The Journey

Where has this month gone? This month has been huge, and we are so proud of all the progress you have made. You have conquered all your colors thanks to our daily multiple walks around the neighborhood. You point at cars and trucks and tell us their colors. You can even tell us the cars that should be there when they are gone. You are so observant to the world around you, and you soak up all the new information and experiences like a little sponge.  Daily you impress me with new vocabulary. Some are words we have intentionally tried to teach you while others you have just picked up on your own. You get very frustrated when we can't understand you, and you do such an amazing job trying to let us know what you need, want, or just want to share with us. We ask you to use your words (Amharic or English) because last month you liked to point and whine. Now you are using words like crazy, and we hate when we can't get what you are saying. I would love for you to keep your swe...

Many of you know that I am a teacher. Several of you have asked if I am returning to work.  Yes, I will be going back to work, but thankfully I will not be going back until November. Although Zane came home a month ago, we knew he would not be ready for me to go back to work at the beginning of the school year. We have some awesome people lined up to watch him, and we are so thankful he will be with people he already knows. Our plan is to basically start preparing Zane for what life with momma working will look like. He will be dropped off and spending time at the places he will be going. We will try riding in the car to these places (Zane still gets carsick, so besides naptime this is what I am most worried about when I go back to work). Zane is learning to trust us, and he is starting to understand that when we leave, we will return. He was really struggling with Jeffrey leaving for working, and thankfully his anxiety and meltdowns have really lessened. Today, Zane asked i...

I am struggling to find time to write, but I wanted to write a short post.  Ethiopia is so very different than everything here. The smells, the food, the sounds, the weather, the culture, the people- you get it!  It is not any easy task to keep Ethiopia evident in our home all the time. We have to be really intentional. Some people don't quite understand why this is so important to us, but we feel that although Zane is now an American citizen, he is also still Ethiopian. We don't know if Zane will want to know more of Ethiopia or even care to know more of Ethiopia when he gets older, but until he is old enough to decide, we feel it is our responsibility to always keep Ethiopia in our conversations. It isn't something hushed or unspoken. Several people have asked us when we were going to start talking to Zane about adoption.  This is something that is just natural and a part of our family. No, we don't say, "This is our adopted son." That's weird. ...