tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74241856207840588712024-03-13T20:37:49.856-04:00Our Organized Chaos...Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.comBlogger90125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-15858716170276928782010-05-27T21:14:00.009-04:002010-05-27T22:08:34.368-04:00Ethiopia and Current happenings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQnCM4CBKA2fFyPOOvtu-wMh0LDej01cUwgLFwGB530m8NstyYw8TFIa1u_zmGWJw30R0P5Mlxi_uTmJ3SCxpghnNnR_JmDsISIVo92kr_Y2dXWZ7RvQ6Dttup4KgqUiX8b_hMcB047o/s1600/P5270082.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQnCM4CBKA2fFyPOOvtu-wMh0LDej01cUwgLFwGB530m8NstyYw8TFIa1u_zmGWJw30R0P5Mlxi_uTmJ3SCxpghnNnR_JmDsISIVo92kr_Y2dXWZ7RvQ6Dttup4KgqUiX8b_hMcB047o/s320/P5270082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476132344964300978" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, I missed blogging yesterday so I decided to post the link to my blog journal that I did shorty after coming home from Ethiopia. This will account for yesterday and today's events: <a style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);" href="http://thornton-throughtheyears.blogspot.com/2009/06/part-2-journey-to-ethiopia.html">click here</a><br /><br />That was my last blog entry about our trip so I will be busy the next few days telling you all about my amazing visit to the orphanage and our journey back home with Nathan! 2 exhausted parents + a baby + 16 hour flight = no fun at all<br /><br />Current Events:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sy5tk9A7MA3Jd1XkIPiWOA44bs0PetrO5QaGG1jI9IBA1ZuZQ24qbm0F8_JJILQr6CcbJd7sjdOvGAPrWdZGOs1nRkZvYOX3jEYvtLmYfzUudKCkpJ0PGI_8w9VC-yHvegd108IbfpQ/s1600/P5250347.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7sy5tk9A7MA3Jd1XkIPiWOA44bs0PetrO5QaGG1jI9IBA1ZuZQ24qbm0F8_JJILQr6CcbJd7sjdOvGAPrWdZGOs1nRkZvYOX3jEYvtLmYfzUudKCkpJ0PGI_8w9VC-yHvegd108IbfpQ/s320/P5250347.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476134091292435570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Tomorrow is the last day of school, where did the year go??? Olivia had her kindergarten graduation program yesterday. They performed several songs, announced each child, and then served refreshments. I loved watching my little superstar steal the stage. Olivia was dead center on the front row, of course, and was so animated the entire time. She has the most outgoing personality ever, I don't know where she gets it from but I hope she never changes. Austin is going into the 5th grade which means in a year I will have a kid in middle school AHHHHHHHH! Now that is crazy. Austin had a great teacher this year who has been a huge blessing. Austin is already asking to be in clubs, band, hall monitor(do they even do that anymore?), tv broadcast team, etc, etc. This will be fun! Next year will be a lot of work...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKTlDWNDD4dFbCoJzFapmFSv42qJrt2yuTkubMQQPaTwKTJLzzKHNhisJs2y70q_5AbjOiemgiRjPhMTWlGa5NtV7aIJSjXQbSlIo_7hvvw7FZoNrf4wospcAt0PuLBgcWxmtNTZ0Lms/s1600/P5070243(2).jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKTlDWNDD4dFbCoJzFapmFSv42qJrt2yuTkubMQQPaTwKTJLzzKHNhisJs2y70q_5AbjOiemgiRjPhMTWlGa5NtV7aIJSjXQbSlIo_7hvvw7FZoNrf4wospcAt0PuLBgcWxmtNTZ0Lms/s320/P5070243(2).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476134523304971522" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I recently decided to go back to school. I am attending online classes with South University in Savannah to officially get my paralegal degree. It is going great so far. I am able to get my work done once the kids are in bed each night. Half way through my first class and I have a 95. Hope I can keep it up! Next term I have 2 classes so things will get a little more difficult for sure. It is really exciting though and I enjoy it. I feel like I am accomplishing something that will make me feel better about myself and better my career. It has been difficult for me to realize that my dreams of being at stay at home mom were never going to come true. Since I support my family financially I have to make sure that I can continue to be successful in my career and I need a degree to back up my experience. I am on track to graduate in about 2 years. :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeWnL6Jh55l2qgybM-z-ndfiq46c_r4TaC950ifrTNpHNEapH0fsnoxMDxtr7-fOLuo79sHKFJl8WE2yG9MrPf-s23a5LSYh-NPXpcnbi3FSytqStwlTpa9BL3vMmQPOJNcyHThtu9CI/s1600/P5050124(2).jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeWnL6Jh55l2qgybM-z-ndfiq46c_r4TaC950ifrTNpHNEapH0fsnoxMDxtr7-fOLuo79sHKFJl8WE2yG9MrPf-s23a5LSYh-NPXpcnbi3FSytqStwlTpa9BL3vMmQPOJNcyHThtu9CI/s320/P5050124(2).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476135277742178242" border="0" /></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-33352686305407286362010-05-25T09:10:00.010-04:002010-05-25T23:17:22.198-04:00Ethiopia Day 1 - Meeting Nathan!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8T3YrfluPcCfMmXcJSf-2GzlFtS5qgLtm2U_Z0eSOEHPFSIdR2wO0hknsOwQDSwx8m-G2ByuFrOfU_9AwntryVM7fuAdjuiZxsUe1-il1hn_NBxfnRfwIet6BoFxQaisbADGd_bqJlA/s1600/P5250022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8T3YrfluPcCfMmXcJSf-2GzlFtS5qgLtm2U_Z0eSOEHPFSIdR2wO0hknsOwQDSwx8m-G2ByuFrOfU_9AwntryVM7fuAdjuiZxsUe1-il1hn_NBxfnRfwIet6BoFxQaisbADGd_bqJlA/s320/P5250022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475411282956144770" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Over the next week I will recap the events of our week in Ethiopia. Since I never finished my blog journal after we got home my plan is to do it now. </span><br /><br />As we circled over Addis Ababa I could not help but get all choked up looking out the window, knowing Nathan was out there somewhere. We were there!!! We were in Ethiopia!!! I was pretty nervous going through the airport. I knew little Amharic and was armed with my translation book. We made it through the process of getting our visa and exchanged money. When we entered the room to get our luggage it was very crowded and busy! The owner of the guest house we were staying at was going to be there to pick us up, I had only corresponded with him through email and had no clue what he looked like. As we walked out people flocked to us and thankfully we quickly found Zeyede's smiling face holding a sign with our name on it. He took our luggage to his van and we were off. Driving through the streets of Addis is quite an experience. There is no method to the madness. Cars and people are everywhere! There are goats in the medians, donkeys walking down the road, everyone honking and yelling. People walk so close to vehicles as they cross the street and you think for sure they will get run over. It makes New York traffic look like a piece of cake in comparison. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6md0ycfZgV2Xt_MJRYtWXCq0dGpT7HX_rh_73gJh0_PgIIMcQ64SLkfhrC7ORIh-Cf_aDjyQmR_2tZdpALR6NySeIJUqZE7bMCdFsbXM76g5TY7kweq7aJym9Lek341-2Amhn0NzJhE0/s1600/P5250027.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6md0ycfZgV2Xt_MJRYtWXCq0dGpT7HX_rh_73gJh0_PgIIMcQ64SLkfhrC7ORIh-Cf_aDjyQmR_2tZdpALR6NySeIJUqZE7bMCdFsbXM76g5TY7kweq7aJym9Lek341-2Amhn0NzJhE0/s320/P5250027.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475411508519779234" /></a><br /><br />The guesthouse was nice and the staff was amazing! It was a large house surrounded by a huge gated wall and barbed wire. Sounds odd right? That is standard in Ethiopia. UN officials were staying at the house next door and there were several armed guards at all times. Our room was small with a balcony overlooking the garden area and quiet little dirt road. We walked with Zeyede to a small shop and he treated us to a cup of Ethiopian coffee YUM! We LOVE Zeyede! He owns and operates the guest house as well as a touring service and made the BEST honey ever. We received a call that our driver from the House of Hope would be picking us up soon to go meet Nathan! We freshened up and before we knew it a little red car pulled up at the gates. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0l5aryz7A9TwDIhM2GDuje6qvDONyt0PdtFoeX-TeE5Xn3LlS8qDqWHgnIj85iADUMpKJP9cUoGovCCjdeQImV-aOhVa8bw45WEWEJmqBYNpJjfoo6WfSRnflTYkeQQXUgYlwEFIV9k/s1600/P5250040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO0l5aryz7A9TwDIhM2GDuje6qvDONyt0PdtFoeX-TeE5Xn3LlS8qDqWHgnIj85iADUMpKJP9cUoGovCCjdeQImV-aOhVa8bw45WEWEJmqBYNpJjfoo6WfSRnflTYkeQQXUgYlwEFIV9k/s320/P5250040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475411772662351138" /></a> <br /><br />I am so nervous...just didn't know what to expect. We pull into the gates of the House of Hope. It is an amazing sight! Rows of childrens clothing and cloth diapers are strung up to dry. Everyone is peering over the balcony and through the windows at us. We are led into the office where we meet Teseguy, the director. We speak to him briefly and he tells us his wife has gone to get Nathan ready for us! Right Now?!?!? Suddenly she walks in the door and everything becomes a blur. Nick grabs the camera and thinks he is tapping but he forgot to push record... I try to push back the tears as I hold him, cuddle him, and check him out from head to toe. AMAZING! He is plump, healthy, and breath taking beautiful! A few minutes after Nathan was placed in my arms we were handed a bottle, brief feeding instructions, and back in the car we went. That was IT?!?! Like, I don't need to sign him out or something? We were taken to the guest house part of the HOH and given a room to relax in and spend some time with Nathan. I had worried about him possibly crying, being scared of us, or how well he would bond to me but God's hand was surely at work. He went to us willingly and bonded almost immediately. Not long after we settled into the room he fell asleep in Nick's arms. So sweet! It was like Nathan had been waiting on us and we were finally there and he was exhausted and at peace. He knew that was were he belonged. We ate dinner with another family that had arrived earlier in the day and then headed back to our guesthouse. Once in the room I changed Nathans clothes and finally got a good look at him. His cute personality really came out then as he cooed, smiled, and stretched out on the bed. By this point we had not slept or showered in days. Unfortunately we got very little sleep that night. Every move Nathan made I was jumping up; trying to figure out his schedule and getting to know his signs and what he needed when. You would think Addis would be quiet at night, wrong. There was a night club down the street that played loud music ALL night EVERY night. There were people moving about the guesthouse at all hours making loud noises. UGGGG Now I knew why people recommended we pack ear plugs! