My Boys on April 25

Easter 2011 with an Ethiopian flare

Thirteen years ago today, I got the best birthday gift ever!  I gave birth to our oldest son, Cade - the day before my 21st birthday.  Hard to believe he's already 13.  I swear I blinked and suddenly he's a teenager.  It's always bittersweet for me when the kids have a birthday hit a big age milestone like one year old, kindergarten age, etc.  But this time I'm finding that I'm excited about the coming years.  

Cade getting older has made me reevaluate who I am.  For 13 years now, I have seen myself as a mother to small children, an expert in all things poo and puke related.  That was my identity.  I think when the kids are little and it's so exhausting just to meet their needs every day, you kind of forget that you're shaping future adults.  It's been an adjustment to think of myself as a mother to someone who will be driving soon, deciding what he wants to do with his life, and will ultimately leave the nest and fly far and high.  I've been really thinking about this over the past year, especially during the trip Cade and I took to Africa.  His viewpoint added such interesting elements to the trip and his sense of adventure added a lot of fun.  I so love who he is!  He brings such joy and laughter to our lives!  I thank God daily for blessing us with this boy.

Today is also a milestone for our other guy.  Eyob has been home for one month today.  In some ways it seems like it's been a year and in some ways it seems like we just stepped off that plane.  He's come so far, so fast.  It's been a bumpy journey at times, but when I smile at him and he responds by smiling back instead of just gazing at me with those sad, blank eyes, my heart melts into a big ol' puddle.  Last night, we went to our first social gathering since he arrived and he did really great.  We didn't even have one meltdown.  Ahhhh-mazing!  His english improves by the hour, although I do call him my little parrot.  He repeats things over and over without having any idea what he's saying.  This morning, he repeatedly pledged his love to a Walmart clerk while we checked out.  Like Cade, Eyob has a funny personality [haha funny, not weird funny like their dad].  It's such an adventure getting to know him and watching as he becomes more comfortable in his new environment.  He can now be in the same room as the dog, sit in a bath without freaking out, and deal with ice in his cup.  I think the past month has been an epic success.