Another fabulous day...

Today started with a happy wake up... although I wonder if they thought
they were dreaming before! The kids all were happy to wake up and put
on their new clothes! After that we had breakfast at the Hilton... it
was delicious and the kids were so glad to have injera, tibs and doro
wat... at the buffet their eyes lit up and we were so glad to have
someone explain buffets to them in Amharic! They also tried pancakes
and thought they were good too! After that we went to CWA office to
sign paper and pay the remaining fees. I was very glad to get rid of
the money and the paperwork was easy! The kids had fun playing with
their old friends and speaking Amharic. We saw many interesting things
while doing the paperwork like donkeys, kids (little ones) carrying full
kegs, people selling spices, tires, clothes and underwear... it was so
much fun! When we returned to the hotel we had hamburgers (for the
first time) and then went to do some shopping. We needed some BIG
Amharic/English dictionaries and some other books in both Amharic and
English. We now have Cinderella in Amharic. We also bought some balls
and jump ropes for CWA -- the kids were in need of some toys! One of
the highlights of the day was visiting Ben's cousins Ethiopian family
and taking presents! That was truly a memorable and fantastic
experience. It was also the first time that our kids really started
talking to each other and getting animated! We got to tell Grandma all
the great things that are happening for the kids in America and she was
so glad to know they were doing well! It was unforgettable! After that
we went to a great Italian restaurant where our driver translated for us
as we asked the kids all sorts of questions about their mom and their
house and school -- it was so cool. The kids most wanted us to know
that they want to go to church! Maybe we will go on Sunday after all.
We are SO blessed! Marta Grace told us that in Wolayta she sang in her
church choir and wants to sing again! We told her that she can learn to
play the piano too! :) Life is good! Addisu and Esrael Jakob are doing
great! Addisu chose to read the Amharic dictionary instead of swim
tonight while Esrael Jacob went crazy in the pool! It was so fun to
watch! Aunt Rebecca has been fabulous and we are having so much fun
with her! Tomorrow is a visit to a museum and then our Embassy
appointment where we will get the kids visas and then go get our German
transit visas.. after that we will go to a dance show. Seriously, never
in my wildest dreams did I dream it would be so good! I know that this
is probably just the Honeymoon period -- but it is a blast!!!! Have a
great day friends!
Love,
Brooke

Walking towards home

These were some of our first moments all together!

Words cannot explain...

Truly today was one of the best days of my life.  I was praying that God would prepare me so that if our reception was luke warm... I would not be disappointed.  That was not necessary!  We walked in the gates to the care center and were met by a smiling Addisu who attacked me with kisses and hugs and I love you Mommies... It was truly incredible.  He and Daddy hugged and both cried for several minutes.  Esrael was next with a HUGE smile and more kisses and hugs.  Oh, he and Danny are going to be trouble! :)  After going on a tour of their "compound" we then walked to find Marta.  That girl has the most beautiful smile and she and Lilly are going to have so much fun together.  The reception that we got was again one of the most amazing moments ever.  She kissed and hugged me for at least 3 minutes then moved to Daddy.  It was wonderful!  We then toured Marta's home and saw how much she will be missed.  As we prepared to leave the girls area the nannies prayed over the kids which was a holy experience if ever I had one... When we got back to the hotel we had a lot of firsts...

• elevator ride - Marta and Esrael still are grabbing the bar each time, although Esrael has figured out the buttons and is enjoying that
• swimming - seriously hysterical!  We will be starting swimming lessons soon
• fruit juices from the fruit bar in GLASSES!
• dinner at a restaurant WITH pop
• pajamas (I think)
• beauty salon - Marta has a gorgeous head of hair
• putting together a puzzle - thanks Paige, Amy, Andrea and Pam
• Watching ESPN
• Talking to Danny and Lilly and Grandma on the phone - that was so cool
• playing on the toys at the Hilton - they ALL loved the slide, even though we had to make :) Addisu try it!

I don't even know what else to say... other than we have 6 amazing children - Thank you, Jesus

I don't know where the pictures are, but we will post them later today!  Love you all... please keep praying as we continue our adventure.  Esrael has a bad cold and we are going to find meds today.  Ben, Rebecca and I are feeling better and pray that we continue to feel good!

P.S.

Can someone (Mom, Dad, Jan) email me if you see this posted on the
website? I want to make sure the email posts are working.

Thanks!

Also, more photos are uploading to my Flickr account right now:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nerdygirl/.

I probably won't get to
captions tonight, but they sort of tell the story on their own (they are
shown in reverse chronological order).

Rebecca

Big day!

Brooke's sister here... I'm not sure if the emailed blog posts are
working, but figured I'd give it a go today anyhow because today was so
exciting.

