonna argue?
Eva Rose: I'm obeying AND I'm arguing!
And then we both cracked up.

Bethie said 2 words yesterday, uh-oh and Dada. Then today, 3: kaka (Amharic for nasty), GG, and ruff-ruff for puppy. She also mimics the kids and will do "tricks" for them (which they love), like make faces or noises etc. I hope this means we are having a language explosion! So ready for my baby to talk!

Sometimes adopted kids get real narrow in their diet and only eat a couple of foods because of sensory overload etc. You're just supposed to roll with it.

The past two days Bethie has eaten nothing but toast with butter, frozen organic waffles, and milk.

I'm loving it. Makes my life so much easier. #lazymom #onelesskidtocookfor

I laid with Bethie for over and hour and she would NOT go to sleep. Finally I said, your turn Daddy....10 minutes later he walks out, she's crashed.

So it has been proven. All five of my kids know I'm a sucker.

We watched The Bible with the the 3 oldest a couple nights ago. Maggie's questions "How could dey film them when cameras hadn't been inbented yet?" were much, much easier than Eva Rose's "But I don't get it! How could Abraham have a baby with Hagar when he was married to Sarah? How? Tell me now! I need to know!"

It's time for The Talk. Lord help.

I just stand and stare at Bethie in the bath. She is hilarious. Asks for soap, then dips her washcloth in the water, then washes her tummy. Dip, heinie. Dip, one armpit. Dip, other armpit. Dip, face. Dip, leg - every body part down to her fingers. At 27 months, she already knew how to do this. She also rubs lotion all over herself and can rub product in her hair. Makes my others at 2 look like lazy bums. Which, they were.