Merry Christmas to all....and to all an Exceedingly Restful Full Night of Uniterrupted Sleep

It has been brought to our attention that many people we love did not receive our Christmas Card (not even my parents) So, lest you worry that you have been blacklisted.....take heart...Canada Post is holding them hostage somewhere in the abyss of Christmas mail....or we will find them between the seats in the van sometime this summer.

 
A full night of uninterrupted sleep. The elusive beast of the night of every parent of young children. Well, perhaps not of those who "claim" to have children who bestow on them such a gift. Although, I may have my own theories as to whether such children actually exists. All jests aside, through blurry eyes and in a caffeine induced state of awareness we wish you and your family a Merry Christmas from our nation's beautiful capital city.

This sweet boy is learning all about the winter. 

 

   The last couple month have brought a greater sense of settling into our new environment. While we have been building immune systems like crazy we have been blessed with temporary family doctor for our family for which we are so grateful. Little man E has been training his immune system with especial rigor and being able to avoid the long waits in a variety of walk in clinics has saved our sanity. The bigs in our family just wrapped up skating and swimming lessons and AWANA and Classical Conversations have gone into holiday break. Both T and I have wrapped up our classes and tried our best to not pity the students who are not auditing as they went into exam week. Been there, done that...now we are just the "old" people showing up to learn for fun :-)

We have been enjoying the Art Gallery. They have fantastic programs for kids.

All done skating lessons. Ready to rock on the Canal.

   Christmas Season has entered our home and we have been enjoying exploring what Ottawa has to offer for Christmas fun. We attended a fantastic (although slightly chilly) light parade. Both T and I looked at each other eyes wide when the golf cart toting the sign declaring that it was responsible for floats 75-100 drove by. Yup, it was a big one :-) We been eating way too much candy, decorating cookies, and trying our best to keep Christmas presents hidden. We were able to celebrate St. Nicholas day with Grandma and Grandpa this year. Mom and Dad were even able to sneak out for a spa day as Grandma and Grandpa braved the Ehmann 4. All survived, although Mom and Dad looked and felt much more rested after their day. A whole day at a spa....ladies and gentlemen....there were areas where no talking or whispering were only allowed. I can't even remember the last time we spent a day in quiet. A WHOLE DAY! We are so thankful for Grandparents that allow this to happen.
   Half way through our adventure we are trying not to be consumed by the thought of returning home. We have been blessed with the opportunity to reflect on the last years of practice, life and family and are privileged to be able to take the time to think and pray about God's leading in the years ahead. Sometimes it feels overwhelming but there are more and more moments when it feels more like an adventure. We are trying our best to be open to the Lord's leading.

So this is what Autumn looks like...

J and A held an election for the students at Augustine as part of our democracy unit.

We have been enjoying almost weekly hikes in Gatineau Park and are loving it.

Our little tribe has been in Ottawa for almost two months already. I can hardly believe it. There have been ups and downs as we meet new friends and then miss our ones at home but for the most part we are enjoying our time in Eastern Canada. The weather has been absolutely beautiful as we have been blessed with warm sunny days and a amazing display of fall colours. I have never witnessed such beautiful colours and we are doing our best to enjoy

This little lamb isn't old enough for skating lessons but he is sure having fun trying on the gear.

them while they surround us. Our little family has been making the most of city life. Walking to the library multiple times a week, biking along the canal and walking down our street for both swimming and skating lessons at the local arena and pool. J and A started skating lessons last we as we decided it would be necessary in order to fully enjoy the canal once it freezes. We have all been enjoying our studies :-) The kids and I are learning a ton from our involvement in classical conversations (my kids have a better memory than I do!). T and I have also been enjoying our classes at the college. We were blessed to be invited to Thanksgiving dinner with a family from church and I was even able to go out with some lovely ladies for coffee the other night. It is amazing how quickly community can come along especially in the body of believers. Construction continues on our street much to the enjoyment of the smallest boys in our home and while this is inconvenient for parking purposes all the diggers and dump trucks provide endless hours of entertainment for our little man.

Goldfish, Bike Bells and New Friends

Dad's first day of school too!

I feel the same way! How did he get to grade three?

Watch out world...here she comes!