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo16CiRaco2_wfyhsVRdJYWTjioby6ZAl6jYFAoJiWWJHAHlLBYqdK9ux0A25WjTrf_ue8x8CyfhdUxu7rZTgJyN7U8V7slM-p31-pSnrl3dTPIBp5Z7BN9Oj4lsY7oPN54taJkbUAEi0/s1600/P5250041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo16CiRaco2_wfyhsVRdJYWTjioby6ZAl6jYFAoJiWWJHAHlLBYqdK9ux0A25WjTrf_ue8x8CyfhdUxu7rZTgJyN7U8V7slM-p31-pSnrl3dTPIBp5Z7BN9Oj4lsY7oPN54taJkbUAEi0/s320/P5250041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475412027686882882" /></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-7745260773049049182010-05-24T15:50:00.006-04:002010-05-24T16:25:30.482-04:00A year ago today...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVm6IKZNB4TrJgEAf6q3xxVsnVTPxNVXlS6tmBDbbyoem4AEFRkVRn4bfYa8aIVObr3Meg6BDxN9E95x7EcwMKuHXQId7gC4m17ylBAZO0uL3s0Ng9tcS5jA8lc7eVX4BKOikKwF6vqc/s1600/P1010006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdVm6IKZNB4TrJgEAf6q3xxVsnVTPxNVXlS6tmBDbbyoem4AEFRkVRn4bfYa8aIVObr3Meg6BDxN9E95x7EcwMKuHXQId7gC4m17ylBAZO0uL3s0Ng9tcS5jA8lc7eVX4BKOikKwF6vqc/s320/P1010006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474934277796780514" /></a><br /><br />A year ago today Nick and I arrived at the Atlanta Airport at 4:00 am to begin our journey half way around the world to be united with our baby boy. It is hard to believe it has been that long. That morning we were so excited and nervous, it was all very surreal that we were actually going to Ethiopia and would soon be meeting our son we had only known through pictures. Neither of us had ever been out of the country before. We had more suitcases than I can remember; stuffed with a few of our clothes, lots of baby clothes/supplies, and donations for the orphanage. Our first flight was on a tiny plane to Washington DC. A few hours after arriving in DC we were boarding the plane to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; which was approx a 16 hour flight. We stopped briefly in Rome for fuel. Unfortunately it was dark outside so we could not see anything. By that point I had no concept of time, whether it was day or night, or what day it even was. I felt like a time traveler.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXLr8jFg2pw-PjDgicrYWVFWNFI5uHOsnBgcRAp6zOVVSRjVEoAlbf3RXo6I2S7s6nS1gI8nHDuGi9Ixhaqs7Xz7oM6ohwSowULMJDK9iiOKgYSIwjnA6-LQNRy3niW4uKm6uwH0Tyww/s1600/P1010010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXLr8jFg2pw-PjDgicrYWVFWNFI5uHOsnBgcRAp6zOVVSRjVEoAlbf3RXo6I2S7s6nS1gI8nHDuGi9Ixhaqs7Xz7oM6ohwSowULMJDK9iiOKgYSIwjnA6-LQNRy3niW4uKm6uwH0Tyww/s320/P1010010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474934645047213938" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOMTqW4NvoNxxGXva8KCjm29tQISRmidcoR6Dch4Hh7YfwbvafbrCF-vLg4A3b2eCBWvNOsDfalqSnX416n6vA4NPc1eyVZ47YJWRya6qc6cYk2UB1I8b-K_g1TVnl-kBMTFsRuVE29g/s1600/P1010020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEOMTqW4NvoNxxGXva8KCjm29tQISRmidcoR6Dch4Hh7YfwbvafbrCF-vLg4A3b2eCBWvNOsDfalqSnX416n6vA4NPc1eyVZ47YJWRya6qc6cYk2UB1I8b-K_g1TVnl-kBMTFsRuVE29g/s320/P1010020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474934975955153458" /></a><br /><br /><br />will continue tomorrow...Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-33762178848714920122010-04-11T21:18:00.002-04:002010-04-11T21:20:48.912-04:00Nathan - Baby Idol 2009<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ygBHkWTFnnW8EJmmYWGSsx2AGBXVGDOANSel8V1iEBExkRlTQIzDFeL-45jKWquOag7fYn_y6rCl5P5w_qqhabEfoLcHfh2FEASjU43bYoMgszHKZFWiIBG_eV4HeOTlZ_fQZ3Mf2wM/s1600/IMG_0285.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ygBHkWTFnnW8EJmmYWGSsx2AGBXVGDOANSel8V1iEBExkRlTQIzDFeL-45jKWquOag7fYn_y6rCl5P5w_qqhabEfoLcHfh2FEASjU43bYoMgszHKZFWiIBG_eV4HeOTlZ_fQZ3Mf2wM/s320/IMG_0285.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459054744824572130" /></a><br /><br /><a href=http://www.star94.com/babyidol/View.aspx?ID=140797&R=10>Nathan - Baby Idol 2009</a><br /><br />Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com">ShareThis</a><br /><br />Vote for Nathan in the Star 94 baby Idol Atlanta's Cutest Baby Contest!Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-36126094171285754662010-04-04T20:18:00.003-04:002010-04-04T20:25:11.798-04:00Easter Pics<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRF-EFATi12SFf-dhJ0WK87WZ6N-OS9xw3AYLH-aSrpYxrqHUbxncIu6l838Q1U93vpIHhpiznlP7_B2vroR2Nt30RiaHql9-2MiRIzInO65hopahXuWvRlmzoHDOqbExUzghu_fDT_tg/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRF-EFATi12SFf-dhJ0WK87WZ6N-OS9xw3AYLH-aSrpYxrqHUbxncIu6l838Q1U93vpIHhpiznlP7_B2vroR2Nt30RiaHql9-2MiRIzInO65hopahXuWvRlmzoHDOqbExUzghu_fDT_tg/s320/007.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456441369206726594" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNXXSjC9y99Z5e6XrABCd9E5T6PO5V_7fdv5BfabMvDJFSKCiBeZmSWyDd7I_gEhSLsqQ-7oWHokU14sxPJR4VjTgm8siBeFYahKMqagtoKpcv6p-D4ZCMbbJ5GlSRuTwtN6UjzqirFs/s1600/021.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNXXSjC9y99Z5e6XrABCd9E5T6PO5V_7fdv5BfabMvDJFSKCiBeZmSWyDd7I_gEhSLsqQ-7oWHokU14sxPJR4VjTgm8siBeFYahKMqagtoKpcv6p-D4ZCMbbJ5GlSRuTwtN6UjzqirFs/s320/021.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456441474773404754" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A_rENSGpN6E-STGXwPk6qKgjD732H_rhP7FoptS2S1-qslqIvpoOVAm4Z-lRddbuPNcb5mYwn9DotrI9KF4-XhsYcQnNISva-X5v9fyuhKYgnkJkcycz_KI-U3RxR3dOwlQg376P-zw/s1600/027.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A_rENSGpN6E-STGXwPk6qKgjD732H_rhP7FoptS2S1-qslqIvpoOVAm4Z-lRddbuPNcb5mYwn9DotrI9KF4-XhsYcQnNISva-X5v9fyuhKYgnkJkcycz_KI-U3RxR3dOwlQg376P-zw/s320/027.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456441667224639762" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2hu0AXSUTax9G9Ejj3Bx3pS41BUBD5j-wqUDu5O1iyy-NPxpp5iuw0Mcnr6wFDec0jnEbxiyqYSe0IRV6yCTTmY5wbau3oFq4SXqa_3U3HTUu7BbR7nm5SuJCCl6OigOsUBdLCdT4z0/s1600/041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2hu0AXSUTax9G9Ejj3Bx3pS41BUBD5j-wqUDu5O1iyy-NPxpp5iuw0Mcnr6wFDec0jnEbxiyqYSe0IRV6yCTTmY5wbau3oFq4SXqa_3U3HTUu7BbR7nm5SuJCCl6OigOsUBdLCdT4z0/s320/041.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456442665214032322" /></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-29530850541367994272010-04-03T09:38:00.001-04:002010-04-03T09:38:32.936-04:00Nathan - Baby Idol 2009<a href=http://www.star94.com/babyidol/View.aspx?ID=140797&FIID=184941>Nathan - Baby Idol 2009</a><br /><br />Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com">ShareThis</a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-89730042510526222252010-03-22T09:31:00.006-04:002010-03-22T09:51:20.612-04:00Back to it...I have been so darn busy and have really neglected the blog. So I am getting back to it. For me this blog was supposed to be a diary of sorts for our family events and Nathans adoption. I never even finished my posts on our trip to Ethiopia and we are getting close to A YEAR...how horrible is that?!?! I am going to try really hard to post a least once a week. Hopefully I still have people that will even read it. Probably not... If all else fails find me on Facebook! :)<br /><br />Last weekend we had a little "House of Hope Reunion" with a group of families that all brought their little ones home from Ethiopia around the same time. It is really awesome seeing the babies playing together and see how much they have grown and changed in such a short time frame. I hope that over the years we will be able to keep the kids close and visit with each other often. <br /><br />Here is a big group picture of all the babies. Nathan is second from the right<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsaottobV6ajdo8RBb1Sk5ajPLTlnn0gpfZaUanMIckoZqBCjDdelWTpwbrLrvJyW5f4DHE-j3i6Z5HRa9kX2otQd7W3XQW70I2l0SI53n9zekgAtUIRc6XHSdlbyc46bjWfMcIx-jvY/s1600-h/Angies+Pic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 136px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsaottobV6ajdo8RBb1Sk5ajPLTlnn0gpfZaUanMIckoZqBCjDdelWTpwbrLrvJyW5f4DHE-j3i6Z5HRa9kX2otQd7W3XQW70I2l0SI53n9zekgAtUIRc6XHSdlbyc46bjWfMcIx-jvY/s320/Angies+Pic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451453482095011378" /></a> <br /><br />Nathan and Mommy :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yhktF4eNj2QxeKS0vs0QP6OVy4wupWlmlR3Ch165lAjz2_DwMo0Ac8IRWdAKxMEoe_BCVXLHQqQoe-B7AlDrz2hi56i04SBkXWZEt-XXgjtkjEjSC4FhpIBxRX8630OoCSDnBWQ6P48/s1600-h/me+%26+Nathan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yhktF4eNj2QxeKS0vs0QP6OVy4wupWlmlR3Ch165lAjz2_DwMo0Ac8IRWdAKxMEoe_BCVXLHQqQoe-B7AlDrz2hi56i04SBkXWZEt-XXgjtkjEjSC4FhpIBxRX8630OoCSDnBWQ6P48/s320/me+%26+Nathan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451454786369968530" /></a><br /><br />and my beautiful boy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pfuJIVk8YrrGrj76IL-QKjyHao8bXbvIB9HESaB74WZ6JkrPtzN9sLhZukgZD0mh4ml1iZeBkB-ECc6eBcMxHpvFbDpqB7AaHTvO82l2a4Ka2n_mhGKhP0bJrXIAe_X8KkZH90U6w2c/s1600-h/Nathan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0pfuJIVk8YrrGrj76IL-QKjyHao8bXbvIB9HESaB74WZ6JkrPtzN9sLhZukgZD0mh4ml1iZeBkB-ECc6eBcMxHpvFbDpqB7AaHTvO82l2a4Ka2n_mhGKhP0bJrXIAe_X8KkZH90U6w2c/s320/Nathan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451455028940631346" /></a><br /><br />I "stole" the pics from other families. I did not get very many pics and since my camera stinks what I did get was horrible.Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-49579510297646487102009-11-21T09:15:00.003-05:002009-11-21T09:21:31.024-05:00Just pics...Nathan says hi :)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirokllE0YmN93onsuLCtwB9MeZaXLB2iPkohz0rVyeIrqpl0KKR_aVZ7Iq7xInhAc0XAzxkLp9M0iOQKZbY1BmT1Zumu_n7K2kcq2e_QSqsExzLkUWymPZ-BBjWStM7fSrvxAIs0emq6U/s1600/PB140293.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirokllE0YmN93onsuLCtwB9MeZaXLB2iPkohz0rVyeIrqpl0KKR_aVZ7Iq7xInhAc0XAzxkLp9M0iOQKZbY1BmT1Zumu_n7K2kcq2e_QSqsExzLkUWymPZ-BBjWStM7fSrvxAIs0emq6U/s320/PB140293.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406560684610565906" /></a><br /><br />Olivia lost her first tooth!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfd2c9uBA6nHw47Nv9fSmF1jHxp01pUO9_IrR17rfF4g1o2HjOyXCsa895r-hCcCGQxNU0JNse6zbSz1taOOu7doiEEP6z143XMrKCve5um9l90QXvELGTfNjO_WoKo0K_tn9feA1nkI/s1600/PB210364.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfd2c9uBA6nHw47Nv9fSmF1jHxp01pUO9_IrR17rfF4g1o2HjOyXCsa895r-hCcCGQxNU0JNse6zbSz1taOOu7doiEEP6z143XMrKCve5um9l90QXvELGTfNjO_WoKo0K_tn9feA1nkI/s320/PB210364.