Christmas is coming!

It has been quite some time since I have posted and we have been pretty busy as we await Christmas, which is fast approaching! Rather than boring anyone with our day to day details, I decided to post a number of photos to see what we have been up to and how much Tarike is growing (not surprising when you look at the food pictures!!). As a quick summary, Tarike eats often and a lot (quite often what goes in her mouth is not food - she likes to carry her stuffed animals in her mouth as well), our Christmas tree
search was a wonderful success, we had a great time at the water park for a cousin's birthday, and Tarike turned one, learned that Santa is not yet her favorite person, and believes that she is ready for her driver's license!! All in all, it is rarely a dull moment around here and that is (usually) just the way we like it!! Have a wonderful Christmas!!! God bless!

Fantastic Fall!

I'm finding that it is getting more and more difficult to post on this blog! I have a few minutes now while Tarike is sleeping, I thought I would post some pictures from Halloween, and other fall activities. We had a great time at the apple orchard last month with some good friends. It was the first time I had been to an apple orchard without freezing. It was a gorgeous day! I love field trips!! (probably more than the kids)

We were also able to spend Halloween with friends from our former neighborhood. It is so much fun to reconnect. I wish we could move everyone here with us! Hopefully, the won't get tired of us visiting!

We have had such a wonderful fall. I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the amazing leaves this year. We were out a lot and our home is surrounded by fiery maple trees. We are continually amazed with the beauty all around us! I am sad to see winter taking over because the beautiful leaves are gone and I know that the snow is coming. This attitude, however, is not shared by the rest of my family. The boys are asking me if I would please pray for snow, even if I don't really want it! It is a good thing that I have my children to help me enjoy every season! It is always good to see life through others lives to help appreciate the blessings we have been given!

A life dedicated to the Lord!

Tarike was baptized this weekend! It was wonderful and beautiful! I think Tarike just wanted to play in the water, but she did a great job. Our pastor said some very thoughtful words and after the service, we had a wonderful day spent with much of our family and a few close friends. We have certainly been blessed!

I have included photos of the baptism and a photo of my baby girl who, it is becoming more and more clear, has very little chance of being very "girly". Maybe she will let us get her a pink dirt bike!

It's a (busy) Wonderful Life!

I know that I have not updated lately but we have been very busy!! We started school and it is actually going better than I had thought it would. Tarike is now sleeping typically two one-hour naps each day so we do our reading time then. The boys are SO amazing with her and are always offering to help. We even made it to a movie tonight, all seven of us! I can't believe we have only been home for one month - Tarike fits so perfectly into our lives. I give a lot of credit to all of our wonderful, supportive friends and family who have been lifting us up in prayer! Thank you!!

So, these photos consist of Jack's first Twins game (it was a great win!), the boys' birthdays, our latest family photos, and our new friend. We watched this fox listen to and pounce on a mouse until he finally caught it! It was so much fun - I love living in the woods!!

Photos of Ethiopia Guest Houses

Here are some pictures of the CHSFS guest houses where we stayed in Ethiopia. This post is primarily for those who are going to Ethiopia to bring home thier child(ren) although others may be interested to see the luxury to which we were treated (as compared to the majority of Ethiopians. The first photos are of the "traditional" guest house starting with the kitchen. The bedrooms shown are 209 and 210. The bathroom is the private bathroom in the first bedroom. Finally, the living area. The next photo is of the dining area in the large guest house - which really is very large! There are two pictures of the gathering (living) areas, one of the common kitchen and, finally, the area in which they prepare our meals. I hope it helps those of you who are about to travel!! Have a wonderful trip!!!

We are home!

We are finally home! It was an amazing trip - with ups and downs. From our experience it was not a "vacation" but we learned a lot and brought back a fantastic souvenir!! Tarike is wonderful! She has a bit of a cold and we are all working on getting our schedules set but she is still typically quite happy and content. All of the boys are doing a wonderful job helping with their little sister - she is a very popular member of our family! I can't wait to introduce her to everyone!

The pictures that I have posted (somewhat randomly) are of some of the sights and people that we saw on our trip. The drive south was beautiful! It is truly amazing how lush and green Ethiopia is. Unfortunately, the population is so high that each families individual land is not enough to feed them adequately - it is known as "the green famine". One of the pictures is of part of a buffet that we were taken to - yes, it is a plate full of hunks of raw meet! Not terribly appetizing! But, we were able to watch some beautiful Ethiopian dancers! The people of Ethiopia were all very friendly, especially the children who, despite all that they are going through, tend to be very happy and LOVE to have their picture taken and then see themselves on the camara! We toured two orphanages in addition to the care center where Tarike was. So many children and babies who need homes - it was hard to come home with just one!! There were babies there as young as 1 month old! All of the children were extremely well cared for and very loved! Thank you all who helped with donations. It was so much fun to give so much to a place that I know will use it well!

So much happened in just one week! I'm sure that it will be an experience that none of us will ever forget!