Blame it on the Sun

It has been a LONG time since my last post and I can only blame the summer sun :) We have had a VERY hot, sunny summer and that has kept me Very busy with the kids. We spend most of our days playing outside, which means I am tired out by the time I get them to bed and really don't think too much about blogging. Sorry, to my faithful followers :) but I will try harder to keep you updated. In the adoption world, we are just waiting on finger print appointments which were delayed due to our home study not making it to USCIS when it was supposed to. We are now back on track with that, but PRAYERS are needed that our appoinment comes SOON as we are supposed to travel in September for court and embassy and can not do that without this VITAL information. Providing we get approval in time, we will leave September 23 and by September 24th we will be holding our little girl and spend a week with her in Haiti!!! I can NOT wait!!! I So long to wrap my arms around that little princess!!! As far as fundraising we have a WONDERFUL opportunity for everyone to be able to help. There are some wonderful, HUGE hearted girls (Sarah and Rachel) that make handmade crocheted hats and other items to help orphans. They have offered to donate 100% of ALL sales made on Naika's behalf toward her adoption. We need ALL of you to keep them REALLY busy by visiting their blog, checking out their items and ORDERING :) Here is the link to their blog: http://www.handiworkforelijah.blogspot.com/. Make sure when you place your order that you mention that you would like the proceeds to go toward Naika's adoption. They will do custom orders, so just let them know what you need!! Thank you everyone for your support and prayers. They are much needed and we can feel the prayers every step of the way!!! Be Blessed - Melissa

Long Distance Love

As I mentioned in a recent post, we have been busy fundraising for Naika's adoption. So far we had a rummage sale and a craft fair/bake sale. Both events went Very well and we were extremely blessed by all who supported us. It got me thinking how much Naika is already loved. She has NO idea that there are so many people who are helping to bring her home and we are FOREVER grateful. Some upcoming events will include a Jockey Person to Person/Tastefully Simple home party (where proceeds will be donated toward the adoption and also a Auction/Raffle event in fall that you will NOT want to miss. One Major need is PRAYER! As you all know (at least anyone who followed our previous adoption journeys) adoption is not for the weak at heart, especially Haiti adoptions. I am already SO in love with this precious little girl that there are days I think my heart will burst. Yet, we still have a L O N G road ahead of us, thus prayers: for Naika and her caregivers, for all involved in the adoption paperwork (in the US and Haiti), for us and the kids who prepare for our new bundle of joy, for a speedy and drama free process. We are So blessed and thankful to be led on this journey, knowing it will not be easy but OH SO WORTH THE RIDE! Be Blessed - Melissa PS -enjoy the pic which shows our little girl getting her first look at her Forever family!!!

Blessed Beyond Belief!

This weekend we had our first fundraiser for Naika's adoption. We have not ever fundraised for our adoptions before, so this is kind of new ground for us. We decided to participate in the neighborhood garage sale as a fundraiser and people showed up to support us in ways that BLEW OUR MINDS! We had people donate money without buying anything, donate WAY more than what they spent, pay $10 for cupcakes. I could go on and on, but I will get to the point...We EXCEEDED our weekend goal. Our next BIG fundraiser is next weekend when we are hosting a craft/home business/bake sale at our local church. It is going to be a GREAT event and if you are in the area, you will NOT want to miss it :). I also added a gadget on the left side of the blog so you can all see our progress as we try to make our $25000 goal. If When we accomplish that goal, Naika's adoption will be fully funded! There is also a DONATE button, in case anyone feels led to give. This button will allow you to donate using any of the credit cards listed. Thank you all again for your support!!! Melissa

Easy Street vs Hard Way

Since announcing that we were adding to our family again we have gotten mixed reviews from family and friends. Those opinions increased when we shared that Naika is a special needs child with FAS.Most people have been supportive and on the same note some people have showed concern that we already have enough with 3 children and that Naika having special needs will just be TOO HARD. Though I do respect their opinions, as they are entitled to them, it has got me thinking. Most things we "choose" to do in life are not choices that we make because they are "easy", but instead things that we feel are best for our lives at that time. For instance, I LOVE my hubby in fact we will be celebrating 8 years of marriage together tomorrow, but life was "easier" when I was single. I mean I did not have to share my space, cook and clean for multiple people, discuss things I wanted to buy with someone else, compromise...you get the point. But I made a choice to say "YES" to my husbands sweet question of "So do you want this??"(that is another story!). Let me take it one step further, when I chose to move out of my parents house that was not the EASY STREET kind of thinking. I mean why leave a place where everything was taken care of for me? Where I had no responsibilites to speak of? It was not easy, but it WAS the best decesion for me at that time in my life. As far as building our family through international adoption, that has by far been the HARDEST way to build our family BUT it was Absolutely the BEST decesion we have ever made. We could have easily decided to not have children or we could have tried having biological children, but we made a choice to adopt our children because we felt it was right for our lives. Not Easy, but Right. I guess my point is, that though I respect people who want to "warn" us how hard things will be, I would appreciate the same respect of the choice we are making. A lot of prayer and discussion went into making the decesion to add Naika to our family and I know we will all be Blessed to have her in our lives. Thank you all for your continued support, prayers and love. We could not do what we do without all of you!!! Melissa

