Still alive and....THRIVING!!

Wow, it has been a very looooong time. We have been growing in so many ways as a family....God has done great things! I am going to spend some time on all the members of this family and get everyone caught up! I have failed to blog about so many wonderful things; I'm almost mad at myself:) We have had so many experiences, so many firsts for the boys, and have taken literally 1000s of pictures since they came home. Thanks for continuing to care and pray for our family; it means so much to us!

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.
Psalms 40:5

Let's get started.....Happy Birthday, sweet hubby!

Eyob and Daddy at the apple orchard!
Daddy and Abel on the boat late summer! Abel has a love/hate relationship with that life vest.
**I have discovered that Daddy is in far too few pictures:/

Erica RaNae...our sophomore in college!

Erica and Eyob...Beautiful!

Erica with the special man in her life, Zach! They joined us at the apple orchard this fall. Erica never misses out on a family event:) Erica is a great young woman, a wonderful sister, and a dear friend to her mother. I look so forward to watching Erica's life unfold over the next couple of years; I can't wait to see what God has planned for her!

Alison Kae....freshman in high school!

All dressed up for Homecoming....Erica, Ali, and Mom!

Helping Eyob to "fly" like Spider Man!

>Ali loves to drive....ANYTHING! Even a golf cart will do!

Alison is now in high school, and loving it! We just finished up her volleyball season, so things are settling down around here for the winter. She is also a great big sister and brings so much life to this house. She is the crazy one of the bunch and keeps all of us laughing, sometimes when we don't even feel like laughing:) This mom loves her spunk!

Elaina Marie...my 5th grader!

We have had incredible weather here in the Midwest and were able to get in one last really late summer boat ride:) Elaina loves the boat; she really just loves being outside!

Mom, Elaina, and Ali

Elaina is having a great year in school. She is becoming such a young lady. She has a special relationship with Abel; he thinks she's pretty great. It really helps when John and I go out, because Abel is really starting to feel comfort in her. It is very nice for me as I spent 3 months not being able to leave Abel's sight without major screaming...I mean SCREAMING! It was rough for everyone during that time, but we persevered and now have a much happier, and more confident little man, Yeah! What a blessing Elaina is to Abel all because she took some extra time with her little brother!

Eyob Scott....4 years old!

One of Eyob's favorite places....the boat!

Another favorite place....on the back of a horse! Eyob loves horses and can spot one anywhere!

Eyob on a nice autunm hike!

Oh, what a young man! We have been enjoying months of more firsts and many transitions. Eyob is awesome! He is FULL of love and life. He goes to a Pre-K program at our elementary school and loves it. He is learning so much and doing very well; his English ROCKS! I believe he is at a point where we can say he is our typical four year old. Which means sometimes he's very wild, very loud, and very loving:) He does sneek a bit of an attitude in there every now and then for good measure as well. I have to tell you he received his first timeout at school last week for pushing another student, but this mom has been assured that it is normal and it doesn't mean Eyob is going to be beating kids up;) It was a push in good fun; I think the timeout was a bit of a surprise to him. Eyob has been home almost 9 months and the first 5 months were spent in a pretty low valley, but I am praising God that at this point we're reaching the top of a very high mountian. I am confident that we are going to lay in green pasture for awhile, at least until Eyob shows us some more of what it means to be a boy;)

Amelia Raye....3 years old!

Amelia loves making silly faces for the camera!

Amelia celebrated her golden birthday on Oct 3rd, so it was a three layer cake all in gold:)

It was a birthday all about dress up! She received her very own "Amelia's Closet" stocked full of clothes, accessories, and of course shoes:)

Some fun at the orchard with one of her favorite people, Zach!

Miss Amelia brings me so much joy in the day to day around here. She is our baby girl and she loves being the baby girl. She is developing the sweetest relationship with Eyob. It is a relationship that we pray over and work on daily, but they are beginning to be true siblings and best of all friends:) She likes to give Abel more love then he cares to receive, so if he's screaming she's probably kissin' and huggin'

Last, but certainly not least.....Abel John, who just celebrated his 1st birthday!

Momma's sweet little man!

Got to love that cheese!

Precious!

Did you know that I have four sisters?

Happy 1st Birthday, my baby boy!

Little man loved his Ethiopian cake!

Yes, I have a mouthful of teeth and I love my walking feet!

We have been so blessed by this little guy! We had a few months that proved to be pretty rough, not that he cut 6 teeth all at the same time. That's right he cut his first two and then the next 6 teeth came in ALL at the SAME time, well all within about a week and a half of each other:/ He is so happy, content, and loves to wear his cheesy smile. He has been walking since about 10.5 months, so he's a runner now. He loves to give kisses right now; they are precious! The sound affects are great too. He is so much fun and I can see so much of Eyob in him. This little boy has a family that has fallen so in love with him.

