Boo's Birthday

Believe it or not, my "baby" is 8!  (This is particularly momentous to her because she no longer has to ride in a booster seat)  We recently celebrated with a party of friends.  It's so fun to watch her with her peers.  Boo's always been my more independent child, willing to play on her own.  She has begun to branch out and find some friends of her own and yes, to navigate the complex friendships of girls.  Here is the party crew down below.
 

Boo still loves her imagination and the limitless possibilities it will provide.  It's not uncommon to see her outside making pud pies for her doll or practicing her ninja skills on the trampoline.  She always has a song in her heart and on her tongue, whether or not she thinks anyone is listening.  Delightful!  Above she is pictured with her doll, Kara, who is modeling the new clothes that Grandma made for her.  Boo also loves to do her hair.

And finally, Boo wanted to get her ears pierced for her birthday.  She'd had them years ago but eventually let them close up.  Now she feels "big enough" to enjoy them and take care of them on her own.  We made the trip to the store and she nervously sat to have them done.  As soon as the first one was in, she emphatically declared that it didn't hurt at all.  About five minutes after they were finished, she started to change her mind. :)  I love the earrings she chose, little hearts with crystals in the middle.  They are just like her - sweet on the outside and twinkly in the middle.  I love you Boo!

Choose life

Sunday was the annual Life Chain and the girls and I were glad to participate.  The goal of Life Chain is to have believers pray for an hour while standing along a busy sidewalk with approved signs that support the sanctity of human life.  I've been blessed to participate for maybe 10 years now but the last 2 my daughters have joined in on the opportunity.  It really moved me to watch these two precious ones who adore babies and who want to do "something" to end the tragedy of abortion. 

I believe there is power in prayer and each year as I stand there and pray for our nation and our leaders, I pray for the people who drive by and see the hundreds of signs along the road.  I pray that those who may have experienced an abortion would find healing in Jesus' forgiveness.  I pray that those who may be facing a tough decision (or will soon be in that situation) will remember that EVERY child (even preborn) has a purpose for their life and IS a wanted child - by their Heavenly Father and by the many adoptive families waiting for a baby to love.  I pray for the people in those cars to see the signs and be moved to see that men, women & children from various walks of life find LIFE something worth protecting and defending.  I pray for the next generation to see the lies of the abortion industry and to work to end this tragic, evil  and immoral practice.  I pray for God's mercy on our nation as I know we deserve His judgement for legalizing murder in this way.  I pray for change.

I hope you may have seen a similar demonstration in your own cities and towns.  I know this is a National Event and maybe you can look into organizing the Life Chain in your area next year.  One thing I'm certain of is that YOU CAN make a difference in some way to choose life.  Over 45 million Americans have had their lives ended this way and that number continues to grow.  Take a stand, vote pro-life and pray to God that history will show that this generation would not stand by and watch a holocaust of our most vulnerable citizens but fought back and with God's power, undid this horrible tragedy.

My baby turned 7!

It's hard to believe that this little one is already 7 - there must be some mistake!  Of course she insists the math is right on target.  In some ways she acts older than her age, no doubt to having older siblings to tag along with.  She really wanted a sleepover party but I held firm to the "not before your 9th birthday" rule.  Instead, she chose to have a Guatemala themed party, complete with a sombrero for herself, Guatemalan worry dolls for her guests and the flag themed cake you see above.  Ironically, after all these years - she no longer wanted a pinata (which is the main birthday tradition I know of in Guatemala).  Instead she chose a scavenger hunt for the group to find their party favors.  This girl knows what she likes.  In fact I really have witnessed her transforming before my eyes into a person more sure of herself, who is willing to risk in her relationships with friends.  She is just adorable, huh?

The morning of her birthday, Daddy took her out for a special breakfast at Pancake City.  She also received the doll she had been wishing for, which she promptly named Cara.  Of course, she's now extra careful not to leave out her special teddy bears in favor of Cara.  They are getting more playtime than ever before.  I don't know about other kids who've seen the Toy Story movies but they seem to make my girls feel guilty if they haven't played with their special toys lately.

