Hello!  Amelia (Melia) Goertge here.  Thought an update was in order; it's been a very long time since either my husband, Hiram, or myself have done any writing in our journals.

The kids keep me busy; meanwhile, Hiram is busy with the police department.  For a time he was off work after being shot, but thankfully he recovered, and he's now fine.  He does have some residual weakness from where the bullet hit him in the spine, but the fact that he's walking again is nothing short of a miracle.

Our kids, meanwhile, continue to bring us much in the way of joy.  They have grown so much:  they are no longer the sweet little darlings they were when Hi wrote six years ago.  Much has happened; let me fill you in.

Juano, our eldest child, is 25 now, married to a lovely woman named Angie; they have two children, which makes Hi and I grandparents!!  Their children are named Jose' (3) and Yosenia (1); they are absolutely adorable; we just love them to pieces!  Juano is still working at the banking firm; he's now been there nearly seven years now and doing very well for himself.  We couldn't be happier for him!

Yacinthe is still with us.  She will probably never be on her own.  She has Down syndrome/autistic tendancies; she needs constant supervision.  Her behavior still can be erratic at times, but thanks to medication (and mental health counseling), she's much more pleasant to be around.  She is twenty three.

Charley, meanwhile, is now 19.  He also will stay with us; he has fetal alcohol syndrome and has serious behavioral problems.  He works, but in a sheltered workshop for mentally/physically disabled people.  It's his first job.  At first there were problems, but he's since adapted and is now doing very well for himself, earning a living on his own.  We are very happy for him as well.

Tanzania is in high school (as are Charley, Regan, and Reba); they are sixteen and fifteen, respectively (Regan and Reba are twins).  Tanzie is still into her ballet and has become quite the formidable young dancer; she is really good at what she does!

Jembo, thirteen, is now in junior high school, where he enjoys all of his classes.  He is very popular:  he has a ton of friends.  He loves it.  He also loves the snazzy new purple crutches he got from the local Easter Seals Society; his previous pair of crutches fell apart.  (He's only had them since he was six.  LOL)

Itzhak (12) and Alexei (11) are currently interested in horror movies, video games, and annoying their little sister, Gabi (much to her dismay).  Typical preteen boys; they require a lot of supervision, not so much because they are blind, but because they will dismantle our house if we aren't careful!  LOL

Finally, there's Gabi (Gabriella) Nichole, who is 11, and as sweet as ever.  She goes to a school for severely disabled children and she absolutely loves seeing her friends every day.  (She has cri du chat syndrome.)

So that's it.  Our family and what they are up to.  Busy times, as you can see!

We are in the process of adding to the family.  Yes, you read right:  we are adopting again, even after ten children!   LOL  (We must have rocks for brains!  LOLOLOLOLOL)  We are adopting two children, a girl, aged 4, from Kuwait (her name is Amina), and a little two-year-old boy (Kindra) from India.  Both have disabilities:  Kindra has no arms and shortened legs (he was born this way); as for Amina, she lost a leg in a terrorist attack a year ago; she's had quite a few surgeries and faces more for many years to come. 

We are excited at the thought of Amina and Kindra coming; so are their brothers and sisters.  They can't wait; neither can we!

We didn't think we'd adopt any more children after we took in Gabriella, but once we saw their pictures and heard their stories, there was no way we could refuse.  It was love at first sight!  So now we will soon have an even dozen children in our "little" family!  LOL

We'll be a true baker's dozen (plus two)!  LOL

It will be a most memorable holiday season once Kindra and Amina arrive!  And already we are counting the days to when they will come to America and join our family!

I will write in here again soon; again, I'm sorry for the long delay, but now you know why I or Hiram haven't written.  I will try to do better next time around (as will Hi).  Until then, this is Melia signing off; take care, and may God bless you always!

~Love, your friend in New York, Amelia Goertge.  :)