And we're back.....

I know its been quite some time since we last wrote a post.  We've been busy doing life and haven't taken the time to write it all down.   I'm not one for drudging through all that has taken our time for the past year so we will be starting fresh from here.  I do have to mention though that it has been a year of growth for all of us.  Our kids just keep getting taller, with Boe at 6'2" and Mac at 5'11",   and Leia catching up quickly to my height.  Zuri may be taller than all of us the way she is growing.    We wanted to open back up this blog so that all of our peeps could follow our journey back to Uganda.  It also gives us an easy way to stay in contact with you guys and let you know what's going on with us from day to day.  We leave in just 9 days!  Each morning we wake up with a to-do list a mile long and add to it throughout the day.  We know one thing, when we get on that plane we will have done all that we could do and hopefully that will be enough.
We are traveling to Uganda for two main purposes, both having to do with adoption.   The first is so that Jimmy can make some contacts with orphanages that have children in need of homes.  He has couples each week who contact him wanting to adopt and he needs to have more contacts with orphanages that he can refer them to.  He will be meeting not only orphanages, but judges and lawyers as well.  Please join us in prayer for these meetings that the Ugandan officials will hear Jimmy's heart for the orphan and not feel threatened by his activism for "their" children.
The second goal we hope to complete is to adopt a little boy named Charles or "Charlie".  He is 16 months old and came to Good Shepherd's Fold severely malnourished.   Claudia has fattened him up and he is doing much better.  We decided to give him the name Ezekiel, which means God Strenghtens.  So it will be Ezekiel Charles or "Charlie Zeke" until he gets use to "Zeke" for short.  We have been busy getting his space ready for when he moves in with his older brothers.  We hope to bring him home with us in August but are not sure at this point because we have not been given a court date yet.

So that's where we are.  Thanks for joining us in this summer adventure.  Your prayers are coveted!

Gayla

Survey of pictures

So, today I wanted to know if you few followers would vote on your favorite picture of Zuri that I posted. So, look down the last entry and tell me which one you would print and blow up for Zuri:)

Celebrating Two Years on August 4th.

Wow!  We can't believe our little Ugandan princess will be two on Wednesday.  We still relive memories daily of when we were in Africa walking her paperwork through and getting to know her as our own.  This year has been full of the miracle of being given the gift of adoption.   Knowing deep within you that God knew all along that this little one would be a part of our family.  Jeremiah 1:5 says "before you were formed in the womb, I knew you...".  Realizing that God, when he was forming Zuri in her birth mother's womb, knew she would be a Renslow and would be as much a part of our family as any one of us are.  We feel the weight of that blessed gift each day. 
As far as how she is doing....she is full throttle from the time she wakes up in the morning, until we put her down to sleep.  She is smart and always curious so who ever is around her has to be always aware of what she is doing or they will probably have a mess to clean up.  She loves to pull things off the counter to check them out....which usually means a cup full of some kind of drink, a box full of cereal, you get the picture.  It didn't take her long to figure out how to get water out of the dispenser on the refrigerator door, and she loves to "get drinks"--a change of clothes is often necessary.  She has learned everyone's name (in her own pronunciation) and is adding new words daily.  She hates to get her hair fixed but loves when we turn on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny to keep her entertained during hair time.  I am learning new ways to fix her hair each week and really love being creative...although I will love it more when she starts sitting still for it.  Her favorite things are her bunny bear, dancing, singing, swinging, swimming in her pool, being chased by one of her siblings, eating cheese of any kind, always running, jumping on the trampoline or bed or couch or even just the floor.  She loves her African Children's Choir music and loves to shake her head back and forth to hear her beads click together in her hair.
God only knows what this next year of her life will look like, but we are looking forward to watching her grow.  I am thinking this blog will need to evolve too as our other daughter Leia is wondering why all the pictures are of Zuri and why she doesn't have a blog.  Good point Leia.  Its time to include our other wonderful children because we feel equally blessed to have and be able to love each one of them.  Thanks for all who have shared in this journey with us!  God is so good!  Happy Birthday Zuri!

First Beach Experience

Zuri was not quite sure about the water rushing towards her, but she warmed up eventually and had a blast. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such a loving family of friends. For Africa friends and family (or if you are just interested), more pictures can be found on Jimmy's Facebook page.

This first picture is Papa, Zuri's grandpa.  She really bonded with her grandparents this past week, and made her Papa's day when she began saying his name over and over!  So she says two words now, Daddy and Papa.   He enjoyed showing her one of his "toys" and she loved driving it.   At our church gathering this morning, we had a family from Zambia.  One of the mothers from this family was up with the children and when I went up to relieve one of the parents taking care of our kids, I saw Zuri's hair fixed like this.  Leia said it only took her 10 minutes to get it all up in braids.  It would have taken me hours!  I have to find out how she did it so fast.  Zuri sat so still while it was being fixed too!                          

First words from the rocking chair

Sunday night was a special bedtime for Daddy. Our bedtime routine has been outlined in other posts on this blog, but last night was different. We covered the usual bases of "where's zuri? - "there she is!", running around in circles and falling over and laughing, turning on the noise maker and then sitting in the rocking chair to sing songs, but last night was different. Last night as I was rocking her, on her own accord, she raised her head up from my shoulder and planted a slobbery long kiss on my cheek and then returned to my shoulder, but that was not enough for her. She had to give me another one and as she was placing her head back on my shoulder to cuddle she said: "Da-ddy" in the sweetest and most innocent voice. She might as well have said: "Daddy, I love you - you are the best daddy in the world." Well, I am sure that is what she meant? Right? Well, it doesn't matter because I am going to claim that as her first word and it could not have been in a sweeter way and it will be a memory for me as long as my brain can contain them. For those of you who wonder what it is like raising a child whose skin is chocolate, I have to say that my love, affection, and adoration for her is truly color blind - we do not see a color, we see a person and we are crazy in love with that girl! For those of you who wonder how we do it by parenting an infant a decade after our last go around - Jesus must give us supernatural energy and the joy, hope, and love that Zuri brings us is plenty sustaining and we are blessed to experience that on daily basis. Who knows what will be the next words from the rocking chair, but with one word volumes have already been spoken.

A shoulder to sleep on...

This is Zuri when she was first brought to Good Shepherds Fold.

There are millions of orphans in the world, but billions of shoulders. Each night when I put Zuri to bed I will turn off the lights, turn on the noise maker, grab bunny bear, and sit in the rocking chair. As soon as I do, Zuri comes running over to me, climbs up in my lap, grabs bunny bear, and puts her head on my shoulder and begins to hum "Jesus loves me" along with me. This is such a secure time for her. It is her nightly ritual. It is a closing of the day for her and she gives and receives love. It is perhaps my favorite time of the day and not just because she has worn me out during the day, although that is part of it. Part of God bringing his kingdom to earth rests on the shoulders of thousands of people who adopt every year. Particularly, Christians are called to care for the orphans and widows and I am thrilled that so many are taking that literally. You may not have a Zuri to put on your shoulder tonight, but you can be involved in making this dream a reality for someone else. Please support those who are seeking to adopt with your money and your prayers; after all, there are plenty of shoulders for the heads of the orphans of the world and we can all make a difference.