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| Levi |
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| Ethan modeling his new swim wear |
With a thankful heart, Alison
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
What we take for granted
With a thankful heart, Alison
Family Meal Time Funnies
Mannerly meals have been the source of much parental instruction in our household, and all members of the pre-adoptive Grant Family prepared themselves to set the finest example in Emily Post-style eating for our new siblings.Unfortunately, mealtime manners are considered highly overrated by our new brothers.
Levi Yishak particularly enjoys the delicate art of seeing how much dinner (or breakfast or lunch or snack) he can get on him, on his tray, or on the floor. Despite this interest, however, he has been the source of many (suppressed) giggles around the table due to his cute antics. Although he isn't usually initially willing to taste anything new, he does partake of favorite foods with zest- e.g., loudly proclaiming "Mmmm-MMMMM-Mmmm!" repeatedly. Levi also likes holding or touching Dad's arm during meals (a preference which the latter may not necessarily care for due to the formers grubby paws!). Last night this little guy reached out, grabbed Dad's hand, held it to the side of his head and proceeded to rest quietly on Dad's hand for the next several minutes. After that Levi took to exuberantly kissing Dad's hand and as far up his arm as he could reach. The rest of us could hardly contain our giggles!
Ethan Gezahegn is better at keeping his food on his plate but hasn't been instructed in the finer points of manners either. Nonetheless, he too has been keeping us giggling with funny expressions in responses to different foods (ranging from "yummy!" to severe puckering of mouth and eyes) as well as his adorable accent and use of English words. While he quickly has picked up mealtime words such as "please", "thank you","yummy", and "excuse, please", we are unaware of exactly how fast he is learning and were surprised at dinner a few nights ago. It was the first meal he seemed to really enjoy... BBQ chicken, homemade macaroni and cheese - the first cheese product he has eaten/enjoyed - and green beans. He cleaned his plate for the first time, and when Oreos and banana bread were passed around for dessert, he cried out, "Oh, yummy! Please, give me these!" Bread continues to rank as the boys' favorite, and Ethan will usually call out, "Dabo - YUMMY!"
There is rarely a dull moment these days around the Grant Farm, and mealtimes are no exception!
Levi Yishak particularly enjoys the delicate art of seeing how much dinner (or breakfast or lunch or snack) he can get on him, on his tray, or on the floor. Despite this interest, however, he has been the source of many (suppressed) giggles around the table due to his cute antics. Although he isn't usually initially willing to taste anything new, he does partake of favorite foods with zest- e.g., loudly proclaiming "Mmmm-MMMMM-Mmmm!" repeatedly. Levi also likes holding or touching Dad's arm during meals (a preference which the latter may not necessarily care for due to the formers grubby paws!). Last night this little guy reached out, grabbed Dad's hand, held it to the side of his head and proceeded to rest quietly on Dad's hand for the next several minutes. After that Levi took to exuberantly kissing Dad's hand and as far up his arm as he could reach. The rest of us could hardly contain our giggles!
Ethan Gezahegn is better at keeping his food on his plate but hasn't been instructed in the finer points of manners either. Nonetheless, he too has been keeping us giggling with funny expressions in responses to different foods (ranging from "yummy!" to severe puckering of mouth and eyes) as well as his adorable accent and use of English words. While he quickly has picked up mealtime words such as "please", "thank you","yummy", and "excuse, please", we are unaware of exactly how fast he is learning and were surprised at dinner a few nights ago. It was the first meal he seemed to really enjoy... BBQ chicken, homemade macaroni and cheese - the first cheese product he has eaten/enjoyed - and green beans. He cleaned his plate for the first time, and when Oreos and banana bread were passed around for dessert, he cried out, "Oh, yummy! Please, give me these!" Bread continues to rank as the boys' favorite, and Ethan will usually call out, "Dabo - YUMMY!"
There is rarely a dull moment these days around the Grant Farm, and mealtimes are no exception!
Bon Appétit!
