Home At Last!

A week ago today, the hangar doors opened, and in walked Jon. It was a long deployment, and its so good to have him home!

Talent Show....

I'm hoping to be able to post video soon, of the Talent Show last night... Leyton and Selina put on a great show of Ethiopian Dance.... The did a great job, I'm very proud of the totally shy, Selina, who literally ran off the stage after the dress rehearsal in utter embarrassment, on Tuesday... lol She held it together, but didn't take her time leaving the stage, after the performance! I will try to get it up soon!

Adoption Symposium...

The kids and I spent all day Saturday, representing AAI at the annual Adoption Symposium here. It was great to see so many folks considering Ethiopia, and adoption in general. We had a pretty good turn out, lots of information, and made a few really good connections. I need to get on the ball with the Ethiopian gathering this summer... There were a few families there, that I didn't know, with children from ET... I'm looking forward to a good turnout and lots of fun!

Bike riding diaries.... take one...

So, living in Germany, where everyone rides a bike... The girls are dying to learn how to ride. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any training wheels that will fit a bike big enough to fit them! And at over 100lbs, each, they are hard to hold up. Jon tried to teach them last summer before he left... but it proved to be more of a challenge than we expected. The girls constantly want to back pedal, or watch their feet, instead of where they are going... The lessons were short lived as we all became frustrated with their lack of progress...

Fast forward 8 months... and they tell me yesterday that they really want to learn to ride a bike. So we are at it again... Keep your fingers crossed....

Here in Germany, (and maybe in the States now, since I've been away nearly 11 years, and out of the loop!) they have these 'starter bikes' without pedals... more of a tool to perfect balance, before moving a kid on to the next step. Of course they only make them for 3 year olds....
I had a bright idea yesterday, to let the girls try that with Leytons bike, which is shorter and easier to control. They spent a few hours trying to keep their balance, and I have to say, it was quite entertaining.... They will need a few more lessons, for sure... but I think now, they understand what they were doing wrong last year.

I have lots of excuses... which one do you want???

I can't believe that I logged in here today, and realized that I haven't posted a thing since before my trip! So I guess I'll do a quick recap, and post some long awaited pics!
It was nice to have my mom here for Christmas, and she was able to stay until January, when I returned from Ethiopia.



My trip was great... The Holiday Project was a huge success, and there were lots of smiling faces in Addis!
















I was able to visit Mukatore this time, a small town to the north, that is home to some of AAI's Sponsorship kids... I raised money for a Christmas Feast, for the children and their families. We were surprised when we arrived to learn that a news crew for Oromiya national television would be there to film the ceremony and wanted me to make a speach! Needless to say, I'm not a very good public speaker, and to be put on the spot like that made me even more nervous! But with Jeri's help, I got through it... and even got to eat goat on tv.... how nice. The feast was great, and the kids were very appreciative.... They put on a show of songs and dance.

















While there, I rescued 2 tiny puppies from a trash heap and the girls and I nursed them to back to health... They are now at Layla House with the kids. Meet "Buttin (as in Butt in the air)" and "Lu-lu (as in looks like a panda)" whose names have been changed to protect their identities...





It was bittersweet, meeting with my Sponsorship kids this time... When I arrived, I found out, that Yeninesh, the sweet little sister, was hit by a car and killed a week or two before. The mother finally came to the city from the countryside, and it was nice to meet her after 3 years. The boys have grown so much... scroll back a few years to my first meeting with them!




It was great to catch up with old friends, and nice to meet some new ones. As a hazard to this job, I always have my heart stolen by a child or two... and this time was no different... I long to go back.



For me, my trips to Ethiopia are always eye-opening, and life-changing... There is always some part of my trip that has me thinking about what else I can do... Wouldn't it be nice to find a job that would pay me to go there and do something good? If you are reading this, consider heading to Ethiopia to volunteer your time with the kids... You will not regret it.











Elena was up to the challenge of capturing a portrait of every child again this year...



The volunteers were invited to a traditional Coffee ceremony with the staff at Layla House... it was very nice.



I was on the road a lot this trip, and made it to Nazret to visit Selina's family, too... Here are some pics of the trip...












Jon came home on R & R in February... We all packed up and headed to the Alps for some snow-fun...

















Ava was 'daddy's little girl', while he was here, and it was really great to have him home, even if it was only 14 days.























We made Ethiopian dinner for Liya's birthday, and had some friends over... unfortunately, I only got pics of the food....







Leyton joined CubScouts, and has been busy catching up, since he came in late... He has earned his Bobcat and Tiger Badge, and competed in the Pinewood Derby.





















Leyton has also been busy loosing teeth.... geesh, the tooth fairy will be poor before you know it!




The girls celebrated their first Easter at home, with Egg dying and hunting...



















Liya and Selina both received cameras for Christmas, and have been busy capturing some great shots... (mostly of themselves, and the posters on their walls... but here are a few worth posting... ) They've also been taking guitar lessons... I'm hoping to hear something recognizable soon...































Last week, we went to Belgium to the beach for spring break... it was a bit cool... but I love the beach, no matter the weather! We had a good time....