Sweet Stirrings....

Wonder girl, at it again!! Both Mercy and Odesco shock us with their brute strength!!
Tickle time with big brother,P~
Mercy is anxious to begin reading...G is 'teaching" her ~G often reads to Mercy in their bunkbed before falling asleep each nite'
More fun with the dress up bin!
Lost but now found! This is the album we sent to Liberia for Mercy to 'meet' us last April. She was supposed to return home with it but inadvertantly gave it to one of the nannies for safekeeping just prior to her departure for America. After arriving home, we questioned Mercy and she told me exactly who she had given it to and in which room it would be found. Thanks to Melodie , the album made it back to the States in Felicia's backpack and Mercy received it on Sunday....what a happy camper she was!!
Dancing around after breakfast...isn't this boy so kissable! He entertains us with his many expressions!!


Mercy giving us one of her spontaneous worship renditions~
Proud student showing Daddy all the books she has diligently completed so far :)!!
The past few days of homeschool have actually been a bit more manageable as L and Odesco have been playing together nicely ...dressups, Legos in the basement , Rescue Heroes , or light sabre battles have been keeping these little guys occupied for more than just an eyeblink! Oh the joys of homeschooling with just a little less chaos in the background :)!! Of course once they are 'done' the decibel level rises significantly but this little reprieve is such a blessing!!

Last nite' at bedtime, Odesco returned my,"I love you" with "I love you!" a spontaneous first for this little man...don't know if he actually understands, but my Mommy heart was full :)!! L and G are also showing a genuine interest in Odesco and Mercy's lives before they became a welcomed part of our family. Last nite' after I put the little boys to bed, I let them look at books ... I overheard L asking ,"Desco...do you like snakes? were there snakes in Ileria?" (no-not a typo...that L's version of Liberia!) Didn't hear Odesco's response but I smiled knowing that L was truly attempting to get to know his brother a bit more :)
After tucking the girls in, I often hear them talking...G often asks Mercy questions about Liberia, her biological family etc. Mercy enthusiastically offers all sorts of information which G reports back to me. Sometimes, it is difficult to know exactly what information is accurate/true. For any of you who have had the opportunity to get to know our little spicy girl, you know what a joker she is...she loves to tell tall tales , just for the effect. For instance, yesterday as we were finishing schoolwork, she decided to color some chickens pink. I questioned her about her unusual color choice and she boldly declared that in Liberia there were indeed pink chickens!! Well, obviously she is pulling my leg on this one but other times I am amazed at the stuff she shares and not quite sure what to make of it.

Yesterday at lunch, both she and Odesco begans talking about President Ellen Johnson...she is the current President of Liberia (also known as the "Iron Lady" as she endeavors to stamp out governmental corruption) . I was shocked that they knew her name...then she and Odesco began chanting,"No more war-we want peace!!" Next Mercy shared about a woman in her village whose hut was hit by a 'rocket'...thankfully the lady was not harmed because according to Mercy's report she was beating palm nuts to make palm butter in front of her simple dwelling. Next she shared how a close relative had to run from gunfire and was struck in the thigh with a bullet. When questioned further, she admitted that she did not personally witness these events(I'm thankful for that!!) but heard others speaking of them.
This is a sober reminder of the realities for the children of Liberia. A reminder that we will never know much of what our precious son and daughter encountered during their early years growing up in a war torn , devastated country. But it is also a hope filled reminder that our God who is a God of mercy and the Ultimate Restorer of souls, can indeed restore the hurts in Mercy and Odesco's past that we have yet to realize. I was reading in the New Testament the other day Jesus' command to"make disciples of all nations"...in my heart there was a quickening as I prayed ,"yes, Lord...make these children fervent disciples of you!!"

Okay, enough of the heavy stuff...now onto some lighthearted household happenings:
* new Liberian word...'sabu head' = bald head...a few weeks ago, M's brother and wife came for their first visit to meet our new family members. As soon as Jim walked through the door, Mercy pulled off his cap to see if he had a 'sabu head' like the rest of Daddy's brothers...so much for first impressions :)
*Odesco has taken to calling anything green and crunchy "american food"...so, every night at dinner he must eat at least 3 pieces of 'american food'...otherwise known as salad :)..his portions will be slowly increasing!! Mercy is eating good sized portions(no surprise there!) of salad now, which I am thrilled to see.
*On Saturday, at C's indoor soccer game his team was losing. Odesco asked who was winning and when I told him the status of the game he decided to 'pray'...too funny to look over on the bleacher next to me to see his little face scrunched up and his hands folded as he 'prayed' for C's team to win...a moment later, Mercy and G decided they wanted in on the action so they formed a 'prayer huddle' there in the midst of the noisy gymnasium bleachers. Never a dull moment with these 2 around :)!!
*This morning, Mercy carried a fully(heavy!) loaded laundry basket down the stairs to the washing machine in the basement on her head! (see picture above)
* After church on Sunday, I sat down with Mercy to review her album which had just been returned earlier in the day by Mama K. On the inside cover was a stain...some food had dropped on it in Liberia. Mercy rubbed her nose in it, inhaled deeply and exclaimed,"SWEET!!" and then went on to describe the incident when she dropped her beans on the book...she is so happy to have this reminder of another of her favorite Liberian dishes...time for me to hunt down another recipe!
Well that's all the news for now...I'm sure our gang will give me more to write about in the coming days !!
Thanks for checking in!
Grateful for His rich mercies and restoring love,
Mama B~