Off again...

I have decided to join Jeff on a business trip to Portugal and Italy.  We leave today and I am choosing not to take my computer so no blogging for 10 days.

  I think it is really good for the kids to be with other people and to see how independent they really are.  They always do really well.  This will be our longest time away from Tess since we got her.  She knows she can reach us at any time on Jeff's cell which makes her feel better.  My mom is flying in from Florida to be with them.   It will be nice to have some time with Jeff without kids and it was so sweet of him to really want me to go with him...so I'm off...

Bold and Proud...

The beauty of being on this journey with other beautiful, giving people is the support and caring we have for each other!  Every blog I post or read ties us together and allows us to share in our amazing journey with these extraordinary children.  My sweet friend...otherwise know as Kidus' mom, Christie, sent me this great article from Oprah Magazine about another family's struggles and experiences raising their Ethiopian daughter.  The article really hit home.  I felt like I was reading an article about Tess...especially when she described her daughter as BOLD and PROUD.  That is Tess to a T!  I had never used the word PROUD to describe her but as I read the article it struck a cord.  These kids are from very proud tribes and that carries through regardless of where they are now.  The struggles this little girl in the article went through are similar to Tess's as she is also the only black girl at her school also.  She tells me she sees other kids wisper about her and that they are not always nice.  We have come a long way and just knowing others are working through the same things is really encouraging.  So thanks to all who share words and advice so we can help these kids transition into their new worlds!!

We have a SORORITY GIRL !!!

Christine is just loving all things college!!  She just finished her week of rushing and is now a Delta Gamma or "DG".   She handled the whole week really well.  We talked about 3 times a day.  I know it was stressful as she had friends that did not get in where they wanted.  She is just thrilled and we are really excited for her to add this fun experience to her college years!!  

Sundance 2009

Jeff, Bennett and I just got back from 4 fabulous days in Utah at the Sundance Film Festival.  We went out with our friends the Forsums and the Simkins.  It was a perfect trip!! Lots of action in town, great skiing, fun meals and amazing weather!!!

Meanwhile back at home, Tess and Cameron stayed with our babysitter Miss Walden. (She's a teacher from Bennett's high school).  She has been staying with the kids for years.  Tess did really well.  She adapts so well to whatever the plans are.  She calls us everyday and fills us in on her day...which included going to the movies (doggy hotel)  , going to blockbuster (she chose to rent THE HULK !!!)  and going out to lunch and dinner with Miss Walden and Cameron.  Everyone had a great weekend.

Back to college...

It has been great to have our college girl home.  She is heading back to college early for sorority rush!  So far she likes a few including Pi Phi, which is my sorority.  We'll see.  She's having fun anyway!!  and that's what matters.  I really do miss her when she's not home.  I can't imagine what our parents went through before the days of cell phones.  I like being able to reach her whenever I need to chat!  Tess and I love to ichat with her, too.  Good luck, Neener!! OX

favorites...

Well, Tess has been here almost 6 months and here are some of her favorite things...

favorite TV show-  SPONGE BOB

favorite shoes- RED SPARKLY CINDERELLA SHOES

favorite game- TETHERBALL

favorite sport- SOCCER

favorite food- HAMBURGERS

favorite place to go- THE BEACH

favorite animal- DOG

favorite thing at school- MATH

best friend- Greta and Paige

Favorite song-IT"S ALL YOURS GOD by Steven Curtis Chapman

favorite holiday- Christmas, halloween and my Birthday!

favorite movie- BOLT

favorite toy- MY AMERICAN GIRL DOLL THAT LOOKS LIKE ME

favorite thing to do at home- PAINT MY NAILS

Then she told me to write...I Love my Family!!  How sweet is she!!

A New DO !!!

BEFORE.........



AFTER..............


Well the day finally arrived when Tess's hair got long enough to braid...she has been so excited and asking me often when she could braid her hair.   We were lucky to find a lady in San CLemente who can braid !!  I just left Tess in her hands and sat down with my magazine.  Tess loved it and she looked so happy!  It is supposed to last up to 3 weeks.  I really need to learn how to do it myself because it cost $50 !!  As her hair gets even longer it should be easier, I'll give it a try then.  I did find a cute website that teaches how to braid and twist hair...guess I better study up!!

a moment...

Yesterday I was getting dressed in my walk-in closet,  when Tess came in and started talking to Jeff.  He was at his sink getting ready.  This is the conversation I overheard...

"Dad,  you picked good wife"

"I know, Tess, I have a good wife and you have a good mom"

" She is good mom.  She know lot of things."

"Yes, we are very lucky aren't we"

"Yes."

