Exactly One Year Ago...

we picked up Tegegn! What a wonderful day it was and one that we will never forget. Tegegn has come so far from the day we met him. We were able to see all of his milestones and we are so fortunate to be his parents! We truly miss Ethiopia and we look forward to the day when we can go back to Tegegn's birth country and visit our host family. Tegegn is beginning to talk and we really have fun seeing his personality shine through. He is a daddy's boy, but he loves his mama. He doesn't really like going to bed because he would rather be playing...if only he knew that sleep was a necessity. He loves trains, cars, trucks and planes. He is a busy boy. We have so much fun with him and we are so lucky to celebrate his GOTYA day today with his favorites...ice cream, tater tots, fish, cheesecake and juice. We love you Tegester!

Loving the Season...bring back good memories!

I can't believe tomorrow will be December. One year ago (on November 25) we passed court and Tegegn legally became our son. I can still remember the joy I felt on that day and the sleepless night wondering the status of our case. Wow....I can't imagine our life without him. He brings so much joy to us and we are blessed that God chose us to be his parents.

In late October, we met up with our friends David and Abbe and their twins, Elaina and Grant, and we to a local farm that had fun things for kids to do in the fall. We had a wonderful time and are fortunate that we are able to hang out with them! The kids had a lot of fun and Tegegn did not want to leave. It was kind of emotional for him.

Since some of my family goes to Florida for the winter, we always celebrate Christmas before Thanksgiving. This year, Christmas was at my parent's house and everyone was able to make it. We had a great time together and we always eat to much and laugh a lot. I think Tegegn will have a lot of fun this year for his birthday and Christmas. I know that Chris and I have enjoyed thinking of gifts for him.

This year we decided to decorate for Christmas on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving because we started a new tradition with the Nicholson/Ponsler clan. This was our first annual Thanksmas. It was so much fun! Elli and Tegegn played around each other and wore themselves out and then the six of us had two gift exchanges. We had so much fun, I actually think that I am looking forward to next year's Thanksmas already.

One of our favorite things to do at night is go in and check on Tegegn right before we go to bed. He is usually on top of the blankets and pillows snoring away. We decided to capture the moment because it is one of our favorite things - a quiet moment with our son.

As Christmas approachs, we have a lot to be thankful for this year. This picture was taken the morning Tegegn woke up and saw our Christmas tree for the first time. There was a wooden train right below it and you would have thought the kid struck gold. His arms were flapping and he was talking with so much excitement.

Humbled.

As I sit down to write this post, I am humbled by God's grace. It is actually hard for me to find the right words to express my thoughts because I am overwhelmed with feelings. I feel amazed, extremely happy, confused, sad, thrilled, shocked and grateful all at the same time. Depending on the moment, these emotions have been our life for the past six weeks. With lots of prayer, Chris an I actually decided to pursue our second adoption; however, out of respect for several of our friends and Tegegn, we decided that we would start the process quietly. We wanted the focus to be on our son and not on our adoption this time around. Our plan this time was to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia. As we progressed with the paper chase and only had a couple of items left to complete (home study and fingerprints) before turning in our dossier, God decided to reveal His plan to us. Towards the end of September we placed our adoption on hold because we found out that we are expecting. Not only were we shocked to find out that I was pregnant, we were even more shocked that I was ten weeks along when we first found out! (I have to tell you - I tried to think back about everything that I did and the worst thing I could come up with was waterskiing...whew!) To say the least, we have had a lot of emotions recently. To be honest, I had to really switch gears because I was already praying for my little girl in Ethiopia. I was really confused why God is allowing us to experience this when we were more than satisfied to adopt His beautiful Ethiopian children into our home. Please do not think that I am not excited about this pregnancy. I am thrilled and grateful. I think I have a mix of emotions because I understand infertility. I understand the pain and hurt that it can cause and I reached the point where I accepted it and I am simply humbled that God decided to give us this opportunity. I am extremely happy and pray daily for a healthy baby. When we found out that we were expecting, I actually went to my fertility doctor because they knew my history. When I showed up in his office, he was shocked to see me. I was one of the patients that he never thought he would see again. I think he kinda had me on that list of people he thought wouldn't get pregnant. After three visits, I was cleared to return to a local doctor. I am on quite a bit of medication and once a week Chris has to give me a shot, but overall this should be a normal pregnancy. Chris was able to hear the heartbeat for the first time on Friday at our local doctor's office. How amazing! We couldn't get enough of the sound. On Wednesday, we will be seventeen weeks along. We have been talking to Tegegn about the baby. Tonight, he decided the baby was thirsty and shared his water with the baby by putting his sippy cup upside down on my belly. He then proceeded to call it bubba for baby and gave it a kiss and high five. The moment was priceless. Tegegn will be a wonderful big brother to this baby and eventually another Ethiopian sibling.