Victoria for the Grants
Hello all! Here is a 'photo update' of week two...
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| Cute little boys! |
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| Ethan Gezahegn helped us out with some gardening in the front yard |
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| Ethan loved his new pool floaty- he held onto it for at least an hour before we even got in the pool! |
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| Ethan Gezahegn discovering the joys of shaving cream |
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| This little guy loves the outdoors |
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| Enjoying the slide... |
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| We love this boy's grin! |
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| Levi Yishak learning how to drink out of a drinking fountain |
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Silly face!
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Sunday, June 5, 2011
One week and counting!
It is difficult to believe one week has passed since Mom, Dad, Ethan Gezahegn and Levi Yishak walked into the Sacramento Airport terminal and we were suddenly a family of eight. And we are so encouraged that we have survived the first week! Hurrah! Here are some pictures and an update from week one...
Levi Yishak has been improving a little bit every day in the eating department. He is becoming more loving every day towards Mom and Dad- today he willingly ran to welcome mom with a big hug when she arrived back home from taking all the girls to a piano recital. He is napping well every day but has been having some troubles staying in bed at night, both before he falls asleep and waking up in the middle of the night or early morning and wandering around the house. One night Levi had apparently gotten up and was walking around the house. Dad heard him so he got up out of bed to go find him. What with it being the middle of the night and dark, however, he couldn't see Levi until Levi ran out from behind the sofa giggling!Yikes!
Ethan is also improving with regards to eating... he is learning to try 'just one bite' to see if he likes things, and generally, he does. We've been surprised how both boys will not be willing to try so many things on looks alone, and then end up saying "yummy!" after just the first bite. We've also been impressed with how many English words Ethan is learning by just listening. The first few nights at bedtime he would lay in his bed solemnly and just cover up with his covers. Two nights ago when we started singing our final bedtime song, Ethan began to sing the song all by himself, in English with an adorable Ethiopian accent...
"Good night Yishak! Good night Yishak! Good night Yishak! It is time to say goodnight!" and then he proceeded to sing the rest of the song with us, naming the different family members, all in English. It was cute!
Ethan is pretty moody, especially when he doesn't get what he wants. He switches very quickly between being very cute, giggly, and agreeable to pouting and becoming very sullen, but he is beginning to learn how respond properly to disappointments. He is a bright, silly, fun boy most of the time and is quickly becoming a part of the goofy Grant Gang!
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| Ethan saw a picture of Levi sleeping on an earlier post and wanted me to take one of him going "mata-mata"- so I did! |
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| Is that not the cutest face ever?! |
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| Our handsome little boy! |
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| Here is Ethan 'helping' us 'wind' up the hose :o) |
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| Both boys have been having fun playing in the sand with new toys |
Please continue to pray for our family - the adoption process is wonderful, but also difficult, and we appreciate the continued support and prayer from all our friends and family!
Savannah for the Grants
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Day 4
Hello all! Here is the latest and greatest news from the Grant clan:
Ethan Gezahegn, who loves dipping his hands and arms in the pond to splash water, leaned a wee bit too far over the edge and fell into the pond!He managed to keep his head above the water and was quickly pulled out without any permanent damage. He was not happy for a quite a while in spite of the fact he was quickly rescued by Victoria and given a warm shower by Dad.
Ethan has taken a liking to riding the small electric car (a hand-me-down meant for Levi), which makes an amusing sight- his knees come up to his chest but he manages to drive it with the motor straining.
The boys are continuing to explore new foods...tonight's favorites were hamburgers, corn on the cob and baked beans. We also have to teach what NOT to eat- we had to pull out a long strip of pink construction paper from Ethan's mouth last night which he was contentedly munching on.
We are hearing some more English words from Ethan, such as his rendition of American numbers this afternoon while playing hide-and-go-seek: "One, two, twee, four, five, six, seben, eight, nine, eleven, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty!"
