The family that recently went to the Congo to get their daughter posted a video of the orphage this weekend. While just raw unedited footage, it was amazing to our eyes and ears. We got to see our kids in action!

Rose was pictured in much of the video, similar to how she managed to appear in many of the pictures we had already seen. She is definitely not shy in any way. She loved the camera and loved the candy that they brought. In fact, she loved it so much that I caught her steathfully stealing something from another child, who didn’t even seem to notice! All the facial expressions we’ve been seeing in each of the pictures have now been given context, and every once in a while, she flashed a gigantic double-dimpled smile. She is simply adorable! Her hair is getting longer, after having it shaved when she first came to the orphanage. Thick, dark, curly hair covers her head and I can’t wait to figure out what to do with it! She is fairly big for her age, but her motor skills look like a typical three year old, from what I could see. She especially enjoys jumping. A lot. She still has a pudgy toddler pot belly and baby fat in her cheeks. She loves to be where all the action and attention are.

Emmanuel is much more reserved, and we were able to confirm that he is who we thought he was in the pictures we had seen. In the video, he hovers over his sister at a distance. At one point, he realized he was being filmed, and he looked straight into the lens of the camera (which was being used by a man) pointed to it and shouted, “Maman! (French for “mommy”) I honestly have no idea what to make of it, but I am delighted nonetheless. He has the sweetest softest smile that reveals he has already lost his first baby tooth. It looks like the Tooth Fairy is going to have some catching up to do! He’s as tall as the other five year olds in the group, including the little girl who just came home. I feel like I can now estimate what size of clothing he wears. Since most of the kids his age were speaking some English, I’m hoping he’ll know a little bit too.

Our kids are so cute. In all seriousness, you all are going to fall in love the minute you see their smiling faces. You may not have the strength to resist them!   Consider yourself warned! 🙂