Friends & Football

As I mentioned before, at the beginning of September, Chris turned 30. Well, our good friend Greg, also turned 30 in September so we had a small get together at the Nicholson's. We always have fun hanging out and catching up with the gang. As our lives become more and more crazy these days, we find it harder and harder to get together. Hopefully, that will change this winter!

A couple of weekends ago we were blessed to have one of our good college friends, Dina, come down and spend the night. Although we don't live super far away, she wanted to come and visit before Tegegn turned 18 years old. We had a great time catching up with her and reminiscing about our college days at Manchester. Tegegn loved her and was such a show off on Friday night. He was in rare form; however, when he woke up Saturday morning, she was able to see the opposite extreme. Nothing we would do would please the little kid. Oh the joys of being a parent and trying to figure out children and what would make them happy. Unfortunately, we did not take any pictures. Bummer. Oh well, I guess that means that we can't wait so long to see her the next time!

We were able to get last minute tickets to see the Notre Dame/Washington game. We had great seats and Tegegn LOVED it. I think he liked being outside, watching the band and being in the pouring down rain. He was a trooper and we loved doing this as a family. Chris's mom was able to join us and she is an avid sports fan. You would have thought we bought her 10 diamonds. She said she hasn't had that much fun in years. Oh the little things that brighten someones day.

Chris and his mom sitting 15 rows off the field! Our other tickets were in the section above this one. They were also great seats!

Family picture with "Touchdown Jesus" in the background.

As most of you know, Chris and I love to go to the COLTS game to support our team. As the season is here, we always look forward to tailgating with Syd and Katie and Katie's family! They are die hard COLTS fans so it is fun to hang out with them before the games. Unfortunately, there aren't any home games until November.

Manning, Saturday, Manning and Wayne posing for a picture before the game.

Great picture, huh?

When we got home, we picked up Tegegn from my parent's house and had to run to Meijer to get a couple of things. He wanted to ride the 1 cent horse. I never have my camera, but since we came from the game I thought it was appropriate to capture the moment!

Chris had to work late one night and so I decided to go shopping with my mom. We went to Kohl's and I told her that I wanted to look at the kid's shoes. As we were going up the aisle, I spotted these awesome snow boots. Word to all parents - DO NOT TRY ON BOOTS IN THE STORE. Tegegn fell in love with them and seriously through a tantrum when I tried to take them off. So, we kept them on him and bought them. I have to say, it was a great purchase though...he hasn't taken them off for a week and a half. Sweet!

A diaper and boots - classic!

Super proud that he has his boots on!

Kids have a way of helping you forget the world around you. I love that! I love the priceless moments that we get to share with him. All of the love that he shares with us is amazing. The hugs. The kisses. The "no's." The uncontrollable laughter. The winks. The waves. The talking. The signing. The high fives. The crying. I love it all.

Precious.

Tegegn is really into glasses recently. His favorite thing to do is to wear my glasses if we let him. He looks so sophisticated. We tried to give him the safety glasses that I was wearing, but he didn't fall for them. He wanted mine.