Levi Yishak has been keeping us amused with his antics. For those of you who know the Barney "clean up" song you can appreciate Levi's Ethiopian rendition... "Clean up! Clean up! Ebey ebey ebey ebey! Clean up! Clean up! Ebey ebey ebey ebey ebey!"
At some point during his stay at America World, Levi learned some American numbers, which he recited as he stood on the ottoman. As he stood there, preparing to impress us all with a mighty jump off the ottoman, he yelled "One, twoo, twee!" (Once again, you must picture this in an adorable, hard to understand, Ethiopian accent). It was pretty darn cute!
Of course, not everything has been rosy... we've had some arguing, a couple fits, and one complete melt down, but we're (or in all fairness, Mom and Dad are) working through these things, and it's been neat how fast the boys are learning. Thank you for all your prayers!
Ethan Gezahegn, who loves dipping his hands and arms in the pond to splash water, leaned a wee bit too far over the edge and fell into the pond!He managed to keep his head above the water and was quickly pulled out without any permanent damage. He was not happy for a quite a while in spite of the fact he was quickly rescued by Victoria and given a warm shower by Dad.
Ethan has taken a liking to riding the small electric car (a hand-me-down meant for Levi), which makes an amusing sight- his knees come up to his chest but he manages to drive it with the motor straining.
The boys are continuing to explore new foods...tonight's favorites were hamburgers, corn on the cob and baked beans. We also have to teach what NOT to eat- we had to pull out a long strip of pink construction paper from Ethan's mouth last night which he was contentedly munching on.
We are hearing some more English words from Ethan, such as his rendition of American numbers this afternoon while playing hide-and-go-seek: "One, two, twee, four, five, six, seben, eight, nine, eleven, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty!"
Levi Yishak has been keeping us amused with his antics. For those of you who know the Barney "clean up" song you can appreciate Levi's Ethiopian rendition... "Clean up! Clean up! Ebey ebey ebey ebey! Clean up! Clean up! Ebey ebey ebey ebey ebey!"
At some point during his stay at America World, Levi learned some American numbers, which he recited as he stood on the ottoman. As he stood there, preparing to impress us all with a mighty jump off the ottoman, he yelled "One, twoo, twee!" (Once again, you must picture this in an adorable, hard to understand, Ethiopian accent). It was pretty darn cute!
Of course, not everything has been rosy... we've had some arguing, a couple fits, and one complete melt down, but we're (or in all fairness, Mom and Dad are) working through these things, and it's been neat how fast the boys are learning. Thank you for all your prayers!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Day 3 at home
Greetings from the Grants! Today is our third day at home after picking up Mom, Dad, Gezahegn and Yishak from the airport. It has been a strange and wonderful feeling to finally have our boys here after fifteen months of paperwork, prayer, and looking at pictures. Despite the emotions, exhaustion, and occasional feelings of "Good grief, why did we ever want to do this?" we have been having an amazing time learning how to be a family of eight. Both boys seem to be bonding very quickly with Mom and Dad. Of course, the hardest thing for their four big sisters to do is stay away and let mom and dad feed, love, hold, pick them up, etc, but it's paying off and we sisters are looking forward to more hugs and holding in the future.
Ethan Gezahegn, age five, has been having a fun time exploring all that is new here in his new home. At daybreak of day 1 he was ready to head outside and explore the backyard. Time was spent on the swings and play structure, then playing in the sand, meeting the animals, taking a walk on our country street, etc. Any and all things electronic delight him (light switches, the electric piano, the Wii, etc.) Ethan discovered the joy of Nerf guns, which he loved! Ethan and Levi also had their first bath, which kept them giggling and laughing the entire time. We would guess this was their first warm and comfortable bathtub experience, because wehn we say "bath time" or "Shower time" Ethan gets a little upset and shakes his finger and head "no". However, once Mom and Dad get the warm water ready and put some toys in there, the boys are all smiles and giggles. And there is no fear of water...they pour cups and cups of water over their heads and faces with great delight. Ethan is usually full of giggles, which keeps the rest of us laughing. He also seems quite brave - Mom and Dad were acting out how to swallow pills (he does not like chewing up his medicine tablet each morning). After just a couple days he decided to try it himself. Naturally the water ended up on the floor, table, and his shirt, but eventually the pill went down and he was very pleased with himself! He also showed no fear with the horses. He immediately took a liking to Lexy, our miniature horse, and motioned he wanted to get right on her. Mom and Victoria walked him around, with one leading the horse and the other holding Ethan's elbow. He loved it, and soon was riding with his arms straight out, not holding on, and motioning he wanted to go faster. They trotted and even went over a couple small poles barely off the ground, all of which had Ethan laughing.
