Baby Makes Five

What I've Learned from Training for a Marathon

2008-09-15T11:02:00.001-07:00

I know those of you (all two of you) who follow my blog have just been dying for another post so here it is- Only about three months later!

I have been training for what seems like a lifetime for the Chicago Marathon. Now that I am only one month away I was thinking about what God has been teaching me during this long long training period and just wanted to get it written so I could share it with the kids someday.

Physically-

I cannot believe that God took a person who had never been involved in any sports, and turned her into a real athlete! I actually finished running 20 miles a couple of weeks ago and just wanted to cry because I never believed that it could be me who was able to accomplish something so amazing. I think God has taught me that discipline is the key to turning a body into a machine that can endure even when I thought it couldn't. It was all the mornings of getting up before dawn and going to bed early that got me this far. I am so amazed at the human body and what all it can endure and am addicted to the high of running even though it was so incredibly painful sometimes. I also discovered I have asthma during this long training period- Who knew???

Mentally-

I learned how to talk myself into pushing further and further even when my body was telling me to quit. I am extremely competitive so this part was not really hard.

I learned to take the time to look around me for once- I know God used running to quiet my mind and soul to see things that he had created. There was so many cool things along the way that were part of living out in the country, but I had never noticed them before. I passed by everything from deer, cows, horses and frogs and of course dogs. I had so many encounters with dogs that were funny I cannot even begin to list them all but one that was the best was the day that a blue heeler ran behind me for at least 5 miles and nipped at my heels everytime I slowed down. I guess I looked or smelled like a cow. I saw this amazing enormous hawk that sat on a telephone wire every morning and would just watch me as I passed. It has been really beautiful just seeing what God has created and appreciating it as I pass by rolling farmland every morning as the sun rises. God is truly amazing!

Spiritually-

In a nutshell I think God used running as the time that He could finally speak to me and I would listen. I truly think that my life was going in so many directions at such a fast pace that he just wanted a chance for my spirit to be quiet so he could whisper and I would hear.

I know that in the hours that I run God convicts me of sin daily. He lets me know that my insecurities and paranoia are not from him but from the enemy and that when the world lets me down I need to depend on Him only.

He has called me to bigger things in my life and I have heard the call while I was running. I was listening to a sermon on my ipod one day and I knew after, that God was calling me into a ministry for exotic dancers here in my city. It was nothing I ever thought I would want to do but it was clear as anything that God was telling me to be obedient and do it. So here I am in the beginning of this ministry with 10 other women and God is blessing that obedience.

I have also had some of the most amazing worship experiences during my runs. I listen to a mixture of music but I have worship stuff in my mix and sometimes a song has struck me so deeply that I literally wanted to raise my hands while running. Those who know me know I am not normally a hand raisin' kind of gal so I have really been moved by the Holy Spirit. I am sure cars going by would love seeing a charismatic crazy runner!

So I thank God for the ability to run and turning into a time to praise Him and get to know Him more deeply. It has been an amazing journey!

ALMOST ONE MONTH FROM THE CHICAGO MARATHON!!!!!!

WE LOVE SUMMER!!!

2008-07-05T18:50:00.001-07:00

I LOVE this shot. It was a fun day of picking strawberries at Galerines in Shelbyville

Picking apples and finding bugs at Nana and Papas

It was oh so cold at Southland Pool in Lexington. Greyson is not mr. aquatic.

The girls chilling on a turtle.

Lilly riding the wooden shoes with Josh and Sherry. We always love the "Chingdom" Somehow Lilly gets Chuck E Cheeses and Kentucky "Chingdom" mixed up all the time.

Emme being cute Emme.

The cousins (minus Greyson who was home with Daddy and Zach who does not like to pose for pictures).

Playdate at our house with 17 kids, one nasty dirty kiddy pool and lots of popsicles.

Greyson doing his crossdressing while watering my flowers for me.

Maddie trying to give me one good pose as I was trying to get a good picture of all the kids for Fathers day to no avail.

This is what I gave him for Fathers day- not the best but it was cute. I also gave him the first picture.

Steve's Ordination

2008-06-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

The elders and their wives laying hands on us and praying for us. A very powerful moment.

Pastor Buddy giving Steve the charge of eldership. Yes I know this is extremely blurry. We will forgive you dad for taking this blurry shot! You can't even see poor Pastor Buddy's face.

Not only do we celebrate Steve today for being a great father to his kids- we also celebrated his calling to be an elder of our church. He was ordained today which made Fathers Day extra special. We both feel humbled by the leadership role and consider it both a joy and a heavy burden. We are amazed that we have only been at Adventure for one year and within that year so much has happened: we adopted Greyson, we made amazing friends and got deeper into the Bible and we began to feel God calling us deeper. Steve accepted the charge to take over missions at our church and will be returning to Africa in the fall- this time to Kenya.

I had been feeling like God was calling me to something more also. It was an ever present tugging at me but I couldn't place it. I kept praying just wondering what God wanted me to do as I kept trying to be obedient being the best mom and wife I could be (often failing). Then through much prompting by the Holy Spirit I knew it was time for me to be bold. Through a ministry that already existed in Lexington, I found out about Bruised Reed, a ministry that serves women in the exotic dancing industry. I kept thinking about these women and thinking about these women and God would not let me go. So here I am starting the same ministry here in Louisville and wondering how exactly I got here! I knew my heart was with orphans in Africa but God also had something else in mind for me. I find that it often works that way!

So here Steve and I are on the day of his ordination knowing it was no accident that we ended up at a church called "Adventure" over a year ago. We often wonder what God will call us to do and feel scared but excited at the same time to see what it will be. I always pray for a spirit of boldness and that God will place people in our lives daily that we can love and show Jesus to in very practical ways.

If you read this blog and have a story I would love to hear it! I love to know how God is using other people- So don't just lurk-share your stuff!!!

Family Reunion/Birthday Celebration

2008-06-09T12:44:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics from our fun Saturday with our family at our house for a cookout. I am a dork and can't figure out how to take my uncles pics and make them bigger without messing up the resolution. Hmmm....

Happy 2nd Birthday Mr. Greyson!!!

2008-06-07T16:13:00.000-07:00

Greyson showing his "birthday suit" to the world

Look at that new big boy haircut-how cute is that?

Loving his Spongebob cake!

I can hardly believe Greyson is two. It seems like just yesterday that we brought him home from Ethiopia and celebrated his first birthday. He has not only skyrocketed off the growth chart (mainly in weight-chicken nuggets will do that to ya) but he has grown into a little boy instead of a baby. He now talks all the time, sings songs, dances and copies everything Maddie and Lilly do. He is so full of love and is always wanting to give Steve and I a bear hug and a big snotty kiss. (his nose is ALWAYS running). It has been so fun to watch him change in the past year and develop this fun personality.

Happy second birthday little man. We fall more in love with you everyday!!!

May Memories Montage

2008-06-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

Me and my best friend Melanie at the soggy Oaks

Dinner with grownups- what a concept!

Steve and I making some two dollar bets

What a great view of the muddy track!

The last days of school- Maddie and her best friend McKenzie

Maddie at her little desk- isn't she big?

Maisy and her new do.

Just the girls hanging out at Mayfest.

Maddie and Mrs. Lawson, the best Kindergarten teacher in the WORLD!

Maddie doing her model pose in Gratz Park

Lilly squishing my earrings into my head-

Okay my camera has been in limbo for a good month without a working USB cord so I finally get to download all my May pics and share with the three people who regularly read my blog (if you are a lurker please comment occasionally- I am lonely out here in cyberspace)

Brownie

2008-06-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Today Maddie and Lilly were chasing Greyson around the house and were yelling "Brownie" at the top of their lungs. He was laughing hysterically and they were too. It took a minute for Steve and I to catch on to what they were saying and realize how completely inappropriate it was because we had just woken up.
It is one of those moments that you are trying to correct your kids but you are about to start cracking up yourself. They are so innocent that they just don't realize how awful it would sound to someone in public. I asked Maddie why they were calling him that and she said matter of factly " because he has brown skin and he likes it when we call him that" After trying to explain to her why it was not a cool thing to say- I had to go into a civics lesson and remind her about what she learned about Martin Luther King Jr. etc. etc.
It was a moment that reminds me how innocently kids think- He looks brown so lets call him brownie!!! You know the angels in heaven love to watch kids.

So you had a bad day...

2008-05-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Let me give you the synopsis of my very bad day-

Got up way too late and did not get to go to the gym but got in a very short and dehydrated feeling run.
My house was a wreck from the night before from having friends over from dinner so being the anal retentive personality I am, it all had to be cleaned before we could go.
Had to run about a million errands with three little kids which means endless buckling and unbuckling of car seats and one time I got down the road and realized I had not buckled Lilly in.
Lilly had to pee every five minutes because she must have the bladder size of a walnut. So i would have to pull over and let her pee in her little baby potty seat (thanks for this tip Nicole- it is a lifesaver that keeps us out of nasty germ ridden potties in gas stations- I know Britney Spears likes these kinds of places but they are not cool with three little ones that like to touch the toilet seats)
We got McDonalds in the car and greyson dumped all his stinky greasy french fries on the floor. Being the good mom trying to build up his immunity, I blew on them and gave them back to him.
Got to the video store where my kids proceed to try to touch every video case and move them out of order- This video store luckily loves me because I am there every week and they seem to feel my pain.
Took all three of them and myself to get a haircut because poor Melanie ( my bestest friend) was dealing with pink eye and was not able to keep Greyson for me. We were almost a half hour late and as I proceed to go the wrong way through the ATM and am trying to get my wallet out it drops in the little potty that still had pee in it. Are you feeling my pain yet????
We get to the haircut place and the kids were surprisingly well behaved as i got my haircut first . It was Greyson's turn next. His hair had gotten beyond nappy and although people always tell us how cute he is we decided it was time to cut the fro. I had to hold him on my lap as she proceeded to torture him and shave his hair. He is strong as an ox, so much so that it is a bit scary- so it was quite the exhausting experience but the results made it worth it. HE LOOKS PRECIOUS. I will post pictures soon if I ever get my USB cord from China or Taiwan or wherever in the Orient it is coming from ( can you tell I have had a bad day yet)
Okay so the girls get their hair cut and before we leave I go in the restroom with Greyson and Lilly and proceed to knock and entire shelf off the wall and break some shells that were on there. I had to try to put it together and keep Greyson out of the toilet all at the same time. (oh and there was no toilet paper either)
Okay so here is the clincher of the story. We leave the haircut place and are going to the car that is parked on the street in very rural Taylorsville. I got Greyson and Maddie in first because they were on the passenger side next to the sidewalk. Little did I know that Lilly had slipped away from me and was walking toward her side- The next thing I hear is a horn honking and everything went in slow motion as I ran to her screaming to stop. It was horrifying to say the least. As I scooped her up and was telling her never ever ever to do that again this redneck guy gets out of his car and proceeds to SCREAM at me "what kind of mother are you? You almost let a horrible accident happen- You need to watch your kids ..." As I was about to start bawling and my face was getting hot and red- I let out some words that I am not proud of (not cursing but I did let him have it). I had to apologize to my kids when I got back in the car and tell them that is not how mommy should talk even if the man was mean to me.

