Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving has come and gone like a flash, and I can't help but think about how thankful I am for our family, the fact that this year we've never had to go without, and that our children constantly challenge us and provoke us with their thoughts, questions and behaviors. (Sometimes this is good, and sometimes this is not...)

I've had a handful of recent experiences with the kids that made me really chuckle, so I thought I'd share some of these with you.


A few weeks ago we went to see a Christmas-tree show. This is one of those professionally-decorated Christmas tree extravaganzas with life-sized peacocks and babydolls somehow sculpted into trees without looking silly. I thought the kids would enjoy the experience, and hey, it's free.

It seemed others had the same plan.

There was a young woman with a very tiny baby in one of those cool baby-wrap things. (I'm a big fan of baby-wearning but haven't ever had a baby to wear). Melat (5) shouted in the store "that lady has a baby in her bra. That is DISGUSTING!!!"

Another funny one was when Grandpa brought out the Turkey (he makes an outstanding BBQ turkey) and Destiny (12) was shocked to see that this year's turkey had wings. She insists that last year's turkey did not. She also requested a turkey with three legs for next year's dinner, because she, her sister and her cousin all prefer leg meat.

Lastly, tonight, Destiny and I were in the car, and Destiny asked me what a song was about. The song in question was "Jeremiah was a bullfrog." I have NO IDEA what that song is about. Does anyone know?

2010 Christmas Card

Just finished our Christmas card for 2010 and I'm so excited to get them. If you see a typo, please don't tell me. ;-) I hate the pressure of typing these things out without a chance to proof them.

Top Ten Moments Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

An old, funny video

This video was taken in the spring (2010) when we went to Missouri to visit my grandpa and my dad. Melat was sitting on this swiveling chair toy at a park, but it was a really windy day, and her fro-tails (pigtails) were like kites and kept spinning her, faster and faster.

We thought you would enjoy.

Melkam Addis Amet! (Happy New Year!)

Today is Ethiopian New Year's Eve. We're planning on celebrating with the Ethiopian Community Mutual Association in Seattle. Ethiopian New year is a really fun holiday to celebrate--much like our Independence Day.

In preparation, both kids got new hairdos. Melat is taking her five-year-old privilege of wearing beads in her hair very seriously. I don't allow beads before age 5 for fear of choking. She wanted special beads for the new year's celebration. This style includes about 750 beads.

Destiny got a new set of single-extension braids. I've come to the point where I do not buy extensions for her anymore--she has to buy them herself. I have found she takes much better care of them this way. The style I braided in this time took about $15 worth of burgundy and black extensions. No beads in this one--the burgundy is already bright enough.

For those of you wondering how to braid like this, the answers are practice and YouTube. I've watched many, many videos on Youtube about how to cornrow, braid and braid in extension hair (plastic hair). Also, the right products make a big difference. We use Belle Butter whipped shea in Destiny's hair (it's very dry and her scalp gets very dry) and olive oil in Melat's hair. To find Belle Butter, it is sold on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mstashab?ref=top_trail

We've adopted again!

Breathe mom... you already know about this one. But not everyone has met the latest member of the family--Andrew the kitten!

Andrew was born in April and came from a feral kitten rescue, and spends his days rumbling around our house like a bowling ball. He's full of mischief and silliness and has a purr like a chainsaw.

August Update -- Melat turns 5 and steps on the Path to US Citizenship

We've been pretty absent around here for a couple of reasons--first, this is an adoptive family blog for the most part, with an audience of prospective adoptive families. We really haven't felt like a "different" family lately. The kids haven't had any of their special needs issues flaring, we haven't had attachment issues, and it's been summer, so we have been outside playing.

There were a couple of big summer milestones, so those warrant a post. First, Melat turned 5 on August 22. We postponed her adoption finalization while we waited to decide if we were going to change her birthdate. Ultimately we decided not to--believing it to be accurate (her birthmom assured us that it was) but she's just an especially bright kid, and has very good motor coordination, so we've always wondered.

On August 25th, we went to court to finalize her adoption. We did this pro se (without an attorney) to save on adoption costs. Because Ethiopia isn't part of the Hague convention, kids adopted in ET have to be re-adopted to gain US Citizenship, otherwise she remains a permanent resident alien on a green card with a Ethiopian passport.

I'm including a photo of all of us at the court--the judge gave her the funny pink Alligator and the court staff took this cute portrait of all of us. We spent two days playing on the beaches of Port Townsend (we filed in Jefferson county--which would be less hassle than in our home county).

After court, we took all the family out for an old-fashioned burger and malt lunch at a soda fountian in the back of a pharmacy. They had a great little corner that fit our little birthday party, and Melat got to open her birthday presents, and drink the biggest milkshake I've ever seen. A fun birthday party was had by all.

Melat doesn't want to grow up, because old people are gross.

The kids always seem to express their thoughts in the car. Today, Melat told me "I don't want to get old, because old people are gross." Melat is my four and a half year old Ethiopian daughter.

I asked her why old people are gross. She reminisced about a recent trip to Missouri to see my grandfather in his last days. My kids do great with illness and death. They've both seen their share of it, and are totally practical about enjoying the last time that you have with people. They were not intimidated or afraid and were even reluctant to leave the hospital when I decided we'd spent enough time for grandpa's good (some times... too much company, especially in the form of boisterous children is not good).

They took in everything. Melat saw the bag where the urine goes for a bed-bound person who can't get up for the bathroom. That was a very curious feature but she agreed that something must be done if you're too big for diapers and need to go, but can't.

We brought grandma some lunch in the hospital--a bag of little burgers. Melat wanted to know why we weren't bringing grandpa any burgers. While grandma chewed, I explained to her that grandpa was too weak to eat a burger and that he gets all the food he needs from the IV bag, pointing to the bag suspended above his head and the plastic tube that ran to his hand. "He's not hungry because he gets his food and water in that thing."

"Ok" she said without further questions. (whew... I thought that was going to be harder to explain).

So now, six weeks later, she explained to me that old people are gross. Because they pee in the bag and then get their food from the bag.

I guess I hadn't made it clear that they are different bags.

We lost grandpa later on the day of our visit, but we were all very happy to be there and say our last goodbyes and it was a pleasant visit all around. It's going to take me a little while to explain to her that old people don't eat pee. :-/