More Summer Pictures

Muluken's first boat ride! Grandma Lenz was happy to share her boat and of course, Noah was more than willing to go for a ride too!

What a beautiful day on the lake!

The birthday girl!

Jordan celebrating her 12th birthday at Grandma's house on the lake!

What a party group!

Jewelry for the princess!!

Muluken playing Little League. He was awesome!! He could hit the ball to the outfield. He could field the ball and throw it to first base and get kids out. He was fun to watch and really looked forward to Monday nights!

Tia and Tiger. They will be parents once again (probably very soon).

This is where I could usually find them this summer. Sitting on the back of the couch, watching me work on my computer! They look so sad in this picture...like I'm really ignoring them. But that's SO FAR from the truth. Tia would put her ball in my lap, and I would continuously throw the ball in the kitchen and down the hallway. Tiger would stand on my lap and look into my eyes, telling me he wanted to go out. They were my shadows all summer!

Finally Some Pictures...

Muluken went to swimming lessons this summer at the park in Wega. Once a week, Muluken was able to jump off the diving board (with life jacket on)! He was one of two boys that really wanted to JUMP!

What a peanut!

Noah played on 2 baseball teams. He played on a AAA traveling team and also on a Wednesday night in-city league team. The traveling team played games every Tuesday and Thursday at noon, and they had practice every Monday and Wednesday from 9 to 10am.

What a little man I have!

Introducing our newest member of the Rucks' home, Joy, our Sun Conure! She is such a character and fun to watch in her cage or on your shoulder. She does have a VERY loud squak when she wants your attention but will also make clicking noises when she's happy.

Joy likes to eat sunflower seeds right out of your hand and also can take out your diamond earrings in a split second! She's been known to give everybody kisses and really likes to have the stereo playing when everybody leaves the house. I'm so glad we got her, but I think Brad thinks I'm crazy!!

 

This was our (Jordan & I) first attempt at making a birthday cake using fondant. After watching all of the awesome cooking and cake shows on TV, we thought we would try our luck on baking Jordan's 12th birthday cake! It actually turned out looking pretty good and tasted great!

First Time at the FAIR…

Muluken had his first experience with our county fair this past Friday. Noah had been talking it up and getting Muluken excited for a few days, but it was very hard to really “explain” what a FAIR was all about.



We used the Fair as our last family day of our summer vacation. We arrived around 11 in the morning and started in the rabbit and poultry barn. Muluken was telling us which rabbits were “cool” or “cute”. He couldn’t believe that we actually had our two rabbits there last year. He liked looking at all of the chickens and ducks, and even pointed out a rooster that looked like the one he had in Africa.


From there we headed to the goat and horse barns. I had fun looking at the goats and started asking a lot of questions about how much space a goat needs, what a goat eats, what type of fencing is needed for the goats, and what type of goat is best for our family. Brad just stood there and listened. Not really excited about my questions, but tolerating them.


Then we headed to the horse barns. The girls were already talking to all of their friends and checking out the horses. Muluken was a little short, so we had to lift him up to check them out. He had a hard time believing that Kjell and Snickers were in this barn last year.


So, by the time we finished in the horse barn, Noah could see the midway rides moving. We were off to buy wristbands and try out a few rides. Muluken wanted to start on the small car and motorcycle ride. Noah’s face was in disbelief. We had to explain to Noah that it was good for Muluken to start with smaller rides and move up to the bigger and scarier rides. He was OK with that but not real happy. Muluken turned into a little daredevil and wanted to try all of the rides. But, of course, that didn’t happen because Muluken was too short for the 48” height requirement. Muluken is just pushing 44”, so we had to split the kids up for awhile. Muluken rode some rides with Justin and Kendra, while Jordan and Noah headed down to the bigger rides with MaKayla. Cassie just watched until I had her take the kids up on the ferris wheel.

We ate a few slices of pizza (almost $25) and drank LOTS of water and root beer. It was REALLY hot out and not a cloud in the sky. Brad found a bench in some shade at one point, and all of us crowded around it.


Muluken and I wandered off for a while on our own and looked at the cows, sheep, and pigs. He pointed out a cow that might have looked like his cow in Africa, but this one was much bigger. He liked the littler cows the best. He also liked the baby piggies all sleeping in a row. He really didn’t understand that the sheep weren’t goats, because the sheep looked so much like the goats because they were shaved.

