Belachew and Geremu together again!

We are had a great time in Wisconsin visiting with Geremu and his family. The boys loved playing together and are just like two peas in a pod. Belachew was so excited to see Geremu and was chanting his name on the car ride up. Geremu was a little shy at first, but warmed up quickly. We had fun hanging out around their house, going to parks, and going to the farmer's market. The boys enjoyed pushing each other around in the wagon, wrestling, riding their tricycles, taking baths, and just being together. Geremu and Belachew share a special bond and we hope that their friendship continues and grows over the years. It helps too that Geremu has a fun family that we look forward to visiting with again. It was hard to get pictures, since these boys are always on the move, but here are a few from our weekend together. I'll post more later.

And we're off...

to Wisconsin tomorrow to see Geremu and his family! We are so excited and can't wait to see these boys together. We had to stop talking about it this week, because everytime Belachew got in the car, he asked if we were going to see Geremu.

We've had a good week. We started our week with a trip to an Ethiopian grocery store to visit with the owner. We usually go a few times a month. We enjoy the family that owns the store and they have been helping us learn more Amharic. Belachew is a fan of their mango juice. Next door to the grocery store, there is a clothing store owned by a Zimbabwean family that we enjoy visiting with as well. We've had a few playdates at the park this week, and we also signed Kenyon and I up for a parent/toddler gymnastics class that will start next week. When we registered, I asked if the class came with a guarantee that my child would take a good nap afterwards. I am always looking for ways to burn energy! Some of our friends will be in this class with us and I think Kenyon is going to really enjoy it.

Kenyon loves music and he loves to sing and dance. The other day, he started singing "Jesus loves me," out of nowhere. I sing this to him at night sometimes, but he never sang it with me until this week. He loves to sing and if he doesn't know the words to a song, he'll just mouth it. He is learning his numbers as well and can count to ten in English and Amharic. He likes the number 7 and often skips 6 just to get to 7 faster.

Giving Back-Ethiopia Reads

From time to time, I'd like to share about different organizations working in Africa and ways you can be involved. As I present opportunities to give back from time to time, please do not feel pressured or guilty because that is not my intention. I have talked to people that want to give, but simply did not know how or where to start or how to make a difference. For those of you who want to give, I hope that we can encourage you by giving you opportunities and connecting you to organizations that speak to our hearts. As I shared in an earlier post, Paul and I made a commitment that we want to encourage Kenyon Belachew to make a difference in his birth country. As a family, we want to find ways to give back to a country that we have come to love.

While we were in Ethiopia, we had the opportunity to visit Ethiopia Reads. It is an amazing organization that is promoting literacy and education in Ethiopia. We were at their Shola Library one day after school. We saw a group of school children running to the library gate, with smiles on their faces. These kids could not wait to get their hands on a book. It was incredible to talk to these kids and hear about their favorite books. Until Ethiopia Reads was established, there was only one library in the capital city of Addis Ababa and people had to pay to use it! Ethiopia Reads is starting libraries throughout the country and their mission is to build a reading culture in Ethiopia by connecting children with books.

When you think about basic needs, books is not one. However, I believe that books have the power to change lives. Books can give people hopes and dreams, and can expand their world. Paul and I are both book lovers and we were greatly impressed by this organization and it's vision.

Over the next several weeks, Paul and I will be collecting books to send to Ethiopia Reads. If you would like to donate a new or gently used book, please leave a comment or contact me. We are specifically looking for books for children or youth. Check out Ethiopia Reads' website for more information or other ways to support their work.

Pictures from our week

We had a great time in Chicago. On Friday, we went to Millenium Park and Belachew loved the fountains. At first he nicely skipped through the water like this...

But it didn't take long before he was doing this...
We met my friends Jeff and Karen, and their 4 year old twins from Ethiopia, Mari and Mesfin at the park. We let the kids play together for a while and then we went to dinner.

On Saturday, we walked around downtown Chicago before heading to Lake Michigan to meet friends.

Lake Michigan was Belachew's first beach experience and I think he enjoyed himself. He wasn't so sure about the water, but liked playing in the sand. He kept looking in the water for grandpa's boat, but alas, grandpa's boat was in Missouri.

We arrived home late on Saturday night and skipped church on Sunday morning. Belachew and I went to a local Ethiopian church in the afternoon, before heading to The Crossing.

This week, Belachew has enjoyed riding his tricycle and playing at the park with friends, a trip to the Children's Museum, his first haircut (check out the pictures below), a trip to the farmer's market with friends, and playing in the water with our neighbor (this little guy is one of Belachew's favorite friends). And it is only WEDNESDAY!

A little more about the haircut- I love Belachew's curls and have been learning how to style them. His hair is thick and has been getting a bit harder for me to style lately. He cries sometimes when I comb his hair. I think this is the first time his hair has been grown out, since his head was shaved in most of the pictures we saw from Ethiopia and his hair has been a bit uneven in places. Our Chicago friends told us that they have an Ethiopian barber, so I have been on a mission to find one in our city. I made a few calls but ended up with no leads. Yesterday, Paul was cutting his hair with clippers and I had the idea that if Belachew saw daddy doing it, maybe he would let me do cut his hair. Belachew took off his shirt, looked in the mirror, and let me cut his hair! I was a little nervous, but I think it turned out okay. He kept saying "again, please." He looks different- a little older maybe? But he still has his beautiful curls, his hair is more thinned out and even, and he looks cute as ever. After cutting his hair, I told Belachew that he looked conjo (handsome). He informed me that he was awesome. I stand corrected.

