We are home-thanks for your prayers

trip home - learning they are brothers and stuck with eachother

sleeping on the floor of the airport

Jordan meeting Jeremiah for the first time

Jordan meeting Josiah

eating powder doughnut for breakfast - what a face!

Loves the exersaucer! - Thanks Michelle!

Jeremiah loves the jumper

Jackie feeding Jeremiah and meeting him for the first time

We are home and we could feel that we were covered in prayer - thank you! They love it here and have both taken to our kids wonderfully. Traveling was brutal. They slept from ET to Rome, but the 10 hour flight from Rome to WA DC was really hard - Josiah screamed and flailed around tons. Jeremiah had his times too. It was hard since we were so tired. The DC airport was dead all morning so they just ran and crawled around our area while Janae and I took turns chasing them and Javi slept (Josiah just beams when he gets to run around). We got some rest on the way home - we each had rows to our self, which was nice for laying down and putting the kids down - the boys slept the whole way. They hated the little cribs by our bed - just screamed and screamed, so they slept with us, but are doing fine napping in them today. We actually didn't get to take them until Wednesday (the day before we came home), long story, but this meant our first morning waking up with them was Thanksgiving morning. Once again, I was overwhelmed with emotion and thanksgiving lying in bed praising God for this gift of the most special Thanksgiving ever.

Jeremiah fits right in. He babbles constantly, roars like a lion, screeches, smiles and bounces a lot. When we first met him he was glazed over and didn't respond to anything or follow anything. In my heart I thought he was mentally disabled, but now it appears he was just in shock, drugged or feeling terrible (or a combo). He looked scary - covered head to toe in chickenpox, skin rash, pink eye, bad congestion and an infected finger. He itches a lot, rubbing his feet together constantly -so sad. The amazing thing is that Tuesday we weren't able to see the boys and then Wednesday when we went to pick them up, Jeremiah's face looked so, so much better and they cut off his clown hair (as Julia called it :))

Josiah needs tons of cuddles and is very cautious, but so adventurous and active once he feels comfortable. I have heard him babble only a few times -once when Jeremiah was pulling his hair he gave him a piece of his mind. He loves to be chased and toddle around and finds comfort in sticking his hand down my shirt and looks in often (his mom probably exclusively nursed him until dieing or abandoning him). Everything is so new - mirrors, toilets flushing, tvs, real baths -hates them (instead of washcloth baths). He is so different from Jeremiah, but has come so far. Josiah had/has chicken pox, scabies (skin bugs), ear infection, moloscum (contagious wart things), terrible coughing/congestion and he itches his whole body while he sleeps. He is really tiny for 20 months (about 9-12 month clothes) if he is really that old. Many Ethiopians thought he was a girl because he really kind of has a pretty face and curls.

So you just can't imagine the love I have for them - Javi is surprised also how much he loves them already, as this was something he was scared would be hard for him. I would say for me the love for the boys was instant - yet still growing.

Monday morning we will take them to the doctor, please pray that we can get on top of all of their problems especially before spreading them around (I would like it all gone before our newborn comes home in 9 weeks). Janae and I are also sick with congestion and sore throats which adds to our tiredness so we would appreciate your prayers too.

More pictures to come.