Reflection Series - Ethiopia Trip 1 - Day 4

A good night's sleep. A surprise morning visit with Eva. Fantastic lunch with new friends. Shopping. A nice leisurely day in Ethiopia.

I so miss that great group of people that we met on our trip(s) to Ethiopia. I'm so glad that we are able to stay connected (through Facebook) but I really miss being able to socialize with them and see their kids. We share a special bond.

Reflection Series - Ethiopia Trip 1 - Day 3

On this day 1 year ago, it was all about being at HH. Hannah's Hope is so beautiful and the Special Mothers are so wonderful. At this point a year ago, Eva was still not happy to see us......not one little bit! But it was also the day that we learned about Eva's routine, toured HH and came to peace with Eva rejecting us.

Fast foward one year: she's my little sidekick. It's so amazing to see how she was with us then, and how much we've bonded with her now. She's such an amazing girl!!

Reflection Series - Ethiopia Trip 1 - Day 2

January 29, 2011: Morning time in Ethiopia. And we were making our descent in Addis Ababa, the capital city. After all the sleeping I had done on the plane, I couldn't believe that we were actually landing in Ethiopia. It's officially been the farthest that I've traveled. It was a gorgeous day.

We couldn't believe that after 18+ months of paperwork, interviews, fingerprints, and waiting, we were finally in the country where our daughter was born. It was truly an exciting day. I remember it vividly.

Here's what happened on that day.

Today, I marvel at my daughter. She couldn't stand to be around us a year ago....truly. She would cry and scream the second we walked into her room at HH. And now I hear "Good morning Mama" and "Night, night Mama". I get hugs and kisses all throughout the day. It is so amazing the changes that can happen in a year.

Reflection Series - Ethiopia Trip 1 - Day 1

These next several blog posts are going to be reflecting back on where we were and what we were doing exactly one year ago. We were a family of 2 soon to become a family of 3!


Last year, on this day, John & I headed off to Ethiopia for the first time. I was excited, nervous, anxious, and restless all at the same time. I felt like I could jump out of my skin (and that's a weird feeling) J I had never been on a flight longer than 6 hours and was nervous about the 12 hour flight.


That day was the beginning of the rest of our lives never being the same again. Being in Ethiopia. Stepping foot onto a continent and into a country that I had learned just several months prior was where my maternal Grandfather came from. Words cannot begin to describe the feelings that overtake you. Priceless!

Read all about that day here when we made our way across the Atlantic Ocean.

First Snowfall

About 10 days ago, we had a slight snowfall. It may have lasted for a day but the snowflakes were big enough for Eva to get excited about. She kept saying "Cold. Cold!"

Happy New Year! Melkam Gena 2012!

Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed holiday season. We spent our New Year at home just the 3 of us. I had a secret plan to keep Eva up until midnight, partly to see if she could stay up and partly because I really wanted to hoop, holler, and cheer with her when the ball dropped. John talked me out of it and Eva went to bed around 9:30 that night.

I don't ever remember being this excited to bring in the New Year. I was jumping up and down, quietly cheering. Maybe it had to do with that beautiful baby sleeping upstairs in her bed. Maybe it had to do with how blessed I felt in that moment (and still do). Maybe it had to do with the adventure and journey that we're on with this 2nd adoption and how far it will take us during this calendar year. Whatever it may be, I welcome it and look forward to everything God has in store for me and for us as a couple and as a family.

Melkam Gena! Today is also the day that Ethiopia celebrates Christmas. Ethiopians follow a different calendar than we do here....there is a 7-year gap between ours and theirs. So they are actually following the calendar year for 2004! There has been much celebration today. This is also the day where their 40-day fast ends. The morning begins with huge service and then everyone breaks their fast with a large meal consisting of meat and injera.

Unfortunately, we did not celebrate Melkam Gena this year. We did, however, already discuss how we plan to incorporate celebrating it next year and the new traditions that Eva will have.

Over the Christmas holiday, we spent 10 days in sunny, beautiful Florida. Of those 10 days, there were only 2 or 3 days where it either rained all day or was in the 40s. These are some of our favorite pics taken over the course of our holiday. Enjoy!   

She's not even 2 yet, and already she's starting to look grown. Oh my!!

Eva just woke up from her nap and had the munchies. She loved snacking on her pizza! We were outside on the lanai. The sound of the water fountain was heaven!

This is one of my absolute favorite pics! Eva is sitting with her Gaia while she reads T'was The Night Before Christmas to her. This was actually on Christmas Eve. So blessed to be able to capture this moment. Eva LOVES being read to.

Some of my parents' friends dropped by the day after Christmas to meet Eva. One of them also came bearing gifts for her. And Eva thought she was done opening gifts! It's a little laptop computer where the little mouse actually moves. See her little right hand? My girl is serious about listening to the music on her new toy 

Eva and her Poppi watching Dora the Explorer. My dad had no clue about Dora before this trip. He is quickly becoming an expert and has actually learned a couple of spanish words. Go Dad!!

Everyday my dad practices playing his bass guitar. He sounds really good....and Eva thinks so too. What makes this picture really cute is the fact that her jammies that she's wearing say Girls Rock and the "i " in girls and the "o" in rock make a guitar! Eva helped her Poppi practice the whole vacation 

Just waking up in the morning, munching on her cereal and drinking milk in her sippy cup. What's on TV? What else? Dora! Life is good 

There is a community being developed very close to the community where my parents live. It's perfect for us. We visited it back in August and were anxious to see it again. One of the models has a swingset in the backyard. Eva made sure Daddy made a beeline right to it.

This picture was taken the day defore we left. Since her first ride in the golf cart, Eva was hooked and asked for a "ride" everyday thereafter. Unfortunately we couldn't some days, but Gaia was not about to let her Eva go back home without one more ride. This day we left in the evening to see the sunset and to try to find the moon. We also got lucky and found some Christmas lights too!