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406560842520128258" /></a><br /><br />So proud of Nick, he graduated from the Police Academy this week :)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUa2a0THbRXBb4ELNd1ch2VDm8vlTxnFxG2Nhw2vLpvcCMup3vU3jBoqgrFRDldCBQnBx_Bfn7ZhbcjNLjVZUuhbel0BxC-_ebzoF6lAdvcearUj7jjtNcVmNPNo1pdBd3caGkuVSZLoo/s1600/PB180351.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUa2a0THbRXBb4ELNd1ch2VDm8vlTxnFxG2Nhw2vLpvcCMup3vU3jBoqgrFRDldCBQnBx_Bfn7ZhbcjNLjVZUuhbel0BxC-_ebzoF6lAdvcearUj7jjtNcVmNPNo1pdBd3caGkuVSZLoo/s320/PB180351.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406561203585487698" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkWH5-bW4gWKIFxu3tfJ5R9T8y15S_NH2yC2UxK8zlB5uGXrpY8YfegRZxW-38bitPvxlIOEkJKph2QKlq35mFFFB5uWdFSdhhWYah5OpxkDnLsf4bvpX7rjwKt1NndzHIhVG2KhQ7pY/s1600/IMG_8848(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkWH5-bW4gWKIFxu3tfJ5R9T8y15S_NH2yC2UxK8zlB5uGXrpY8YfegRZxW-38bitPvxlIOEkJKph2QKlq35mFFFB5uWdFSdhhWYah5OpxkDnLsf4bvpX7rjwKt1NndzHIhVG2KhQ7pY/s320/IMG_8848(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406561048442406354" /></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-48539292467186405682009-11-02T10:49:00.009-05:002009-11-05T10:37:09.549-05:00Birthday's, Halloween, etc...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHrRQjhxLVQEbgib2YspID_29eTX5aLc-kAdgMZTr_ffGoR1_XqfpOE_1Nii0vzWC_a4X7Dg8PbNL9uqbHuHloY9XD377s_E79hsyBALXX1cm3UQ3STLb3KmTcWeqSDZFO4t0oQ9qevg/s1600-h/PB020260.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHrRQjhxLVQEbgib2YspID_29eTX5aLc-kAdgMZTr_ffGoR1_XqfpOE_1Nii0vzWC_a4X7Dg8PbNL9uqbHuHloY9XD377s_E79hsyBALXX1cm3UQ3STLb3KmTcWeqSDZFO4t0oQ9qevg/s320/PB020260.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400638511246367218" /></a><br /><br />Once again it has been wayyyyy too long since my last blog post. I am going to post a quick update and some super cute pics. :) <br /><br />We just celebrated Nathan's 1st birthday and Olivia's 6th birthday! For Halloween Nathan was a pumpkin, Olivia was a witch, and Austin was a boxer or "Rocky". All 3 were sooooo cute!!!! Austin just started wrestling season again so we are very busy with that. Nathan is almost walking, it won't be long now. He stands on his own but won't take actual steps unless he is holding onto something. Nick graduates from the police academy November 17th, he will be on the road starting in December EEEKKK! I am so proud of my hubby. This has been a dream come true for him and he has worked very hard for this. We have our 2nd post adoption visit tomorrow! I can't believe it has been over 5 months since we brought our little man home from Ethiopia. While it seems like he has always been in our life at the same time it seems like we were in Ethiopia only weeks ago. Well, Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner, are you ready??? :) This year we are trying to keep our focus on what really matters which is family and the birth of Jesus Christ. All the shopping, holiday decor, presents, stress over buying everyone the perfect gift; it all is NOTHING in comparison. Now...on to the super cute pics :)<br /><br /><strong>The cutest pumpkin ever!</strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zTDavTMztWSojnDD51hr-RRfFcbFsT4t2mqCdTjLarCYnfSd0qgaT_KDRKfu1zo4t76kL63GnSLd934FeDoiKb5S7ZamctXkzIWcTeRK_F5pbBUTjDgsUs-aGiI6KADEwZRZQmHMysM/s1600-h/PB020256.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zTDavTMztWSojnDD51hr-RRfFcbFsT4t2mqCdTjLarCYnfSd0qgaT_KDRKfu1zo4t76kL63GnSLd934FeDoiKb5S7ZamctXkzIWcTeRK_F5pbBUTjDgsUs-aGiI6KADEwZRZQmHMysM/s320/PB020256.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400639380714312082" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Prettiest witch in town :)</strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmOjdgxwz9ZfWAmAwH0Q4-FP62XwhEsSIYNlpEuf2G887N1D-TtfjADruqwQt3Zs0a6qMxBwSL1n9dkvOIZJNrP6W2AKG2ov2IJc3y0D97hhWtNLpK_Q0YXooWX1BXLA2Jo1XnXLPZyk/s1600-h/PB020265.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmOjdgxwz9ZfWAmAwH0Q4-FP62XwhEsSIYNlpEuf2G887N1D-TtfjADruqwQt3Zs0a6qMxBwSL1n9dkvOIZJNrP6W2AKG2ov2IJc3y0D97hhWtNLpK_Q0YXooWX1BXLA2Jo1XnXLPZyk/s320/PB020265.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400641582964246514" /></a><br /><br /><strong>"The Champ"</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnOh6CdDhX832KYv1U2SBMq5lqKg5T3QFWBBo6aktHjslVHwhUpnaYVpsOm4fP_DMakz_AKYO_T2w_g7LKheh5zX0-v_1VPo_1w5dBftFJsqqAKYpW9sDt0bPbldgyo0zhgQV6Wq8Do8/s1600-h/PB020270.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnOh6CdDhX832KYv1U2SBMq5lqKg5T3QFWBBo6aktHjslVHwhUpnaYVpsOm4fP_DMakz_AKYO_T2w_g7LKheh5zX0-v_1VPo_1w5dBftFJsqqAKYpW9sDt0bPbldgyo0zhgQV6Wq8Do8/s320/PB020270.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400642074317864658" /></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-20939106871973174842009-09-13T15:22:00.000-04:002009-09-13T15:22:23.857-04:00Long overdue pics of NathanIs he beautiful or what?!?!? :)<br /><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLDmatIOjRYXgZbRR0AaiQhpN0tGefcq1di6Wv2tpCoOVMhDLVMW-UhvCY9BBEKr2zjKaCq7PKd-3Xi0nbFKAKW8u2qnTCq0HKe2CtgW0LO26Q8qoMaV6AvHEJy_6bx89zwm-aw9gMmWI/s1600-h/P9130063.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLDmatIOjRYXgZbRR0AaiQhpN0tGefcq1di6Wv2tpCoOVMhDLVMW-UhvCY9BBEKr2zjKaCq7PKd-3Xi0nbFKAKW8u2qnTCq0HKe2CtgW0LO26Q8qoMaV6AvHEJy_6bx89zwm-aw9gMmWI/s400/P9130063.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbkbhvxnMpVcJZtf9y1n3eoQHyKf48UQHCT2bviCbjcLfQaGSOiRIeu4F2uj_WB1MZzitvf7TrcEZQK_F8DR0lUP9u0BBInTnmxcju_29dHdaK_AIwH-rg2_BitHyTGFIewVg5HYIwSI/s1600-h/P9130066.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbkbhvxnMpVcJZtf9y1n3eoQHyKf48UQHCT2bviCbjcLfQaGSOiRIeu4F2uj_WB1MZzitvf7TrcEZQK_F8DR0lUP9u0BBInTnmxcju_29dHdaK_AIwH-rg2_BitHyTGFIewVg5HYIwSI/s400/P9130066.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcbAdMplTzGO9qXowQxof23IVzxrdvdGtomEr5VghLgbWhnmkvxmI6J1JN9kcREq2KDGrG7NzOWwkOh8dYi8UiHvOP5EH5moYEJ454rU0cqWyy8vuFBo9e0m1f3gZU016HpI_4-Mr6VI/s1600-h/P9130070.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcbAdMplTzGO9qXowQxof23IVzxrdvdGtomEr5VghLgbWhnmkvxmI6J1JN9kcREq2KDGrG7NzOWwkOh8dYi8UiHvOP5EH5moYEJ454rU0cqWyy8vuFBo9e0m1f3gZU016HpI_4-Mr6VI/s400/P9130070.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><br /><div style='text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;'><a href='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZymi7SFsbz-ibtGnlRPIlenXzABGVzn9Ktx0TS2uinZfH_cj76CT7yqkqdivovtwWTOk_NHaDX8aj5OvLRRzs_Jar3KOrifpK2IpckFnHDdbR2S-QId-jiw26zjR5-gXHADyzlx6N-aw/s1600-h/P9130084.JPG'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZymi7SFsbz-ibtGnlRPIlenXzABGVzn9Ktx0TS2uinZfH_cj76CT7yqkqdivovtwWTOk_NHaDX8aj5OvLRRzs_Jar3KOrifpK2IpckFnHDdbR2S-QId-jiw26zjR5-gXHADyzlx6N-aw/s400/P9130084.JPG' border='0' alt='' /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-36938955921063885002009-09-10T10:46:00.006-04:002009-09-10T13:35:46.261-04:00I am a bad blogger....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTUI8uzFV7PrcAETR-anjxq7GbhkTZmJL1Nxjqf6IalYucFvpEOLCVBQ8K-B4o6PYiXYbazVFb1l8E9317aU2OChzAgojiKTTslRXtI0-yvB10s0GcRL6wimHcG37X-u9kHhRHN07900/s1600-h/0022.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTUI8uzFV7PrcAETR-anjxq7GbhkTZmJL1Nxjqf6IalYucFvpEOLCVBQ8K-B4o6PYiXYbazVFb1l8E9317aU2OChzAgojiKTTslRXtI0-yvB10s0GcRL6wimHcG37X-u9kHhRHN07900/s320/0022.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379889674930619794" /></a><br /><br />Yes, we are still here... :) I can not believe how long it has been since I wrote a blog post. We have been so busy and had so much going on. Facebook has consumed any "cyber time" that I do get. This post may be long, I have a lot of catching up to do.<br /><br />We have had some tough times since coming home from Ethiopia. Nick was laid off from his job and we have had to make some lifestyle changes. He played Mr. Mom for a while when I had to return to work. Nick has always been in the trucking/trailer industry which has taken a hard hit in the recent economy. He decided to pursue the career of his dreams as a police officer. He has recently been hired on as a new recruit with a local police dept and starts the police academy next week. We just moved into a new house this past week, it is in the town I grew up in and my parents live about 2 miles away. I am not sure yet if that is a good thing or a bad thing. :) LOL The town itself is still small but close to all the good stuff. Moving stinks and I have decided I am NEVER moving again!!! It is ridiculous the amount of junk we have accumulated over the years. At least the move is forcing me to clean out and I am having a huge garage sale in a couple weeks. If we don't need it, it's going! Austin and Olivia like their new school and have already made lots of new friends. Sports are starting back up, Austin will be playing Upward Flag Football and Olivia will be doing Upward cheerleading. Wrestling will start back in a couple months and then my weekends will be gone! Even though things have been chaotic over the past few months there is a shining light at the end of the tunnel. I know God has a reason for everything we have been through. I know it will only make us stronger and wiser in the end. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25Q_96_FBEnz_zEFLXPJfv3M_e6gtvoiAOhKZraTSYjJLcfsJaMdbP0y2WsTaRgqqLn65HULSeUw2bPMn9bKUf0Caj3rZXtwAxNjKk4TDLGSwCLAq9V7tcO5Q3ZHYdhxX795HJ_gVVTI/s1600-h/0052.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25Q_96_FBEnz_zEFLXPJfv3M_e6gtvoiAOhKZraTSYjJLcfsJaMdbP0y2WsTaRgqqLn65HULSeUw2bPMn9bKUf0Caj3rZXtwAxNjKk4TDLGSwCLAq9V7tcO5Q3ZHYdhxX795HJ_gVVTI/s320/0052.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379889474596688562" /></a><br /><br />Nathan Updates:<br /><br />Nathan is doing GREAT!!!!!! I don't remember life without him anymore. It is like he has been with us since day one. :) He is such a "happy go lucky" baby and melts the hearts of anyone he meets with that big gummy grin. He just cut his first tooth last week. He looks like a jack-o-lantern. :) He is crawling everywhere now and trying to pull up, he just has not figured out how to get his feet under him yet. We had our re-adoption court hearing September 3rd which went great. We have officially changed his name to Nathanael Elias Thornton and his new birth certificate and SS card should be on the way! The judge said this was his first Ethiopian adoption and was impressed that we did everything without an attorney. Nathan started daycare this week. He seems to really like it so far. The teachers were amazed at how good his motor skills are and how observant he is. They have cameras in the room and I can watch him online which is sooo cool. It is hard to not sit and just watch him all day. His hair has gotten really long and curly, I am afraid I will have to cut it soon, it is getting a little pouffy. :) So cute! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkeoKIVqH6oRD9BGEJwqdMm27TIsk2ILETbTQbW_4EdtJ4ZYYU9XMrYC8RtwADTdSiun87TkqDnqzl2PVkeMPV9vLwHWa7QfZQdkcO6iS8qeMETEipj1qJVY86dtozEx8c6X0LjCybiQ/s1600-h/0048.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkeoKIVqH6oRD9BGEJwqdMm27TIsk2ILETbTQbW_4EdtJ4ZYYU9XMrYC8RtwADTdSiun87TkqDnqzl2PVkeMPV9vLwHWa7QfZQdkcO6iS8qeMETEipj1qJVY86dtozEx8c6X0LjCybiQ/s320/0048.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379889841734160754" /></a><br /><br />I think about Ethiopia a lot...I want to go back... I know it may sound odd but I think about Nathan's birth mom often. I wonder if she is ok. I wonder if she thinks about Nathan and misses him. I wonder if she knows he has been adopted and is now half way around the world. I wish I could have met her, I wish I could thank her for the amazing gift she has given us. I imagine what she may look like. I imagine a thin, beautiful, young girl with big dark eyes. It brings me to tears to even think about her. I feel sad for her. Sad that she will never know her son, sad that she will never see his beautiful smile, hold his little hands, or watch him grow up. I love her even though I have never met her. I know she loves Nathan. She was desperate, she wanted him to live, she wanted him to have more than she could provide. I know she did what she thought was best for him. She had to make a very difficult decision, one that we could not even imagine having to make. (Sniff Sniff) I can't wait to go back to Ethiopia. Did I already say that? It is a place like no other. It is hard to explain. Yes, there is tremendous poverty and despair but the things that stick out in my mind when I think of Ethiopia are not the bad. While in Ethiopia my spirit felt a peace that I don't feel here. It is a simple place, a beautiful place, it moves slower, it is more carefree. All of the stress we as Americans live with on a daily basis are really self inflicted as a result of our lifestyle and society. It is difficult to escape and I am just as guilty as the next person of letting it consume my own life. I don't want it to be that way though. I must try harder, remember more... There is a lot we can learn from Ethiopia. <br /><br />Our agencies in country representatives from Ethiopia will be in the US later this month. They are having a meet and greet for all the adoptive families. I WISH so bad that I could go. If only I could figure out a way to St Louis and back... It would be so awesome to see them again and for them to see "Naty". They truly love and know every single child. They are amazing people.<br /><br />These pics of the kids are from a couple months ago. I will get some new ones uploaded and posted soon. :)Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-89899133665591702662009-07-12T14:10:00.015-04:002009-07-12T15:09:21.992-04:00Summer Fun<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIG1Csf5b5RWKKEwKMK-q5UokjSgXMboVWfKMsK8WydOpybYDNkYBlwzcAMahASnfu7Smj5OSc5-8kCaK8Iz8Tjx5J0SJWaIb8J2uUc9_EF1quc2qo-h19oOg1720MK0nc9-d-c_0uCc/s1600-h/P7040403.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjIG1Csf5b5RWKKEwKMK-q5UokjSgXMboVWfKMsK8WydOpybYDNkYBlwzcAMahASnfu7Smj5OSc5-8kCaK8Iz8Tjx5J0SJWaIb8J2uUc9_EF1quc2qo-h19oOg1720MK0nc9-d-c_0uCc/s320/P7040403.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357644856402846786" /></a><br /><br />I know I have neglected my blog. I have a lot of catching up to do. Things have just been so crazy around here.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqr6ymaifyYeNgtFqBZNeUvEyG6VyBPCkuZooHGEZn87TfmZ_1SCZB2TpOpn4heKY89i3CQYD-veP9dqlROwctoiubqRpuZJDh-rcDe1eND4BVkmCkWyzJuYdI7uRqYUx_bR0GY8FpRT0/s1600-h/P7050414.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqr6ymaifyYeNgtFqBZNeUvEyG6VyBPCkuZooHGEZn87TfmZ_1SCZB2TpOpn4heKY89i3CQYD-veP9dqlROwctoiubqRpuZJDh-rcDe1eND4BVkmCkWyzJuYdI7uRqYUx_bR0GY8FpRT0/s320/P7050414.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357652639609057666" /></a><br /><br />Nathan is getting bigger every day. He is now sitting up and scoots himself around, not yet crawling but he can get where he wants to go. His hair is getting longer and really curls up in the Georgia humidity. He is trying to cut his 2 bottom teeth and any day now they will finally push all the way through. He has such a huge gummy smile, he is going to look so funny with teeth. :)<br /><br />The kids are ready for school to start back. Just a few more weeks and Austin will be in 4th grade and Olivia kindergarten. I can tell they are getting bored hanging out at home. Soon we will all be back in the routine of work, school, and sports. Blahhhh <br /><br />We went to a Braves Game with Nick's family. We had a great time hanging out with family. We let my parents babysit Nathan, it was just too hot to take him, which gave us some one on one time with Austin and Olivia. It ended up being a great game, the weather was perfect, and they had fireworks afterward. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI222wVc5F6gr18Al2gopobqtYhgu6c0Blf9V0Yjh8M13IYjco08cV5yRY9aXE4RYyxzXP9xEYm5xRb4YrGa3-3El87Px-VPX3dZd3cws7nc0d8GYpIURiAwYhfuA9Xf9ACSZ5WKLN3nI/s1600-h/IMG_6738.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI222wVc5F6gr18Al2gopobqtYhgu6c0Blf9V0Yjh8M13IYjco08cV5yRY9aXE4RYyxzXP9xEYm5xRb4YrGa3-3El87Px-VPX3dZd3cws7nc0d8GYpIURiAwYhfuA9Xf9ACSZ5WKLN3nI/s320/IMG_6738.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357645410092979202" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2bbwXweJMnY4xGKa4RDR2CEI1CkwJE-NX83tQLWqtULu7OysZ_1Dp6JJ7Degz1ZF57nXkJhB3nP5uY-GRNpF7kwziItBfgozftZjmZiVdsSVqw-mARUZEXjdH2-vnVRHcoxvZ5qV1YM/s1600-h/IMG_6746.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI2bbwXweJMnY4xGKa4RDR2CEI1CkwJE-NX83tQLWqtULu7OysZ_1Dp6JJ7Degz1ZF57nXkJhB3nP5uY-GRNpF7kwziItBfgozftZjmZiVdsSVqw-mARUZEXjdH2-vnVRHcoxvZ5qV1YM/s320/IMG_6746.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357646349709600178" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfl2GcdV5uMMFYa4m15c6-wP9hYwpnbGQr-sLlzKATGU5XwSpYncynDSGRp8tDr6rSy_9gjPElD7OYoZvpKLSQlOl8KC56tfMlRqMnHde0CZHapHEa_YnPVSpXjipuHS5N1brmxRvYdKc/s1600-h/IMG_6728.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfl2GcdV5uMMFYa4m15c6-wP9hYwpnbGQr-sLlzKATGU5XwSpYncynDSGRp8tDr6rSy_9gjPElD7OYoZvpKLSQlOl8KC56tfMlRqMnHde0CZHapHEa_YnPVSpXjipuHS5N1brmxRvYdKc/s320/IMG_6728.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357646617306631394" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKv5G3iGX-A8AVxpQnqGidmxBtU3nj3oc7KhHFtDKVCsBwXsNwgooUKpu_sSnqqQc6P4zvxBHm6vGoHm5iSEKARReI7SGJxt0BR6Rlb39u-SPYx1KdmefdQc8-bKxrRkg7OISAn53HW5E/s1600-h/IMG_6699.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKv5G3iGX-A8AVxpQnqGidmxBtU3nj3oc7KhHFtDKVCsBwXsNwgooUKpu_sSnqqQc6P4zvxBHm6vGoHm5iSEKARReI7SGJxt0BR6Rlb39u-SPYx1KdmefdQc8-bKxrRkg7OISAn53HW5E/s320/IMG_6699.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357646991939481234" /></a><br /><br />4th of July was very busy running from one party to another. It was a fun day of swimming, food, fireworks, and just hanging out with friends and family. Nick's grandfather, Eston, came down to hang out with the family and met Nathan for the first time. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAyZS5FTlzsMHRDV8VBbQs2ldYIIr5_5rtiX4TMgDNsknmcTEtILYddvoFohk3i94J-r1KgxTREAXApxd8KQAo6yctutvCcGw3jw3LOF4k3l8KlSr6PKW-DapD_vyKq3vpZ0cQqCCrTc/s1600-h/IMG_6821.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAyZS5FTlzsMHRDV8VBbQs2ldYIIr5_5rtiX4TMgDNsknmcTEtILYddvoFohk3i94J-r1KgxTREAXApxd8KQAo6yctutvCcGw3jw3LOF4k3l8KlSr6PKW-DapD_vyKq3vpZ0cQqCCrTc/s320/IMG_6821.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357648439809987810" /></a><br /><br />Friday we had a wonderful day at the Zoo with several "Ethiopia Adoption" families; the Carley Family, Head Family (who we were in Ethiopia with), and Coffey Family. We have made so many new friends through the adoption process which has been such a blessing. It will be cool having the kids grow up together. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoE0fkL9np7AB6hpMXRli0YuzqcXznM8g_oZ3ndUuqtwqphUlSy_de7Wym9AmGAu77vYktEcFIV0vBKHTZOmSc0HCJIxaH0xnhk9bzT6EViuTgKFZcEaqp362pzAYGEAntpRxbub-RIxo/s1600-h/P7100423.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoE0fkL9np7AB6hpMXRli0YuzqcXznM8g_oZ3ndUuqtwqphUlSy_de7Wym9AmGAu77vYktEcFIV0vBKHTZOmSc0HCJIxaH0xnhk9bzT6EViuTgKFZcEaqp362pzAYGEAntpRxbub-RIxo/s320/P7100423.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357649476127425330" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRKyY0Qht-23_CE0LyZLgwHwoIbojkDDIjhyphenhyphenKSmFWKYkTD4ooRo8ptXrB29BNuoPJ3IYBfEjD0VKCjUkTqupD7btX6gaGUgcGBkNZ3KaqFcx7OUzmOWC5pTTe-uzjm8IFnZaSHESn4O4/s1600-h/P7100436.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRKyY0Qht-23_CE0LyZLgwHwoIbojkDDIjhyphenhyphenKSmFWKYkTD4ooRo8ptXrB29BNuoPJ3IYBfEjD0VKCjUkTqupD7btX6gaGUgcGBkNZ3KaqFcx7OUzmOWC5pTTe-uzjm8IFnZaSHESn4O4/s320/P7100436.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357649911914225170" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVVQzCCFGvf89bZpmmS_Sq8pOaDk9zLev3P5MqJHJl6hveFXd2d6bGSAsq4MxlPpVxCeN5VJK_F4Kn7Qufny79h7ztv86HOppv3IpuHLRYBceIuGVrPv2DTniPI1UbpjrZPrFNPJ-ht0/s1600-h/P7100444.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVVQzCCFGvf89bZpmmS_Sq8pOaDk9zLev3P5MqJHJl6hveFXd2d6bGSAsq4MxlPpVxCeN5VJK_F4Kn7Qufny79h7ztv86HOppv3IpuHLRYBceIuGVrPv2DTniPI1UbpjrZPrFNPJ-ht0/s320/P7100444.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357650229031671634" /></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-33568539502248546542009-06-18T13:15:00.014-04:002009-06-18T15:43:30.568-04:00SUCCESS!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FNbYGxZaHG0g4w7OQkhctMsXgjlSvlVytlgbJVsJ76ta0uBdJx2Xi2xIgH6P2YxDkNkR7HfO9nHBIlof671SRiUDtV2l6UQRgxBYxzwfk3Lr9qH31YQo_DUSRVPnz290Sa6Z7mANQUk/s1600-h/P6180339.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FNbYGxZaHG0g4w7OQkhctMsXgjlSvlVytlgbJVsJ76ta0uBdJx2Xi2xIgH6P2YxDkNkR7HfO9nHBIlof671SRiUDtV2l6UQRgxBYxzwfk3Lr9qH31YQo_DUSRVPnz290Sa6Z7mANQUk/s320/P6180339.