I think that is about all.... I really feel like God uses these days to grow mothers into more mature and patient women. It isn't any one incident that brings you to your knees, it is often the culmination of them that humble you and realize you can't do this job without God's strength and grace.

Can i get an amen???

Islands in the Stream

2008-04-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for some way to use a Dolly Parton song as a title for my post and here it is. We have been having much fun with nature lately- streams, ponds, dirt, sand and lots of bugs. Ah how I love spring and summer.

If anyone knows of any good stain removal tricks please share!

Spring Break 08

2008-04-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

Jumping on the beds before we left my sisters

The play place/toystore in Cinci

Emme and Maddie loved playing cashier in this play store

And doing ballet moves in this play studio

The princesses in front of their castle

At the zoo eating lunch

A great shot of Greyson at Nana and Papas

Me and my big girl

Lilly fishing for leaves in Papas pond

Me and my girls at Jacobson Park

Maddie's legs glowing in the sand

Chuck E Cheese fun kicked off our week

Our internet was down for a LONG LONG time (it was painful for me) so I am just now getting maddie's wild and woolly spring break pics up. We did have a great time even though I did many of these activities with a fever.

Sunday in Cinci

2008-03-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

The birthday girl

My sister has nursing school brain- she put 7 candles on instead of 6

My sis leading the YMCA

Mom and Dad

Zach being goofball zach

We had a blast at Sherry's for Emme's 6th dog themed birthday party (bow wow wow yippee yo yippee yay) and my daddyo's birthday. My kids are seriously happiest when they are with their cousins and it had been a long time since we had visited due to my sisters HORRIFIC schedule.

We were talking about how it was just amazing to see Emme so healthy as she celebrated her birthday as we remembered her being sick and bloated from steroids just a few short years before. God is truly amazing and we know our prayers were answered for her healing. She is a beautiful, independent and nurturing little girl. WE LOVE YOU EMME!!

Easterama

2008-03-23T14:59:00.001-07:00

Oh how we have had so much fun celebrating easter- from hunting easter eggs in the mud at church in subzero temperatures to eating so much candy that our teeth hurt- Easter has been a great time for the Wehrheim family.

In all seriousness we were just saying how lucky we feel to have found Adventure as our church home and it was so great spending our second Easter worshiping there today. We feel like we are part of such a great family and it is so great to find such a home to serve in.

Who Yelled Fire?

2008-03-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Stephanie gave us this cute fireman costume for Greyson but guess who actually loves it?

She loves it so much that she just HAD to sleep in it- Hat and all

Eggstra Fun

2008-03-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

Don't you love my corny title???? We were having so much fun coloring eggs yesterday and then Maddie squooshed one and she went ballistic. Just to show you how different the two girls are, Lilly squooshed probably 4 eggs and was not phased (kind of like she wasn't phased when she squeezed a kitten to death either). It is just funny how different their personalities are and how I see bits and pieces of Steve and myself in each one of them. Greyson is a unique guy in a totally different sort of way- HE IS CRAZY with a capital C. I love them all for their own unique ways even on the days that i think i might be losing my mind.

Adoption is Final!!!!

2008-03-10T08:30:00.000-07:00

Wehrheims and the judge

Our wonderful attorney Teresa Kinberger

We went to court today (in the grand metropolis of Spencer County) where the judge only comes in every once in awhile, and completed our adoption. It was a pretty penny but so worth it to know it is all legal and he is our son forever and ever. It's hard to believe that it was almost a year ago when we met Greyson- it seems like he has always been with us.

The Big Chill

2008-03-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

David and maddie playing on the snow disc down the hill- Maddie has no snow pants or gloves and was soaked and freezing!

Put your back into it!!!

Oh how Greyson misses Ethiopian weather

8 inches of SNOW IN MARCH???????AARGHHHHH!!!

A New Addition to Our Small Group

2008-03-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Stephanie, Chad and Emma on adding adorable Max to the family

Dana remembering those baby days

Entertaining our one million kids in the waiting room while the adults all took turns visiting

Let's Be Frank

2008-03-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

Scenario: Maddie had just been bad while we were out last night and steve was gonna give her a talkin to in the car-

Steve: Frankly I am not very happy with your behavior tonight etc. etc etc.

(you get the point right??)

Maddie ( crying): Daddy who is Frankly- Who is Frankly???? I'm not Frankly!

Poor Maisy

2008-03-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

Candyland

2008-02-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

Stephanie servin up some licorice and a smile at Lord Licorice's station

Find the Gloppy's chocolate in Grandma Nut's peanuts game

Can you believe she is 6????

Playin a little freezedance at the Queen Frostine game station

King Candy Game station- Guess the Gumball game

Therese helping out on the Mr. Mint station with pin the candy cane on Mr. Mint

Everyone decorated goody bags to collect their sugar

Maddie got all 6 candles on the first try!

Yummy cake- the best I have ever eaten and from Kroger!

Maddie opening all her goodies

Eatin some grub

The road through candyland

Lots of candycanes, pieces of candy and lollipops I made inside and outside

Before all the chaos...

Maddie's party was lots of fun and went off without a hitch. I have to say that for a self proclaimed uncrafty gal, this party brought out the wild martha stewart in me. It was a lot of fun and alot of work but everyone seemed to have a blast.

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY SWEET MADDIE!

2008-02-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

I always reminisce on the day of my kids birthdays and remember the day they were born. Believe it or not my mom still does the same thing for me and my sister and always calls me at the exact time I was born to wish me a happy birthday!

I cannot believe it was 6 years ago and everything is still so vivid- How, as I was in labor, I made Steve paint my toe nails before we could go the hospital.

How I never knew labor could hurt so bad.

How i never knew you shook uncontrollably while you were simultaneously sweating and laboring.

How life never seemed happier when you finally got the epidural and you could relax and chill the rest of the LONG LONG labor.

How my cute little doctor who I totally depended on had the nerve to be on vacation and instead of be there to deliver my baby. (How dare he!) Instead I had the doctor with the toupee that was falling off. (He was great by the way)

How the doctor offered me a view of the birth with a gargantuan mirror and it completely freaked me out and I told him to take it away QUICKLY.

How amazed I was when I finally saw Maddie and how completely beautiful she was.

How the first thing Steve and I both said was " she has dimples!" All in all we looked at each other and thought- WOW, isn't she amazing???? And Maddie is Amazing.

Maddie you are a brilliant, beautiful and amazing girl. You never cease to amaze me with your wonder at how the world works and your willingness to work hard to learn. You have an excitement about life and a zeal that is wonderful and gets me excited too. You love God with all your heart already and your Dad and I pray that above all things in your life you always follow Him wherever he leads you .

WE LOVE YOU!

Mom and Daddy

Crazy Day!

2008-02-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

Notice that Lilly had peed her pants and now was pantless to add to the excitement of the day

Aren't they all stinkin cute????

Today Lilly and Greyson and I set off to drive to Lexington to visit one of my oldest and dearest friends, Jodi Stone, and her family. She was visiting from Georgia and we never get to see each other and our two newest international additions had never met either. So, after dropping off Maddie we headed that way and almost got there when I get a call from Melanie and she says that the winter ice storm we were supposed to get at RUSH HOUR was heading our way much earlier and they were letting school out early. So... I went into panic mode because I am terrified terrified of a few things 1. Tornadoes 2. Heights 3. and driving in ice.

We decided to go ahead and visit Jod anyway for a few minutes and it was the most hurried crazy visit ever- Our kids were running around (and fighting, and not sharing of course) and Jodi and I got maybe three sentences finished between us. So much for catching up right????

I was happy to see her, the kids and her parents who I love and have not seen in ages.

I drove like a bat out of hell on the way home trying to beat the storm and was literally sweating when I get home- I know its crazy but I really have a fear.

Anyway Jodi if you are reading this...

We love ya Jod and we miss you!

Is this really snow???

2008-02-13T13:25:00.000-08:00

That was the question from my kiddos as we ventured out yesterday morning in four layers of clothes and brand new boots (one size two big) to play in what we thought might sort of kind of be snow (even though freezing rain pellets were hitting and stinging our face). Greyson immediately fell and went out flat on his face in the sinking ice and SCREAMED blood curdling screams for some time. I was determined to stick it out because it took FOREVER to get us all dressed so we attempted to ice skate down our MONSTER driveway hill. That was pretty fun. Greyson never really had much fun until we played in the garage in a "safe zone"

It gave us about 45 minutes of fun in what was a long long day.

Did I mention i hate hate hate winter!

Big Upset for the Pastries

2008-02-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

No matter how many times we told Maddie that it was the Patriots she kept calling them the Pastries. She was for the Giants anyway! I guess the Pastries sounded too wimpy for her.

Happy Birthday Sweet Lilly!!!

2008-02-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

Lilly turned three on February 1st and this was a fun year because she was so excited about her little party this time. She had a few buddies and mostly family over to celebrate with a Strawberry Shortcake theme.

I am amazed when I see this loving, strong willed, silly, and adorable girl and I remember back to the day she was born and how we almost lost her. She is a blessing in our lives and although she has screaming fits almost daily lately (a phase that I am sure will pass- right?), she has a loving and sweet personality and an empathy for others that is refreshing and beautiful.

WE LOVE YOU LILS!!!! HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY!!!

I JUST REGISTERED FOR THE CHICAGO MARATHON!!!!

2008-02-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

I wanted everyone to see my registration form so they would believe me- I am ready BABY!!! Okay not ready to run yet but by golly I am registered.

Please say prayers that I don't die during training in these next grueling months and I have no injuries. This has been a goal of mine for a long time so I am really pumped to actually be doing it in October.

I AM SO EXCITED!!!

How many gumdrops???

2008-01-30T10:25:00.001-08:00

Lilly is finally finally starting to use the potty and we are using the gumdrop system for rewards. one gumdrop for pee and two for poo. Maddie asked me last night after looking very contemplative if Lilly could get three or more if she had the runs. She is always the little business woman just looking out for little sis!

