Little Aunts All Over the Place....and an Uncle

Well in just a few more days, the biggest sister in our family will have her first child.  Nick and Allyn are going to be the proud parents of baby Max.  Max is going to be one lucky boy!  He will have 4 little aunts to spoil him plus tall Uncle Tuck....And that's just on Allyn's side of the family, so let's not forget Aunt Gretta.  All the girls are excited to have Max coming into the family.  I'm sure Tucker will be glad to have the balance adjusted just slightly, since we are kinda heavy on girls.  

Everyone keep Allyn and Nick in your prayers as they go to the hospital on the 29th to have labor induced.  We are all so excited!  God is so good! 

Breaking News: Over 26,000 Children Die in Terrible Disaster

What if you turned on your TV, opened your newspaper, or opened your browser to see that headline plastered all over? What if it was scrolling across the bottom of your TV show with constant interruptions in programming to tell you the newest details? What if it was all over CNN and all over the internet? What if it was all over Time and Newsweek?


It would be terrible, heart wrenching news and we wouldn’t want to hear about it and at the same time we wouldn’t be able to stop ourselves from listening, hearing every detail and watching each interview.

Well, what if we went to bed and woke up to find that it had happened again the next day? Some disaster killed another 26,000? And then, what if it happened again the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that, and every day after that? What if we looked back to see that it had happened the day before, and the day before, and on back and back and back? Wouldn’t that be a disaster too horrible to stand? Wouldn’t we be mobilizing relief teams, giving donations, going to the rescue?

Well, the truth of the matter is that even though it’s not in the headlines, it’s not in the newspapers, it’s not on CNN or scrolling across the bottom of your screen and interrupting your programs, it is happening. Every day over 26,000 die in this disaster and the worst part is that it is preventable but we are not preventing it. These children are being lost to preventable disease and malnutrition; over 4,000 die each day because they don’t have clean water.....something we take for granted for sure.

How can we sit by and let it happen again tomorrow?

Why don’t we do something to stop it?

Why do we, who have clean water to drink from the tap, waste our money on bottled water when we could use those funds to build wells in Africa so children could have clean water to drink? Or why couldn’t we give those funds to provide water filtration systems in Asia?

Why do we sit and complain about the food we have to eat, always wanting something more or better, eating until we are fat? Why couldn’t we stop when we have had enough and use those extra funds to feed starving children around the world?

Why do we complain about healthcare in our own country (the system has issues, but we have excellent health care)when we could spend our energy finding ways to provide vaccines to children in Africa so that they don’t die from preventable disease?

Why do we, as Americans, so often keep our eyes on ourselves, always wanting more, always wanting something better, always focusing on the “American dream” when we could be lending a hand to someone else, saving a child from a preventable death. Why do we live in bigger and bigger houses while some sleep on the streets? Why do we complain about our hardships when others starve and freeze? How is it that we are able to sleep at night knowing that there are children on the streets, begging for food or forced into the sex trade in many places in the world? Oh, you didn’t know all that was happening? Well, you do now. So no more excuses. Lose some sleep over it! Give up some of your luxuries. Make a sacrifice to help prevent tomorrow’s headline. Place your outrage where it belongs. Insist that your government do more to help. Insist that your media tell the story. And stop living like there is nothing you can do to help.

Not sure where to start? Here are a couple of ideas:

World Vision
Compassion International

Easter

Click Here to see some more Easter pics that are posted on our other blog!

Valentine's Day......more to come

We had a great time celebrating last weekend.  Not only was it Valentine's Day, but it was also Chinese New Year.  Here just a very few pictures....more to come when time allows.

Coffee

Coffee.  Ethiopia. 

You can't have one without the other. 

Ethiopian culture is coffee culture. 

So, when we celebrated our Gotcha day a couple of weeks ago, we were sure to include a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony (or at least our approximation of it) complete with traditional clothing and the essential popcorn to go with it.

In Ethiopia the coffee is served in small cups with plenty of sugar.  They start with the green coffee beans and hand roast them over charcoal.  Then they grind them by hand with a mortar and pestle.  The fresh ground coffee is then brewed in a jebena over the charcoal while frankincense is burning nearby.  The smell of the coffee roasting and the frankincense is almost intoxicating.  When the coffee is just right, it is expertly and gracefully poured by the hostess.  It is often served with popcorn (super yummy combo!).  Traditionally, at least three cups would be served to each participant.  It is a lovely ceremony and one we looked forward to each day while we were there.  Having coffee served this lovingly and deliciously ruins you for other coffee forever!   You still drink it, you just wish it tasted like the stuff you had in Ethiopia! 

Our version of the ceremony was slightly different.  We started with pre-roasted Ethiopian fair trade coffee.  We brewed it in the Cuisinart coffee maker, as usual.  We did serve it in three rounds, black and sweet, in our tiny cups.  The girls dressed in their traditional clothing and took turns serving the popcorn in our traditional Ethiopian basket.  You can see the jebena (coffee pot) in the pictures, but we used it for decorative purposes only.  I do intend to purchase frankincense and all the other stuff to make it more like the real thing sometime soon!  I found this great set on line recently at this website

Ethiopian coffee stuff

they have all the stuff individually or the boxed gift set.  very cool! 