Levi Yishak, age three, has been doing well and has been enjoying the one-on-one attention from his family very much. We have all been loving his adorable smile, giggles, and funny personality. He can be a clown and loves to play in or with water- outside puddles, sinks, the pond, and the bath. He likes his new toys, but both boys want the toy school bus that makes beeps and plays songs. Little boys and car noises... new things in the Grant house! Levi has not been as eager to try new foods as his older brother...he has a stubborn streak and loudly cries out "DABO!" (bread..his favorite food so far. He does not enjoy being strapped into his highchair, but he is slowly learning to put up with it for now as well as learning to try a few new foods. He has been adjusting to American time and is getting better at napping each day. He is learning how to say "please" and is so incredibly proud of himself when he does. He gives us a huge smile and giggles whenever he says it, and big brother is tickled that he is learning some words in English. Levi Yishak is an all-around cutie and is learning how to play, act, and respond in a new family.
The rest of the Grant family is doing fairly well also...trying to learn what our "new" family is like, how to make things work, how to be patient with one another when we are all emotional and tired and feeling the stress of all the change going on. We are trying to give lots of hugs and grace and patience, and remember to laugh at things!
Here are some pics of the boys enjoying their new life:
Please continue to pray for us during this important time as we welcome these new little boys into our family!
Savannah on behalf of the Grants
Ethan Gezahegn, age five, has been having a fun time exploring all that is new here in his new home. At daybreak of day 1 he was ready to head outside and explore the backyard. Time was spent on the swings and play structure, then playing in the sand, meeting the animals, taking a walk on our country street, etc. Any and all things electronic delight him (light switches, the electric piano, the Wii, etc.) Ethan discovered the joy of Nerf guns, which he loved! Ethan and Levi also had their first bath, which kept them giggling and laughing the entire time. We would guess this was their first warm and comfortable bathtub experience, because wehn we say "bath time" or "Shower time" Ethan gets a little upset and shakes his finger and head "no". However, once Mom and Dad get the warm water ready and put some toys in there, the boys are all smiles and giggles. And there is no fear of water...they pour cups and cups of water over their heads and faces with great delight. Ethan is usually full of giggles, which keeps the rest of us laughing. He also seems quite brave - Mom and Dad were acting out how to swallow pills (he does not like chewing up his medicine tablet each morning). After just a couple days he decided to try it himself. Naturally the water ended up on the floor, table, and his shirt, but eventually the pill went down and he was very pleased with himself! He also showed no fear with the horses. He immediately took a liking to Lexy, our miniature horse, and motioned he wanted to get right on her. Mom and Victoria walked him around, with one leading the horse and the other holding Ethan's elbow. He loved it, and soon was riding with his arms straight out, not holding on, and motioning he wanted to go faster. They trotted and even went over a couple small poles barely off the ground, all of which had Ethan laughing.
Levi Yishak, age three, has been doing well and has been enjoying the one-on-one attention from his family very much. We have all been loving his adorable smile, giggles, and funny personality. He can be a clown and loves to play in or with water- outside puddles, sinks, the pond, and the bath. He likes his new toys, but both boys want the toy school bus that makes beeps and plays songs. Little boys and car noises... new things in the Grant house! Levi has not been as eager to try new foods as his older brother...he has a stubborn streak and loudly cries out "DABO!" (bread..his favorite food so far. He does not enjoy being strapped into his highchair, but he is slowly learning to put up with it for now as well as learning to try a few new foods. He has been adjusting to American time and is getting better at napping each day. He is learning how to say "please" and is so incredibly proud of himself when he does. He gives us a huge smile and giggles whenever he says it, and big brother is tickled that he is learning some words in English. Levi Yishak is an all-around cutie and is learning how to play, act, and respond in a new family.
