Hopeful Happenings...

Daddy teaching the finer points of flossing!!
Ta-Dah!! Our 2 princesses showing off the fruit of their labors! Mercy is wearing her newly purchased dress :)

"sistahs".... Bonding while braiding!!!


I am happy to report that today was well, sort of normal!! God graciously gave me another glimpse of what life might consistently be like in a little while. Thankfully, there were no major meltdowns or tantrums today. ( There were a few brewing but God's grace prevailed and Mercy and Odesco were able to regroup and move on!!) We even managed to get a bit of schoolwork done...not back to a full load but getting there.(We started back on Monday.)

The girls spent some time this morning flinging clothes out of their dress up bin in attempts to find Mercy suitable attire to attend a "Princess Birthday Party" tomorrow nite'. Finally, Mercy squeezed into a little Ballerina outfit and B3 was happy to be wearing the Princess gown which was homemade by Mimi for her 5th birthday. After posing for a few pictures, I instructed the girls to get changed because we needed to make an "Aldis run". Mercy decided she wanted to be a Princess for the day and since the temperature was mild, I let her wear her ballerina get-up (complete with tiara), to the store. B3, Odesco and Mercy sat in the cart. They all loved having the various items piled on top of them....and they were all very helpful when it came time to empty the cart onto the conveyor belt. Once home both Mercy and Odesco ran to the back of the van to help carry the groceries in the house. I had forgotten bags, so everything was loose. Both kids wanted to be loaded up with groceries before walking up the driveway into the house. Mercy had me in hysterics because as she'd take a step, she would drop something...then she's bend over to pick that item up only to lose another(these were all non-perishables, thankfully!!). Odesco was just as cute balancing 3 grapefruits and a few cans of cashews as he lumbered up the walkway in his very snug Eagles sweatsuit.

Later, after lunch I had a phone conversation with M and we decided to purchase a special Princess dress for Mercy that actually fit her! Even though she and B3 technically wear the same size, Mercy's bloated tummy (which should diminish over time now that she is receiving adequate nourishment) made the dress a bit too snug on her. I pulled B3 aside to tell her the plan and to ask her to prepare her heart to be happy for her sister...thankfully, she was very excited about this and couldn't wait to tell Mercy that we were going to Target for the sole purpose of buying her a dress of her very own. Mercy lit up with the news and we were able to pile into the van again, drive to Target, choose a dress, pay for it and return home within the hour. SO, we actually survived 2 outings in one day :)

Odesco was a tired boy at this point and on his own found a spot on a blanket on the family room floor and had a short snooze. B3 asked if Mercy could go up to their room with her since it was clear that Mercy was not tired enough to nap. While I was at the kitchen table reconciling bills , I could hear 2 very busy, giddy little girls upstairs. A few minutes later, they excitedly scampered down the stairs and begged me to come with them for a surprise. After hurrying up ahead of me for some finishing touches, they opened the door to their room and proudly displayed the fruit of their labors....a totally picked up, organized room! It was a sweet moment as these 2 little girls learned to work together . Mercy kept talking about being "sistahs".

After baths, the girlies decided that Mercy would plait B3's hair. They took a break for some icecream which Mercy and Odesco said they have had before in Liberia (don't know how with no electricity /refrigeration?). Both of them did not eat the chocolate chips in their cup of mint chocolate chip icecream. Mercy piled hers on a napkin and I accidently discovered a pile on the floor next to Odesco after I heard him spitting something out!! B4 who is a chocoholic like his Mommy wanted to know if he could eat them...now that's a serious addiction!! (Don't worry, I said no :)

Odesco was in a very playful mood at bedtime and climbed into his bottom bunk (after a crash course in the details of dental flossing from Daddy) without any trouble.
It was a great day...lots of laughter, fun, and good things happening in the sibling department!

A few bits from the B's:
* Mercy and Odesco now love to call Daddy at work on the phone...Mercy gets a kick out of telling Daddy she loves him and thinks it's funny that Daddy asks her if she is obeying Mommy...when she responds affirmatively, Daddy tells her he is so proud. She repeats this conversation several times until M returns home from work:) Odesco also has a similar conversation. Also, any time a friend calls these 2 are right there asking if they can say,"Hallo!"
*After polishing off their cups of icecream, both Mercy and Odesco requested a boiled egg and devoured that as well!
*We are expanding the palate of our little Liberians...today they ate cucumbers, (Mercy ate hers with hot pepper sprinkled on them!)~ breaded fish, & grape tomatoes
*Mercy and Odesco like to bathe almost as much as they like to eat.
*Our 2 Little Liberians love to watch "Boo-Boo" aka Curious George....maybe because he is from Africa and comes to live in America??
*Mercy was able to talk to her little friend "Gifty" yesterday on the phone...it is Gifty's biological grandmom who taught Mercy and Odesco Bible verses, songs, nursery rhymes etc. While it was hard to tell if Gifty remembered Mercy (she has been home since 8/06), Mercy was thrilled!!

That's all the news for now!

Praising Him for the great things He has done and will continue to do!!
Thanks for checking in ~MamaB