    Hello again! So it has been awhile since the original..."Here we go!" post. Let's just say that traveling 3600km across the country with four children and then setting up "home" in a new city requires a bit of recovery time. We may be recovering for awhile so excuse the run on sentences and bad grammar. The drive took a round out of all of us and required a large investment in cheddar goldfish :-) The kids honestly did pretty well. We started off by staying with some new friends through the adoption community. Our kids loved hanging out with other kids and we were blessed by their hospitality. Manitoba passed by in a blip and then Ontario....oh Ontario the land of rocks, trees and low speed limits. All was well until Sault Saint Marie messed up our reservation and we decided (on what lack of wisdom neither of us can recall) to push through to Sudbury....push through friends. What appears to be only three hours in the mindset of 100km/h is in all actuality much longer and what feels like eternity when two of the four are screaming, the other two fighting and the driver and passenger doing all they can to hold it together (and failing). So, the Ehmann's survived spent a day in Sudbury to celebrate a boy's 8th birthday and finally pushed into our new home.

Our Educational Assistants this year.

     With a few extra kijiji purchases under our belts and a trip or two to the library down the street we have finally settled in. Having just finished up our second week of classes we are all settling into a new schedule. Tim is busy with one or two classes everyday on Mon, Tues, Wed and Friday and I get some learning time in too on Wednesdays. The kids have joined a phenomenal classical conversations group and are learning all about the middle ages (as am I because.....let's face it....this momma's got some work to do in the area of history) and AWANA starts this week. Life has got a new rhythm and I think we are all enjoying it.

These two are such troopers. They love the bike rides.

   Fall in Ottawa has given us spectacular weather. The leaves are starting to change but the days are warm and beautiful. We live across from the canal and are on our bikes around the city most days, sometimes twice a day. We bike to parliament, around the canal and across the locks. To museums and new playgrounds. To the library. Honestly, I would rather bike here than drive and most times it is actually faster. When the snow flies we will need to find some other form of entertainment but for now we are embracing city life on pedal power.

The Adventure Begins....again

As I log onto this blog and see the pictures of those three sets of feet....and read the profile as a "momma of two" it has become apparent that I have not blogged for awhile. Life has been full. Full of little people and acreage living and friends and community, times of tears but many, many times of blessings. Yes, our hands are much fuller than the last time I posted, but so are our hearts. As it seems this full season has led us to yet another adventure.

This blog was started as we journeyed to Edmonton for a time of training of Tim. We took J at just over one year and I was apprehensive....alright I was down right anxious about the whole situation. There may have been a complete ugly cry breakdown as we entered the city. I was afraid we wouldn't make community. That I would be incredibly lonely with a little man in tow and a big man working long hours. Yet, we left four months later having made some lifelong friends. The blog kicked back up again when we ventured forth on our adoption journey. Our adventure to meet our little A girl. The "spice" of our family. The little lady only God knew how much we needed. It was uncharted territory. There was anxiety and apprehension. Our family would not be the same had we not ventured forth. The blessing that is our A girl would not be here. Not to say either adventure came without challenges....but those are stories for another day...and the blessings far outweighed the struggle.

Tomorrow we venture forth once again. This time as a family of 6! We have added two sweet little boys E Boy and Baby C to our tribe. With six years of child psychiatry under his belt we have decided to take a sabbatical year as a family. To learn and be. To love and rest. To enjoy time as a family and to savour our littles while they still like us. There have been tears, there is apprehension (for the love we are driving to Ottawa with 4 kids under 8) but there is also anticipation. We have been asked by many that we love and will miss dearly to keep in contact. So, this is my attempt, enjoy.....and for those of you who are the praying sort...pray for sanity and grace as we drive East.

Well Hello There

Well hello out there....if anyone still checks in on us. Sorry about that ridiculous lapse of time since the last post. For anyone out there wondering....we are still alive :-). It has been a challenging few months of adjusting, fighting mono, fixing flooding houses (twice) and the like. While we felt for quite some time like the wind had been knocked right out of us we are starting to find our feet. As the second major renovation to our home since we have been home draws to a close (curse the leaky dishwasher) we are starting to feel like we are returning to some sort of normalcy. It has been a long time ladies and gentlemen. A road filled with seemingly more downs than ups but we are now on a steady uphill climb. Praise the Lord!