The rest of the Grant family is doing fairly well also...trying to learn what our "new" family is like, how to make things work, how to be patient with one another when we are all emotional and tired and feeling the stress of all the change going on. We are trying to give lots of hugs and grace and patience, and remember to laugh at things!
Here are some pics of the boys enjoying their new life:
Please continue to pray for us during this important time as we welcome these new little boys into our family!
Savannah on behalf of the Grants
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Our Last Full Day in Ethiopia
Greetings from the Grants on our last full day in Ethiopia! Today was a (mostly) good day, and we just tucked the boys into bed with happy hearts. The day started on a funny note when we got Ethan dressed. We pulled out a plaid shirt and khaki pants and he began whining. What? What's up with that? He clearly did not like them, but we said "oh well" and got him dressed. If you saw what he was wearing when we picked him up from the orphanage, you would not think this a boy concerned with how his clothes appeared!
The boys did well today and both were affectionate and snuggling for a majority of the day. Levi Yishak even let me hold him when Scott left the hotel room and he did not cry or have a meltdown...he snuggled and then fell asleep. That is a total praise -- thank you, Lord! We started the day out by hiring a driver to take us to Entoto Mountain. We toured the Ethiopian museum located there -- a nice gentleman gave us an interesting description of the items in fairly good English, and then hit the relevant points in Amharic for Ethan Gezahegn. How very considerate! We then walked through the old "palace grounds", but it was difficult to think of the wooden structure as palatial compared to England's historical sites we toured just a few weeks ago. After that our driver took us to a very small church (cave) that was hand-carved entirely out of stone (about 700 years old). The most interesting part of the tour was going into the working church on the same grounds, with it being about 135 years old (if our memory serves us correctly tonight--which I am willing to bet it does not!). It didn't seem overly impressive on the outside, but the guide got keys, unlocked a big padlock door and had us remove our shoes. We then entered but could not see much except for curtains, and the electricity was not working. The guide left to go find long incense sticks to use as candles, and then he pulled back curtains and showed us the paintings covering all the inside walls--all sorts of pictures depicting bible stories, figures, the Trinity, heaven, hell, etc. The paintings were all done by two artists, and it was really neat to see such great work tucked inside this small church in the middle of nowhere. The tour was capped off with the announcement that we could not enter the innermost chamber, as that is where the Ark of the Covenant (yes, THAT Ark of the Covenant) is kept. Wow--who knew THAT? :o) And no guards even needed. We then drove back to the guest house for lunch and we were hoping for naps--but alas Yishak fell asleep on the 20 minute drive home despite all our efforts to keep him awake and then would not take a nap right then. Scott was holding Levi Yishak in the van and Levi was eating bites of a granola bar. Unbeknownst to Scott, Levi fell asleep with a bite still not swallowed in his mouth, which he then let dribble out all over Scott's shirt while he slept. Oh, the fun of having little kids around again!
We ventured back up to the rooftop patio and playroom and played there for several hours this afternoon. The boys delighted in playing hide-and-seek by hiding (obviously) behind a small potted plant, and Scott and I would make a big deal out of trying to find them. They thought it was hysterical. We played a version of Red Light-Green Light but instead used "stop" and "go"--.we thought it would be helpful to teach them the concept of "stop"so they will stop touching all the electronic buttons and messing things up! Scott and I took turns being "it" and the other holding hands with the boys and helping them know when to go and stop?. They were laughing and falling on the ground. Who knew we were so much fun? Okay, I admit we are not that much fun, but these little boys love the one on one attention. They will sit and play for quite a while in the playroom, which I attribute to the fact they have never owned toys, and once they arrived at the orphanage you don't get the opportunity to sit and play quietly without someone taking your stuff. Ethan Gezahegn would dismantle the whole ABC/number foam mat, and then begin matching up the same numbers or letters. So, all three letter "Bs" he would place together, and then all the number "8s", etc. Yishak would then enjoy ruining his older brother's work, as I imagine most younger brothers are apt to do. We finally came back to the room and Yishak napped on my chest while Scott ran down the street to pick up a few things. We were able to Skype the girls one last time and they told us they are having a wonderfully fun time with their friends and the older girls relayed we should be sure to take our time getting home!