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348722963863407234" /></a><br /><br />Finally, Nathan slept through the night last night for the first time. We had a busy day swimming again, this time at my aunts. It was very late by the time we got home and I think he was just exhausted! I kind of panicked this morning when the alarm went off and I realized Nathan had not woken me up all night. I took a sneak peak to make sure he was still breathing. :) Hopefully he will realize just how good sleeping all night is and continue it. <br /><br />I have more pool pictures to share. Maybe I should update my swimming montage. I am amazed at how much Nathan LOVES to swim. He learned to splash yesterday, it was so cute! He would splash himself in the face big time and it would not bother him. The water was pretty cold too and he did not care at all. He is learning new things everyday and when he does something once that is all it takes. He is so smart! <br /><br />Austin and Olivia both love to swim but do need some official swimming lessons. Austin will not leave the shallow end, even though he does swim pretty good. Olivia screams if you take her off the pool steps but she will hang onto the side and go all the way around by herself, go figure. Most swim teachers are booked solid for the summer. I will have to make sure to get lessons booked early for next summer. <br /><br /><br /><strong>Nathan with his uncle Trey</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLV3Y8h6aqDeuoDenhIg8XD2qDKd5uKZL9s0fMUo-D4TcCYNRwXaMlyNe9rJPIjG12ufpiq0joRuBewWsdyx90sVjGlWm22Ys2KfuDbdjhRjqzsRDsxj5llMWBPsvM5SJTbt2Rx-QFclw/s1600-h/P6170325.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLV3Y8h6aqDeuoDenhIg8XD2qDKd5uKZL9s0fMUo-D4TcCYNRwXaMlyNe9rJPIjG12ufpiq0joRuBewWsdyx90sVjGlWm22Ys2KfuDbdjhRjqzsRDsxj5llMWBPsvM5SJTbt2Rx-QFclw/s320/P6170325.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348721717966686146" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Olivia posing for the camera, on the steps</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-Bs2uI8exxKUYrmmjBqxbKwunkkDZgsMYCA1dUh3E-TFI7vw9K77Iffc4_361k8G1II3LebRiZg7NoE7aYKxDwS0N4uP07AsWZtTrKmm72dqKTpF8QYvzTLig699Tv-SqmAF1HZ9tbA/s1600-h/P6180353.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-Bs2uI8exxKUYrmmjBqxbKwunkkDZgsMYCA1dUh3E-TFI7vw9K77Iffc4_361k8G1II3LebRiZg7NoE7aYKxDwS0N4uP07AsWZtTrKmm72dqKTpF8QYvzTLig699Tv-SqmAF1HZ9tbA/s320/P6180353.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348722106892279730" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Nathan with his uncle Christian</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYCQxcTQt5BMjaRo7pLtoi6-u7oksVHZDJqePs_rivIzH-cK1WcatDNQcUdKkdDu0vA1whR3au1fjZ87X6mHdIwmYoJgtX5YqYe1bnqw-ghB40RjppDT4_GYYyroyDrlpSxN34xkD2x0/s1600-h/P6180342.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYCQxcTQt5BMjaRo7pLtoi6-u7oksVHZDJqePs_rivIzH-cK1WcatDNQcUdKkdDu0vA1whR3au1fjZ87X6mHdIwmYoJgtX5YqYe1bnqw-ghB40RjppDT4_GYYyroyDrlpSxN34xkD2x0/s320/P6180342.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348722486743283218" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9WRo25dSxLjjvL_IPeOSEncllTS35NEVrqvKaTnKUyppN_5Hi8uRmCDfH01-LZRJ7KsTOTxWWaCAhVF7RQS88lvSDltvzT6nX3GyH0DIHgS4tpFLlXbzBYcuGYeiiXLSHqZXLh0flJ8/s1600-h/P6180345.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV9WRo25dSxLjjvL_IPeOSEncllTS35NEVrqvKaTnKUyppN_5Hi8uRmCDfH01-LZRJ7KsTOTxWWaCAhVF7RQS88lvSDltvzT6nX3GyH0DIHgS4tpFLlXbzBYcuGYeiiXLSHqZXLh0flJ8/s320/P6180345.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348722797305016642" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Austin enjoying the pool</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1mcZWYjWiQNWgTnW6Q25dKzhyphenhyphen7bDpP5P6pHGs66UrPRrRtrVpmx8Eq4bdEt2bY5GuS9p5-U9toRCGA6QKKHvM3Onl6sRMUhTyC2wOW8ncJdbqbLVGv6tLg85s31wUuIiLFtYJzvwTKQ/s1600-h/P6180356.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1mcZWYjWiQNWgTnW6Q25dKzhyphenhyphen7bDpP5P6pHGs66UrPRrRtrVpmx8Eq4bdEt2bY5GuS9p5-U9toRCGA6QKKHvM3Onl6sRMUhTyC2wOW8ncJdbqbLVGv6tLg85s31wUuIiLFtYJzvwTKQ/s320/P6180356.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348723283892999730" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Nathan and his cousin Craig</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9bUEYfTOGH5JMKdj0R4eXaqmrMnvprIfzgw6rD_br9m1E24_zy5-U7HeNZNkaU8JUIKCXuoC_zKVLoTzc49EMKfb4TSUtgrjVC6QtRSDOW_HQaMUuI7bJC8kXhadz7HNwii1ehdY12Q/s1600-h/P6180363.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9bUEYfTOGH5JMKdj0R4eXaqmrMnvprIfzgw6rD_br9m1E24_zy5-U7HeNZNkaU8JUIKCXuoC_zKVLoTzc49EMKfb4TSUtgrjVC6QtRSDOW_HQaMUuI7bJC8kXhadz7HNwii1ehdY12Q/s320/P6180363.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348723783385248114" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4EBwUvrtPyyDNJV03FMDBb-5vlSFiqZIXqfpb_ifYyIxnjoFxjGPVBhcCptxvmNHwixYuJyjJ6dDITCJP7XsXcT9Gqty7k1E-qauEwzcFQDYaj3pnChj03CROvtxChnKwxNdeYUlLYE/s1600-h/P6180358.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4EBwUvrtPyyDNJV03FMDBb-5vlSFiqZIXqfpb_ifYyIxnjoFxjGPVBhcCptxvmNHwixYuJyjJ6dDITCJP7XsXcT9Gqty7k1E-qauEwzcFQDYaj3pnChj03CROvtxChnKwxNdeYUlLYE/s320/P6180358.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348724017034778658" /></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-89737104111024004372009-06-16T22:35:00.003-04:002009-06-17T00:18:29.705-04:00Nathan's first swim...Today I took the kids swimming at Grandma's and Granddad's. This was Nathan's first time in the pool and he LOVED it! I am sure he would have stayed in there all day just chillin in his floaty. Austin and Olivia would splash water in his face and he would not even flinch, it did not bother him at all. Austin was wearing a big snorkel mask and Nathan thought it was funny and laughed. <br /><br /><div><embed src="http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_view_player?p=8ef9c6607ab5069d56cf95" quality="high" scale="noscale" width="408" height="382" wmode="transparent" name="FLVPlayer" salign="LT" flashvars="&p=8ef9c6607ab5069d56cf95&skin_id=1703&host=http://www.onetruemedia.com" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><div style="margin:0px;font:12px/13px verdana,arial,sans-serif;line-height:20px;padding-bottom:15px;width:408px;text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_player_link?p=8ef9c6607ab5069d56cf95&skin_id=1703&source=emplay" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.onetruemedia.com/share_player_link_image/8ef9c6607ab5069d56cf95/1703.gif" style="border:0px;" width="408" /></a><br/><a href="http://www.onetruemedia.com/landing?&utm_source=emplay&utm_medium=txt3" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none;">Make video montages at <span style="text-decoration:underline;">www.OneTrueMedia.com</span></a></div></div>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-72543079255553027582009-06-13T22:47:00.010-04:002009-06-13T23:17:22.229-04:0010 Year Anniversary and Nathan Pics<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29_Q9L_9iR7du86i-6lnxGCWOTdzYgVWGQG1mra46A8WB5UYxvFUXRXTFwgFa3cdSAm7NPkJDjkPUs4F6gRR8efPjpekdDitKL_s0WSGJijxhKKsrgynfl8z9CSCSUZiuS3w-bIQSPbY/s1600-h/P6130268.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29_Q9L_9iR7du86i-6lnxGCWOTdzYgVWGQG1mra46A8WB5UYxvFUXRXTFwgFa3cdSAm7NPkJDjkPUs4F6gRR8efPjpekdDitKL_s0WSGJijxhKKsrgynfl8z9CSCSUZiuS3w-bIQSPbY/s320/P6130268.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347012665584684354" /></a><br /><br />Yesterday was our 10 year wedding anniversary. Wow, 10 years have gone by so fast. When I look back on the past 10 years and see how far we have come, how much we have accomplished, and the beautiful family we have made I can't wait to see what the next 10 years have in store for us. <br /><br />I know, I know... I am going to finish our trip details hopefully tomorrow or Monday. :) I am dying to share details of my trip to the orphanage. I just need some "quiet time" to be able to finish.<br /><br />I wanted to quickly post a few pics. I have been trying to capture the many cute faces Nathan makes. Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!<br /><br /><br />Yes, I did the cheesy blanket background thing but look at that face!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXdmyofUdUxi2zxCLgwwlxlpU29fqym7ThjYSDSc9SpZz8uM1iXTqI5Ms8QOZHeeh3nk9j0Dt3Jd-EbWktQkZ1z7n3HvwfnoyyLn8Hf-BcHHHSQqPAiEmlbKefniidCaC95eyNk5U1cU/s1600-h/P6130280.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqXdmyofUdUxi2zxCLgwwlxlpU29fqym7ThjYSDSc9SpZz8uM1iXTqI5Ms8QOZHeeh3nk9j0Dt3Jd-EbWktQkZ1z7n3HvwfnoyyLn8Hf-BcHHHSQqPAiEmlbKefniidCaC95eyNk5U1cU/s320/P6130280.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347013451293470290" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsyhJ1vywUbP1R1qF47DCOIilJL1u3KY1DKsu-QAXFoVPQbSXppgwFeIHLT5ilisas3LHnpoCpAZMsDmtlfbb2k0_iZ8ibIlujCsBdl0PePsWGkQCivO0DKRRGi9J-8FOrzfKjeRGdOk/s1600-h/P6130290.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsyhJ1vywUbP1R1qF47DCOIilJL1u3KY1DKsu-QAXFoVPQbSXppgwFeIHLT5ilisas3LHnpoCpAZMsDmtlfbb2k0_iZ8ibIlujCsBdl0PePsWGkQCivO0DKRRGi9J-8FOrzfKjeRGdOk/s320/P6130290.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347013667683089330" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8EcisIfOIAJfYYt9BHDvpwTiNKJKerHvwMERtV3gjWXizfEFXrB9g2CNhvhdh-HJfDtzsQynOsFfUsXXRLQhxhrJKiP8vNnw0YT1fXB8YAAJG1i4hAbHavHh_L2f5bBtIOLGen3J9eo/s1600-h/P6130293.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8EcisIfOIAJfYYt9BHDvpwTiNKJKerHvwMERtV3gjWXizfEFXrB9g2CNhvhdh-HJfDtzsQynOsFfUsXXRLQhxhrJKiP8vNnw0YT1fXB8YAAJG1i4hAbHavHh_L2f5bBtIOLGen3J9eo/s320/P6130293.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347013859804037986" /></a><br /><br />I love this picture. He was sitting in the Bumbo Seat, which he LOVES, and I wanted to post a bunch of these but forced myself to pick my fave!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-J1DTkurrvt3Jzp2IRbDpw-6ppSE9_5PraWqlF1Hsg8lIH26hsvu4BjWnhOfDV72JAV5hnzIyTxmjEHb7roJBOOWU3wgJEHyyKT5oAxrbAo_F4hIHdL4MveSD5Y9KEKq3MZgo0my_hcw/s1600-h/P6140305.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-J1DTkurrvt3Jzp2IRbDpw-6ppSE9_5PraWqlF1Hsg8lIH26hsvu4BjWnhOfDV72JAV5hnzIyTxmjEHb7roJBOOWU3wgJEHyyKT5oAxrbAo_F4hIHdL4MveSD5Y9KEKq3MZgo0my_hcw/s320/P6140305.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347014393836216546" /></a><br /><br />Nathan has a "thing" with textures and loves to scratch at stuff, especially fabrics. He had just discovered the smooth texture of the Bumbo mixed with drool. :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6mtfKt4oAu5-Th4Ag4pf2gL14njncf5R0BZLwggHxG-sJULIfQtvOruSlmOZNcfCbBM7UMNk7IyMy612J0HKKlgKQJa4KUDRBLq9LAPb9UWFAP0iqvniiQqnrG8s5P3us79w2l_Bpa4/s1600-h/P6140323.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6mtfKt4oAu5-Th4Ag4pf2gL14njncf5R0BZLwggHxG-sJULIfQtvOruSlmOZNcfCbBM7UMNk7IyMy612J0HKKlgKQJa4KUDRBLq9LAPb9UWFAP0iqvniiQqnrG8s5P3us79w2l_Bpa4/s320/P6140323.