On Friday, we are going to meet Dagim, the newest Ethiopian to arrive in town. Then, over Labor Day weekend we are off to Wisconsin to see Geremu. Geremu was Belachew's best friend in Ethiopia at the care center. These boys were inseparable. We were sad to leave Geremu, but happy to hear from the care center staff that he was being adopted. We asked to leave a note in his file, so that his family could be in touch with us, if they wanted to. I did some searching on our adoption agency's forum when I returned home and we found Geremu's family! They are a great family and we look forward to visiting with them. Belachew talks about Geremu almost every day and smiles every time he sees his picture. We want to keep as many connections to Ethiopia as we can for Belachew, and I know that Geremu has been an important part of his life.

Kenyon's Birthday

Three years ago today, Kenyon was born into this world. This is a day to celebrate his life, and in my mind, it is also a day to celebrate the people that gave him life.

In August 2005, Paul and I had been married for seven months. Little did we know that a baby boy was being born in Ethiopia who would become our son.

I often think about Kenyon's birthfamily. It is obvious that Kenyon was well loved early on in his life. I imagine his birthmother rubbing her belly, ready to see what that little baby would look like. I imagine his birthmother and birthfather discussing what they will name the child. Whose idea was it to name him Belachew? Did they agree on the name, or did one person eventually give in? Belachew means "he has something to say." His other name given by his birthfamily which we will also be keeping as his middle name is Mekuria. It means "the one that I am proud of."

I think of Kenyon's birthparents the most when he is sleeping at night. As I look at his sweet little body, curled up and peaceful, I wonder who else may be watching him from heaven or thinking about him. Because of my faith, and because of what I have heard about his birthfamily's faith, I believe that I will one day meet his birthparents in heaven. I imagine us sitting around, drinking a cup of coffee (Ethiopian, of course) and talking about Kenyon. I imagine us laughing and sharing stories about him. We want to raise Kenyon in a way that is honoring to God, and we also want to raise him in a way that honors his birthfamily. Through their tragedy and loss, we were given the great blessing of being Kenyon's new parents and raising him. His birthmother and birthfather will never get to see him ride a bike, or learn to read, or go on his first date, or graduate from school. They will not get to see him get married, or raise his own children. His birthparents gave him life, and we get the privilege of watching him live that life. I hope that wherever Kenyon's birthparents are, they have peace and know that their son is loved more than words can explain. We will make mistakes in parenting him, but in the end, I pray that we raise him in a way that is honoring to his birthfamily and country. I pray that Kenyon will be proud of the family he was born into, and will also be proud of the family he is now a part of. Even in the moments when parenting is hard, I want to remember what a great blessing we have received and by thankful for his life.

Busy summer days

Our computer crashed, so that is my excuse for not blogging for a while. I'm working from my laptop, so I won't be able to post pictures for a while.

We had a big weekend last weekend! We had both set of grandparents in town for Kenyon's 3rd birthday (which happens to be today). Kenyon doesn't really know what a birthday is, so in many ways, this is like his first birthday. We decided to celebrate his birthday with his favorite snacks and popsicles, at his favorite park, with some family and friends. Kenyon blew out his candles and has been singing "Happy Birthday to you," ever since.

Kenyon had a great time with his grandma's and grandpa's. Kenyon can't say "grandma," so he calls them all "grandpa." The grandmas didn't care too much, he could call them whatever he wanted, as far as they were concerned. One night at dinner, Kenyon looked at his grandparents and said, "One grandpa, two grandpas, more grandpas." He was of course spoiled by their love, attention, and gifts. He loves his grandpas and talks about them frequently.

This weekend we are headed to the beaches of Lake Michigan with friends. Other than our trip to St. Louis, we haven't traveled together as a family this summer so we decided to go up to Chicago on Friday night. We got a great deal on a hotel at priceline.com and will be meeting up with Jeff and Karen, and their four year old twins, Mari and Mesfin. I met Jeff and Karen in Ethiopia in May 2007 and really enjoyed my time with them. We are planning to get dinner together and then go to Millenium Park and let the kids play together.

Popsicles

Kenyon generally does not like cold things or sweet things, but his one exception is popsicles. He drops his popsicle frequently, when it gets too cold for him to hold, and he makes a funny face when he bites into it. After cleaning popsicle juice off my floor one too many times, I have decided that popsicles should be enjoyed outdoors.

Back home

We had a great time in St. Louis. Kenyon is a great traveller and did fine in the car for 4 hours. He adjusted well to a new bed, new schedule, and meeting new people. He had a lot of fun playing with his cousins. We went to the zoo, met family and friends, and attended a welcome home party/shower that my sister and sister-in-law threw for us. We also went to my parents' lake house. Growing up, I spent many summer weekends at this lakehouse and I want my children to have memories of the lake as well. Kenyon loved it and the first thing he said when he woke up from his nap was "Grandpa's boat again."

We can tell that Kenyon has not become too "Americanized" yet. Paul and I were talking in the car deciding where we should stop for a restroom break and one of us mentioned McDonald's. Kenyon's response was "E-I-E-I-O?" The only McDonald's this kid knows is the one who owns a farm. Which by the way, is his new favorite song. He also likes the Hokey Pokey, but Old McDonald is sung all day long. He is continuing to pick up English and amazes us with his language skills and understanding. A car pulled up behind us at a stoplight and Kenyon looked back and said "careful." One day, he woke up from his nap and was a little grumpy. I said, "You sure are grumpy today," and he looked at me and said "wah, wah, wah."

Kenyon will get to see both sets of grandparents this weekend, as they are both coming to town to celebrate his birthday, which is on August 13.

Here are a few pictures our time in St. Louis. One of these days, I hope to include a family picture, as soon as I can get out from behind the camera.

At the St. Louis zoo

Checking out the lake

Driving Grandpa's boat