6807 miles

Cookies fix almost everything

2012-02-11T12:05:00.000-08:00

We made cookies the other day. Grandma and Uncle T were visiting so it was extra fun.

Since we were traveling during Christmas, we didn't get the chance to decorate Christmas cookies so we used Valentine's Day as an excuse.

Miss E has been very observant of the fact that we have many pictures of her brothers and other family members from before she came home. This has become very complicated and emotional for her. I am trying to take pictures of everything I can to start building up our memories since she's been home. Though it's quite a simple thing, we can now look at these pictures together and say,
"remember when we did this together?"

Ethiopia Post 2

2012-02-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

Day 3: This was Sunday. Nothing was really scheduled for this day, so we spent the morning with E at the orphanage. After eating lunch at the guesthouse, we decided to visit the National Museum of Ethiopia. It took a little convincing of our 11 year old travel partner, but he agreed and we enjoyed it. We saw, among many things, the "Lucy" exhibit. Ethiopia is such an amazing country. The history is incredible. I just loved being there.

I made N take pictures of these beautiful flowers.

The rest of Sunday was spent with E, playing in the courtyard, looking through our photo album, using sidewalk chalk, taking pictures, giving piggy back rides. Very special memories. I'm trying so hard to remember little details that really are the substance of any trip. Like the tiny little spoons we used to stir our coffee at the guesthouse, the names of the guards who walked us back and forth to see E, hearing pots and pans clanging in the kitchen and trying to guess from the wonderful smells what was for dinner, as the great lady who cooked for us at the guesthouse puttered about. Our time spent with other families also at the guesthouse also made out trip so unique, hearing their stories and meeting their children.

Here are some photos from our time visiting with E. She loved to take the camera and take pics too.

These are the pictures (and these are only a few:) that we will show to document our first days together. Though we don't have pictures of her birth, or coming home from the hospital, or her first birthday, we do have beautiful memories of our first days together as a family and I hope they will be just as treasured.

Ethiopia Post 1

2012-01-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

Our first month home has been full of firsts. So full, in fact, that I just haven't had a moment to sit down and write about our travels in Ethiopia. A neighbor gave me a journal before we left and I used it every day of our trip to write down all that was happening. It's full of scribbly lines from the plane and exhaustion after a visit with E's birth relatives. Just looking at it makes me remember little things that I didn't even write in the journal. I wrote down E's schedule in the orphanage that the nannies told me on our first visit. In the back there are pages where E colored with a crayon during the trip. So many pieces of Africa are in that journal.

Now that we are home, I have had time to process things a bit and I want to get them down so I don't forget, but also to share our trip with those of you far away or close by for that matter. I posted several pictures on Facebook, but I realize some of you are not on FB. And I didn't write very much about the pictures. So I will try to write a few posts chronicling our trip to Ethiopia.

Day 0: Though it's not really a day of our trip, the night before we left was very difficult one for me. Our youngest 2 boys were not coming with us. Here they are, obviously this is not a photo of the night we left, but we did not take pictures of us saying goodbye!

I felt ok with this decision, but as the time drew near to say goodbye to them, I was very emotional. We were only days before Christmas and I was leaving 2 of my children for 8 days. I remember walking up our stairs to go to bed (after having said goodbye to the boys who were staying at friends' houses) and seeing the twinkle light in our dark dining room. They are usually my favorite thing to see. But that night I hated every single one of those twinkle lights and I did not feel very merry. It was HARD. I imagined every possible thing that could go wrong and convinced myself it would happen. There were so many details of family taking care of them, they were traveling to another state for part of the time to stay with more family, and I was sure something would go wrong. In the end, everything was fine. I mean, honestly, nothing went wrong. But in that moment I wanted to sleep through the next 8 days until it was over. (don't worry, things got better :)

Day 1: My husband, oldest son and I had to leave for the airport at 3am to make our connecting flight to Washington DC. Here we are, bright eyed and bushy tailed right before we got in the car to drive to the airport.

While waiting for our connecting flight to Addis Ababa, we ran into a couple also with our adoption agency. We had gone to court with them weeks before and here we were on the same flight back to Addis to pick up our kids. This was welcome news and we were happy to see them.

Our flight to Addis was uneventful, and happily so.

Day 2: Our flight arrived in Addis in the early morning. We were greeted by a man from our agency in Ethiopia. He drove us to the guesthouse of our adoption agency. It is like a bed and breakfast with a wonderful Ethiopian woman who cooks your meals. The entire staff in Ethiopia is fantastic. We loved spending time with them. One thing that everyone I have spoken to says about our the staff in country is that they are so committed to the kids. Everyone, the guards, house manager, driver, nannies, and cooks, all play with and love these kids. It feels like a big family. Here is N on our balcony writing in his journal for school.

This photo is not from our 2nd day, but it is of one of favorite places at the guesthouse. The rooftop has a beautiful view.

Though we were exhausted from travel, we went over to the big kid house and saw E. This is a short walk and always accompanied by a guard (though at no time did we feel unsafe in Ethiopia). It was a happy reunion and we spent all the time we could with her. But at the end of the day, we returned to our room at the guesthouse and went to sleep.

More to come.....

Happy Birthday to E!

2012-01-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

Today marks 2 notable events.

We have been home for 1 month.

and

It's Miss E's birthday!

Though her referral information says she's 4 today, we are sure she is 5. We are working with a doctor in Boston who has verified that for us.

Any adoptive parents out there have advice on officially changing her date of birth or just keeping it as is? Leave me a comment.....

That's too much dancing....

2012-01-20T07:09:00.000-08:00

Where have you been you ask?

Well, someone forgot to tell me that when you add the fourth child, it's practically the same as adding the 15th child. Maybe it's this particular child. That's possible. Little Miss E is BUSY. If I get the laundry done and have food in the house, then I consider the day a success.

So let me give you the short version update:

Her hair is still pretty short, but we managed our first style.

Our plan to have her sleep in her own bed right from the start (and us being experienced parents guarantees that our plan would work) lasted for about 6 nights. She is currently sleeping in our bed with us and she's a pretty active sleeper. So, strike one at our "expert parenting" at bat. All I'll say is we are working with what we think she needs right now and eventually she will sleep on her own. We're working on it people.
The honeymoon is over. Yes, she's very cute. And she's also a regular kid who doesn't appreciate the fact that we ran out of eggs when she was counting on them for breakfast (and lunch and very often dinner). So any fit throwing is justified right? We're working on this too. Seriously though, we are all finding out what our new normal is. She is part of a family that has rules and expectations and she is eager to please and contribute. Right now is her learning curve (ours too) finding out how to do that. Some days are better than others and it's not easy. In fact it's hard. Balancing three boys and how they are experiencing this adjustment with her adjustment is challenging.
She's sharing little things here and there about her life in Ethiopia. Her language is coming along, but with the words she has and creative gesturing, she is sharing parts of her past. I so treasure the fact that she can do this.
The girl loves to sing...and dance...and force others to do it with her. She's a lot of fun, silly, dramatic, and she will dance until it hurts.....

(she's singing in Amharic and doing dances from an Ethiopian Children's CD)

NYE 2011

2012-01-03T13:46:00.000-08:00

For the past 10 years, we have been taking a photo on new year's eve. It's my birthday and we generally enjoy a quiet night in. I've never felt like competing with the world to celebrate my birthday. So, we decorate a sign and take a picture. It's so fun to look back over the years and see a snapshot of who we were. Of course this year we have an addition. And let's just say, thank goodness we did it early in the evening because little Miss E just about wore us all out. We were able to get 1 decent photo out of this event, but that was about it. So we decided to put all the others in a slideshow.

This is how we roll at our house on New Year's Eve......

Home

2011-12-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

We are home. All 6 of us. The fact that none of us ended up stranded in an airport is a true Christmas miracle!

We left Addis on Friday at 10:15 pm. Our Ethiopian Air flight is scheduled to make a 1 hour stop in Rome to refuel. Our stop turned into a 4 hour stop. Stuck on an airplane, with a 10 hour flight ahead of us, was my low point. This delay caused us to miss our connection from Dulles to Boston. I had visions of us spending Christmas Eve at the airport while 2 of our boys spent Christmas morning waiting for us to come home. But, we were able to rebook a later flight on Christmas Eve and made it home by the evening. E was a trooper on the 20 hour plane ride, as well as the connecting. Can you imagine being in her position? No language to be able to understand how long, where, when, etc.

E met her other 2 brothers for the first time. And our 2 dogs as well. The brothers are a bigger hit than the dogs, but we are making progress daily. Any worries I had that she wouldn't know what to do with presents on Christmas morning were quickly put to rest as she tore into them like a pro.

Our family is making many adjustments and learning a lot about each other. I have plans to post about our time in Addis, but right now it seems to be last on the list of things to do. I learned from the first trip that it takes several days to readjust to life in America. It is so different in Ethiopia. It's beautiful, but different there. We've left a little piece of our hearts there in Ethiopia, with E's first family, culture and friends and nannies at the orphanage. There are so many emotions involved with leaving one place and beginning in another.

Here are a few things we have learned about little Miss E in the 2 days we have been a family:

she knows more English words in 2 days than I learned of Amharic words in 2 years. I can see her language develop on a daily basis.
She can pick out her own clothes with no help from anyone. Thank you very much.
She stopped me multiple times in Dulles Airport to show me the hand bag she liked at the store. She's got expensive taste.
Skirts or dresses. End of story.
Dolls, with hair.
nail polish
automatic hand dryers in public bathrooms are the best invention in the world.
She ate nearly a pound of ground beef with berbere in one day.
She has performed her version of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony a bazillion times with a set we brought back from Ethiopia.
She has a loose tooth.

N and E at the orphanage.

Coffee Ceremony outside

Coffee Ceremony inside

Stay Tuned for trip details......

Here we go...

2011-12-16T05:37:00.000-08:00

Something happened today. It doesn't happen often and so I wanted to take a moment to share it with you.

All.

ALL.

All of the laundry in my house is clean right now.
I know it won't stay that way for long. Hours at the most. So I wanted to document this accomplishment, in case it doesn't happen again for a long time.

In other news....

We leave tomorrow.

I'm a mix of emotions right now and am anxious to go and come back home. I have about 6 hours worth of movies on my ipad, 4 books, and various drugs for the plane. I have to do the 13 hour flight but I don't have to like it.

Not sure that I'll post much from Addis, but will try. I am counting the days until Christmas Eve when we're all together!

This picture was sent to me by a fellow adopting parent who is in Addis right now. We are with the same agency so she has been able to see little E. She sent me this picture.

We are on our way baby girl!

A Beautiful Mind

2011-12-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

Remember that movie? Russel Crowe could see patterns where no one else could? Well that's how my husband has been referring to my ~~rantings of a madwoman~~ lists. I like lists on any given day, but imagine trying to coordinate international travel for some members of our family, domestic travel for others, and booking them with 7 days notice in December. And write a letter to our daughter's first family. That's a whole post on its own. A photo album to leave with them. Contacting teachers, rescheduling dental appts., packing, sending out Christmas cards, and well so much more. Wow. Lists are flying around my house like dust in a dust storm.

