hosting: day 2

Day two has been all about soccer.

Stephen and Abbie played several games of soccer with our Ethiopian boy, only to come back exhausted and muddy, and announcing: "Mom - he creamed us!"

In between playing soccer and creaming my oldest two children, he has given my youngest two piggyback rides and horsey rides through the house. "Again, again," they scream and he falls back onto the floor for another round!

From there, he has become a master at Angry Birds on our iMac. He's a natural. Those green pigs have gotta go!

Then it's off to find my iPod touch, which my oldest two have confiscated to learn Amharic. Once he finds that, he plays with the Amharic learning games along with a few other games I downloaded. None of us showed him how to use this. We put it in his hands and the rest was history.

When he's through with that, he runs downstairs for Abbie's guitar jamz and while he's playing that, he plays and beats both of my oldest two in Playstation games. Yes - while he's playing with the guitar.

Then it's back up and out the door for more soccer.

I'm so thankful and elated, that all of my children adore him. Already he has been welcomed like a brother. As a mom though, it is weird for me to not feel as connected to him as the children do. I think I am putting too much pressure on myself and I communicated this to a friend and she texted me back this very helpful statement:

"Let God work through the kids! You have been His voice to them, let them be His voice to {his name}...praying."

As soon as I read those words, tears filled my eyes. This was exactly what I needed to hear. Unknowingly, I had made this about me and what I could say to him and what I could do for him.

The important thing is that he feels welcomed, accepted, and loved. I think he is experiencing all of those things so far - mostly from his interaction with my children.

And that is o.k. In fact, it is more than o.k.

It is precious.

It is a gift.

Not just to him, but to my children. And to me.