The Bottomly family swung through town today and we enjoyed an afternoon of good company.
Always fun to connect again with this family. And wish that distance did not keep it from happening more often.
I’m pretty sure they discussed on their drive back how they will not be having 6 children in their family….
I’m also not sure why we attempted this, because you can’t see half the faces, but yes, we are all in the same vicinity. (andy is behind the camera)
Africa unites in an Iowa backyard…
And at one point, we even had Tesi’s family. So that makes 2 Ethiopians, 2 from Sierra Leone, and 2 born in Iowa in this picture alone.
June 30, 2008
Zeke and Kora received their official certificates of citizenship in the mail today.
They came complete with a message from the President.
“I am pleased to congratulate you on becoming a United States citizen….Welcome to the joy, responsibility and freedom of American Citizenship.”
It’s moments like these that it all seems surreal.
US citizen.
Brother. Sister.
Son. Daughter.
Landers.
All new for them.
Beloved child. Treasured gift. Answered Prayer. Profound Blessing.
June 30, 2008
more pictures.
now we at least know where she learns it….
June 29, 2008
I left the 3 little kids in the nursery last night and took only Max to sit in big church with me. He is still such a cuddler. It was fun to have him sit on my lap and hold my hand and hug on me through the service.
The pastor (who happened to be Papa) was talking about communion and what it means. He said at one point something like, “Let it remind us how much God loves us.”
To which Max said, “Yes. God loves us!….From Muscatine to Africa!”
And that, my friends, is what it’s all about.
June 29, 2008
And yes it does help that they are darn cute.
Not everything they do is adorable, however. 
But a friend was just reminding me today, “Can you believe how well they are doing?”
Really, if you look at the big picture and having them for one month…
They are amazing. Truly. Truly. In spite of me. They are amazing little people.
June 29, 2008
I’m not sure when she turned 16….?
And there just aren’t words really for him….
Quincy fell asleep this afternoon.
Max went fishing with the neighbors.
And they played kindly and quietly for a long time….
June 28, 2008
i do believe they are having a bit of fun…
June 28, 2008
It’s one of those days.
Slightly overwhelmed.
It’s that tense feeling that literally radiates from my shoulders.
I have been scavenging the house for the appropriate processed sugar. Coming up short. So I just downed a whole thing of orange tic-tacs.
A long morning at the doctor. Looks like we will have 2 hernia surgeries coming up. Kora’s can be dealt with rather easily. Zeke’s not so much. The surgeon looked at it and said, “I have never seen anything like that. And I’m not touching it. You’ll need to see a pediatric specialist somewhere else.” So that we will.
Zeke had some troubling blood tests come back and was called back to see the pediatrician as well. We are not freaking out yet, but doing some further testing. But it was overwhelming. And a lot to swallow today. (Nothing life-threatening. Just complex.)
I had one girlfriend watching Quincy while I went to the doctor. Had to ask another to go with me. (SO that when Zeke was having his blood drawn AGAIN and Kora was running around trying to escape and when they were both bellowing at the site of another doctor–she could help me by taking them out and I could actually hear the doctor speak.) And yet another girlfriend simultaneously ‘googling’ for me from home with each new discovery. Good times. Good friends.
(All the while calling Andy constantly on the road with updates. Which really is the harder job as a parent…to be away in the middle of stuff.)
I’m supposed to be doing stool samples again today too after our rounds of antibiotic. And I just think that’s not going to happen today.
So it’s just one of those days.
I will be looking for some more tic-tacs.
I will be counting down until bedtime.
Possibly taking a shower.
And then googling into the wee hours I’m sure.
And that’s just the way it is sometimes.
June 27, 2008
I have a new definition of a “break.”
Andy left with the two big boys for an out of town wedding. And somehow I feel like having 4 children is a break. How did that happen?
The twins have a consult with the surgeon about their hernias.
Made groundnut stew again so we should not starve over the week-end.
I’m kidding myself to think she will leave this headband in all day.
Or that the shirt will stay white.
So until then…
June 27, 2008
