Slipping Through My Fingers

Last night at Benjamin's much needed bathtime, he discovered a new game.  He fills up a small cup with water and hands it to me.  I hold the cup up about a foot or so and slowly dump the water while he tries to catch it in his hands.  It was so precious to watch him try so hard, over and over again to catch the water.  He kept looking up at me with those big brown eyes as if to ask why the water kept slipping through his fingers.  In that moment, as I looked down on that sweet little boy that I love so much, I knew exactly how he felt.
My life feels a lot like that these days.  At times I can hardly believe that I have been married to my best friend for two years, living in Rwanda for nearly three, am raising two beautiful Rwandan children who have stolen my heart and a precious, active 14 month old! Wow!  Not to mention all the other exciting things that fill our daily lives, from building our new house, to running a sewing school, to church ministry, children, neighbors, cooking, language, laughing, and loving.  Life is full and beautiful. 
Allow me to "catch you up" on our family that has grown much faster then we anticipated!
Benjamin turned one in May and is quite a lot of fun...and work!  He is on the move constantly and keeps all of us on our toes.  He absolutely love being outside, playing in the dirt and chasing the chickens.  He is really trying to start talking and it is such a joy to hear him try.  He says "dada", "koko" (close to the Kinyarwanda word for chicken), "mama", "cow" and lots of other babble that we can not understand!  My baby is hardly a baby anymore but still loves to snuggle.  He is very expressive and loves laughing and playing with his older brother and sister.

Ivan has been a part of our family since the beginning of April.  He is such a great addition and we all love him so much.  He had been living in an orphanage in Kigali since he was a baby.  He is now an active 10 year old boy who loves to play football and all sorts of games.  You will usually find him outside covered in dirt from head to toe.  All boy!  It has not been without its challenges (perhaps I'll write more about those later) but it is all worth it to have him in our family!

Muhorakeye is our beautiful 13 year old niece who is now living with us as our own daughter.  It is so fun for me to have another girl in the family!  She has really been the perfect addition and we all enjoy having her around.  Her mother (Appolinaire's sister) passed away a few months ago and, long story short, we fell in love with her and were delighted when she agreed that she wanted to stay and live with us!  It is so neat to see how God is forming our family to be what He desires for us.  Muhorakeye is a huge help in watching Benjamin and loves her two little brothers.

It is a process to continue to bond together as a family and I can not say that it is an easy one.  But all things are that worthwhile take work and God's grace is sufficient.