We were blessed with the dinner provided tonight--cheese pizza, which Ethan Gezahegn ate up happily. When Levi Yishak would not eat that, Scott asked our sweet chef for a piece or two of bread. He returned with a bowl containing about 5 or 6 pieces of bread, and Levi ate up the entire thing! Wow -- I guess he was making up for lost meals. I wonder if that will put him in a carbohydrate coma for the night? A man next to us allowed Ethan Gezahegn to use his MP3 player -- something Ethan Gezahegn has clearly either done before or he has a gift for electronic things. He easily navigated the volume, fast forward and rewind functions, as well as the ability to run your finger over the screen to roll things one direction or the other. Wow!
We finished off the day on a grand note--after the boys were showered and teeth brushed, we got out their clothes for tomorrow. Ethan saw I pulled out jeans and a t-shirt for him and he was stoked and touched them and then kissed me on the cheek. Go figure! Then we went through the boys' little photo albums we had been sending them at the orphanage. We talked about how we fly home tomorrow, showed them the picture of the house, their room, their sisters, etc. Ethan was so excited--.he was gesturing to himself, and then asking "fly"? "home"?, and would point to himself, then to the picture of the house. We kept going through it -- Yes, you and Yishak fly home with us tomorrow in an airplane (big smile). Yes, we will go to this home, and you will sleep in this bed. (bigger smiles and laughter). Ethan then flopped down and started naming all the things in his albums-- Mommy, Daddy, Victoria, Savannah, Ash-uh-lyn, Lar-uh-me, etc. He then came to the picture of the girls holding their musical instruments and he said, "guitar", and began to do a rockin' air guitar impression. I think this boy wants to play the guitar! He giggled his way through the pictures, and then tucked his album right by his head on his pillow. It was such a sweet ending to the day, and our hearts are blessed with joy at this moment. Are there going to be lots of difficult times ahead? Yes. But we know the Lord has brought us here, and He will see us through each trial as well as all the moments of joy-- like right now.
The boys did well today and both were affectionate and snuggling for a majority of the day. Levi Yishak even let me hold him when Scott left the hotel room and he did not cry or have a meltdown...he snuggled and then fell asleep. That is a total praise -- thank you, Lord! We started the day out by hiring a driver to take us to Entoto Mountain. We toured the Ethiopian museum located there -- a nice gentleman gave us an interesting description of the items in fairly good English, and then hit the relevant points in Amharic for Ethan Gezahegn. How very considerate! We then walked through the old "palace grounds", but it was difficult to think of the wooden structure as palatial compared to England's historical sites we toured just a few weeks ago. After that our driver took us to a very small church (cave) that was hand-carved entirely out of stone (about 700 years old). The most interesting part of the tour was going into the working church on the same grounds, with it being about 135 years old (if our memory serves us correctly tonight--which I am willing to bet it does not!). It didn't seem overly impressive on the outside, but the guide got keys, unlocked a big padlock door and had us remove our shoes. We then entered but could not see much except for curtains, and the electricity was not working. The guide left to go find long incense sticks to use as candles, and then he pulled back curtains and showed us the paintings covering all the inside walls--all sorts of pictures depicting bible stories, figures, the Trinity, heaven, hell, etc. The paintings were all done by two artists, and it was really neat to see such great work tucked inside this small church in the middle of nowhere. The tour was capped off with the announcement that we could not enter the innermost chamber, as that is where the Ark of the Covenant (yes, THAT Ark of the Covenant) is kept. Wow--who knew THAT? :o) And no guards even needed. We then drove back to the guest house for lunch and we were hoping for naps--but alas Yishak fell asleep on the 20 minute drive home despite all our efforts to keep him awake and then would not take a nap right then. Scott was holding Levi Yishak in the van and Levi was eating bites of a granola bar. Unbeknownst to Scott, Levi fell asleep with a bite still not swallowed in his mouth, which he then let dribble out all over Scott's shirt while he slept. Oh, the fun of having little kids around again!
