Ethiopia - Part 1

So, just let me say that I was a bundle of nerves heading into this trip.  The older I get, the worse my fear of flying has become.  But I was brave and boarded the plane without kicking or screaming...I had to be a good influence on the girls, of course!  We flew Emirates Air and loved it.  They really cater to the kids.  The flight was looonnnnggg, I am talking 16 straight hours from LA to Dubai.  Thankfully we had a nice long layover in Dubai to recuperate, get some rest, and most importantly, a shower.

We were up the next morning bright and early headed to Addis Ababa!!!  I must say that it was quite a surreal experience.  We had been anticipating this trip for 2 years, and finally we were meeting our driver and driving through the streets, headed to our guesthouse.  We stayed at Bejoe's Guesthouse.  We loved it there.  The girls who work there were fantastic and we felt just right at home.  There was another mom already staying at the gueshouse who I was looking forward to meeting.  It was so fun to finally meet Kathleen, Koen, and Beza.  Kathleen had taken placement of Beza just a few days earlier.  I had become a follower of Kathleen's blog and was so excited to see her united with her daughter! 

We ended up eating at Makush for dinner that night.  Good Italian food.  But let me tell you, we were exhausted.  We were all kind of laying all over the table trying to stay awake.  At the end of the meal they brought us a macchiato.  I had heard about the macchiatos in Ethiopia and just so you know, they ROCKED!  They were so good.  However, the caffeine didn't help us too much so we quickly made it to the guesthouse and crashed!  We had a big day coming up...we were meeting our baby the next day!

Guest Post by Sara

So we are back from our trip to Ethiopia and there is so much to share.  Sara, my 10 year old, however would like to share some things on the blog...

When I arrived in Ethiopia it was different. We met some neat people at the airport. We had to exchange money, get baggage, and meet our driver. After the hullabaloo we went to our guest house. The first day was a settle-in day. The second was my first visit with our baby. Oh my, is he cute and heavy. He is a daddy's boy. My mom fed him and gave him his bottle and that was the highlight of my day. Day 3 was fun! We went swimming. Then we got ice cream. And for dinner I got an Ethiopian dish. Day 4 was our lazy day. Day 5 was court, not much to say about it. It wasn't fun. Around noon I got sick and threw up. Then I went to sleep for the whole day and night. Day 6 we visited our baby again.  I got sick again. We went shopping and got awesome coffee. Later on we bought scarves. I visited our baby for the last time. When I was little I cried every time I left someones house or they left mine. So imagine leaving someone you love. It was hard. Then we visited the Holy Trinity Church. It was amazing. An actual Emperor went to church there. Today was packing and leaving and getting home.   As a kid I know kids can't take in so much stuff but in this trip I took in more than a 10 year old can take in. I realized every time I complain over food or clothes someone dies of starvation or can't buy clothes. Now I think, how dare I fuss over something stupid. I was blessed to go to Africa because now I look at things differently.  

Mush Brain!

In one week we get to meet our son/brother!!!!  I am so excited I can hardly stand it!  I am not sleeping (I was up at 4 am this morning...there is not much on TV at that time!), my arms hurt because we got all (4 of those suckers) our vaccinations today, my house is a mess, laundry needs to be done, and the list of things to accomplish prior to our departure is growing like crazy.  But I DON'T CARE about any of it...all my brain can focus on is his little face and the fact that I am going to be able to hug on him very, very soon!!!

We are so, so blessed! 

Good News!!!

WE GOT OUR COURT DATE!!!  I am so excited I can hardly sit still.  It is amazing I am still at the computer typing.  My poor family, they are starving and I can't focus enough to even make them dinner.  Never mind the fact that the call came 10 hours ago!  haha!!!

So, we have our court date Jan 9.  That is only 3 1/2 weeks away.  Oh My Goodness!  We will meet our little guy in 22 days!  WooHoo!!!!!

The Big 1

Can you believe it? Two posts in one day!!! I really felt that each birthday is deserving of it's own post!  So, who else had a birthday recently?  Our newest addition, that's who!  What I realized is that I haven't divulged his name on the blog.  Everyone who I have spoken to knows what we will be calling him...so let me share with you all.  Joshua will be his name. 

So, Josh turned "1" recently.  I have to say that is was a little tough.  I thought of him all day and hoped and prayed that he was having a good day and having good naps and laughing and having fun.  But what I really wanted to be doing was celebrating with him, planning a party, playing with him and letting him dive into a cake all his own.  Instead of celebrating with him, we celebrated for him and got him his 1st birthday present.  Of course, no birthday is complete with out the cake so the girls and I made cupcakes and I let them blow out a candle for him. 

I suspect that next year, we will have a HUGE party and celebrate like crazy!  Can't wait until that boy is with us!  Happy Birthday, bud!

10!

This is my baby...well, my oldest baby.

This is my baby today.

 She turned 10 this week.  That's right , 10!  She is known as "double-digit girl" around here now.  How did we celebrate her birthday, you ask?  Well...

She got her ears pierced!!!  So did her Nana, which was agreed upon long ago that they would do it together.  And we took her good friend along for encouragement...so no one could back out!
Then...we surprised her with a surprise party with lots of family and fun!  She was shocked! 

I am pretty sure that she had a good day.  And can I just say that it is pretty fun having "double-digit chick" around.  That kid makes me laugh, cry and simply amazes me with her heart and sensitive spirit!  I thank the Lord often that He has given me the privilege of being her mom and watching her grow into the young lady (aka: double-digit chick) he is creating her to be!

October!

So, obviously the grand finale to October was the referral (FYI:  we are still sitting on Cloud 9)!  However, we did have some fun in October! 

October started off with a bang.  As some of you may remember from an earlier post, Abby started a new school and we were hoping that Sara would eventually get in.  Good news.  Not 3 days after Abby started, we received the call that there was an opening and Sara was IN!  God is so so good because really, I am not sure this momma could handle all that running between schools and schedules and, well, you get the picture.  So now, my girls are at the same school, loving it and having a great time.  Sara is now a band member and we are blessed to hear the sqwuaking lovely sounds of the clarinet each night.

Here are some pictures documenting our October!

 We went with Abby on her field trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

 The girls had "nerd day" at school.  I think they pulled it off pretty well!

And then there was Halloween!  We went to some friends for dinner and trick-or-treating! 

Goodbye October, Hello November!!!!