Cassie, Jordan, and I left the fair early and walked to the middle school for Jordan’s volleyball practice. Brad and the boys stayed for another hour to ride some more rides and even play some games. (Brad is such a push over!)


Muluken’s first experience of the county fair was a success! He can’t wait for next year and hopes he can go on more BIG rides too!

Summer’s End…Bittersweet!

I just can’t believe that our summer vacation is coming to an end. All of us need to head back to school on Wednesday, September 1st. We were off for almost 3 months and a new routine and schedule were in place. We went from baseball, softball, swimming lessons, vision therapy sessions, dog project, sleeping-in, and lots of swimming at Grandma’s house, to starting the football, volleyball, and soccer seasons and going to band practices, back-to-school shopping, and last-minute doctor and dentist appointments.



This summer I was able to spend a LOT more time with all 4 kids and really enjoy my time with them. Yes, they still had their typical sibling arguments, that drive me crazy, but overall, it was FUN! I was watching my kids grow up right before my eyes.


I watched the girls actually have fun together and share non-parent information with each other. You know what I’m talking about…boy stories and more!


I watched Noah work through not being the youngest or only boy anymore. He learned that a little 6-year old brother can be fun at times, especially when it comes to wrestling, snuggling on the couch to watch TV, play the Wii and Nintendo DS games, ride bikes, ride the 4-wheeler, play baseball, jump on the trampoline, take showers together, and swim together! He still liked his one-on-one time with Mom and Dad, and he really liked being older, so he wasn’t the first one with the early bedtime! Noah has really sprouted this summer ~ I can’t believe how tall he is. Looks like I’ll be buying all new pants for school this year. He’s so proud that he weighs 82 pounds for football. But that means he weighs 82 pounds with all of his pads on. He actually only weighs 74 pounds.


Muluken just soaked in EVERYTHING this summer!! His language skills have multiplied and he’s just so much fun when he wants to tell you something that he’s excited about and can hardly contain himself to say the words. He has a very infectious belly laugh and loves to try new things. He likes to watch “some” TV but would rather draw, color, build with Legos, play with cars, or ride his bike. Muluken’s jobs were to fill the little dogs’ food dishes and their water dish, and the cat’s dishes. He also watered the flowers and picked up poops by the garage. He actually liked pulling weeds around the house (NOT a favorite of anybody else in our home!). Muluken was a fan of taking walks to Grandma Rucks’ house. He rode his bike while I walked.


I LOVED watching the kids play ball all summer and even learned a few back roads to new towns I‘ve never been too. I was a taxi cab driver every day but was able to listen to LOTS of great music on my Ipod. Muluken would always ask me, “Is this your song, Mom?” He always knows who likes which song.


I LOVED surfing the internet all summer. Checking out blogs, facebook, message boards, and just searching for new things. I liked having my laptop wherever I went in the house. Wireless is AWESOME!!


I also LOVED playing with all of my animals. My puppies, my kitties, my alpacas, my horses, my rabbits, and my birds. I’m so SPOILED when it comes to my zoo!


I also LOVED having date nights with Brad. We usually went out for dinner somewhere and just had fun talking without any extra ears around. Sometimes we went grocery shopping or running errands, but it was still nice to get away together and catch up. I also liked swimming with Brad and the kids. It was so much fun playing tag in the water or hitting a beach ball to each other.


Yes, it was an awesome summer…not so much LAZY days of summer…but still a lot of FUN!!

Wonderful Weekend!

This must have been one of the best weekends of the entire summer.



A few things that made this weekend AWESOME:

• We have our school shopping complete!

• Muluken played his first soccer game and scored 8 goals!

• Cassie competed at the Fair for dog project and “graduated” onto the next class for next summer!

• Noah played in a scrimmage for junior pee-wee football and was a tackling machine!

• The hot, humid weather has lifted and Sunday’s weather was so wonderful!

• We got the lawn cut and filled the kitchen with groceries!

• I was able to sit outside in the sun and just relax!

• We were able to turn the air conditioning off and open all the windows ~ love the fresh air!

• Sammy, the St. Bernard, spent the entire day outside!

• The “big boys” (horses) stayed in their paddock for over 24 hours!

• I’m getting excited to go back to school and try new activities in our new classroom!

• Brad and I went out to dinner all by ourselves!

• Spent all weekend with the family!

