Introducing Peter Eyob Whartenby

Well today was a "big" day. We went to court to finalize Eyob's adoption. This was a very important day because it not only made as legally his parents but also allows him to become an American citizen. Our appointment was at 11:00am in the neighboring county(it was easier to finalize the adoption in the county where our home study agency was located than it was in the county we live in). I was super paranoid that we would run into traffic and be late so we left REALLY early and of course arrived REALLY early. The kids did well despite the long car drive and long wait. The judge and our lawyer were so nice and made it so special. After the hearing we went to my brother's house and had pizza(Eyob's favorite food) and my sister in law made an American flag cake. It was such a nice way to celebrate this important day. (In case you were wondering, Eyob is still going to go by Eyob, I just can't get into calling him anything else, but we thought we would give him another name to commerate this important event in his life. He now has the same intials as his older brother and has something in common with Spiderman)Eyob before the hearingOur family with the judge (sorry we just can't get everyone to smile at the same time)Our extended family Eyob with his flag cake

Fireflies, muffins and music

Well it's been a busy couple of weeks at the Whartenby house. It has now been over two months since Eyob came home and he is doing great. He is bonding well with Mommy and Daddy and is beginning to get along with the other kids. He still wants everything done Eyob's way but he tantrums much less and responds to discipline. Last week was a big week for Eyob. He went to VBS at our church. He loved it and he listened fairly well, too. He especially loved the music and asks to to play the CD in the car everywhere we go. We also have a DVD with the motions which he loves to watch and follow along. He has the cutest voice when he sings. He's also had some other new "American" experiences. This past weekend I made muffins with Ella, Isabella and Eyob. He enjoyed the baking but not eating the muffins. (He can still be a very picky eater). Eyob also caught fireflies for the first time. He had so much fun but I don't think any fireflies survived Eyob's grasp. He certainly needs to learn to be more gentle. Patrick with the loot

Eyob with his catch(poor bug)

Having fun in the kitchen

Happy 4th of July!!!

We had a fun, busy, crazy weekend. Eyob celebrated his first Independence Day. He also got to meet his paternal grandparents for the first time. He bonded instantly with Poppy. In fact the day before when I was telling him about Nanny and Poppy coming to visit, he said "Poppy, Daddy." Then he went to get a picture off the endtable and pointed to Poppy. So he was very happy to finally meet him. On the 4th of July we went to the local park where we met upwith some friends. The kids played on the bouncy rides and playground toys, ate popcorn, ice cream and corndogs. They had a great time. We ended the evening with an awesome firework display. The kids did well even though the fireworks didn't start until 10:15. On Saturday we all slept in and then went to the Science Center to see the Titantic Display and then we took the kids to have a portrait done with Nanny and Poppy. It was certainly a challenge getting all 5 kids to sit still and smile on cue, especially since Ilana sits still for exactly 3/10 of a second and is scared to death around strangers, i.e. the photographer. Of course when we finally had Ilana placed the other kids where getting restless. We were actually able to get two fairly good pictures but apparently "smile" is one English word Eyob does not understand. On Sunday we had Nanny and Poppy take some family shots for the post placement reports which of course went equally well. Overall it was a wonderful Independence Day weekend. Brothers and "best buds"

The kids before the picnic

Three Generations

Eyob being silly (he loves sunglasses)