This past Thursday, we were able to spend some time with Uncle Deres. It was wonderful to be with him and talk about his trip to Ethiopia. We stayed with his parents while we were there so it was nice to catch up with him. He is the busiest person we know. It took us two months to find a time that would work, but it was so worth it. We are so glad that Tegegn

Tegegn's newest thing to do is to hide. He recently found that he can "somewhat" hide in the fridge. He also loves to hide in the pantry. One evening, I was cooking and all of the sudden I couldn't find him. Everything goes through your head....is he in the bathroom, was a door left open, did he go upstairs? Well, our kid thought it would be fun to freak his mama out and hide in the pantry. Oh silly boy. You about gave me a heart attack!

He is such a good hider. You can barely see him! Have a great week!

Tegegn is a little BOY

Yesterday when I looked back at Tegegn as I was driving, I realized my baby boy is no longer a baby. Tegegn is babbling a lot these days and I can say that he has mastered the word "no". He is also Mr. Drama when he says it because he always shakes his head and waves his arms. Let me tell you...at times it is not fun, but Chris and I make it fun by asking him if he wants things that always interest him...Here is a typical conversation.

Chris: Do you want a drink?

Tegegn: No

Sarah: Do you want a truck?

Tegegn: No

Chris: Do you want a train?

Tegegn: Choo, choo...No

Sarah: Do you want a cookie?

Tegegn: No

Chris: Do you want to go outside?

Tegegn: Ya! (with a huge smile)

Tegegn loves to be outside. A couple of weekends ago we were able to go camping for the first and last time this summer. We had a lot of fun. My parents church held a camping weekend and Tegegn loved all aspects of it, especially all of the attention.

I love how this picture captures the moment. He was laughing so hard with Jane and LeeAnn at the campground. It is priceless.

The events of the day wore him out. This usually doesn't happen so Chris was cherishing the moment.

As I get older, I really am starting to enjoy the fall. (Shout out to Julie!) I love seeing the leaves change colors, apple cider, pumpkins, FOOTBALL, apples and hooded sweatshirts with jeans. I think that Tegegn will really enjoy it this year. So far, he likes to hear the crunch sound that the leaves make when he steps on them. We raked leaves on Sunday and he had a blast riding on the tarp and walking through them. Right now, he is really fond of his swing. Every night he want to swing right when we get home, no matter what. Who can resist the kid when he grabs your hand and takes you to it to show you what he wants?

Tegegn still likes to push his Little Tikes car. I would have never guessed that he would push it more than ride it, but whatever works is great!

He thought it was a lot of fun to throw leaves in the air and watch them fall from the sky. The little things amaze kids. It is amazing to see the world through their eyes. As I think about it, more often these days, I thank God for the simple things in my life these days rather than only the bigger blessings. Tegegn has taught me that God blesses us everyday and we have so much to be thankful for all of the time.

To start the fall festivities this year, Tegegn put "Ba" stickers (Ba = Mickey Mouse) on a small pumpkin and he gave high fives in black paint to another pumpkin that welcomes people to our house. We had a lot of fun family time painting the pumpkin this year.

Labor Day Weekend - Full of Excitement

What a wonderfull weekned! We were able to spend time in Ohio with our cousins. It was fair week and several of them showed pigs. They did great. We are so proud of them. It was also a great time to hang out with them and chill. We love being there. It is always a nice getaway.

While we were there, my aunt Nancy mentioned that they went to see Thomas the train when the kids were little. Well, what do you know, on Sunday was Thomas Days in Lebenon, Ohio so we decided to go. Tegegn has been all about "choo choo" lately so it was perfect. He LOVED it. The best moment was when he saw Thomas for the first time. He was strapped in his stroller and was pointing and trying to jump up and down. It was priceless.



I would have never known that there was a real Thomas train. What a great thing for kids!


Chris and Tegegn with the main charachter of Thomas the Train, Sir Topham Hatt.


A day out with Thomas - 2009. Mommy and Tegegn posing for a picture.


Tegegn getting ready to board the train for a 20 minute ride.

Tegegn loves his daddy -so much so he put his arm around him.

Thomas and more Thomas....choo, choo!

Tegegn looks thrilled! We had to buy something to add to our game room at home and a flag was chosen...

