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!!"

Jumping Through Hoops

I had a tough time coming up with a name for this post. Some other options were: Watching My Money Go Down the Drain, Positive...or not, or Could it Get Any Better!. Here is what has been going on in the past week at the Troedel house: We got the information we now need to apply for Delson's green card and then can apply for his Certificate of Citizenship. Good news right?!?! But as with everything that comes from the government this too comes with a price. I won't get into all the details, but want to get to the meat of things. One of the things we need to do is have Delson get a physical at a Civil Surgeon (aka Federal Government Approved Doctor!). In order to get him this appointment we need to first get him in for a TB test. Simple right?!?! WRONG! We took him in last Friday so they could read his scratch test and he had a positive reading. Now, before you panic, the most likely reason for this is that he probably received a vaccine while in Haiti that would cause a false positive skin test and therefore would need to do a chest xray in the future to rule out TB. We have NO documentation of him having had vaccines while in Haiti, but it is possible. So today we had to bring him back to the clinic for a chest xray and also lab work (5 Tubes of Blood!). I had to cancel his appointment we had for tomorrow with the civil surgeon because we first have to have the proof that he does not have TB, so now he goes next week. Did I mention that we are unsure whether insurance will cover any of this since it is elective testing?!?! Great!
To put icing on the cake Delson also failed his eye screening at school (especially the depth perception part) and we need to bring him in for an actual exam ASAP...did I mention that we took him in April and they found nothing so insurance will not cover it unless we wait till this April to bring him in...
So there you have it! On a good note, I think that I am making some progress on my resolutions. This is a VERY good thing. And after all, it could ALWAYS be worse!!! Melissa

Things to Work on 2011

With the new year brings resolutions. This year I have several areas I would like to work on. Most are goals regarding how to become Happy again, I feel I have lost the Joy I used to have and really want to work on getting it back! 2010 was a year of MANY changes for us and I would be lying if I told you I have adjusted to all of them well and am Joyful for what I have been given all the time. This year I REALLY want/need a change in attitude more than any other changes :) Here are the goals I will have posted to review everyday:
1. Laugh more and Yell less
2. Listen more and Talk less
3. This is a tough one to even type, but I want to learn to LOVE my son (Delson). You see everything about Delson's adoption has been hard. The process, the years of waiting, behavior issues, attachment issues, RAD, etc. I have struggled to attach and see past the behaviors and LOVE my broken, but perfectly as God planned little boy. This year I will do EVERYTHING I can to help him and help me to accept him.
4. Make a difference in the life of a stranger.
5. Make time for myself to do things I enjoy(ed) doing. I have felt like I never have time for me anymore and I know that I would be happier if I would just make a little time to get back to things I have always enjoyed!
6. Workout videos HERE I COME :)
This is a list that I will not take lightly and will be posting them and reviewing them everyday so that I do not forget about these things that are SO important. Here is wishing everyone a HAPPIER NEW YEAR!! - Melissa

One Year With Our Little Girl

One year ago today I met and held my daughter for the first time. What a year it has been! When I first met Sitota she was a quiet, shy and frail little girl. She had and still has a smile that will brighten your day. She amazes me with everything she has learned over the past year and how she will try anything! She has learned to read, write, ride a bike and rip stick, ice skate, swim, and so much more in this past year. She has also physically grown A LOT...when we brought her home she was 4 ft 4 in and 59 pounds. Today she is 4 ft 10 in and 85 pounds!! It is hard to keep up with her (on many levels!). She is truly an inspiration to us and we are So Blessed to be able to call her our daughter. Enjoy the pictures of her from a year ago and today...looks like she aged about 3 years!!! Love to all - Melissa