We decided to take our oldest with us to Ethiopia. Our younger 2 boys are staying with family. This was hard for us, I still feel a little nauseous when I think about us all having to be separated. But it really is the best for our family for many reasons, which I will spare you. And everyone is happy with it. We will all be reunited on Christmas Eve. And this mama will feel complete.

The good news is I have managed to watch the movie Elf and that helps a lot! And with all these lists to make I haven't had a moment to ~~panic~~ think about the 13 hour plane ride on Friday. So considering it's been 5 days since we found out we could travel, and 4 days until we actually leave, we're doing alright here.

Guess who's coming home for Christmas???

2011-12-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

That's right.

Little Miss E.

We cleared with the Embassy and received our final appointment for December 20, 2011

I'll spare you the math and details, but this means that we arrive back in the States on Christmas Eve. And her first morning to wake up in America

with us

will be Christmas Day.

The emotional side of this is amazing. On the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we will add the celebration of another type of birth. Our family.

On the practical side, I'm being realistic. We will have just returned from a journey half way around the world with a 4 year old little girl who doesn't speak English. Obviously, the excitement of Christmas morning as most children know it will be lost on E this year. We get that. It will be overwhelming. We are keeping it simple and low key.

But for our boys and us, it will be so special to have her home for Christmas.

I'll be back to post some details of trip, which we are furiously trying to orchestrate as I type.

Update

2011-12-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update. Our case is currently being reviewed by the US Embassy. They have requested additional interviews with birth relatives of little E. This is very normal and expected for cases right now. We hope the interview happens quickly and is satisfactory to the Embassy. After the interview, we will hopefully receive the all clear to travel back to Ethiopia.

Here's a quick picture of a meal we had in Addis on our last trip. Had to get the pic of the Coke to show our boys.

Just missing our girl....

2011-11-19T10:12:00.000-08:00

and her rockin pink nails

“If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever.”
― A.A. Milne

We are hoping that no news is good news when it comes to the US Embassy

The Lime Tree

2011-11-09T06:45:00.000-08:00

During our time with E one afternoon at the care center, she kept trying to direct my husband and I to a little corner of the courtyard. It's the one spot where there is a little grass and trees. At first we weren't sure if we were supposed to go there with her, but followed her lead. She led my husband to a tree...a lime tree. She had him pick one that was growing way up high. Once she had it, she walked back to the outdoor sink and washed it off. Then, she and her dad peeled the lime (which was quite hard). Once peeled, she tore pieces off and sucked on them until there was nothing left but the white part. She kept shaking her hand because her fingers were stinging where the lime juice was getting under her fingernails. When she had a seed, she would hand it to my husband or me to throw out.

It took her a LONG time to eat that lime,

but she did.

The whole thing.

Both my husband and I still talk about this story. I'm not sure why exactly.

Maybe it's because we can't picture one of our 3 sons trying to sneak a lime to suck on.

Maybe a Reese's, but not a lime.

Maybe it's because it was around halloween and all I could picture was American kids walking door to door and getting handfuls of candy and probably have never tasted a real lime.

Maybe because it's our first story to tell of our new daughter. That makes it worth telling I guess.

I do know that the day E comes home with us

to a new family

new country

new language

new house

we will have a great big bowl filled with limes waiting

just for her.

We are back and she is ours!

2011-11-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it home. Though we are still in a fog, processing, readjustment mode right now.

Our town was greatly affected by the Nor'easter and just got power yesterday. So things at home are still settling back down to normal and we are not quite there yet.

We are so happy to report that we passed court and E is officially our daughter in the eyes of the Ethiopian Government. So thankful to Ethiopia and all the people we met on our trip who helped us. The next step is that our case is submitted to the US Embassy in Ethiopia. They launch their own investigation into our adoption. If they feel satisfied with what they find, they will give us an appointment. This is when we return to Ethiopia, appear at the embassy, and get E's passport and visa so she can travel home. Currently, people are waiting anywhere between 1 and 4 months for this embassy appointment. Obviously, we are hoping to be on the 1 month end.

There is a lot to tell about the trip and I will continue to post things here. I will say that leaving her there was very emotional. I did not expect it to feel so intense, saying goodbye. We'd only known her for a few days. But it was. It was hard. This waiting is different from the wait for referral and the wait for a court date. This feels different to me. So I am anxious to get back.

On our way home...

2011-10-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

We are in Frankfurt again, on our way home. So happy to be able to see the boys. We missed them. And apparently, they had an adventure of their own. After the snow storm that hit over the weekend, our house (and whole neighborhood) lost power. After toughing it out for 2 freezing nights with no heat (or coffee for my Mom) they decided to go to a hotel. Hopefully, by the time we get home, our power will be back on and we can all come home. On the up side, they did have a snow day from school.

Our trip was amazing. I will post more about it when we get home. I'll post a picture of us in Addis, though not pics of E yet. And it's the same picture on fb if you've already seen it there.

Ethiopia Journal

2011-10-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

Friday: After a VERY long journey (that began on Thursday afternoon) we arrived in Addis Ababa at approx. 9pm. We made it to our hotel and successfully skyped with our boys back home. I had a headache, was dehydrated and exhausted and at the same time, not really ready to sleep. Just the trip here gave me so many things to process. And let's just say, that at one point, my husband required me to take the magical anxiety/sleep pill that my doctor prescribed for this trip. Since I have never taken this before I was worried it may have a bad affect on me and I was too anxious to take it. We compromised and I took half and am here to tell you that I survived and may consider taking the other half tonight.

Saturday: We both felt much better this morning and have put the emotional breakdown behind us :) After a quick breakfast, including awesome Ethiopian coffee, we were picked up by the adoption agency's driver and brought to meet E. It was fantastic. I wish I could show you pictures and video, but I cannot yet. BUT, I can tell you that she is cute, silly, affectionate and knew exactly who we were when we arrived. She had lots of kisses for us and a special pink bow in her hair. It was so incredible to be able to see her environment and routine. The nannies at the care center are so loving and great with the kids.

We brought some punching balloons and silly banz to give to the kids. The punching balloons were a big hit, as were the silly banz. However, the silly banz caused a bit of mayhem and almost a brawl. So we put those away and will never take them out in a care center again. Phew!

We also brought a small photo album to give to E. We were pleasantly surprised at how coveted this album is. All parents meeting their child bring a photo album with them to show their child what their home/family/school/bedroom will look like. The nannies read through the album with you and the child, explaining the pictures, page by page. The nanny also taught me a few words like brother, dog, cat, etc. E held on to her album and looked through it over and over. She would point to a picture of me or my husband and then to us in person. She would kiss each page of the album as we looked through, saying the names of her new brothers. She was so proud. And now she is not just a kid, holding a piece of paper in front of her with her name on it to identify herself. Now, she is in an album, in a family.

We ate some delicious Ethiopian food at our hotel this evening and are now waiting until we can skype our boys again to find out how their football game was (in the snow apparently !!).

So far, it's been a roller coaster ride of emotions, but we're ready to do it again tomorrow!

(for fellow agency people, we chose to stay at the Hilton this trip, primarily for easy access to the internet to be able to be in touch with our children at home. We did go to the Guesthouse tonight and plan to eat some meals there.)

Frankfurt.

2011-10-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

Well, we're half way there. Just a quick post as we sit in the Frankfurt Airport...for about 6 hours. Flight number 1 went fine. It's morning here, but feels like the middle of the night, so we're tired.

Post again soon..hopefully from Addis Ababa.

2 DAYS and.....Thank you.

2011-10-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

To so many people.
For so many things....

girl clothes

toys

doll house

dress up clothes

girl's bike

soccer ball donations

soccer jersey donations

rides for our kids while we're away

meals

wishes

blog comments
pictures of E from families who traveled before us

and these....

And so.

much.

more.

Even though it's not over yet

Thank you for sharing this journey with us.

We will be posting here and on facebook while we are in Ethiopia.

(did i mention we are leaving in 2 days?!)

12 Days until we leave for Africa.....

2011-10-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

By the amount of preparation I have been doing, you would think we were moving to Africa. I do like to be thorough. The boys will be home with Grandmas and I have prepared many lists to leave in my absence. Nevermind that between the 2 grandmothers they have raised 7 children. I think they can handle my 3 for a few days. But it makes me feel better knowing I have left as much info as I can.

And I have packed our donation bags.....

Decorated for Halloween.....

Put out the Mums.....

and taught the dogs how to wait expectantly for us to return home.....

So we are in pretty good shape

The time is flying by

life is busy

we are ready to meet Sweet Pea!

N N J C E

2011-09-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

Did you see the season premier of The Office last Thursday night? Well Pam is pregnant. And she is crying about everything, random videos on youtube, a note that Jim dropped, etc.

Last night, I felt like Pam. I'm not pregnant, but this whole adoption thing feels a little like being pregnant. I think I'm nesting because I bought a new hutch to go in my kitchen just so I could organize our take out menus a little better.

And then 5 simple letters, made me cry just like pregnant Pam.

Let me back up a little.

I do not like to be on airplanes. I can't sleep, or get comfortable, I get motion sick, and claustrophobic. I also panic a little because I'm afraid we are going to crash. So, a 14 hour flight to Ethiopia is stressing me out slightly. To help myself, I made a plan to be able to get through this flight. Aisle seat. Check. A little something from my doctor to take in case I freak out. Check. My husband promised to load up his ipad with movies so I could distract myself. Check.

But yesterday, he went one step further and gave me this.....

My very OWN iPad, with a snazzy pink cover. Wow. I have to say, one of the more thoughtful surprises he's done for me in the 12 years we've been married. But it didn't end there. (here is where those random letters and the crying come in) He told me to check the back of the iPad where I found a little personalization.

In case you can't read it......

"To make the long flights shorter"

N N J C E

NNJCE are the first initials of his name and of each of our kids. Do you notice the E on the end? He included our little Miss E's initial in who the iPad was from. He thought of that all by himself. I was so proud and weepy. And just so, so happy. Thanks N!

And....28 days until we leave for Ethiopia.

Fun with Vaccinations

2011-09-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

I'm no genius with technology. Luckily, my husband is, and some of it rubs off on me, so I can function at a tolerable level in society.

I recently got the Hipstamatic app on my iphone. Love the way it looks. Nevermind that I had been using it for about a week before my husband, in the 30 seconds he played around with it, found a ton of options you can set with the app. I had just been using the one that is there when you download it.

Anyway.......

I used it to document our trip to get the boys' vaccinations for travel to Africa.

The mood in the car during the drive to get there was somber.

Tensions were high as we waited....

and waited.....

and were reaching the point where we were all about to have a breakdown, including the parents (ok mostly the parents)

When they swooped in and got it done.

And then we stopped for ice cream

and all was right with the world.

