Life with 5 Boys

Life with 5 boys keeps you on your toes.  Especially when one of the 5 boys is a toddler.  It has been nice to have extra eyes to watch him but it hasn’t seemed to deter his curiosity about what is in every drawer, closet or countertop in the house.  However, Titus is not the only boy to keep out of trouble.  The second day we were home, Silas fell of his scooter (that he had learned how to ride the day before) and broke his wrist!  Not knowing his threshold of pain yet we had no idea if he was crying because he was tired or if something was truly wrong.  When he didn’t stop crying after about 1/2 hour we decided it must be serious and took him to the immediate care center.  They took x-rays and put it into a splint but it wasn’t until the next day that we found out it was broken.  Then we had to wait a few days to get into the orthopedic doctor.  Those days were the worst because all of the things that Silas had just discovered; the scooter, trampoline,and bicycle were off limits while he had the splint on.  However, he got a huge grin on his face after he got his cast and I told him he could go back to doing all of those things again!

While we were at the immediate care center I was asked a question that I’ve never been asked before but has come up in conversation since then.  The receptionist checking me in took one look at our family that filled 1/2 the waiting space and said, “How do you do it with all of those boys?”  I laughed and said that it was only my 2nd day so I wasn’t sure yet.  Since then I have come to realize 2 things that have made my time easier right now during this transition.  I try to go to bed early and get up early to spend time with God.  Without His encouragement everyday I would have had a nervous breakdown by now.

I think we are coming to the end of our honeymoon period.  The boys are starting to feel more comfortable around one another and therefore are beginning to bicker like brothers.  I know this is normal but it can sometimes be exhausting to always be “on your game” when trying to help them work things out in a polite way.  I can tell that Asher and Silas also feel more comfortable with Brian and I as well.  We have had a few times that we have had to go over rules and boundaries again.

Yesterday, Garrett asked me if I thought we would ever go back to Ethiopia again.  Of course I want to go back, I said but I then quickly added that right now was not the time to ask me if we were going to adopt again!  Things are actually going better than I would have ever dreamed but just like a mom with a newborn, the labor pains are still fresh in my mind.

It makes my heart soar to see all of these boys in my back yard playing together.  All different shades of color and from different backgrounds and experiences.  Thanks be to God who makes all things possible!  He puts the orphans in families and blends us together until we can’t see the differences only the most important similarity, that we are all God’s children.

Thanks for following us on our journey to adopt more children.  Being brutally honest with myself, I know that more blog posts will be few and far between.  Signing off for now to go enjoy life with my 5 boys!

Jetlagged but Joyful!

After a 27 hour trip to get home from Ethiopia on Friday, I am just now feeling back to normal.  At least I don’t feel like a zombie anymore!  I figured it was time to update our blog and let you know what happened on our first trip to see Amente and Soresa.

We had an amazing 4 days in Ethiopia. We saw Amente and Soresa as soon as our van pulled into the transition house.  There were hugs, tears, and lots of hand gestures.  They totally understood that we were there to make them a part of our family forever.  We went inside with them to show them their photo books that I had made.  A good friend of ours had her Ethiopian son write under the pictures in Amharic what the pictures were.  It was so fun to see their eyes light up at the pictures.  They especially wanted to spend time looking at their brothers and their bedroom.  They practiced saying their brother’s names over and over again.  It was so cute hearing Trenton, Garrett, and Titus in their sweet accent.

It was during this time that we gave the boys some things to open from us.  Their brothers had picked out some cars, legos, and puzzles for them.  They said thank you each time they opened something and then, out of the blue, Soresa looked at us and asked if we knew Jesus.  I just stared at him for a second not sure if I had heard right.  He asked again and Brian and I said, “Yes!”.  He then folded his hands like he was praying and said, “Thank you!”.  Of course, we returned the question to them and they said, “Yes, know Jesus.”   Brian and I had talked many nights about how we will talk about our Christian faith to boys who can’t speak English.  How great is God that he would have them clear up that very important question and right away.

We spent most of the week in our room playing games, putting together puzzles, and letting them play on our i-pad (they are in for a rude awaking when they come home to screentime boundaries!).  They really liked having us all to themselves but we did get them to go outside to play soccer and basketball, too.

What I was most impressed with is the way Amente took care of the little ones.  He was constantly running off to help out a nanny with a baby or making sure a toddler was ok.  He and Soresa had the sweetest 3 year old twins in their room.  Amente made sure that they were put to bed every night and they listened to him as if he were the authority.  I never saw him get frustrated or angry with them or any of the other children.  He was always so soothing and calm with the little ones.  I can’t wait for him to love on Titus!  Brian and I decided that Trenton and Garrett may get a little lazy with Amente around to help out!  Soresa seemed more reserved but I think that once he can communicate with us easier we may see a different side to him.  He is very competitive.  I think he will give his big brothers a run for their money on the soccer field and basketball court!