We went and picked up the kids today! They are absolutely wonderful, as
expected. I think they're also a bit overwhelmed, but that was also
expected. Brooke and Ben are both extremely happy. This is definitely
the smilingest day I've had in a long, long time. Although Addisu and
Marta speak some English, it's still difficult to explain a lot of
things (snow, for instance). Most of the communication today has
consisted of smiles, hugs, and kisses -- lots of kisses from Marta!

We didn't do much other than drive over to CWA, pick up the kids, and
come back to the hotel/resort. Brooke, Ben and the kids went swimming,
but I was rounding up sunblock and sneaking in a quick snack, so I
missed it. Dinner involved a lot of attempts to explain things that
usually ended in laughter. I think it's wonderful how much Addisu,
Marta, and Esrael all smile their beautiful smiles. They seem to have
good senses of humor, too, which will help the transition a lot, I
think. The kids all like pizza and Esrael really likes french fries.

Unfortunately, we only have internet access in my hotel room, so you'll
have to wait for a first-hand account of the day from Brooke. They are
all upstairs in their room, bonding, watching TV and by now, probably
sleeping. Tomorrow, we head out to do paper work type things and will
probably do some shopping or fit in another activity. I don't think
we've decided exactly what yet, but it will undoubtedly be very
interesting and new!

Lots of love to my other nephew and nieces, and anyone else who happens
along. What an amazing day!

Delayed. Ugh.

We are sitting here in lovely DC waiting!!! We are PRAYING that we make our connection to Addis in the morning. We have 55 minutes to do it -- if everything is on time! We are fairly certain our luggage will be later in arriving, maybe a day or two... RATS! Ben is feeling cruddy, probably a stomach bug that Danny had earlier this week - pray that he gets better QUICKLY! We are still feeling pretty good and very excited!

Giddy, nervous, tired, excited and frustrated are the emotions we have been through today -- the good thing is that when the 3 of are tired we think we are HYSTERICAL, the other passengers haven't been so sure! Alvin and The Chipmunks showed on our last flight... Danny and Lilly we can't wait to watch it with all you kids when we get home. Do you think Addisu, Marta, and Esrael will like it too?

We are so glad to be here and cannot believe that we will be there soon -- Do you know the song 'Here I am Lord' that is what keeps going through my head --

Pray for plenty of connection times and that all our bags get to Addis! :)

Love,
Ben and Brooke

PS... Danny, Lilly and Addy - We love you and can't wait to call you on the phone to let you talk to the kids!!! Be good for Grandma and Grandpa and have fun at the movies tomorrow!

We are on our way...

Right now we are sitting in the Portland airport waiting... our flight is delayed 2 hours BUT we will still make our connecting flight to Frankfurt... we hope! Be praying for continued travel blessings. We were so thankful this morning that even though our flight was delayed they waived our extra baggage fees which saved us $180 - woo hoo! I can't believe that we are here... how many times have I said that? My sister is traveling with us and she too keeps saying that. I am so glad that she is here and can't believe that we will get to spend this time together. I think this may be the most uninterrupted time we will have spent together in 14 years... when Pearl Jam was still cool.

We just got to talk to the blond kids... they are doing great! They all are having fun with Grandma and Grandpa and they slept great! I am so glad!

The bad news of the day is that I forgot my hair curler for my bangs. It is this velcro-thingy that I wear each morning to give my bangs a bit of "curl." Pretty much everyone I see each morning, including the ladies at Some Bagels" get to see my hair curler... but no longer! I have about 30 of them and they are ALL at home, or in the car, or in my purse, or -- you get the picture! So this morning I borrowed scissors from the front desk guy and did a little trim job! It is not pretty (sorry, Kristen). My sister said that it looks like I cut my hair at 5 am... ooops! Ben and Rebecca have also entertained themselves with a whole William Hung (the guy from American Idol a couple years ago) comedy routine about my hair... oh well! :)


We would love to hear your comments... they will take a while to appear, but we are excited to hear from you all!


Boys and Girls at school... be good today! Smile for Ms. B and get to WORK!!!

My To Do List is GONE!!!

I just finished deleting my To Do List!!!!  I can’t believe it!  My bags are packed, my kids are taken care of, work is finished, the grocery list is made.  I don’t know what I would do without my friends who are taking care of us while we are gone!  J  One friend is off to Costco, another is watering plants, another is cleaning our house, another is coming to make us dinner for when we get home on Saturday AND make sure our house is perfect! J  My friend Kelly offered to clean out my fridge while we are gone because I never got it done…  I have FABULOUS friends! J  Ben’s parents are keeping an eye on the dogs AND the kids!  WOW!  We are blessed!

 

So my To Do List is gone and we are on our way…

 

Stay tuned for more!

 

Love,

Ben and Brooke

Verse for the day

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
         And He delights in his way.

Psalm 37:23 

 

 

To My Students

Hello Boys and Girls,

I wanted to remind you to be super good for Ms. B while I am gone.  Remember to listen well and work hard!  I can’t wait to show you the pictures from our trip.  I will see you in April!

Love,

Mrs. S.