Anyhow, this was a special birthday and while it concentrated on her birth country, we were surprisingly unrattled by issues that have plagued her in the past.  Praising God for what seems to be a breakthrough.  I'm also saddened to think of another parallel.  Boo is now at about the same age as Spiderman was when he joined our family.  All the ups and downs and special memories I share with Boo during these first 7 years are a big question mark for my son & I.  Now don't get me wrong, I don't pine away for those years.  I know God used them to prepare my son for whatever the future may hold in his life.  I guess it's just a reminder of exactly how much of his history I don't share with him.  As I look back on Boo's first 7 years, I realize just how much has happened in that time to make her grounded in her family identity.  It truly is amazing at how grounded Spiderman already is in his 3 short years here. Just more of God's miracles.

Spiderman's 10th Birthday!

My how time flies!  My momma's heart wants to know how this big guy can be 10 when he's only been home 3 years?  Tonight we watched some old home movies and saw him while still in Ethiopia.  He doesn't even look like the same person.  The common theme though is he's still as sweet as ever.  Here he is above with the Lego set he's been wishing for (and talking about incessantly) for the past couple of months.  To top off that dream come true, he had 4 boys spend the night last night to help celebrate and he loved every minute of it.  Below they are modeling all the Lego creations they made to stage their imaginary Star Wars battles.  He really is blessed with a great set of buddies here. 

His best buddy, Jacob, even came with his own Bobba Fett costume.  That added quite the drama when it came to the Nerf gun, sword and light saber battle they had outdoors.  Spiderman had such a wonderful time and he came down pretty hard when it was all over and the friends had gone home. 

In fact, I was painfully reminded again today that the flip side to the beauty of adoption is deep loss.  While the details are private, there has been no denying that for two of my children - birthdays (and gotcha days)can be difficult.  They are something to celebrate for sure but you can't celebrate a birth and remove it from the fact that it happened in another place with other people present who are no longer in the picture.  The loss of those happy and sad memories, the "knowns" and the "unknowns",  is enough to grieve over again and again. 

Just as my children have long noticed that there is always something "bad" that happens in a story before it can have a happy ending, we are all still working our way through the story and trusting that God's perfect plan will bring us to the ending beyond what we've hoped for.

A Glorious Day

Spiderman is an amazing boy.  We often marvel at what all he has been through in his short, little life and yet he has such a positive attitude (most of the time).  How beautiful to watch today as his earthly Daddy helped him publicly identify with his Heavenly Daddy through believer's baptism.  Precious!

It was over 2 years ago that he gave his heart to Jesus and we've watched him grow in his faith ever since.  He's been "contemplating" baptism for the past year but had been too scared to get up in front of everyone to do it.  All this week he has been praying that God would help him to be brave so he could be baptized.  Well God did help him and he even told me afterward that  it really wasn't that scary after all.  That's the peace that comes from knowing you've obeyed what your Father has asked you to do.  Thank you Jesus!

In God's timing, All God's Children International chose this week to share the miracle story (check it out) of what God has done here in our little family and our little church.  Today was a neat reminder about the bigger picture of why God brought this child to our family - to help bring him to his eternal family. 

 "Come and see what God has done, how awesome His works in man's behalf!" Psalm 66:5 NIV

Parting shots of August

This month we celebrated Spiderman's 3rd Gotcha Day.  Yep, we've been blessed to be his parents for 3 years now and time has just flown.  We've watched him grow physically (5 clothing sizes, 26 lbs and 7 inches since coming home), mentally (he has progressed in school - not easily but with much hard work), culturally (now loves pizza, Bill Cosby and often says "Dude"), socially (while still quiet, he's gone from painfully shy to everybody's best friend), and spiritually (he's come to faith in Jesus Christ and prays for everyone he can think of to do the same ).  He seemed to accept us as his family from the get go but has definitely grown very comfortable in his place here with us.   God has exceeded our expectations!

In honor of the celebration, Grandma and Great Aunt Liz made a trip out to visit for the week.  We had a great time and played a LOT of games.  We're thankful they took the time to travel so far out to see us.

August was also a time to get some summer projects done that we've been putting off due to the crazy heat.  My man and I worked on powerwashing the house and decks, water sealing them both and scraping, sanding and painting the trim on the front of the house.  Nothing too enjoyable though it all looks pretty nice.  The kids got in on the action by painting our shed (now lovingly called the barn) a more festive color.

It's very cheery now and it complements the nice new roof my man gave it earlier this summer.  The kids were proud to put their own elbow grease into the project, though they were surprised to see that painting was as much "work" as it was.  Looks great guys!  Now we're ready for fall and school! 