We ventured back up to the rooftop patio and playroom and played there for several hours this afternoon. The boys delighted in playing hide-and-seek by hiding (obviously) behind a small potted plant, and Scott and I would make a big deal out of trying to find them. They thought it was hysterical. We played a version of Red Light-Green Light but instead used "stop" and "go"--.we thought it would be helpful to teach them the concept of "stop"so they will stop touching all the electronic buttons and messing things up! Scott and I took turns being "it" and the other holding hands with the boys and helping them know when to go and stop?. They were laughing and falling on the ground. Who knew we were so much fun? Okay, I admit we are not that much fun, but these little boys love the one on one attention. They will sit and play for quite a while in the playroom, which I attribute to the fact they have never owned toys, and once they arrived at the orphanage you don't get the opportunity to sit and play quietly without someone taking your stuff. Ethan Gezahegn would dismantle the whole ABC/number foam mat, and then begin matching up the same numbers or letters. So, all three letter "Bs" he would place together, and then all the number "8s", etc. Yishak would then enjoy ruining his older brother's work, as I imagine most younger brothers are apt to do. We finally came back to the room and Yishak napped on my chest while Scott ran down the street to pick up a few things. We were able to Skype the girls one last time and they told us they are having a wonderfully fun time with their friends and the older girls relayed we should be sure to take our time getting home!
We were blessed with the dinner provided tonight--cheese pizza, which Ethan Gezahegn ate up happily. When Levi Yishak would not eat that, Scott asked our sweet chef for a piece or two of bread. He returned with a bowl containing about 5 or 6 pieces of bread, and Levi ate up the entire thing! Wow -- I guess he was making up for lost meals. I wonder if that will put him in a carbohydrate coma for the night? A man next to us allowed Ethan Gezahegn to use his MP3 player -- something Ethan Gezahegn has clearly either done before or he has a gift for electronic things. He easily navigated the volume, fast forward and rewind functions, as well as the ability to run your finger over the screen to roll things one direction or the other. Wow!
We finished off the day on a grand note--after the boys were showered and teeth brushed, we got out their clothes for tomorrow. Ethan saw I pulled out jeans and a t-shirt for him and he was stoked and touched them and then kissed me on the cheek. Go figure! Then we went through the boys' little photo albums we had been sending them at the orphanage. We talked about how we fly home tomorrow, showed them the picture of the house, their room, their sisters, etc. Ethan was so excited--.he was gesturing to himself, and then asking "fly"? "home"?, and would point to himself, then to the picture of the house. We kept going through it -- Yes, you and Yishak fly home with us tomorrow in an airplane (big smile). Yes, we will go to this home, and you will sleep in this bed. (bigger smiles and laughter). Ethan then flopped down and started naming all the things in his albums-- Mommy, Daddy, Victoria, Savannah, Ash-uh-lyn, Lar-uh-me, etc. He then came to the picture of the girls holding their musical instruments and he said, "guitar", and began to do a rockin' air guitar impression. I think this boy wants to play the guitar! He giggled his way through the pictures, and then tucked his album right by his head on his pillow. It was such a sweet ending to the day, and our hearts are blessed with joy at this moment. Are there going to be lots of difficult times ahead? Yes. But we know the Lord has brought us here, and He will see us through each trial as well as all the moments of joy-- like right now.
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