Another Wild Wehrheim Saturday Night

2008-01-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

Shoe Fetish

2008-01-20T18:02:00.001-08:00

Greyson has a big thing for shoes of all sizes, colors and genders but he especially likes mommy's high heels. Steve is a bit concerned but i keep telling him it is just a phase. What is really amazing is that he walks really really well in high heels- Check it out!

Horizon House Prayer

2008-01-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

This was sent to all the adoptive families- We were all wondering what the prayer was that was said daily at the orphanage since it was said in Amharic- Here it is! This will be neat to tell Greyson someday...

Horizon House Prayer

"In the name of the Father (beh semeh ab)
the son (beh wold)
and the Holy Sprit (beh menfes kidus)
One God (ahadu amlak)
Amen. (ahmen)

Our God, we pray to ask you to please bless this bread and this water,
we pray t0 ask you to please provide to those who are hungry and thirsty
and give to them with your blessings, Amen.
Let those who are working hard for others and those with giving hands be blessed.
In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen. "

Below is Sinidu, one of the fabulous cooks at Horizon House's bread recipe. She made this everyday for pretty much every meal and it was so YUMMY!

Sinidu's Bread Recipe

Yeast 1 tea spoon
Salt 1 tea spoon
Sugar 1soup spoon
Egg 1 piece
Baking powder 1 tea spoon
Oil 50ml
Milk 1 cup
Water ½ cup

All this mix together in one bowel then add ½ kg wheat floor and mix it the dough well then after it rising mix will and add 1 tea spoon lemon vanilla or lime zest mix it well the it ready to beak. (Please note: they did not include the oven temperature nor how long it should bake for. Our guess is maybe 325 to 375 degrees for 30-40 mns.)

Tea for Three

2008-01-16T09:14:00.001-08:00

Maddie took this ever so lovely shot of me and mom at Flag Fork Herb Garden last weekend. We had a nice girly lunch for my moms birthday- something we rarely if ever get to do. We thought it would be fun to bring Maddie since she is getting older and wiser but she was not into the frou frou food. She did however enjoy this day with the big girls. (Big girl is no lie-holy cow it is a good thing I have started training and some of this chunky christmas weight will come off!)

Twofer Tuesday

2008-01-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

We had much excitement around our house as Maddie lost her first two teeth within a couple of days of one another and we awaited the arrival of the Tooth Fairy. Maddie has been dying to join the ranks of her friends who have been visited by this creature, so much so that I thought she might just yank her tooth out when she felt it was loose.

Let me just say- The tooth fairy has a hard time when the tooth is shoved WAY under the pillow- At least that is what I hear...

We're thinking Arbys!

2008-01-04T14:02:00.001-08:00

Christmas Part Deux

2008-01-03T09:30:00.001-08:00

Papa made this amazing rocking horse by hand for Lilly. It is beautiful and has an inscription on it that made me cry.

Just what I always wanted!!!

Greysons first stocking experience. He caught on real quick!!!

Lilly and Maddie exploring their creative side.

Mom being pooped at the end of the day and chillin with my girls

Greyson just needed some start up help and then he ripped through all those suckers.

Candyland- Hooray!

HO! HO! HO!

2007-12-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

Grammy came to visit for the week but wasn't prepared for the noise level from 6 kids running around the house

Lilly got some cool stuff from the Ritz's

Maddie hates to have her picture taken, can't you tell

Maddie became the official photographer of the evening and actually did a great job!

The original Crabtree clan

Lilly had too much Christmas cheer

Emme and Maddie- kissing cousins- best friends

The Jan Brady Syndrome

2007-12-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

This snow guy is kinda evil looking isn't he?

Lilly telling santa all she wanted was a book for christmas. Oh to be two again!

We were pretending to be festive in our sweaters but it was about one million degrees in this room.

Sometimes I feel bad for Lilly because she is that classic middle child stuck between her big sister who gets to do more fun stuff than her and her baby brother who gets the babying most of the time. Not that she is deprived in any way, but it is good to get some one on one mom time every once in awhile. That's why it was cool that I got to take her to the Pancake and Paws breakfast by herself (maddie was sick) the other day and she thought she was big stuff. She was also much more behaved than usual (go figure).

Five Year Old's Faux Pas

2007-12-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Five year olds do not know anything about being politically correct. That is what cracks steve and I up about the kids everyday. Sunday was no exception...
So we are sitting at lunch with the kids and Greyson starts throwing food on the floor (his favorite pastime besides sticking his hand in the toilet or throwing batteries in the toilet etc etc). I scolded him for it and he started crying.
Maddie says oh I think Greyson is crying because he wants his real mom!
It is one of those moments you want to cry and laugh at the same time. We chose to laugh!

Greyson Needs a Haircut!

2007-12-01T15:19:00.002-08:00

Before the trauma began

The trauma began but this was before three grown men had to hold him down.

Doesn't he look like a big boy???

A certificate showing Greyson has entered into barbershop "manhood"

Greyson needs a haircut! That is what our friend from Rwanda told us while visiting our house on Thanksgiving. It was becoming a little unmanageable…….dry and kind of kinky and just generally unhealthy. We had made the mistake of washing it nightly just as we did the girls. That apparently is a big no-no. We attempted to reverse the damage we had done by conditioning nightly but it was all for not. So there was only one option. Cut it off and start again.

I began the search for a good black barber shop…..not so much because we didn’t think he could get it cut anywhere else but because the barber shop is kind of a cultural hub for black men in America, at least that is what my black friends have told me. So, because Greyson has me as a father, a white mom, two white sisters and even a white Westie as the family dog…..I feel it is really important for Greyson to be exposed to African American men in as many ways as possible. I also felt it was important for me to take him…not sure why but I just wanted to.

So after recommendations from some African American friends and another adopting family we headed off this morning to Haskin’s barber shop. It was a funny experience. It was kind of like those movies where the white guy walks into the black bar and the music stops and everyone looks at him. In this case, everyone saw Greyson and put two and two together pretty quickly. Now, I didn’t know this but a haircut and shave takes a little more time than what we are used to at Supercuts. It was about 30 minutes per person but we were 2nd in line so no worries. Unfortunately, about half way through the guy before Greyson, I realized the shop did not take credit cards. Ugh! We had to give our spot up and go get cash. We came back and now we were 3rd in line.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the conversation amongst all those in the shop. It was great. Just common stuff, kids, the news and of course, wives. Everyone agreed it just does not make sense to argue….just do what you’re told and your marriage would be fine. I was surprised to find it a fun time listening to all the conversation. Funny, the presumptions you take with you into new experiences. I loved it...it didn’t really have anything to do with the fact that it was a black barber shop but that it was kind of like a boy’s club where there were no girls and just good fun ribbing back and forth. All men should go to a barber shop.

Luckily, the men in the shop saw Greyson getting antsy and let me go to the front of the line. I told everyone I had to take a picture or Heather would kill me. That is when the guy who said it was best to do what your wife tells you jokingly told me to quit being a punk and stand up to my wife. With that bit of ribbing I felt a little more accepted into this group.

That is where the fun started. Greyson did well for about 3 seconds before coming unglued. As Eric, the barber started his work you would have thought we were cutting Greyson’s fingers off. He was inconsolable. He was yelling and squirming and angrier than I have ever seen a child. It took three of us to hold him in the seat so Eric could cut his hair. Every man in the shop was trying to help. One person grabbed a sucker and gave it to him while one helped hold him in the chair. It was a group effort! It was over in a few minutes. The barber gave Greyson a certificate for his first cut and we were done. The men said to make sure and call them next time so they would know when not to come! More jokes. Well, it was fun and I think I had a better time than Greyson. Man time, you know?

YouTube - The Lazarus Effect

2007-12-01T15:16:00.000-08:00

YouTube - The Lazarus Effect

Watch this- Good to remember this time of year when everything gets crazy. Lately, I have been thinking more and more about what God wants us to do in Africa. I still have a strong pull there but am not sure what we are supposed to be doing. I know doing nothing is not something I can do.

A Blessed Life...

2007-12-01T14:59:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to show you some pics from thanksgiving. We had my sister and her family, my parents and our friend Connie (originally from Rwanda) for dinner. It is always so cool to have everyone gathered and I always look forward to the holidays for that reason. The turkey was great thanks to steve's able cooking skills and the kids ran themselves ragged. IT WAS GREAT!

Am I crazy???

2007-11-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

I kept hinting that I wanted a dog for my b-day and steve kept telling me I was crazy since I already have to take care of three little ones all day long and am always exhausted at the end of each day. However i wore him down and here is my new baby- little Maisy. And she is a baby, one that poops and pees and cries all the time. I am not complaining just accepting that my life is supposed to be sleepless. Anyway, isn't she cute?

Is Halloween Over?????

2007-11-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

Trunk or Treat at Church in front of our beautiful trunk

Greyson finally did not cry when we put on his costume! Hooray!

Lilly and Maddie trick or treating at Kentucky Kingdom in the FREEZING drizzle

Maddie makes another costume change! We had lots of fun trick or treating at Norton with Melanie and her gang.

Melanie at her friend Mason's Halloween party

Getting ready to go trick or treat at the zoo

We seriously have gotten our fill of Halloween this year- Enjoy all of our festive pics. Would love to hear from you if you are reading this !

Big Sisters are the Best!

2007-10-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

Lilly is 3 years younger than maddie and so often times she really really gets on her nerves. Lilly adores maddie and wants to be like her and look like her at all times. She follows her everywhere and imitates what she does and Maddie at times just wants to be alone with her deep thoughts. At times Maddie can be a bit harsh to Lilly and the sisterly love is just not there. But then... she goes and surprises me.

The other day I noticed it was much too calm at bedtime and I walked in Maddies room to find her teaching Lilly how to brush her teeth and telling her that the cavity creeps would get her if she didn't brush really good. Lilly was taking all this information very seriously and was doing everything Maddie told her to do. It was one of those really sweet moments that makes a mom's heart all warm and mushy.

First Annual Wehrheim Halloween Bash

2007-10-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Lilly my sweet fairy

Did we mention Greyson likes cupcakes?

A very tired steve with a very tired and grumpy Greyson

Playing a competitive game of pass the pumpkin

Our spooky witches brew

The wicked witch of the west roasting hot dogs over the open fire

David checking out the ginormous pumpkin

Maddie and her best school buddy Mackenzie

We had so much fun having our first Halloween party for the kids. I am a Halloween fanatic and with my friend Therese's help we transformed the house into a haunted but not to scary wonderland. We had about 12 kids and their parents and had most of the festivities outside. The kiddos roasted hotdogs and then played lots of fun games and got to trick or treat around the yard. I was the Wicked Witch of the West and had a lot of fun playing that part including making a big witches brew made up of about 6 boxes of spaghetti stuffed with fake bats, worms and lots of other creepy crawlies that the kids got to pick out. Everyone had a great time and we are looking forward to making it bigger and better next year.

