Haiti, in my prayers

I have no words. Just a heavy heart and prayers.

Orphaned children in Haiti, sleeping outside

Photo from Haiti Rescue Center (I found this on Jody's blog)

Brothers

Consider yourself warned ...

If you see this face:


and it is snowing outside, duck and cover. He got a snowball launcher for Christmas (from relatives who live out of state and will likely never be victims of his snowballs).

Seriously, though, this kid loves the snow and has had a blast playing outside.

Adoption Art

Jodi and I have been blog friends for several months now. She and her husband are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Jodi is an amazing artist and has created some adoption themed art. She is currently having a giveaway and you should check it out! Some of her profits from the sale of her art goes towards Kolfe Youth Orphanage in Ethiopia. Great art, great cause. Check it out. You can also find necklaces and pendants made by Jodi here.

The Kolfe Youth Orphanage is a government run orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia located on a garbage dump and it is in great need of funds. Through Children's Hopechest, Kolfe has now been sponsored but the boys there still have tremendous needs. They call themselves "The Forgotten Boys of Kolfe." Thank you, Jodi, for letting these boys know that they are not forgotten and that they are cared for.

Happy Anniversary!

5 years ago on this day, Paul and I were married.




I'm looking forward to celebrating many more years together.

Merry Christmas (again!)

January 7 is the day Christmas is celebrated in Ethiopia. Why, you may ask?

Ethiopia follows the ancient Julian calendar, which is 7 years and some days behind the Gregorian calendar that the rest of the world follows. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church calls the celebration of Christ's birth Ganna. Ganna is usually celebrated by attending church, and spending time with family and friends having fun and eating food.

Here is more on how to celebrate an Ethiopian Christmas.

Holidays

We had a great first Christmas together as a family of four. We visited my family and Hudson met many new family members and friends. He adjusted well to being in a new place and meeting so many new people.

Hudson definitely got the hang of Christmas presents! He was handed his first present and Belachew moved next to him to try to help him open it up. Hudson yanked his present back and gave Belachew the funniest look (we were envisioning him saying "stay away from my presents). Both boys get a set of wheels- Hudson got a stroller and Belachew got a bicycle with training wheels.

We had a great time relaxing, catching up with family and friends, celebrating the true miracle of the Christmas season, and reflecting on all the blessings of this past year.