We continue to grow in love as a family. This adoption has forever changed the members of this family; we ALL have learn so much about priorities and perspective. We all walk around with new priorities and a far clearer perspective of what this life on earth is to be made of....and for that I thank God!

The Great Outdoors!

Daddy outside, Dixie ca ca, Amelia step in it!! That is an example of Eyob's English. . . .all the important information, in no particular order:)

Wow, the boys have been home for four months already! We have been doing all the summer fun stuff and have found so much joy sharing in all of Eyob's firsts. Some of those firsts include his first time to the lake and fishing, as well as his first time horse back riding! He has been obsessed with horses from the very first time he saw one. A sweet friend let us ride their horses one evening last week. It was so very exciting for Eyob, Amelia, and Elaina.

The boys are doing wonderful. We still have our struggles, but things are amazing for only being home for four months. It is easy to forget that it has only been four months and somethings I find myself expecting more. My love grows each day with each experience we share with the boys; I am enjoying watching God's perfect plan play out in my life.

"God had planned something better for us so that only together with Him would they be made perfect." Hebrews 11:40

Checking out the lake!
Amelia taking one last peek!

Elaina, Alison, Amelia, and Eyob doing some hiking!

Alison and Amelia

Eyob and his "trees"!
Getting ready to do some fishing!

Our beautiful Abel baby!

Daddy helping Eyob with his very first cast of the fishing pole!

Eyob was in heaven on the top of this horse, Rosie!

Elaina is a country girl at heart!

Eyob "leading" Amelia on the pony!

Eyob loved the little white pony, Sugar!

PRAISING JESUS. . . and so PROUD of my kids!

Today was a day to PRAISE JESUS in the Needles' house!

It started with Eyob. . . he has never wanted to go to nursery or Sunday School at church since coming home. We made attempts for the simply fact that in church I would become his favorite play thing; he would climb ALL OVER me, lay on me, kiss on me, hug on me, and I would leave church each Sunday with a new hair-do that he had given me during service. My husband and I were looking forward to getting back to Sunday School without having to worry about Eyob as well! Eyob would scream out of control if we tried to leave him, so obviously we didn't. WELL, today we were walking into service after leaving Abel and Amelia in nursery and Eyob says, "I go too!" pointing back to the nursery. I say, "Eyob would like to go to nursery with Amelia?" "YES!" Praise Jesus for whatever reason today Eyob was ready for us to leave him in the nursery; he ran in and had the best time. He was having such a good time that I heard him a number of times squealing and laughing all the way in the sanctuary :) PRAISE JESUS!

Then there is my Miss Alison . . . She has a friend named Abby who has faced many struggles this past year at home and school. She always looked to Alison for friendship. I didn't let Alison do things with her because she was making poor decisions and is a couple years older than Alison. We did always allow Abby to come over and hang out and she seemed to enjoy the whole family. Abby lost her Aunt a year ago this past January. Her aunt was her rock in life, because her relationship with her parents lacks communication and can be abusive. When school was over this year Abby went to North Carolina to spend the summer with her other Aunt. This morning after church Alison received this text message from Abby. . .
"I have to tell you something. . . .On January fifth. . . I lost everything. And I lost God! Today . . . I found Him :) with the help of everything that you've been doing and telling me. I found HIM!"

Is that not the most precious? It brought me to tears and again I'm PRAISING JESUS! I'm a mom so proud of my kids and so thankful for the work God is doing in their lives!

Our Very Own Spiderman?!

This kid really thinks he's SPIDERMAN!

Instead of climbing buildings, he climbs trees!

And, instead of swinging from webs. . . he swings from his daddy! Too sweet!

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY, EYOB!

Eyob CELEBRATED his first birthday today and what a wonderful day it was. It was awesome to watch him take it all in; I was moved to tears on a few occasions! I was given a special gift the day I received that young man. A gift I can't go to bed at night without thanking my God for. I still look at and watch the boys in awe of how I came to this place; sitting here with two beautiful sons that came to me from the other side of the world, I never could of imagined it!

I am a woman who will forever feel blessed, honored, privileged, loved, hopeful, and forgiven because my God, my Creator has made me feel that way!

"No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him."
1 Corinthians 2:9

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By the way check out Abel's new teeth:)

All the sweet faces that make up this clan we have been blessed to call FAMILY!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Graduate. . .off to High School!

Heading off to High School.... WOW! Our kiddos grow up all too fast! A mom who definitely understands the importance of enjoying these days with my little ones. It will all past soooo quickly! We have a very small window to make a difference and just enjoy them in this life; all too soon they are gone!

Summer Fun!!!

Eyob and Amelia Swimming for the first time at the Grandparents!

Safety first~he loves his floating devices!

Abel and Daddy!

Not sure, but it looks fun! Eyob loves it!
Amelia is always looking for the opportunity to hug Abel!
LOVES the water! Looks pretty cute hanging too!