Special Friends = special memories

We were so blessed to have another great visit with our friends, the Morbys.  They drove out of their way in order to stop for a few days and let their kids reconnect with ours.  Spiderman and his buddy have been friends from Ethiopia BEFORE they each ended up in an orphanage.  They arrived in America within a month of each other and while they are on opposite sides of the country, God has allowed them to stay connected.  This is their third visit with each other in America.  His big sis just happens to be good friends with Hope so they both get a special treat when they visit. 

Another fringe benefit of these visits is that I've become good friends with Matt's Momma.  Cindy seems to be cut from the same cloth as Lori and since Lori & I are such good friends, naturally I click with Cindy as well.  I am so blessed to have these more experienced mommas to encourage me in my own journey.  Not only that, they are fun!

Here are some jewels...

This is the boys last week and below is the photo of them back in 2008.  Lord willing I will have many more similar photos of the boys over the years.

We can see...

with our new glasses.

The boys had their eyes checked again this year and now both are sporting some new specs.  Spiderman's had changed even more and Jaybird has a whole new world he can see better.  (In fact, he was so giddy about getting to pick up his glasses today and he did everything he could to contain himself as they placed them on his face).  Recently Jaybird said to Spiderman, "I'm glad you got adopted because my life would be boring without you."  Somehow they see these new glasses as bringing themselves even closer together.

My boys........ :)

Serious winter!

There is no sugar coating it, it is COLD!  After a week of below zero temperatures, we are ready for some warmth.  Honestly, it probably wouldn't be such a big deal but combine the cold and the snow with the absence of my man and the week just drags on.  I'm honestly willing to share him since I know God is using him to help build the new orphanage for Esperanza Viva in Mexico.  I have just been reminded how much his presence brings sunshine to my days and how much I love his laughter.   I know the kids agree as they have been eagerly counting down the days until his return (in about 24 hours).

Here are my kiddos, all bundled up for the weather.  They have been willing to pitch in and help me with the outside work my man does each day.  Here you can see the older three after they helped me fill up the wood box in the house.  The reason they were so proud to pose for a photo is that this is at least double the amount we usually bring in (because I'd rather haul wood every other day if possible).  They are standing in front of a box that is about 3' x 4' x 3' and it is filled well past the brim.  They can't wait to show it off for Daddy's approval.

And here is my man with a beautiful suntan and a beautiful child, making some Mexican memories and being God's hands and feet to the fatherless.  I love him!

My 9 year old American

Today Spiderman turned 9 and though it works for the blog, he's not really into Spiderman anymore.  He's much more passionate about Lego Star Wars (as you can see from his big grin down below).  In a surprise turn of events, he declared he didn't want a "friends party" this year, just a family one.  In light of how busy life has been, I should not complain that there were no games to plan or crazy cake to decorate (he actually asked for Papa Johns pizza and lemon meringue pie).  It just seemed very strange NOT to have a big "to do".  He had just as much fun and even had his soccer team singing to him after tonight's make up game.

If you take the whole past weekend into account, it really was a big party weekend for him.  Thursday we went to St. Louis with the Schneiders and had a pizza & pool party at a nice hotel.  That was followed by an early morning appointment at Immigration as both he and Hope became American Citizens!  It was precious to see them take swear their oath as citizens.  After all the paperwork that had gone before this, there were even extra reasons to celebrate.

This woman went out of her way to make it a smooth and easy appointment for all of us.  We were out of the office about 20 minutes later with our Certificates of Citizenship in hand.  Since it was way too early for the Ethiopian lunch we promised the kids, we had time to stop at the Mississippi River and the Gateway Arch to explore.

Here are the kids standing at the corner of the St. Louis Arch.  I always forget how tall this thing is (630 ft).  We had an hour to spend so we explored the underground museum here for a bit.  As you can see below, the weather was iffy and they were calling for thunderstorms.  We'd been praying for good weather all week so the zoo could still happen.  By the time we made it there at 1:00pm, the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky.  Thank you Jesus!

Well first we stopped for Ethiopian food and though Spiderman & Hope ate with abandon, my other 3 sat back and had Peanut butter sandwiches in the van when we were done.  The lady who ran the restaurant was expecially sweet and fawned all over the newest citizens.  When we made it to the zoo, Spiderman was thrilled!  He'd been planning this trip for almost 2 years and he got to see his favorite, the lions.  Below are the kids petting the king cobra.  Hope has this thing about snakes and would have none of it, fake or not!