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347015765188344834" /></a><br /><br />Ok, one more. Nathan loves to chew on his "little" fingers and I think he is teething so he is often chewing and drooling on his hand. I love this face he makes as he is laughing while shoving his hand in his mouth. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4l3hC9X__PVaTqN2rF0y3ZRPhA55hKtvQeadbtkh2OoUp2IWFbm8QDfy2KIlhyphenhyphen1Bu1VZIzZ5D899DKOCvWldX13YHGlHQPzTHlI241CLQZSwSlk5LpVvQFaW8dQpWgp-cGnWhPiXf0E/s1600-h/P6120250.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4l3hC9X__PVaTqN2rF0y3ZRPhA55hKtvQeadbtkh2OoUp2IWFbm8QDfy2KIlhyphenhyphen1Bu1VZIzZ5D899DKOCvWldX13YHGlHQPzTHlI241CLQZSwSlk5LpVvQFaW8dQpWgp-cGnWhPiXf0E/s320/P6120250.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347016937240608962" /></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-7578596624847993802009-06-10T11:07:00.008-04:002009-06-10T12:37:57.307-04:00Part 2 - Journey to Ethiopia<strong>Tuesday - May 26th:</strong><br />We ate breakfast at our guesthouse which consisted of bread, meat & cheese, sweet honey made by Zeyede, the best scrambled eggs in the world, coffee, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Yummm, I miss that... Tesfu picked us up early. We drove to the HOH guesthouse to pick up the other families which now included Nathan & Stefany and their baby Jordan; we all headed to the Lion Zoo. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBZawqp_fYJNLoXh8gG4qI2l-uWW4GF6Er2YJjlDrst1xwfTdwtiW0y_FK8G3eVvTv9yYMDQF3aUdMLz5PownPnsvjUj4ACxZSLKTjn9BRu65RDKI5dVzx2-gfF6t-nqke7bj4U9kXbk/s1600-h/P5260051.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBZawqp_fYJNLoXh8gG4qI2l-uWW4GF6Er2YJjlDrst1xwfTdwtiW0y_FK8G3eVvTv9yYMDQF3aUdMLz5PownPnsvjUj4ACxZSLKTjn9BRu65RDKI5dVzx2-gfF6t-nqke7bj4U9kXbk/s320/P5260051.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345735685440729234" /></a><br /><br />The lions were beautiful but it was so sad to see them just lying in empty cages. No grass, rocks, trees, water...nothing. They had a male and female lion in each cage. There were also a few other animals including monkeys and a very pretty animal that looked like a deer with stripes. They had a beautiful garden with bright flowers. The best part about the Lion Zoo was the garden and trees. You don't see many tress, grass, or flowers in Addis. We then went to the Hilton where we could use the Internet. Our cell phones were not working and we had not been in contact with any family since before we left for Ethiopia early Sunday morning. In knew at this point my family would be worried sick. I sent an email to my family letting them know we had arrived, we were safe, and Nathan was doing great! I later found out that my parents were freaking out and my Dad had passport in hand ready to board a plane for Ethiopia to come find us. :) The Hilton was like being back in the U.S.; there were lots of American tourists, businessmen, and other adopting families. Nathan did great while at the Zoo and Hilton. He loved hanging out in the Baby Bjorn and I think he likes being on the go. He did seem to zone out while in the car and around lots of unfamiliar faces & places. Once back at the house he would get more active and vocal. We ate lunch at the HOH guesthouse; all meals there consisted of lots of veggies, a little meat, and usually a rice or pasta. The food was good and healthy! Nick and I both lost 5 lbs while in Ethiopia, but not due to lack of food just eating healthier. After lunch we met with Teseguy to get paperwork ready for our Visa appt at the U.S. Embassy the next day. We then had the remainder of the afternoon to hang out and relax. We crashed Nathan & Stefany's room and enjoyed hanging out, watching movies, and episodes of "The Office". After dinner we headed back to our guesthouse. That night I started feeling so sick and nauseous. I think it was a combination of the high altitude and smog that did me in. Another sleepless night...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pBLMzYG5tNg5ZvwZtq38oGsjyUq6msqRhERyOkr_i3tWs-VQB8MpqTb2thZfSe8qV0n6rRvbJMTG61tYI0D_Zy8d2CN2FTrVLbNnpAbd8TD8OzxmFT63Z6eGNtFP61umIAZ8voV8YCA/s1600-h/P5260063.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pBLMzYG5tNg5ZvwZtq38oGsjyUq6msqRhERyOkr_i3tWs-VQB8MpqTb2thZfSe8qV0n6rRvbJMTG61tYI0D_Zy8d2CN2FTrVLbNnpAbd8TD8OzxmFT63Z6eGNtFP61umIAZ8voV8YCA/s320/P5260063.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345735975196136690" /></a><br /><br />Wednesday - May 27th:<br />Again Tesfu picked us up early after breakfast and we headed off to meet the other families at the House of Hope, the HOH where the kids are! YAY! I was so excited. I had 9 kids to take pics of and one very special little guy to meet. Teseguy's assistant walked around with us to help me find the babies I needed to take pics of. There was room after room of babies. Each tiny room was lined with cribs and there was just enough room for the nannies to walk through the middle. It was REALLY crowded once we were all in there trying to play with the babies and take pics. It was kind of a weird situation. The nannies were very nervous around the cameras and did not want anyone picking up the babies. Plus we were really rushed about making it difficult to spend adequate time with each baby and take good pics. Every single baby stole my heart, they were all so beautiful and I wish I had known which family each child belonged to. I loved to make them smile, touch their hair, and hold their little hands. It was just such a beautiful day and an experience like no other. I only wish I had more time... We came to one tiny room and I recognized "The Adams twins". I knew Nathan had been in the same room as them, it hit me! This is Nathan's room, this is his bed, OMG this is HIS nanny. I turned to face her and realized she was crying. She took "Naty" and hugged him tight trying to hide her face to keep me from seeing her cry. I hugged her and thanked her, I am not sure how much she understood. I just bawled, Nick was tearing up; it was such a difficult and emotional time. I knew how much she loved him and knew her heart was breaking, my heart was breaking for her. It makes me cry now just thinking about that day and his beautiful nanny. I wish I had learned more Amharic so I could have thanked her properly. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVMkTrHjjHG088XQSZIiB9xsEmuOxhHyRdXqL89wYL4CsJVvaiP2_M6PSPgUjck-ky7eLJAHBPxsYBATQEJA_N41lpFRuLRF302BnMG-Culj__upnQ4n7XlTTXBbm0lM5hwueWRj0hKI/s1600-h/P5270082.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiVMkTrHjjHG088XQSZIiB9xsEmuOxhHyRdXqL89wYL4CsJVvaiP2_M6PSPgUjck-ky7eLJAHBPxsYBATQEJA_N41lpFRuLRF302BnMG-Culj__upnQ4n7XlTTXBbm0lM5hwueWRj0hKI/s320/P5270082.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345736439298522834" /></a><br /><br />Minutes later we were rushed on to the next room as I tried my best meet the remaining babies while wiping tears off my face. As soon as we got back in the van I started bawling again and just could not stop. We went back to the HOH guesthouse, quickly ate lunch, and changed clothes for our Visa appt. <br />I felt like a zombie while driving to the Embassy. I was emotionally and physically drained and still felt nauseous. I was afraid I would either pass out or throw up. The U.S. Embassy was scary. You can not take any pictures even close to the embassy and go through several security checkpoints before being allowed in. Everyone is squished into a hot room and you wait for your name to be called. The room was filled to the rim with adopting families. It was neat to see all the precious children and meet the other families from the U.S. Finally it was our turn. A really mean white American lady interviewed us at a bank teller type window. We almost screwed up one question and when she asked about the birth parents I told her that he was found abandoned in Sebeta, she freaked out and acted like she had never heard of Sebeta. She even kept Teseguy after our appt to question him more about it. Later I looked at the very documents that lady had handed me which included his birth certificate and all official court documents. Guess what all of those documents said his place of birth is? Sebeta!!! What an idiot... I think she just wanted to be mean. BTW, Sebeta is a small city south-west of Addis Ababa in the Oromia region. By the time we made it out of there my stress level was at an all time high. We got in the van and everyone was so quiet. That mean lady had given each of us a problem of some sort, but we all passed, that was what mattered most. We could now breath a sigh of relief and prepare for our trip home. While waiting in the van a few young boys, street children I am sure, approached the van excited to see us. One boy came to the open window and was blowing kisses at Elias and waving goodbye, it was such a beautiful thing to see and it made me tear up. I will never forget that young boy, who had nothing but the tattered clothing he was wearing and was covered in sand from head to toe, blowing kisses to that baby through the window. That is an image that will forever be sketched into my mind and my heart. We returned back to the HOH guesthouse for dinner and then back to our own guesthouse. This was the end of a VERY exhausting day!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjev0jVhX3v439yNXeGgpDhY-g0ce-gGlZQBqjR5SE-AxxyV_-W_zRYLpODt39SzAvr-9LT73RZ2L-xezaqcRoh6koZCUt5DZdkLE6cIOp12jlNHdQKqS6pPPln92A2d4hOrYIdnmmQDjw/s1600-h/P5270112.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjev0jVhX3v439yNXeGgpDhY-g0ce-gGlZQBqjR5SE-AxxyV_-W_zRYLpODt39SzAvr-9LT73RZ2L-xezaqcRoh6koZCUt5DZdkLE6cIOp12jlNHdQKqS6pPPln92A2d4hOrYIdnmmQDjw/s320/P5270112.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345736992016146658" /></a><br /><br /><strong>More to come, Nathan is awake and it is lunch time! :)</strong>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-30760247648579359982009-06-09T09:09:00.008-04:002009-06-09T11:01:13.073-04:00Our Amazing Journey to Ethiopia<strong>We have now been home a week, a week! How weird. The wait to bring home Nathan seemed like forever and now it has come and gone and we are settling into our daily routine of life. I am way past due for this post sharing all of our experiences in Ethiopia and our first week with our sweet baby boy. <br /><br /></strong><strong>Saturday - May 23rd:</strong><br />We spent the day finishing packing, making final arrangements, and getting Austin and Olivia settled in for us to leave. We needed to be at the ATL airport that night at 3:00 am for our Sunday 6:00 am flight to D.C. We decided to just pull an all niter, my poor Mom was recruited to take us to the airport so that included her. :) At 2:30 am we head for the airport, get there in perfect timing, walk up to the United desk and there is a sign saying they don't open until 4:30 am! What!?!? We had been specifically told to be there at 3:00 am by United Arlines. Oh well, we found a table to hang out at for a while and prayed that out entire trip would not have similar bumps. Our United flight was great, especially since I was scared to death it would be a little propeller plane since I knew it was "United Express". The plane was actually very nice and the flight was smooth. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEeEbyItrf63uIfa-bxflIX85QI0bjqbEm8kJ63CviOHzc5LVMe4pZksD4IutoHQBTK4RHx3H7E0uwYs1jwh0XFR6fkUiGimparGkzEvnkRaAYQPOT-et452uFibJ03fsfmmgWHReUIvE/s1600-h/P1010006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEeEbyItrf63uIfa-bxflIX85QI0bjqbEm8kJ63CviOHzc5LVMe4pZksD4IutoHQBTK4RHx3H7E0uwYs1jwh0XFR6fkUiGimparGkzEvnkRaAYQPOT-et452uFibJ03fsfmmgWHReUIvE/s320/P1010006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345340137241765218" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Sunday - May 24th:</strong><br />We arrive in D.C and get checked in to our Ethiopian Airlines flight with time to spare. We got a bite to eat and waited for boarding to begin. The plane was huge and I started getting butterflies in my stomach just looking at the plane. Wow, we would be on there for 16 hours and flying over the ocean. This was the first time Nick and I had ever been out of the country. We boarded the plane and off we went. We thought for sure we would sleep the majority of the time but nope, we both were wide awake. We did toss and turn through a few hours of sleep somewhere along the way. I don't know if it was trying to sleep sitting up in squishy seats or the excitement of the journey that kept us awake. I was convinced I was getting blood clots in my legs. Half way during the trip we landed in Rome to fuel up. Unfortunately it was dark so we could only see the lights from the city. Bummer... As we approached the continent of Africa the sun started to rise. It was amazing! The horizon turned orange against the black sky and then suddenly the sun peeked over the edge of the earth. It rose over the horizon so fast and looked like a huge red fire ball. It was so beautiful! <br /><br /><strong>Monday - May 25th:</strong>We finally arrive in Ethiopia at Bole International Airport at about 9:00 am. The view as we landed was surreal and I choked back tears in awe at the beauty and the thoughts of Nathan waiting for us somewhere out that window. It was then that everything really hit me (tears in my eyes). We were really in Ethiopia and would really be holding Nathan in just a few short hours. Wow, the moment that we had waited almost 16 months for. The airport was nice but very small. I was so nervous; what if we did something wrong, what if we can't find our luggage, what if our driver does not arrive? We get U.S. dollars exchanged to Birr, get our Visa, make it through customs, and thankfully find all of our luggage. As we approach the doors going outside the view was a little overwhelming. There were so many people... Nick spots our driver, the owner of our guesthouse and our good friend Zeyede, whew. We takes us and our luggage to his van, a few young men come up and eagerly help put our luggage into the van and then turn for a tip. I later find out I tipped too low. :( <br />We arrive at our guesthouse, Melkam, which was in a nicer part of Addis. The house was surrounded by a large concrete wall topped with barbed wire and a large metal door with a guard posted there 24 hours a day. All of the nicer homes in Addis have walls around them and metal gates with guards. You will have small shacks nestled between these homes. After we settled into our room we walked with Zeyede onto the streets and to a little coffee shop were he treated us to a famous cup of Ethiopian coffee. The House of Hope driver was due to pick is up at about 2:30 pm to go meet Nathan. As we eagerly waited in our room I started feeling nauseous from being so nervous and excited. Tesfu, the HOH driver, arrived right on time and drove us through the busy streets to the HOH. That drive was quite an experience. This took us through some of the most poverty stricken areas of Addis. Small shacks made of sheet metal held together with sticks, mud, and wire were everywhere. They seemed to be connected to each other sharing walls. Thousands of people were on the streets walking, sitting, or working. Cars EVERYWHERE! There are no street lights, stop signs, or even lines to keep traffic separated. There are lots of blue and white taxis busting at the seams with people. Cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys freely walk the streets as if they know where they are going. We came close to hitting a cow, 30 people, and 50 cars while on the way to the HOH. You basically close your eyes and pray you make it there in one piece. Cars honk at each other constantly, but not to be mean, just to let other cars know they are there. People walk right in front of vehicles and come within inches of being hit and don't even flinch. The sights, sounds, and smells while driving through Addis are something I will never forget and I will share more later. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9ofxmPvmo4BGr0RK_Q74BAzt4cOw_zSZHntMVsXChQ00s0zwCHKpsQCfmjDNgjSvwr-2SLzggcfzfp-j2XYaATmCcTjkkfHnDBaH21Ha1J7d-KY8E3Jc0dVAhtKb5Y80paw5YTu538Q/s1600-h/P5250022.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9ofxmPvmo4BGr0RK_Q74BAzt4cOw_zSZHntMVsXChQ00s0zwCHKpsQCfmjDNgjSvwr-2SLzggcfzfp-j2XYaATmCcTjkkfHnDBaH21Ha1J7d-KY8E3Jc0dVAhtKb5Y80paw5YTu538Q/s320/P5250022.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345340401958420242" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFbUwoMA4iQVt1P4TgDBptYwV77AEOi6EcR4gTmdbA9X_HJvkdf4d1XzzXMX3A3vGKX2SQQ3w8JtkafZvyGoplhdFj65Ja8owAEB4u5KnRKSqV4ned1LxmtS99eCZtQaGu9uDnGKdGdg/s1600-h/P5250027.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFbUwoMA4iQVt1P4TgDBptYwV77AEOi6EcR4gTmdbA9X_HJvkdf4d1XzzXMX3A3vGKX2SQQ3w8JtkafZvyGoplhdFj65Ja8owAEB4u5KnRKSqV4ned1LxmtS99eCZtQaGu9uDnGKdGdg/s320/P5250027.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345340715450605698" /></a><br /><br /><br />After driving down a bumpy dirt road we arrive at the HOH gates, I don't think I was even breathing at this point. We are here! Nathan is here! The gates open and there are lines of laundry, kids clothing, and cloth diapers hung out to dry. We are led into Teseguy's office, he is the director for our agency and the HOH in Ethiopia Teseguy is very nice and it amazes me how he knows even the smallest details about each and every child. There were about 56 children there at that time. I felt uneasy and unsure of how the events will unfold. Then he tells me his wife Almaz has gone to get Nathan or "Naty" as they called him. Then she appears in the door with him. I don't even know how to put into words that first time seeing him (sniff). Amazing... He was a chunky, healthy, little boy not the scrawny, malnourished, tiny baby we had expected. He have us his big, gummy, grin and came right to us. I held him and kissed him and was in absolute disbelief that I was really holding him. I felt instantly bonded to him. He was very relaxed with us, he would stare at our faces, smile, and coo at us. I felt like he knew Mommy and Daddy were finally there. After spending a few minutes with him Almaz gave us a can of formula, feeding instructions, and said we could go to the HOH guesthouse where we would be more comfortable to spend time with him. What? That was it? Do I need to like sign him out or something? It was so weird, they hand him over with a can of formula and he is all ours! He seemed a little zoned out in the car and falls asleep in Nick's arms soon after arriving at the HOH guesthouse. After his nap we changed his clothes so we could return the outfit for them to use with other babies. He was in a Mickey Mouse Baseball outfit, I got that off and he had a toddler size Batman muscle tee underneath. It was so cute! :) Wow, he had rolls everywhere and his 6-9 months clothing fit great! Not what I had expected. At dinner that night we met another family; Lorrie, her sister Sherry, and baby Elias. Nathan was very quiet at dinner and just starred at everyone. We returned to our guesthouse and once alone with Nathan he seemed to really open up and show his true personality. He smiled, laughed, and screeched in excitement. We had a sleepless first night. There was constant music from a nearby night club and it was noisy both outside and inside at all hours of the night. Nathan was a little restless as well and woke up numerous times through out the night. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AiAls_x3db989GVH02mr8jvlPmzD3XSmpdjLMW3NGZEBQ_mK_k_bHiqWDkcwR04_e9bUkd2sJfOKfOpeU8F6nZIauMCzBKb_wp1MhDozmdhQUe_Cae1owUodY5iYC1UGkqldCFFLBz8/s1600-h/P5250040.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AiAls_x3db989GVH02mr8jvlPmzD3XSmpdjLMW3NGZEBQ_mK_k_bHiqWDkcwR04_e9bUkd2sJfOKfOpeU8F6nZIauMCzBKb_wp1MhDozmdhQUe_Cae1owUodY5iYC1UGkqldCFFLBz8/s320/P5250040.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345341113262629362" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><strong></strong>Nathan is awake from his nap now and I am taking the kids to the movies today. I will resume this post on our trip shortly! :)</strong>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-48712856235113093332009-06-04T22:37:00.004-04:002009-06-04T22:49:33.425-04:00Link to Pics - Ethiopia & Nathan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRETxcyFj20Jvj0_gah-MY9sQAazAdj1Fz4UXrJKXozX87QyYa0HmRZcI3hIWy_5W71SSX1mgKaeO7KXSPNBTqlj63MJQv9n2lQxZ7HElICTfOCOvtG7iyvdaCVuk92KxmZs6kBo5Z1vc/s1600-h/P6040227(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRETxcyFj20Jvj0_gah-MY9sQAazAdj1Fz4UXrJKXozX87QyYa0HmRZcI3hIWy_5W71SSX1mgKaeO7KXSPNBTqlj63MJQv9n2lQxZ7HElICTfOCOvtG7iyvdaCVuk92KxmZs6kBo5Z1vc/s320/P6040227(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343669646774487138" /></a><br /><br />I still have not had a chance to make a video with our trip pictures and sit and type up everything I want to share about our amazing journey. Here is a link to photos on my Picasa Web Album in case you want a sneak peak: http://picasaweb.google.com/sherthor0612 <br />There is a folder with pics from our Ethiopia trip and a folder with pics of Nathan since we have been home. I will still be typing posts with details from our trip. I may just need a couple more recoup days. :) I still feel so tired and run down.