We also learned that one of our nurses was from Ethiopia! It was fun to talk with her.

On step closer...

Updates

2011-09-15T03:41:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update....

Yesterday I bought our plane tickets to Ethiopia! We leave on October 27. Wow.
Five minutes after I purchased the tickets, a local friend also adopting from Ethiopia called to find out when we traveled and discovered we are on the exact same flight on the way to Addis. Wow.
We decided NOT to take the boys on the first trip and decided TO take them on the second trip. Once again, wow. We had never really even considered the second trip with them. It's longer, it includes a 2 day trip to meet E's birth family. And the return trip home will include little E and who knows how she will be on a 14 hour flight. But, the first trip would take them away from some important things back home and we have a secret weapon for the second trip. Grandma Jane. She will accompany us and help with the boys, etc. So once again, this adoption journey has taken us around another turn we did not foresee!
In Ethiopia we will probably stay at the guest house of our agency's orphanage. If it fills up and we can't stay there, we will stay at the Hilton, Addis Ababa.
I need to put together a photo album for E. We bring it with us and give it to her when we meet her. It will include photos of our family, house, schools, her bedroom, our animals, etc.
Ever since I purchased the tickets, I've been a little nervous. This thing might actually happen.

Life

2011-09-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

It's funny how life works, isn't it? Just when things seem wrong or unfair, something happens to help it all make sense. Even if just a little bit.

About 2 weeks ago, our family lost a member to cancer. Grandpa Phil was my husband's dad.

I feel like whatever words I use to describe him to you

it wouldn't do him justice.

He was intelligent. kind. fair. patient.

He loved to fix things. to travel.

He loved to sing. Gilbert and Sullivan. Family.

He built the family house in Vermont, with his own hands.

We are moving through the sadness and loss that comes with the death of a loved one and wondering why someone so good has to leave us. And then something happened.

In the evening, after calling hours at the funeral home, I checked my email on my phone while we drove home. In the subject line of one email was

"GOOD NEWS!"

I clicked that one first because I figured that was what we all needed right then. And I learned that we have received a COURT DATE in Ethiopia.

October 31.

We will meet, for the first time, the newest member of our family. And it will feel a little sad that Grandpa Phil will never meet our sweet E. But in that car, in the dark, the first thing my husband said when I told him that we FINALLY got a court date was,

"It was Phil."

And however you choose to reconcile death in whatever faith you choose

for us, in that car,

it made perfect sense.

the loss of one brought news of another.

And for just a moment, it felt like things would be ok. All of it. Life, death, change, the unknown.

I feel like little E and her grandpa Phil have a special connection now. We will never have pictures of him holding her. He will never see her face in person. But, forever, we will have a special story about about how the first thing her Grandpa Phil did when he died, was make sure she was one step closer to us.

School

2011-09-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

So our 69 70 days of summer turned into 76 days of summer. Tropical storm Irene did enough damage in our town that they postponed the start of school until yesterday. I have to say, I wasn't sad about it. I got a few more days to spend with my boys. I really do love being around them. But by yesterday morning, I think we all knew it was TIME for school. I was beginning to turn into a referee in the game of brother annoying that was just about to get out of hand. So here they are, waiting for the bus on the rainy and dreary first day of school.

Here they are with Little J's neighborhood bestie. And there's our half painted house in the background.

Now I begin to chip away at my "to do" list which is a mile long. Cleaning, organizing, preparing for travel to Ethiopia and much more.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-29T06:05:00.000-07:00

So today, I was planning to post about how it has been 2 months today, since we received our referral for E. And it will most likely be another 2 months before we travel to meet her for the first time. It is hard to wait, but we are trying to keep busy, which, honestly, is not hard. Back to school, football, we are having our house painted, etc. Lots to do and distract.

But yesterday, Irene visited our town, state, etc. It was a tropical storm when it hit us. Still, lots of wind and rain, scary bending trees in the woods behind our house. Luckily, we emerged with just tree branches littering our yard, debris in our pool, and several power outages during the day. Our town had several fallen trees and impassable roads, which I'm sure will be addressed today. Overall, we are fine.

However, to our west and north, the town where I grew up and our family house in southern Vermont, experienced devastating flooding. I grew up in upstate NY and my town had pretty bad flooding. A town 10 minutes away, is just about underwater. People were evacuated, but the pictures are shocking. And we are still trying to understand the extent of the damage in Vermont. The little town near our house is literally underwater.

This video shows our favorite ice cream place, just a mile down the road from our house, just below where we watch fireworks and browse the flea market. All flooded. The ice cream place and the pizza place in the video are across the street from each other.

And here is a picture of the town center, where our favorite restaurant and shops were.

We are still trying to find out about our house from a neighbor. We know the house is standing, maybe some flooding in the basement. We'll be able to go check this weekend.

Anyway, grateful here for no loss of life, and houses still standing.

And....2 more days until school starts! (all I can think about is that Staples commercial with the dad pushing the cart around and dancing in the store while the kids have sour pusses and they are playing the Christmas song, "It's the most wonderful time of the year") Love. it. But I do feel a little sad too. I love spending time with my boys, they are so much fun. It always feels right at the end of summer to go back to school, but it's always a little sad to realize they are another year older.

Visit to Charlotte NC, told through iphone texts

2011-08-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I took three days and two nights, ALONE, to visit my family in North Carolina. My brother and his wife had a baby boy, B, about 3 weeks ago and I needed to get my baby fix. I will say, he is beautiful and perfect BUT, this Aunt is happy to be done with infant days!

While I visited, my husband stayed home with the boys. To keep in touch, we did a lot of texting on the iphone. So I thought I could describe my visit using the texted photos.

Well, here he is, making his first ever blog appearance.

My husband and I used to call our babies burritos when they were all swaddled up like this.

I received texts of lunch out on the first day.

Maybe not the most flattering of photos, but my mom had her first EVER pedicure. She loved it and I think she is hooked.

The next morning I received photos of breakfast out (same place as lunch the day before). I'm not sure if you're picking up a pattern here. When Mom is gone, go out to eat.

I texted back my breakfast

The boys wanted to see my Mom's dog, Maggie

And my brother's dog Maggie

My sister and her husband had plans for that weekend, so I got to see them just 1 night.

Well that's it. I had a nice brief visit.

Stay tuned for the boys' vaccination pictures, hipstamatic style......

And we are on day 64 of summer

(and due to me, having the wrong date for the first day back to school, our summer all of the sudden has 70 days! Yay! And thank goodness I realized it now, and not at the bus stop on the wrong morning.)

Lemonade Stand

2011-08-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

Day 61 of Summer

For most of the summer, my kids have been asking to do a lemonade stand. They helped a neighbor with their stand (and $10 was donated to help Ethiopia). And we have done them in the past. But they wanted to do one this summer.

i guess

fine

go ahead

I'm not sure why I was so reluctant to give the go ahead for a lemonade stand. Driving by any other lemonade stand makes me smile.

I think it was all of the thought, planning, prepping, etc. that I thought should go into a lemonade stand. Fresh, homemade lemonade...maybe some cookies to sell too. A perfectly laid out sign to attract buyers. Maybe google how Martha Stewart might do it. It seemed like a lot of work.

I tried a different approach today.

if you want to do a lemonade stand today.....you have to do it ALL by yourself

no help from me

i mean it

Off they went (with neighborhood friends)

I was doubtful at first.

But...

I might be on to something here

because

they did it.

the sign

the table

the price

the cups

working the stand

taking it down

I don't know that it would make the pages of Martha Stewart Living

But I think it was my favorite lemonade stand yet

OK.....so we used store bought cookies.

*****update****

I helped make more lemonade to refill when they ran out, but I will take what I can get

Family Empowerment

2011-08-15T12:32:00.000-07:00

One of the things that led us to Wide Horizons for Children (our adoption agency) was their commitment to helping the people of Ethiopia. I can't pretend that international adoption will solve the problems of Ethiopia. It may help some, but certainly doesn't come close to helping most.

One of WHFC's programs in humanitarian aid is Child Sponsorship and Family Empowerment. You can read about it here. The idea is to intervene with help for a family BEFORE they might need to turn to international adoption. Each family has an individual plan for growth, with the goal of starting a business or being able to support themselves. Additionally, the child you sponsor will have food, clothing and school paid for. And all of this for $420 a year. Seriously. Sponsor a child, help a family get on its feet, and keep a family together. How could you say no?

We began sponsoring a girl this past spring. She lives in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. She goes to school and is 10 years old. If she lived here, she would be in Little J's grade at school. She loves to play jumping in her spare time and help her mother boil coffee. We send her letters and have received pictures, a family profile and a letter from her (decorated with a picture of a flower and a house).

$420 a year.... is $35 a month. Could you find that in your budget? Could you find a friend and split the cost? How about your extended family chips in at Christmas every year. You can visit WHFC's child sponsorship photolisting and choose the child you'd like to sponsor.

We haven't missed the $420. Not once.

Blog Slacking

2011-08-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

It's day 51 of summer and I am a blog slacker. I had grand visions of life changing posts and award winning photographs that I took in the best light and with the correct shutter speed. But, I've been busy with life, nothing major, just summer. And frankly, I'd rather slack on the blog and be busy with life than the other way around.

We have received updates on Sweet Pea and she is doing well. We even got new pictures which we convinced ourselves we would not get. So they were a nice surprise.

My brother and his wife had a baby and I will travel in a week or so to meet baby B for the first time. The husband and boys will stay home to do camp and football, so I will be solo for the first time in a LONG time.

The boys have an appointment for travel vaccinations. They are ahead of us in that department, most of the required vaccines are covered with their regular vaccinations.

My oldest returned safely from Boy Scout camp with stories and adventures to share.

So proud of him.

We've still got a few more weeks of summer here, we're not giving it up yet.

Summer Update....Day 38

2011-07-29T04:53:00.000-07:00

All 5 passports have returned safely to us with 5 Ethiopian Visas. Phew. Nothing more to do here in terms of paper work. Now we just have to try not to go insane as we wait for the Ethiopian courts to close in early August and then reopen at the end of September when they will assign us a court date. Some adoptive parents who have been through this wait have suggested some things to do in order to survive this time after referral and before court. Learn Amharic (the main language in Ethiopia, though one of 80-90 languages spoken in Ethiopia and not the current language that our little "E" speaks, BUT, she will eventually hear it and is our best bet to communicate with her until she learns English), eat at Ethiopian Restaurants, cook Ethiopian food, read up on attachment in adoption, etc. So we will try to accomplish each one of those suggestions.

On the homefront, this one....

is heading off to Boy Scout camp for a week.

He is fine.

I'm a wreck.

I can't imagine what I'll be like when dropping him at his freshman dorm in a few years.

These 2.....

Are gearing up for their Pop Warner football season, practices start in a few days.

Their older brother plays in a flag football league with a much more attractive practice schedule that starts in September.

So that's where we are, right smack in the middle of our summer. Hope you are enjoying yours.

Day 28 of Summer and 5 visas!