And Their Off...

2007-10-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

Mom and I had some good girltime last week at one of my favorite places, Keeneland. This has become a girl tradition for the Crabtree family gals but this year my sister could not come because she is in nursing school hell right now. We missed you and love you sherry! After nursing school we are Big Apple bound so get your suitcase ready sister!

Mom and I won no money but we had a great time!!!

Fall Break and many pumpkins

2007-10-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

I cannot get enough of fall. I love this season especially when the leaves actually change. But I am happy even if they don't. The kids and I love visiting pumpkin patches and doing everything that fall has to offer. We certainly got our fill of pumpkins last week as we visited Hubers as a family (steve was off- yeah) and then Biwater farms with my parents in Georgetown.

We managed to get by without any major mishaps on all these trips except for Lilly getting her finger bitten by a horse she was feeding.

We capped off the week by visiting Shannon, Kylie and Isabella in Shelbyville on Friday and then going to the zoo trick or treating. Oh yes and I forgot! We had two cool parties to attend on Saturday- a birthday party for Parker and a halloween party for Maddie's school friend Mason.

It was exhausting but oh so fun!

Zoo Fun

2007-09-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

I think as a mom with young kids you always try to wake up with a fresh perspective on the day. You wake up and think that today my kids will have fun going to the zoo- They won't misbehave and embarrass me and we all will make memories that will last a lifetime.
That is just what I thought last Friday as we met up with Amanda (my cousins wife) and her two cuties, Jill and Caroline. I was really excited to hang out with them and thought Amanda and I could catch up and the kids would have a blast together and maybe get some education from the experience and on top of it all I could get some exercise.
Well the day did make lasting memories but I have to say it was very trying for me and Amanda. Poor Amanda was frazzled because Jill was sick and fussy and Caroline wanted to walk most of the way and go at her own pace (or run away). I was frazzled because Lilly was acting at the peak of her terrible twos fussing and screaming about everything she did not get to do her own way. On top of that she OBSESSED over a hair barrette that she threw away and then expected me to dig down through the half eaten pizza and hot dogs with bees covering it all in the trash and get it out for her. She COULD NOT let the subject go. Greyson was an angel through all of this.
So needless to say both of us moms were worn out mentally by the end of it all and our kids were overtired. By golly we gave it the old college try and maybe we got out two full thoughts in conversation the whole day.
Life is never dull right????

Letting Go...

2007-09-17T11:04:00.000-07:00

I heard this song on my ipod the other day while I was running and I literally just started bawling. I think I try to control so much in my life at times and especially when it comes to protecting my kids. I think when I heard this it just reminded me how out of control I ultimately am and how at peace I should be just letting God take control of EVERYTHING, even my sweet babies.

In My Arms-Plumb

your baby blues so full of wonder

your curly q's, your contagious smile

and as i watch you start to grow up

all I can do is hold you tight

knowing clouds will raise up

storms will race in

but you will be safe in my arms

rains will pour down

waves will crash all around

but you will be safe in my arms

story books full of fairy tales

kings and queens and the bluest skies

My heart is torn

Just in knowing you'll someday

see the truth from lies

knowing clouds will raise up

storms will race in

but you will be safe in my arms

rains will pour down

waves will crash all around

but you will be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble

dreams may not come true

but you are never all alone

because I will always always love you

clouds will raise up

storms will race in

but you will be safe in my arms

rains will pour down

waves will crash all around

but you will be safe in my arms

1000 Words Of Hope

2007-09-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yet again God spoke to me through one of His faithful. Last night I was blessed to have a three hour conversation with Elizabeth Vaughn at Starbucks (the conversation would have gone longer but we closed Starbucks down and our husbands called worried about us thinking we had been abducted)

Elizabeth and her husband Matt are Adventure Christian members like us and are embarking on an amazing adventure to start a non profit called 1000 Words of Hope. The premise of this amazing outreach is to give orphaned children and future orphaned children in Africa hope by simply giving them a family picture.

As most already know, 8 million children in Africa have already lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS and most don't have a picture to remember their parents by.

Steve and I witnessed this firsthand as we looked in Greyson's mom's home and saw she had one tattered picture of his father. We were lucky enough to take a great digital picture of that photo, but most of those kids aren't so lucky, and may even forget what the face of their loved ones looked like.

Steve and I think it is an amazing idea and such a great use of the gifts Elizabeth and Matt have. Elizabeth is an artist- and she simply wants to use her life and her talents to make a true difference and show Christ to these children.

They leave Saturday for their trip to Ghana and are leaving their 18 month old for the first time. I know how painful that experience is and I am truly praying for peace for Elizabeth imparticular as a mother as I see her pained everytime she even thinks about leaving her.

If you are reading this post please take a minute and pray for the Vaughns-
1. Pray for their safety
2. Pray for peace as they leave their child
3. Pray that the enemy does not get in their way or discourage them
4. Pray that others see Christ in them as they offer hope and love to the people of Ghana

I am continually amazed and blessed to meet people who have said yes to carrying the cross.

So Blessed

2007-09-10T10:46:00.001-07:00

I got to meet some wonderful people today and left feeling so incredibly blessed. Sirgute was the hostess for this gathering. She is from Ethiopia and is married to an American and has lived here for many years. She is good friends with Harper, a wonderful lady who I had heard ALOT about, who had adopted two Ethiopian children. Harper was the first person I had heard of in this area who had adopted from Ethiopia and we actually had spoken on the phone nearly a year go when we began the whole process. It seems everyone has heard of Harper or knows her and all have wonderful things to say about her.

Susan was another guest at Sirgutes house. I had also heard about Susan's impending travel to pick up her two kids from Ethiopia and so it was great to meet her.
It is really cool, because Harper, Sirgute and Susan all leave for Ethiopia on Saturday. Sirgute is staying for several weeks to spend time with family and Susan and Harper will be there for a little over a week.
We are hoping to get all the kids together when everyone gets home and settled and I am so excited that Greyson will have such a large Ethiopian community to be with here in Louisville because I always want him to have an understanding of what a wonderful place he came from.
My goal is to get a package together for Harper to take to Greyson's mom via Wide Horizons. I desperately need to get pictures of his first birthday and some small gifts for her.
One other lady I met at Sirgute's house was Connie. Connie is a beautiful lady with a sweet smile from Rwanda. She and her family are refugees and she shared some of the atrocities that took place in her country. Many people she knew and loved were killed during this time. She has such a sweet spirit and I would love to spend more time talking with her when I don't have kids running around about to break things!
I left Sirgute's house thinking what a great God has brought me in fellowship with these beautiful women and their children. We all share a common bond and I just feel so blessed to have connected to their lives in some small way.

Goodbye Summer, Goodbye Kentucky Chingdom

2007-09-04T09:38:00.001-07:00

From the first day of summer, Lilly has woken up and asked me if we were going to "Kentucky Chingdom". It is her favorite place in the whole entire world and I have never seen her have more fun than she has had there. We have had a fun summer riding rides at the Chingdom, swimming at the pool in happening Shelbyville (I will not miss seeing that pool until next summer), being able to hang with Nicole and her kiddos, Melanie and Shannon and the kids, and all of our Strathmoor friends. Summer is definitely the best time of the year for me because #1 its hot and #2 it is so laid back.

We had some fun with Nana and Papa yesterday on Labor day to say goodbye to summer. Now I think we are ready to say hello to alot of new friends from church and school, new schedules and routines, and STRUCTURE again.

For some reason at the beginning of each new season I get really excited and hopeful and I feel that way again. We are starting in a couples small group at our church and just starting to get involved there so I am really pumped. Maddie is having her difficult moments with her new school but all in all is adjusting great. Steve's job is going well too- he is becoming quite the roast beef sandwich afficianado.

Now if I could just lose those last 20 pounds...

New Friends from Old Familiar Places

2007-09-01T06:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got to meet Jonas, a beautiful 5 year old adopted by another family here in Louisville who also used Wide Horizon for Children. Jonas was actually at Horizon House when we went to get Greyson and I am sure we met him while we were there. He has been home for only a few weeks and is doing incredibly well. Communication is still an issue since he speaks mainly Amharic but it is amazing to see him flourish in his new environment.

His new mom Tera is wonderful. We share the same passion for orphans in Africa. I think the difficult part for both of us is trying to figure out how God can best use us to deal with such a major problem. It becomes overwhelming because you feel like you are making such a small dent in such a HUGE HUGE issue. It almost seems unsurmountable. I shared with her my dream of ultimately being able to start a foundation to fund a christian based orphanage/school in some part of Africa.

Its cool to meet others who have been given the same burden- especially when they live right down the road and you never even met them until they came back from traveling across the world. Pretty wild how God works...

Deer in the Headlights

2007-08-28T09:50:00.001-07:00

Here are my top five reasons I love living in the country:

1. You can see a mullet on any give day

2. No one can hear your kids throwing huge fits because there is more than 10 feet of space b/w houses

3. I get to take long scenic drives and use gallons and gallons of gas just to run and get milk

4. Entertainment is taking our kids for a ride on the mower

5. You can get some major roadkill on your way to the grocery store.

Yes I hit a deer last night and it was just the cap to my already grumpy day.

It started off by me making maddie the delinquent kindergarten kid in her class by making her late for school yesterday. We were already late and then half way there we realized we forgot the backpack. So... it progressively got later.

Then I get to the gym and I got in a huge confrontation with the manager there about child safety in their day care because the workers there could have let my kids go off with jo schmo and no one would have even noticed. They LOVE to see me coming in the gym everyday because I am always complaining about something.

Then, Lilly had a particularly bad day yesterday and threw about 100 fits over each and everything she did not like. Most of all we have had HUGE fits over me making her come inside after visiting with our new EIGHT baby kittens. (That should have been on my top 5 list: having a new litter of kittens every two months). She is a major animal lover and nurturer (when she isn't carrying them by their necks or dropping them on their heads-it's a good thing cats have nine lives).

Then...the deer incident occurred as I was trying to go the grocery way too late and I was grumpy over that too. Luckily steve had pounded into my head to HIT THE DEER HIT THE DEER HIT THE DEER instead of swerve so I guess I just had that in my subconcious. The poor thing hobbled up after I hit it but I can bet it was a gonner. My car looks like a gonner on one side but I am just thankful that was all that happened.

So basically I woke up grumpy and went to bed grumpy and then I woke up this morning and just prayed to God to renew my spirit and help me be the mother and wife and friend I should be and to try to be joyful in all things. And I have to say today is so much better!!!

Life is Good

2007-08-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Life could not be any better. Maddie started school as a big kindergarten girl. I can't believe she is 5 years old and in school ALL DAY LONG.