For those of you who may be wondering how the newest member of our family is doing...we are happy to report that she has settled right in. Donning a new set of ear tubes she is hearing and feeling much better these days. I think we are realizing just now how under the weather she must have been feeling...poor little girl. Alongside some understandable stress associated with transitioning to a family she had a seemingly endless stream of ear infections since we brought her home. Cue the referral for ear tube....those blessed things. Since having tubes put in she is singing and chattering away. Seeming to love life with the exception of when her parents say "no" or her brother gets in her way. You know, the usual sibling and two year old stuff. :-) We have just completed our first post adoption study and I can't believe it has been six months home.

The second littlest Ehmann is doing much better these days. Loving on his sister in the usual four year old way he has successfully adjusted to being bumped from "only" to "sibling". It was a tough ride but he is cuddling again with his momma (bless his little heart) and "helping" out. He told me just the other day that it was his job to "protect" his sister. After experiencing some pretty difficult rejection from him I thought this day would never come.

On a serious note, it has honestly been the hardest season we have faced as a family. A refining, humbling kind of season. The kind that knocks you to your knees and makes you occasionally shake your fists.....or maybe just I do that. A season that has brought tears and fears and regression...for all members of our family. Knowing that there are a lot of adopting families who tune into this blog I want to keep it real. Parenting is tough....adopting a toddler....tough.....but all worth the journey. As we enter a new year with new ear tubes, new floors, and a fresh perspective I am excited to see what is in store for our little family.

Not Exactly What I Had in Mind

I write this post from bed rest....for after almost a week of crazy fevering, a visit to a hospital isolation room and enough blood work for the year....I was diagnosed with Mono. Yes, the teenager kissing disease has found its way into our home. While I am thankful that it is Mono and not some African parasite this is not exactly what I had in mind for our Autumn.

My last post mentioned our family transitioning into a season of settling in....it appears I spoke too soon. So, ordered to two weeks of bed rest with a preschooler and a newly adopted toddler our family of four once again finds ourselves at home together. We are so thankful that Daddy has a job he is able to be flexible with....and a grandma who is able to fly across the country to lend a hand while he gets things settled.

Once again our house has been flooded with food and baking....and man do we know how to pick friends who are good bakers! Once again people have brought us groceries and taken our son on "adventures". Our laundry has been done for us and our yard work completed. As I sleep most of our days away....and cuddle my kids in our bed the rest of the time we are being carried by an extraordinary community. We are blessed.

So while my favourite season passes by I watch it for the first time through the window of our bedroom. I am given the opportunity to reflect on just how blessed we are. Our children giggle in the hallway outside my door....they scream and fight occasionally too....meals arrive at our door and neighbours check in to see how we are doing. Even though this appears to be the season of the unexpected.....of illness and flooded basements...there is blessing in the unexpected. We have found ourselves in a season of needing others, of having to humbly accept the help we need. In return we have been shown incredible love. Maybe not exactly what I had in mind.....but it has filled my heart.

It Takes A Village

We have been home for three weeks. Tomorrow marks our entrance back into a "schedule". Daddy returns to work. The leaves are turning, the wind blows cooler, the seasons are changing. The last three months have had us on shaky ground. We have had to hold firmly to what we know to be true....and when we lost sight of that rely on those we love to remind us. There are few times in our lives that we have been more aware of the "village" that surrounds us.

To those who have prayed for us earnestly and reminded us daily of God's goodness. To those who have contacted the embassy and paved the way for citizenship. To those who have made us meals to fill our freezer and brought meals to our door. To those who have brought coffee and made grocery runs. To those who have rearranged our flooded basement. To those  who have done our laundry....and then folded it. To those who have so lovingly cared for a struggling little boy by bringing thoughtful gifts or spending special time alone with him. To those who met us at the airport and to those who were unable to but filled our doorstep with little blessings to welcome us home. To those who write encouraging emails, send thoughtful texts, or show up on my doorstep for a hug. To those who have flown or driven long distances to support us. To those who have helped with hair crisis, brought over a snack and some fellowship or made me laugh just thinking about the crazy things our kids do....we thank you. We cannot thank you enough. You have helped carry us. I know that some of you were uncertain.....you felt like you were stumbling to support us in this "foreign" territory of international adoption. You did well.

We continue to have times of struggle. Times in our day where we don't know what to do or how we are going to get through. But the seasons are changing in our house too. Things are settling and a new "normal" is starting to establish itself. We are getting glimpses that our little man is returning to himself. We are getting precious glimpses into who our little lady is.