2011-07-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

Summer is marching right along. And so is our paperwork. Dossier has been authenticated in Washington DC and returned safely to me. Visa paperwork for FIVE visas(along with our passports) has been sent off to D.C. as well (crossing fingers that all makes it's way back to us safely too).

For the past 2 years, we have been considering the decision to bring our 3 bio sons along with us to Ethiopia...or not. I'd love comments on this subject, so please feel free to leave them. But we have spent a lot of time thinking of the pros and cons of taking our boys with us. Here's the list:

PROS

Seeing the birthplace of their sister is a part of her story in which they will be able to share. They will have their own stories to tell her and we think that is worth the cost of plane tickets.
Seeing the culture of Ethiopia (the beauty as well as the poverty) is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity that we hope will change the way they see the world.
They will get the chance to meet her, hopefully offering a familiar face when she finally arrives in the US.
They will get to see the care center in which she is living

CONS

I am a BABY when it comes to traveling. I love to go places, it's the getting there that I do not enjoy. I'm talking specifically about the plane ride here. Double digit number of hours on a plane....I am honestly trying not to think about. It will be tough for me, as well as the boys, to endure a long flight.
No chicken nuggets in Addis Ababa....at least not that we've heard about. Not that nuggets are the only thing our kids eat, but you get the idea. Unfamiliar food to my kids is tough to handle. The husband and I are all over different kinds of food, the kids, not so much. Getting them to try different shapes of pasta requires a moderate amount of coaxing on our part.
shots and malaria medicine
the possibility of getting sick, us or them

There are more, many more than I have listed here. But in the end, the pros beat the cons and we're taking the boys, on the first trip. I often get decision makers remorse when tackling big ones like this, but I feel pretty good about this.

Otherwise, lots of swimming, playing baseball, and sleeping in here. Now that I'm swimming out of ocean of paperwork, I'll be back to posting some more of our summer fun.

Cinnamon was feeling left out after we did a long post about Lois and not her. So she gets her picture in the post today.

Letter to Adoption Related Paperwork

2011-07-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

Dear Adoption Related Paperwork,

We've grown close over the past 2 years. And though I know I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to you yet, I just wanted to let you know that I am counting the days and hours and minutes until I can. I also know that you serve a very important purpose and we would not be able to reach our daughter without you. I need you and you need me. So let's call a truce so the last bits and pieces of our relationship can end on a positive note. I promise not to white out anything and dot all the i's and cross all the t's. I promise not to remove any staples and to sign my full name, as it appears on my passport, on every single document. And you promise me that you will not unexpectedly change or add any requirements or change your fees in the near future. Promise you will not get lost or disappear or hide in a different pile. Let's end this thing with dignity.

(Day #20)

Day 16

2011-07-07T05:03:00.000-07:00

Well, that was quite a vacation! We're home and trying to get all sorts of paperwork done for our referral as well as settle back into our regular life. Before we returned from our trip to North Carolina, we stopped by our family house in southern Vermont and spent the 4th of July there with my husband's family. My Mom came with us for a visit North, so we're spending our days with Grandma.

The referral news is still sinking in. Still Great. I may or may not have purchased a few things for Sweet Pea :)

Here are a few pics from our Fourth of July in Vermont.....

Me with Sweet Pea's 2 Grandma's

Cousins waiting for fireworks to start

Looking down on the firework area

And they began....

We hope you're having a great summer and we will keep posting about our "Summer of the Referral"

REFERRA*L

2011-07-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

Amen and Hallelujah. We got our referral. And it was awesome! So many things to tell.....

We are on vacation, visiting my family. Since both my husband's family and my family live out of state, we look forward to the times during the year we get to spend with them. And, this visit in particular was serving as a welcomed distraction from "waiting."

On the day of referral, we were happily painting with Grandma. She's got a nice make shift painting studio in her house, and my boys love to paint with her.

My cell phone, which for ~~days~~ weeks, has been virtually attached to my body, remained silently in another room. A while later, I wandered through that room and thought to check the phone. And there, right before my eyes....was this missed call and voice mail....

I went a little crazy and in seconds all family members (my Mom, three boys, husband, 2 nieces and 1 nephew) were all in a tiny bedroom watching me talk to my case worker. Right before I called her back, my middle son said, "Mom, don't cry." Which, of course, made me cry.

After the phone call, of which I remember very little, we ALL, sat and waited for the email. We waited and waited, for what seemed like FOREVER. My three boys used a tactic we often use in restaurants while waiting for food. If you get up and go to the bathroom, when you get back, your food is there. Apparently, this does not work for referral emails, because we continued to wait.

And FINALLY, a new message appeared in my inbox and we saw her sweet face for the very first time and it was a moment I will never forget....

We only shared the photo with everyone, just so you know, we didn't read through her personal info with an audience :)

So happy my Mom grabbed her camera and took pictures of this treasured moment. So, our Sweet Pea is 42 months old and the sweetest thing I've ever seen. I look at her picture countless times a day. And I can't explain how special it was for me to be able to get this incredible news surrounded by my family. It means the world to me and I couldn't have planned it any better than how it really happened. We are so, so, so thankful right now. And did I mention, we received our referral on my oldest son's 11th birthday? A day we won't soon forget.

As you can imagine, after nearly 17 months of waiting, we are thrilled and happy and excited. Those of you familiar with Ethiopia know that the court closure looms in front of us and we will likely face a long wait for a court date. But we can't do anything about that, so we will just continue to be passengers on this wild ride. For those not familiar with what happens next:

We wait for a court date in Ethiopia. Once notified of our date, we will travel to Addis Ababa. There, we will get to meet Sweet Pea (I smile just thinking of it). Then we will appear in court and hopefully all paperwork is in order and we "pass." Once we pass court, Sweet Pea is officially our child, though she will remain in Ethiopia while we return home. At home, we wait for an Embassy date. Then return to Ethiopia to pick up our daughter and bring her home.

So, our heads are still sort of spinning here. That one call has turned everything upside down...and happily so. Please stay tuned for our ~~69 Days of Summer~~ Summer of the Referral!!!

A Watched Pot Never Boils....

2011-06-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

.....And today.....

I took my eyes off of it for a few minutes

And now the water is boiling

Stay Tuned.

(for some good news)

Hold on to your Hats.....

2011-06-28T03:37:00.000-07:00

because summer is in full swing!

We have been on the go and our Days of Summer are at Day # 7 already.

We have been running around, very busy. I've got all my dossier papers together and now need to have them notarized. So we're making good progress there. We're also getting ready to take a trip to visit my family in Charlotte, NC. So we're getting the dogs and cats organized while we're gone and doing laundry and packing.

And a rewind on the past few days looks like this.......

More baseball, but new uniforms.

This is Big N up at bat

Here's Little J

And our fantastic neighborhood had it's 3rd annual Block Party. This year it was a Hawaiian Luau. So much fun. We have crafts, games, a huge inflatable waterslide, food and an outdoor movie in the evening.

setting up

All the Kiddos

Grown ups

Baby C with some Hawaiian Punch

Big N, the Husband, and Baby C (who has informed me his blog name needs to be changed from Baby C to something older)

And we managed to squeeze in a little post baseball game Drive in movie, Cars 2, with neighbors.

So, 7 days in and we're having fun!

Check back soon for adoption updates....

Day 1 of Summer

2011-06-23T04:23:00.000-07:00

So here we are...day 1 of our 69 days of summer and I'm already cheating. These pics were not taken on day 1, but over the past few weeks of baseball. It's what we've been spending most of our time doing lately.

And we're not done, because all three boys are playing summer baseball. Luckily, the older 2 are on the same team so it cuts down on the number of games that need to be attended.

And of course we've been busy with

band concerts,

field trips,

report cards,

field days,

new teachers

And, now we're doing a lot of this at our house.

Really, is there anything better than friends over, eating popsicles in the pool?

And I'm doing A LOT of checking this

And saying "Did my phone just ring?"

"I think I just heard it ring."

"nope."

Still waiting for the call to tell us who our daughter is........

That's it for day 1.....

gotta run...in case my phone rings

Asra Sidist...sixteen months

2011-06-12T11:53:00.000-07:00

I am using all of the restraint I have to resist being sarcastic and cranky as we enter month 16 in our wait. So I've decided to be thankful

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

And, we are having serious deja vu around here. We received an email informing us that because we have been waiting so long, our dossier needs to be updated. And by updated, they mean totally redone, start all over again, from the beginning. *sigh*

So we are paper pregnant.......again....or still....depending on how you look at it.

(For those not in the adoption world, a dossier is a collection of information to provide to the Ethiopian government so that we can be approved for adopting a child from their country. It includes things like birth certificates, legal documents, letters of recommendations, police clearance letters, homeland security fingerprint clearance, etc. It is very thorough and stressful :)

In other news, we are winding down our school year and heading toward summer. We will start our Days of Summer again, here's last year's post introducing our 74 days of summer. This year, due to multiple snow days, please join us for

69 Days of Summer!

We'll share summer baseball, boy scout camp, a trip to NC, a visit from my mom, football, our house in Vermont and much more. So I hope you visit us often....oh and also this has

GOT

to be the summer of

THE REFERRAL.........

Guest Post

2011-05-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Today, my youngest son, C, will be posting his thoughts about adoption. Our interview is below:

K: Who are you and how old are you?

C: I am C and I am 7.

K: What grade are you in?

C: first.

K: How many loose teeth do you have right now?

C: one

K: What is your favorite thing to do?

C: play with WWE wrestler guys

K: How long have you been waiting for a sister from Ethiopia?

C: 15 months

K: What do you think about our family adopting a sister?

C: Well, I want to really bad and I feel like I can't wait any more. And I get to read to her.

K: Do you think you will like being a big brother since right now you are the youngest brother? Like, do you think it will be different?

C: Yeah I think it will be very different. Well, there is one bad thing and one good thing.

K: Like what?

C: The bad thing is I will have to help her with a lot of stuff. The good thing is I'll get to be an older brother.

K: What kind of stuff do you think you will have to help her with?

C: Well I'll have to help her make toast or something or if she can't reach something or how to spell something if she is writing a letter to someone I will help her spell.

K: OK, last question. If you could say one thing to your sister right now about our family, what would you tell her ?

C: Well, I don't want to brag, but we're nice. We're not rich but we are normal. Like we could pay for her if she has to go to the doctor or something.

K: OK, I think that is it. Anything else to say in your guest post?

C: No.

Stink Eye

2011-05-11T05:38:00.000-07:00

Just a picture to enhance the stink eye campaign....

The men in my house are GOOD at the stink eye

Asra Amist....15 months!

2011-05-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

Today completes our 15th month of waiting. When my blogger friend over at by dirigible reached her 15th month of waiting, she did the only thing she could, she gave her tracking device the stink eye. And now that I, too, have reached the 15th month waiting mark, please join me in giving month number 15......the stink eye.

