Yes, we are still alive here…
Actually it’s been better than expected but every now and then we have one of those days/moments in which everything seems to fall down.
I compare those times to summer storms. You know, those kind of storms that come after a long string of very quiet hot days. In one moment the sky seems to fall down.
But they also bring some relief, the cold rain, the fresh air…

Ethiopia is more than present in our house, and the new girl is rocking the boat for the other two who until now never worried too much about their past.
We are discovering the personality, preferences, and intelligence of our daughter and she’s fighting to find a place in our family.

I try to keep the kids entertained, so they don’t fight that much between them.
I prefer old fashioned fun over packed entertainment. It’s cheaper and helps to build creativity and family bonds.
Lately we are working in dressing up our Barbie collection, all cast out dolls bought at thrift stores for no more than a dollar each. We have cleaned, combed and braided hair. We have removed from marker to nail polish from their skins and hair.
The girls have learned to make clothes for them; the older one with needle and thread, the younger one with tape and glue.
And we have had those wonderful moments in which everything is quiet and you can only hear the sound of the girls deeply breathing while they concentrate in their creations.
My new daughter resumed the feeling in a wonderful phrase: “Mama, I like this. This is beautiful, you and me here sewing”

The dresses the girls made probably won’t last long, no more than a summer storm, but they have brought plenty of fresh air into our lives.

AliciA