I was horrified at the notion of her being away from me all day long until I realized that maybe this was time God was giving me to be a better teacher and playmate to Greyson and Lilly and to get stuff done around our house. We spent all summer running from one place to the next and now it was time to slow down and get into a schedule. I have to say, much to my surprise I am becoming a domestic diva! Maybe not a diva but I am getting much better at being content to stay at home and not run all over town on twenty playdates. I do miss adult conversation!

Greyson is amazing us everyday. He went from crawling, to walking to running in a matter of days right after his first birthday in June and now can already go up and down stairs and say lots of short phrases like "all done", "start it", and uh oh. We think he might be brilliant!!!

Lilly is feeling like the big sister with Maddie gone all day and likes to tell Greyson what to do constantly. They fight pretty much non stop and then all of the sudden Lilly will do something really loving for him like give him a toy of hers or just go give him a big bear hug and it warms my heart.

Steve is still amazing steve- He has started a new job with amazing ease and seems to never complain over anything. He has bonded really well with Greyson- I think it is so fun to see him iwth a boy- It is a new dynamic in our family that is really cool.

On a more serious note:

I am adjusting so much better to life with three kids. I had a very serious depression when I came home from Ethiopia and would be glad to talk to anyone who has experienced something similar because it is very real. You feel alot of guilt over it and I think it should be discussed more by the agencies as something that could happen and how to deal with it.

I believe satan wants to use whatever he can to attack families who are trying to follow Gods and this was just my personal struggle. I know other families deal with other struggles of their own when they bring adopted kids home. i also know that God helps renew me each day to make me a better mother and that is the only way my feelings have changed.

All in all, God is Good and he watches over our family every day.

Last post on our trip to Ethiopia- Three months late

2007-08-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

Days 5 and 6

Day 5

We were up early for our birth family visit day. Even though we had already met Tsegeye, the birth mother (not to be confused with Dr. Tsegeye the orphanage director), we were still going to see where she lives and Sidamo, the area where Greyson is from. Plus, we were paired with another family visiting the same area and they needed us to video their meeting.

Since Tsegeye, was going with us we were able to take the newer vehicle, a Toyota Landcruiser with only 3500 kilometers on it. That was a nice reprieve from surroundings in a country that are almost exclusively old and in need of repair.

I thought driving in Addis was bad………well let me just tell you………driving outside of Addis is even worse. It is best not to sit in the front seat because then you don’t have to actively participate in the game of chicken the driver plays each time he begins to pass another vehicle. Four lane highways do not exist in Ethiopia, at least not that I have seen. So, unless you want to be stuck behind a big, slow truck, you need to pass often. I used the “Oh crap” handle located directly above the door about 100 times in the first hour alone. As scary as that sounds, it was not the worst part of the initial 50 miles.

On the road to Awassa, the town we were going to, there are so many old, diesel trucks that it is literally hard to breathe. There are so many fumes that in addition to developing an instant case of black lung, my eyes were burning like the pits of hell in July. In July. Plus, as a bonus, you begin to feel the build up of diesel soot on your skin. It was not a pleasant first 50 miles.

We reached the town of Modjo, a crossroads connecting North, South, East and West. We were going west. Now something very strange happened the moment, and I mean the moment, we turned right to head west towards Awassa. It was as if we went back in time about 100 years. The road was still paved but the vehicles went from cold-war era trucks to donkeys, horses, oxen and occasionally a camel or two. I am not exaggerating here, it was really surreal. The donkeys are small little guys, no more than 3 feet high. Those poor little animals have a tough life. You should have seen how much they were pulling and bearing. Some of them pull carts with metal wheels, not tires. The wheels turn crooked like you occasionally see on a car in ill repair, only to a much worse degree. The wheels are hand welded using rebar as spokes and sheet metal as the outside of the wheel. From there they build wooden platforms which carry huge bags of grain or big jugs of water, sometimes 50 at a time. Obviously, some of the carts had to have more than one donkey.

The fields are plowed with oxen pulling a one-bladed plow. It looks more grueling than in the old spaghetti westerns. Plus, they have to plow one field multiple times to get all of the weeds plowed under and the soil ready for planting. They grow false banana, coffee, sugar cane, corn and chat. Chat, pronounced “chot” is a plant used to cause mild amphetamine-like effects when the user chews on it. It is legal here and in many parts of Europe. No, I have not tried it. Anyway, farming is apparently tough work in Ethiopia.

Let me tell you, briefly, about our traveling partners. Mike and Lisa are from Connecticut. They are just fantastic people and we like them very much. Lisa used to be a social worker but is now a stay at home mom. Mike is an Archeologist who has worked often in Ethiopia and is a professor in Connecticut. He was a great source of information because he has studied Ethiopian culture, both past and present, extensively. They have one little boy at home and their new daughter is 2 years old. Mike is a really laid back academic with a passion for what he does and Lisa has a heart of gold that comes out when she interacts with virtually anyone. It is weird how similar Lisa and Heather are.

We went through the Rift Valley, an area not unlike south Texas where I grew up. As we drove further away from the city and deeper into rural Africa the landscape began to change. Termite mounds, 10 feet tall were scattered throughout the fields. The countryside was still full of people, though. We never drove more than 100 feet without passing a group of people driving their donkey carts or pushing their goat herds. In fact, we stopped often to let a herd cross the road. Straw huts were scattered throughout the fields with naked children running about. I will discuss the huts later as we had a chance to go into one, in a remote village, during Mike and Lisa’s birth family visit.

As we approached Awassa the terrain became much greener, much more lush. The temperature dropped about 10 degrees and the air had a hint of sweetness from the trumpet vines growing abundantly on fences and buildings. Awassa is the biggest city in Sidamo, the region we were in. It is a town of about 100,000 people and seems much cleaner, much more subdued than Addis Ababa. We arrived at the agency office to meet with the agency social worker that coordinates all of the details with the families in the field. The agency office was in a government building made almost exclusively of concrete with no air conditioning. The office we went into was about 10 feet wide by 14 feet long. The door was closed and the three agency workers had been having a meeting when we arrived. Yes it was hot in there. The lead social worker was a very interesting character. He was a short man who began almost every sentence with “You see……..” We agreed that we would leave Tsegeye to stay in her apartment while the rest of us went to visit Mike and Lisa’s birth family.

Our trip to this small village was amazing. After leaving Awassa, we traveled over roads made from rocks and mud. We passed a couple of towns nestled in the hills. They were packed with people bartering and mingling. There were no other cars, ours was it. As we passed by, the kids would run along the car yelling, “hey, faringie, faringie!” “Faringie” means foreigner. They were happy and, more than anything, wanted us to wave at them. So, I waved a lot.

We met the birth father (remember this is Lisa and Mike’s birth visit) in the center of the small town before driving to the village. He was all dressed up for the occasion. He was wearing a polyester suit, brown patent leather shoes and a Nike ball cap. It was just so cool that he did his best to clean up and be a great host. He looked about fifty five, by our standards, but could have been much younger. We jumped into our SUV and began heading towards the village. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. You get the same sort of feeling as driving in the Rockies. It is literally one of the most remote areas of the world and just so beautiful.

Before I begin describing the village please accept my apologies. I am simply not capable of putting into words how amazing this little part of Africa is. The village contained about 4 huts in a sort of circular layout nestled in a meadow surrounded by trees of many varieties. The colors of everything just seemed bright. Each hut was about 25 feet in diameter and had thick thatch roofs and straw walls. In the middle of meadow was common area of green grass that was short in length and really soft. There were many cows and goats wandering about and a crowd of villagers had gathered, expecting our arrival. It was cool and moist because this is the rainy season but the sun was out.

As we got out of the SUV, an elderly African woman came up and gave Heather and me a huge hug. Not just an obligatory hug but a hug that was obviously genuine……you can just tell when someone is real. She was the paternal grandmother of the child being adopted. She then went around and hugged everyone in our party. Because it was not our family visit and I didn’t ask Mike and Lisa for permission to share the details of their exchange, I will not share the specific details of the conversation that took place between the parties involved. Just let me tell you that it was great and that Mike and Lisa’s warm hearts were clearly evident to this family.

After they had their discussion with the birth family, we were able to tour the small village. First, we toured the hut where the family lived. As we entered, the first thing that hit me was the smell. It smelled like a camp fire…… you know, that smell you have on your clothes after going camping. They have a fire pit to cook over and, I assume, to keep the hut warm on cool nights. There is a half wall, woven of something similar to palm leaves. There were only two small beds; we assumed that everyone else slept on the floor. Now, realize that the animals live in there too. I am not sure how they kept it clean but there were no animal droppings that I could see and the only smell was from the fire pit. There was a back door which led to the crop area. It was very dark in the hut even though it was mid day outside.

The crop area was mostly False Banana which is used to create a powder that is a food source. There were also a few coffee plants and some other plants that I did not recognize and did not ask about. In the center of the village were all of the animals, as I mentioned before. The entire group helped keep the animals in line. A small but powerful memory for me is of a young girl, maybe 4 years old, whipping a very large cow with a switch to get it to move from the area she needed for peeling sugar cane. She was fearless and the cow obviously knew she was boss because it moved along without protest. It was a funny thing to see.

We left the area with one of the best experiences we could have ever asked to have. It met every fantasy we had about experiencing the African bush. The trip back to Awassa was uneventful as we waved frequently to the call of “faringie, faringie!”

When we got back to the city, about an hour later, we met up with Tsegeye. Though she no longer lived in the same apartment where she lived when Greyson was born, we were told it was almost identical. “Apartment” is the only word I could think of to describe where she lives. It is only a concrete room no larger than a prison cell, about 7 feet wide by 10 feet deep. Nearly half of the room is consumed by the twin size bed. Next to it, at the head end, is a small bed side table that held all of her earthly possessions. She had a small jam box, a few books, a bible, one little sliver of bar soap, a small mirror that was broken in half, some other random knick-knacks and a photo album that detailed much of her life. There was a small water basin hanging on the wall which must have been a bath tub, toilet and washing machine all in one. I have no idea where she gathers water. The room had one small window. For art work she had a picture of a Manchester United soccer player, torn form a magazine, hanging on the wall. We discovered in our conversation that she makes about 200 Birr per month, or about 20 dollars. Half of that goes to pay the rent and she lives off of the rest.

