Settling In

We've been home as one big happy (most of the time) family for almost 6 weeks. I think we've settled into a routine and found that 'new normal' that I've heard about from other adoptive parents.
Kayla has gone back to living the life of a college student and working alot. Occasionally she'll take time out of her busy schedule to hang out with her little sisters and do girlie things. They love that!
Nathan is a great big brother. He is so good about playing with Faven, Diborah and Emma but gets frustrated at his lack of control when they misbehave. He has really stepped up to the plate and taken on more responsibility since mom and dad are a bit busier. He takes Derek to school, picks him up and drives him to his various activities. That is a huge help!
Derek is 13 and thinks all little girls are a nuisance, especially his 3 sisters! They must stay out of his room and keep the noise down--I say, "Good luck with that!" (o:
Emma loves having playmates! She loves being a mommy to Diborah. She loves Diborah going to preschool with her (Emma was the only girl in her class until Diborah came)! She loves learning new words in Amharic and sometimes uses those in place of the English word. But, there are times when Emma would like to have me, her daddy, her toys, her room all to herself. Sounds normal to me!
Faven is still enjoying school. She says, "Me..teacher..love." I don't blame her! She has the best teacher! She continues to learn more and more English--it is an amazing transformation. She still struggles occasionally with mommy and daddy's authority, but is getting better. She tries to convince us that she is 'the boss', but is slowly learning that she is not. We enrolled her in a dance class which she loves. Tonight we will go watch her perform a dance at our high school's homecoming basketball game with other K-6th graders. She seems to have embraced her new life. She gets excited about looking at pictures from Ethiopia (friends, her birthmom, her caretakers), but doesn't talk much about it on a daily basis. She is a funny girl with a big personality. She brings lots of sunshine and love into our family!
Diborah is doing so much better. She enjoys playing with Emma and going to school and dance class and church. Just in the past couple of days, she has begun to use English words to communicate. I'm still surprised when she says something in English! She is very loving and cuddley. She gives me lots of smiles, hugs and kisses, and I love you's...music to my ears! She likes to have fun and is our happy girl!

It's been fun being a big, crazy family of 8. We feel as though God has truly blessed us.
Last week, John and I left all of our children at home with Kayla to go shopping at our favorite store (haha!), Walmart. Everyone that we saw who knows us said something like....you're alone?...no kids today?...where's everyone else?...aren't you missing a few?
We just smile!