A Candle for Love, A Candle for Christ

A candle for love . . . we're having a lot of love in our house!  We are reminded about the love that God has for us in the incarnation of Christ.  The God who made the universe and created everything in it loves us so very much that he humbled himself and became human.  Not just any human either.  He entered the world just as each of us do, in the form of a tiny vulnerable baby.  Jesus . . . fully human and fully God.  God gave us the greatest gift ever known . . . himself.

This season we are enjoying sharing God's love with our family and with others.  This Advent and Christmas season we were able to enjoy time with the Cryer grandparents and Uncle Brian.  Here's a little bit of the love.

Have I mentioned before that the girls (all the girls) LOVE the snow?!?!  I think there is about 10-12 inches on the ground right.  It's been good for fort building and sledding.  Not the best for snow ball fights, but that's just fine by me :)

We mixed cookie dough (to make cookies another day).  "K" found out why we put the flour in slowly . . . very slowly!  Luckily "T" was a good sport!

We had a brave group for sledding.

"T"s first time down the slope with her big sister "M*".  She loved it!  "M*" was so patient with her.

Of course "M*" and "S" are some of the best big sisters around.  Guess who talked them into pulling her back up the hill so she didn't have to walk!

 A candle for Christ!  We were very blessed to celebrate Christ's birthday together this year!  We loved having family here and we especially loved having "T" home and with us for the Holy Day!  Here are some of the ways we celebrated Christ's birthday.

Christmas Eve . . .

This kiddo loves coloring!  Now, thanks to her grandparents she has every crayon imaginable!

 Christmas Day . . .

Our four beauties before worship on Christmas morning.  Words cannot express how proud I am of these girls.  I have never seen children that grasp the true meaning of Christmas more.  One of their "highs" (best moments of the day) was going to worship Jesus on Christmas morning.  How cool is that?!?  I also love watching the three older girls teach "T" about how we celebrate Jesus' birthday.  Of course, now everything "T" sees a picture or a figurine of a baby she calls it "BABY JESUS"!

Of course, we also had some silliness too!  We can always count on "K" to bring that to the party!

The girls did have a few presents to open.  "T" absolutely LOVED her doll.  She named her Talana!  The cutest thing about "T" and her doll is when she puts her doll to bed.  She makes the sign of the cross on her doll's forehead and says "Mommy loves you, Daddy loves you, and Jesus loves you very much."  It's the same blessing that we do for "T" and all of her sisters each and every night.  

The girls had a wonderful time playing games with the grandparents. I think Quirkle is a new favorite for all of us!

 Christmas day was also full of baking and decorating Christmas cookies together.  There were A LOT of cookies!

There was a lot of sugar in our household that day as well!  

It was so much fun though!  "K" was much more careful with the flour :)  The girls were very good at baking.  "K", "S", and "M*" got to the point they could roll out, cut, and put the cookies on the tray themselves.  All Mammy and I did was take them in and out of the oven!

And after all that sugar they HAD to run off some energy!  So much fun playing with Daddy!

 2nd Day of Christmas . . .

Our second day of Christmas was filled with spending time together, making chicken and dumplings, and putting together a LEGO gift from Uncle Blair and Auntie Jess.  Next time they send something that takes so long to put together I think they should come up to put it together :)

3rd and 4th Days of Christmas . . .

These days were filled with visits from our friends and "T"s god-parents.  Friday one set of friends/god-parents came for dinner.  We played games and had a wonderful time!  Saturday we spent the afternoon visiting, coloring, and doing extreme dot-to-dots.  "M*" love those! 

We've had a great Advent and first few days of Christmas celebrating the Lord's birth!  I hope your season has been one of joy, preparation, hope, and love!

A Candle for Joy

A candle for joy . . . wow, what joy we have.  Preparing for and celebrating the birth of Christ brings me great joy each and every year.  Sharing that with my family brings me even greater joy.  Watching our girls really understand and celebrate what it means for God to be incarnate in our world is a joyful experience.  I pray that you're able to find that JOY this season. 

Here's a bit of our joy that we'd like to share with you . . .

This past Sunday our three bigger girls were part of our congregation's Christmas program.  All of the kiddos from the church did a great job!  They read the Christmas story from scripture and presented the nativity scene very well.  I'm so proud of all of these awesome kids and families!

It's in the water, or in the air . . . or something.  If you live in Wisconsin you automatically root for the Packers.  Not growing up here I don't really get it, but it's definitely a cultural thing here!  GO Pack GO!