We found out that there was type-o and that Greyson’s father was actually only 25 and not 55 as we had been told. She showed us a picture of him. He seemed muscular and of medium height…. maybe ‘5 “11 or so. We also found out that while Tsegeye worked, a 7 year old girl would watch Greyson. Can you imagine? Plus, Greyson was only breast fed for 15 days. After that he ate mostly rice cereal, only receiving one can of formula during his entire first nine months of life. I began to get a little annoyed with the social worker as he interpreted these details for us because as he heard them, he sorted of had this look of disappointment. Maybe he just wanted to show us that he disapproved of the way she had taken care of him. I am not exactly sure what he thought she should have done. It is not like she had a lot of choices. Anyway, Heather and I wanted to double her income by giving her some money but we are not allowed. There can not even be a hint that a baby is being sold or it could jeopardize the entire program. After we get home we are allowed to send her gifts and such. I will make sure she never has to buy toiletry items again. A sliver of soap……that was all she had.

Before we left, Tsegeye really pulled on our heart strings by presenting us with some small gifts. While we were on the other family visit, she had purchased some brightly colored beads for each member of our family. For the girls, she purchased two small beaded bracelets. On the wrapping of each one she put stickers that said, “I like Maddie” and “I like Lilly”. Oh boy, I told myself…..don’t cry, don’t cry. For Heather, she had a long beaded necklace and for me a wide beaded bracelet. She put them on us and gave us really big hugs. We parted ways with Tsegeye for the night and headed to our hotel.

Hotel……..yeah sure it is. I am not sure the lodging facility where we were booked even lives up the word “motel” much less “hotel.” It was a compound of concrete buildings with white wash walls and dirt paths. There were huge trees that dotted the shared common area at the center. One of the trees had a sign loosely nailed to it which read “Nature”. We all got a big kick out of that. OK, the room was crazy. It was what you would think a hotel would look like in any undeveloped country…..dirty and old, painted with colors like pea green and dirty red. The room came complete with two twin beds wrapped in sheets that even Goodwill would reject. Each bed had a mosquito net hanging over it to help keep the little malaria spreading beasts from eating you as you slept. There was a TV which was surprising. Guess what? It had Al Jazerra as one of the stations. That made us feel safe. I was surprised to find out that it really is no different from CNN.

The bathroom was a hoot. When you flipped the light switch on, it flickered for about 10 seconds like in those horror movies. The toilet, bathtub and sink were all 1972 baby blue. The drains had that dark brown stain around them and were half-way rusted out. The toilet seat was being held together on one side by duct tape and there was no hot water. I am not making this stuff up…..ask Heather. You know what is really hilarious? This was our 10th anniversary night. Not exactly the most romantic of hotels but one heck of an adventure!

We reluctantly crawled into our separate twin beds and got under our nets. Heather put a shirt on her pillow in an attempt to avoid the lice she was certain lingered in her pillow. I just prayed for the best and closed my eyes.

Day 6

We woke up to find, much to our delight, no terrorist or man eating animals had invaded during the night. Neither of us had any mosquito bites, as far as we could tell. Still, we made sure, form that point on, not to forget our malaria pills.

Tsegeye was also going back with us to Addis Ababa since her mother was still in the hospital there.

On the way back to Addis, we drove through a national park. It was a really cool experience because we were able to see baboons, gazelle and ostrich. There were also these really cool hot springs bubbling up from the ground. The water spewing forth was about 160 to 180 degrees, as far as I could tell. It was too hot to touch for long but not boiling. This is where I saw an African tribeswoman with a spear! I paid her to take her picture. I am not sure if she really kept the spear for protection or if she only pulled it out when stupid Americans drove by wanting to pay her for a picture. I want to believe the former but who knows.

The rest of the trip back to Addis was uneventful. We had to go back through the same area of high traffic. About 30 miles away from Addis we asked the driver if we could roll up the windows and use the AC. He froze but we could breathe. Hey, I forgot to mention………Our driver was great but there was something really funny about him that we noticed. He was wearing pink women’s Reeboks. I guess that is all he could get his hands on. I guess it is just too poor here and at least he had shoes.

Back at the orphanage, everyone was getting ready for the coffee ceremony. The coffee ceremony is where the staff officially hand over the children to their new parents. It also gives the staff a chance to say goodbye to the children as most of us would be leaving within a day or two. Tsegeye spent an hour or so with Greyson before saying goodbye for the last time. It was great to spend time with her, even though communication was difficult. I didn’t see the final moments she spent with Greyson but I am sure it was difficult for her. Heather and I look forward to staying in touch with her and keeping her posted on Greyson’s life through letters and photographs.

The coffee ceremony was to begin at 4 but for some reason everyone was asked to go in at about 3:30……everyone but us. We didn’t really notice until we were the last ones out there and someone came out get us. As we walked in all of the other families and the staff started clapping. On the wall was a handmade sign that read something like, “Congratulations Steve and Heather on your 10th anniversary.” On the table were a cake they had bought and a card wishing us congratulations and good luck. It was really awesome. This was just a little more evidence that the people we met here, both Ethiopian and American were just great people.

The coffee ceremony started with Dr. Tsegeye congratulating Heather and I on our anniversary and sharing our wedding story with the group which he had asked us about prior to the start of the ceremony. We cut the cake they had purchased and began passing it out. They had two little wine glasses for us that had ribbons wrapped around the stems. They filled them with Coke for us and we had a little party!

Then the actual ceremony began. Dr. Tsegeye began by thanking us for helping these children and explained that they were entrusting us with their care. He explained that as a Christian, he believed that each family was doing the work of God and that he knew the children would be cared for. He asked that we teach each child about their heritage and culture and that we remind them of where they came from.

They had several of the non-adopted orphans come in to sing and dance for us. They were all dressed up for the occasion. Obviously, the very best of the donated clothing was reserved for this occasion.

A big loaf of bread was cut and shared with everyone and coffee was poured for all. In a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony like this one, the beans are roasted right before they are ground and the coffee is brewed. This process fills the room with an amazing smell. It is pretty cool.

A prayer was then led by one of the little girls who had yet to be adopted. It won’t be long though because she is about the cutest 3 year old you could imagine. Her little voice leading the crowd was amazing.

All of the children being adopted were brought to the center of a human circle made by the staff and non-adopted orphans. They began a process of blessing the adopted kids by singing a song. The words were the same except repeated over for each child using their name. It went something like, “Bless you, our brother, Greyson, we see you again.” They did it in English and Amharic. It was difficult not to get teary eyed while this was going on.

Then it was over.

We had a new child and we were on our own. We packed our bags and headed to the Hilton where we would spend a couple of days waiting to travel home and pondering the last few days of adventure.

Day 4

2007-07-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

And the saga continues...
Day 4

It was another great day in beautiful Addis Ababa. The gang wanted to go shopping again, so we did. We discovered this really neat charity they have here while we were in town. It is called “Hope Enterprises”. They sell tickets to tourists that are good for meals. So instead of handing out money you can just hand out a ticket that will get the bearer a square meal. 8 tickets cost just 4 Birr or about 50 cents. We bought a ton and handed them out all day.

Greyson is doing really well. He still is not attached to us in a way we would like but seems to be doing pretty well. The nannies here are so great that he is really attached to them, which is to be expected. He seems very smart and curious. But as we would find out soon, we didn’t know the half of Greyson’s story.

Mulat, a staff member came to Heather and I and told us that there was a potential problem with our birth mother visit. Apparently her mother, Greyson’s grandmother, had been sick and Greyson’s mom came to Addis Ababa to be with her own mother but no one knew how to get in touch with her. Heather and I were distraught. We had been thinking and praying about that meeting for so long that we were really bummed that it may not happen. Dr. Tsegaye promised that they were doing their best to find her but that it may not be possible. Heather and I decided we would still travel to his town because we were hoping to meet his birth family and see where he was born even if the birth mother was not going to be there.

After lunch, the group decided to go to another museum. Heather and were not up for it so we reluctantly decided to stay back. As we were having a follow up conversation with Dr. Tsegaye, he once again reassured us that they were doing everything they could. As we turned to go back into the house his phone rang. We didn’t think anything of it until he said, “Heather……good news. She is here.”
We responded, “You mean here in the city?” and he answered, “no outside of the compound…..at the gate.” 30 seconds later she was walking straight towards us.

We were not quite sure how to react. This is the type of thing that you would like to be gathered for in advance but there was no time for that. Here she was. She is very young, only 22. She was attractive and very friendly. She explained that her mother was here in Addis Ababa because of a stomach condition and probably requires surgery.

So there we sat in the middle of the dining room ready to have our powwow. Heather began the meeting by attempting to read the letter she had written several days before. That lasted about a paragraph before Heather, and Tsege (mother) began crying. That is when I took over reading the letter. That was a much better plan. They both settled down a bit and we got through the letter. As I mentioned in my previous post, it was a very touching letter that Heather had written and it hit the mark.

We then gave her a chance to ask us questions. All she wanted to know was if we could bring him back in 4 to 6 years for a visit. We assured her that we would love to do that at some point in time but were unsure as to when it might be. Then it came to our questions. There were a few basics…..turns out there is asthma in Greyson’s family, no big deal. No other family medical history so that was good news. His father was a carpenter. Then we asked how his father died. This you will not believe.

One day, while in an area next to his region, a rival tribe came around. They did not like the fact that there were other tribal people in their region from another tribe. In fact, they disliked it very much. They killed 300 people that day and Greyson’s father was one of them. We do not know how they did the killing but we can only assume it was gun fire because they killed them all quickly and buried them in a mass grave. It was a tragic end for Greyson’s father and one that is too often repeated in Africa. Greyson was born 5 months after his father’s death. His mother, sensing that God’s hand must have somehow been in everything decided to name him “Yabsira”, meaning “work of God”. Heather and I sat, speechless for a few moments.

Then Dr. Tsegaye, the orphanage director and a huge saint of a man, told us that Greyson’s mom would be traveling with us to Awassa and return with us the next day to Addis Ababa. Unbelievable. Most families get, at most, an hour to spend with the birth parent(s); we were going to get 24. This was a real answer to prayer. For those of you who know Heather well, this was her biggest concern…..meeting Greyson’s mom. Every time we think God has outdone himself, he just keeps showing off.

As our meeting wrapped up, we agreed to let her spend several hours alone with Greyson in the compound, as it would more than likely be the very last time she would see him, at least for a very long time. We also gave her a photo album that contained various pictures of family members, our home, our church and the school Greyson will most likely attend. As she looked at a picture of Maddie standing on our deck, she commented what a beautiful school she attended. We had to explain that the picture was taken at our home not Maddie’s school. Just another realization of how blessed we are. We left some blank pages for the pictures we promised to send regularly.

Heather and I wrapped up our day by having dinner at the Hilton and a glass of wine afterwards. It was a relaxing night after what turned out to be a very emotionally draining but beautiful day.

Day 3

2007-07-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Here is day three of our journey for those who are keeping track.

