My brother-in-law's cat Mister passed away this morning. Not sure what to say other than that he was an awesome cat...

Mister, you will be very missed...

Sparkle had her 7th birthday this week. It was a bit tricky since birthdays are not typically celebrated in Ethiopia, and we knew that Bug would have trouble understanding why Sparkle would be getting so much attention and so many gifts when she was not. We spent quite a bit of time beforehand explaining what birthdays were, what happened on your birthday, and that everyone has exactly one birthday per year. They knew that birthdays meant cake and presents, but they did not understand the rest and it was amusing to see their eyes widen when I explained that your birthday is the anniversary of the actual day you come out of your mother's uterus. Anyway, we kept it a relatively low key affair, and sort of spread things out throughout the week as friends and family stopped by. Jerrod was in town the weekend before, so we cut the princess cake during his visit: She enjoyed opening gifts, and while Sparkle got the big gifts the girls all got a little something. Bug and Sparkle both got kites from their Uncle Jerrod, and are very excited for his next visit so they can go fly them together: Sparkle also got the World's Whitest Barbie from her Mom and Dad. It was the one she really really wanted and I am pretty sure it was the wedding dress really that she was in love with - not the blonde hair - plus the girls have seven other brown Barbies - so I folded: Her big present though was getting her ears pierced. She had been asking about it for a while so I said she could do it for her birthday. As I recall, I also got my ears pierced on my seventh birthday...in fact it may very well have been the Claire's at the same mall. Sparkle was a trooper and barely flinched - no tears at all. She loves her c.z. studs and dutifully turns them throughout the day - and I am sure she hates that drawing attention to the earrings is an unfortunate side effect of this :) Anyway, I didn't get a picture of the actual piercing since I was holding her hands and J was busy with the other girls, but here they are just before we left for the mall: Another small side note. My girls do not ever talk about "birthdays". Only "happybirthdays" - as in "When will Daddy have his happybirthday?" I don' think that they realize there is any other kind :)

Tomorrow will mark the one month anniversary since I met Doodlebug and Sparkle. Hard to believe! It will also mark the beginning of my time at home with the kids without extra support. Up until now, I have had lots of help from friends and family. Grandma Janice was here with us for nearly a week after I first got home, J was at home for almost two weeks, and my dad was here for the past five days. I had one or two days in between there where I was mostly alone, but I still at least had friends drop off or send over dinner for me. (Have I mentioned how incredible you all are? Really you have no idea how much all of that has helped). Anyway, I am nervous but I do think we are on our way to finding a workable routine. My dad was in town, but he is really great at avoiding the camera (always has been). He's the one with his head cut off in the pic below. My brother Jerrod and his girlfriend Jamie also joined us for two days this week. Here's Jerrod trying to get a jump on this year's "Uncle of the Year" competition: And yes, he did manage to do a lap or two around the playroom like that. The whole crew (Jerrod, Jamie, Dad, the kids, and I) also went to the Children's Museum on Monday, which the kids loved. I'll add some pics from that once I can figure out how to get them off of my phone. Miscellaneous photo catch up: Here is the queen of pretend-play taking excellent care of one of her babies: And our family's artist: And here is the best one I could get of my sweet baby, who has recently become much more difficult to photograph: This might be worthy of a full post one of these days, but while I was in Ethiopia someone apparently finally told this kid that she is a toddler. You would not believe how many photos I have of the back of her head. We try to have some type of activity each day (crafts or an outing like the park, library, or zoo) and she is consistently the one who causes the disruptions and is running all over the place. At least the cheek-splitting smile is back though :) She does seem to be warming up to her sisters again somewhat. She really seems to look up to Sparkle and the two always hold hands in the car. Poor Doodlebug is still getting snubbed though. Doodlebug loves to give her kisses but Sunshine generally pushes her away. I think she feels a bit more competitive with Bug as they are almost exactly the same size.

The fight for the title of "favorite uncle" is on! Jerrod was in town last weekend and we had another great day at the park. Helen enjoyed the swings, went down the slide on her Uncle Jerrod's lap, and even enjoyed the view from the top of his shoulders. Joel, Justin, and Jeff better bring their "A" game next time we see them. With all these doting family members, it's tough to be our Sunshine!

Let's all send positive, healthy vibes to my brother's fabulous cat Mister, who has been receiving inpatient treatment since last Tuesday waiting for surgery. His surgery has been repeatedly postponed for various reasons, including fluctuating lab values for his kidneys and red blood cells. He needs to be stable so he can complete his surgery without complications and get home, then both he and Jerrod's wallet can begin their recovery. We love you Mister!

Jenny and Jerrod before the Halloween party

Jenny, Jerrod, and Jeff before the Halloween party

Jerrod and Aunt Linda at a family wedding in Iowa.