Apple Picking!

A couple of weeks ago we went apple picking at our favorite fruit farm. We actually weren't supposed to go until the first week of September, but we got an update from the fruit farm saying that because of the weather, they were moving up the apple picking of our favorite, Honeycrisp, one week.

Picking for Honeycrisp apples is REALLY popular around here. It's usually from Friday to Sunday. People who wait until Sunday though usually don't get much pickings at all. So Friday morning we were up and ready to get our apples. 

Although this was Eva's second year going apple picking, she understood it a lot more this year and was excited to actually pull the apples off the trees. Even though we got there mid-morning, the place was starting to fill up fast!

We got our 2 bushel bags and starting filling them up :-)

Taking a quick break

Okay....ready to pick some more apples!

 

 We had such a good time. Eva found a stick, got to pick some apples........by herself and with her Dad. John got to eat apples off the trees, and I had fun taking pics the whole time. This was possibly our last apple picking season....at least for a few years. Maybe we'll be able to come back after Baby "B" is home with us and give her the whole apple picking experience. In Florida, they're all about the oranges.

Melkam Addis Amet 2005!

Happy New Year.....in Ethiopia!! 

While the majority of the world celebrates New Year on January 1, the country of Ethiopia celebrate their New Year on September 11. It marks the end of the rainy season and the beginning of spring. While we use the Gregorian calendar, Ethiopia uses the Orthodox Julian calendar which is 12 months of 30 days and then a 13th month of 5 days. That leaves a 7 to 8 year gap between our calendar and their calendar. So while we are very much in the year of 2012, Ethiopia is celebrating the New Year of 2005.....just think about how old you were and what was going on in your life 7 years ago :-)

This past weekend we went to an Ethiopian Festival (Enkutatash) to help celebrate the New Year with the Ethiopian community. It was an all day festival. There were a group of Ethiopian girls that did several dancing/singing routines throughout the day.

There were 2 tables that sold Ethiopian clothes, jewelry and home decor. But the best part of all was lunch!! Doro Wat. Red lentils. Yellow lentils. Salad. Cabbage and potatoes. Rice. And most important...injera. In traditional Ethiopian custom, we had some kaffa (coffee) afterwards. Strong, smooth tasting, and oh-so good!

I think what really made the celebration special was that other representations of countries were there as well: Burma, Nepal, Cameroon, Eritrea, Somalia. It was really beautiful to see the support and love. We all had a wonderful time. It was important for us to attend this year as this will be the last year we will celebrate Enkutatash here with our friends. Our prayer is that by this time next year we will be in Florida celebrating with a whole new Ethiopian community and group of friends.
 

 

Has It Already Been 18 Months?

Today is a very special day. Not only is our beautiful little girl 2 1/2 years old, but she has also been home with us EXACTLY 1 1/2 years now!! I can hardly believe the time has flown by so quickly. I remember the cute chubbiness that was in her cheeks and legs. Now she's starting to become thin and lean. And even though she will probably be petite (like her BM - birthmom) it's so amazing watching her getting taller. 

Everyday has been an absolute miracle. Obviously both Eva and myself have had our fair share of not-so-great moments: her screaming, crying and fit-throwing, my screaming, crying and fit-throwing. There were a lot of days that started off terrible and ended on a good note and a lot of days that started off great and ended terribly. Neither one of us is perfect and everyday I have to ask God's forgiveness and ask Him to make me a better person, a better mother for the next day. Even after a year and a half, we are still learning about each other each and every day. I wouldn't change a thing. 

Eva is such a strong person. I often forget how much she had to fight just to survive, so when we butt heads and she's fighting me, it's usually John that has to remind me that it is the fighter in her coming out! That also brings out even more of the pride I feel for her. Already she wants to be so independent, the very thing her BM said she would like for her. I just pray that I can continue to instill in her that feeling of independence so that she can grow to be a strong, vibrant, caring young woman. 

I thank and praise God for giving me this wonderful person to be responsible for. She is such a gift and has taught me so much about myself. She's helped me to sometimes ask myself the hard questions and answer them. Sometimes she will say something that I KNOW is not anything that she's been taught or heard of before and I KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT I KNOW that it is God teaching me through her. 

To hear her speaking in full sentences, having conversation just blows my mind!When I hear her reason something through or mirror something back to me that I've just explained to her, it is nothing short of God's goodness! We feel truly blessed to be Eva's parents and to this day we look at her in awe and amazement feeling a bit surreal still after all this time that she is here with us. Out of the millions of orphans in this world, God divinely planned her for this family. She is the perfect fit!!