Day 3

Today we shop! That was our goal as we got up and got going today. Plus, we wanted to see one of the museums they have here. It was supposed to be our birth family visit day but since that was rescheduled we had some time bargains and culture.

But before we got out there to find some African treasures… first things first! We spent a lot of good quality time with Greyson. For those of you wondering why the updates have been light on Greyson details it is because we have slowly been spending more and more time with him each day. They tell you that it is very important not to overwhelm with too much alone time but to slowly build up time until you leave. He is a really cool little guy. He has a serious side and is incredibly tenacious. He is also in to everything!

He seems very healthy with the exception on a rattling cough, which is pretty common here at the orphanage. He loves it when you tickle him and that is usually when he laughs the most. I was surprised to hear the head nanny tell me that she thinks he looks like me. It must be the round pumpkin head or something. Did we mention he has a voracious appetite? This kid can down Cheerios and bananas like no one’s business. His motor skills seem great. He is crawling and cruising around while standing. He can’t walk alone yet but it won’t be long. He still prefers the nannies to Heather and I but has never been upset about us taking him or playing with him. We took him back to our room for the first time last night and he was a bit freaked out by that. Overall, we are having one of the better bonding experiences compared to some other families.

So……we hired a driver for a half a day. Yonas is his name and he is the driver the orphanage uses. He is awesome. He drove us to the market where you bargain and he stayed with us the entire time. He would hold our bags and just made us feel safe. It was much like shopping at the markets in Mexico…..lots of people asking you if you wanted this or that. They really wanted to show us their tablecloths, not sure why but they seemed to be especially proud of them. After only a few stops he suggested we go to the fixed price store. Once we arrived I realized why he had suggested we switch….. I was not negotiating very well. I was overpaying at the place that was supposed to be less expensive.

The museum was next. The museum our driver suggested is at the Addis Ababa University. It was really cool because in addition to having some really cool stuff, it was the former palace of Ethiopian dictators. The last dictator was killed in 1966 in a revolution. You know how they bumped him off? They suffocated him with a pillow. Not exactly the violent revolt you normally picture. Anyway, it was an interesting experience. There is a lot of security getting into the university. Bombings have not been uncommon in the city in the last year. Eritrean based Al Qaeda groups have been trying to solve border disputes by bombing various Addis Ababa targets. So…. needless to say the security is tight everywhere.

The grounds of the university were really beautiful. About 10,000 students go to school there. They have just about every academic course of study we have here…. engineering, medicine, business and so on.

Our driver, Yonas, showed us much of the city…..the parliament building, the Prime Minister’s palace and the like. What struck us was the amount of poverty. We expected it but every day you are exposed to it, the reality of the people’s situation just weighs on you. As we went through different parts of the city we saw people in misery that is hard to imagine from an American perspective. Many people had injury induced deformities that caused them to walk in unnatural ways. Some were just malnourished and others were lacking for clothes. It was also easy to tell the people with later stages of HIV/AIDS. They had the typical sunken cheeks and empty eyes that you see on TV. Many people see Americans and beg……which is not hard to imagine. We hand out small bills where we can but you have to be careful. It is very easy to cause a mob scene here by passing out money or food. If you give something to someone, it can lead to a fight over whatever you gave or cause a crowd to gather around you. You just have to be thoughtful of the environment and be cautious when handing stuff out.

Yonas delivered us back to the orphanage safe and sound in his 1984 Toyota Corolla that had 266,000 miles on it. I asked him how much I owed him thinking that $50US would be a bargain. After all he spent 3 hours with us and drove us all over Addis Ababa. He charged me 160 Birr, or $16US. I couldn’t believe it. I, obviously, gave him more than that. For those of you curious about gas prices here, it is 7 Birr per liter, or about $4US per gallon.

This afternoon as we were spending time with Greyson, a couple came to see their child they had left at the orphanage a few days prior. They had returned to the city to sign the final documentation which relinquishes custody of the child…….Permanently. It was an uncomfortable scene to watch as they spent final minutes with the toddler they had given up. They were not overly emotional…you could tell they were trying to be strong. But there is no hiding a mother’s pain. As she looked at Polaroid’s the staff had just taken for them to take as keepsakes, you could tell she was in deep pain; pain that I am sure is reserved only for mothers losing a child. As she thumbed through the pictures, slowly, one at a time, it is like she lost all touch with the environment around her. She was completely focused or maybe even lost in the pictures that would be her only reminder of the child she could not keep as her own.

So, later that night we had dinner with the other families here at the orphanage. the food was, once again, amazing. After dinner, Heather and I learned a very valuable lesson. You want to know what it was? OK……….

NEVER…and I mean NEVER watch a movie about an African dictator while in Africa!

Heather and I had brought the movie The Last King of Scotland, a movie about the brutal reign of Idi Amin of Uganda. It really freaked us out. It was a great movie and if you have seen it, you know why Forrest Whitaker won an Oscar for his role as Amin.

OK, so that was our day. We hope all of you are doing well. We really appreciate getting your emails because they make us feel closer to home! The internet is amazing. Plus, we really want to tell everyone that we physically feel the power of your prayers. In a part of the country where we feel vulnerable, God has provided much comfort due to your prayers. God is truly amazing.

Day Two of our trip

2007-07-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

Here is Day two of our trip back in may

Day 2 – Embassy Day

We woke up at 6:00 AM local time. We had to wake up because that is when the Muslim prayers are said over a loud speaker that is loud enough to be heard in England. Seriously, this is broadcast over speakers like we use at home for tornado sirens. Plus, this guy was on fire…..he went on for freakin’ ever. I couldn’t quite make out what he was saying since, like most Imams, this one was not praying in English. This was the icing on the cake since it became apparent last night that roosters here crow even when it is dark and the neighborhood dogs enjoy barking only after 2AM.

Heather and I got dressed and went in for breakfast. The dining room is a neat room with two, huge framed pictures of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt (they used this agency too). I asked if they would like a glamour shot of Heather but they didn’t really know what a glamour shot was. We were not quite sure what to expect for breakfast. It turned out to be great… French toast that was a little heavy on cinnamon but good none the less. The coffee here is absolutely awesome. This is the birth place of coffee so I guess it should be pretty good. Plus the people who work here are simply the best. They are more than accommodating and try to do the very best they can with what they have.

Oh, I forgot to mention the bathroom developed a very strong mold and mildew smell over night. We are having a really hard time with the bathroom. It is just really gross. Heather compared it to an epidural…..you think you can tough it out but when reality sets in, the pain is just too much! But we are managing. Also, I forgot to mention before that the toilet seats here are square. I am not really sure why but I can tell you this…..they are no more comfortable than the sandpaper Ethiopians call toilet paper.

OK, after breakfast we walked a block to the older children’s orphanage. Wow, what a great experience. The nannies here are just amazing. You can tell that they really love these kids. They are constantly picking them up or wiping runny noses. By the way, nose run like a raging river with these kids. I think it is just really easy for them to get little bugs. Anyway, in the older kid orphanage, there are about 50 kids varying in age form 1 and a half to 6 years old. They get so excited when you come to see them. They are like a mob, craving attention and hoping beyond hope that you are the one that has come to take them out of this place. Most of them seem happy enough given their circumstances. It is hard to miss the ones who are deeply saddened by their lot, though. There was one little girl that had just come to the orphanage a week prior to our visit. She is about 2, maybe 2 and a half. I am not sure that I have ever witnessed as much sadness on another human being’s face as I was able to see in hers. She was not interested in the hard candy the rest of the kids were fighting over. She just sat there in the middle of the room with a blank look on her face as if she still believed that this was temporary… that surely someone would be back to get her soon. Heather did her best to get her to laugh but was only successful in getting one faint smile out of her. I am not sure I will ever forget this little girl. I know it sounds cheesy to say something will haunt you but this might do it for me.

These are the lucky kids. We have already seen tons of kids who have very little. The orphanage is surrounded by tin shacks where people make their homes. They have rocks on top of the tin roofs to keep them from blowing off and they sit by side with only a wall separating them from each other. The walls are tin, paper or mud. These ghettos go on for blocks and blocks.

We spent some time with Greyson this morning, which was great. He played outside in a walker and was cruising around like he owned the joint. He is a very serious character. Not mad or sad just serious. He has a great disposition and is a joy to be around.

Lunch was wonderful, a good mix of Italian food and vegetables. I had seconds but not that surprises any of you!

Next came our Embassy visit. This is where all of the adopting families load up their new kids at the same time and cart them off to U.S. embassy workers to explain why you want to adopt them and obtain an entry visa for the child. Let me just start by saying that there was only two small vans for 8 families, seriously. There are no safety seats and no seat belts so you just kind of do it on faith. Greyson wasn’t sure about the whole ordeal and became a little fussy…..nothing a few hundred Cheerios couldn’t fix, though. Upon our arrival at the embassy, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. It is not that expected a 30 foot bronze statue of the President or anything but I at least thought it would have a big American flag and a sign or something. There was nothing. You could have driven by and never known that the embassy was there. I think maybe they do that on purpose. No use putting a big poster of Bush out there to act as a target. Upon entering they did have a big picture of W flanked on either side by Cheney and Condi.

The appointment was uneventful and we left the official parents of Greyson. It was sort of an anti-climatic ending to a 14 month process but we were just glad it was done! God really came through for us.

Sorry none of you are able to see pictures. Our blog isn’t working here and the only internet they have is dial up. The pictures just take up too much space for us to send. We will get out a slide show upon our return.

Tonight we closed the day with dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant where they had dancers performing the dances of some of the 85 different tribes found in Ethiopia. It was very cool. The food was unbelievable. It doesn’t look very appealing but it tastes great! It was pretty spicy, which Heather loved. The Ethiopian beer isn’t bad either. It is kind of a mix between a Pale Ale and a Wheat Beer.

In closing, we just want to let everyone know that they have moved our family visit to Thursday so we won’t be doing that on Tuesday as we first thought. A few families have already had their trips to meet the birth families and they said it was awesome. We are praying that our experience will be similar. Each adopting family is supposed to write a note that they read aloud to the family through an interpreter. Heather wrote ours and I have to tell you it is great. I hope Greyson’s mom is moved as much as I was when I read it.

All is well. The only problem we have had and are having is that we miss the girls so much it has brought us both to tears at times. We know they are having a blast and are in great hands but we just miss their sweet faces.

Okay I'm a Little Late

2007-07-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

I am gonna start posting all our journal entries from our amazing journey to Africa-

Our family is great and God has been amazing to us- I have to pinch myself because sometimes I cannot believe how blessed I am.

