Hooray for Cheerios!

Well, we're still putting along. Somedays it feels like we're taking steps backwards...other days, we seem to make giant leaps. One of the greatest struggles still has been trying to diversify the girls' diet. Colt and the boys went to Salt Lake City on the 3rd and brought home oodles of Injera for the girls, which we have frozen and ration out one per day. Rodas would rather have bagel, but the Injera has been very much appreciated by Tse. Tse also seems to understand that the cooking as it was in Ethiopia is just not going to happen, so she has started to widen her food choices. She now enjoys rice and bean burritos for lunch and the other day she ate a whole bowl of cheerios, with a little rice milk, for breakfast! That day she actually ate three very good, nutritious meals and she was awarded a doll! Since then, she has eaten much better. It is still hard to get her to try a new thing if she doesn't like the looks of it (such as the spicy peanut chicken that I made last night), but she knows if she doesn't then she will not get anything else to eat. Sometimes it doesn't matter (she's eaten a good lunch and she'd rather go without dinner than try something she doesn't want). Going without is obviously not a big deal for either of them, probably because they've done it many times before...The Fourth of July was spent roasting hot dogs (which the girls definitely did NOT like) and marshmallows (once again, girls did NOT like...though I seriously cannot see how anyone can say no to a perfectly roasted marshmallow...) and lighting fireworks on the driveway. Let Freedom RING!!!!

Wyatt and Noah have had a soccer camp all week at the elementary school, and the girls and I took the chance to clean the school fish tank and introduce Tse to her new school--minus the chaotic cacophony of students. We also were able to meet with Wyatt's First Grade teacher and he showed Tse his classroom and all the fun toys and games they use to make learning fun. She impressed him with her counting and recitation of the alphabet and even sang him a song! I was amazed, as I expected her not to even say a word and be shy the whole time. I know that knowing he is at the school will be a big comfort for her when the time comes to truly attend. He has been such a source of optimism and support...THANK YOU, MR. A!!!! Tse is very scared about school, but hopefully we have enough time to ease some of her concerns and build her English, and confidence, up.

Noah is sportin' a new 'do (his church Primary leaders were told in no uncertain terms by Noah that it was NOT a hair cut, but a HAIR STYLE...) and we're hoping that it gives him the extra attention that he's been cravin'. It's kind-of growing on me...