My Modern Family

Have you ever seen Modern Family? I have only seen a couple of episodes (I must admit my TV watching days are over) but I love the concept. The look of families in America are changing. And it's a great thing. We are becoming a more diverse nation, our families now have many cultures within it. I love my modern family. It's a family I never would have envisioned, but it's mine, and it's beautiful.

My equal partner in life. . . T. He is a first generation American. His parents moved here a few years before T was born from Egypt. He grew up speaking Arabic in his home, and taking frequent trips to Egypt to visit his relatives. He grew up on Egyptian food. I didn't know what kind of Baba T would be to our children, but he's wonderful and hand's on.

He adores Nur and TT, and it makes me adore him even more.

He sings to our children in Arabic. . . songs his mama sang to him. He exposes them to all of the delicious Egyptian cooking he grew up with. Through T's family, our children are exposed to the religion of his family, Islam.

The pride I see in T's eyes every time he looks at our children is amazing. He has brought so much love, culture and richness to our family, and he is so loved. The way Nur and TT look at him melts my heart. I can tell they are as in love with him as he is with them.
And then there is Nur my firstborn, yet my second child. Confusing, I know, and something I will no doubt be explaining my entire life. :)

I have always wanted a son, and I couldn't have asked for a better one. Everyday, Nurs personality shines through more and more. I'm quickly discovering that Nur has a great sense of humor, and I have a feeling he will be quite the jokester.

He draws people in, everywhere we go. Yesterday at the grocery store, a group of black women had to stop us to get a better look at what they called our chocolate son. They couldn't get over his beauty. His eyes. His deep, dark, and beautiful skin. They finally left us by exclaiming, "God is good!" I agree.

And Nur is so darn smart, I can literally see his mind spinning when I speak to him. He has learned so much in the little time he has been home. He can now clap his hands. He can now feed himself little bites of food. Sometimes he misses his mouth, but it's still a huge improvement! And when he goes to bed, he no longer cries. He just passes out. . . tired from the busy days we have in our life.

He is our African prince. A beautiful Ethiopian boy that although I do not deserve, I am able to call him my son.

Everyday, I think of Nur's birthmom. I hope she always knows how loved her son is. I hope she knows we are doing the best we can to love and nurture the baby she gave birth to. I hope she thinks I'm doing good enough.

And then there is TT. I've never known a sweeter baby. Although she is only 4 months old, she is already kind and loving. We affectionately call TT our Caramel baby. She has beautiful skin. A mixture of my paleness and T's tanness. :)

She also has quite the sense of humor on her. In fact, we were at the hospital over the weekend visiting someone, and everytime a doctor would walk by in a lab coat, she would burst out laughing, like it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. She laughs constantly. She can be in pain (she was experiencing tummy issues last week) but then laugh a moment later. She has a wonderful demeanor about her.

She also likes to laugh at her brother, and so far, has shown no jealousy when Nur is getting attention. In fact, I can be sitting there tickling Nur, and TT will be laughing at me tickling her brother.

TT is our half Egyptian, half everything else beauty. She is smart, and kind, and right now, goes by the nickname Sharky because of her desire to put anything and everything in her mouth. And watch out if your fingers ever graze her face. She will grab them and try to stick those in her mouth as well. And she's quick, so beware!

TT is a wonderful gift from God. She is our princess, and we love her so much. I am so lucky to call this beautiful person my daughter.

And then there is me. A small town girl, enjoying city life with my blended and modern family. Where T is the fun Baba, I am the nurturing Mama. I'm the one who loves cuddling with my children and giving them kisses. I love to sing to them all day long, and enjoying singing all the songs that my Mom sang to me. I also like having dialogue with Nur and TT, even though they probably have no idea what I'm saying. When I'm feeding Nur and holding TT, I do my daily prayers with the kiddos. "Please pray for my Dad and brother, and all the people who are deer hunting, that they may be safe." "Please pray for K who has a very important surgery today." "Please pray for Nana and Gidu, Grandpa and Grandma." I love bringing my Christian upbringing to the table. I love teaching my children peace and tolerance. Everyday I try to nurture their little personalities. I try to nurture their culture. I talk to Nur about his homeland. I talk to TT about her background. I talk about how my life was growing up. I talk about the trips to the cabin "up north" that I can't wait to take with them.

I love my family, and I wouldn't change a thing. I love the diversity we all bring to the table. I love that we represent Ethiopia, Egypt, Norway, Sweden, England, Ireland, and Germany. I love that we are the American dream. I love that the 4 of us all are unique, but we share one very important thing. . . our love for each other.