Miss "S" seriously loves this cat.  Mr. Thor seriously loves this little girl.  They are the best of friends!

This week we decorated more for Advent.  Up went the garland and ornaments!  The girls all had a great time decorating.

"T" has been going to school and it has been going so very well!  Her class was talking about Christmas around the world.  We were invited to bring something for the kids to represent Ethiopia.  This is my attempt at doro wat (chicken stew).  We didn't have injera, but they did actually like the stew! 

These kiddos have LOVED the snow!  They continue to work on their multiple snow forts.  They would spend hours out there if we let them.  I'm so surprised how our youngest has taken to the snow!

This is my first try at cornrows.  Not too shabby!  For a 4 year old she is so patient with me.

This cat is seriously glad that his girls are home from school for a week and a half!  How he loves his girls.

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Here is the latest update on our puzzle fundraiser (as of Friday, December 20) . . .

Well this is our puzzle so far.  We've sold 29 pieces!  Thank you thank you to all those that have donated so far!

If you're wondering what all this crazy puzzle stuff is, here's a recap from last week.

Here's how it works:
Those who choose to donate to The Burke Adoption Fund will purchase a puzzle piece(s). As pieces are purchased, we will assemble the puzzle and then have the name of the person and/or family donating written on the back.  We will periodically take pictures and post updates of the progress.  After the puzzle is completed and all of the names have been written, it will be a wonderful keepsake for our family to see all of the people who were part of bringing our girls home.  We will continue this fundraiser until all of the pieces have been purchased, even if we get to bring "M^" home before it is complete.  Cost of 1 Puzzle Piece = $10.  You may choose to purchase a single piece, or if you want to donate a larger amount, you may purchase as many pieces as you desire.  

How to Donate:

Check out our site on Go Fund Me. http://www.gofundme.com/5mkubw

-OR-

Send a check made out to Burke Adoption Fund to our church.  Send me an email and I'll send you the address.  amburke2002@gmail.com.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me.  We thank you for your consideration in donating.  I look forward to updating more about all of our children and our family. 

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Thanks so much for checking in with us on our Advent journey!  We hope you all have a very Merry Celebration of the Birth of the Savior!

A Candle for Preparation

 

It's now the end of the second week of Advent and we are praying for patience in this time of continued preparation.  It feels like the world is buzzing around us.  So many things that people are stressed about during Christmas-time.  We're doing our best to focus on Christ's presence among us.  We're also focusing to continue to help our family adjust to what it means to be a family of 6!  Here' a little of what the last week has brought to us during this Advent season.

Miss "T" has found a few favorites in her closet.  This being one of them.  It is a very special outfit because it was made for me by my paternal grandmother when I was little.  I am so glad that Miss "T" is enjoying it!

All four girls went with Kevin to buy our Christmas Tree.  It was quite the exciting event for all of them. As Advent rolls along we'll put lights and ornaments on . . . but for now it waits patiently!

Kevin also decorated the front trees with lights.  You can see them better in a picture farther below.  Pink lights on the tree and white on the trunk.  Why would he willingly decorate his house with pink lights, you ask?  Well . . . his little girls asked for pink lights, that's why.  Wow, how he loves his girls!

 
The pink lights at night!  Very fitting for a house full of little girls!

Miss "T" has now even moved further along with her adjustment to house pets.  She now helps take care of Thor.  She brushes him and gives him bear hugs too!  She insists that he sit with her while she watches Sesame Street in the mornings.  Needless to say we've been discussing what it means to be gentle. 

My creative girls "K" and "S".  This is one of their many creations.  They create entire playgrounds and doll houses out of foam sheets and tape.  I believe this particular example is two dolls in a bedroom complete with a bed, nightstand, and pictures hanging on the wall.  

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Update on "T":

I have now heard her say that peas and raw spinach (with ranch dressing) are yummy.  Crazy I know!  How a child that would not TOUCH a veggie now actually likes a few is absolutely awesome to me!  

Each night I have the joy of rocking her AND she goes to sleep in her own bed without a fuss.

She absolutely loves copying EVERYTHING her sisters ("M*", "S", and "K") do.  Her sisters absolutely DO NOT love this.  It amazes me how quickly the "honeymoon" period ended.  Even though "T"s English is not fluent at all she still manages to tattle on them and of course they return the favor!

"T" is going to school now.  We placed her in a 4K class with the same teacher that "K" had last year.  I have been attending with her.  It has been absolutely wonderful for her!  She's made some friends and she already recognizes about 6 letters and can count to 20 in English.  She's definitely one smart little girl!  We're working on her writing her name. 