Stink eye:

	a facial expression of distrust, disdain, or disapproval; also called skunk eye, hairy eyeball
Example:	When he kept me waiting, I gave him the stink eye.
Etymology:	1962

Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2011 Dictionary.com, LLC
Cite This Source

Search another word or see stink eye on Thesaurus| Reference

Report from PEAR (Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform)

2011-05-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform posted about CCI (Celebrate Children International) out of Florida. VERY interesting.....check it out.

http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2011/05/agency-information-florida-department.html

It's my blog and I can post what I want to.

2011-04-18T05:16:00.000-07:00

Warning: I'm frustrated and venting and might be sorry later that I wrote this..... And if you're reading this now and it's gone later, I changed my mind.

People who continue to pursue international adoptions using agencies with unethical practices are the reason that the entire Ethiopian adoption program is in turmoil. We all want our children home as soon as possible. I get it. I have been waiting for nearly 15 months for a child. BUT, what I want MORE than immediate gratification, are ETHICAL adoptions. I want to be able to tell my child that taking her away from her country of birth and family of birth was the ONLY thing left to do. If the agency with which I worked to bring her home has a history that includes questionable practices than I can't be sure about how they found MY daughter.

I am so tired of wandering through blogland looking at Ethiopian adoption blogs and seeing people who have, in the time I have been waiting for one child, brought one child home and are about to bring home another child. I'm sick of reading that the wait time for an infant girl with one agency is 4-6 months and the wait with another is 18-24 months. Seriously, how is that possible? Check it out for yourself. Do research. All you have to do is google the name of an adoption agency and read reviews by parents who have worked with them. It does not take more than a second to find out who is ethical and who is not. I. DON'T. CARE. if they are willing to find you a child in 4-6 months. It is WRONG. International adoption is not here to SERVE US. IF there is a genuine need for families to adopt orphans from other countries (orphans who would exist whether or not we are willing to adopt them) THEN we should be able to adopt a child. I understand there are certain unknowns in adoption. There can be things about how children come into care that might not be clear. But if you have an agency who is working FIRST to serve the children and families in Ethiopia, and THEN to help serve the needs of their clients, you can rest in the fact that your adopted child's needs were put before your own.

OK, I'm done. Just had to get that off my chest.

Asra Arat

2011-04-12T07:42:00.000-07:00

ASRA ARAT = 14

So we have completed 14 months of waiting and have now entered our 15th month. The only thing I hope right now is that we are closer to the end than we are to the start. Still lots of uncertainty in Ethiopia. But we choose to remain hopeful.

On the home front, we completed our homestudy update and received our new favorable determination letter from USCIS (all necessary because we have been waiting so long that things have expired). Sooooo......

here we are

freshly re approved

ready to go.....

still waiting.

Lessons from Lois

2011-03-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

A sure sign of spring at our house is this.....

When our rescue dog Lois comes out voluntarily from the house, and basks on the deck, we know it is spring. Here's a little info about Lois.....

Born: Tennessee

Home to MA: April 2008

Favorite activities: sniffing, barking at squirrels and birds, scratching human legs for attention

Favorite food: A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G

Knicknames: Lola, Tallulah

Best word to describe her: JOYFUL

I wanted to share Lois' story because she has taught us so much in the 3 years she has been in our family.

Lois was about a year and half when we adopted her. We don't know much, anything really, about her life before us. She was found, wandering. Alone. That's it, that's all we know. No puppy pictures or stories. No idea who her mom and dad were or what they looked like. No info about trauma she surely experienced.

Once found, Lois was brought to a foster home. We have a little info about her time there, but not much. She was one of many fostered dogs. We know she was treated humanely and had food and shelter. Beyond that, we don't know how much individual affection, etc. she was shown.

Once adopted by us, she was transported with other adopted dogs, on a great big truck, from Tennessee to Massachusetts. She stayed in a shelter until we picked her up.

That's where our stories meet up. Lois went through an adjustment living in our house. We had 2 other dogs at the time, and 3 human boys. Lois quickly figured out how to get along with the other dogs, but she had fear of our kids for a while. They were loud and physical and Lois clearly had not been around this kind of thing before.

Lois trembled a lot. She seemed vacant without a lot of expression or personality. We discovered a thyroid problem that was easily corrected with medication on a daily basis. She wasn't very active. She barked at our kids whenever they walked into the room. Honestly, I had moments when I thought we might have to give her back. It was pretty tough for a while.

As time went on, we kept on loving Lois. And we saw a small change here and there. Soon, the changes became bigger and more obvious. Slowly, we started to discover a dog we hadn't seen yet. A goofy, relaxed yet playful at times, JOYFUL dog.

Three years later, Lois is part of our pack. She cracks us up every day. Whenever a guest comes to our house, and leaves their shoes at the door, Lois will quietly and gently, pick up one of their shoes and carry it in her mouth to the office, and deposit it on the floor. That's it, no chewing or destroying. It seems to be just a way to welcome our guests.

As I watched her sprawl herself out, belly up on our deck the other day, I started thinking about what Lois had taught me. Patience, perseverance, hope. But the word that kept coming to mind was

JOYFUL.

Lois is the most joyful being I have ever encountered. There isn't a moment of her day that lacks joy. A bunched up blanket on the couch offers a joyful place to rest. A pat or look from ANY human causes an immediate tail wag. Food, any time any place. A warm cushion on the deck. A dad that comes home from work EVERY day without fail. Three humans that appear from a yellow bus EVERY day without fail. A mom who rubs behind her ears and makes sure she is fed. Lois can find the joy in ANY situation.

I thought to myself that I want what Lois has. I want to be that joyful. Every day. Not just on the good days, but on the not so good days too. Even when I don't feel like it, I still want to find the joy. This seems very appropriate these days, finding joy in times when it might not be easy. But this is what Lois has taught me and I hope she can teach you too.

Oh Lois. You came to us as a trembling skinny dog who didn't know how to go up stairs. A few years later, a thyroid condition under control, and some consistent food available and we have a new dog. And now, you are the teacher of joy.

We love our Lois.

13 l o n g months

2011-03-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Actually, it's been 13 months and 7 days.

It's a rainy day here in New England and it matches my mood. I've been a little crotchety lately. (It's a word people, I looked it up and it's been one of my favorites for years. It means fussy, irritable and grouchy. Perfect.) That's what I am right now. Waiting 13 months is enough to make a girl crotchety, but with the news about the slowdown in Ethiopia adoptions, it puts me well beyond crotchety. (Ok, I agree, that's too many uses of the word in one paragraph. I say that not only as a former English teacher but also as a reader.)

Usually, I post each month of the wait in Amharic numbers. So, 13 is Asra Sost. No picture today, I just don't feel jubilant about any of it right now. Our wait has taken a somber turn and it doesn't really seem fun right now. We are still committed to Ethiopia and the wait. That's not to say there aren't trillions of thoughts swirling about in my head. There are. And lots of them are not happy. But we're holding tight. I remind myself that everything happening in Ethiopia right now is not about me or my wait. It's about little girls and boys who are in need.

So, we are focusing on our happy little life. As the winter winds down, we have been doing some New Englandy things around here. The first, is skiing. I do not, but my husband does. And now, all three boys do as well. Here they are below at Mount Snow in Vermont.

And, it's maple syrup time here. Yum! We took a tour at a local nature center, Moose Hill in Sharon, MA. They give a walking tour to see where maple syrup comes from and how it's made. They also have people in the woods at different stops to tell about how native Americans from this region made maple syrup and also how it was made during colonial times. It was a great day. At the end we ate maple popcorn, sap dogs (a hot dog cooked in syrup water I think?) and maple sugar candy. Did you know that this is the time of year for gathering sap from maple trees because it gets below freezing at night and above 40 during the day? That's my fun fact for you today. Here's some pics of our day.

here we are at the end of the march

This is the sugar shack where they boil the sap that turns into syrup

the smell is delicious

Baby C

Us, walking along the boardwalk in the woods/swamp

Little J next to the buckets that collect sap

Big N volunteering to show how sap was carried during colonial times. His father thinks this might be the new way for bringing groceries in from the car.

Me with the boys (except Dad who is always taking the pics). Even though it's nearly spring, it can still get pretty chilly around here. And muddy, so we were all in boots.

See you all next month......

We can't go back now

2011-03-08T06:20:00.000-08:00

"A man's mind stretched by a new idea can never go back to its original dimensions."

Oliver Wendall Holmes

I saw this quote today and it seems perfectly timed. For people in the Ethiopian adoption community, a recent article is causing many people in the process to become quite concerned. You can find the article here

Basically, the article states that the Ethiopian agency that deals with international adoptions has decided to cut adoptions in Ethiopia by 90%. You can read the details in the article. For those of us in process, this brings up many emotions. How will this affect the orphans of Ethiopia who truly need help? How will this affect our family and adoption journey? Does this address the corruption that can seep into an otherwise well intentioned adoption program? The list goes on and on.

In our house, the past few days have been a mental wrestling match. Have we waited 13 months only to be discouraged enough to pull out of the process? I don't want any child or family in Ethiopia to live with an adoption that was misguided or unethical. Nor do I want children in Ethiopia to suffer while families await them. Are there other countries we should learn about? Should we give up? Should we adopt domestically?

And then I saw the quote above. It gave me a way to express what I just keep feeling. Now that we have opened our eyes to adoption and Ethiopia.

I can't go back. Not now.

We will wait as long as we have to.

12 months waiting.....

2011-02-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

I have to say that I honestly never thought we would be waiting this long. I'm not sorry that we are, but I would have rather waited 6 months. But here we are, 1 * year* waiting!! If I could pick one place in the world to spend this waitiversary, it would have to be, let's see....how about the happiest place on earth. Disney World! Yep, we packed the kids on a Jetblue flight to Orlando and spent 4 days at Disney. We hit a few road blocks before we made it there. A few major snow storms, a canceled flight, so much snow on our roof that it started leaking through, etc. etc. But we finally made it and had a great time. We just love it there and saw something around every corner that we promised to bring our little girl to see one day. We made a number 12 sign to continue our counting in Amharic and brought it to Epcot with us to take the picture for this month's lesson.

Twelve = Asra Hulet

Here are the boys in Norway, Epcot

Also Epcot

We posed with several Disney Princesses this trip. I can't say that my boys liked it, but they did it for their mom. Here we are with Sleeping Beauty.

Hollywood Studios, probably the favorite park with Rockin Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror

Main Street, Magic Kingdom, with the Castle in the back.

Anyway, Disney was a nice distraction from this long New England winter

AND

from this LONG adoption wait

Happy Birthday to "C" AND You can dress 'em up but......

2011-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

7 years ago, Little C was born

Here is N and J pointing to C

C just a few days old

C, J, and N, all in the pack n play

C with his spikey hair

Here is C this past Fall, all grown up.....

Time flies...I can't believe my baby is 7!

We're so thankful to have him in our family

We love you C.....

AND.......

We've also been waiting for 11 months.

Asra And = 11

I tried to dress him up
but he's still ugly.