Day 1

It began to hit me when we hit the departure gate at Dulles……. this isn’t Kansas anymore. The travelers waiting at this gate weren’t exactly like travelers I had seen many times before in my previous journeys, you know the ones where I launched KFC Snacker or Famous Bowls. These people were almost exclusively Ethiopians… on their way home or on their way to visit family. Some were dressed in traditional clothing while others were dressed in typical American casual. It hit me, that for the next 9 days… Heather and I would be the minority, a weird realization but not one that was particularly threatening just well, foreign to someone born in Pecos, Texas.

As we walked down the jet way to board our Ethiopian airliner I was relieved to see that no one was carrying crates filled with chickens or leading small farm animals by tattered make-shift leashes made of grass rope. These were the images we feared when we booked our flight on Ethiopian Airlines…...typical, I know. As we boarded, we could instantly tell that the jet was very new….. Thank goodness no chickens or goats. We headed to our assigned seats to find an older couple sitting in our seats. I am sure the woman could tell by the puzzled looks on our faces that she and her husband were in our seats. Speaking no English, she just smiled and waved us towards their assigned seats as if to say, “Just sit over there and let us have these.” Now, that would normally not be a problem except our assigned seats were completely rockin’ compared to their assigned seats. A moral dilemma for a couple on a trip to explore the possibilities of mission work later in life! So immediately, the thought that went through my mind is we should probably let them have our seats. After all, we are on our way to act as ambassadors, right? Fortunately, I guess we waited just the right amount of time with that confused American smile on our faces, (which must have conveyed that we were trying to be nice but……no way in hell are you getting our rockin’ seats!), because they just got up and went to their seats. That was good because had it come to a conversation, Heather and I would have been forced to give them our seats and that would have made the 15-hour journey really suck!

So we flew over the Atlantic, just south of England and right over France to land for fuel in Rome. We couldn’t see anything cool in Rome when we landed; I guess the airport is far from any cool buildings. Plus, I was wiped out and half asleep. In fact, I woke to a very loud Italian man standing right in front of our bulkhead, rockin’ seats, holding a dust pan and small broom. Did I mention he was loud? Next we took off towards Africa, right over Libya and into Egyptian airspace. The desert looks very strange from 35,000 feet. You look out the window and there is just a big brown/orange cloud of sand below you.

We then flew over Sudan. In fact, as I write this paragraph, we are smack dab over Khartoum, which is a little scary. Bad things are going on down there, very bad things. There are border clashes between Ethiopia and several of her neighbors including, Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. These countries are having disputes within their own borders and with Ethiopia. Just last week, several Europeans were released after being kidnapped in a disputed border area. This is a little nerve wracking because on Tuesday (late Monday in the states) we will be traveling 5 hours towards Somalia to meet the birth family of our new son. Kind of a weird thought for a Bush-loving republican from Texas! What an adventure!

By the way, I could never be an astronaut. How do they pee? It is hard enough after being airborne for 10 hours to do so….I can’t imagine what it is like in zero gravity. Fortunately, neither of us has struggled with motion sickness……..maybe because we over-dosed on Dramamine. Man, that stuff should be controlled by the FDA. Two of those and its lights out! Maybe that is what makes it hard to pee.

I don’t know how Moses made it through the desert, well I do; God. But we are on our 2nd hour of nothing but desert below. Except for Khartoum……No roads, no water…..no nothing just sand and more Sudanese sand. Sudan….there’s a place you don’t want to visit. The only things going on there are war, poverty and suffering. The statistics are bad enough in the “stable” African countries like Ethiopia and Kenya. In those countries, 1 in 10 children die before the age of 1. The life expectancy for a man born in Ethiopia today is 48. Tens of thousands of children under 10 years old live, alone in the streets, in the boxes they call home. There is no one to care for them or love them…. they just exist. When I transplant Maddie or Lilly’s face onto their circumstances it is almost more than I can bear. I couldn’t imagine them living like that. If ever there were a place in need of saving grace it is Africa. The good news is that almost every church in America is responding in bigger and better ways than before. In our own home town of Louisville, churches as big as Southeast and as small as our own Adventure Christian Church are adding more and more mission’s projects and dollars to their programs. This is the church’s responsibility….. to feed the body and soul, everywhere. Amen!

Arriving in Addis Ababa was a welcome event. Coming in for our landing gave us a great bird’s eye view of the city. It is a weird mixture of big buildings and tarp covered shacks. It is a city of about 5 million people. We got off the plane and waited in line for our customs clearance. We quickly learned that things move at a slightly slower pace in Ethiopia. 30 minutes later we were through customs and immigration.

We loaded our belongings into a small van and our driver, Mulat, took off in the direction of the orphanage. The city televises big soccer matches from throughout Europe and Africa on a huge (and I mean huge) TV screen in one of the city squares. A match between Manchester United and Chelsea had just finished and the must have been at least 100,000 in the streets as we tried to make our way to the orphanage. It was so surreal that here, as many people will go see a European soccer match on a big screen as will see a football game live at home.

The drive was interesting, to say the least. I have driven in multiple cities in Mexico. I would never…. and I mean never drive here. It is truly unbelievable. There are 10-12 lane blvd’s that really don’t seem to have a middle line. Drivers here use a mixture of intimidation and sharp reflexes to avoid a stand still or a wreck. Funny though, there were no wrecks that I saw.

Arriving at the orphanage was a little spookier than we thought. We turned down this VERY dark alley off a main road and went for about a half mile. At about the mid point the driver honked his horn twice. A guard stepped through a huge steel door and stood there waiting……….for a sign you see. He was waiting for a signal that this was really a van for the orphanage. Our driver flashed his lights twice and in we went. Our driver unloaded our bags and showed us our room. I will discuss our room and bathroom in a bit because it is a whole story in and of itself. But first let me tell you about our fist meeting with Greyson. We went to the little nursery where they keep him. It was meager to say the least. The room had six miniature cribs in it and was no larger than six feet by 10 feet. The walls were concrete and the door just opened to the courtyard of the small orphanage complex. There were no fans or windows and it was a little hot in there. He was great though! He warmed to us quickly and seemed to have a good sense of humor. He is a bit smaller than we imagined but seems very healthy. Heather got him to start laughing and smiling about half way through our initial visit. It was a very cool time.

OK, as I finish this day’s events I just want to tell you about our room and bathroom at the orphanage guest house. We do have a king size mattress and that is good. The floor is indoor/outdoor carpet……you know, that green stuff that look like what would go on a pool table. There is no air-conditioning and no fans which is not too bad because the temperature here is in the high 60’s at night and high 70’s in the day time (the city is 8000 feet above sea level). The bed in our room has no mattress cover, just a sheet. So we decided to just sleep on top of our Velvet Elvis blanket and put the sheet over us. The god news is that our window opens up to a great view of the guard house.

The bathroom is funny. There is a small hot water heater sitting on a shelf in the shower. The electrical plug is right there too which is kind of hairy. The shower is one of those hand held jobs and the temperature is a bit hard to adjust. You have to keep your lips pursed because it is very dangerous to drink the city water. Just to be careful, I put a little toothpaste in my mouth during my first shower in case any got in my mouth! I know I am a bit paranoid but I am not fond of the idea of puking the next 7 days. The toilet has a little sprayer (like on your kitchen sink) right next to it. I guess this is the African version of a bidet. Thanks but no.

OK off to bed. It is 4PM at home and midnight here.

The Wait is Over!!!

2007-04-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

Okay the wait is not quite over but we got an email today with the great news that we will be traveling the week of May 4th to get Greyson in Ethiopia!!!! Yippee!!!! It is all so surreal. The fact that there will be a little boy in our house or a new little person at all is so crazy and so exciting all at the same time.

My mind keeps racing back and forth from one thought to the next:

"How do I get three kids in the car"

"What do I do with a BOY???"

"What if he doesn't like me?"

"What if the girls freak out and don't like him"

" What if he gets sick when he gets home or a big worm comes out his nose"

"what if this blissful happy feeling I have just gets even better once I see him and hold him"

That is only the tip of the iceberg on all of my crazy thoughts. I am trying to figure out what to say to his mom when I meet her. What do you say to someone who gave up their baby because she literally had no means to take care of him. Do you say thank you? Do you say I will do my best to raise your son? Words seem so small in how BIG that whole conversation will be and how much I want to just say what a blessing it is that she has entrusted me with this beautiful little boy.

I need to let God take care of the what ifs and the fears and everything will be what He wants it to be.

Did I say how excited i was????

Preach it Brother Bono

2007-03-20T05:29:00.001-07:00

Check this out!

isn't he cute!!!!

2007-03-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

Okay we think he is the cutest little boy we have ever seen. Check out those eyes!!! We took all his medical info to our pediatrician and he looks very healthy as far as she can tell at this point.

There is another Wide Horizons group in Ethiopia this week that has promised to get some new pics of him and email them to us. We are so excited. It is so weird to know we have a baby that is ours and is so many miles away. We pray for God to watch over him and keep him safe until we get there. Please pray for him too and for his mother.

More pics to come!!!!

Yabsira, "work of God"

2007-03-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

We received our referral for Yabsira Bekele on March 1st and it was one of the most exciting and surreal moments of my life.

We were standing in the middle of one million boxes that had not been unpacked in our brand new house and my phone rang. of course I could not find it in the mess and then steve's phone rang. I just knew. This was the call of all calls that we had been waiting for over 9 months. We were screaming (okay I was screaming) and crying and laughing all at the same time as the poor social worker tried to get a word in to give us a little bit of info before the rest was emailed. He is 9 months old, he is healthy and his name is Yabsira.

LIFE WAS GOOD!!!

We were surprised he was so big, we expected a baby baby of 3 or so months but we obviously don't care.

We got all of his paperwork later through email later and of course I scrolled down first thing to see his picture. He is beautiful- I have seen a lot of babies on the Yahoo boards but this child is BEAUTIFUL. See for yourself!!!

We will be going to get him 6 to 8 weeks from now. We accepted our referral last week and we are so ready to get him. We are pumped to land in Addis and get to hold him and to experience the country that he is from. I guess the only thing we are really nervous about is meeting his mother. How do you tell a mother that you will raise her son well- that you will try to love him as much as you know she does. I cannot even imagine the hurt she must be going through. I am praying for the words to say to her. And I am praying for her everyday- for a peace for her soul.

We do believe that God entrusted us with the child he chose for our family and we believe that it was no accident that his name is Yabsira meaning "work of God". We see the great hand of God working in everything lately- especially when we really look.

Yesus on the Streets

2007-02-14T10:22:00.001-08:00

Steven Curtis Chapman - When Love Takes You In

2007-02-12T17:38:00.001-08:00

This video is amazing and the words made me cry. Hope you enjoy. Get the tissue