Today marks a special day in the Ponsler household...it is Chris's birthday. I am so glad that we are able to spend it together as a family of three. He also started a new job today...what a big day.

Football, Vacation and Ethiopians....LIFE is good!

We have had a busy month! This month, Tegegn actually attended his first COLTS game. We had to start him early...he lasted through 30 minutes of pre-game action and through the first quarter and then he was done. We met up with Syd and Katie Nicholson and then walked around for a bit. He loved the cars and tractor in the Lucas Oil Stadium. We had a great time and we are glad that he could experience COLTS football at such a young age.

Tegegn taking it all in at the Colts game.

Go Colts! The Ponsler's are cheering you on - LOUD and PROUD!

This past week we were able to spend some time on vacation with my family at a lake not to far away from our home. Unfortunately we had a chilly and rainy week, but we still had a great time. The kids enjoy playing with each other and really enjoyed the kayaks and the sand. Tegegn LOVES the water and wanted to be in it anytime he was outside.

Our nephews, Nathan and Aaron in the kayaks.

Our nephew, Eli, playing in the sand.

You know how Tegegn loves his car....he loves it so much that he would not go into the water without it. Luckily, it floats!

He also experienced his first wave runner ride with Daddy. We think he enjoyed it; however, he was really cold when he came back to shore so we called it a day.

On Friday, we had the opportunity to experience The Wiggles firsthand. Tegegn really enjoyed the show. It was very entertaining. His favorite part was when the octopus and the dog appeared on stage. He waved to them like crazy. It was fun to experience this for him. I know that he probably won't remember it when he is older; however, we had a great time watching him enjoy the moment.

This is Tegegn at the Wiggles. He really enjoyed the show.

On Saturday, we met up with three other families in the Lafayette area who have adopted from Ethiopia. We are so blessed to have formed friendships with others whom have experienced adoption. We continue to get to know them and we always look forward to meeting the children who come home to their forever families. I often wonder if the children will form friendships like us as parents have formed friendships. I can only hope that this will become a reality in the future.

Here are the precious faces of the children. They are all so precious.

This is Isaac. He turned 1 today! Happy Birthday!

This is Jamin. He is 11 months.

This is Jamin's brother, Emet. He turned 2 in June.

This is Abeba. She just tuned 2.

Tegegn has allergies and has a runny nose right now. I hope he gets better soon. Since we have been at home, he had to find something to do to entertain himself. What better way...he cleared a space to put his truck in the fridge.

When Tegegn is sick, he likes to cuddle and sleep on us. He fell asleep on me this afternoon and I ate it up! He rarely sits on our lap so we take advantage of the times he does!

Life as a Single Mom

The last week of July I was on TLO again. I think I am getting spoiled being off so much this year, but what a great year to be off work and with Tegegn. I had never been to the Fort Wayne Zoo (which is much better than the Indy Zoo) so Tegegn and I met our friends Ashley and Audrey. We had a great time catching up and Tegegn loved the tiger and the carousal.

As Tegegn would say, "choo, choo!" We rode the train and he loved it. I thought this was a really cute picture of Ashley and Audrey on the train.

Chris is in Florida this week for his business sales meeting. We miss him bunches. Everytime Tegegn hears a sound at home that he thinks is the garage door, he runs (he does this a lot now - running that is) from the living room, through the kitchen to the laundry room yelling "dada, dada!" He is a daddy's boy. Luckily, he will see him on Friday.

I am not sure that I have mentioned this recently, but Tegegn is a pretty good traveler. He loves bringing all his toys with him to keep him entertained. We are on the go a lot and he doesn't seem to mind. You can always assume he will pick a toy with wheels to spin. It keeps him entertained for long periods of time.

I have enjoyed my time this week with Tegegn, but it will be nice to get back to normal. I find myself waking up early in order to make sure that I have time to take a shower before he wakes up for the day. I am known to fall asleep when putting Tegegn to bed and this week I have fallen asleep with him every night. One night, I must have been really tired because I didn't wake up until 11:00 pm and I only woke up because he started mumbling in his sleep.