Honoring Almaz

This last weekend we were so blessed to have a short visit from Almaz, the woman who runs Hannah's Hope Ethiopia. It seemed as if it might not happen even though we had been planning it for quite some time. God gifted us all when He made it possible and though she was only here for less than 48 hours, we made the most of our time together.

Here Almaz is pictured with 13 of the 15 kids that were here for our reunion. For most of these kids, it had been 1 or 2 years since they had last seen her and they all remember the love she showered on them in Ethiopia. I know it was very emotional for her to see the kids that she released so long ago and better yet, to see them all thriving in their new families and country. Over and over again she stated, "Only God could do this."

Here are the mommas of the special bunch of kids. We were surprised and yet blessed that the Morby's travelled all the way from New Hampshire and the Riggs drove all the way up from Oklahoma, for such a short and spontaneous trip. The rest of us Missouri Mommas had it easy in comparison. Of course, we all took turns filling in Almaz on our children and picking her brains about what God continues to do in her life and at Hannah's Hope. We will not forget this weekend!

A special treat for our family was having the Riggs stay at our home. Though we'd met Michelle & Hannah at last year's reunion, we got to meet Abby & Landis this time. It was our own mini-Guatemala reunion over here. Poor Abby http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/ didn't feel great through the weekend and yet she was such a trooper and just the sweetest thing you could imagine. It's both inspiring and heartbreaking to know the difficult road she has been travelling with her Leukemia. Please continue to pray for her and her family.

We had 3 big meals together as a group and filled in the gaps between with lots of laughing, playing and talking. My man marvelled at how we ladies could all talk for two days straight and yet still not run out of things to say. Almaz said that last evening that she wished it would continue on for 3 more days. Men will never understand us...

Not only did God take a humble woman from Ethiopia and call her to make a big difference in the lives of so many children and families, He endeared her to my heart in such a special way. Not only is Almaz my sister in Christ, in so many ways she is like a little sister to me. I have said many prayers on her behalf and I am compelled to continue to lift her up in prayer as I see even deeper into her calling, her heart and her needs. Her road is hard, her heart is big and it is surrendered to His will. ""Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised". Proverbs 31:29-30

My baby is FIVE!

Oh my, where has it gone? This is my baby the first day we met her in Guatemala. Probably taken after I finished sobbing. :) How incredible to meet her that day and study her every feature in person that I had already encountered in referral photos. Of course how could we not focus on her stubbornly STRAIGHT hair that we could not get to lay flat no matter what we did. We never saw her head of curls coming...

Boo had a wonderful time with her birthday this week from friends, parties, and presents to picking her meals and such. I have watched in a little shock and awe as I realize just how grown up she is becoming. We took a day off yesterday for a trip to the city and everywhere I turned I saw women with little toddlers and babies (that happens when homeschoolers go out in public during the day). It truly hit me that I'm way past that stage - diapers, sippy cups, tantrums, all of it - and I must admit that I don't miss it. :) Anyway, my baby is becoming a big girl and some of her favorite gifts were a purse filled with her own lipstick (chapstick) and chewing gum. She thinks that she's a grown up now.


Here are a couple of shots from her Hello Kitty party. I'm sure it's due to having older siblings but all the friends she invited were older by a year or two (or 3). They had a great time and as you see by the crown, she relished the role of "queen bee" all week. We made a fun trip to the dollar store and she purchased her own pair of reading glasses, I'll have to add a photo. She is competing a bit with big brother on that one - I hope it doesn't screw up her eyes!

a SUPER 8th birthday

Spiderman became Batman for his birthday. If he had his choice, he would have been the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four but I didn't think he'd really like it if we set him on fire. :) Anyway, we represented all superheroes at the party and he loved it! As for me, I finally learned that there are some limits in decorating birthday cakes. Scyscrapers are to be avoided in the future but I had thought that a long rectangle with "supers" scaling it would be easier than a "super" himself. Well, after decorating an 8 story/layer cake tower I learned it wasn't such a great idea. Overnight the building came tumbling down, decorating my kitchen in grey frosting. Before the birthday boy saw the demolition, I wisked it away to the freezer and salvaged it horizontally for the party that afternoon. He was happy, I was wiser. Whew!


Getting into the superhero theme, my kids all got dressed up for the party and here they are displaying their powers. Boo backed out at the last moment but had been "Ballerina Girl" before the party. Unlike last year, Spiderman seemed very at ease with all the attention and revelled in every bit of it.