15 Hours ~ No WATER

We take so much for granted in America and that became so apparent this past Wednesday night. Cassie was taking a shower (last person for the evening) and the water stopped. Nothing. She started yelling. Brad checked the water in the kitchen and we had nothing. He went downstairs and checked things out. Yep. He confirmed. No water! (I think Cassie already told us that!)



He called a plumber the next morning and told us they would be here around noon. Umm. No water. 4 kids, 5 dogs, 2 cats, 3 horses, 3 alpacas, 2 rabbits, and NO WATER! And, it was THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE SUMMER!! The heat index was up to 103 degrees! Now that’s HOT for Wisconsin!


First things first. The animals outside were fed. The horses must have known about the water problem and became nervous. They drank their entire water tank. The kids needed to go to the bathroom. Off to Grandma’s house. We used her bathroom and started filling up 5-gallon pails of water. We loaded in my truck, drove down the road, carried them across the ditch and lawn to the horses. First trip wasn’t enough. Do it again. Did I happen to mention how HOT it was?!?! The kids were dripping wet with sweat. They were crabby and bickering back and forth. REALLY?!? Now that’s so surprising…NOT!


There were quite a few 4-wheeler trips to Grandma’s house for potty breaks, water bottles, and even 2 showers. I had to go to Poy Sippi to buy some milk and 2 big jugs of water. (Can’t believe we were even out of milk!)


Throughout this whole evening and morning of no water, all I could think of was Ethiopia and Muluken. I thought about his stories about taking his cow down a big mountain to the nearest water. How they never had clean water. How the little bit of dirty water they had, they would wash themselves outside of their home. How they ALWAYS had to walk to get some water, no matter what the weather. There was no running water in any home, so they all went potty outside in the trees and bushes.


No water in Ethiopia was an everyday occurrence. Not just 15 hours.

Six Minutes...

That’s all it took. SIX minutes for our county courthouse judge to make the final decision on Muluken’s adoption. He’s OURS FOREVER!!



It’s kind of funny if you really think about it though. The country of Ethiopia has already made this ruling back on December 4, 2009. Since that date, Ethiopia has given us the title of “parents” to Muluken. We have given our promise to Ethiopia that we will care, love, and raise him in our family. So, what would our county, state, or federal government do if we said “no, we don’t want him”? Not that it will EVER happen, but seriously, what if?


We are SO EXCITED that this final event has taken place in our adoption process. We still have to file one more piece of paperwork to receive his Certificate of Citizenship, and pay another $400 or so, but at least, it won’t disrupt the daily life happenings in our family!


Everyone in the family knew this was just a formality, or so I thought. Muluken had surgery the day before and wasn’t feeling so great on our court day. The family all got up at 6am and we left the house at 7:30am. We arrived at the courthouse within minutes of our scheduled time of 8:15am. Muluken walked SO SLOW all the way. We thought he was in pain. We went up to the second floor and found the room. We all went in and sat down. Except for Muluken. He just stood in front of me and held my hands. His eyes welled up with tears. We really thought he was in pain. The judge talked and asked Brad and I some questions and that was it. He gave his ruling that Muluken is officially ours for life! YEAHHH!


We were told to walk out of the court room and around a corner to pick up the certified copies of the ruling. Right before we rounded the corner I heard Muluken say, “Dad, am I staying?” He thought we were sending him back to Africa! WOW! Even when we think we have talked through everything and we all know what’s going to happen, there still is that fear in him that he might have to go back. My heart broke! We hugged and kissed him and told him that he was here forever!


He had the biggest smile on his face and even started walking better (no pain from surgery). The judge came back in normal clothing and even talked to all of us. Everything was PERFECT!!

Eye-Opening Statistics on Ethiopia...

Children:

• 80% of the population subsists on less than $2/day (2006)

• 1 in 10 children dies before their first birthday, 1 in 6 dies before their 5th birthday (main causes: Diarrhea and pneumonia ). 1 in 16 dies from AIDS. 1 child dies every 45 seconds from Malaria.

• 60% of children are stunted because of malnutrition

• 720,000 children have been orphaned by AIDS alone and there are 4.6 million total orphans now in Ethiopia

• 50% of the children will never attend school.

• The doctor to child ratio is 1:24,000

• Every 45 seconds, a child in Africa dies from Malaria

Women:

• 94% of women still give birth at home without a trained attendant.

• Average births per woman 6.14 (2004)

• 1 in 14 women die from pregnancy-related causes, possibly higher if including abortions.

• Percentage of females seeking abortions who are under age 18 - Over 50%