Happy Winter!

Found a gold mine.....

2011-01-06T10:21:00.000-08:00

Stumbled across these youtube videos. Unfortunately, in a few days I need to do a month 11 post. My current source of Amharic numbers only goes to 10! So, I was searching for more numbers. I found the following videos of Amharic phrases and numbers. It may or may not prove to be useful when we finally travel to Ethiopia, but in the mean time, it makes me feel like I am doing something.

Welcome 2011

2011-01-01T11:27:00.000-08:00


Little J, Big N, me, hubbie, baby C

Every year, on December 31
(which happens to be my birthday)
our family makes a sign
and takes a picture
to ring in the New Year.

We have 10 years worth of these pictures
and we treasure every one.
It's so fun to look back through the years
and see how we have changed.

Wishing you a happy New Year!

ASIR = 10....month 10 of our wait

2010-12-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

We are well into month number 10 of our wait. We've been so busy enjoying the holidays that we haven't had a chance to post. But finally, I had a moment and put something together quickly as we prepare for our family to arrive from Charlotte, NC to stay for the holiday!

In addition to our monthly photo countdown in Amharic, we have included 2 musical performances for the Christmas season. Please enjoy N and J in a trumpet duet of Jolly Old St. Nicholas and a solo piano performance by C of Jingle Bells.

We had so much fun trying to record the trumpet performance. Our dog Lois would start howling (look here for an example) while they were playing. So it took us a while to get a clip we could use without Lois interrupting.

Anyway, we were so hoping to know who our Sweet Pea is by Christmas. But instead, we are just counting our blessings, of which there are many. And we are hoping our little girl in Ethiopia is safe and sound and wishing she knew that we are missing her during this time of year even though we have yet to meet.

Wishing all a merry Christmas and healthy 2011!

Lois Howl

2010-12-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

We are very busy around here and trying to finish up our post about month number TEN of our wait. But it's not quite ready, so in the mean time, please enjoy one of our family's favorite things.....our dog Lois, howling. My favorite part of this video, is that Lois doesn't even get up to see what her dog sister Cinnamon is barking about. She just lends her howl in support of whatever it is!

Month TEN post coming soon........

9 Months.....Zetain

2010-11-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

So we're back....again. We have been waiting for 9 months and therefore need to continue our counting lessons in Amharic.

Please look here for months 1 - 7 and here for month 8.

Nine = zetain

Hope you're enjoying autumn as much as we are.....

8 months....SIMINT

2010-10-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

So we are well into month number 8 waiting for Sweet Pea. **sigh** This month's lesson in counting in Amharic is brought to you by my youngest, little C. We are out of family members and dogs to model our number signs (except our 2 cats but they were not willing). So I asked the boys for a volunteer to make our number 8 sign, Little C was the only taker. And he did a great job! So, number 8 in Amharic is....SIMINT.

We are mixing it up this month and NOT posting months 1-7. If you would like to see our numbers 1-7, please visit this post. But C and I took some pictures last night, during dinner, and decided to post those instead. Please enjoy SIMINT.

Here is Little C making tacos! His older brother, N, has become an expert at taco making. He seriously does it all. But last night, he wasn't interested, so C man took it over. He did a great job. Also check out a new purchase, an Ethiopian apron. My hope was to wear it while making Ethiopian food, but that has not happened yet. Taco night is as close as we have come....so far.

This is our autumn display for Simint

This is our spooky face Halloween display for Simint


And my favorite, cute 6 year old display of Simint.

Hopefully, we will NOT be back to teach you 9 in Amharic....

Sweet Pea, you are hoped and wished for every day.....

Waiting is hard. Wicked hard.

2010-10-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

Let me translate for those of you who do not live in New England. Wicked = very, very, very, very, etc. As someone who grew up in upstate NY (upstate as in Albany area, not Westchester), the term wicked is relatively new to me. My children, however, are born and raised New Englanders and have been known to say wicked. "This homework is wicked hard." This ice cream is wicked good with the jimmies on it." You get the picture. Since I've been living here for 15 years, I now feel that I can legitimately use the term and will do so here.

Waiting is wicked hard.

I could even add a few more descriptive words but then my post would look like how a cleaned up version of an Eminem cd sounds, a few words here and there and a slew of bleeped out words.

Ok, the whining is out of my system.

But WE ARE READY. NOW.

Take a look at her bedroom. It's done.

Here are just a few glimpses.....

So here are pictures that I, and each brother, painted for her room

These are 2 pictures that my mom, Grandma DeDe painted for her grand daughter

This is what she will see each night before she goes to sleep

N, Me, and Lois and Cinnamon hanging around in her room

Another shot of Grandma De De's paintings. Isn't she good?!

So, I really didn't have to buy much for her bedroom. We had the bed, dresser, shelves, etc. The only additions are the rug, bedding, a doll house given to us by our neighbors (thanks S family). So we added a few personal touches with our original paintings and we're all set.

We had so much fun thinking about and organizing your room Sweet Pea!

We can't wait to show you...

In the end, I remind myself that I have a healthy, happy family. And this adoption process is not about us. It is about HER. About our Princess, our Sweet Pea. None of us can imagine the journey she is on right now. We know that her journey will end with us, here at home, with a brand new bedroom and a family who loves her so much that it hurts, before we have even seen her sweet face. But we can't take her journey for her, all we can do is wait. So that's what we'll do, even though it is wicked, wicked hard.

7 MONTHS!

2010-09-10T07:05:00.000-07:00

Cinnamon

Things sure are busy around here! We're back to school, but that is just the beginning. We are also back to football, baseball, soccer, band, cub scouts, and homework. Phew! Even though things seem to have picked up around here, our wait still seems to be creeping along......we have been waiting for 7 months for our sweet pea from Ethiopia. We have added 7 (sebat) in our "counting in Amharic" lesson. This month, our other shelter dog from Tennessee, Cinnamon, will model sebat (Lois made her debut last month).

And, another refresher from months 1 - 6. You should be good at counting in Amharic by now!

Kim

It's gone....

2010-08-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

We did our best

We tried to stop it.....

But it showed up anyway

Summer is officially gone

We had 74 days of summer

and loved every one of them

We made memories that we will have for a lifetime

Sweet Pea, we are still waiting for you!

It's not over yet......

2010-08-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

We "squeezed" in one more summertime activity today.....lemonade.

ingredients ready


Squeezing


1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, melting together = simple syrup


More squeezing until we get 1 cup of lemon juice

make a sour face here

ahhhhh.....

Summer countdown...day 64

2010-08-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

So we're just trying to hold on to our last days of summer.

Football practice has started, so our evenings are spent at the fields.

Soccer and Fall baseball are not far behind.

We've been busy discovering the names of our teachers,

buying school supplies,

buying backpacks.....

But mostly,

the boys are spending their last summer moments,

fooling around,

trying to make each other laugh

(in between moments of them wishing they had been an only child because it's been a long summer and even the way their brothers blink their eyes irritates them right now)

And,

of course,

we are wishing

and hoping

that we get to see the face of our

Ethiopian Sweet Pea

soon

Kim

The Ice Cream Ball

2010-08-16T12:28:00.000-07:00

So N got an ice cream ball for Christmas. Have you seen these? You fill one container with half and half, sugar and vanilla and another container with ice and salt. Then you shake it, kick it, and roll it senseless. It's very fun and.....DELICIOUS! Enjoy our photos....though I apologize for a few blurry ones, but that's all we took!

Ingredients ready

stirring it

He looks a little cranky...but he was having FUN

more stirring, half way through

rolling....

kicking.....

eating

YUM

We're holding on tight summer.....

Look who's 9 today......

2010-08-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

My Little J

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We love you.....

6 Months

2010-08-09T06:42:00.000-07:00

Here is Lois (our shelter dog from Tennessee) helping teach our Amharic numbers. We are on month number 6. (See below for a recap of months 1 - 5)

So there we are. 6 months waiting for our sweet baby girl from Ethiopia. Hopefully, we are closer to the end than we are to the beginning.

Day 49 of summer and the bathroom is green

2010-08-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I have green paint in my hair, the dog also has green paint in her hair, and I did some things of which I am not proud....but, the bathroom is painted. And if I do say so myself, it looks pretty good. (We are still working on the new toilet and sink/cabinet.) Along this painting journey, I learned quite a few things.

First, (and I have learned this before but apparently did not retain the information) it is not easy to paint a room with three children home on summer vacation. It sounds good, what else do we have going on right? And I'm not changing diapers any more or filling sippy cups, piece of cake right? Wrong. It's still hard.

Second, the aforementioned behavior (of which I am not proud) involves bribery (we'll go to the video game store, buy new sneakers, etc. if you will just let me get this trim painted) and the use of video games and/or tv as entertainment for my children so I can get 30 consecutive minutes in order TO FINALLY GET THE BATHROOM PAINTED. But listen, they needed new sneakers for school, they had birthday gift cards to Gamestop, and I got my bathroom painted. Everybody wins.

Third, in all honesty, we (ok, ...I) did have a few moments of frustration, but overall, my boys were very good during the painting. They helped paint a few spots, and they were very encouraging of my efforts. I have some great kids.

So take a look at the progress.....

This is Cinnamon (who cannot be separated from me) sharing the green paint on her side, and tail.

Toilet area before

Now green

Sink before

Sink area now

Painting dark brown trim white....takes patience, which I am practicing anyway in month 6 of our wait

Linen closet

Also, we're working on getting some pictures up of the "new" boys bedroom, the boys "Lounge" and the new baby girl's room. Coming soon....

Kim

Patience and Waiting

2010-08-03T05:19:00.000-07:00

"Everything comes gradually and at its appointed hour."      Ovid

"Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content."               Helen Keller

"All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope."    Alexandre Dumas Pere

"Patience is not passive; on the contrary, it is active; it is concentrated strength.    Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

"Patience is the art of hoping"   Marquis de Vauvenargues

Happy waiting to my fellow PAPs
Kim

You Capture....Play

2010-07-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Another You Capture assignment.......

PLAY

2010-07-28T05:13:00.000-07:00

Back in May 2009, when we first started the process to adopt, I found this video of another family who adopted using our same agency. It is one of my favorites and I wanted to share it.

Kim

Making progress....

2010-07-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

So, the boys are with their grandparents, my husband is on a business trip, and the dogs and I are home. I am getting A LOT done. The original goal was to move the boys into one bedroom to sleep, make another bedroom a boys "lounge," and to make the last bedroom into a room for our sister. But once you start digging around and stirring things up, you end up with the water shut off in your bathroom, the old toilet gone, and the sink torn out. So now, we are remodeling the kids upstairs bathroom and changing the rooms around too! Plus I need to go to Ikea...and well... that always ends up very similar to their commercial (the one when the lady backs a huge moving truck, filled with Ikea purchases, up the house and then turns around to go back to shop some more). I'm not that bad, but if I can lift it, it might be coming home with me. So, we'll keep you posted on the progress. My husband took some pics of the bathroom but we forgot to take shots of the boys rooms before we moved them. So no before and after on them. Alright, it's back to work for me....like my husband said, I need to get 8 days worth of work done in 2.

