Oh I love my "little" Addise...

We were at the doctor again this week for another round of immunizations. I think that marked at least 12 doctor appointments since we brought them home less than 3 months ago. Geesh... that's a lot of co-pays. Our pediatrician always makes time to see our kiddos, ask update questions, and do a well-child physical. LOVE.

As a part of the exam, they weighed our kids. Judah weighed 26 lbs. He's gained 1 pound/month since we got home, and has grown from the 1% to the 10% percentile. YEAH buddy! Addise on the other hand...also weighs 26 lbs!!!!!! She's moved from the 50% in weight to the 95% percentile!!! Let's just say that we had a good laugh and our doctor affirmed their growth.

Here's a few pictures of our walking Addise. She's fully walking everywhere all the time. I think she thinks she's the same age as her brother [why wouldn't she? she's the same weight!] so she's constantly trying to keep up with him.

It's really hard to get a good picture of her because she moves so fast. Proof?

If Addise spends all summer in dresses, I'd be perfectly ok with that.

All ready to go to work with mommy. LOVE LOVE LOVE this little one!

Full Time

I'm starting back to work full time this week. It's hard to believe that 11 weeks have passed since we left to get Judah and Addise in Ethiopia.

I have to say, I have mixed feelings about being a full-time pastor and a full-time mom. I grew up with a stay-at-home mom. She was ever-present to my needs, always available, packed my lunch before school, was always home after school. My mom is present in my best childhood memories. In many ways, my mom's life revolved around her three offspring. Most of the women I knew growing up were stay-at-home moms. That was my normal. That was the picture I was presented of what a wife and mom did. Period. Several of my best friends today are stay-at-home moms.

Conflict. So you can understand my conflict that that will not be the picture my kids grow up with. I will most likely never be a full time stay-at-home mom. I don't think I'm wired that way. I also whole-heartedly believe that I'm called to this work of next generation and orphan advocacy. I love it. Beyond words. During my 10 weeks of maternity leave, I found myself longing for leadership challenges, meetings, lunch appointments, budget problem solving, event planning, and the like. Yet I also loved staying at home in my pjs and loving on my babies.

Tension. I will forever live in that tension of being a working mom. I've chosen to embrace that tension.

Choice. I'm grateful for the choices we have today as women to do whatever we want. My good friend and mentor, Kara Powell, has privately told me, "I believe you can have it all, but you can't have it all, all the time. Some days you'll be a great mom and a less-than-ideal employee, and other days the opposite will be true." I've found great comfort in that reality. I've already felt that on both sides of the coin. I'm grateful that I'm surrounded by a broad range of womens' working and parenting choices. I've learned what I want from each of them. It's deeply informed the kind of family and life Brian and I have agreed to to live.

Nancy Ortberg has also said something to the effect that "a child cannot find their dreams without seeing their mother live their dream." She's also more poignantly said what kids most need is an obedient mommy. It would be disobedient for me not to do what I do.

This past weekend I left my kids for the first time. For 30 hours. I spoke at an event in Dallas to about 500+ youth workers on what makes faith stick in kids beyond high school. As I traveled and spoke, I felt even more strongly about living in this tension of obediently being the best mom and best pastor I can be. I have to do both. And I believe God will enable me to do it...with lots of grace. Grace for me. Grace for our kids.

I think I'll need to post more on this subject matter. I'm getting LOTS of questions from women who love Jesus deeply and love their kids fully, but are caught in this tension. I'd love to share more of what I've learned, and as I move forward mistakes I'll undoubtedly make. Stay tuned...

So on the days when I can't be with my kids,
I'm grateful to receive pictures from Brian, such as this one,
which include me on the moments that I miss.

Everyday Miracles

It's easy when you're a mom of 2 toddlers to get lost in the monotony of the ordinary and routine - wake up before you want to get out of bed, change diapers, make breakfast, gulp down coffee as fast as possible so you don't have to microwave it again, hope the kids play so you can clean up the kitchen or check email or make a phone call, put Baby #2 down for a nap, guiltily put on Yo Gabba Gabba so you can get more work done, get Baby #2 up from nap, make lunch...

Serving 2 little ones in the small things has been one of the best things for my soul and one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I've joked that I would crave a complex leadership problem, strategic planning issue, or relational issue to solve OVER changing yet another poopie diaper.

It's been remarkably easy for me to become Judah and Addise's mom. Maybe too easy. It's easy to forget about the 3.5 years that we YEARNED for them. It's easy to forget the number of tears that were poured out as we pleaded for God to work miracles in 2 governments, provide finances, and transform our lives to bring our family together. It's easy to forget about the number of transitions, amount of loss and change our kids have gone through in their short lives. It's easy to forget that we are still learning how to be a family and we're still getting to know each other.

There have been moments in the monotony of the ordinary that I've received glimpses of the miracle that are Judah Abebayehu and Addise Aster Tarike Diaz. In those moments, I've had to choke back tears as I've wiped a butt, massaged shampoo into their scalp, or scooped another bite of applesauce into their mount. Those are the moment when I remember the miracle that is my everyday. The miracle that is my son and daughter.

Here are some snapshots [mainly off my iPhone] of the past several weeks. BTW: it's hard to get 2 toddlers to be still long enough to get a crisp shot. I hope you can see a wee bit into their personalities. They are beautifully and wonderfully made...

Playing on a car at Disney in Toon Town.

Addise's first time on "It's a Small World" at Disney.
She doesn't seem too impressed.

Judah's cashed out after a fun first day at Disney!

There are really no words to adequately communicate how funny this picture is to me.
Brian found our daughter sleeping like this one morning.
I'd like to point out that Addise has ALL those stuffed animals in her crib because she likes to shove her limbs into the crib slats. She's that kind of girl.

Playing with Momma's hand. She laughs and giggles and talks ALL day.
She brings enormous joy to our lives!

We went to the high school retreat for an afternoon and somehow returned with these sunglasses. He LOVES them.

On Addise's first birthday.
My maiden name is "Getz" and I wore this very shirt when I was Addise's age.
Funny thing is, she totally has "Getz" qualities: boisterous, fun, social, and strong willed.

She's totally a goof!

Judah's going "poopie" once or twice a day. MIRACLE indeed.
This picture was on the same day as his 2nd round of immunizations.

Lastly, a quick video of Judah's first time using a spoon. After being home for 2 months, it's enthralling to see their progress. Enjoy!