We went to court on Wednesday to make them a part of the Borgman family forever.  Court had changed a little in the year since we had been there.  The judge sat behind an intimidating bench and asked 3 times the amount of questions that she asked when we came for Titus.  We lived through it though and came back to the transition house to 2 boys who were beaming with excitement!  Brian and I had been wearing survival bracelets all week that they had been admiring.  We gave them their own bracelets and showed them a video of Trenton and Garrett showing theirs off.  We were now a family!  I can’t wait to see if they still have those bracelets on when we go to pick them up again in a few months.

The next day we packed and played with the boys.  Our plane was leaving that night to come back home without them.  It was an awkward day as we waited to leave.  It is hard to describe the feelings I had as I thought about leaving these boys behind.  The best word I have been able to come up with is “unnatural”.  It is not natural to leave your sons in care of others for months on end especially when you are just starting to feel comfortable with one another.  However, it was much easier, emotionally, for me to leave them than it was to leave Titus.  They have friends to play with all day.  They have a routine to look forward to and new families to play with each week.  Titus was just laying on his back in his crib when I left him and that is the only picture of him that played in my mind over and over again as we waited to get back to take him home.  Of course, the waiting is only going to get harder. (It’s only been a week!)

Now that we are home, Trenton and Garrett are getting geared up to go back with us.  With that anticipation comes the realization that they need to beef up their fundraising for their plane tickets.  So far they have been selling the eggs from our 11 hens with great success but they needed another idea to get them to their goal of $3,500. While we were in Ethiopia we bought handmade Ethiopian necklaces to give as gifts.  Once I got back to the transition house with them I thought that they would make a great fundraiser for the boys.  I wear mine all the time and have given many as gifts over the past year.

The boys will be selling the necklaces for donations.  We would be happy to ship them to you or deliver them to your door. I am unsure of how much shipping will cost at this time but I can look into it if that is convenient for you.  Please call or e-mail me with your order,  (502) 222-9503 or cassieborgman@att.net.  Thanks for considering helping the boys travel to meet their brothers in Ethiopia.  They are looking forward to going to Ethiopia to bond with them there before having to share them with everyone else back home in Kentucky!

As always, we would ask for your prayers.  Please pray for a quick trip back to Ethiopia, for peace in Amente and Soresa as they wait for us to return and for our patience as we long to see them again.  We love having you on this journey with us!

Southern IN Tornadoes – Food & Shelter

Eddie Johnson Southeast Christian Church – Indiana Campus… We need your help in getting the word out. Southeast Christian Church’s Country Lake Christian Retreat in Henryville, IN is FULLY equipped and ready to take on ANY and ALL guests affected by the tornado – NO COST. Country Lake’s Ross Knecht is telling us – “We have tons of food, blankets and supplies. We are equipped to sleep 300 and feed more than 1000. We currently only have about 15 people here so we need to get the word out.” If you could, please spread that news wherever and however you can.  Thank you!!

Country Lake Christian Retreat:  815 Country Lake Road  Underwood, IN 47177 – (812) 294-4789

Southeast Christian Church – Indiana Campus:  (812) 704-1952

Client Anniversary Highlight: Abell Elevator International

This morning’s Client Anniversary Highlight is Abell Elevator International.  Abell Elevator became a Unified Technologies‘ client in July 2009.  Not only is this month their anniversary, but they have also re-affirmed their belief in our Unified Team by choosing us to implement a new Samsung OfficeServ 7200 Communications Platform for them.  Thank you for your continued trust and support, Abell Elevator International!

Abell Elevator International has been one of the leaders in the vertical transportation industry since its conception almost ninety years ago in 1910. Since those humble beginnings we have been continuously providing quality service to our customers around the region and throughout the world. This attention to service has allowed us to become a leader at home and abroad in developing new technologies in our field and in bringing these advances to our customers. It is with this experience and our quest to better serve our customers that we look forward to the new millennium and our role in shaping the vertical transportation industry in the years to come.

Lego Printer

For all you “geeks” out there, you’ll like this video…if you don’t your kids will!!

New Unified Technologies Website

www.unifiedtechnologiesteam.com

Satisfying modern-office communications – MarketWatch

Satisfying modern-office communications John Dvorak’s Second Opinion – MarketWatch

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Social Media Newbie? Before Starting, Read This.

Are you trying to get up to speed in the confusing world of Social Media (i.e. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.)?  If so, check out this great article by John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing.  The article does a great job of outlining the initial steps of getting started in social media…from Facebook to LinkedIn to Twitter and everything in between.

Check it out:  http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/marketing/article/social-media-getting-started-john-jantsch

Now we’re rollin’

Watch out Louisville…you’ll be seeing a lot more of us in the next few weeks!!!

Now we're rollin'