Update...

In the mood for an update? If you live in Lubbock, this probably won't be exciting to you but for those that are out of town or not in close touch...enjoy!

Abi is still doing wonderfully. People are still asking me how she's adjusting. My answer is always the same...SHE'S ADJUSTED. It shouldn't be surprising to any of us that she slipped right into our family without any big hurdles. God chose her for us before she was conceived in her birth mother's womb. She is truly one of us, a part of our family in FULL! She's still sleeping through the night (10 hours) and wakes happy. She's still eating well. She's not a big meat eater but does get it down with some pushing from me. She eats yogurt every morning with cheerios mixed in and loves it. She desperately wants to run. She takes off with her upper body leaning forward and her short legs trying to keep up. She usually falls but then gets right back up. She's tough. She's decided she likes to hold a blanket when she sleeps. She wants it to lay beside her and then she lays her arm over the top of it. She doesn't say many words but we're working on that. She still calls me "Me"...said with the short "e" sound but CAN say Mama. When she DOES say "Mama", I squeal with excitement and she loves it! Maybe I should give her a candy every time she says "Mama"...that might be a good plan. Abi is responding to what we say most/all of the time. Even tonight while loading the dryer, I dropped the clothes on the lid and said, "Abi, help Mommy and push the clothes in." She did it. Immediately. She's very smart. When she hears or sees our dog, Rocky, she says, "wuff wuff" and then smiles. She loves Rocky! She has about 7 words that she will say aloud. In sign language, she says, "all done", "please", "thank you" and "more." She also gives lots of kisses and hugs. She's just a doll.

Now back to the "adjusting"...we've noticed that WE are the ones who needed more time to adjust. Abi has been with us in Lubbock for 10 weeks and 3 days but we received her on July 15th. So for 3.5 months, we've been together. Life really began when we got home. Life in Medellin was confusing for all of us but wonderful at the same time. It certainly wasn't "real life" and now we are more in the groove. I suppose the hardest part for me is that life is so CONSTANT with Abi. She's always on the move. Honestly, I fought that for a good 1.5 months. I'm not sure why. I suppose, I was out of practice. At any rate, we are getting it now. We have routine, fun, alot of patience and a happy home (for the most part). While going through the difficult time of adjustment, I found myself wanting to hide. I didn't want anyone to know that I wasn't super happy. I didn't want to admit that I was having a difficult time. I felt badly that God gave me/us such a beautiful gift and I was ungrateful on some days. Selfishness and pride will strangle us. Obviously, I've come out of my hole and the Lord has and continues to bring greatness. I want to add here how thankful I am for friends who will listen. Friends who love me even when I'm unlovely. Friends who walk you through the good, the bad AND the ugly...those are true friends. Thank you Jesus for my "heart" friends.

We are connecting here at the Menefee home. Josh and I had a sweet time tonight making homemade banana bread. He's on the swim team at school and his friend, Luke, often shares his snack with Josh. Josh prefers Luke's snacks over ours, I suppose. So, the first slices of bread will go to Josh and Luke tomorrow morning after swimming and before 2nd period. Josh is doing really well in swimming! We went to "Villavicencio" last Thursday night. Not really but the aquatic center is sooo hot and humid we call it Villavicencio. Bella and I wore our tank tops and shorts while everyone else was bundled up because it was chilly outside. We were so glad we did. Josh is pretty low key. He's quite humorous but when it comes to extra curricular activities, he doesn't talk alot about it. So we get to the swim meet, we're reminded why we won't take Abi again (seriously?) and Bella has her bag of "things to do" strewn across the bleacher. Josh is up...he's so cute in his swim cap and swimsuit. His cap is gold and has 'EVANS" written across it in red. The gun goes off and he dives into the pool! He does the 50 meter breaststroke in 43 seconds! He got first place!!! He also helped his team come in first place for the 100 meter relay. He was the last one to swim, dove off the board when his teammate hit the edge of the pool and he took off, leading them into 1st place...boom! Bella was screaming. I was cheering and Bruce stood to his feet with his arms lifted up and his hands in fists...smiling from ear to ear. It was awesome!!!

Josh is also trying out for All Region Band. This means that the best are chosen to create an all region band that will later give a special concert. He wasn't too excited to try out for this but now that he knows his music, he's getting excited! The tryout is early November. As you can tell, we are very proud of Joshua.

Bella and I often have our quality time after school between 3:00 and 4:00, just before we pick up Josh. We get special treats...slurpees, sonic drinks, popcorn and chocolate milk at Target...just whatever we please. We don't get treats everyday but everyday is a treat. Yes, Abi is with us but by this point in the day, she doesn't mind a bit of alone time. We sometimes end the day with a song. She loves for me to hum to her. That started in Medellin when all of us would be in the room and the kids would be restless before falling to sleep. I hum old songs that I learned as a kid in church. She loves for me to hum, Jesus Name Above All Names or There's Just Something About That Name...I love the oldies! Sometimes, I'll sing a hymn and then tell her a memory about my Dad, her Papa. She enjoys hearing about him and Bruce's dad, who is also in heaven. Bella is my favorite 7 year old girl. I tell her that as I pull her door each night and it's true!

We celebrated Bruce's birthday last weekend. No, I'm not telling you his age. I will tell you he gets better looking as he gets older. ;) The kids and I, decided it would be fun if we celebrated him ALL weekend so Bella took Friday night. The original plan was for her to take him to see a movie. We got movie candy and a gift card and she gave it to him as I was grilling burgers on early Friday evening. They were both happy about their date that night! However, after dinner she said, "Dad, We don't HAVE to go to the movie. I mean, if YOU don't want to. It would be OKAY to just stay home. If YOU want." I'm looking at her like, "What? What's happening here?!" Bruce, then asked her if she didn't want to go to the movie and she replied, "Well, it's just that we don't really get to be together. We sit by each other but we don't really do anything together." (I love that girl!) She decided it would be fun to have a GAME NIGHT! So...I set up our bedroom for a game night. I put a quilt down, had a snack table with popcorn, candy and ice water with floating grapes in goblets. She chose Monopoly and she had the time of her life!! The laughter was music to my ears! Every once in a while she would stick her head out the door and say, "Maam, we need more to drink, please!" I was ready to serve! Bruce looked tired when they finally came out after 2.5 hours of Monopoly and a giggly girl! The joy of being a Daddy!

Josh chose Saturday morning to celebrate Dad. They went to IHOP and had their stacks of pancakes with good conversation. Abi helped me make Daddy a small cake. It had to have been her first time to eat the remaining batter from the spoon used to stir. She was in heaven! I chose Saturday night...got a sitter and we were off to Stella's. It's a nice Italian restaurant here. We sat on the patio under a large tree lit with twinkle lights, ate a delicious dinner and had the best conversation!!! I'm so blessed by Bruce! He's such a wonderful man for us! I'm pretty sure he felt loved by us by the end of the weekend.

We are looking forward to a visit from my mom this week! The kids LOVE having MamMa here! We will attend the Monterrey High School football game this coming Friday as Josh will be playing with the Evans band during half time. We will also celebrate her 75th birthday!

That's it for us! Praying you're living under the shadow of the Almighty and know of His abundant love for you!!! (Psalm 91:1 & Psalm 139)

xxoo, Ruth