Another Needles fish!

FUN! That is what summer is all about, right? Eyob and Abel are definitely Needles, because they love the water. Our four girls are fish in water and we are so happy the boys are too! We spend most of the summer at the pool; the older girls working on their tans and the kiddos swimming like fish.

God is fast at work in the Needles' House!!

Wow, we have had an amazing last couple of weeks here at the Needles. God is working so diligently here on our behalf. I fail Him daily and He comes in and cleans up my mess and rewards my efforts too! Crazy but, oh so God! He rewards me with an Eyob that is growing and bending. An Eyob that is beginning to find his perfect place in this family and an Eyob that is feeling at home in this house! Eyob is so in love with the members of this family; his relationships just keep growing and growing. Eyob has stopped calling out momma hundreds of times a day, because he knows his momma is there. Just a couple of nights ago I hear his little feet running through the house in the middle of the night only to listen to them run into the bathroom, flip the light on, go potty, flip the light off and run back to his bed and fall fast asleep without a word. Why? Because our Eyob is at home! I smiled so BIG and gave thanks to an awesome God! We still have a long way to go, but our young man is headed toward the young man we desire him to be. We are blessed with the opportunity to watch this little life unfold, not to mention I can be certain that a part of who he is...is because of me.

Eyob fills my days with so many wonderful things, like. . . fake sneezes (honestly they are more like a cough) just so he can hear me say "Bless you, Eyob" and if I don't catch it immediately then he blesses himself. His language is coming along quickly; he is very smart (if I do say so myself)! After he hears something a few times then he begins to say it back to me. Every night as I put him to bed I say "Sweet dreams, Mister" so as soon as he wraps his little arms around my neck at bedtime he will say "Sweet dreams, Mommy!" During bedtime prayer he crawls up on my lap and puts his arms around my neck and his face in my neck and quietly repeats everything I say, it is precious! He comes running out of his bedroom every morning to me so he can hear me say "Well, Good morning, Mister!" and he then says "Good Morning, Mommy!" I can't tell you the number of times a day he looks at me with the silliest face and says "Whatcha doin' mommy?" Eyob whom I call "Mister" most of the time loves the movie Shrek; I mean LOVES, LOVES the movie Shrek! The only thing I'm not sure about yet is that he will look at me in one of his silly faces and say "Mommyyyy, Donkeyyyy!" I mean seriously, is he calling me a donkey? I'm just not sure:) Needless to say Eyob is bringing much joy and many, many laughs to this house!

Eyob and Ali at Grandma's and Grandpa's

Mister Eyob Scott

Playing in the rain~He LOVES umbrellas!

He is now a successful bike rider. . .with training wheels:)

First smore, and honestly didn't love it!

Amelia and Eyob are little buddies! We can see God working in their little hearts to bring them together as brother and sister!

It just happens when you have four sisters! I mean come on, he's pretty enough to be a girl ;)


And then there is Abel. . . .sweet, sweet Abel! Abel is just that, SWEET! He is so very content, happy, filled with joy. He sings with joy all the time! Well, he sings or screams whichever you prefer. He is VERY vocal; lots of happy sounds that are really just about too loud most of the time. We have to laugh and pray that he grows out of it, because a teenager that likes to hear their own voice just can't be good:) Abel would love to be a crawler, but not quite yet! He is what we refer to as a "mover and shaker"; always on the move, no matter what he is always on the move!! He is really starting to take everything in. It is precious to watch him sit and study something; moving it back and forth from hand to hand, sitting still and quiet for a moment to take it all in, PRECIOUS! Mind you it may simply be his paci or toy he has played with hundred times before; maybe he just thinks he's big stuff moving it hand to hand, who knows I just know it entertains this mom! He is also just days away from his first tooth! His nose is a faucet and those two little bottom teeth are going to be debuting very soon. I'll post a pic as soon as I can:) Oh, and did I mention that he likes to blow his spit all over; he literally foams at the mouth. I'm blaming it on teething:)

Another really great thing about this little guy is that he loves his momma. I mean he loves his whole family, but he makes this momma feel special! He shows so much joy when he see me. He desires me to be with him all the time; he'll do anything as long as I'm sitting right there. He wants to be touching always, he reaches for me and longs to be with me even if I'm just across the room. No one can take the place of his momma and that fills my heart with joy!

Momma tells me I could be a model!

Lovin' Life!

Praise Jesus my Momma buckles my seat belt:)

Thank goodness I have that big belly!

Legos and cars, Love them!

Just because I'm cute!

The whole family at the same place at the same time:) Not so easy to do anymore!

Coming soon. . . .an update on the family as a whole. There are a number of wonderful members to this family that make it so special and there are a lot of great things going on around here. I'll get a slide show together of all the sweet faces that make up this clan we have been blessed to call "FAMILY!"

**Blog friends~ thank you for being so patient with me:)