As of Late...

 The twins wanted this African statue, as it reminded them of their birth mom and sister. It now adorns our coffee bar/Ethiopian wall. :)

I discovered this online photo of me and the kiddos. It was actually taken last fall when I talked to the third and fourth grade classes at school about mission work.

Jalen and Jordan have been doing lots of art:

Malia got in on some of the fun, too:

We've had lots of school delays and cancellations because fog, snow, and ice.

Jalen took a nap on my lap one day. I couldn't move for awhile, but wondered when the time will come that he's too big to do this. :(

I received some updated photos of Foten children's center in Gambella, Ethiopia from my friend, Teklay. Our small mission team did work here last fall, and it was great to see that the place is now open for kiddos who have nowhere else to go.

Coffee ceremony time:

Kitchen area:

Malia LOVES to play school. I'm pretty sure she'll be a teacher someday. Here is the reading corner that she set up in the basement for her "students."

Chris was gone on business all of last week, so the kids took turns sleeping with me. Here is how the twins slept (and always do. I'm not sure how they breathe).

Chris's sister Angie got engaged! Karl and Angie are planning an Easter wedding.

Don't forget....there's only 6 days left to order your t-shirt! This t-shirt is perfect for your loves on Valentine's Day, and each purchase will help us build onto Metekle school in Ethiopia. Order here: https://www.bonfirefunds.com/mission-metekle-ethiopian-school-project

One more thing: We are looking for about 5 more team members for our mission trip to Ethiopia this summer. The trip dates are July 11-20, 2015. If you are interested, contact me for more information. Thanks!

T-Shirt Fundraiser!

Shana designed a shirt to sell as a fundraiser for our Mission: Metekle Ethiopian school project!

Front:

 Back:

Unisex, ladies slim-fit, and children's sizes are available, as well as long-sleeved t-shirts and hoodies. All proceeds will help us build a second story onto Metekle primary school in Mekele, Tigray, Ethiopia. With your help, we hope to give more children the education they need in order to break the cycle of poverty. Feel free to help us spread the word! 

To order shirts, go to: https://www.bonfirefunds.com/mission-metekle-ethiopian-school-project

Thanks, friends!

What's New?

1. Jordan's glasses! He looks like a wise old owl, doesn't he?

2. Shana won the district geography bee, and she will now advance to the state level. Her winning answer was about Kenya...I guess traveling to Africa paid off. Great job, Shana!

3. Snow. While it's beautiful, I don't necessarily enjoy the extremely cold weather that came along with it. The kids love to play in it, though!

4. Celebrating Gena. January 7 is Christmas Day in Ethiopia, so we celebrated by taking the boys to an Ethiopian restaurant the night before. We had a great time talking to the owners, and found out we have a lot in common as they work to build schools and libraries in Ethiopia as well. Melkam Gena (Merry Christmas) to all our Ethiopian friends and family!

We also bought extra injera to bring home for our freezer. Injera is a spongy pancake-like bread that is unique to Ethiopia. To eat traditional Ethiopian food, you do not use silverware. You simply break off small pieces of injera and use it to scoop up the food, which is arranged on a large platter in the middle of the table for everyone to share. All of it is delicious! The twins still say that injera is their favorite food.

Have a great day, everyone!

Florida!

We had a wonderful vacation in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. We relaxed in our beach condo, played tennis, took walks by the water, visited Fort Pickens and the National Museum of Naval Aviation (home of the Blue Angels) in Pensacola, enjoyed watching the dolphins play, and celebrated the arrival of 2015. 

My morning coffee view (sigh...):

Jalen was tired after a full day of exploring:

Fish tacos...Yum!

Chris, Malia and I right after watching the New Year's ball drop in Times Square. Happy New Year, everyone!

Fresh homemade guacamole made for some happy kiddos:

Enjoying the water:

Dolphins!

One of the kids, who will remain unnamed, decided it was a good idea to hide Shana's shoe from her by burying it in the sand. Unfortunately, said child did not mark the spot, and no amount of later digging could turn it up. So....if you're on Fort Walton Beach someday and find a white sandal buried in the sand, it might belong to Shana! We got a good laugh out of it, and the culprit felt terribly sorry! Here are some of them digging for the lost shoe:

Goodbye, Florida! Hello, COLD Ohio! Back to reality....