The highlight of the party was our "evil villain hunt." I had explained to the kids that we needed them to patrol the grounds for evil villains and we armed them with "plasma bombs" (AKA water balloons). I told them four were hiding in the trees and one was loose in the backyard. As they pelted the bad guy faces in the trees, they moved to the backyard and all of the sudden "the Joker" appeared armed with a super soaker. The boys were in hysterics as they chased my man, I mean the Joker, around the backyard pelting him with water balloons. I only wish I had it on video! I was informed later that I had armed him with a faulty Super Soaker and the battle was truly one-sided. What a good Dad!
Can you see the grin on the birthday boys' face? The joker was definitely outnumbered.

God is so good!

This was the big week for Kinsman Redeemer. We held our first ever Community Informational Meeting on ways to be involved in orphan ministry. Though it was only weeks in the making, it felt like months! :) The day finally arrived but it was not without much warfare and trouble. The day before the event, my man erupted in a major allergic reation to a sulpha drug. It was a real doozie and resulted in a trip to the doctor. The next morning he was actually worse with fever, chills, aching and shaking violently. The head to toe rash was getting worse and we ended up back at the doctor. He wanted to admit my man into the hospital and as we got to the parking lot, the battery in our van was dead. After getting a jump start, dropping my man off at the front door of the hospital ("bye honey, you're on your own"), going to get a new battery installed, then back to the hospital, we finally saw Daddy resting comfortably in his much too short hospital bed. The kids were real troopers throughout all of this but there was some real concern on their part as to just how serious this was for Daddy. Spiderman seemed especially concerned that Daddy's life was in jeopardy, a reminder to me of just how many fears this little guy must carry with him still.

Anyway, we spent a hour or so with my man before we had to leave, grab dinner from a drive-thru, run home to change and close up the house we had abandoned earlier that day. For the first time since we had our chickens, they would NOT come back to the hen house for us and we finally had to leave them roaming so we wouldn't be too late for the Big Meeting. You might imagine by now just how stressed I was feeling from the day's events and I don't say this to complain. As we set up the tables and information while people were arriving early, I had no idea what I was going to say to the crowd now that my "behind-the-scenes" role had evaporated. (My man was supposed to MC the event and now it fell to me) I pulled my friend Lori aside for a quick prayer and told God that I was counting on His words to come out of my mouth as I had nothing prepared. I begged God that everything said would bring glory to Him. He answered mightily.


Here I am introducing the last part of the evening, our parent panel made up of foster and adoptive parents. I still look back and marvel at the evening. I don't enjoy public speaking at all and yet, once I stepped up to the podium I felt a complete sense of peace. I was able to speak from the heart, make sense (so I've been told), and connect things to scripture as I introduced speakers and fielded questions. God's Presence was so vivid for me and afterward, one man even told me that he noticed I didn't read from a script and my heart felt words had challenged him deeply. He and his wife are considering adoption. The other board members also had similar encouraging conversations and opportunities. We know of at least 5 families who communicated to us that they are looking into foster care or adoption and we are rejoicing for whatever small part we can play in that process.

Here are the kids with Daddy earlier in the afternoon. The other amazing thing that night was that these 4 children did so well being self contained and not requiring "Mommy" in the midst of the chaos for the 3 hours we were at the meeting. Afterward, we went back to the hospital to "tuck Daddy in" and then home. It was about 9:30 pm and I went to lock up the chickens when I saw that they never returned! This was the last straw for me. Since the chicks were "devoured" two weeks ago, and this had never happened before - I was at the end of my strength for the day. I know it sounds silly now but I prayed so much for those 5 silly hens that night, I begged God to protect them from whatever predators were lurking around. I just knew the kids (OK and me) couldn't handle losing all of our chickens, on this day especially. It was just too much. I cried my eyes out thanking Him for the meeting and asking for my man's healing but I knew it was life and death for the hens that night. What a huge relief to go out early and find them clucking around the coop, trying to get in for breakfast. You can call it luck but I know my God had a guardian angel on those stupid birds that night! The kids were so relieved.

Life is back to normal now. Daddy's out of the hospital and finally symptom free. Here he is "watching" football with Goose (gotta love it!) The big meeting is over (though the good feedback of God's working in hearts is still coming in) and I get to go back to regular "Mom duty" as I prepare for a birthday party this next weekend. Just had to share how God is so much bigger than circumstances and how thankful I am that I can trust him to carry me through the trying times.