Called, Chosen, Faithful...Put to the Test

When we began the adoption journey of Naika we were aware that it was a "special needs" adoption. We were told she had Developmental Delays that they believed were due to severe malnourishment and that the damage may be reversible due to her young age and the fact that she is now getting proper nutrition. Yesterday that all changed with one call from our agency. This week Maison (the orphanage Naika is at) had a pediatric specialist come into the facility and she was able to finally give Naika a proper exam and diagnosis. We were told that she had oxygen deprivation at birth and fetal alcohol syndrome. According to this therapist, Naika will most likely require speech, occupational and physical therapy. What this now means is that she will have a lifetime of challenges and will require a lot of care and therapy. WOW....it took us a little by surprise and we were not sure how to react at first. Scott and I both did some research on FAS and had a 2 hour long talk last night about what is right for our family. We talked about our fears, our hopes, and our desires for Naika's adoption. When we first started down this path we KNEW we were being called to adopt again, what was also VERY obvious to us was that we were not just being called to adopt but specifically adopt Naika. You see there was a lot of divine intervention that took place that got us to where we are at already. Now we are armed with this new knowledge that we will be adding a child to our family that is special needs and facing the decision of if we are capable of what we have been chosen for. In the end we have decided to be faithful to what we feel so strongly led to and are thankful that God has allowed us to be armed with this knowledge so we can have time to prepare for the adventure ahead. We have to trust in Him and that He will guide us through this.

Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork

These days I am keeping Very busy with lots of paperwork. It seems to just keep coming right now. There is home study paperwork, dossier paperwork, school paperwork (can you believe my baby boy will be in 4K!!), doctor appointment paperwork...it seems to be never ending. At least I am not finding time to be bored :)
On the adoption front things are moving along. We have our official referral for Naika signed and are waiting on Scott's physical to be done next week so we can finish up our home study. It looks like we will travel to Haiti in October to meet our little princess and take care of some (more) paperwork while we are in Haiti. Then the real wait begins. It will take time to bring her home, but it will be SO worth the wait.
And now for what you have all been waiting for....a little peek at our princess:)

When I Grow Up

Today Delson was giving me LOTS of facts on the way home about presidents. Since it is presidents day his class was talking about George Washington and Abe Lincoln. He knows how Washington liked horses and reading and Lincoln likes math and was shot (that was a long story!). When he got all done giving me the facts he informed me that he was going to be president someday and live in the white house. I had to regretfully inform him that it would not be possible for him to be president of the United States because he was not born in the US. He then began to list all his friends who were born in the US asking if they would be able to be president. I informed him that they would be able to since they were born here. He asked if Micah could be president and I said "No, Micah was born in Ethiopia.". The boys have decided that it is NOT fair that they can not be president and asked how to change that law. I told them it would not be an easy thing to have changed, but that they were welcome to write the president and tell them their concerns. They asked if I would help them write a FULL page letter to the president tomorrow and bring it to the post office. I promised I would! Hurt to tell Delson he could NOT be something he has a desire to be, but felt so PROUD to hear the boys make a plan to try to follow the dream!!! Melissa

Simple Math

5+1=6
We are SUPER excited to announce that we are adding to our family!! We are currently in process of adopting an adorable little blessing from Haiti! Our application was approved yesterday by CCAI (where our little bundle is a waiting child) and as soon as we sign her referral we will fill you in on ALL the details. In the meantime, please keep our family in your prayers as we take another roller coaster ride on the adoption train!!! Be Blessed- Melissa

Haiti

As most of you know, Scott and I traveled with a few others from church to Haiti right after Christmas. We met up with a group of 20 other people from around the country via Adventures In Missions (AIM). I can tell you that we had an AMAZING time in Haiti and are Forever changed by what we experienced. I will share my journal entries and photos after we give our presentation at church on the 14th :). I can share with you that we plan to return in June, hopefully with another group from church so PLEASE pray for that upcoming journey! Melissa