TOILET BEFORE

AFTER

SINK BEFORE

SINK AFTER

SHOWER BEFORE

(no after....yet)

Have a great day
Kim

Vacation

2010-07-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

This past week, in Myrtle Beach, we turned into

boogie

boardin'

beach

bums

We are back home now, though not quite fully on the grid yet.....more to come.

Pause

2010-07-18T05:46:00.000-07:00

We're paused right now......

Day 27...Memory Books

2010-07-14T05:43:00.000-07:00

Day 27 of summer! We thought we would show you one of the activities we have been depending on to help us "wait" for our little girl. Memory books.

The idea for these books started 5 years ago when my oldest son, N, was in kindergarten. We were so lucky to get the BEST kindergarten teacher ever. And our luck continued when both my second, AND third son also got this same teacher. We just love her. At the end of the year, this teacher gives each student a memory book. It is just a plastic, 3 ring binder, filled with various writing, pictures, drawings, and well...just memories, from kindergarten. Some are in page protectors, some just loose.

These are always a big hit on the last day of school. The kids just pour over the pages, loving to see their handwriting in the beginning of the year and how much better it is at the end of the year. But what amazes me is that my now pre 5th grader, pre 4th grader and pre 1st grader STILL love to get out their kindergarten memory books and look through them. They laugh and giggle and sometimes just sit quietly, pouring once again over these pages. The memory book really serves as a snapshot in time. When we look back at these books, we say things like, "Oh, I remember that shirt, that was your favorite." and "Mom, I wrote about our trip to Disneyland and drew a picture." and "Look, you said you wanted to be a rock star when you grew up and your favorite food was chicken nuggets!" So fun to revisit a time in your life. And my kids already appreciate that.

So, I thought, we should make memory books this summer. We should take a snapshot of this time in our lives, waiting to grow our family. I don't ever want to forget what it is like right now. I don't want my three boys to forget. And I want my daughter to know. I want us all to be able to pour over the pages of this memory book one day and say "...oh yeah, I remember when we went there..."

And we have been busy. We've done the same as our favorite kindergarten teacher. Each boy has their own memory book into which they can put whatever they like. Pictures they colored, photos, etc. And we keep one "family" memory book. This is my fun. I like to do it too. And the boys have been copying the pages they do for their own books and putting them in the family book too. So, we're not very fancy, just binders, page protectors, photos, tape, stickers and pretty paper. Take a look....

So that's it! Our memory book project this summer. We like it so much, we might just do one for every season.

Hope you have a great day!

Just waiting

2010-07-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

I'm frustrated. I'm tired of not having anything to tell you when you ask me about our adoption. It's not that I mind your asking....not at all. I just dread having nothing to say. And yet, my self pity at having to wait is certainly nothing in comparison to the heart wrenching decision a mother or family in Ethiopia is probably trying to avoid making right now.

And I think of all the steps we still have to take, and all of the things that still have to fall in place. I feel overwhelmed and helpless. I wonder if these are the same emotions a family in Ethiopia, still unknown to us, are experiencing. Overwhelmed and helpless. Only their outcome will not be the joyous one that our family will have.

The courts in Ethiopia are getting ready to close for most of the months of August and September. We could still get a referral during this time, but no court dates can happen. The adoption message boards seem quiet. I check them like a widow on her walk, checking the horizon, searching for the tiniest sign of good news on the way. But things just seem quiet.

So while my boys kick the soccer ball around my living room (even though technically there is no ball playing of any kind in the house) I stayed glued to adoption blogs and message boards, passing the time. Just waiting.

5 MONTHS.......and skinny dippin'

2010-07-09T04:48:00.000-07:00

So today it has been 5 months since we started "officially" waiting. As promised, we have another installment of your lesson in counting in Amharic. To refresh your memory, I will include months Ahnd (1) through arat (4).

FIVE = AMIST

We've all been so busy doing summer, that I haven't had a chance to sit down and write my thoughts. Soon, I hope, I will have a moment to do just that. We have, however, been busy working on our memory books. Stay tuned for a post about those, they've turned out to be a lot of fun for everyone to make. The decision has been made to omit from the memory books, pictures of a newly discovered, and much loved, pastime of our children. Skinny dipping. We have exerted our parental control and said "no" to the request to make a "naked swimming" page for the memory book. Something tells me that a sister will not have to wait very long before her brothers educate her in the art of skinny dipping in the backyard swimming pool.

Hope you are enjoying your summer and that you get the chance to skinny dip at least once.

Kim

Back Home....

2010-07-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great Fourth of July in Vermont with family. So what does a family of five do in Vermont with No TV, no internet, and no Wii? Somehow, we found lots to do........

We posed for pictures....

We raced...

We sat under a bridge, shootin' the breeze (with our cousin)

We skipped rocks....

We got wet

We crossed creeks (another cousin)

We went boating

We waited for fireworks (all the cousins and their dirty feet)

We let loose.....

It's amazing what you can find to do when you unplug yourself.

We hope you had a great 4th!

You Capture....hands

2010-07-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

This is my first time doing an assignment for You Capture. This week's topic was hands, chair, or green. I chose......

KIM

Poppy Dip

2010-06-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

It is Day 13 of our summer vacation and we've been busy....

picking strawberries

working on memory books for our sister

swimming

night swimming

catching (or at least trying, no success yet) fireflies

hosting a neighborhood swim party

while Dad was on a business trip

seeing Shrek 4

seeing Toy Story 3

going to camp

having a 10th birthday pool party

getting haircuts

watching a New England Revolution soccer game

going to a Red Sox game tonight

and......buying a Poppy Dip!

This family is raising money for their third adoption. The dresses are so adorable.....and yes...I now own 2 Poppy Dip dresses.

Keep checking on us....our 5 month waitiversary is coming soon........

10 years ago...

2010-06-29T04:17:00.000-07:00

This is a day that changed my life.

For the better.

In ways I am still discovering.

In the wee hours of the morning,

my oldest son,

came into the world.

He is a happy, easy going, smart kid who I can't get enough of.

He is already a great big brother.

I can't wait to see him be a big brother again

to his sister.

Love you N

Thinking

2010-06-26T04:40:00.000-07:00

Never be afraid to sit awhile and think.

~Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

I caught my youngest in a quiet moment the other morning. In the midst of backyard wiffle ball, swimming in the pool, picking strawberries, catching fireflies, and scratching bug bites, he found a moment to sit quietly by himself. I hope he never forgets how to do that.

Baby dolls

2010-06-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

This adoption process started for us in May 2009. Since that time, I have fought every urge to buy little girl stuff!!! I want to so bad. But I'm not going to. I want to wait. Maybe it sort of feels like I'm jinxing something, or getting ahead of myself.

We've even been waiting to organize our bedrooms so she will have her own. This summer our three boys will move into one bedroom to sleep. They will have another bedroom for their "stuff" and it will be called the boys lounge (into which a parent shall never enter). We'll post more on this room reorganization process later. But today, I wanted to show the ONE thing that I have purchased. OK, it's really two items. They were just so cute and I promise this is it until we get a referral.....

Cute...right? Ok, I'm done shopping for now. At least until I've seen the face of our sweet girl.

Kim

berry pickin'

2010-06-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

Day 4 and We Needed Some Good News

2010-06-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's not actually adoption news. Nothing to report on that front, only that we continue to wait (4 months and 11 days).

Our first week of summer continued in sadness, first Marlo (our dog) died on Thursday. On Friday I got word that my Grandpa, age 95, passed away too. I lost my grandpa and my kids lost their only living great grandparent.

this is my favorite picture of my grandpa when he was young, so handsome

My grandpa was the best. I remember him pretending to swallow his false teeth just to make me laugh. And he played the harmonica. I LOVED to sit and listen him to him play his harmonica. It feels like a piece of our family history is gone with him. We will miss our Grampy....

here is Grampy with my three boys a few years ago

So, we were all feeling pretty overwhelmed. But then on Friday night, my oldest son's baseball team, the Batavia Muckdogs, won a playoff game and advanced to the championship game. Our spirits were lifted. On Saturday, the Muckdogs WON that championship game!!! Somehow the loss of Marlo and Grampy gave way to a AAA Little League championship title. Boy did we need a little good news.....and the Muckdogs delivered. Congrats! You can watch a little bit of the celebration below.

MUCKDOGS VICTORY from Kim Norgren on Vimeo.

The 74 Days of Summer and a last goodbye to Marlo

2010-06-18T04:55:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation officially starts today at our house. We have 74 days of summer (I really counted). The boys and I wanted to invite you to stay tuned and share our fun this summer as we wait for a sister from Ethiopia. We start on June 18th and end on August 30 (back to school on 8/31). We're so ready for it. But first, we need just one more day to process the loss of Marlo, so please forgive one more post dedicated to her:

Marlo posing with the boys for a Christmas Card

Sadly, we begin DAY 1 of our summer dealing with the death of our dog Marlo. What a bittersweet day for our kids yesterday. It was their last day of school and they had to begin it by saying goodbye to our sweet Marlo. We told them what would be happening that day, we just didn't want them to be surprised. So amidst ice cream parties at school, signing yearbooks, and chanting on the bus ride home, my boys had heavy hearts.

Marlo in front of our house

And oddly enough, I think today, I am more sad than I was yesterday. As the time approached for the vet to come to our house (our fantastic vet made a house call so Marlo could rest in the comfort of her own home, we're SO thankful), I was filled with anxiety. I was questioning if it was the right thing to do, if there wasn't something else I could've done to make Marlo happier and healthier, etc.

N with Marlo

And when Marlo was gone, I finally cried and felt relief for her, and for me. The rest of the day the boys and I searched for pictures of Marlo to make a memory album and just kept busy.

C with Marlo, being very patient

But today, I woke up, and Marlo was GONE. We didn't have to carry her downstairs or feed her or walk her outside. Nothing. Just the empty little spot where she used to sleep. I'm sure it was the right thing to do. It was time for Marlo. But now I am just so sad.

J with Marlo

So, officially, vacation starts today. But at our house, the fun of summer will have to wait just one more day while we miss our little dog with the big spirit.

Little dog....big spirit

Marlo

2010-06-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

Our family has sad news to share. Our beloved dog, Marlo, has passed. She was 17 years old. And to say that she was just our dog would be a huge understatement.

Nils adopted Marlo when she was a puppy. I met Marlo when she was 2. She was with us through the birth of our 3 children. She weathered new cats and new dogs when they came into our family. She was the matriarch. Marlo was a best friend. I used to joke with Nils, when the boys were all little, that Marlo was sometimes my only "adult" interaction throughout the day.

We have 2 other dogs, and I'm sure will have more in the future. But there will never be a dog equal to Miss Marlo. She will be the standard against which we will measure all other dogs.

We love you Marlo, and miss you.