<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/sherthor0612"></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-55719590730974561752009-06-03T07:22:00.004-04:002009-06-03T08:09:49.028-04:00We Are Home!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmb4kwNsLQOg7ov6FE6NGpyS35PAAGT929p0x6GWdUL4O_Yr0EOOyQqJ_86K-su-ru1v66xdks7OvfQuPSoa01-5Talvs-JGFCdwONQ8FFWMdCtTx0b1mAEvvsKv295kaoinW74yqyQzI/s1600-h/560392590309_0_ALB(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmb4kwNsLQOg7ov6FE6NGpyS35PAAGT929p0x6GWdUL4O_Yr0EOOyQqJ_86K-su-ru1v66xdks7OvfQuPSoa01-5Talvs-JGFCdwONQ8FFWMdCtTx0b1mAEvvsKv295kaoinW74yqyQzI/s320/560392590309_0_ALB(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343071678044753698" /></a><br /><br />Yes, we are home at last with our beautiful little boy, Nathan. We got in Monday, I am just now getting a chance to make a quick post. Our trip to Ethiopia was an amazing experience and I will be posting pics and details over the next few days. Nathan is perfect, absolutely perfect. He is such a beautiful, happy baby and we are head over heels in love with him. We are so blessed...<br /><br />We had a big group of family and friends that met us at the ATL airport when we arrived. Nathan greeted everyone with his big smiles! He is such a great baby and loves everyone. He was not afraid of the large crowds, unfamiliar places, and new faces at all.<br /><br />I have lots of families waiting on pics of their little ones that I took while visiting the House of Hope (HOH). I HAVE to get those to them today. Guys, I am working on it now! :) The children are so loved and well cared for at the HOH. The entire staff is amazing. Since there is now a separate guesthouse for the traveling families we did not get to visit the HOH and spend time with the children as much as I would have liked to. The new guesthouse is awesome, very nice, but it was a bummer being separate from all the children. We literally only had about 45 minutes at the HOH before going to our Visa appt. That was it. :(<br /><br />Here are a couple pics, there are lots more to come! :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv5qR17fosKqG7RbpXz6sUhvaGsfVkh1BZwx35i9_49xGZdgMih_yvtmHZrElXOVV_mfBh4ipjz8N6aXfZm78B92XIYETsTx8GJsC1WFFrBpqmCRyCW3DBK4YJ1t4vvUwL7kplWMth0E/s1600-h/543813590309_0_ALB.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv5qR17fosKqG7RbpXz6sUhvaGsfVkh1BZwx35i9_49xGZdgMih_yvtmHZrElXOVV_mfBh4ipjz8N6aXfZm78B92XIYETsTx8GJsC1WFFrBpqmCRyCW3DBK4YJ1t4vvUwL7kplWMth0E/s320/543813590309_0_ALB.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343071485167525106" /></a>Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-45762230601740182742009-05-27T09:50:00.002-04:002009-05-27T09:53:31.146-04:00Visa appointment and coming home early.Just got some texts from Sherry. The Visa appointment was good today and Naty is doing wonderful. Sherry, however, is feeling a little under the weather.<br /><br />They will be coming home early. They will leave Addis on Sunday and will arrive in Atlanta Monday at 2:30 pm.<br /><br />Angela (for Sherry)Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-39368520597067289832009-05-27T08:31:00.003-04:002009-05-27T08:36:01.002-04:00"Nathan is amazing!"Sherry texted yesterday and said that they were doing well. Nathan ( or "Naty" as the call him at HOH) was sleeping on her chest. <br /><br />They are having some phone and power issues but are very happy that bonding is going great. <br /><br />I will post more as soon as I hear more.<br /><br />Angela (for Sherry)Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-45728525049825621262009-05-24T09:32:00.001-04:002009-05-24T09:32:58.029-04:00We are in DC and will board Ethiopian Airlines in approx 10 min!!! YAY! Nathan here we come.Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-52098604183523288592009-05-23T17:38:00.003-04:002009-05-23T19:49:11.203-04:00and we're off...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkcnf_YfTpzVmMlhttbX_mUksXaIPXb29BzqRPj5QwPl0LWTZUTPy5srMBwCMBV-v6EWom126tlqVmc0Ek38LPFOLMJf1fQV_WckX8E-CZZDK_0K-Rt817l_tWSIuQSqYt9SMJPAgH74/s1600-h/hands.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkcnf_YfTpzVmMlhttbX_mUksXaIPXb29BzqRPj5QwPl0LWTZUTPy5srMBwCMBV-v6EWom126tlqVmc0Ek38LPFOLMJf1fQV_WckX8E-CZZDK_0K-Rt817l_tWSIuQSqYt9SMJPAgH74/s320/hands.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339170275444067346" /></a><br /><br />I can't believe it is here! We leave in the morning for Ethiopia to bring home our son. We actually leave tonight since we have to be at the airport at 3:00 am! Our flight leaves at 6:00 am from Atlanta, we arrive in Washington DC and then our flight to Ethiopia leaves at 10:00 am. It will be 8:00 am Monday morning when we arrive in Ethiopia. A driver will be at our guesthouse around 9:30 am to pick us up and take us to the House of Hope where we will meet Nathan. He will be ours from that moment on... I can't wait to see his sweet face, touch his little hands, and kiss his tiny toes. It still does not seem real. <br /><br />I just kissed Austin and Olivia goodbye, which was VERY difficult to do. They will be going with their grandparents to dinner and a movie to help keep their mind off us leaving. I know Olivia will be fine, I am a little worried about Austin though. He has been glued to my side all day hugging me and telling me how much he will miss me. Olivia is just the type of kid that is good no matter where she is or who she is with. I do wonder how long it will take her to really start missing us. I am sure Austin will run the cell phone bill up calling several times a day, which is just fine. <br /><br />We have had all sorts of visitors and phone calls today keeping us busy and now that the house is quiet I am really thinking of our trip and the amazing journey we are about to take. I have another load of orphanage donations on it's way right now from my cousin Kira and then we will be all packed and ready. I have been thinking of the first time I will see Nathan and wondering how he will react to us. I have been thinking of the situations we will encounter and the people we will meet. Thinking of the street children, beggars, and all the children at the House of Hope currently waiting for their family. I have been thinking of my friends who were supposed to be going with me. This will be an emotional journey... I feel blessed that God has given me the opportunity to have this experience in life and to have Nathan as my son. <br /><br />Please continue to pray for our family; that we have safe travels, that Austin and Olivia are safe and happy while we are away, that Nathan is healthy, that he bonds to us and adjusts quickly, and that God will work through us and speak to us through this amazing journey. Thank you Lord for blessing our family. <br /><br />I will be attempting to update my blog while we are in Ethiopia! Be sure to check back. Our return flight arrives in Atlanta at 2:30 pm on Wednesday June 3rd!Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-38400453961847853312009-05-19T10:45:00.002-04:002009-05-19T11:26:54.050-04:00Need a little help...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbNyyRoHPUMbkrORISffbIfBLJf4Hf2XII_QNmc3Y5dycTTTKL4nc1PX24g9PTKyXrbwOWVvx2npJdqwJl2nsVAQqC7xPojZKMe0uR4cGu4S_037CycPqw64eqYsIQ3kj1CV8Dp3L8NI/s1600-h/Nathenael2.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHbNyyRoHPUMbkrORISffbIfBLJf4Hf2XII_QNmc3Y5dycTTTKL4nc1PX24g9PTKyXrbwOWVvx2npJdqwJl2nsVAQqC7xPojZKMe0uR4cGu4S_037CycPqw64eqYsIQ3kj1CV8Dp3L8NI/s320/Nathenael2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337556700125876226" /></a><br /><br />We recently found out the babies name is spelled different than we originally thought. On his referral documents it was spelled Nathenael and on his official documents Nathnael. On one form it was spelled Natnael, which is actually the traditional Ethiopian spelling of the name. We want to shorten it to Nathen or Nathan as a nickname but we need to decide on spelling first. I was already stuck on Nathenael but now I am not so sure. Nathanael is the biblical way of spelling it. I want his name to have some significance and I really wanted his name to be a traditional Ethiopian spelling but... Natnael would be hard to shorten to Nathen/Nathan plus the pronunciation is different. I don't know what to do but we have to decide!!! the name means "Gift from God" no matter how it is spelled. I am now leaning toward Nathanael (Nathan) since it is the biblical spelling. I think I have decided on Elias for his middle name, which is the name I originally I wanted to give him and it is a traditional Ethiopian name meaning "The Lord is God". Ok, are you confused yet??? I am! :) Help me here. On the side bar there is a place where you can vote for which spelling you like best! :)<br /><br />The picture of my little guy above was a picture we got at referral and I love it. He was so tiny but there is so much character and expression in his face.Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7424185620784058871.post-13696234039359340632009-05-18T11:31:00.007-04:002009-05-18T15:00:01.683-04:00Cleared for take off...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwq1Sukjxn_CKXbHWhXCW_qGPWbWVLgz4FnjDUj2LGwtphqH9SGwrsYWzVzcly3Z9yWGkhZF_1AsjvvODkhwzgp3uvqTnimk3LrGA4cMq0Q3RJEsDqb84smhrypXa1uCihCE9UO9ilsk/s1600-h/plane.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwq1Sukjxn_CKXbHWhXCW_qGPWbWVLgz4FnjDUj2LGwtphqH9SGwrsYWzVzcly3Z9yWGkhZF_1AsjvvODkhwzgp3uvqTnimk3LrGA4cMq0Q3RJEsDqb84smhrypXa1uCihCE9UO9ilsk/s320/plane.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337188615081061650" /></a><br /><br />AHHHHH!!!!! I am on cloud nine right now! We are cleared for take off!!!! All documents are ready and we have the May 28th Visa appt. (UPDATE: our Visa appt is actually May 27th, the 28th is a holiday in Ethiopia so they moved it up one day) We are leaving THIS Sunday May 24th and will be back June 3rd. I can not believe it is here. We leave in <strong></strong>6 days<strong></strong>! This time next week I will be holding my beautiful baby in my arms. :) Wow, am I glad I booked our flights Friday. We have our travel call today.<br /><br />Oh, and we are spelling the babies name wrong. It is Nathnael. I am trying to decide if we are going to shorten it to Nate or Nathen or what we will do. Maybe we will just stick with Nathnael. <br /><br />Wow, I have to get busy. So much to do...Sherryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10937991406928235344noreply@blogger.com4