And off we go...

Here is our little sweet one again!

Many of you have asked what happens now so thought I would give you the update....

The next step in the process will be getting her birth certificate. Once that is obtained, the process will be started to obtain her Ethiopian passport. Then paperwork will be submitted to the U.S. Embassy and we will wait for an appointment with the U.S. embassy. That is the appointment we will be in Ethiopia for. We will receive her visa to travel then. All of this is not done by us but by our agency and others.

We hope to travel in May or June but these things like all others are out of our control. So in the mean time we will be preparing ourselves for her arrival. There is a room to paint, things to buy, books to read and enjoying our last days as we three kings. We can't wait til we our WE FOUR KINGS!

Introducing.....

Terefech!!!!

Today we passed court in Ethiopia. That means that legally, in the eyes of the Ethiopian government, Terefech is our daughter. We are so thrilled!!! We hope to travel to bring her home somewhere between late May to mid June.

African Children's Choir

Last night we saw the amazing African Children's Choir. What a wonderful night it was to see

children with such gifts for music and dance. Declan was mesmerized by the drumming which the children do. They told amazing stories of what their program Music for Life can do for children. Some of the former choir members were there as adult performers. They all had attended college or were in the midst. The only reason they received an education was through the Music for Life program.

Rich and I really enjoyed the performance, as much or more than Declan. I love that the kids were still kids out there. They weren't perfect all the time but it didn't seem to faze them. They danced and sang with joy and exuberance. There were songs and dance from many different countries in Africa (the kids are from a variety of countries) and what an education it was to see the different native costumes, drumming and dances from each.

If they are in your city, be sure to attend the performance. You receive a great night out, your children have a learning experience and you are helping provide hope for children in Africa.

www.africanchildrenschoir.com

Just needed

a little warmth and beach time. It has been unseasonally cold here. I know for the rest of you it isn't a big deal but it is supposed to be warm here in the Carolinas. It hasn't been. I am not supposed to have to warm my car up in the morning or wear a winter coat for months on end!!! So, I am pretending I am at the beach presently! Hope Evan doesn't bring snow.

well said...

As most of you know, I like to talk. Somehow that never translates to paper. I now rely on others to say it for me...
http://blessingsfromethiopia.blogspot.com/2010/02/question-i-get-asked-whole-heck-of-lot.html

Snow day activities

Our cheese factory that we built today. All those people in line are waiting for free cheese samples.
We built a snowboarding course for all the playmobil people, notice the tight hairpin turn!

I got to wear my boots!!!

Snow day in North Carolina!!! If you can't tell, we got 2 inches...followed by sleet and freezing rain which kind of ruined the fun.

The early a.m. look of our backyard.

Declan having a snack. There wasn't much fun to be had, the snow was hard and icy.


Our lovely house in the snow....

No school on Monday...yea!

Mushroom harvest

Rich got mushrooms for Christmas and we have had our first harvest. Nice to have some fresh, homegrown food in the middle of winter! They are yummy!

I have read about....

the talk about adopting orphans from Haiti. A blogger that I follow, blessings from ethiopia, has a great point. If you are moved to adopt from Haiti, there are other places where there are many children in need. As you may have read, there is a call for a moratorium on adoptions from Haiti and rightfully so. Many things need to be done before children are able to be adopted. But you can help. If adoption isn't your thing, think about sponsoring a child through an organization like Compassion International. For just a small amount each month, you can change the life of a child. You can help them get an education which may make a monumental difference in the quality of their life. So, think about what you can do to help children everywhere....

And just a few updates on us...

Rich and his new reading glasses!

Declan enjoying the fruits of his newest hobby, Lego.

Declan had to have one last dress up in Daddy's mass casualty gear before he had to give it back. He is now a nurse!!!

The holidays...

A direct quote, "I cannot believe what my eyes are seeing..." or something like that!

And here is what he saw....
Yes, Santa is a little nutty. But for those of you who know Declan understand that Santa picked his present perfectly. He loves music and lately has a special like for the big 80s music so you can see how the drums fit right in. He never asks for the usual stuff (previous years have been bongos and an electric pencil sharpener)...

One of our favorite parts of the season...Suza and Brandon.

A family shot before part of the family moves to the other side of the planet!

Declan got many things to make for the holidays (thank you to everyone for that). He has quite an interest in space. Here he is painting a rocket that we cast ourselves.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!