The Mighty Quinns

If there is anyone out there still checking in, I apologize for not being diligent about updating this blog. It is not fair of me to keep all this cuteness to myself. I have a million and one excuses for not posting, but really there has been a bit of a vicious circle going on. I would start to post; since it's been so long I would not know where to begin; I would give up. I even started a post or two, but they never made it to publish. Hopefully, this one will.

Here's an attempt to get you up to speed.

Let me start by wishing my wonderful Momma, and Kozette and Tsebay's Mimi, a Happy Birthday. You are the best. I could not have made it through this adventure without you. Thank you for being there to listen to every little detail of the girls' days and for giving me pep talks when I need them. I have always known how many sacrifices you made for Rachelle and I, but now that I have some firsthand knowledge of the day-to-day goings on of a single mom to two -- I'm just not sure how you did it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

For my momma's birthday go to: site and give to this wonderful non-profit providing water to villages in Ethiopia. Please spread the word. Be sure to check it out. It will move you and give you insight into what is happening in Africa.

Since my last post we have traveled to the East Coast and back. The girls and I traveled back alone and they did a great job. Fifteen hours traveling together is great for bonding. We were blessed to have lots of prayers coming our way and they really paid off. We sat near wonderful people on both flights. Kozette made lots of friends (as usual) and ended up on others' laps on both flights. While in the New Jersey/Philly area Kozette was baptized, we attended the Lee family reunion and lots of parties, stayed with Grandmom down the shore and visited Mimi's playground daily. It was a fun trip and confirmed my decision to move back home.

Once back on Maui, P-Dawg came to visit and we are so grateful to her for coming out, being an awesome friend and helping out. It is always nice to have an extra set of hands and someone to laugh with.

The girls have had some major changes to their daily routines. Kozette started preschool. She loves going and is even taking the bus to the babysitters two days a week. She is such a big girl. Tsebay started with a new babysitter and is flying solo three days a week. She is in loving, caring hands and I am so thankful for finding Auntie Mary. I have found two great sitters through Craig's List. Gotta love Craig.

Getting up and out the door in the morning is our greatest challenge but it gets better every week. Kozette is very opinionated with what she wants to wear, so between her wardrobe and her hair there are tears some mornings.






Both Tsebay and Kozette are doing exactly what they are supposed to for their age. Tsebay's favorite phrases are "mine" and "no" and Kozette's fav is "why?" With these three phrases you can write the script of our day:

We pass by K's school

T says: my school
K says: our school (she is using the term "our" as prompted)
T says: mine
K says: ours
T says: no
I prompt them to stop
K asks: why?
T says: no

-- and my friends, it goes on and on. You give me a subject and we will turn it into mine, no and why.

The girls are still loving to read and their language development is amazing. T opens up familiar books and retells what is happening. Her vocab is awesome and she is holding conversations. K is identifying a few letters and is starting to recognize colors and shapes. They are both super smart and it is really fun watching them grow and learn. They are loving each other (1/2 of the time) and carry on like siblings the other half. It is fun to watch the relationship blossom. We are asked every time we are out if they are twins. They are about the same size, but K definitely knows and establishes her role. If you ask her about her sister, she will describe her as a tiny baby. It's funny because T is right behind her but K knows she is the big sister.

She takes very good care of her little sis and it warms my heart to watch.

Like many of you, I am a blog stalker and have read on several blogs about life getting easier. I kept waiting for this magic moment to happen and so far it still has not. I think because of the unique nature of our situation, it will be quite a while before I am writing that it is easier. I now realize these other woman were not first-time moms, they also were not single and did not adopt two. Getting used to being a mom, dealing with adoption issues, sibling issues and doing it solo has been hard. Really, really hard. I now have resolved myself to the fact that it is the toughest thing I will ever do, and now that I am not waiting for the magic moment and am trying to live in the moment -- I am a lot happier!

Nothing much is happening with the house. We are averaging a showing every two weeks but there have been no bites. I know there are people out there who are impacted by this current financial crisis much worse than us, but it would be nice to be able to get off this island. I know we are fortunate to be stuck in paradise, but the girls need their MiMi and Pop Pop.

Congratulations to my BFF, Michelle (Kozette's Godmother), her husband Domenick (Tsebay's Godfather)and little Dom, on the birth of Chase Michael. Chase is doing well, but arrived 6 weeks early, so please keep him in your prayers.

Please also pray for my sister, Rachelle. She will be traveling to Oahu this Thursday for surgery. My mom will be coming out to be with her while in the hospital and will be here for a week or so after to make sure Rachelle has some Momma TLS while recovering. We can't wait to see you, MiMi and know that Rachelle is doing well.