Quick Catch Up

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE TROEDEL TRIBE
I had been waiting to post until I had time to put pictures on too, but if I do that you may just be waiting FOREVER! Here is a little of what has been going on:
On December 9th we celebrated Micah's 3 year Famiversary! I can not believe that it has been 3 years since my baby boy was placed in my arms FOREVER! He is growing into an amazing little man and is SO smart, too smart for his own good sometimes :).
Delson is doing GREAT in school. I am so happy that we moved him to a smaller, private school. It was the BEST decision we ever made, the difference is like day and night. He was in a Christmas program for school this week and was a wise man. He did great and was the kid singing SUPER loud without really knowing all the words :)
Sitota just finished with her first semester of ballet. She is taking it at a local church and has really liked it. She continues to LOVE reading and also drawing. She is busy practicing for a musical she is going to be in at the end of January:)
Scott and I have been busy preparing for our mission trip to Haiti, we will leave the day after Christmas and will return on New Years Eve. I can not wait to see what God has in store for us and who he has already chosen to cross our path.
I pray everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!! - Melissa

A bit of Christmas Thanks

Today we decorated the house for Christmas and the kids were SO excited to help. The moment that really stands out for me is when the kids placed their special ornaments on the tree that represent their birth families. As they placed their ornament on the tree each child took the time to say a little prayer for their families.
Micah has an angel that he chose to represent his birth mom and said that he was thankful she had him and prayed that she is safe. Though we do not know her name, she did such a loving thing when she gave him over to the police as a newborn as she could not care for him but did wanted him safe.
Delson has an ornament that was handmade in Haiti and asked God to keep his Haitian mommy, Verigne safe(his Haitian daddy, Pierre,is no longer here on earth).
Sitota has a cross that she chose to remember her family. She thanked God for her Ethiopian mommy and daddy, Worke and Wolde, whom are no longer with us on earth and prayed that God keep Tariku and her other brothers and sisters in Ethiopia safe. , and the precious young lady who was loving enough to bring her newborn baby boy to the police so she knew he would be safe. I am so Thankful for all they gave up so we can have our family.
We are so thankful to all of those listed here for the blessings they have given us.

Perfect Match

Had a funny (and interesting) conversation with Micah the other day after we had read a book about adoption. The book referred to how God had found us both and matched us. Here is how our talk at lunch a few days later went:

Micah: Mom, I don't think God is really good at matching.
Me: What are you talking about honey?
Micah: Remember how we read a book and you said God matched us.
Me: Yes
Micah: Well put out your arm (I do so and he puts his arm next to mine). See your arm is white, right?
Me: Yes
Micah: And my arm is brown, right?
Me: Yes
Micah: So I don't think God is very good at matching.
Me: We may not match in the color of our skin, but God did match our hearts and I am so happy you are my son.
Micah: And I am Happy you are my mom (followed by a big hug and kiss!)

Gotta LOVE that kid!!

My Sticker Chart

Recently we began giving the kids an opportunity to earn an allowance. With this began the creation of their very own Sticker Charts. Being that we have a variety of ages for those able to earn some cash, we also have a wide variety of "chores", some of which are really just behaviors we would like them to improve on. I got to thinking what MY sticker chart may look like if I were to have one. Here are a few I came up with:
Kids Chart - No Time Outs
My Chart - Take a Time Out! Sometimes a break is really needed to refresh and regroup. I have a Really hard time admitting that I need to take some time for myself in order to "behave" better.
Kids Chart - Finish your meal before leaving the table (can you tell we have a 3 year old!)
My Chart - Take time to eat 3 meals a day. I can not tell you the last time I sat down and ate breakfast in the morning. I am "too busy" making lunches, getting kids dressed, brushing said kids teeth, getting shoes and coats on, etc. I REALLY need to make time to at least eat...maybe my morning would go better :)
Kids Chart - Dress yourself in the appropriate clothes for the day
My Chart - Get dressed in something other than jeans and a t-shirt. Since becoming a mom my attire has REALLY suffered. I joke that I try to make sure the kids always look nice because then no one will pay attention to what I look like. I however enjoy looking nice and classy even with being a mommy!

I could go on and on, but you get the point...it appears I need to work on my own improvement a little bit and I intend to do just that :)

BATS

I LOVE hearing about everything Delson is learning at his new school. It is AMAZING what he can all take in when there is not the chaos of 25 kids in the room. Last week he was learning about bats and we had this conversation on the way home from school:
Delson: Mom, did you know that even if you do not like bats you can not kill them? They are God's creation and you do not want to make God cry by killing them.
Me: That is true Delson, we don't want to kill living things (praying in my head, God PLEASE do not let a bat show up in the house as I KNOW I would go postal on that!!)
Delson: Mom, did you know that the bats are running out of caves? Maybe we should build a big cage for the bats so they don't end up gone like dinosaurs!
Me: Ummm, I am not so sure that is a good idea...