And with that, she walked out just as she had walked in.  I stood there for a second and thought that was a precious moment.  I wonder what she was doing that made her think of that and she came upstairs to talk to Jeff about it.  Very insightful of her to get that he picked a wife...I thought that was interesting.  She is such a bright girl.

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY TESS !!

Tess has been counting down the days until her birthday. There was some confusion about the date since it is common in Ethiopia not to know your actual day of birth.  She was given the date Jan. 9, 2001...and we ran with it!!  She is truly excited to be 8!!  We had a small party at the house with family and she just loved it!!  It was the first birthday she ever had!! Happy Birthday Sweet Tess!!  We Love You!!!

snow...California stlye

A mom from Tess's class brought in a giant snowman that spins soap suds to look like snow.  The kids had so much fun predending that it was snowing in sunny southern California!

Our little buddy Theo

Hi Lisa and Homer, Can't believe you found our blog!  I don't know how else to reach you...my email is..    lizjonas@cox.net   

And a loving shout out to everyone who responded to our post with encouragement and ideas to help us through.  Tess is actually loving the chart and has already earned herself 4 stars!!

New friends

As I'm cleaning up all the holiday STUFF, I was looking through all the great Christmas cards we recieved.  These 3 are very special and new to our home this year.  They are cards from friends we are forever joined to through our beautiful Ethiopian kids!  2 of the families we met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this past summer.  We have kept in touch and I hope to get the kids together someday (they live in Colorado and Georgia).  The other family live in our neighborhood and have our sweet Kidus who I talk about so often (we went to the park yesterday with them).  They are a blessing and we are lucky to be sharing our journey with them!

growing pains...

We are going through some rough patches with our little Tess.  She came to us a bold spirit,  no reservations,  and no boundries...  Asking to go right into school, play on a soccer team and that she needed 10 pairs of shoes just like her brother...among other things...all within the first month!!  We overcame the initial difficulties,  when we had no language to communicate, but now we are experiencing some new challenges...

Thankfully we have a dear family friend who is a retired child psychologist...affectionately known to us as "granny"...that is who I turned to first...

While Tess is doing great considering the huge task before her, she is emerging with a bit of a "in your face" boldness that can put people off...for example-she has begun asking for things everywhere we go and then gets aggravated and cops an attitude when I say no...we have all been patient and try to simply exlain why that attitude is not OK, but it is becoming a constant challenge that seems to be getting worse.

Until now we have not punished, used time out or even taken away anything for fear of it being too harsh too soon, but Granny explained that we need to take more affirmative action and discipline with her so she can begin to learn boundries and what behaviors are not OK...for example, I'm now using behavior modification charts and rewards to encourage  preferable behaviors. She seems very motivated by the charts and the small rewards she will get when she hits certain goals.  I remember doing this with all 3 of my other kids as well.

 I am choosing to share this because we have met  2 other adoptive families of older kids that shared similar stories with us, so I figure that there may be more of us out there.  Adopting is challenging no matter what...but adopting an almost 8 year old brings additional challenges that are really just starting to reveal themselves...

we'll keep you posted on how things progress!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! from the Jonas family

The resort had a fantastic New Years party for all the guests.  It included a 10 man Mariachi band, happy hour, a beautiful 4 course dinner and fireworks on the beach.  Tess was mesmorized by the fireworks.  She's a party girl at heart and loves the commotion, so she was loving the party.  We met some great families that shared our week there so it was fun having everyone spend the last night of 2008 together.

The Forsums drop in for the day!!!

Our friends the Forsums ended up being in Puerta Vallarta for the day. Jeff drove over with Bennett to pick them up in our minivan... Mike and Sheila are Tess's Godparents.  We had such a great day with them!!  They brought 5 kids with them so we were a big old bunch!!  The kids surfed, boogieboarded and played on the beach.  Que Bueno!!

Our first family trip... Salyulita, Mexico, Holidays 2008

This was our first real family trip with all 6 of us.  Once Tess and I got to Mexico, everything went smoothly.  Tess did great and basically went with the flow everywhere we went.  On the days the boys went fishing or surfing, the girls hung at the pool and beach.  We would all walk to town, a 30 minute walk over the beach boulders and through the jungle, for lunch at Don Pedro's almost everday.  Tess and Cameron spent a lot of time boogie boarding.  Tess is in her glory at the beach...you'd never know she had never been to a beach 5 months ago.  She did great with the food...no longer ever a problem. 

mom and the kids on a beach walk in Salyulita...

at our favorite burrito stand in town...BURRITO REVOLUTION
at the market place in town...
the boys returning from surfing all morning...