Here are some pictures of the girls in their Ethiopian attire (even Toby Ann ) and some of the actual coffee ceremony:

It was a really special day, but we sure missed Allyn!  She was away at school and couldn't be there. 

Gotcha!

Today is Gotcha Day (a celebration of the anniversary of the first day we were together as a family) for Ruby, Daisy and Evie. They have now been with us for a whole year. I have lots to say about that, but I'm just too tired to say it all right now. So, for now, a couple of picture will have to do! I took over 200 pics today, so you know there will be more to post VERY soon.

one year ago today in Ethiopia

Today at home

We had a wonderful time celebrating their special day. We had a traditional coffee ceremony complete with traditional Ethiopian attire.

I just want to say that our girls are completely amazing and I thank God for the wonderful blessing he poured out on us when we brought our daughters home.

Lots of Christmas, Final Installment!

Christmas Day finally arrived, and what a day it was. In the words of Evie, when she wrote about it later, "My first Christmas in America was amazing and wonderful."

Christmas Morning

Allyn and Tucker were the first ones up, then they got the younger sibs up. Which was funny since Daisy and Evie went to bed saying they were going to wake up at 3:00 am or 4:00.....they were warned not to.

What a bunch of sleepyheads!

Allyn ws really tickled at Ruby and how groggy she was.

Ready to see what Santa brought.

Allyn loves stockings. It's her favorite thing about opening gifts on Christmas.

Evie and her first ever Christmas stocking

Daisy was so happy to discover that she was not on the naughty list.

She really thought she was! When she saw her stocking, she said, "I'm not on the naughty list! Santa didn't bring me those little black thingies" (coal). She decided she was on the naughty list after she heard "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and figured if he was watching her, she was "busted" for sure!

Later, Daisy said, "I know what happened!!!! I was on the naughty list and then Santa thought that since it was my first Christmas that he would let me be on the nice list. Next time I'll have to really be on the nice list though." That girl is just too funny!

After she got over the shock, she finally started to check out the stocking to see what was inside.

Toby Ann looks like she is being sneaky as she starts to unload her stocking.

Even the gum in the stockings was exciting! Actually, Evie gave us this excited face every time the camera pointed her way. She was like Vanna White, showing off every gift....too funny.....

...but you see what I mean!

A little excited about this little camera that Santa brought.

Ruby had the most trouble waking up, which is odd since she is the one who is usually up first and literally hits the floor running.

but once she was awake, she was her usual live-wire self.

Toby Ann was tight with Tucker on Christmas morning. She sure loves that boy. He looks like he is praying in this picture....he wanted a bass really bad....

Daisy got what she asked for!

Sally looks on....a little confused at the amount of chaos (which, again, is odd since we have chaos all the time at our house)

Allyn. she is even beautiful with bed head.

never seen anyone so excited to get a robe. She was actually jumping up and down!

love ya.

....and I love these new boots!

I love my new boots, too!

See how my boots go great with this new robe?

...mine, too! they are so ME!

and the prayers paid off. Tucker gets his new bass. How many instruments does that make now?

Sweet.

Thanks Mom and Dad! I love my new coat!

really sweet!

Only at Nanny's house would chocolate doughnuts be on the breakfast buffet.....

......and hot chocolate. get them sugared up from the start!

hmm...

The grandkids at Nanny and Pawpaw's...you get a good group shot if you tell them that we can open the packages as soon as we get a good group shot....

Ruby loves her Princess and the Frog gifts.....she is totally obsessed!

Allyn and Tucker (wonder what they are talking about?)

Sisterly love

Toby Ann is in a daze....could it be the sugar crash just before the package-opening high?

Grandkids at Granny and Poppy's

Here's Daisy tweaking Nick's nose. Sure he loved that!

Tucker and Chelsea. So cute and festively dressed!

Allyn and Nick....this is their last Christmas as an un-married couple

Toby Ann and Ruby, hanging out in Poppy's recliner.

Me and Morgan....we almost never get in a shot together.

Evie really is a great sister to these little ones. She and Toby Ann have the sweetest relationship.

Daisy showing off her new ornament. It's tradition for each grandchild to get an ornament each year.

Toby Ann was very pleased with something

Something was funny.

Even late in the day, Evie was super excited with each gift. She was especially excited with these pants and the shirt that goes with them because she couldn't understand how we were sneaky and got them without her knowing it.....we used the "go look at those pretty earrings" trick while paying. ;) Trouble is, she'll be wise to my schemes next year!

concentrating

Hey, it's a Snow White gown!

and a Princess Tiana dress!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was what she was hoping for all day, I think!

Look at my huge yellow bag! Just what I wanted. really!

Toby Ann is so cute in hats!

Daddy's helpers. Really, he can't open a gift by himself ;)