Rainbow

Today as Micah and I were riding down the street I had the pleasure to be with him when he saw his first rainbow. I know we have tried to point them out to him before, but he never could really see it until today. Nothing is better than sitting in the car with your 3 year old while they are in total amazement at God's beauty. He even knew that Noah was the first person to see a rainbow (thank you WONDERFUL Sunday school teachers!!) and we could use it as a learning opportunity to talk about God's promises. What a Wonderful

The Joy of Raising Boys

Today the boys were playing outside and I ran in to answer the phone. I went to look something up for someone and was going to head back outside when I hear Micah crying and see a neighbor lady walking toward the house. I run out the garage door and see Micah riding up on his bike balling as Delson yells, "It wasn't me!". Well, the neighbor lady askes me to walk with her to her house (3 houses down) and says that my son was destroying her antique wooden sled. We get there and she shows me the 3 boards that were broke and thrown in her yard. I apologize over and over then ask how we can make this better. She says maybe he can come and rake leaves, I said that would be fine. I then said that he has been really into being a fireman lately and I think that he gets carried away thinking things are real, then I state "I guess that is what happens when you are 3". She says, "3?? Oh no honey, it was the older boy!" The whole time I thought it was Micah because he was crying SO loud and Delson said it was not him when I came out. So....I head home with my new info and have a LONG talk with Delson. He says he does not know why he did it. I have him get his money out of his piggy bank and make a I am sorry card to bring down. He delivers his "gifts" and says he is sorry and will NEVER do it again. We then talk again to get to why and he explains that they were playing fireman and he was pretending it was a car on fire and used a shovel as an axe to get the "people" out of the car. He claims that he didn't think about how it was just pretend and that we can not do that. We had a long talk and had him do some work around the house tonight instead of playing...oh the joys of boys :)

Fall Fun Pictures!

The post you have all been waiting for...pictures! The kids have been LOVING the nice fall weather we have been having and have enjoyed getting out in the leaves and apple picking! Here are some fun pics of what we have been up to!

Did you miss me?!?

I am back. I have REALLY missed my blog and I hope that you all have too. So, since it has been SO long since my last post, I will give you some updates on how everyone is doing:
Sitota is now a beautiful 10 year old little lady. She is in the 4th grade and currently goes to Carl Traeger elementary school. Recently Sitota started ballet and LOVES it. She also is very into cooking and takes a kids in the kitchen class. Sitota has enjoyed taking swimming lessons and is now at a level 3. She is looking forward to trying out for a local children's musical in a few weeks. We have had some bonding issues and she is struggling with abandonment issues regarding her family in Ethiopia, but we are working through those things and have made Great progress. She is a true blessing and her smile can brighten a room.
Delson is now 5 years old and still full of energy. He started Kindergarten this year and was struggling with the large class size so he will be starting at a Lutheran school this week. The fact that he will be the 8th kindergartner there will be a HUGE blessing. He is enjoying getting outside to run and ride his bike. Delson's favorite thing to do is build things and he is Very good at it.
Micah is now 3 years old and smart as ever (along with that comes that he is sassy as ever too!). He started preschool through our rec department and LOVES going to school like the big kids. He goes 2 days a week for 2 hours, which is perfect for him. He also did dance and gymnastics through the rec department, but is taking a little break while in school. Micah's big loves are race cars, airplanes, and fire trucks. He is loving his time with mom while the other kids are at school :)

As far as me and Scott, we are preparing for our mission trip to Haiti this December. We will be going with a team of 5 people from our church to Haiti. This will be truly a life changing experience and we are truly blessed to be a part of this team. Also, after MANY discussions we feel that our family is now complete and rather than focus on any additional adoptions we are going to put our energy into what we are blessed to have. This was actually a difficult topic for me as I have felt like I was being led to add one more child to our family, but I am finding the joy in what I have and realize that no one can fill the void I feel but God. I am trying to take some more time to focus on myself as I have not been good at taking care of me and it shows. By taking care of me I feel I will be able to better take care of my family as well.
Well, that is what is going on. I am going to try to be more faithful to this blog to let everyone know what is going on...and of course will get some recent pics up soon!! - Melissa

One Year Ago

I can not at all believe that one year ago today I was at the airport in Green Bay anxiously awaiting the arrival of our son Delson. It had been such a LONG journey for Delson to get to us, that I really thought the day would NEVER come when I would be holding my son in my arms forever. This year has been full of challenges, but through it all I know that this was all God's plan and that Delson is truly a blessing in my life. Delson continues to grow in so many ways and I LOVE growing closer to him daily. Tonight he wanted to go to McDonalds for ice cream to celebrate his famiversary. Posted is a picture of us from the airport last year and one from McDonalds tonight. You can start to see the joy in his eyes and for that I am SO thankful! Melissa

The One-Upper Gone Bad

Here is the conversation the boys were having in the car today:
Micah- "I am going to be a police man when I grow up!"
Delson - "I am going to be a good cop when I get big!"
Micah - " Oh yeah, well I am going to be a good cop who puts bad guys in the back of my car!"
Delson - "Yeah, well I am going to be a bad buy and ride in the back of a police car when I grow up!!"