Spiderman's First "Gotcha Day"

Above: 8/12/07 meeting in Ethiopia and Daddy teaching high fives.
Below: 8/12/08 with his "gotcha" gift we bought while in Ethiopia. (If you can't tell it's a painted drum) He picked lasagna and zucchini bread for dinner tonight and had Ethiopian food for lunch. What a fun thing to celebrate as a family.

Well, hard to believe but it's been a full year since we met Spiderman for the first time ever. I'll never forget that morning or our meeting. I had prayed countless prayers that it would go well and he would be comfortable with us (and that I wouldn't cry). I had even covered his kids and grandkids in prayer. Just recently he told me that he was scared to walk in the room to meet us and thought his heart would explode. You would have never known it. He walked right in and came up for a hug. The rest is history.

So much has happened this past year. It's been filled with many "first time" moments and memories of us becoming a family. We were just asked today what kinds of struggles and adjustments have been the hardest. My man actually said, "we were prepared for the worst but it has been shockingly smooth." We still have food issues but I'm reminded of friends with biological children who have those as well. We are so thankful that the kids all get along and are good friends. Spiderman told me just this past week that "Ethiopia was boring" and that he loves having a brother and 2 sisters because "there really wasn't anyone to play with". I know there were other kids living nearby but what I see is that he has learned to appreciate that a brother or sister is ALWAYS there for you (even if sometimes to fight with).

What amazes me is that I had prepared myself for the first year to be all about adjusting and forging the bonds of family. I anticipated this to be a difficult and taxing year. God must have laughed as he saw me preparing for disaster as He had something else in mind. Spiderman came to us ready to move ahead and with a joyful and resilient spirit. It has been a year characterized more by joy than with difficulty. Oh sure, there have been moments of frustration and irritation with this new little guy in our home but if I'm honest with myself, it almost always has to do with my own selfishness. I can see how he has missed out on 7 years of "my programming" and has had to learn what to expect from me. :) I am too often reminded that I am not a perfect mom and I am motivated by what makes things easier on me. As I relax and look at who he is (and really all my children for that matter) I can enjoy him for the sweet, imaginative, funny, confident, helpful and obedient little guy that he is. In fact today he has been inventing a submarine out of parts of old electronic toys he has "screwdrivered" into pieces, taping their little computer brains together. He's already making plans for a time machine and a jet pack. :)

Praise God for bringing Spiderman to us!

Hannah's Hope Reunion

What fun we had Saturday at our first reunion of the older kids at HH Ethiopia. The morning was filled with meeting each other and taking lots of photos, followed by a big water fight and games. We finally broke for lunch, followed by a wet afternoon at the local water park. We took a short break and then returned for an evening filled with food, fun and of course fellowship. Many new friendships were made and old ones rekindled. It was a priceless opportunity and I tried to share some shots below (I have SO MANY photos it's hard to choose - Thanks Roger!) Just an FYI: the parents are in red, the siblings in green and the HH Ethiopia kids are in yellow. Our attempt at the Ethiopian flag.

I thought you'd be able to see these faces better on my blog but... well I'll tell you which families came. The Rye, Schneider, Murphy, Morby, Eastin, Riggs, Garrison, Smith and McCarty families are pictured here. Some travelled from as far away as New Hampshire, Michigan and Oklahoma - THANK YOU EVERYONE for taking the time to make this happen. There is already talk about when to do it again.

Here are the all the kids from HH. For those of you lurking who only know them by their Ethiopian names, they are: (from top left) Hiwot, Kidist, Tigist, Samrawit, Amerech, Genet. (from bottom left) Tizita, Birtukan, Getaneh, Habte, Abdu, Azmera.

In the evening we had a hair care / braiding class hosted by Michelle and Bethany (thanks ladies!) These boys were having fun playing with the hair pieces Michelle brought -- for the girls!

Some of MANY giggles shared on Saturday. Tigist, Sky Amerech, and Samrawit.

The kids loved this game of water balloon volleyball (Thanks Don!) which was preceeded by a big water fight. The kids also had fun playing soccer and basketball together.

Making some necklaces in the Ethiopian colors. (Thanks Cindy!)

The kids at the reunion looked so cute in their new shirts. They all range in age from 5 to 12 years old and made some good memories on Sat. I may post more photos another time.