Life Goes on , one day at time

I don't want to post a new entry because it means I am leaving the only picture we have of Natnael to get buried in my blog along with all the other photos.
But, life goes on and so must we. One day at a time has been the motto around here.
We may never have met our sweet Natnael, but he will be in our hearts forever, he will be our first grandson. I will work hard to keep his memory alive.
John and I went to Elias last night using a gift card that Courtney and Paul had given us as a thank you for taking care of Tizita while they were in Ethiopia. We had not been to Elias for a long time and it was even better than we had remembered it. We had a great night out thanks to Courtney and Paul. I actually feel we should have paid them for allowing us to spend 11 days with Tizita.
So, we will keep moving forward from here.

There are no words for such sadness

This is the only picture that Courtney and Paul will ever have of their precious little Natnael. To me, this picture is worth way more than a thousand words. (I think there is an old saying to that effect or maybe I just made it up, my mind is a bit jumbled these days.) I just love the way that Natnael is looking at Paul out of those big beautiful brown eyes. He knows his papa and his mama, too, of that I am certain. I also can just see what a wonderful addition he would have been to our family. Those eyes say it all. Sadly, we will never know anything about these eyes or the beautiful soul behind them until we meet in heaven.
This is unchartered seas for us. We don't know how to act right now or even exactly what to feel, so all we feel is sadness along with some unbelief and despair. How can he look so healthy in this picture which was taken about a week before he died? Not for us to know right now.
How can God take such a precious little boy that was supposed to be in our lives? Not for us to know right now.
So many questions will remain unanswered this side of heaven, but that is how God operates at times and we know He has a plan and it will be perfect for our family.
One thing I am so grateful for is how many people genuinely care about our family and our sweet little Natnael at this time. As I told people at work today, they had tears in their eyes, real tears for our pain and our loss. I appreciate all of these people that God put there today.
So, for today, at least that is enough. All those people that touched my life today, that is enough for now.
Keep praying for us.

Sad, Sad News

Courtney called today with some very sad news. Our dear, sweet, precious Natnael died today in Ethiopia. I am just so sad.
All of my hopes and dreams for this little guy died today, too.
I never met him, but he held a special place in my heart and he always will.
God has a plan, we just need patience to watch it unfold.
Good bye sweet Natnael.
See you in heaven.

This and That

It is hard to get back on the blog wagon after all the exciting posts about Tizita's stay with us. Everything seems a bit boring to me now as far as writing goes.
John and I did have a nice relaxing weekend which would have been darn near perfect if the Packers had won their game today, but instead they are now done for the season. We debated whether we should ask for a refund for our stock or fire the whole lot of them. The debate is still in process.
We spent Thursday and Friday just getting back into our routines without a five year old in the midst of things.
Friday night we went out to El Mariachi with Vikki, Kev, and my mom. It was an much needed adult night out. We enjoyed yummy Mexican food and a few beers there. We ended up at Lyon's Pub for a few more cold ones. Lots of good conversation and many laughs.
Saturday, we slept in till 8:00, that felt really good. We did our shopping and enjoyed a nice lunch at Berres Brothers. John had a coupon for a free Birthday lunch so we took advantage of it. We watched a few movies in the evening and had a nice fire.
Today we slept in once again, then church, a nice long walk, and a crummy football game!
Tomorrow it is back to the old grind.

And they're back

And just like that, in a flash, our 11 days with Tiz are over. We took her to the airport tonight to meet Courtney and Paul as they deplaned. Here she is perched up in a high spot so she could spot her mama and papa as they walked down the exit.

And, boy, did she ever take off when she spotted them!

The happy family is reunited.

Handmade gifts for mama and papa.

Helping with the luggage.

New scarf from mama and papa.

A last hug for Grandpa and

a hug for Grandma, too.

Our house is quiet, but I know the Van Auken family is happy to be together again. Now we just need to get Natnael home!

The Final Countdown

We just put Tizita to bed for the last time. (Well, not the last time, but the last time in this adventure in Grandparent babysitting) It was another easy bedtime. She requested Grandpa as usual and he read her some books and she fell asleep.
It is hard to believe that just one week ago today we were just starting this adventure and we had lots of concerns and worries about how it would all go. My biggest concern was if Tiz could follow our routine especially in the morning and at bedtime. All that worry was useless because things could not have gone better.
We made lots of happy memories together and got to know Tizita on yet another level.
Tonight after dinner she wanted to organize and play a few games, so Grandpa, Gigi, and I followed her rules and played some very original games. She has boundless energy and an imagination that does not quit plus her vocabulary is unreal. I noticed that everywhere she goes, people love her and she just seems to light up their world. Such a blessing!

Tomorrow after school she has a play date with Addi Faltersack, then we leave for the airport after the play date.. What a happy reunion that will be and although we will miss her so much, we know that she belongs back at home with mama and papa.

Our house will be quiet, but we are old and we need the quiet sometimes!

A Day with Grandpa

Today John took the day off to spend it with Tizita. At first we thought she would spend the morning with me in school and then go to lunch with Grandpa, but those plans changed. The two of them were lazing around in bed this morning and Tiz decided she did not want to come to school, so she and grandpa spent the entire day together. When I got home I found them both in this large fort that they had constructed. They even had a lighting system in the fort. They told me they had even eaten lunch in the fort! They also went to the library and checked out a stack of books. A few books were about princesses and ther were two books about how elevators work, They were both interested in the workings of an elevator since they spent so much time on the one at the motel in Bloomington.

This was her preferred spot for the rest of the evening. It seems that she and grandpa bonded pretty well today. I think one of the things she likes about grandpa is that he lets her run the show completely and spends every minute with her.

She did still have a few hugs left for me though.

Tomorrow Vikki brings her to school and I am taking the afternoon off to spend time with her. It will be a good day. I cannot believe our time with her is almost over.
We will certainly miss having her around here.