Just an interesting article

2010-06-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are in the process of adopting or already have your child home, you may have seen this before. But it is an interesting article for anyone. The woman who wrote it is an adoptive parent and an author. She wrote a book called There is No Me Without You. It's a fantastic book. Anyway, the link below is to an article she wrote about adopting from Ethiopia.

http://www.thereisnomewithoutyou.com/blog?op=view&id=4

Kim

Sitting here

2010-06-13T05:57:00.000-07:00

That's what I am doing. Just sitting here. I should be doing laundry, the dishes, working out, paying bills, making lists, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. But instead, I am sitting here, drinking my coffee, watching a movie at 8am. All of my boys are at a camping weekend and will return home in an hour or two. And I know then I will be thrown back into the dance of every day. So for now, nothing can get me off this couch, except more coffee.

Kim

So busy

2010-06-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Princess,

We have been so busy lately. C finished his last day of kindergarten and had his memory show, J had his science fair and spelling bee and N had his animal presentation and band concert. Mom and dad have been going to them all.

We have been watching 2 pretty little birds who come to our bird feeder. Those little birds make me think of a story I want to read to you one day called The Mulberry Bird.

Our birds even look like the Mulberry Bird a little bit.

We love you,

Mom

4 MONTHS

2010-06-09T04:51:00.000-07:00

So today is our 4 month waitiversary! And to celebrate, we have prepared our first lesson in Amharic for you. You will learn the numbers 1 - 4. Each month that we wait, we will add another. Before we start, just a bit about Amharic.

There are more than 80 different languages spoken in Ethiopia. Some of these are spoken by millions of Ethiopians, while others have just a few hundred speakers. Amharic is a Semitic language and the official language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. It is related to Hebrew and Arabic and is written using Amharic Fidel (not the letters we use). Amharic is only spoken in Ethiopia (and by Ethiopian emigrants around the world).

Ok, without further ado......

ONE = Ahnd

TWO = Hoolet

THREE = Sost

FOUR = Arat

Four months and counting ................stay tuned for number 5!

Kim

Mudroom

2010-06-07T07:45:00.000-07:00

There is a moment in my day when all seems right with the world. The boys are successfully off to school, I have my coffee, and my mudroom is clean. It might not look beautiful to you, but to me, it is a sight to behold. As a barometer of our lives, the mudroom is constantly in flux. Simply look at it, and you look into our life. Cleats, shoulder pads, helmets, shin guards and it's Fall. Basketballs and boots, we're in winter. Baseball bats, gloves and flip flops, Spring. The absence of back packs and permission slips and the addition of bug spray and sunscreen, means summer. It is a constant battle for me to keep this area clean. And really the goal is organized because clean might be asking too much.

7:00AM

As I look at our mudroom this morning, ahhhh, it's beautiful. But there is a certain calmness that is making me uneasy. It's as if the winds are just starting to kick up and the sky is an odd sort of color. The pressure in the atmosphere is changing. I can feel a shift in the force. And it tells me what I have been expecting. School is almost out. My daily moment of catching my breath, peace and quiet, clearing my head, call it what you like, is....over. At least until September. The mudroom will show signs of life every moment of the day. My mudroom and I are preparing for the storm, constant turbulence, and full time occupancy. We are preparing for the storm of summer vacation. And although our quiet moments together are on hold, my mudroom and I are ready. Bring on the sun and swimming, squirt gun fights and bug bites.

9:00am

I will miss my moment each day, but I wouldn't trade the memories that my boys and I will make this summer for anything.

kim

Write

2010-06-06T05:23:00.000-07:00

When I started writing this blog, I wanted to be able to keep my family and friends up to date with our adoption. I had never blogged before. I hadn't really ever read any other blogs either. But I like to write and it seemed like an efficient way to keep anyone who cared, up to date on our progress. There were so many things that we learned and are still learning about adoption and we wanted to be able to share that with our family and friends.

As time went on, I think it was my sister, who said to me how nice it would be for our future daughter to look back through the blog one day and see what it was like for us during that time. I realized then, that the words I was typing weren't just disappearing into the blogosphere (I was trying so hard to get that word into this post :) She might sit down one day and read them. I suddenly became hypersensitive to every word I wrote. What if something I wrote hurt her feelings or embarrasses her? I started to worry about it so much, that I didn't even want to write it anymore. Then, I had the idea to start writing to her. Maybe if I sprinkled in little letters to her, she would always know that I was thinking about HER and what she might think. And so far, so good, I'm still writing.

Writing the blog has drawn me slowly to blogs of other people in various stages of adopting. These blogs have become invaluable to me. It is a glimpse into a world over which we pre adoptive parents have little control. I can read about people who are waiting just like me. I can read about families who are home with their child already. It's a way to see what adoption looks like for real people on an every day basis. Reading their blogs, has inspired me to think about other adoptive parents when writing my blog. But after a while, I started to worry about writing for them too. What if I say something wrong or offensive? What if they disagree with me about something? I don't have the answer for myself right now. Only that as I get older, I realize that worrying too much about what other people think of you can become crippling and counterproductive. And so, I'm still writing.

Yesterday, our wonderful neighborhood had a block party. There were jumpy houses, slushy machines, Olympic games for the kids, saying goodbye to good friends and welcoming new ones. And as I was talking with a friend (also a writing enthusiast) about writing, she helped me remember how important it is to write. Not only to write for friends and family, for my future daughter, for other adoptive parents, but also for me. We moms often get lost in the details of our lives. The tornado of the morning routine, laundry, groceries, doctor appointments, permission slips, baseball practice, gets in the way of doing something that is not required, but simply enjoyed. I don't have to write this blog. I just love to. It's a way to remember myself every day. And while I hope people read it (I love to see the little red dots on my map), if they don't, I will still sit in front of my computer and write.

Writing on my computer, Cinnamon in the chair behind

Soak it up

2010-06-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

I'm always busy planning,

looking ahead,

crossing days of my calendar.

Today.....

I just want to

SOAK

Every little thing

(especially the little things)

Every second

Every last drop

Kim

Standing next to fear

2010-06-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, before my husband and I were married, we went on a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. I'm not exactly sure what I thought the river at the bottom of the Grand Canyon would be like (maybe a pleasant little stream that you could dangle you feet in), but I found out very quickly. And it was exceedingly greater than what I imagined. I actually heard it before I saw it. And after the 7 mile hike down to the river (that's another whole story because I was not the hiking type) seeing that powerful river, and realizing that getting on that powerful river was my only way out, scared me. I'm talking panic. But when you don't have a choice, you stand next to fear. And he did not leave my side that whole trip. Through unspeakable rapids, flash floods, and heat exhaustion, I stood next to fear. And the most amazing thing happened. At the end of the trip, the fear had gone and I was still there. Now, that rafting trip is a source of pride for me. I survived it. I did it scared. (and just a note about that trip...several members of my husband's family were on that trip with us and had the time of their lives. It was a dream vacation for most people on that trip. I am grateful for having gone, but mostly happy that I survived :)

Years later, pregnant with my first child, fear returned. There was a moment when I could not avoid the truth any more. At some point, the little person inside of me, had to come out. And I was the only who could get him out. There was no getting around it. And he was there again, fear. Right next to me. But I walked through that experience and emerged as a momma with a precious baby who changed my life. I survived it. I did it scared.

There have been other experiences that I have walked through on the arm of fear. And this adoption is no different. There are times when I am scared. Scared about flights half way around the world, leaving my current children at home, getting sick or hurt, money, the unknown. But this time, I have learned my lesson. The only way out of fear, is to walk right through it. So, I'm surviving it. I'm doing it scared. And just like the white water rafting, and the 3 labor and deliveries, this adoption will become one of the things I am most proud of having done. He can stand next to me all he wants, but Fear will not stop me.

Kim

We Know

2010-05-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

We know that international adoption is expensive
We know that there have been news stories about sterile, loveless, touchless orphanages.
We know that there is corruption in some international adoption.
We know our child could have emotional, physical and mental issues and challenges
We know that some people wait years to tell their adopted child that they are adopted.
We know reactive attachment disorder exists
We know it will be hard
We know our child will be black and we are white
We know there are bigots and racism in the world
We know people might stare at us
We know some people think families only adopt children so they can be like celebrities
We know you might have a horror story you've heard about adoption

We are educated, curious, and thoughtful people. We have researched international adoption for several years. We did not wake up one morning and think it might be a hoot to adopt. We do not take this lightly and we know that people have well intentioned concerns. We aren't adopting to get attention or to feel good about ourselves. This is a deeply personal decision that our family has made. We ~~think~~ know, that whatever difficult times, challenges, changes, etc. our family endures will be worth it. We know that adoption is not right for everyone. It is for us.

Kim

while we were waiting for you

2010-05-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Princess,

You have been growing in our hearts and we think about you all the time. We hope you are safe and warm. This summer when the brothers are out of school, we are going to keep a memory book of everything we do. And when you come home, you will be able to see what we were doing while we were waiting for you! We are talking about our trip to Ethiopia to meet you and thinking about how to decorate your bedroom.

Love Mom

6807 miles

Cookies fix almost everything

Ethiopia Post 2

Ethiopia Post 1

Happy Birthday to E!

That's too much dancing....

NYE 2011

Home

Here we go...

A Beautiful Mind

Guess who's coming home for Christmas???

Update

Just missing our girl....

The Lime Tree

We are back and she is ours!

On our way home...

Ethiopia Journal

Frankfurt.

2 DAYS and.....Thank you.

12 Days until we leave for Africa.....

N N J C E

Fun with Vaccinations

Updates

Life

School

Hurricane Irene

Visit to Charlotte NC, told through iphone texts

Lemonade Stand

Family Empowerment

Blog Slacking

Summer Update....Day 38

Day 28 of Summer and 5 visas!

Letter to Adoption Related Paperwork

Day 16

R*E*F*E*R*R*A*L

A Watched Pot Never Boils....

Hold on to your Hats.....

Day 1 of Summer

Asra Sidist...sixteen months

Guest Post

Stink Eye

Asra Amist....15 months!

Report from PEAR (Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform)

It's my blog and I can post what I want to.

Asra Arat

Lessons from Lois

13 l o n g months

We can't go back now

12 months waiting.....

Happy Birthday to "C" AND You can dress 'em up but......

Found a gold mine.....

Welcome 2011

ASIR = 10....month 10 of our wait

Lois Howl

9 Months.....Zetain

8 months....SIMINT

Waiting is hard. Wicked hard.

7 MONTHS!

It's gone....

It's not over yet......

Summer countdown...day 64

The Ice Cream Ball

Look who's 9 today......

6 Months

Day 49 of summer and the bathroom is green

Patience and Waiting

You Capture....Play

Making progress....

Vacation

Pause

Day 27...Memory Books

Just waiting

5 MONTHS.......and skinny dippin'

Back Home....

You Capture....hands

Poppy Dip

10 years ago...

Thinking

Baby dolls

berry pickin'

REFERRA*L