She has a new favorite pastime . . . jumping out and scaring people.  She has seriously got me a couple times.  She'll hide right at the side of a doorway.  She's good at it!

Each night our family does the Faith5, a nightly devotion (Share, Read, Talk, Pray, Bless).  If you're curious about it check it out at www.faithink.org.  When it comes time to ask each person what they want to pray for she always prays for the same thing - "M^", Uncle Blair, and thanking God for Christmas Trees!

I absolutely love how she makes sound effects when she's explaining something.  Driving cars, mixers, elevators, animals, microwaves . . . just to name a few.  She makes hand gestures and sound effects to explain and communicate most anything!  It's just so cute!

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Update on "M^":

We have not had any communication with "M^" since we left her at the orphanage in Ethiopian in late October.  That has been really tough.  We pray for her each and everyday.  We can't wait to get further along with our paperwork and see when we're able to plan another trip to Ethiopia to bring her home.

For now we're concentrating on finishing up the necessary paperwork.  In addition we're having to think about fundraising for the necessary fees that accompany this journey to bring "M^" home.  For now we're concentrating on a puzzle fundraiser!

Here's how it works:
Those who choose to donate to The Burke Adoption Fund will purchase a puzzle piece(s). As pieces are purchased, we will assemble the puzzle and then have the name of the person and/or family donating written on the back.  We will periodically take pictures and post updates of the progress.  After the puzzle is completed and all of the names have been written, it will be a wonderful keepsake for our family to see all of the people who were part of bringing our girls home.  We will continue this fundraiser until all of the pieces have been purchased, even if we get to bring "M^" home before it is complete.  Cost of 1 Puzzle Piece = $10.  You may choose to purchase a single piece, or if you want to donate a larger amount, you may purchase as many pieces as you desire.  

How to Donate:

Check out our site on Go Fund Me. http://www.gofundme.com/5mkubw

-OR-

Send a check made out to Burke Adoption Fund to our church.  Send me an email and I'll send you the address.  amburke2002@gmail.com.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me.  We thank you for your consideration in donating.  I look forward to updating more about all of our children and our family. 

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Thanks so much for reading our blog and keeping up with our journey!  We look forward to sharing with you what the next week of Advent brings!

A Candle for Hope

This first week in December brings us into the first week in Advent.  This time of preparation seems ironic since I feel like we've been preparing for one thing or another for over a year now.  My prayer for my family and yours this season is that we remember this time of year as Advent and as a time of preparation.  So many people skip straight to Christmas and focus more on the gifts, decorations, cooking, baking, and the like.  I pray that we can all keep our minds and hearts on the incarnation of God himself.  The birth of Christ needs to be our priority above all of the hustle and bustle that our society has decided is the priority of this season.  So with that I wish you all a Happy Advent!

It's an exciting time around our house with Advent, but also with all of the new experiences as a family of 6.  Checkout what we've been up to . . .

Miss "T" has decided that one of her favorite cereals is Cheerios.  She's actually eaten (and enjoyed) some vegetables as well.  Kevin has been more than amazing instilling the "one-bite-rule" with our youngest kiddo. 

The girls have had a lot of fun playing with one another.  

"M*", "S", and "K" have been absolutely wonderful big sisters!

We took our first trip to the store!  Everyone was a great helper!

"S" helped her Daddy rake the yard!

 . . . and after raking the girls just had to jump in the pile!!!

"T" had a great time playing on the playground at her sister's school.

We celebrated Kevin's birthday.

"T" saw her first glimpse of snow.  There will much more in her future!!!

Miss "T" finally made friends with our cat, Thor.  When "T" first came home she was terrified of him.  He's basically a 20 lb docile lump of fur!

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Berg grandparents.  It was a nice week!

We celebrated "S" and "M*"s 8th birthday!  We have some new budding musicians in our house.

"T" and "K" are definitely buddies and "K" is trying to teach her so many things.  It's really cute to see her be the big sister she's been looking forward to being!

As we continue to prepare throughout Advent we can't help but thing of the other preparations we still need to make for "M^" to come home.  We are still waiting for her paperwork to make it's way through the Ethiopian court system.  We are also waiting for our new homestudy to be completed.  Our hope is that we'd be able to bring her home in April or May.  It can't come soon enough!  

I look forward to sharing with you our continued journey as a family and our continued adoption journey!  Happy Advent to all!