I need five people

I need five people to respond to this post and take action by donating five dollars. I did it, so can you! Please, go to the link below and donate just five dollars now.

This summer I have watched my Ethiopian son water our garden, run through the sprinkler, and play gleefully in his little toddler pool. Each time I see this, it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart because in the Horn of Africa people are dying at alarming rates because they don't have water and that means they don't have food. Sometimes, I want to take the hose away from my two year old son. I want to stop the wasting of water. I want to tell him that we are so lucky to have all this clean, safe water not only to drink but to play in, and to help our food grow. I want to tell him that I worry about the health and welfare of his Ethiopian family everytime I see water splashing around in our backyard and him enjoying such a luxury. I am torn everytime, I want to stop all this joy and playing with water, but then I think what good will that do, and of course he won't understand.

If you are like me, you have been aware and saddened by the drought in the Horn of Africa. You have been following the news, wanting to make a difference, but not even sure how to begin. Thank goodness for people like Sarah at http://www.trektoethiopia.blogspot.com/ that are more motivated than I/we are and take action and help gather others that can also contribute to their fantastic goals and visions.

Please take the time to click on the link above to read more about Sarah's project on her blog. There are links on her page to make a donation and to learn how you can help spread the word. Or you can go to this link http://www.seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5 to make a donation to this wonderful project that Sarah has started.

The Cutest Thing I Ever Did See

Hiking in Montana in June

The Second Cutest Things I Ever Did See

His cousin, the birthday fairy!

The Quieter Moments of Summer

Yes, the quieter times in our lives only happen when this kid is asleep...

Out and around town


At a wedding


Hiking in Montana


Man that looks painful!


Sleeping through another hike

A Picture of Summer

It's seems like summer just started, but I have this sinking feeling that it's just about over. Some pictures of summer time in our little world.

Lots of summer time bike riding...June at home

He fits in a box...June at Grandpa and Grandma's

Playing in the dirt with Dada and Grandma...June in Montana

The Easy Way to Hike...June in Montana


We had LOTS of help watering the garden this summer.
July at home in the backyard


Plenty of swimming/water play in the backyard.
July


4th of July Sparklers


Did I mention LOTS of bike riding around the neighborhood?
At home in July

Great summer style..swim diaper and rain boots.
July


Buddies playing in the garden...August


Visiting Aunt Deanna and watching a parade.
August


Many visits to parks and playgrounds...
countless trips down slides and swing rides.
This one in August in Aunt Deanna's neighborhood.


A little blackberry picking and hiking around Sauvie Island in August.



Going to check out the fire truck visit during the neighborhood block party.
August

Birthday Party

This weekend on Saturday we celebrated Melke's 2nd birthday. We celebrated a week early, so my baby isn't quite 2 years old yet. Melkamu had a great time with his little friends. It was a water/pool party with a little toddler pool, the slip-n-slide, and a bounce house borrowed from the neighbor. I couldn't believe the way Melkamu conquered the slip-n-slide. He watched the kids do it and just got in line and down he went when it was his turn. It was so cute. He went down many times and as Daniel says, "He really rocked it." Melkamu really had a wonderful time.

One Whole Year

August 15th marked one whole year that we have been home with our son. That is amazing and wonderful. I just can not believe it has been a year. Yesterday we went out to eat some Ethiopian food to mark the occasion. I hope in the future we can continue to take note of this day, with some special family time and delicious Ethiopian food. Daniel asks, "Why can't we just celebrate his birthday?" After some thought, this is my answer. My birthday as a kid was about how old I was becoming, a birthday party, presents, but also a time when I asked questions about my birth and my joining the family. I remember wanting to know what time of day I was born and was my dad there and what was happening when I was born. I learned things about my birth and the birth of my siblings when we were excited about our birthdays and asking questions. I learned that on the birthday of my sister, the first child, my mom wouldn't let my dad leave her side the whole time they were in the hospital. Apparently, my dad was so hungry he was going to pass out from lack of nutrition, because my mom didn't want him to leave her side. I learned that I was going to be a breech baby and that my aunt was scheduled to fly out for my birth to help my mom after the possible surgery she would have to deliver me. I ended up turning around before my birthday and was born without the need for surgical intervention. I also learned when my mother was in labor with her third child, my brother, she drove herself to the hospital and my dad came later after things had progressed. A far cry from the birth of their first child. I remember these stories from my childhood (although my parents will probably read this and say I remember the stories all wrong), and I realize that birthdays aren't just about how old you are going to be and what kind of birthday party will be planned. Birthdays are also a celebration of a child's joining a family, a time that parents and child think about that time when they were born, and for lots of people that coincides with joining their family that they will be with forever. Melkamu's birthday does not coincide with the time that he joined the family he will now be with forever. He will certainly ask questions on his birthday, as he gets older, about his birth and we will tell him all the information we know about his birth in Ethiopia. I also want him to have a day to reflect on the story that was born when he joined our family forever...August 15th, 2010, when all three of us came home as a family.

And Daniel, in response to that reflection, says, "Yeah, that's true, but it doesn't have to be a party right. It's just family." Yeah Daniel, don't worry, It'll be a Family Day. And so it goes, the birth of our Family Day.

August 15, 2010

August 15, 2011

The Early Days

I have spent the last week and a half looking through pictures from this time last year. It's been nice to remember those days, and exciting experiences of meeting our son. Melke was the one child in our travel group that did not sit nicely with his new mama and dada and smile and play. He was the one child that was unhappy and cried, and was looking pretty nervous about all this change that was happening in his life. When we took custody of Melke and took him back to the guest house, he cried and screamed and looked sad and mad and angry. He did some kicking and pushing away from us when we were holding him. All heart breaking. We didn't even try to feed him that night (don't tell Sister Martha, the head nurse). We just gave him a bottle of milk, which he was happy to take and let him go to sleep. He slept the night between us in the bed, and every time he lifted his head and looked around, we patted him on the back and coo-ed to him. He got a few bottles during the night according to his schedule. And then, he woke up a completely different baby! He was the baby that the nurse and care givers were telling us about, but the baby we had yet to see. He was still a little timid, but he played and crawled, and smiled and laughed, and showed interest in toys. Ahhh, it was such a relief! And he has been/has done awesome ever since...