Two years and a birthday

So, it's been exactly two years since we flew 32 hours in four flights halfway around the world with our two new children who didn't speak English and had no idea what was happening to them and somehow trusted us anyway.

We recount anecdotes on occasions like this... like the time on the plane when I was trying to show Tizita that an ice cube melts. (She'd never seen ice before) I held it in my hand and she got bored trying to understand me so she looked out the window for a while. When she turned back, the ice cube was gone and I was happily pointing to the small puddle of water in my hand ("magic!") and she hit me and turned away, wailing, because I'd stolen her precious ice cube and wouldn't give it back. She laughs now and so do I but it was the start of a huge adventure of realizations about things I/we take for granted that a little person from the other side of the earth might understand.

In most ways, they completely blend in now, which I guess is good. I won't get too philosophical here tonight, but there was a definite preciousness to the surreality of those first few weeks together getting to know each other. Six weeks later she was in preschool, and two weeks after that she started putting her hand on her hip and rolling her eyes at me. Welcome to America, where all moms are old farts! :)

Life now is full of, mostly, work. It's not easy being a real estate agent in a crappy economy but so far we are making our way. The cost is in precious little time with the kids... clients will pretty much always have to come first until we get back into a more balanced market. There's a photo below taken by our neighbor yesterday... the first (and perhaps only) day we've spent as a foursome since Christmas break. It's nice to have it candidly documented by a passerby!

Each adoption anniversary requires a written status report about the kids and eight photos each to be sent back to Ethiopia to check on their progress. I haven't taken photos in months so I took the camera out yesterday and today and started snapping. Hope you enjoy.

First though, the all-too-often unsung sweeties of our family, the cats...
Howard lookin' for some love when no one else is around.
Misu and Michael... is it possible for a cat to look any more content?

Tizita's been taking a 'machine sewing' class at school... in kindergarten! For our friend Aurora's first birthday, she and Brad made this very cool turtle beanbag, filled with mung beans. Hard to believe my six year old could make that!

Our friend Aurora over for a visit shortly after her big b'day. The kids love playing with Baby Rora.

Fekadu with his new haircut, Lily's shades and dad's hardhat, succumbing to encouragement to 'vogue'

Tizita's gap-toothed smile

And a close-up of the crookedy tooth making its way into the aforementioned gap. :)

Some neighbors drove by yesterday (a *gorgeous* sunny day) and caught us chilling on our new front porch.

I don't know what was happening here, but Fekadu is clearly in one of his rowdy moods.

He may have been gearing up for my birthday. Here's the lovely angel food cake that Brad and Tizita made, with the 44+1 candle arrangement.

Here's the "special" decoration that Fekadu added to the cake, landing him some serious alone time (note the giant tongue marks on the cake!) Blecch.
Goodwill birthday present #1, the hand carved marble game certain to drive Fekadu crazy because he can't get the marbles out or make them go exactly the way he wants them to. Goodwill birthday present #2, crank up the volume...